Chapter 4
"Before we go any further, would you mind if I recorded this?" McCoy asked.
"Sure," Nora said, shrugging. "Saves me from having to repeat it twice."
McCoy got out his P.A.D.D. and toggled the Record tab.
"I keep the equivalent of an overnight bag in my big bag," Nora began. "Pyjamas, toothbrush, the works. I was in my pyjamas when the door bell rang. I answered, and it was Ensign Barnes. I remembered seeing him in Sickbay earlier, but didn't pay him much attention. Well, apparently he was paying attention to me, and overheard what Harry said about me having some harmless fun. He seemed to think that meant anyone. I told him otherwise, and suggested he leave."
"Was Easzim with you?" McCoy asked.
"Yeah, and he started growling," Nora said. "Tail bushed up, back arched, the works. When he growls, you know he's growling. Barnes just ignored him. Stupid idiot. He had a bottle with him, and tried to coax me into getting to know him over drinks. I said no thanks, I'm not interested, there's the door, have a nice night. He made a move towards me, and Easzim went for him. While that was happening, I grabbed my wand from the bedroom. I come back out, Barnes is screaming because Easzim is wrapped around his legs, clawing and biting. I used a spell to get him off of Barnes, who promptly called Easzim a crazy son of a bitch, which set Easzim off again, but because of the Floating spell, Easzim couldn't get near him. I told Barnes he had two choices; he could leave, now, and I would continue to hold on to my cat, or stay, continue being an asshole, and not only would I let Easzim go, but I would also turn his head into a giant pumpkin. He called me an ice queen bitch, and left."
"Okay. What about the bottle he had with him? Did he take that with him?"
"No. He had dropped it, and it rolled under the desk. I think it's still there. It's a dark coloured bottle with a high neck."
"Okay. Would you mind if we looked for it?"
"I don't care. I think you'll also find black fabric around the sitting room and bedroom door."
"Good to know. How do you feel now?" Nora looked down, avoiding McCoy's eyes. "Nora?" he asked gently.
"Dirty," she admitted quietly. "I didn't think I'd done anything to attract his attention, and he seemed to think otherwise. He overheard a personal conversation and twisted it. I spent the whole night wondering what I'd done to warrant such behaviour, and desperately wishing the shower used actual water so I could scrub myself clean." A tear slid down her face. She looked up slightly when McCoy cupped her face.
"Hey. Look at me," he coaxed. When she finally did, she only saw sympathy on his face. "You did nothing wrong. Barnes should have left when you asked him to, he had no business eavesdropping, and he will be investigated. Kirk is good for that. He's also pretty forgiving."
"You're talking about the fact that I belted him, right?" Nora guessed.
McCoy grinned. "That was a beautiful shiner. What brought that on?"
"He called me a spoiled brat, which is what my Aunt Cissy, her second husband, Charles, and Donovan call me a lot," Nora admitted.
"And you're how old?"
"Twenty-five."
"I got the impression your family hates you because of what happened with Uncle Afis."
"You know about that?"
"I got the condensed version. Uncle Afis died protecting you from Death Eaters when you were about seven. It was during the Second Wizarding War, Hallowe'en, and you wanted to play at the local playground."
Nora nodded, memories surging through her. "I didn't understand what was going on. The First Wizarding War had ended years before I was born, and I knew my parents were gone, but I didn't understand they weren't coming back. I just thought they were on a secret mission and would come back when the monsters were gone away." She smiled. "Uncle Afis was always good to me. He and Granny Sheril would always sneak me treats and stuff, things that made Aunt Cissy mad. I knew she didn't like me; I just didn't know why." She sighed heavily. "It was Hallowe'en, and the leaves were falling. I begged Uncle Afis to take me to the local playground; even cleaned up my room just perfect, to prove I was being a good girl. It had felt like forever since I was outside. Uncle Afis agreed, over Aunt Cissy's loud objections, but told me if he told me to run, then I would run back home without question, and without stopping."
"That's reasonable," McCoy said.
"We got to the playground, and the leaves were everywhere. I remember laughing and playing in the leaves with Uncle Afis," she continued, smiling, before the smile faded. "The next thing I know, Uncle Afis spotted a group headed towards us, people in long black robes and silver masks. I later found out they were called Death Eaters. Uncle Afis yelled at me to run, and I ran." Tears began sliding down her face. "I remember hearing yelling and seeing flashes of red and green light, and something shot past my head that made a nearby tree explode. I ran, got to the house, and screamed that Uncle Afis was in trouble at the park. I was so scared," she sobbed. "Aunt Cissy's brother, Uncle Argus, and Grandfather Zachary, they ran out, and Granny Sheril had their house elf, Wonka, hide me in the cellar with firm instructions not to come out unless she said so, no matter what. Wonka and me, we huddled together for heaven knows how long, until Granny Sheril called us out. When I came out, Aunt Cissy hit me."
"Oh my god," McCoy said, wrapping his arms around her.
Nora continued. "I don't remember much after that, but I think Wonka blasted Aunt Cissy across the room over that, and Granny Sheril yelled at her. I later found out the men had brought Uncle Afis's body back, that Aunt Cissy had screamed that it was my fault her husband was dead, and I should have died instead. To this day, she still blames me." She let McCoy rock her, liking how it felt. "Granny Sheril never blamed me, but Aunt Cissy started calling me the Wizard Killer. Harry was The Boy Who Lived. I was The Girl Who Murdered Her Uncle." She found herself wrapping her arms around him, liking how he felt. "I remember looking back and seeing Uncle Afis duelling with two other Death Eaters. I saw him look back at me, and I heard him yelling at me to run. Run, he yelled. Run. There was a flash of green, and I ran. And I think I've been running ever since. I've had nightmares for years about Uncle Afis rising from the dead and chasing me, screaming how it was my fault he was dead."
"It wasn't your fault. You were not responsible for what happened. You were caught in the middle of something you didn't understand, and you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time," McCoy said. "You were just a child, and you wanted to play, just like any child does. You didn't deserve what happened to you. It wasn't your fault."
That did it. That little bit of kindness was all Nora needed. The tears came and she found herself curling against McCoy, sobbing. He held her, rocked her like a child, and she grieved the way she hadn't been able to for years.
When the tears finally let off, McCoy showed her how to operate the sink, and splash some water on her face.
"Why don't you cut that off if it irritates you so much?" he asked, watching as she flipped her braid over her shoulder again, scowling at her reflection.
"Because Aunt Cissy said short hair is unbecoming of a woman?" Nora asked.
McCoy went over to the forcefield and called to the male Caitian guard. "Do me a favour; bring up Dr. Carol Marcus' file photo please." The guard did so, and brought it over on a P.A.D.D. "You going to tell me that isn't unbecoming of a woman?" McCoy asked Nora, who studied the photo. "If your hair bothers you, cut it. It's just hair. It'll grow back."
Nora bit her lip. Then, before she could change her mind, she asked, "Do you have anything in your kit that will cut hair?"
"Laser scalpel," he said. He glanced at the guard and muttered, "I'm trusting you on this." The guard nodded in understanding. Then McCoy went to his kit and took out a device. He fiddled with it for a moment, then said, "Okay, turn around. I'm going to cut it right at the base of your neck. After that, I'll introduce you to the ship's barber."
Nora nodded, turned around, and closed her eyes. "Do it before I suss out," she begged. She felt him lift her braid, there was a humming noise, a tug, and then her hair swung free around her face. She opened her eyes to see McCoy holding up a blonde rope of her hair.
"Easiest operation I ever did," he quipped. "Take a look."
She looked at herself in the mirror and her eyes went wide. "Wow." She ran her hands through her hair. "Feels weird."
McCoy smiled. "I'm going to dispose of this and then go talk to Kirk. I don't know how long you'll be here, but I would suggest that you relax and take it easy. You're safe here. This big guy, he won't hurt you as long as you don't give him trouble."
"Could you tell Kirk I'm sorry for lashing out at him, both verbally and physically?" Nora asked.
Again McCoy smiled. "I will. In all fairness, his mouth has gotten him into trouble more times than I care to count. First time I saw him, his nose was still swollen from the bar fight he'd gotten himself into less than twelve hours before."
Nora laughed. Then she sobered. "What about Barnes?" she asked. "He's not going to be too happy if he finds out he's being investigated."
"I won't let him come near you, ma'am," the guard rumbled, smiling gently at her, flashing his teeth. He reminded her of a giant lion standing on his hind legs, complete with mane and tail. "My people treat our females with great respect, more so than your family apparently does," he growled.
"Good to know," Nora said, watching as the guard went back to his station to let McCoy out. "By any chance, are you related to Kneazles?" she asked.
The guard looked up at her with a patient, resigned look. "My people may look like the Earth lion, but I assure you, we are not related, nor are we related to these Kneazles you speak of," he grumbled.
"Wait until you see her pet cat, Easzim," McCoy muttered in passing. He spotted something. "Never mind. You're about to. Be careful; he shredded Barnes' pant legs."
"Hmmm."
Back on the bridge, Kirk was reading through a book Harry had offered him. It seemed Nora's bag was a lot, as in a lot bigger than it looked.
"A boggart is an amortal shape-shifting non-being that takes on the form of the viewer's worst fear. When facing a boggart, it is best to have someone else along, to try to confuse it, since facing more than one person at once would make it indecisive as to what form it must take, usually a mixed-up amalgam of the victims' fears. Because of their shape-shifting ability, no one knows what a boggart looks like when it is alone, as it instantly changes into one's worst fears when one first see it," Kirk muttered as he read through The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, which was required reading for Hogwarts students taking Defence Against the Dark Arts. "Likes confined spaces, but has been found in forests and shadowy places... A result of people's emotions... I can think of a few places like that on the Enterprise," he said. "How do you get rid of them?"
"We can't really get rid of them, so much as simply get them into an object, like a match box or something, and simply move them elsewhere," Harry explained. "There's a spell we use that forces the boggart to change into something not so scary, but it depends on the strength of the caster and how many people there are, because the more people there are, the more confused the boggart gets about what to change into. And the big thing? Laughter. That's what really screws those buggers up." He grinned as he remembered something. "During my third year at Hogwarts, we learned about boggarts. One of the students, a friend of mine, Neville, he was terrified of the Potions professor, Professor Snape, who could be a real jerk towards students he felt were, well, lacking. Neville's parents were also victims of Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War, so he was being raised by his grandmother, who liked to wear these big, funny hats and real frumpy clothes. Professor Lupin, who was teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts that year, he advised Neville to picture Professor Snape wearing his grandmother's clothes."
Kirk grinned. "That would have been hilarious."
"It was. But that was how Neville learned to deal with the boggart; by making his greatest fear funny."
"Can Muggles see boggarts?" Spock asked. He had rejoined them after dealing with Nora, and had been listening with fascination to Harry.
"You can see them, but you don't see them very well, and they usually get dismissed as a figment of your imagination, because a lot of Muggles don't believe in magic or aren't willing to consider the possibility that such creatures actually exist," Harry admitted. "Magic can't be defined by logic. It just simply is."
"If this keeps up, trust me, I'll be a believer," Kirk said. He thought for a moment. "Hey Chekov?" he asked the young Russian helmsman.
"Yes Keptian?" Chekov asked, turning to face him. He nodded at Harry, who nodded back.
"When you were in Engineering last time, didn't you mention there was a section that everyone seemed to avoid because they kept seeing things out of the corner of their eyes?" Kirk asked.
"Yes," Chekov admitted reluctantly. "It's very uncomfortable, but many of us, we cannot describe it exactly. It's simply... uncomfortable."
"That is not logical," Spock said.
"I know, sir, but many of us, even other Vulcans, there is something there," Chekov said.
"I've felt it too, sir," Sulu said over his shoulder. "Even Scotty doesn't like that area, and he's about as practical as they come. Feels like something's watching me the whole time, even though I know no one's there."
"Do you see shadows or something like that out of the corner of your eye?" Harry asked. Chekov and Sulu nodded. "What about your fears? Do they start coming to mind, and you feel like you really, really want to get out of that area as fast as possible, even though there's no rational explanation for feeling like that? Like something's going to jump out at you from the shadows at any second?" Chekov nodded vigorously, eyes wide. Sulu held up his hand in agreement. Harry glanced at Kirk. "Sounds to me like you definitely have a boggart there, and I can contain it, but I will need Nora's help."
"And I have no doubt she'll be willing to help," McCoy said, joining them. "Nora asked me to convey her apologies to you," he said to Kirk. "She had a very rough night. Apparently Barnes came on to her pretty heavily, even after being told she wasn't interested, and Easzim went for him. Combine that with a cousin who's face I'd like to rearrange without anesthetic, and an aunt I'd like to kick out the nearest airlock, she hasn't had an easy time of it. I'll give you the full report in a bit."
"Could I get a copy of it?" Harry asked.
"You got it," McCoy said. "Now, what's this about a boggart?"
"A shape-shifting creature that turns into your greatest fear, and likes to hide in small, dark spaces," Spock said. "Harry claims to be able to contain it, but needs Nora's help because the more people there are, the less chance the boggart knows what to turn into. Apparently laughter helps contain it."
"Both Chekov and Sulu report that a section of Engineering is making a lot of people nervous, seeing things out of the corner of their eyes, fears coming to mind, stuff like that," Kirk said.
"Sounds like the time I visited Independence State Hospital, in Iowa, when I was a teenager," McCoy admitted. "Place creeped me out, and it has a serious reputation for being haunted."
"Ghosts do not exist, Doctor," Spock said. "They are merely a figment of an over-active imagination."
Harry propped his elbow on his knee, and his chin in his hand, grinning at the Vulcan. "Then you would love Hogwarts," he said. "The school has four houses; Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Just like they had Heads of the Houses, they also had Ghosts of the Houses. Nearly Headless Nick was the ghost for Gryffindor. Helena Ravenclaw, the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the original Hogwarts founders, was the ghost for Ravenclaw. Then there's the Fat Friar for Hufflepuff, and the Bloody Baron for Slytherin. They're real, they're there, and they're part of Hogwarts just as much as Peeves the Poltergeist, and the house elves, and the Thestrals are."
"Thestrals?" Chekov asked.
"Winged horses that you can only see if you've seen death," Harry said. "First time I saw them, I had just seen a friend die at Voldemort's hand. I was fourteen, and shortly afterwards, Voldemort rose to power."
"What are these houses that you mentioned?" Kirk asked, wisely changing the subject, seeing the sadness in the other man's eyes.
Harry reached into the bag again, and pulled out a book. Flipping it open, he began to read.
"You might belong in Gryffindor, You might belong in Hufflepuff, Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, Or perhaps in Slytherin
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;
if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.
"Well, how do you know which one you belong to?" Chekov asked.
"The Sorting Hat," Harry explained. "When the school was first founded, the founders, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin, they would each take students who had the traits that they thought were the most important. But they also realized they wouldn't be around forever. So they created the Sorting Hat to help with that. Every First Year student, during the Beginning of the Year Feast, the Hat gets put on their head, checks them out, and then, depending on what it finds, determines what house the student gets put in. Of course, students usually do have a choice. The Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin but I said no. I had just made an enemy on the Hogwarts Train, and his name was Draco Malfoy, and he went straight to Slytherin. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him."
"What was Nora?" McCoy asked, curious.
"Hufflepuff," Harry said. "Hard-working, loyal, tend to excel in Herbology and Potions. Nora's pretty good at that. I always thought she'd make a better Healer than an Auror, but I can see her reasoning." He smiled. "Anyway, boggart? Nora?"
"Bones?" Kirk asked.
"Let her out. I don't think she's going to be any more of a problem," McCoy said. "We talked, and I think she finally had a chance to grieve for her uncle."
Harry nodded. "Good."
Kirk nodded as well. "All right. Spock?"
"I would advise against it, given the nature of her temper," Spock said.
"Are you concerned she might try and kill me?" Kirk asked.
"Yes," Spock said.
"Spock, I understand your concerns, but no matter how mad Nora gets, she would never use the Killing Curse on Captain Kirk, or anyone else for that matter," Harry said. "In order for her to be willing to do that, she has to be willing, one hundred percent, without a doubt, willing to kill, and that's just not Nora. It's the same with the other two Unforgivable Curses. Last time I tried to use one of them, it was more tickle than pain. I was angry, but I was more hurt than angry." He shook his head. "No, no matter how mad Nora gets, she won't kill."
"Circumstances can change," Spock cautioned.
Harry sighed heavily. "Yes, they can. I've killed. I was seventeen when I took the life of Lord Voldemort and ended the Second Wizarding War. I had to. It was either him or me, and in the end, I was the one standing. But Nora? Unless there's no other choice, she would rather pull your underwear over your head and have you dangling upside down by your ankle, than kill you."
"Has she ever done that?" Kirk asked.
Harry grinned. "Forty-eight year old wizard dealing in illegal potions,she had him dangling upside down in the middle of the town square. Because he wasn't wearing pants under his robes, the whole town saw his bright pink thong underwear and hairy buttocks." Kirk started laughing, along with Chekov and Sulu, while Spock raised an eyebrow and McCoy groaned, chin in hand. "I've seen a lot of things I wish I could forget about. That was one of them! If I could have scrubbed my eyes and my brain with bleach, I would have!"