Here it is... the next piece of my silly imagination and twisty turnyness, all for you to enjoy. This is going in an odd direction so who knows where it will end... I certainly don't. Thank you to all those who reviewed, sorry if I haven't got back to you, I've been a little busy. Any comments on what you think, would be great. Have fun reading it.
OXOXO
There was a yell of something that sounded like pure elation, accompanied by a flash of blinding light. Her eyes snapped shut as she realised that it had been her cry of joy. She had finally ended it.
Her relief lasted only moments. She began to feel a tingling sensation running up her arm. Opening her eyes Nicole found the blinding light had subsided, yet there was still a faint blue glow. She looked down to see shards of icy crystal mingling with her blood. A gentle glimmer appeared to be spreading along the lines of the strange pattern around her. The focal point of the light was travelling up her arm. It seemed to be this which caused the tingling sensation. She watched in horror as it diffused into her chest and the rest of her shaking body.
Her heart was racing as she stared at herself in fear. She was certain that she had just made a monumental mistake. The strange glow faded far more slowly than it had appeared, drawing itself back through the pattern towards her immobile hand. The blue tone faded from her skin as the light condensed into one point in her chest highlighting her slowly beating heart before disappearing completely.
Nicole gasped drawing her bloodied hand up towards her, and cradling it in her other palm. She was unsure what had just happened but she was certain it could be nothing good. Her suspicions were confirmed when a cruel high laugh echoed throughout the room. It filled her with the certainty that somehow something had gone very wrong.
Looking up Nicole met his grey eyes and saw pure fury there, as well as what might possibly be fear. He had not expected this, but The Dark One had. Her gaze darted towards his and she flinched at the icy look of delight held in his eyes. Well what did I expect? It couldn't possibly be that easy to destroy the damn thing, she thought, I really hate magic.
Slowly Nicole found her legs and stood up to face the monsters that had destroyed her world, she would not die on her knees. His red eyes bore into hers and Nicole knew he could read everything she was thinking.
"You think I would kill you know? After what you have achieved?" he asked in his high voice, Nicole stared at him without comprehension. Surely this was the end. He broke eye contact and settled his gaze behind her, "Lucius, you know what to do."
He grabbed her arm in a rough grip and dragged her from the room. She heard his followers whispering as she left but she stared at the ground in stunned silence. For the first time since she had been forced to learn her place Nicole was clueless about what the future held. Even more that she had no idea what she had supposedly just achieved. He dragged her down the hallway and as they walked no sound escaped his lips. She thought he would return her to her cell, but he shoved her inside a completely different room.
Nicole had no time to take in her surroundings, her eyes were fixed on his face as she perceived a thunderous look of anger marring his features. He grabbed her hand and muttered a curse healing it, when he let it go his rage had not abated. The storm was about to hit.
"You stupid, stupid girl, do you have any idea what you've done?" Never before had his wrath been this fierce. He had never done more than smirk at her, always in control. Yet know it was as if some even darker part of him had taken over, he practically radiated fury.
She cowered away from him, taking a step backwards in her fear.
"You are a fool, a dirty stupid muggle with no concept of self preservation," he yelled at her. Nicole stared at him in terror as she felt tears in her eyes. She did not understand what was happening. At the sight of her tears he seemed to visibly restrain himself, controlling his anger. He reached out and placed his hand upon her shoulder.
"I don't understand," she whispered dropping her gaze, "What did I do?"
All was silent for a while before she heard a soft sigh escape his lips, "The Dark Lord will reveal to you what he deems necessary, I cannot tell you what you have become."
He sounded almost gentle, it was the tone he had used when he thought she was unconscious.
"I can no longer protect you," he said his voice filled with regret.
Nicole's head whipped up and she stared at him in shock, her mind struck dumb by what she had just heard.
"Protect me…?" she asked in disbelief, "When have you ever protected me?"
The gentleness left his face at once and she found herself staring at a mask, but all she felt was outrage "You murdered my friends, destroyed my life and ripped away my freedom not once but twice… you… you raped me. You burnt the only picture I had of her, and now I can't even remember her face. You destroyed everything I loved and beat me to within an inch of my life… At what point did you ever protect me?"
He took a step closer to her closing the distance between them, his face was still blank and she felt her outrage turn to fear. He reached out and grabbed her hair wrenching her head backwards.
"You really are a stupid creature," he said quietly, his voice was pure ice and Nicole found her body began to shake, "Do you have any idea how much you could have suffered? Your friend was dead the moment that glass embedded itself in her chest, if I had left you with her my associates would have found you and you would have suffered a far worse fate. Your silence was not as objectionable to many of our number as you presumed, some found it quite appealing I daresay if it were not for my interference you would have found yourself used far more often." She wanted nothing more than to flinch away from him, but his grip in her hair held her in place, "I already told you, those drawings could have gotten you killed. You were insolent and stupid to steal from us, in burning them before anyone else could find them I saved your life." He leaned in closer, his eyes glittered coldly, "I never inflicted a bruise which would not heal. Considering what you are and the way your kind is usually treated I have been gentle."
He let go of her and she stumbled away staring at him without comprehension. How could he claim kindness.
"You ripped me to shreds," she whispered, "You may have protected me from your associates, but you never spared me. You defended me only to satisfy yourself. None of it was for me… You destroyed me Lucius."
Nicole felt something inside her change, she had finally done it. She had finally found the strength to name him. She looked him in the eye for the first time without a shadow of fear.
"I thank you, for all the pain which you have saved and protected me from," she told him, "but for what you have done to me… I despise you, Lucius."
His expression was once again unreadable. He showed neither fury nor hurt at her statement. He did not strike her for using his name. Their eyes remained linked and they stared at one another in silence for what seemed to Nicole a very long time.
"Be that as it may," he finally stated, "I can do nothing further for you now, either way… Nicole."
The last part was barely a whisper and she was unsure whether she had heard him correctly. He could not have possibly done what she thought he had. His dropped his gaze and exited the room, leaving her shocked to the core.
XOXOX
Nicole was not alone for long. She finally had the chance to take stock of the room in which she had been left. There was a small bed and a desk, as well as a sink and even a window which showed her the beginnings of predawn light. Although there were bars upon it she could thankfully see no shackles. It was not as reassuring as it might have been, considering that if a wizard wanted you immobilized all they needed was a wand.
A loud cracking noise splintered the air and she found herself for the second time that day face to face with The Dark One. Nicole stayed perfectly still as she stared at him in blank terror. She had no idea what to do. Coming to her senses quickly she dropped her gaze and fell to her knees, praying he would not hurt her for her insolence, and desperate for him to tell her what she had done.
He said nothing to her. It was terrifying staring at his feet with no idea what would happen next. She felt his hand upon her forehead and was amazed that he lowered himself to touch someone like her. Somewhere inside her chest a piece of her that she had never before known existed shifted. Nicole felt something pull on it and it was as if her very soul was being drained away. A whimper slipped from her lips at the sensation.
"Do not be afraid, this will not harm you," he stated, his voice seemed as if he meant it to be comforting but his excitement lay heavily underneath it and its presence scared her even more. After what seemed an eternity of the deadly pull he removed his hand. Nicole swayed a little but managed to remain upright. A blue glow emanated from the man in front of her, he moved his hand slightly and behind her the sink shattered.
If she had raised her eyes Nicole might have seen the smirk that graced The Dark Ones features. She could feel his gaze bearing down upon her and she stared resolutely at his feet. She had never been more afraid in her entire life. It took everything in her to fight back tears. She was eternally glad she managed to do so as she had often heard that he punished such weakness more severely than insolence.
"Stand up," he ordered her, Nicole obliged him but kept her gaze upon the floor. Without another word he snaked his arm around her waist and she felt the familiar agony of apparation. As soon as it was over he let her go and she stumbled backwards.
"You will stay here from now on. You will be able to roam the house and some of the grounds, but if you attempt to move beyond the boundaries you will feel agonizing pain and I will know you have attempted to escape. Your punishment for doing so will be extremely severe," he informed her, his voice sounded like a snake. "You have pleased me Nicole."
Her eyes left the ground as she looked at him in astonishment. Not only had she delighted him by destroying the stone, which was the absolute opposite of her intent, he had also used her name. It seemed unbelievable and she found herself wondering once again what on earth she had done when she smashed the thing, remembering herself she quickly looked away. His hand reached out and he lifted her chin forcing Nicole to look him in the eye.
"You will not be alone here, there will be another with you but it is up to him to introduce himself," he informed her, his red gaze boring into her as he read her soul.
"What is this place?" she whispered, scared to talk to him.
"The safest place in the world, it is where I keep my most prized possessions," he informed her, "No one can break through the wards surrounding it. I will return when I have need of you."
The pressure was removed from her chin as he disappeared into thin air. Nicole slumped to the ground and hugged her knees to her chest. Out of the window she could see dawn lighting the cloudy skies. It had been a long and supremely crappy night.
OXOXO
When Nicole next awoke she found herself in a bed. Afternoon light streamed through the side of the curtains and she rolled over with a smile. It must have been a good party last night, she thought happily, mum would have never let me sleep this late if I wasn't in a bad way. Her body felt awful, as if it had been hit repeatedly with a sledge hammer, and there was an ache between her legs that told her she had probably done something silly yep must have been a really good night. She found herself trying to remember some details of the previous evening. It was at that point that she recalled a pair of red eyes. The memory produced shocked clarity and she slowly sat up staring around the room.
"Bugger," she whispered, it was most definitely not her bedroom. The weight of memory crashed down upon her and Nicole bit her lip to distract herself from the pain of it.
"I really, really, really hate wizards," she muttered getting out of the bed. For once her better self stayed quiet on the subject, not even attempting to ply her consciousness with reasonable argument. In a moment of pure frustration she picked up a suspicious glass of what appeared to be water from the bedside table and threw it at the wall.
There was a supremely satisfying smash as it shattered into lots of litter pieces, just the way glass was supposed to smash. The sight of it on the floor however stilled Nicole almost completely. It dragged unpleasant memories to the surface, 'I don't want to be alone.'
The broken and dangerous shards disappeared as a full glass of water reappeared upon the table. The memory of Melanie's voice and the gut wrenching feeling of loss that came with it were not so easily erased.
Shaking her head to pull herself together Nicole took in her surroundings. There was a single door in the wall, the window had thick curtains drawn across it but deep yellow light still escaped around the edges. She opened them and found herself staring out of a second floor window at a small garden which was bordered on all sides by woodland.
"Wizards and their woods," she muttered to herself before catching sight of a dark head down in the garden. There was a small flower patch beside the house and to her utter surprise the person down there appeared to be… pruning.
Nicole realized that this must be the person The Dark One mentioned, her only companion in this new prison. She could not help but feel relief that at least this time it was not a cell she was trapped in. She took stock of herself, she appeared to be in pyjamas, but was unsure when that happened precisely. She really hoped it was just the magic of the place that had caused it. Otherwise there would probably be a few awkward conversations with her new house mate.
Who is he? She wondered.
On the top of his head she could see a mop of unruly black hair, and she could just about make out a pair of gold glasses. Looking down at him she was forced to consider if he was a friend or foe. The Dark One had indicated that she was a possession, was the man in the garden one to, or was he an extremely powerful wizard who guarded the possessions. Nicole sighed to herself in defeat as she went in search of a bathroom. Whoever he was, he could wait until after she had used the facilities.
Once she had washed, and put on some clothes she found in the dresser, Nicole returned to the window to see the boy had moved on to weeding. After watching him at his work for a while she took a deep breath and went out to meet him. She prayed he was friendly, after last night she really needed a friend.
XOXOX
"Hello," she called out firmly breaking his concentration. His head whipped round and a look of pure shock registered on his features. He stared at her without recognition, well that sorts out the pyjama problem.
"Who are you?" he asked in surprise. He slowly stood up maintaining a firm hold upon the weed he had just pulled from the ground, which looked oddly like it was squirming.
"Do you want my name, number or my status?" she replied quietly, unsure as of yet what to make of him.
"The first is good enough for me," he replied guardedly. Nicole wondered why he looked like he was bracing himself for an attack.
"Its Nicole, and just so you know I'm a muggle," she told him.
"Oh," he said quietly, he seemed a little unsure, "Why are you here?"
"I smashed something I shouldn't have," replied Nicole vaguely unsure how much she could trust him, "How about you, what's your name?"
"I… I don't know," he replied seeming vaguely unsure.
"Don't you remember?" she asked, he looked angry with himself as he shook his head, "Are you a wizard?"
"Yes," he answered with certainty and it seemed to reassure him, "I know for a fact that I'm a wizard, but I just don't know which wizard I am."
"Oh," said Nicole unsure what to do, "Do you know why you're here?"
There was a short silence before he answered, "I have… something which belongs to him."
"To the Dark One?" she asked, he nodded. "Well it seems we have a similar problem."
There was a short silence whilst Nicole wondered how best to continue with this strange man.
"What are you doing?" She queried, unable to contain her curiosity. Both their gazes fell upon his hand where the weed had stopped squirming and was now only twitching faintly. He dropped it in the bucket beside him as if in guilt.
"Nothing," came his too quick reply.
"I… I won't tell anyone," she informed him, after all who did she have to tell.
He sighed and looked at her thoughtfully, "I'm weeding."
"I can see that," said Nicole with the slightest trace of sarcasm, he looked nonplused, "Do you spend a lot of time out here?"
"Well there's not much else to do," he replied.
"Do you have a kitchen?" she asked, he gazed at her thoughtfully, an unknowable expression in his green eyes, it looked oddly like loneliness, "it's just I haven't eaten in a while."
"I'll show you where it is, we can make dinner?" he seemed unsure again.
"If you're not busy out here?" she said.
"No I'm just about finished," he replied with the slightest ghost of a smile.
OXOXO
Dinner was a very awkward affair. There were many sharp breaths when one of them thought of something to say, and then decided not to. After all what could one say to a fellow captive, especially when you had no idea of their loyalties?
"How long have you been here?" Nicole finally asked unable to endure the silence any longer. She was mashing potatoes, despite being a wizard he seemed to completely avoid doing magic, so dinner was made the manual way with chopping and grilling and boiling.
"Since Hogwarts fell," he replied seemingly grateful for something to say, "I was captured on the battle field."
"So you were a part of the resistance?"
He looked up and defiance burnt in his eyes, "I would never have willingly served him."
There was a pause as they sized each other up. Nicole was unsure whether his being against The Dark One meant anything. After all wizards as a whole were the route of her problems one side had enslaved her the other had betrayed her.
"What about you? Is he your master?" he asked, the hatred in his tone took her aback.
"I tried to help the resistance, and they betrayed me. The dark ones destroyed my life and everything I ever cared about. I want nothing to do with either side," she told him, meeting the anguish in his green eyes with her own, "In all honesty, I hate wizards as a whole for being hypocritical, selfish and cruel. They could go about killing one another and if they left muggles out of it my life would be greatly improved. Being forced to bow to someone does not make them your master."
There was silence for a while and she added a little milk to the potatoes. Eventually he sighed and she looked up to find a apology in his face.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"Why are you sorry, none of its your fault," she told him gently, he had done nothing to deserve her hatred. She put the pan down and turned to face him.
"I… I feel like it is," he told her in the quiet tone of confession, "I feel like somehow I failed at something I was supposed to do. I feel like everything that's happened is all my fault."
"It's not your fault," she said surprising them both by placing her hand upon his shoulder, "The blame for all of this rests squarely at the feet of The Dark One, and if he ever dies I hope there is something worse than hell because eternal damnation is far too good for him."
She picked up the potatoes and they continued to work in silence, this time however it was not uncomfortable. They had reached an understanding. Namely that they both hated The Dark One, it was a good thing to know.
When dinner was finished they sat down to eat. It was not the best food they had ever tasted. Nicole had never worked in the kitchens and before her enslavement had not spent much time there either. Her companion seemed to be in the same situation despite the fact that he had obviously been feeding himself for quite some time now. She dragged through her memories and tried to remember what Hogwarts was. She kept coming up blank and finally decided to ask him.
He took a while to reply, he stared at his plate for a very long time.
"It was a school," he finally answered, "A sort of wizard secondary school where we learnt about magic. It was a good place. It was destroyed in a battle when he took over. I don't know what's happened to it. I hope it still exists, but I dread to think what he's turned it into."
"I'm sorry," said Nicole quietly, the topic seemed to hurt him, she was struck by a sudden idea "If you were at Hogwarts, can you remember who you were at Hogwarts?"
He looked at her blankly, "what do you mean?"
She jumped up in excitement, "The place was important to you, maybe if you think about it for long enough it will help you to remember who you are."
Realization dawned on his face and with it came an infinite look of sadness, "No Nicole, I won't be able to do that."
"Why not?" she asked in confusion sitting back down.
"I… I don't want to remember who I am," he told her quietly, he sounded so lost and lonely that it broke her heart.
They returned to eating in silence, until he took a deep breath. Nicole's eyes snapped up to his as she waited for him to speak.
"I know I shouldn't ask, since I haven't even told you my name, but… but I was wondering if you would tell me why he bought you here," he paused as she stared at him in consideration, "You don't have to if you don't want to I…"
"I'll tell you," she cut him off, "At least I'll tell you what I know, I don't really understand what any of it means."
She told him all about the stone, and how she had vowed to destroy it, as well as about her escape and her help to the resistance in warning them about the power the crystal held. She told him how she had searched for a way to unbind her tongue and how the resistance had mistakenly assumed she meant to betray them. How they had traded her for Draco. She left out anything about Lucius, he was something she was unwilling to share. She finished by telling him how she had been bought before The Dark One.
"He had just read my mind in search of the damn thing and he was unsatisfied. I was knelt there in the middle of that strange pattern, my fingernails digging into my palms so hard they drew blood and I remember wishing I had the stone. So that I could take it away from him, I wanted with all my heart for it to appear in my hand so I could destroy it. That was when it appeared, and I smashed it. I was so sure he would kill me for what I had done, but I had beaten him. Then everything started glowing and it all drew back into my chest."
She looked up to meet his eyes and found him staring at her intently, "I don't know what it is I did, but for some reason he seemed pleased. After that he brought me here."
There was silence as he seemed to consider this for a while.
"I remember doing something like that once," he finally said, "I can't really remember the details… what happened to you sounds like some odd sort of ritual. You wanted with all your heart to protect the world from what the stone could do… so it picked you to protect it."
"Protect it?" she asked him in confusion, "I destroyed it."
"Magic works in funny ways. I'm just guessing here, I don't really know too much about this sort of thing. It seems like from the way you described it, you absorbed whatever was inside the stone," he informed her.
"How..? Why on earth would that happen?" she stared at him nonplused.
"Because you didn't want it," he replied, "I bet you he couldn't unlock the stones powers, he wanted them for himself, for evil. You wanted the stone to do something truly good with it, so it came to you. It became a part of you."
"I hate magic, I really hate magic," she told him as anger bubbled up inside her, "and I hate wizards the sneaky, conniving, backstabbing…"
Her plate hit the wall and it took her a second to realize she had thrown it. A feeling of calm once again washed over her and she slumped back into her chair.
A clean empty plate appeared before her at the table and the splatter of food and pottery sliding down the wall disappeared.
"The house doesn't like mess," he informed her in a subdued manner, apparently he had not expected her anger.
"He can use whatever power was in the stone now," she told him quietly, "He pulled some of it out of me before he brought me here. I bet he set the whole thing up, he knew I wanted nothing more than to destroy the thing and I played right into his hands."
She felt his hand on top of her own and looked up to find understanding written across his face.
"He does that to people," he told her, "He manipulates them into giving him what he wants. It's not your fault."
It felt odd having her own words repeated back to her. She could appreciate now how hollow they sounded.
"He caused all this, no one else," there was silence for a while after that, each immersed in their own thoughts.
XOXOX
Days passed slowly in the strange house. Nicole found herself getting to know her companion. He spent a lot of time in the garden, it seemed he hated being cooped up inside. A sort of friendship had begun to develop between them and despite the fact that he was a wizard she trusted him. They were both after all in a similar bind. She sometimes wondered late at night if she would be trapped in this place forever. After everything that had happened she was not sure if she minded.
They were sat in the garden one day. She was sketching one of the flowers which she was quite certain had just winked at her, and he was watering the shrubs. The silence was companionable each engrossed in their tasks until a thought occurred to her. Putting down her pencil she turned to look at him, he looked like he was brooding. Nicole had gotten quite used to this aspect of him.
"You know you really need a name," she told him blandly.
He looked up in surprise, "I don't remember it."
"Well then how about we make up a new one… that way I have something to call you," he seemed to consider it for a moment before he nodded. He put his watering can down and turned to face her.
"What do you want to call me?" he asked quietly.
"Don't you want to pick one yourself?" she replied curiously, "I mean it's going to be your name."
"No you pick it, after all you'll be calling me by it, what do you think my name should be?" he said.
"Humm…" said Nicole considering him, "Well you don't look like a Barry," he flinched a little at that, "no definitely not, Mark doesn't seem quite right either, it's got to be a good one. So that rules out Tom, Dick or Harry," she was so absorbed in thought she missed him shifting uncomfortably, "How about John, John Doe or John Smith maybe?"
"Is that really the best you could come up with?" he asked with a grin, "All those names out there and you picked John, I must be so… average."
"You're not average," she told him quickly, "You're the only nice wizard I've ever met."
"That is depressing, you can't have met many of us then," he said his grin still in place.
"Only the best and the worst," she replied matching his smile with her own.
"Then I must be average, it seems that only average wizards are outside your experience," she got the distinct feeling that he was mocking her.
"Fine," she said goaded into thinking outside the box, "I didn't really think you looked like a Raphael."
"I don't feel like one either," he replied quickly.
She stared at him for a moment, considering options and then discarding one after another until she found one that fit. She had no idea why but it just seemed right for him.
"I think you're a James," she told him and was met with silence, "Yes definitely a James."
"Are… are you sure?" he was staring at her intently and Nicole was unsure whether or not to proceed, still the name fitted him.
"Yeh it seems about right to me, can't tell you why, but it seems to fit you," she said.
"If you're sure," he seemed sad about something, and oddly proud, he cleared his throat and picked up the watering can, "By the way the aramanthia stole your pencil."
Nicole turned around to glare at the flower, she knew it had winked at her.
"Give it back," she told the plant in a dangerous tone, "Or I'll rub you out of my sketch book."
Before she could make good on her threat her pencil rolled out from beneath the plant roots, she might have been mistaken but she was almost certain she heard James laughing at her.
OXOXO
"James," she called out gently, "James where are you?"
She checked the garden and the kitchen to no avail. She could not find him anywhere, it was strange to say the least. He was usually about somewhere, brooding or laughing, he seemed to switch regularly between the two.
"No! I will never serve you Voldermort," yelled a voice in the living room, Nicole turned to look at the slightly ajar door in fear.
"You already do," came the cold reply, "Or have you forgotten the deal we made."
"You stay away from Ginny," James sounded furious she had not known his voice was capable of that much anger.
"The only reason I have to hurt her is because of you, boy," the words came out like a hiss, Nicole wanted to creep away but she was frozen in fear, "You know she has moved on already. How ironic, you sacrifice all for love and she betrays you. Do you see now why there is no use for the emotion. That old fools greatest weapon, and it destroyed the resistance."
"Shut up," shouted James, "Leave me alone… I'm glad. There not defeated and at least she can find some happiness."
The Dark One laughed at him, "The resistance will fall, it's only a matter of time. They can't hold out much longer when their boy savoir has turned his back on them, when the great Harry Potter grovels at my feet."
Nicole frowned in confusion, James real name was Harry Potter, she wondered why it seemed familiar.
"It's been how long now? A year or more since Hogwarts… since you figured out our master plan, yet you still haven't beaten them," said James/Harry, the defiance clear in his tone, she had never heard him sound so alive, "I don't think they need a savior, there doing just fine kicking your pale ass without me."
The Dark One hissed something and James screams rang out throughout the house. Nicole stood frozen for a few seconds before spotting a pan in the kitchen. All was quiet for a moment.
"You really are a fool," said The Dark One lazily before he said the same cruel word as before and the agonized screams started again.
Nicole grabbed the pan and without thinking burst into the room and bashed The Dark One over the head. James screams stopped as the monster crumpled to the floor and their eyes met as relief turned to horror. She was frozen in the realization of what she had done, James stood slowly and their eyes both darted to the greatest dark wizard of all time. He was unconscious on the floor.
"Oh shit," muttered Nicole, she had the strong impression that whatever happened next it was going to be painful.
XOXOX
There it is, I wonder what will happen next… honestly your guess is as good as mine.