Harry Potter and Sanity's Requiem
AN: I don't own Harry Potter; I make no money off of this, yadda, yadda, yadda. You get the point.
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Chapter 1: If You See Him
Alaina stood, bathed in moonlight, at the open gates of Hogwarts. She gave a sardonic smile, both happy to be back and yet angered that he would dare hide within the walls of the place she once thought of as home.
Hogwarts pulsed with an odd sort of energy. The sentient castle was glad for the return of one of its own, especially glad because this girl had known of its living core and had often taken the time to speak with the castle. But at the same time the castle was devastated, for this girl was not the same as she once was. She had become warped and broken and vaguely malevolent.
Hogwarts tentively reached out to Alaina, and the woman gladly accepted the sentient castle –which had become family- into her mind. The familiar, comforting presence within her mind brought long buried emotions and memories buzzing to the forefront. Her crystalline pupils bled crimson.
Hogwarts, realizing what had happened to its youngling and who had caused it, pulsed with anger. Anger so righteous and hot that it scorched those within the castle's walls. Luckily, there were no students within -because it was the summer holidays- or else many a student would have collapsed under the magical backlash of Hogwarts' fury.
Hogwarts gladly allowed Alaina within her wards and made her journey towards its doors all the quicker.
Alaina smirked with a cruelty that didn't become her, as simultaneous cries echoed through the castle as Hogwarts let its anger be known. Oh, they will all suffer for their betrayal. Both I, and Hogwarts, would be sure of it.
The front doors burst open before Alaina even had the chance to come within arms reach of them. Feeling Hogwarts' mental nudge she head for the Headmaster's office where all the staff of the school had congregated as soon as they had been allowed.
The headmaster's office was the only place unaffected by the fury of the sentient castle. Hogwarts had even cut its thoughts and mind off from the headmaster. The staircases swung back and forth mercilessly, the stones radiated heat like an oven, the lights were intolerably bright, and many doors refused to open or disappeared altogether.
And yet all these things ceased within a fifty-foot radius of Alaina. As she passed lights dimmed, doors opened or reappeared, the stones were cool to her touch, and the staircases were uncommonly still. Hogwarts' was aiding her in her journey to the office. The castle even altered hallways and staircases to make it all the swifter.
Within moments the vampiric woman arrived at the stone gargoyle that guarded the way to her prey. The gargoyle hopped out of her way and bowed as she passed, before sliding back into place as Alaina stepped onto the revolving staircase.
Stepping of the stairs and halting at the great wooden door that led to the office, Alaina smirked. Without the help of Hogwarts the headmaster didn't seem so omnipotent. He had no idea what was coming.
With a feral growl Alaina's eyes darkened, seeming beyond even the crimson of blood. The dark wooden door burst open and slammed into the wall, causing all those within the room to jump and cry out.
All heads whipped around, and all eyes focused on the wraith like woman who –though tiny- seemed to fill the entire doorframe. Her tattered clothes and ratty hair billowed in an unknown wind.
Albus Dumbledore, looking older than Alaina ever remembered, rose from his chair. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Don't you recognize me old man?" The woman gave a vicious snarl.
Albus blinked rapidly. "I'm afraid that I don't my dear."
"I'm not your dear!" Alaina snapped coldly. The rush of power that followed those words pushed Dumbledore back to sitting.
He went to speak but was silenced by one glare of her hatred filled crimson eyes.
Alaina's gaze swept over the room, soaking in each and every face, and picking out which ones were those that were her prey. Minerva McGonagall-Transfiguration, Sinistra Sprout-Herbology, Filius Flitwick- Charms, Hilda Hooch- Flying, Poppy Pomfrey- Mediwitch, Firenze- Divination, Valerie Vectra- Ancient Runes, and Remus Lupin- my guess is for Defense Against the Dark Arts…
Hogwarts gave Alaina a mental nod, informing her that she was correct in her assumptions.
Ah, and two 'new' faces. Alaina rolled her eyes. Seeing through the layers of glamours and charms was easy enough for her. Hogwarts gave a soft mental snort, the castle thought it ridiculously easy as well.
Setting her sights on the two 'new' men she strode forward some. When some of the teachers tried to block her path, they ended up bound to their chairs, and silenced for good measure.
The man closest to the corner of the room was obviously the older of the two men. He had bright brown eyes and shaggy brown hair. His nose was slightly crooked, as if it had been broken in a fistfight. The younger man had golden blonde hair passed his shoulders, and a pair of large brilliant blue eyes.
Alaina snorted softly at the disguises. With a not so gentle blast of magic, the glamours and spells hiding the two men were completely decimated.
Where the two 'new' men once sat, were now Severus Snape and Harry Potter. Soft gasps echoed from those who could still make noise, and even from those who couldn't –though those ones weren't heard.
"Ridiculous." Alaina glared at the two. "Absolutely pathetic."
Snape and Harry gave identical sneers at the woman. She in turn gave a sharp bark of laughter that caused many, especially Lupin, to wince.
"How did you know about them?" Dumbledore questioned the woman.
"How could I not?" She stood before the two men and flexed her long fingers showing them her claws. "After all, these two are the reason I was in Azkaban for ten years!"
Everyone was surprised by this announcement. Dumbledore's eyes widened. "That's not possible."
Alaina whirled around to face the meddling old codger. "Isn't it though?!"
Harry rose as if to take the woman down. "SIT!" She barked loudly. Harry immediately dropped back on to his chair, and he seemed beyond stunned that he had no control over his response.
Even Snape seemed startled that the strange woman had the power to control Harry.
Slowly turning to face Harry and Snape, who found that he could not move, Alaina bared her fangs and gave a low snarl. "For ten years I was forced to stay in that hellhole feeding Dementors, and wasting away. For ten years I was punished for the murders of Severus Snape and Harry Potter!"
The silence that followed was nearly as deafening as her cry. But she continued onwards.
"And come to find out, you're both still alive!" In a flash Alaina turned to face the Headmaster. "And you knew the entire time! You could have helped me, you could have saved me! But you let people believe I was a murderer, and you let them send a sixteen year old girl to Azkaban!"
Alaina roared and brought a fist down and the heavy wooden desk before her. The desk cracked and split down the middle. The two pieces caved forward spilling papers and baubles in every direction.
"Albus," The Deputy Headmistress asked softly, "is that true? You let a sixteen year old girl, a child, be sent to Azkaban for two murders that never happened?"
Dumbledore gave a deep and troubled sigh. His normally bright and twinkling blue eyes were dull. "Yes Minerva, I'm afraid it is."
Furious murmurs erupted from all the teachers, including those who had once been silenced, for Alaina had let the spells go.
The young woman marched around the broken desk and stood before Dumbledore, who had shifted in his chair. "I have every intention of seeing you dead, old man."
Sadly Dumbledore looked up at the woman. "There are four people who have every right to kill me."
With a snarl, Alaina shot forward and wrapped one thin bony hand around the headmaster's throat and lifted him up from his chair. "Who?" She growled low, and threateningly.
"Severus and Harry are two of the four." Dumbledore spoke softly.
With another growl Alaina, Dumbledore, Snape, and Harry all found themselves standing on the very top of the astronomy tower.
Harry and Snape cried out and hit the stone floor with identical thuds as they were both to surprised to catch themselves, neither expecting their loss of seating.
Both men were stunned when Alaina, with her hand still gripped around Dumbledore's throat, dangled the headmaster over the edge of the tower.
The wind was whipping and biting, and it tore through the thick wool robes that the three male wizards wore. They could only imagine how the woman, in her threadbare rags, felt.
"Who are the other two old man?" She tightened her grasp on the headmaster's throat, limiting his supply of oxygen.
Dumbledore dangled over the abyss, his hands hanging at his sides. With a sympathetic look at the woman his eyes dulled to gray. "Tom Riddle was the third."
This gained a stunned gasp from Harry and a disbelieving snort from Snape.
"And the last?" Alaina was barely heard over the shrill cry of the wind.
"You." Dumbledore reached up with one hand and gently squeezed the young woman's hand. With a look at Harry and Snape he smiled softly. "Do not mourn me, and do not hate her."
Alaina sneered and gave a disgusted cry. With a roar of anguish she tossed Dumbledore backwards.
He gave a sharp cry when he collided with the wall, and then he was quiet when he slid to the stone floor. Harry and Snape rushed to his side. Though he did not stir when they came near, he still breathed, he was merely unconscious.
Alaina, standing on the highest point of Hogwarts, threw back her head and let out a heart breaking, anguished, roar that echoed over the grounds and through the entirety of the castle and into the night.
Snape looked up at the woman as she drew near. "You could have killed him." It was not an accusation, merely a statement of fact.
Alaina gave both Snape and Harry a disgusted sneer. "Do not mistake this for kindness. Dumbledore will die by my hand. Then once he is gone, you two will fall. And then the Ministry. You shall all drop like flies."
Alaina turned away and strode inside and towards the bowels of the castle where Hogwarts' 'soul' awaited her. Shedding what was left of her rags she soaked within the magical core of the sentient castle, where the castle itself willed her to be, and to bathe for cleanliness beyond the skin, and to heal.
Hogwarts' was merely protecting its own. It was merely protecting the child it deemed worthy to carry on as the guardian and wielder of the castle's true power.
The vampiric woman slept cocooned within the core of Hogwarts, beyond the reach of all those who would wish the broken woman harm. Not that those who would wish such a thing could remain within the castle long, or come in at all.
A week after Alaina's disappearance into the catacombs of the castle, she stirred. Her crystalline eyes, tinged red, fluttered open. And with a silky smooth laugh she stretched, and reveled in the feel of true life within herself again.
Though the some of the haunted ness would remain within her soul forever, she knew she could indeed live again. Once she exacted her vengeance of course.
A week after arriving dirty and beast like, she stepped forth from the core. She was clean and nude and stunning. Her hair once black, was snow white, and fell nearly to her ankles in silken waves. Her eyes were large and clear, but shadowed in pain still, with long lashes. Her skin was soft and nearly as pale as her hair.
She made her way through Hogwarts, almost surprised that she ran into no one. Arriving at the Great Hall, the doors flung open for her. She stepped forward and smirked at the gasps that echoed from all the staff present. She looked radiant, in her glorious nudity.
With another smirk, more mischievous in nature, she glanced around. "You hadn't forgotten about me, now had you?"
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Oh and I'm having a reader poll. I've become indecisive.
Who Should Alaina be with:
Severus-
Harry-
Severus and Harry-
Remus-
Sirius-
The results will determine much of Chapter 3, just thought I would let you know runs and hides from the mob of angry voters