Passive Rebel
Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K Rowling
A/N - Written for QL round 9
Prompt- Broom: Write about a witch or wizard gaining freedom.
Additional prompts- (emotion) disappointment, (colour) lime green, (word) Slate
Also written for Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft & Wizardry ( Challenges & Assignments)
Subject- Divination: Ouija Board
Task #1: Write about a positive experience with a Ouija Board
April 1976
He was being followed - he knew it. He wasn't being paranoid. Alphard looked around, but there was nobody there. He shook himself, and hurried on. After crossing two or three roads, the feeling of being watched and followed had returned.
Taking a deep breath he spoke,"Come out, whoever is it. I can sense you!" .
He didn't know if he was being brave or foolish. Without warning three hooded figures emerged from the shadows. They pointed their wands at him. Though they were dressed as Death Eaters, Alphard knew Voldemort hadn't sent them.
"Who are you, and what do you want? Because I know you're not who you're pretending to be," Alphard said. The three 'Death Eaters' didn't say anything. Then one of them cast a curse at him which he easily dodged. Alphard looked up and smirked.
"What are you, first years? I can do better; Expelliarmus!" he cried, throwing one of the 'Death Eaters' away and disarming him. The remaining two advanced forward. Alphard's fingers crackled with magic, but before he could attack them, someone stabbed him in the shoulder from behind. He cried out in pain. Seeing that he was distracted, the two 'Death Eaters' start throwing hexes and curses at him. He was in so much pain he was unable to reach his wand. One 'Death Eater' snatched it from him and broke into half, and another stabbed him in stomach.
"Why are we even playing these games, let's finish him off?" one 'Death Eater' snarled. "Avada K-" But before that 'Death Eater' could cast the curse, the other stopped him.
"No, Crabbe, my father-in-law wants him to die painfully. Using the killing curse would be an easy death," Lucius Malfoy said, removing his mask. Alphard wasn't even surprised to see him.
"So, instead of killing me themselves, my brother and sister send you..." Alphard laughed despite his pain. He clutched his locket tightly in his hand, which were slippery with blood.
"T-tell Cygnus and Walburga that by doing this they're doing a favour to me. I have nothing to lose. Sirius and Andromeda are safe - you can't hurt them!" With that, Alphard started to laugh hysterically. Lucius and his friends stared at him oddly, then apparated away. Alphard collapsed to the ground, clasping his locket tightly. He closed his eyes, and remembered how things had ended up this way.
The SLAP echoed about Grimmauld Place. Fifteen-year-old Alphard had fallen to the floor and was nursing his stinging cheek. He father was livid, holding a stack of letters while pointing his wand at Alphard.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. And, when Alphard said nothing he cursed, "Crucio!"Alphard cried out in pain, while his sister Walburga joined their father in torturing him. After a few moments Pollux Black released the curse.
"No son of mine will taint himself by sleeping with a man - a muddled man!" shouted Pollux, then stormed out of the room, and the others followed, leaving a hurt Alphard alone.
That evening Orion and Abraxas forcefully took him to a brothel where he was forced to spend the night. After returning Alphard locked himself in his room and cried himself to sleep.
Alphard felt uncomfortable sitting with thirteen-year-old Druella Rosier who was wearing gold and lime green dress robes. She was adorned with all sorts of jewellery which signified her purity. It wasn't right on so many levels. He was sixteen, and she was thirteen, for Merlin's sake.
"I can't marry you, you're a child!" exclaimed Alphard.
Druella wasn't pleased with this answer. "I'm thirteen" she said coldly, her slate grey eyes boring into him.
"That's still young," Alphard said defensively. Druella huffed and left the room. That same evening Druella was betrothed to Alphard's younger brother, Cygnus. He could feel his father and sister glaring hatefully at him.
A few days later Walburga entered Alphard's room and threw some tattered clothes at him.
"What's all this?" he asked. Walburga just smiled - it was cold and sadistic.
"Take them and frame them. After all, they belonged to your mudblood boy toy," Walburga said.
Alphard's eyes turned huge. "W-what do you mean they belong to him? What did you do to him?" Alphard shouted, but this didn't deter Walburga who continued to speak.
"Do you honestly think that we'll taint our hands with a filthy mudblood's blood? Malfoy knew a werewolf who got rid of him for us. Oh, it was so amusing when the werewolf tore his limbs apart… " Walburga smiled, ignoring her brother's horror stricken face. "Oh, Cygnus, come here and show our brother that delightful memory," Walburga said in a sing song voice.
Alphard felt like puking.
"I don't think it's going to work," said fifteen-year-old Narcissa, eyeing the wooden board skeptically. It was a rectangular board with the entire alphabet written on it, and the numbers 0-9 beneath the letters. On one side was written 'yes', and on the other 'no'. In the middle lay a small triangle with hole in its centre.
"Uh, Uncle Alphard, I don't think we should play with this Ouija board. Remus said it's an open invitation to demons," twelve-year-old Sirius said. Last year hadn't been good for him; first he'd been sorted into Gryffindor, much to his family's disappointment, then he'd befriended a half-blood called Remus.
"Oh, come on Sirius, where's your bravery? You're a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake," Alphard said, while Narcissa glared at her young cousin. They were sitting in Alphard's room while their parents went to visit Bellatrix, and Regulus was sleeping. After looking through the planchette hole, one by one they joined hands.
"If any spirit can hear our calls, come to us," chanted Alphard, while Narcissa snorted. Just then the candles blew out.
"It's just the wind," Narcissa said.
"If any spirit is in this room, give us signal," Alphard said and suddenly the board started to shake.
"It-it's Uncle Alphard's doing, he's doing all this," Andromeda said, she was obviously scared and didn't want to show it.
"How? I don't even have my wand. Andromeda, bring a quill and parchment. We'll ask questions," Alphard said.
"Are you evil?" Sirius asked. The planchette started to move and pointed at 'no'. Everyone sighed in relief.
"Are you a male?" asked Andromeda. It pointed to 'yes'.
"Am I going to marry Lucius Malfoy?" Narcissa asked. It was 'yes' again, and Narcissa beamed with joy, even as Andromeda groaned.
"How many children am I going to have?" Andromeda asked. She couldn't risk asking about the person she wanted to marry. The pointer indicated 1. When Narcissa asked the same, again it pointed at 1.
"And Bella?" Narcissa asked, but this time the pointer didn't move at all. Both sisters looked at each other worriedly.
"What's your name?" Sirius asked. He was fed up with his cousins asking about marriage and children. The pointer pointed at S then T, then E... when it finished, Andromeda showed the others the name. Alphard felt a mixture of joy and sadness: on parchment Stephen Watson was written, a name he knew well. Sirius opened his mouth to ask another question, but Alphard stopped him.
"I think we should go to bed. Everyone say goodbye to the spirit," Alphard said. After much grumbling, the three children bid goodbye and disappeared upstairs. Alphard locked the door with a charm, then faced the Ouija Board.
"I- if you're still here, I just wanted to say that I love you and I'll never stop loving you," he said. To his great shock, the pointer start to move again and he didn't need any parchment to write down what had been said in return.
"I'm pregnant with Ted's child, Uncle," Andromeda nervously told Alphard. She expected anger, hatred, and loathing, but got nothing but happiness instead.
"You need to run away, Andromeda. Before they bind you to someone, like your mother to your father," Alphard said. He still remembered the time when Cygnus used to beat Druella because she was unable to give him a son.
"B-but Uncle, what if they hunt us down or worse if-if they hurt Ted?" asked Andromeda.
At the thought of it,Alphard's blood boiled.
"Nothing will happen to you, or Ted, or your unborn child. I won't let anything happen to them," he shouted. He summoned a knife, then slit his wrist, and the blood trickled down to pool in his hand. He withdrew his wand.
"I, Alphard Black, son of Pollux Black, swear on my blood that my magic will protect Andromeda Black, Sirius Black and Ted Tonks from any life threatening harm until my death!" he declared. Andromeda looked horrified.
"W-what have you done, Uncle?" Andromeda asked, tears flowing from her eyes while she nursed her uncle's hurt wrist.
The night Sirius ran away was the last straw. Walburga was beyond livid.
She pointed her wand at Alphard and shouted "You! This is all your fault, you encouraged him to do this didn't you, you filthy faggot!"
Before she could cast aspell Alphard threw her across the room with wordless magic. Immediately, Orion and Cygnus pointed their wands at him while Druella watched from the corner of the room. Kreacher attempted to help Walburga but she pushed him away.
"How dare you! I'll disown you from the family," Walburga shouted. Alphard smirked."I've used the darkest blood magic you could possible imagine to protect
what I care about . You can neither remove me from this house, nor you can harm my children while I'm alive," Alphard taunted. Walburga left the room in anger.
Later, Alphard took his leave as well, unaware that his brother, and brother- in- law were watching him go.
The sky was grey and gloomy. The Marauders and Lily were exiting the graveyard.
"I can understand your pain, mate," James told Sirius, whose head was bowed.
"He was like a father to me," Sirius mumbled, while James patted his back. Before they could exit the graveyard, an Auror approached him. Others stood aside while the Auror talked to Sirius."We found this beside your uncle's body," the Auror said, and handed Sirius the
locket. Once the Auror had left, Sirius opened the locket. Inside there were two small pictures. One was of his Uncle Alphard, other was boy with sandy blonde hair. Sirius
moved his fingers over other boy's photo.
"Stephen Watson?" he muttered. putting the locket in the pocket of his pants. He looked up and smiled. At least he knew that his uncle had succeeded - he was finally free from the clutches of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.