A new chapter in my pursuit of getting my imagination out onto some form of paper is here my friends. Enjoy. Oh also if any of you wonderful people would like to be a beta on this story I would be thoroughly pleased if you sent me a message.
§ Parseltongue §
Thoughts
'mental communication'
I own only my original characters. Harry Potter and his world are the properties of J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Nine: The Vacancy
The last Potter looked to her from the tattered clothes. "Yes Pansy, me. Now hold still." Kneeling down, he placed his right hand gently on the curve of her face while casting every diagnostic charm he could even remember Madam Pomfrey using on him. She was sore, definitely going to be bruised where that monster had dug his hands into her sides. Her virginity was also very assuredly gone, both of them if he cast the spell correctly. A wave a fury coursed through him anew and he turned setting the pedophile's body aflame with a wordless incendio. Pansy had a look of revulsion mixed with righteous anger as she watched the headless body begin to burn.
"That absolute arsehole! Father will be so angry."
"Why would your father be angry at a dead man Pansy?" The girl in question choked down a sob before responding.
"Not at him. He'll be angry with me for breaking the contract with Lord Malfoy." Her expression was a muddled pile of fear and pain as she began to sob in earnest.
"How have you broken any kind of contract?" Harry's demand, punctuated by his magic visibly affecting the air around them, shook the girl heavily.
"I lost my virginity to a wizard that wasn't a Malfoy, therefore the contract betrothing myself to Draco is broken." Her cries paired with this tidbit of information only made the raven-haired boy's magic swirl around them more intensely. The heat it created halted all of Pansy's movements and her eyes locked on the source of this magical power.
"You mean to tell me that any Malfoy could have done it and you'd still be set to marry Draco?" Even Harry could feel the heat his magic was creating in response to his emotions when she nodded. Shit, reign it in Potter, reign it in. "If the contract is broken does that mean you can see whoever you like now?" Another nod of her head went a long way to calming the furious wizard. "Good, you can do much better than being a Malfoy plaything." He forced a concerned smile on his face as he finished repairing her clothes. "Here, I'll turn away so you can put these back on." True to his word, the Boy-Who-Lived turned his back as the young Slytherin quickly donned her newly mended uniform and robe. He only turned back when she threw his robe over his shoulder. "Feeling better now that you're not covered in the red of us lions?" She shook her head quickly.
"No. I still feel horrible. I'll need to go see my head girl about taking care of the bruises and the other thing." She paused for a moment before launching herself at him and nearly crushing his ribs with a hug. "Thank you. I will sleep better knowing that the monster that did this to me is dead."
"You mean the image of his burning body won't haunt your dreams?"
"My father is a pure blood lord, Potter. I have seen wizards fall to my father in honor duels many times." Pansy held her head high as she stared at the young man that stood eye to eye with her now. Potter had indeed been growing this year so far. He had just proved it was a conscious physical change. She had been appraising him since the start of term and, like many of the younger years found the days he came to breakfast slick with sweat to be a treat. At any other time she would have pounced on him, but now she feared he would treat her like the other wizards, like a piece of garbage only to be used for a few moments of satisfaction. "Why?" A fiery anger filled her gaze as she looked upon the Boy-Who-Lived.
The boy in question merely locked her gaze with one of his own. "What he was doing is unforgivable to me. He could have been taking Voldemort himself and I would have killed him all the same." His rage boiled again for a moment. "To me, consent is something you never ignore. Do you have any political opinions on how this should be handled?"
"You and I both have memories of the event so it should serve to be incriminating, even if the Wizengamot would be cross with you for killing him." She pondered seriously for a moment while Potter just stood there, hands behind his back and eyes set on the burned form of her tormentor. The broken sword used to take his life lay mere feet from her. "We should alert a teacher at the very least." He turned back to her, his robe billowing slightly.
"Pomfrey first, then through her we will get our Heads of House and the Headmaster." Potter kicked at the sword, sending it clattering towards the intact head of Gilderoy Lockhart. "Snape will try to pin both the ravaging and the killing on me I'm sure, but McGonagall and Dumbledore should be able to see reason." A heavy sigh escaped the Boy-Who-Lived. "Let's call the burning of his body an accident, though, please. Few know I'm capable of any wandless magic and I prefer to keep it that way. Can you protect your mind from Legilimency?" At her simple nod, Potter offered her his hand and helped her along to the Hospital Wing.
To say Madam Pomfrey was surprised and annoyed by another night's appearance of her most valuable client was akin to saying the sky was blue or Scottish winters cold. When Harry Potter showed up supporting a clearly ruffled Pansy Parkinson she nearly fell off her stool. At the urging that she had been raped and possibly impregnated and by their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor she did indeed fall to the floor for a moment. Harry insisted that she make a medical assessment of miss Parkinson prior to contacting the proper disciplinary figures. Seeing as the allegations were rather dire, Poppy decided to follow the teen's request. She hurried Pansy along to a bed further back in the wing and erected barriers to prevent Harry seeing anything he shouldn't. After the first three diagnostic spells, the matron was absolutely fuming. Miss Parkinson had been sodomized and her maidenhead had been broken rather forcefully just before she'd been impregnated. The fourth spell indicated it was, in fact, a product of Gilderoy Lockhart's body inside the young girl. Three rapid fire dove patronuses flew off in different directions, most likely to the Headmaster and Heads of their Houses.
It was a cold night. There was an inhuman chill in the air as he stared at the nearly conflagrated little house. This isn't right. It should feel like I'm walking into a furnace. The man moved at a snail's pace through the rubble of his best friend's home, unaffected by the fire licking at the building. Right inside the entrance he found him, laying in what used to be the sitting room. Sirius could feel the magic in the air as he looked at the telltale signs of a duel between ruthless wizards. The cuts were razor thin, perfectly round holes pierced much of the room on the side the intruder had come from. James had been seeking to deal with little damage to his home while ending the life of that monster. The dark haired auror fell to his knees beside his best friend and wept for what felt like hours. Finally, he stood and made his way up with the damage to the nursery where he found Lily. Her body had crumpled in death just as James' had done. This time, as he lamented his sadness was draining away and being replaced with something else.
It coursed through him until he knew without a doubt it was the rage. His father, Orion, had told him stories in his youth of their ancestor Alistair Black, the man who wed a female berserker. She had been a Viking, powerful in magic but unable to use it outside her body. The tale was that her people feared magic so much that her own never worked outside her skin. It had made her into a powerful force on the battlefield as the strongest of blows only left faint scarring on her body. When this woman, known only as Freja to her husband, was angered her strength seemed to increase ten-fold. She had cleaved men in twain with her sword. Oh, the sword. It had vexed Sirius mightily when his father mentioned that her weapon, nearly nine hundred years old, still held its edge and was battle ready should one of her descendants discover how to use her berserker magic. Orion believed that one of his children may have this ability, and now Sirius felt it rage through him. His magic, instead of affecting his surrounding as it had in his youth, instead kept him from harm. His skin felt like steel, his muscles were adamant, and he felt nothing from the world outside him even as the house began to collapse around him.
A heavy support beam had fallen onto his left shoulder and alerted him to this fact immediately. No! James and Lily must be laid to rest, not burned like common criminals. moving his left hand to sweep away the beam he heard an almighty crack as it was flung halfway across the room. Well, pops did say ten-fold strength. As fast as he could he gathered Lily in his arms and ran down the stairs for James. Finding him was easy enough but now the fire had begun to burn the Lord of House Potter. A hastily yelled water conjuring charm failed for him. Wait, I've been able to conjure water since before fourth-year. Shit! His father must have been right when he said she couldn't use magic outside her body. He grabbed James and drug him from the testament to the wrath a prophecy can bring on good people. Once outside he lay the bodies down and put out the fire the old fashioned way. He couldn't take it anymore. His blood was liquid fire and one person needed to feel his wrath.
"WORMTAIL!" His fist collided with the stone wall and he felt his punch break the stone of Azkaban slightly. Sweet Morgana stretched across the hood of a Mercedes Benz it's freezing in here today! As Sirius rose and made his way to the water basin a voice pierced the silence of his cell.
"My my, it appears Freja was right about you, young Lord Black." The Lord in question spun on his heels and froze in place. Before him were two figures, both emanating the purest cold he'd ever felt. The first looked absolutely furious that he had even been brought along. He stood around five and a half feet and was thin. Definitely a man from the orient judging by his almond shaped eyes and nearly parchment-colored skin. His hair was definitely long, but he had it pulled back into a ponytail that fell to mid-back. This man wore a simple suit, navy with a white shirt beneath it, and black wingtip shoes. At his side hung a katana, its sheath a brilliantly blue lacquered base with yellow lotus petals adorning the throat. The other man was downright scary. He was a tall skeletal sort with black locks and pale blue eyes. He wore the darkest suit in existence and bore no weapon whatsoever. What made him scary was that Sirius could feel that while the Asian man was absolutely a predator, this man was the apex. He could wholly crush Sirius but to do so would be a waste of his unfathomable power. Laughter shook the apex predator's form as well as the whole of the prison. "Mugen, it appears that you are a definite predator but I am the apex predator." A smile crossed the face of the warrior and he gripped both the throat of his sheath and the hilt of his blade before moving like the wind towards Sirius. Like lightning, the unnamed man struck the other and with a sickening crunch, was flung through the wall into Bella's cell.
"Bella! Are you alright?" Sirius made to move into her cell but was froze when he stepped in the way.
"Now now, Sirius. You would not want to enter that cell after I admonished one of my favorites for attacking you." The man looked back into the cell and at this Mugen fellow before continuing on. "You know how much these two can aid him, my little samurai. They aren't to be killed just because you are self-conscious about your own killing intent."
"He disrespected you by insinuating that you are a mere predator Master. He will only serve to give the boy a big head when he's already insufferable." The short man had stood and was brushing the crushed stone from his suit as Bellatrix came into view.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Before she could get started on a tirade both members of the Black family felt what the unnamed man had called killing intent. It was so heavy they had fallen to their knees. Happy with the response the taller man faced the pair.
"If you don't quiet down I shall end the line of Black here and now." Seeing the pale duo flush, even more, the reaper decided to continue. "I am the grim reaper or, as your godson prefers to call me, Joe. The reason for our presence," he gestured between himself and Mugen, "is to offer you two a very important job. Harry, as I've mentioned earlier, knows me and has been given a little instruction by myself. This is because Tom Riddle," he pointed at Bella, "your old master, has found a way to cheat death and the last of the Potters is uniquely placed to kill him." To say the two were surprised was an understatement. Sirius had been on board as soon as Harry was mentioned. It would be a cold day in hell that he'd refuse to help the child of two of his best friends. Another laugh shook the building. "You know, hell isn't very temperate at all. It is just a place where a dear friend of mine torments those who anger the rest of his family. Back to the matter at hand, should you accept to aid Sirius, you both will leave this place immediately and I will return this place to its rightful owner. Recovery will be up to-" Bella interrupted quickly.
"Leave? I will do anything you ask, especially if it hurts those murderous rapists." Bella had regained some of her color and already seemed years younger as she answered the reaper. A sick smile crossed Joe's face.
"Excellent choice," he turned to the Asian man again, "let us begin the work necessary Mugen." The two beings moved at once to touch the cousins Black, and then they were gone. The scythe appeared within Joe's grip as he strode out of the cell and towards the guard shack. Mugen began pursuing dementors, killing them with inhuman speed as his katana flashed through the air. By the time the dementors had been decimated, Joe had returned and was working ancient magic with his scythe. The creation of silver and bone spun in the air for nearly a minute until the reaper slammed the blade into the stone floor. All of the enchantments on the prison broke and it began to sink into the sea. "Now the inmates Mugen." The two wove a deadly path through the fortress as it sank back to Poseidon's depths.
Severus and Albus were debating the one thing that mattered at the time, the boy when two of Poppy's patronuses burst in on them. They went off at nearly the same time, making for an odd echoing effect. "Headmaster/Professor Snape, there is an urgent matter that needs attending to in the Hospital Wing. One of our students has been harmed." The two wizards shared a look that could only mean one thing, Potter. They walked at a brisk pace after applying a silencing charm anchored to Severus' beard.
"What do you think Potter has done now?" Stroking his beard, Dumbledore answered the shallow man.
"Most likely would be someone from your house tried to get the jump on him and he responded enthusiastically. Lesser theories could be more of his heroics a la your junior Death Eaters pressuring the Metamorphmagus for sexual favors."
"There are no known juniors hoping to join Lucius out causing trouble tonight. He probably picked up on his father's old habits and tortured a better student." The shadow of James Potter's treatment of him passed over the eyes of the Half-Blood Prince. Choosing to remain silent on the matter, Harry could bully any student here if he wished to, Albus just chose to increase their joint speed. Reaching the Hospital Wing saw the pair joined by Minerva. She wasted no time in barging through the door and addressing the matron.
"Who's been hurt, Poppy? One of my Lions?" Professor McGonagall's concern was plain as she saw Harry Potter sitting on one of the unoccupied beds near a set of privacy screens. "Mister Potter, what are you doing here?"
The raven-haired teen chose to allow Poppy the chance to break the news. She was still fuming as she spat out, "Miss Parkinson appears to have had her maidenhead broken and was also sodomized quite forcefully this evening." Snape had heard all he needed to.
"Potter! I'll see you expelled if not sent to Azkaban for harming one of my students and-"
"It was Lockhart Professor Snape!" Pansy screamed shrilly. "Harry came upon that blond bastard right after he...and he did the honorable thing. Lockhart will not harm anyone else in this school because Potter killed him for what he was doing." A fresh wave of tears had overcome the young lady and Harry was left to stare into the eyes of two master Legilimens with the grit of a true killer. Severus knew better than to probe the young man's mind but Albus decided to capitalize on the moment and dove in.
He felt a fury rivaling the gods in the boy for a brief second. Then he was walking up the grand staircase with the child of two skilled and powerful mages. He heard the rough voice of his fraud Defense Professor, and then he watched the boy sprint down the hall to the corridor. The memory and Headmaster turned the corner at the same time to see a nude Pansy being ravaged by a man he had recruited to keep Harry meek, but instead, the view caused the boy to walk to the closest suit of armor for its blade. Armed with the sword the wizened wizard saw it happen. Fury consumed the young man and he bolted towards Gilderoy, long sword raised howling out a single word. "YOU!" the blond man had enough time to pull himself from the child and turned like an idiot to present a larger target for the armed child. One-quarter of the implement sunk into the rapist's chest. Albus saw the pulse of magic surge up the blade and heard the clatter of its tip hit the floor. His eyes widened when the body began to fall and the Boy-Who-Lived cut Gilderoy Lockhart's head clean off. This is no boy, this is a warrior! Albus lamented as he saw the body burning up while the boy covered Miss Parkinson, daughter to Damien. He would never allow the savior of his daughter to be prosecuted by the Wizengamot and the dark families would side with him on this. A second Harry joined the first in the memory as it froze. He looked unhappy but nowhere near the image a wrath his memory had been. "This is the second time in a week that I have had my mind invaded Professor. I have allowed it so you can see what really happened tonight. I will let you know now. If I come across something like this again the results will be the same." Albus started to respond but was cut off. "I may not survive every time I jump into a situation like I did tonight, but I will sell my soul to Voldemort before I stand by or even hold back on someone harming an innocent."
Tremors shook the form of the most powerful wizard in the world. He had been forced from the memory and back into his body beside Minerva and Severus. The Potions Master looked at him for a brief moment before stepping back. Before Minerva and Madam Pomfrey could notice, he steeled himself and spoke. "Mister Potter, Miss Parkinson, I will need to draw a memory of the event from each of you to deliberate with your Heads of House." The aged man looked to the young pureblood who was peeking out from behind the privacy screen. "Miss Parkinson, are you familiar with the process of drawing a memory from yourself?" At her careful nod, Severus produced two empty vials and stoppers. They were handed politely to Pansy while the Half-Blood Prince glared at the killer teen. A quick pull of her wand from her temple and Pansy's memory of the event was safely stored. The curling of her finger brought Harry to her, and with a whispered bit of instruction, she drew the memory from him and deposited it in the free vial. "I will send for the both of you once a decision has been made." The greatest wizard of the light summoned the vials to him. He gestured for his two respected Professors and they swept out of the clinic, heading for the Headmaster's office and his penseive.
A retreating Albus Dumbledore looked quite wonderful to a certain black haired witch and wizard. Harry had even seen a spark of fear in the wizened old man's eyes before he broke the contact. Good. He should fear what I'm capable of doing to those who harm others. Pansy was an unknown quantity, though. She had been a cruel unmitigated bitch to everyone not coated in the green and silver of Slytherin, but right now she was just a damaged person happy to have seen her tormentor killed. A twelve-year-old girl pleased with a man's death. Hell, she'd even hugged him while he was lightly spattered with blood. How was he supposed to know if she could be trusted or even spoken to after this night? Sure, she would be grateful to him for now, but what happens if the dark lord Tom escapes his resurrection party? Surely daddy Parkinson will bend the knee and either assign his daughter with killing him or try to lure him into a one on one fight with the snake faced bastard.
Well, unless he is marked. Killing all the faithful Death Eaters that respond to a summons is the first priority on resurrection night. If he recalled correctly, there were around fourteen of them in the graveyard on that terrible night. Nott, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Macnair were the five he could remember off the top of his head. Was Pansy's father among the nine unidentified Death Eaters? Well, I guess we play it all by ear for now. A silence had passed on the Hospital Wing for a few minutes and the matron had returned to working almost silently on her teen charge. Not wanting to leave Pansy alone, Harry waited. Half an hour later, Madam Pomfrey had decided that her charge was well enough to leave.
"Would you mind escorting Miss Parkinson to her common room, Mister Potter?" Now here's an opportunity to make use of my well-developed sense of levity to lighten up a situation.
"Escort a lovely pureblood princess like miss Pansy Marie Parkinson? Why it would be an honor to protect her from the atrocities this castle can produce." The last Potter bowed long and deep enough to put any house elf to shame. Had he looked up from the honorific gesture he would have seen first a bright pink dusting cover the Parkinson heiress' face, and then a look of the utmost annoyance.
"My middle name is NOT Marie, Potter! Why would I want a noble git like you to escort me anywhere?" Madam Pomfrey looked affronted, but Harry was grinning as widely as he could at the response. He jumped off the bed he was seated on and offered his left arm to the young lady.
"Shall we go, Princess?" The girl in question huffed as a little more pink dusted her cheeks. After a full minute of glaring at him, she took his arm tentatively and he led her out of the clinic. It wasn't long before the pureblood had a death grip on his arm. Apparently, moving around the castle this soon after being confounded and raped was not a cathartic activity. They reached a point not too far from the Slytherin common room's entrance and there was no sign of a release on him. "Um, Pansy? Aren't we about where we need to separate to keep your common room's location safe from me, the Lion's Lion?" She snorted.
"You would be far from the worst to set foot in our common room. I recall a seventh-year boy last year, his name was Orion, he nearly killed six other seventh-years in duels."
"A Slytherin with a mean streak? I'd never have thought." His smile caused the young witch to slap his arm. "Hey now, you keep that up and I'll start to think the house of the cunning is full of people that would rather blush at my compliments and slap me."
"You...you...bloody fool." Nearly her whole face was red by now and her fists were balled tightly as she struck him multiple times. Each hit emphasized her words. "Noble...bloody...cute...SHIT..." Harry was nearly rolling on the ground from laughter at her slip up. Well, the hero image might not be so bad after all. Maybe I can ally myself with the smarter and more well-connected witches this time around. Hermione is smart and Luna powerful, but neither are politically skilled. His guise of rolling in laughter had annoyed Pansy greatly and she hit him with a stinging hex that landed on his stomach.
"Ouch. Hey!" He began to rise, shrugging off the stinging hex as easily as one would a slight chill. "Are you fine if I leave you here now?" The black-haired teen had a look of contemplation on her face. The Boy-Who-Lived could see the wheels turning in that head before she nodded. "Well, Miss Parkinson, I shall have to bid you a good evening. If you should ever have need of my services, you only need to call for me." Harry ran a hand through his hair, wandlessly disillusioning himself.
"What in Morgana's name?"
The three Professors moved at a sedated pace towards the headmaster's office. A quick wave of the Elder Wand and the guardian of his office moved to the side. The Leader of the Light and his two most trusted advisors swept into the small room. Minerva and Severus stood at attention as Albus opened his cupboard, revealing his pensieve. First, we will start with the side I've seen thanks to Harry. The memory was poured into the basin and immediately a vague picture of the boy in question was walking up the grand staircase. "Well, don't let me hold you back, my friends." The three all placed a finger into the swirling liquid before being pulled into the bowl.
The group landed on the grand staircase behind the young man who'd take a life in a few minutes. Severus had a scowl across his face and Minerva was studying the Boy-Who-Lived for signs of heroism. They heard the banshee's shriek that was Pansy being ravaged and they followed the twelve-year-old wizard as he ran to the corridor. Perhaps he could have Harry trained with the sword, he obviously had some measure of skill. The kill he was about to witness was a messy, amateur affair. The group turned into the corridor and Minerva swore in Gaelic while Severus was unable to contain his magic. Severus always had a menacing magic about him, probably caused by the dark mark that adorned his left arm. Albus let his revulsion from his first time through the memory cover his face. He had hired this man, this monster to dissuade the boy who felled him from using his fame. He most assuredly succeeded, but at what? The Harry Potter who pulled him into this memory was a warrior, not some pompous, fame-obsessed fool. He has a strength, though, something that would see Tom either at the height of his power or in multiple pieces at the foot of a man worthy of being called The Warrior of the Light. The deathblow came and with it, the two seeing the memory for the first time showed a grim bit of satisfaction. It was short and simple, seeing the young man cover and comfort the girl, and before they knew it the three were once more standing in the opulent office. The outbursts were coming in three, two, one.
"That monster! If he hadn't been seen to I would have taken care of him myself." Minerva always had the hottest blood in his staff overall.
"They called for me to be imprisoned and he was allowed to walk free?" Severus was absolutely seething.
"Can I assume we will not need to punish mister Potter?"
"We must wait until after viewing miss Parkinson's memory before we pass judgment on this ordeal. I do not see a reason so far for any punishment to be levied against Harry."
Chapter End
Well, Ladies and Gentlemen, that's another chapter and I'm fairly certain in record time for me. Instead of my usual asking for favorites, follows, and reviews I am simply going to pose a question to you all. At this point in time, how do you feel about Albus? Rant, rage, abhor, love, like, or are you intrigued? Bring it all on folks, Adios.
