A/N: As always,
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: All characters of the Harry Potter series (hereafter known as 'legal property') are the sole ownership of J.K. Rowling (hereafter known as 'owner of said legal property'). No infringement on any copyright of owner of said legal property of the legal property is knowing intended. Published by author (hereafter known as 'other') for entertainment purposes only. No monetary or personal gain was knowingly made by other with the publication of this story, which was based on ideas and characters created by owner of said legal property as they pertain to legal property. No plagiarism of legal property or of any ideas of the owner of said legal property was knowingly intended by other. This statement is fully transferable and is legally held binding for all chapters of the story Family Ties as they are presented under different chapter headings and titles for individual chapters.
CHAPTER EIGHT: MAKING NEW FRIENDS?
The next day Becca stood once more next to the remains of the castle.
Weeks had past since she had destroyed her prison, and she loathed coming back here each day. But this place seemed to her to be her only link to ever finding Heudros. Somehow she hoped that something in the rubble would help lead her to him.
That was, until yesterday.
Now there was a new avenue open to her in her search. Another 'Power', who, for whatever reasons, also seemed interested in finding Heudros. Although not nearly as much as she was, Becca had observed. To this 'Richard' the task seemed more as an idle past-time. While to her it was her life driving force at the moment.
But why? What possible interest could this 'Richard' have in Heudros?
That, Becca sternly told herself, was what had brought her back to this place today. Not because over the past weeks it had become her daily routine. Not because she had consented to the possibility that she needed help with her magic, and this 'Richard' had said he could teach her what she needed to know.
No. She was determined to find out what Heudros was to this 'Richard', and why he was interested in finding him.
Becca wrapped her arms about herself as her body gave a small shiver. It had rained the night before and now the area around the castle's rubble was not only cold, but damp as well.
For all the time she had spent serving Heudros, she found he had taught her painfully little about the world outside the walls of the castle.
It was cold out here. And damp. And she had quickly found she hated cold. And she hated damp even worse. And the outside world seemed to always be one or the other. Not at all like her rooms in the castle. They had always been warm, lit by cheerful fires. And food had always been plentiful. She had never had to worry about when her next meal would be. The fare wasn't always the best, but at least it was there.
Now she had very little idea when she would eat next. Most of her food came from things she found around her. Water from a nearby stream, berries from shrubs, and a small fruit tree she had found growing wild. Occasionally she would conjure something up, but it took a considerable amount of time and concentration for her to achieve the desired results. And usually those results were less than palatable.
Oh, how she wished she had been able to talk to Mr. Black!
Looking up as a rumble of thunder caught her attention, Becca remembered clearly the day she had last seen him. She had been talking to an annoying Charly Misser when Mr. Black had suddenly shown up from around a corner of the castle's rubble.
But from the look on his face and the tone of his voice, Becca didn't think he was anywhere near forgiving her for the things he saw her responsible for. And so she had beat a hasty retreat, apparating back to the small cave where she currently lived.
She wondered if he would ever be willing to help her.
"Well, I see you came." A voice interrupted her thoughts, reminding her that she now had other options open to her for 'help'.
Becca turned slowly to face the other 'Power'. She didn't much like the fact that this 'Richard' seemed intent on always approaching her from behind. Mr. Black had said to never turn your back on your enemies. And until she knew his intentions better, to Becca, this 'Richard' was an enemy.
But how did you not turn your back on your enemy when they are forever approaching you from behind?
Becca took a defensive pose as she crossed her arms in front of her. Best to let the other be weary of her. Keep him guessing as to her true abilities until she knew more about his own.
"You're offer.....was intriguing." She replied simply. "I felt it was in my interest to learn more."
"A wise choice indeed." Richard answered with a warming smile.
"But first," Becca cut his enthusiasm off quickly, "I want you to answer a question for me. Several actually."
The other 'Power' fanned his arms out. "Seems fair. Ask away."
"Why do you want to find Heudros?" Becca ask plainly. "Do you want to kill him?"
Richard seemed to give the question a good deal of consideration before answering her.
"I'm not really sure what I want to do with him once I find him." He finally replied. "I suppose that will depend on what mood I'm in. 'Why' I want him is a reason you yourself may be uniquely able to understand."
"Me?"
Richard gave her small, bemused smile. "Yes. You see, Becca, once, a long time ago, I also served the illustrious Heudros. Like you, I was his.....servant."
Becca couldn't even begin to keep the surprise out of her voice. "You.....served Heudros!?"
"A mistake. I came to see that eventually." He replied. "One I am seeking to correct."
Becca's mouth turned into a deep frown. "But that doesn't explain why you want to find him, or to help me." She stated. "Or is this a trade to you? You do something for me and then you feel I should help you find Heudros? Or turn him over to you if I find him first?"
Richard gave her a slow, throaty laugh. "My, my, but you are the suspicious one, aren't you?"
"I find it is wise to be suspicious of others and their motives, since they are rarely what people present them to be."
"Well, you have no need to be suspicious of me, Becca. If anything, I am the one person you should trust."
This time it was Becca who laughed. But her's carried with it the distinct air of sarcasm.
"And why exactly should I trust you?" She ask.
"Because we're the same, you and I." Richard answered. "We come from the same place." He fixed a firm stare on her, his smile disappearing behind a grim line. "We were summoned by the same person, Becca. So we already have a great deal in common. The only difference being, I am older than you."
Becca's brow lowered into a frown again. "Older?" She stated.
"Well, not by much." Richard admitted with a small smile. "Likely only a few years at best. But still older. But you see, Heudros wasn't satisfied with me." The young man continued, a definite tinge of displeasure creeping into his voice. "He said I didn't have enough power to suit his needs, and that he would call another." Richard gave her another small smile. "And I see he did."
Becca simply stood staring at the man before her. So Heudros had not been satisfied with this 'Richard' because he didn't feel he had enough power to be useful to him. That, she felt, was information to remember.
But even as she tucked the information away, she focused on Richard's other revelation. "Heudros.....Heudros called you? Before me?"
"Indeed." The young man continued to smile at her. "I suppose in a manner of speaking, that makes me your older brother, Becca."
"Brother?" Becca said the word as though it were a foreign language to her.
"Yes. We're family, you and I. We both came from the same place, called by the same person. And 'family' is how I would like to think of you."
"Like....a sister." Becca reasoned out.
The man rewarded her with a pleased smile. "Exactly. And when we find our 'father', we can both deal with him, all right?"
Becca snapped herself out of her thoughts, a hard frown creasing her brow again. "I still do not trust you." She stated firmly.
"Well, that's fair, I suppose." He answered. "Trust, after all, is best when it is earned. So I will gladly work to earn yours, Becca. But you have to do something for me, too."
Becca fixed a hard stare on the man. "What?"
"Well, I can't very well earn your trust if you don't let me, now can I?" He ask. "And I think the best way for you to do that is to let me do what I have offered. To help you learn to better control your magic. That way, you'll be learning something useful, and I can show you that you have nothing to fear from me."
Becca considered the offer. It certainly sounded reasonable.
"I suppose that makes sense." She replied slowly.
The other 'Power' held up a finger. "That doesn't sound very certain, Becca. You're still holding back here. And that simply won't do if I'm to teach you anything. You letting me earn that trust has to start somewhere and I think this is as good a place as any."
"Place?"
"Yes. You're showing a little bit of trust in me, Becca."
The brow furrowed again. "How?"
Richard gave her a small smile. "By showing me you truly want my help, little sister. Because I'm not keen on wasting my time if I'm the only one giving anything here."
"So what do I have to do?"
"You have to acknowledge that you want me to help you, Becca. And you have to acknowledge that you believe that I can help you. Otherwise you'll never have any faith in me at all."
"All right." Becca stated flatly. "I accept that you can help me."
The other 'Power' gave her one of his low, rumbling laughs. "It's not that easy, Becca. Giving trust never is."
"Well what do you want then?" Becca ask in exasperation. "A contract signed in blood?"
Richard laughed again. "Nothing so dramatic, I assure you." He replied. "No. Just your understanding that I can help you, Becca. But you have to want it."
Becca stared back at the man.
Richard gave her another small smile, but one without one ounce of warmth in it. "You have to ask for it, Becca."
Becca stared at the other 'Power' in disbelief.
"That's it?!" She asked. "You want me to 'ask' you to help me learn magic?"
Richard nodded in answer.
Becca threw her arms up. "Fine. I want you to help me learn magic." She recited dutifully.
Richard crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, come now, Becca." He stated. "Could you have made that sound any less sincere if you had honestly tried?"
Becca frowned at the man. But she took a deep breath and this time, with her hands clasp firmly in front of her, she worked to temper her tone a bit more. "All right. You are right, and I am sorry. That was not very sincere." Becca took a breath, then tried again. "I would very much like for you to help me learn to use my magic."
"Richard." The man added.
Becca met his stare for a moment. This seemed to her more like some game he was playing for some private amusement. But what exactly he found entertaining about it, she wasn't sure.
Taking another slow breath, she tried once more. "I would very much like for you to help me learn to use my magic....., Richard."
The man face broke into an immediate smile. "There now! Was that so hard?"
'Hard', no, Becca thought. But 'foolish' was rapidly gaining ground.
"Now what?" She ask.
Richard reached out his hand towards her.
"Just close your eyes, and take my hand, Becca."
Becca gave a disgruntled sound at the instructions, but did as she was told.
The minute her hand touched his, the other 'Power' clasp her's in a tight grip, and in the next instant, they both disappeared.
Q&A
MasterLupin:
an interesting turn of events. So there is another power, bringing our total now to three, a very commonly used number authoritatively to illustrate any number of things. Or might there be a fourth power and in them the makings of the four horsemen.
Again let me say, this is what I like about you, Dear. You keep me on my toes.
Sadly, I do have to say though, that while your line is in the right pond, you've got the wrong end of your pole.
In other words, you're close, but you're not quite there yet.
The problem is, you're looking for WAY too much symbolism here. I don't usually do symbolism. To many restrictions when you start that.
Try this instead. Is there another 'Power'? Well, do you honestly think Heudros was the first person to manage a proper 'calling' of a 'Power'? (Considering Bo, obviously not.) But if two people managed it, why not someone else? And if so, where are they, and where is the 'Power' they called?
Silverfox:
Careful of people who don't want to tell you the price of
something until you've agreed to buy, Becca. Though she does seem to
understand that much. Maybe she isn't a completely hopeless
case.
What I meant last time is that I thought Becca had the same
understanding of magic as Bo has, but lacked any idea of the world
around her that would give her a clue how to react to events. It was
only last chapter that I realised that her understanding of magic
itself is so limited. (15 years is more than enough time to learn to
use your body and what it can and can't do after all and Becca seemed
to be quite capable when Heudros first sent her to meet Orion.)
You pack a lot of stuff into a few sentences, Dear.
Is Becca a hopeless case? Depends on your definition. Currently she's the equivalent of a five year old child poised for a major hissy fit...while holding a .357.
Something that does not escape Richard one bit.
Becca's understanding of magic isn't so much 'limited', Dear, as lacking control. She can do magic. She's more than proved that. But she never considered herself the source of any great magical power. Now she realizes that she, and not Heudros, was the one truly doing all the magic all those years, and she's having a bit of trouble wrapping her self-esteem around that concept.
Fifteen years might be enough time to learn about your body under normal circumstances. But Becca has had anything but. Plus, she just had one major missing piece of information dumped on her that she is still trying to sort out properly.
The reason Becca seemed quite capable in her initial meeting with Orion (and any others along the way) was because she was being so tightly controlled she was practically reading from a script. She said what Heudros told her to say, when he told her to say it, and how to say it. The poor girl barely had two original ideas to keep each other company under Heudros' rule.
Now she's out in the cold, cruel world all by herself, with no one to help or advise her or tell her what to say or when to sleep or when to eat.........the girl's got a lot to deal with suddenly.
Then, poof! Out of a cloud of smoke comes someone who says 'I'll help you! I'll show you all the good things you're missing and keep you safe from all the bad things that can hurt you.'
Pretty good deal as far as Becca's concerned. Someone is going to take away all that confusing stuff she doesn't want to deal with or even know how (called DLS - Daily Living Skills), and let her go back to being her pretty much self-absorbed little self.
ilovesiriusblack:
So happy to find a new chapter even though I am supposed to be revising. A neww power hmm wonder where he came from, he seems a whole lot less naieve (sp?) than Bo. He definately wants something in return, I don't think it wil end well should Becca decide to trust him. No sirius for 3 chapters sigh never mind. Glad to see your feeling better and looking forward to the next chapter.
Revising 'what', Dear?
Well, a lot about the new 'Power' was answered in this chapter. Or at least as much as he wants Becca to know about him right now.
Less naive than Bo? Wellllllll....., maybe. How naive the boggart is is really something I prefer that readers decide on for themselves.
Perhaps, Dear. But what the other 'Power' may or may not want out of this arrangement is a large part of the story. So I can't really say much on that subject.
Call it a 'learning experience'. She needs a few if she's ever to get past just being someone's doormat.
Nope. No Sirius. But when he returns it will be with his usual flare, trust me.
All reviews are as of 11/27/2008.
And remember;
So far, so good in the PAR family. Both my mom and me seem to be recovering from our respective medical problems and progressing nicely. In fact, she's doing better than me right now.
