Outsider Chronicles: Dark Eclipse
The First Year is over and Leo is already working to right wrongs. However, darkness is beginning to stir, and not just at Hogwarts. As Leo gets more powerful, his nature as an Outsider begins to take effect and worlds are drawn together. Add in some family drama and reveals and Leos migraines are only going to get worse. Sequel to Black Zodiac
And we are back for more of this furry into my battered psyche. Enjoy!
Chapter 10
Interesting doesn't even begin to describe the fallout of Hollys revealed talents in Parseltongue. The strange thing is that she had extremely strong alibis for both of the attacks and it was well known that the two of us were very good friends, as well as the fact that Holly would go a very long way for her friends, so I cannot fathom how people could possibly think that Holly was the Heir based solely on the fact she could talk to snakes. After the little show, we had retreated to the Library where Hermione had a minor meltdown before I pointed out that Holly was as much a Dark Witch as I was a little green man from Mars, as well as the fact that having a talent didn't make someone evil.
The general public seemed to be split between the people who actually pay attention, lead by Ginny, who noticed that Holly was well accounted for during the two attacks and realized that speaking a magical language didn't make one evil and the morons who seemed willing to pin the blame on Holly simply because she can speak to snakes, lead by Ron. Honestly, seeing the moron try to convince people that Holly was evil was rather amusing, especially because the three girls had somehow acquired a following who kept begging them to put on another show. It didn't really help the idiots case when the three girls caved and did a performance in the Great Hall that attracted half the school and Nearly Headless Nick and Justin Finch-Fletchley were attacked on the third floor. After that only the biggest of idiots would believe that Holly had anything to do with them.
That said, their was a lot of paranoia going on and Muggle-Borns had started traveling in groups while the teachers started becoming even more vigilant. Madam Bones appeared at one point, but I was no closer to figuring out just who it was that was behind the attacks this time through. The problem was that, although the girls were popular, there were those (mostly Pure Bloods) who didn't like them for whatever reason and didn't come, so I couldn't simply investigate who wasn't in the hall as their were far too many. The problem was driving me barmy.
I was no closer to figuring out the issue when Christmas rolled around and I decided to take a break and enjoy the holiday.
On Christmas morning I came down early to find Holly reading a note.
"Something impppportent?" I asked through a yawn.
"A-ah, no," said Holly, quickly hiding the note.
I really should have figured that something was up at that, but I was to bloody tired and was more interested in getting breakfast and opening my presents. I had a good haul this year, mostly books, including a suspicious one on legends of an ancient magical civilization. The final parsley on my pile was rather...odd. Unlike the others, this one was wrapped in jet black paper which, upon unwrapping, revealed a small, black box that contained a silver pen with a cross shaped clip.
"Whats that?" asked Holly curiously.
"Not sure," I said as I picked up the card that had been placed inside the box, "Keep this close, you shall need it soon. Theres no name and I don't recognize the handwriting."
"Thats strange," mused Holly, "Who would send you a pen?"
I narrowed my eyes at the apparently innocent piece of stationary. I had my suspicions and, if I was right, then shit was about to hit the fan big time.
After Christmas lunch, Holly headed off with Hermione to do something, leaving me to head to the RoR where I had it form a training room with straw dummys. Once inside, I clicked the pen and was immediately proven to be correct in my suspicions when the pen transformed into a sword. And what a sword it was. It was a longsword with a wide blade that seemed to be composed of two completely different metals. One side was black as night and seemed to be drawing in the darkness from around it and gave off an aura of cold, while the other side was forged of a silvery white metal that almost seemed to have its own luminescence. The center of the blade held a gold bar with the symbols of the Zodiac engraved into it that slowly lit up red as the sword began to thrum with energy. The sword didn't have a guard, instead widening at the base into a diamond shape patterned with the same golden metal as the bar in the middle.
I slowly swung the blade, listening to the the quiet song that rang out as it cut through the air, before I spun and cleaved one of the dummys in half as if it wasn't even their. I let out a whistle as I examined the weapon.
"Man, I have no idea who you are Dad, but thanks for this," I muttered.
I stiffened slightly as I felt a phantom hand land on my shoulder before the sensation vanished. I let out a breath, before returning my sword to its pen form and leaving the Room. Outside I found Luna leaning against the wall, absently reading a book.
"Luna? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Oh, I just came to tell you that you should head to the Hospital Wing," she said, "And take this."
She handed me a large, paper fan. I raised an eyebrow at my quirky friend.
"Why?"
"Oh, I just think you might need it."
She pushed off the wall and wondered away, humming quietly to herself, leaving me to stare after her incredulously.
"O...K," I said, looking back down at the paper fan, "Lets go see why she thinks I would need this."
"W-w-what the hell?!" I spluttered as I stared at the catified Hermione, "What in the world happened?"
"A-ah, well, you see, thats a funny story," said Holly as she shuffled her feet.
"We thought that Malfoy might know something about the attacks so we decided to use Polyjuice potion to get in and question him," said Ginny.
I rubbed my eyes, suddenly realizing why Luna thought that I'd need the fan.
"So let me get this straight," I said, just barely keeping from growling, "You brewed Polyjuice Potion, a potion that isn't taught until sixth year and for good reason, just so you could get information out of someone I told you didn't know anything?"
"We were just covering all bases," said the girls in unison, "We regret nothing."
"HAVE YOU THREE GOT ROCKS IN YOUR HEADS?!" I yelled as I whacked them with the fan, "Do you have any idea how dangerous Polyjuice potion can be if got wrong? Just look at Hermione! That is the least of the possible side effects of messing up the potion! You're damned lucky you got to Madam Pomfrey when you did or you could have been stuck like that for good!"
"Actually, they weren't quite fast enough," said Madam Pomfrey as she stepped into the curtained off area where Hermiones bed rested, "While I will be able to mostly reverse it, I'm afraid that their will be a few permanent side effects. It doesn't help that it was a Kneazle hair, not a cat hair."
She caught the look on Hermiones face.
"Oh don't worry Miss Granger, the side effects are minor. The main ones will simply be an increase to your senses and, should you learn to be an Animagus, your form will inevitably be feline. Aside from that, the only other changes will be slight cosmetic changes to your eyes and teeth. Oh and you may also experience a craving for fish and cream."
I wasn't sure whether she was joking or not about that, but Madam Pomfrey wasn't exactly known for cracking jokes to her patients.
It turned out that Pomfrey wasn't joking as, after her stay in the hospital, Hermione started eating a lot more fish. Other than that, very strange, bit of trivia, things were quiet after christmas. I still haven't got a clue who the Heir could be and the Diary never turned up, so I can't use that to track down whoever was under the Horcruxes thrall. Despite this, the attacks stopped and that worried me a lot. So much in fact that I nearly forgot about Valentine's day was right around the corner until Luna reminded me in her usual airy way and I had to scramble to get my hands on some decent chocolates. Thank the gods for House Elves!
On the morning of the 14 of February, I woke up early and headed downstairs where I was immediately assaulted by a low flying missile that knocked me flat on my back.
"Good morning Holly," I said to the girl who was now straddling me
"Morning Leo, Happy Valentine day!" said the excitable girl, shoving a bag of chocolate under my nose."
"Was tackling me really necessary?" I asked as I accepted the offered sweets.
Holly just grinned at me, her eyes sparkling with amusement and lit up from behind by the light streaming in through the tower window, making her seem to glow. My heart skipped a beat at the sight and, for a brief moment, Holly was superimposed by the image of a beautiful woman in a white dress and a silver circlet in her hair.
"Beautiful," I mumbled.
Holly blinked.
"What?"
"Nothing," I said quickly, "Here."
I held up the box I had had Dobby get which, fortunately, hadn't been crushed by Hollys tackle. Holly pinked slightly as she took the box and peaked inside, before letting out a squeal and hugged me tight.
"Hello Leo Black, Holly Potter," said Lunas voice from above us, "My, that doesn't look very comfortable. Wouldn't a bed be better for that?"
Holly rocketed to her feet, her face burning red. Mine wasn't much better as I slowly got to my feet and reached into my pocket, before wiping out the Harisen and whacked Luna with it.
"Owee!" wined Luna, holding her head, "What was that for?"
"Don't say things like that!" yelled Holly.
"What she said," I said, "Anyway, lets go get some food."
We did just that.
Along the way we met up with our Gryffindor friends (Who quickly exchanged friendship chocolate with Holly), and Hermione approached me with a faint blush on her face.
"Here," she said, thrusting a box of chocolates into my hands, "B-but their just friendship chocolates! I-its not like I like you or anything, idiot!"
I watched her speedwalk away with a bemused look on my face. I'm glad that she didn't give me a chance to say anything or I'd probably have got a kick to the shin. Damn Tsunderes.
We headed downstairs after Hermione, arriving at the Great Hall in good time, only to freeze as we passed through the doors. Pink. The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. Oh dear god, I'd forgotten about this!
"What's going on?" asked Holly, staring aghast at the hideous display.
"Apparently someone thought it was a good idea to let Lockhart do the decorating," I said, looking towards the teachers' table were Lockhart sat, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations and sparkling like their was no tomorrow. At that moment, he stood and waved for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced and clearly trying to resist the urge to either curse the ponce or vomit. I could see a muscle going in Professor McGonagall's cheek from the door and Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted, "And may I thank the forty-five people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all — and it doesn't end here!"
Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.
"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"
Professor Flitwick buried his face in his hands, muttering something under his breath that was making the air around him literally turn blue, the table splinter and the cutlery corrode. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison.
Needless to say, the day was not pleasant. The teachers were all in foul moods thanks to the Dwarves barging into classrooms to deliver valentines. Fortunately, they seemed to get the message that approaching Holly was probably a very bad idea after she blasted one that was brave (Or stupid) enough to try with a water spout that left him hanging from the rafters.
Following the incident that shall never again be mentioned, things largely returned to form. The Mandrakes were growing nicely, much to Sprouts glee and before we knew it, Easter had rolled around and with it, the choices that we needed to make for our classes next year. I immediately dissuaded Hermione from taking all of them by reminding her that Divination was worthless without the sight and Muggle Studies was about 300 years out of date, which I proved by showing her a copy of the textbook. She hadn't been happy about that, but relented and instead decided to take all three of the 'real' subjects. Holly couldn't decide, but once Sirius mentioned in a letter that the Potters were well known for their strength in Runes, she decided to take that, along with COMC. I chose the same, mostly because I always hated Maths and the idea of having to do it again made me feel ill.
Following Easter, the school went into Exam mode, with the classes becoming revision based and a lot of homework regarding going back over what we had learnt over the past year. Other than that, the only real thing to note was the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff Quidditch match, which I was planning to skip . Alas, it was not to be as my friends dragged me down, citing a need to get some fresh air and a break from studying.
"Oh stop pouting Leo," said Astoria, "Its not the end of the world!"
"Maybe not, but their are about a thousand other things I could be doing right now," I grumbled, before looking around, "Hey, wheres Holly and Hermione?"
"I think they went to look something up in the Library," said Ginny absently as she cheered for her house team.
Before I could properly process that, Professor McGonagall came half marching, half running across the pitch, carrying an enormous purple megaphone. My heart dropped like a stone as she started shouting to the crowd.
"This match has been canceled," Professor McGonagall called through the megaphone, "All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms, where their Heads of Houses will give them further information."
I swallowed and stood to follow my friends, intending to head up to the Hospital Wing to make sure that my horrible suspicion wasn't true. Unfortunately, before we could go, Professor Flitwick came jogging up.
"Mr Black, I think that you and your friends should come with me," he squeaked.
My heart dropped further as my friends glanced at one another, before following the diminutive Charms Teacher. I barely noticed the trip up to the Hospital Wing, or when Mcgonigal joined us just before we entered the castle. My mind was blank and I was desperately praying to whoever was listening that the conclusion I had drawn was wrong.
"This will be a bit of a shock," said Professor McGonagall in a surprisingly gentle voice as we approached the infirmary, "Their has been another attack . . . another triple attack."
We entered the Hospital Wing and saw Madam Pomfrey was bending over a sixth-year girl with long, curly hair, the Ravenclaw Prefect, Penelope Clearwater, while the bed next to her held Hermione and next to her…
"Holly!"
And thats the end of that. I hope you liked it. I'm probably going to get some flack for Holly not finding herself on the wrong side of a mob mentality, but only the genuinely braindead could blame the attacks on her when she was on stage during two of them and in the Ravenclaw Common Room for the other. Naturally, there are a few braindead Magicals (*cough*Ron*cough*) but most people can actually engage their brains. Plus, Holly is now a garden ornament, so she definitely didn't do it.
Sooo, how many people were expecting me to have Holly as one of the basilisk's victims? Not many I'll bet, but I needed to give Leo a reason to activate his Gryffindor Mode and go charging in. I also needed a method to have the next member of Harrys team get their Gem. (What am I talking about? Well, thats for later)
Leo takes the job of straight man, complete with paper fan for whacking people with. Expect that to get some use.
Leo's sword, while impressive to look at, has no powers beyond what a normal Half-bloods weapon has and the abilitys inherent in the metals its made out of. Its design is the same as Kibas Holy Demonic sword from Highschool DXD.
And with that, I sign off. Until next time!