No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Selene closed her eyes, attempting to block out the sound of the rain as it pounded against the small window at the top of the room. In no time, water would be seeping through the crack in the foundation, but she would not be there to see it. In fact, she had decided after today she would never again return to the decrepit building of her apartment complex.
If the rain broke her concentration, it was nothing compared to the nagging thought of what she had just done. Curling up and placing her hands on her head, she sought for the refuge of rational thinking. Her mind raced as images flashed before her eyes.
"Yeah, I've got just cause." Selene paused and Travis went pale; the both of them turned toward the source of the voice and their eyes landed upon the one whom they had thought was the guest who had gotten ill and had slipped back into to the room after the ceremony started. But there, standing in the middle of the pews, was their best friend, Tara Tucker.
The rain beat louder and louder, Selene's pulse rising to match it. Hatred had blinded her to reason that day and it still lay as a veil between Selene and her ability to ever love again. She knew Travis had been her first and last, that no other human would touch her in the same way he had.
In five minutes' time, Selene had risen from her spot in the corner of the basement and gone up the stairs to the flat she shared with Travis. To her relief, he wasn't there and she was free to gather up what little belongings she possessed in silence. After packing a few books and instruments into a rucksack, she paused, looking into the mirror that stood at the foot of her bed.
Her hair hung in dripping ringlets about her pale, bare shoulders. The wedding gown was no longer the pure white it had been when she received it. It was now tattered and stained by the dirty rain of London. Selene must have been quite a sight, running from the chapel with the ridiculous garment trailing and her eyes blazing with vengeance. She would most certainly be in need of a change of clothing.
For several minutes, Selene rummaged through her dresser, searching for something to wear. She owned nothing but school robes and a few sets of Muggle clothing, but at the moment, she felt a severe aversion to both, and resorted to rummaging through Travis' things. After rifling reluctantly through a pile of his underpants Selene paused, spotting something at the very bottom of the drawer. She dug it out and it unfolded in her hands: navy blue robes, thick, yet versatile. This would have to do, she reasoned.
As she reached around to unzip her dress, a loud popping sound from the living room startled her and she spun around, her hair slinging rain water in every direction.
"Selene?" a voice called, echoing down the hall and through the open door. Selene cursed inwardly and glanced into the drawer again. Folded beside Travis' polka dotted trouser shorts was a deep blue cloak which matched the robes she had found.
"Selene, are you here?"
She grabbed the cloak, flinging it over her shoulders and fastening the clasp upon her chest. A shadow was cast on the wall of the hall, making its way swiftly toward the bedroom. Stuffing the robes into her rucksack, she made to disapparate, but the disembodied voice stopped her.
"Selene..."
She paused, only her profile visible to the figure in the doorway. "Well?" she asked, not looking up. In an instant, she dove her hand once more into the rucksack, her thin fingers closing around the handle of her wand.
"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean for you to find out that way," Travis said sincerely as he stepped into the bedroom. His face was full of regret, and every inch of him told him to stay as far away from the woman in front of him as he could, but he felt obliged to explain himself. "Please--"
"Don't patronize me," was Selene's chilled reply. She still would not look at him, keeping her hand firmly in the rucksack.
"I'm not trying to, I just...I want to tell you what really happened," he pleaded, taking a step toward her. She didn't move, so he took a few more tentative steps. When he was at arm's length, he stopped.
Selene drew breath steadily, but remained silent, every bone in her body aching to lash out at him as she had to Tara.
"Tara Tucker, you will be the first to pay for what you've done--"
The flash of green light had startled everyone and had given Selene a chance to escape without being apprehended by the Auror-in-Training, Will Parry. She had run out into the night, unable to think, unable to breathe, unable to comprehend what she had just done. All she knew was that she had to get as far away from the Hellish chapel as she could.
Travis took a deep breath and looked down, desperately searching for the words to describe to her how it was Tara who had come to him first, it was Tara who had begged for his help, it was Tara who had made the first mood, it was Tara who deserved the gritty fate she'd received. Most of all, he feared Selene would deem him worthy of this fate as well. Finally, he looked up at her again.
"Selene, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, and I know Tara didn't either. But what happened...it...it just did. There was no ulterior motive, we didn't intend on doing anything. She needed my help, Selene. I wasn't about to turn her down...not after she introduced me to you." He reached out a hand and touched her arm, and surprisingly, she didn't turn away. She merely stood there, breathing in and out of her nose, staring ahead at the wall.
What Travis didn't see was that Selene was planning. Her head was swimming with half-formed notions and memories of the past, but it was beginning to come clear now. For some reason, the memory of a day in the Hog's Head pub was surfacing to the forefront of her mind.
"The love child of a hidden affair will rise as the thieves of Future bear the fruits of true love: the most powerful Dark witch to terrorize our land..."
The most powerful Dark witch to terrorize our land? The mere thought alone had sent a shiver of anticipation down Selene's spine. Was she really destined for such a great achievement? Would her existence be marked in every history book to grace the shelves of all the wizarding libraries in the world? The prophecy that had been given to her by a girl, a girl who so closely resembled Selene herself, had touched her that day in her fifth year, the sound of which never left her mind.
Because in those words was a guarantee, a promise that Selene would have everything she ever wanted: the power to be able to gain revenge on her mother's family, to make them pay for everything that they had done to her.
And now she realized, as she stared resolutely at the peeling wallpaper of her bedroom, that not only did she have the power to seek out the O'Reilly's, she wouldn't have to stop there. She could kill anybody, she'd proven that when she killed her best friend. If this were true, then, there was nothing telling her she had to continue to put up with the man currently groveling for forgiveness.
"...and that's how it happened. Just like that, I couldn't stop it. She was so lost, Selene. Surely you understand. You've always been--" he paused, wincing slightly as the lie slipped from his mouth, "--rational."
Selene smiled slowly, having heard only the last few words of his explanation. She turned her head slowly to look at Travis and he instinctively took a step back.
"You want me to be rational?" she asked, raising her eyebrows ever so slightly. Travis floundered and cast about for an answer.
"I-I, I didn't mean it that way...I mean--I..." he sighed, looking down. "Look, I'm not asking for you to forgive me--because I know there's no way in Hell that's ever going to happen--"
Selene glared. Who was he to assume he knew how she would act? After all, she considered herself a different person now that she was no longer bound to him. She was free to act upon her feelings of vengeance without his approval. Travis looked as though he would faint.
"Selene, please...I'm begging you--" he began, but in an instant, she had drawn her wand from the bag, pointing it swiftly at his heart.
"You haven't even begun to consider the meaning of the word beg..." she said silkily, her words seething with a kind of malice Travis had never witnessed in her--which was saying something. He fidgeted uncomfortably, glancing over his shoulder as he took another step back, hands raised in front of him protectively.
"Please, all I want to do is talk. I want to be sure you know what happened before--" he gulped, "before you...kill me."
"Oh," Selene began, shaking her head slowly, "I've no intention to kill you just yet--"
At that moment, several things happened. The sound of a dozen wizard apparating in the dusty living room penetrated Selene's ears while Travis dove to snatch up her wand. Instantly, Selene took a step backwards, kicked Travis with the heel of her shoe and grabbed her rucksack.
"STUPEFY!" a dozen voices shouted, but their spells ricocheted off the walls and mirror and connected squarely with Travis' chest as he struggled to breathe. The Aurors piled into the room and looked around, but Selene had disappeared.
It was long before Selene saw the streets of London again. It somehow hadn't seemed right, to kill him the first time opportunity arose. She would heighten his fear, maybe even cause him to go mad with the anticipation of his sudden death. Oh, but it wouldn't be sudden, she would make sure of that.
Selene disappeared from the city life to join once again the ranks of the Death Eaters. While she was at school, she'd had very little time to spend with them and now that she was on her own, felt obligated to make up for the lost time.
She attended every summoning with the hopes that she would again see the man who she knew in her heart to be her grandfather. For months, the black-robed murderers would gather without their leader and Selene grew more and more troubled as time wore on. She longed for the attention she had received three years ago after having been given the prophecy, the sense that she was wanted and her presence appreciated.
Four months she waited, and not once did he grace their meetings with his presence. There was constant news, of course, of what Lord Voldemort was planning. Occasionally delegates arrived to tell them of an assignment they were to complete.
On a bitter, snowy day in November, Selene found herself looking up at the façade of a shabby home in a small town in Northern England. The Muggles assumed it had long since been abandoned, as did a good amount of the wizarding community. However, all those under the employ of Lord Voldemort knew that within those walls were held secrets that, if leaked to the Ministry, would damn them to several lifetimes in Azkaban.
Walking up to the door she muttered something under her breath before resting her hand on the doorknob. She glanced over both shoulders before opening the door and stepping inside. It was almost laughable, how easy it seemed to gain entry into the house. On the other hand, it was never openly stated that if anyone who was not branded with the Dark Mark upon their right forearm approached, they would be swiftly killed by any number of curses laid upon the premises. Several nasty corpses had been discovered nearby, almost all of them Muggles, every one killed in gruesome and undoubtedly painful ways.
Selene stepped into the foyer, allowing the door to snap shut behind her. The house was dark and vacant, as it was most of the time. Rarely were there more than two people inside at any given moment, and for this, she was exceedingly grateful.
Hurrying across the old and creaky floorboards, she started down a staircase which loudly protested her presence. At the bottom of the stairs, she came to a long hallway, at the end of which stood a large wooden door with an old brass handle shaped like the head of a serpent. Selene walked briskly until she had approached the door and grabbed the handle. It did not yield to her touch until she whispered something in a foreign tongue, consisting curiously of a series of hisses.
Without a moment's pause, she stepped inside, looking around. The room was dark, not a single window allowing natural light to permeate the stone walls. Selene lifted her wand and half a dozen torches lit themselves one by one along the walls on either side of her and the one directly before it. It was a small room, big enough only to fit a line of bookshelves, a dusty wing-backed armchair, and a fireplace on the wall to the right.
Closing the door behind her, Selene stepped farther into the room, making directly for the bookshelves. The spines of the books had been worn and were hard to read, particularly in the dim light from the torches. She knew precisely what she was looking for, however, and reached instinctively for a book bound in black leather with a large hole cut into the middle of every page and both covers.
Selene pulled this out, running her fingers lightly over the hole which seemed to have been burned at the edges by the venom of the basilisk. She remembered with startling vividness the first time she had learned of the existence of the Horcruxes.
"The soul is a complex matter, Selene. One must not trifle with it without knowing what one is doing, for as abruptly as it was created, it can be stricken from the body."
"But what does that have to do with anything?" a sixteen year old Selene had asked, looking skeptically at the leather-bound book in her hand. It didn't look like anything spectacular. In fact, it boggled her to think why anyone should choose to use it, seeing as how it was cut in a perfect circle straight through.
"If you will be still and listen, I shall tell you," replied the impatient voice with more harshness than he had intended to use.
Selene glowered slightly, but fell silent, turning the book over in her hands. She felt the man in long flowing robes circle around the wing-backed armchair she was sitting in, pacing as he thought how best to explain the greatest plan he had ever conceived in his never-ending quest for immortality.
"As I said, the soul is as intricate as the very memories floating around in your head. It is woven into patterns which fold in upon themselves, binding one part to another and so on. This makes it nearly impossible to tear apart--"
"But why would anyone want to tear their soul apart? I mean, it's kinda impor--"
"Once again, if you would like to hear what I have to tell you, please allow me to say it without interruptions," he snapped, stopping as he stood in front of her. She looked up at him and closed her mouth, but refused to look away. He continued on going to the fireplace and standing before the mantle as he spoke.
"As I was saying, it is nearly impossible to tear the soul apart. However, there is but one exception," at this, he turned to look at her, wand suddenly in his hand. She paused, panicking for a brief moment. Surely he wasn't going to demonstrate on her! Whatever advantages the splitting the soul, she was quite certain she didn't want to participate quite yet.
To her relief, he pointed his wand at the floor, and before she could blink, a girl appeared before her, looking pale and frightened. She couldn't have been older than Selene herself, and she was trembling, her arms and legs bound and her mouth gagged. She looked from the girl to the man curiously.
"You see, Selene, the soul is immediately divided when one commits the ultimate act of villainy," he said, releasing the girl of her gag, but maintaining the ropes that bound her limbs. She took in large, gulping breaths that Selene hardly deemed necessary. Glancing around with wide eyes, the girl whimpered softly before looking up at the man standing over her. She went even paler and let out a cry of alarm.
"Please! Let me go, I'm begging you!" she exclaimed, her voice even higher than Selene had anticipated. Long strands of what used to be beautiful brown hair now hung in tattered clumps, her bangs strewn wetly across her forehead. She had evidently been brutalized shortly before being transported here, most likely in the struggle of her capture. A purple bruise was starting to appear on her right cheek, dazzlingly bright against the alabaster tone of her skin. Selene smirked, feeling little remorse for the girl, particularly when she noticed the tie in yellow and black, Hufflepuff's colors, dangling about her neck.
"Do you know who I am, child?" asked the man who was twirling his wand between unnaturally long fingers. The girl answered straight away in almost a yelp, her voice constricted and quavering.
"Y-you're He-Who...You Know..." she glanced toward Selene, who offered nothing by way of support but a small smirk, "V-V-Voldemort..." The girl's voice had softened to a tremulous whisper and she lowered her eyes as she uttered the name, as if by simply saying it, she was condemning herself to a slow and painful death.
She was, of course, half correct.
Voldemort's reply came prefaced by a small, vindictive smile. "Very good, and do you know why I have brought you here?"
After a moment of thought, the girl shook her head vehemently and Selene's smirk broadened into a smile.
"I have brought you here," and at this, Voldemort pointed his wand and flicked it at the girl, who was brought to her feet abruptly and forced to look up at him, "Because you are the perfect example of worthlessness."
Tears began to fill the young girl's eyes, yet she could not look away. His spell had taken hold and she was forced to face that which she had feared her entire life.
"Don't look away now, you are so very close to achieving something remarkable," at this, Selene raised her eyebrows, intrigued. "All your life you have refused to face you fears. Well now, you have no choice. Do you know what it is you fear?"
The girl opened her mouth, about to reply, but she stopped short. This could be a trick question, and she decided it best to stay silent and let him answer his own question, for fear that she might say the wrong answer.
"You don't?" Voldemort looked mildly surprised, though his resolve did not flinch. He grinned slowly, the very pinnacle of cynicism. "My dear, you are afraid that at any moment I shall strike out at you and take your life. You fear that which takes the weak at ease, abolishes countries, rips families apart. You, young child, are terrified of death."
A silence fell over the room as the girl peered helplessly into the eyes of the Dark Lord Voldemort. Selene watched, fascinated, her breath held.
Voldemort lowered his wand and waved it, the ropes around the girl's wrist and ankles disappearing. For a moment, she sat motionless, unaware that she had been set free. It wasn't until the Dark Lord spoke again that she began to realize.
"There are ways, of course, of avoiding death," as his words slipped through her ears, she looked around wildly. The door stood open at the end of the room and Voldemort was no longer pointing his wand at her. Driven mad by the possibility of escape, she clambered to her feet, making clumsily for the door.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The spell hit her square in the small of her back. With a small, pathetic cry, she fell to the ground, dead before she hit the floor. Selene jumped, her eyes widening slightly.
"But I'm afraid it's much too late for that," Voldemort concluded, lowering his wand.. Selene, who was bursting with questions, bit back the urge to talk and merely watched as the Dark Lord turned his back on her. What he was doing, he could not see, but it evidently caused him great pain as he cried out sharply, pulling his wand away from his body. Hanging at the very tip was what looked like a piece of torn fabric, dark and intricate. Patterns of thread-like colors moved every conceivable way, sometimes forming shapes, other times nothing at all. It took Selene a moment before she realized that he had spoken once again.
"I'm sorry?" she asked.
"The knife!" he exclaimed in a voice that was tense and strained. He sounded as if he had just been kicked hard in the chest. Selene jumped and looked where he had indicated: to a small table from which she had picked up the destroyed diary. She stood and hurried toward it, picking up a dull knife that lay in the back beside a ring and a goblet. She thrust it into his hands as he turned to meet her.
Raising the knife into the air, he touched the tip of his wand to its unsharpened blade. A great green light blinded Selene, making her shield her face with her hand and turn away. Moments later, Voldemort's voice coaxed her from hiding.
"A Horcrux," he explained, and she turned to look at him. In his hands he held the most beautiful weapon Selene had ever seen. It was impossible for her to think that it had once been the old knife she had brought to him. It shone now in a hundred different colors which pulsed and moved much like the fabric-like substance Selene had seen hanging from his wand. It glimmered, suggesting a power beyond anything she could ever imagine. Selene now spotted something she hadn't noticed before, an inscription on one side of the blade:
Ictus Serpentis
"What..." she began, but found that she could not complete the sentence, much to Voldemort's pleasure. He looked worn and less eager to put up with her constant interruptions.
"This knife now holds the key to a life after death. In holding a shred of my soul, it can be used after I have been killed to bring life again to my body. I trust, Selene, that should anything happen to me in the future, it will be you who restores me to my former strength."
Selene had accepted, of course. To be trusted with something that important had thrilled her and made her feel even more needed than ever before. She had vowed that day that if Voldemort needed her help, she would rush to his side. And just such an occasion had arisen.
She set the diary back on the shelf and turned swiftly around. There was a portrait hanging above the fireplace and it was empty at the moment, but Selene hardly noticed. She waved her wand and it swung aside, revealing a small pile of rather valuable-looking things.
Decades ago, a child called Harry Potter went in search of the five Horcruxes that still existed at the time. Lord Voldemort had ordered for them to be found by Death Eaters and gathered together to put into safe-keeping. The servants of the Dark Lord had gathered all they could find before the Boy Who Lived could snatch them up greedily. However, only the ring and the goblet had been retrieved, for the boy had found the locket at the infamous 12 Grimmauld Place. The snake Nagini, Voldemort's only living Horcrux, had been promptly captured and killed, but not without taking the red-headed boy's father with it. The final Horcrux had been lost on both parties. Neither Voldemort nor Harry Potter had been able to find it, and so the former had begun to make new Horcruxes.
And Selene had chosen to help. She had been there to witness the creation of the knife Horcrux. It was in their future plans that Selene would capture two more innocents in order to complete their collection.
Selene gently reached into the crevice and drew forth the knife, still glimmering after all the years it had spent locked in this room. She took a few steps backward, sinking down into the armchair with her eyes never leaving the delicate blade. Gently, she turned it over in her hands and ran her fingertips over words that were dancing about in the torchlight, as versatile as their meaning.
"Ictus Serpentis," she whispered, allowing her eyes to close as her fingers turned the knife over and over. She was drawing something from it, but what she couldn't explain. It wasn't until her heart began to race that she opened her eyes and looked around. How long had she been in the house? It had seemed like only mere minutes, but somehow she knew it had been longer.
Standing up, Selene began to stretch, but quickly noticed that she was still holding the blade in her hand. Biting her lip, she glanced around the room once more before slipping it into the pocket of her long, navy blue robes. It lay docile against her thigh, yet she knew deep down the power it contained.
Moments later, she was stepping out of the building and descending the steps onto the sidewalk. She had been correct in her assumption that she had been asleep much longer than she had intended. It was dark now, and as Selene apparated on the streets of downtown London, the only thing lighting her way was the moon reflecting on deep layers of snow that had fallen during the day and continued to fall even as she went.
She didn't know why she had apparated here, but decided not to question it. There seemed to be an outside force guiding her, making her walk in the direction she was going. In no time, she found herself standing outside a pair of tall iron gates that stood open upon a wide pavement pathway.
Slowly, Selene looked up, taking in the sight with a sharp inhale of breath. Beyond the path stood hundreds upon hundreds of tombstones, all of them sticking out from the snow-covered lawns like beacons of hope in a vast field of suffering. Moonlight sifted through leafless branches as Selene stepped onto the grounds, leaving a trail behind her as she went.
Nothing moved but a breeze which dusted snow from the tops of the grave stones. Selene continued on in an almost trance-like state, mesmorized by the sheer peacefulness of the night. It wasn't until she nearly tripped over the tombstone before she realized where she was.
Tara Tucker
Devoted friend and
Beloved daughter
June 11, 1993 - July 8, 2011
Selene nearly laughed out loud. The sheer irony of the entire situation was far too much for her. To think that the one place her mind would lead her when she succumbed to wandering aimlessly would be the final resting place of the first person and only person she'd murdered! And to see inscribed upon the stone the words 'devoted friend' was almost unbearable.
Tara Tucker was the kind of girl Selene never thought she would ever make friends with. She was shallow and materialistic and not one of her relationships lasted more than a week. Not one, that is, except the one Tara had formed with Selene's boyfriend.
It had been a stupid affair, Selene concluded in retrospect. The entire situation had started off on the wrong foot.
"Come on, Selene! It'll help you take your mind of things! You obviously need it."
"I do not. I'm perfectly fine having an evening to myself with my books, and I'll thank you kindly not to suggest an alternative again," Selene replied shortly, quickening her pace as she walked side by side down the hall with her best friend.
"Oh no you don't," Tara protested, grabbing Selene by the elbow and spinning her so that the two girls were face to face. "You're going out tonight, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Selene sighed and looked at her. What did it take to get through to anybody around here? She wasn't the social type, end of story. There was nothing for it. And yet, when Tara looked at her like that, it almost seemed half worth considering.
"Please?" asked Tara, raising her eyebrows pathetically. "C'mon, it'll be a pity party!"
Selene raised one eyebrow. "Beg pardon?"
"Well, what have you been doing all night?"
". . ."
"Complaining about your mother's side of the family, as usual. And what have I been doing?"
"Getting on my nerves," Selene retorted, pushing past her and turning down a hallway.
"Well, exactly!" exclaimed Tara, hurrying to catch up with her. She overtook Selene and walked backwards to face her as she talked. "I've been explaining to you my predicament with Neil--"
"--the Gobstones player," Selene reminded her, smirking.
Tara sighed. "Yes, him. Well--he hasn't talked to me in a week, and hasn't looked at me in two!"
Selene paused slightly, but shook her head. "My answer's still no."
"Fine; be that way," said Tara, turning her nose up. Just as she did so, she walked backwards into a suit of armor, which cursed at her and made her stumble clumsily out of the way of his sword.
Snickering, Selene continued on, but at the back of her mind, something made her hesitate. What was the harm of going out anyway? She hadn't done it before, and it was nearing the end of her fifth year. O.W.L.'s weren't for another couple of weeks and she was well caught up on her homework. She could hardly say the same for Tara, but it wasn't like she minded.
Tara brushed herself off and sprinted to catch up again. "You're thinking. I can see it. You're beginning to see things my way, aren't you?"
Selene rolled her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was to admit to Tara that she was right. So, she had to twist things around to make her think that the only reason she wanted to go was purely for her own benefit, not Tara's.
"Only blind people see things your way, Tara," she said, half joking. Tara smirked, but didn't give up.
"Just for a little bit? Just enough time for a quick one in the Hog's Head!" she pressed, but Selene shook her head.
"No, I've got more important things to do."
"Like WHAT?" Tara shouted, and Selene could tell she was beginning to get angry. She had stopped in the middle of the hallway, her hands on her hips in a three-year-old-tantrum kind of way. Selene paused as well, folding her arms and watching her expectantly.
"Oh come on! You can't honestly stand there and tell me you think an evening of homework would be more fun than spending time with me?"
"As a matter of fact, having a root canal done at the dentist is more fun than spending time with you," Selene said smoothly and a slight trace of a grin danced upon her lips as she watched Tara falter. She decided it was time for an intervention. "But then again, I had planned on going to Hogsmeade tonight anyway." Indeed, she had been summoned to a Death Eater meeting for later that night, but Tara didn't need to know that.
Tara's eyes lit up. "Oh Selene, we're going to have an AMAZING time!"
The next morning, Selene found herself kneeling before the toilet in the girls' bathroom in Gryffindor tower. She was in the process of ridding her entire body of its contents by way of a long, unpleasant session in which Tara had to hold her hair back.
"I guess I was wrong this whole time," Tara said, half of her amazed, and half of her a bit, well, ashamed, really. She hadn't been there for Selene to tell her to slow down, but instead had gotten carried away herself. Of course, she was more experienced and had a better hold on her liquor than Selene.
"Oh yeah?" Selene replied queasily as they made their way down the marble staircase toward the Entrance Hall. "And why's that?"
"Well...I mean, I..." she shook her head, laughing unenthusiastically. "I didn't know you had it in you," she finished lamely.
Selene smirked and began to reply, but a wave of nausea overtook her and she fell to a sitting position on the bottom step. "I think I'm going to be sick again," she said, burying her head in her hands. She felt awful, like she'd been pummeled by the Knight Bus. Repeatedly.
Tara patted her on the back reassuringly, but then withdrew her hand quickly, realizing this might not be the best idea. Instead, she tilted her head, searching for Selene's gaze. "Can you remember anything from last night at all?"
Selene shook her head, careful not to cause any more motion than was utterly necessary. "It's all running together, I don't know where one thing ends and another begins."
"Well, just start from what you remember first, and see where your memory takes you." Tara bit her lip. The reason she was asking was that she had seen something peculiar and was wondering if Selene would come clean herself, or if Tara would have to take extra measures in order to extract the truth. Then again, she could have been completely imagining things, seeing as how she was intoxicated at the time as well.
"I was...we were, I mean--" Selene looked up, a sudden look of panic plaguing her features. "Oh god."
Tara looked up. "What?" she asked mildly, for the sinking feeling in her stomach told her she knew exactly what had caused Selene so much alarm.
"I think I slept with someone..."
Tara swallowed hard, her voice forced. "Can you...ahem...remember who?"
Selene shook her head. "I don't know, I don't know...I think his name started with an N--or maybe an L, oh god, I don't know." She slumped over, burying her head once again in the sanctuary of her arms.
The other girl took a deep breath, gritting her teeth slightly, but maintaining her composure fairly well. "He didn't just happen to...to be a...Gobstones player...did he?"
"Gobstones player!" exclaimed Selene, her head snapping up--which she immediately regretted, wincing. "I hope not! Jesus Christ...Gobstones, honestly..."
Tara stood up, unable to keep looking at her friend in this pitiful state. Sure, she herself had been in the same position plenty of times, but Selene was so commiseratively inexperienced, it was painful to watch.
"Think, Selene, think!" Tara snapped; she wanted the answer, she needed to know for sure.
Selene looked up at her irritably. "Why are you so eager to know? You seemed perfectly fine with abandoning me last night. It's your own fault you didn't stay along for the ride--" she paused, a smirk appearing on her lips. "Ride..." she snickered to herself before abruptly stopping when she spotted the look on Tara's face. She stood up, regaining her former demeanor with less-than-perfect ease. "Look--what's your problem? Honestly, I don't see why you care!"
No, Selene wouldn't see, would she? thought Tara. She wouldn't understand the deeper tolls than a severe hangover the night before had caused, not until the time came. And just such an opportunity happened to be strolling in through the front doors.
Tara smiled devilishly as she grabbed Selene by the arm. "Come here, there's someone I've been dying for you to meet."
Thus, Tara had introduced Selene to Travis. He was a transfer student from Durmstrang whom Tara had met days previous. They hadn't really hit it off straight away, but she hadn't given up hope. And then, right when she needed it most, Tara had discovered the ultimate way in which she could get back at Selene for sleeping with the boy she thought she'd loved.
She would set Selene up with him and tell him all the right things to say. And then, after things had progressed and Travis and Selene were close enough, Tara would seduce him. After convincing him to conduct an affair, she would reveal to everyone that Travis had been playing Selene the entire time, and that they had been in it together.
Selene knew this because Travis knew this, and he had sent her a letter a few days after the disastrous wedding, explaining the whole story. He had only recently found out about Tara's plan himself, and he felt it best that Selene know everything now that people were beginning to be killed over the matter.
Oh, how the tables had turned, Selene thought. The endless cycle of revenge would soon be at a standstill once she found Travis, and she would come out the victor.
"Nice try, Tara," she sneered, kicking a bit of snow at the stone. It caked the indentations of her name, making 'Tara Tucker' stand out brightly against the gray. Selene rolled her eyes and began to turn away when a voice from behind steadied her.
"It's never going to end, Selene..."
She paused, every muscle in her body going tense. It had been long since she'd heard that voice, and it wasn't altogether unwelcome. She had been waiting how long it would take him to break.
"You could have ended it, Travis," Selene said, her voice as cold as the air around them, and yet fringed with a softness even she did not understand.
"You know that if I could have, things would be different now. Tara was manipulative--when she wanted something, she took it, regardless of the consequences," he replied, his hands in his pocket. He stood behind her, his gaze never leaving her back. If she was going to try something, he would be ready.
Selene shook her head slightly. "You could have told me before the wedding." There was something in their words that had a hint of melodrama in it, and Selene despised this. She didn't want to settle this with conversation; she wanted it to end her way.
Travis took a deep breath, his fingers closing around his wand. "I tried--"
"Oh bullshit!" Selene yelled, spinning around to face him. Travis' wand was drawn in a split-second and he pointed it to her. Just as quickly, hers was out and aimed at his chest. "You never tried! You never--for one minute--thought for yourself that whole time! She had you in a vice, Travis, don't you dare deny it!"
Their eyes met and Travis for once stood his ground.
"She didn't have control of me, Selene. I'll be man enough to admit it. I stayed with her because I wanted to, not because I wanted to hurt you, but because I liked the thought of being needed. I know it was selfish, and you have every right to be angry--"
"Angry? You think that's how I feel? Angry?" Her voice was shaking now, but her wand remained steady.
Travis sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, we'll play that game. You're wild, you're unpredictable, you're not experiencing the typical human response in this situation! How do you feel?" In his voice was a sort of weary sarcasm that took Selene by surprise. How dare he mock her!
"I'm glad," Selene said, a slow and sadistic smile taking up its permanent residence on her lips. Travis rolled his eyes, which only incited Selene further.
"Okay, why are you glad?" he asked mechanically, having gone through this game of 'guess why I'm so pissed off at you I can hardly stand it so I say things so utterly absurd that you have no choice but to laugh and dig yourself an even deeper grave'.
"It's simple," Selene began, "I get to watch you die. SECTUMSEMPRA!"
Travis, who had been ready for this the entire time, dove out of the way, but the spell caught him across the arm. Wincing, he stood up again, his arm stinging horribly, but seeming only to have maintained a minor scratch. He pointed his wand at her again.
"STUPEFY!"
Selene blocked this spell, reflecting it off in another direction. "CRUCIO!"
The jet of light soared through the air and Travis ducked down behind a gravestone just in time, shards of granite going everywhere. He rolled over, hurrying over to a tree and using it as cover. He peeked out from behind it, but Selene was nowhere to be found. When he looked around again, she was there behind him.
"Crucio!" she repeated, this time it was smooth and cynical. The spell hit caught him square in the chest and he doubled up in pain, clutching his abdomen. His screams echoed off into the night, somewhat muffled by the falling snow.
She watched with a triumphant smirk for a moment before lifting the spell. He lay before her, breathing heavily, his hands trembling and the gash in his arm bleeding worse than he had anticipated.
"Please," he began, but her words were already overstepping his.
"Don't even try to beg your way out of this one, Travis. You're getting precisely what you deserve, and so did she. Now pick up your wand." Though her voice was commanding, he refused to yield.
He shook his head slowly, dropping his wand to the ground. "No, Selene...I'm not going to help you get what you want. Because it's never going to end." He looked up at her. "If you kill me, you still won't be happy. Nothing will have been solved. You'll just find more reasons to go about hating the world and seeking vengeance on people who have done absolutely nothing wrong--" he shook his head again, cutting her off as she began to protest, "--I don't mean me. I know that what I did to you was horrible and I know that you will never forgive me. I've told you that before. But you won't stop after you kill me. You'll find others, either with your little death cult, or on your own. You're going to keep on killing until someone murders you."
Their eyes met again and Selene took deep, slow breaths through her nose, only half processing what he was saying. Her mind was reeling and she couldn't comprehend why he was giving up so quickly. Surely if given the choice, he would chose to die with dignity, not lying on the ground like some Muggle. It frustrated her, to see him like this. She wanted him to fight! She wasn't going to kill him without making it worth something.
Taking a step back, she aimed her wand at him again, her eyes glowing with cynicism. "Get up, Travis."
He shook his head, looking down again.
"Imperio! Now, GET UP!" she commanded, and almost instantly, he obliged. She smirked delightedly. "Pick up your wand..."
Travis knelt to grab his wand and as he did so, Selene kicked him smartly in the ribs, at the same time breaking the spell. Travis snatched up his wand and pointed it at her instinctively.
"Selene, you're hurting no one but yourself!" he cried, keeping his want aimed at her heart. She sneered and readjusted her own wand's aim.
"Stand up and fight," Selene urged, using her voice to tantalize him.
He sighed, biting his lip before making his decision. Slowly, he got to his feet, dusting the snow from the front of his pants and jacket with one hand, the other keeping his wand trained on his target. He looked up at her again.
"Sel--"
"AVAD--"
"EXPELLIARMUS!"
Selene was caught by surprise, thrown back against the trunk of the tree, her wand flying gracefully into Travis' hand. He took another deep breath, glancing toward the wand in his hand before walking over to Selene.
"Please, listen to me. This is useless," he looked down at her, lying in the snow with her hair strewn about her face. She looked a pitiful sight, like a lion cub wanting nothing more than to strike down the alpha male. Her fury was wasted on him and he held out his hand to help her up.
Selene looked from Travis to the hand he proffered, as if weighing her choices. After a moment or two, her expression softened and she grabbed his hand. He gently pulled her to his feet and went to let go, but found Selene holding fast to his hand. In an instant, her other hand dove into her pocket, pulling out something that glimmered before it was plunged deep into his abdomen.
Travis' breath was choked as he gasped, taking a few small steps back from her. The hilt of the knife stuck out just below his ribcage. Selene, smiling her slow, sadistic smile, reached forward and grabbed the hilt. Travis winced as she brought her face close to his.
"That's where you're wrong. I'm feeling better already," she grinned, twisting the hilt sharply. Travis let out a cry of sheer agony, making as if to fall to his knees, but Selene held him up. "Oh! And I'll be needing this." With that, she ripped the knife from his body, and a gash of red stole across the unforgiving snow. Travis' screams could have woken up the entire city of London as he slowly slipped from her arms. She watched as he writhed on the ground, blood darkening the snow around him. As the color began to fade from Travis' face, she looked up, noticing for the first time where he lay in complete and utter suffering.
Tara Tucker
Devoted friend and
Beloved daughter
June 11, 1993 - July 8, 2011
Selene laughed bitterly and knelt beside him. In one quick motion, she slit his throat. It was too cruel to let him die slowly at the hands of his lover, who had ultimately tricked them both.