Neville's Guardian by Sharpe34
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
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Chapter 12: Honest, it's a roll of quarters:
Dae, groaned as he worked his way down the tower stairs. His walking cane clacked against the stone steps and he hated that noise. There was no being stealthy like this, and every ghost in the castle liked to watch him, and ask him questions. Peeves sometimes popped in and snickered softly, but never stayed long enough for Dae to get up a good angry and blast the little bastard. If he had Frau Blücher pop up next to him one more time and intone, "The stairs can be... treacherous," he was going to scream. Stupid unlit candles, what was with that, and the leather bustier? These people were all mad.
Rika had gotten tired of his hobbling and stepped off the fifth story flight of stairs and dropped to the ground floor to get to the Great Hall and breakfast. Leaving him to the tender mercy of the ghosts. He understood her frustration, he himself didn't like not having access to a Kolto tank. It was one of the few pieces of equipment from the ship they couldn't see a way to strip out and move to the castle. A bath for a day or two in that and he'd have been fine, but this natural healing crap was for the birds. The Kolto-pack had repaired the torn ligaments and tendons from the troll fight, but the muscle was so traumatized he'd be crippled for a while. That wasn't a good thing in the wizarding world. These people feasted on the weak.
Rowena was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs, and he smiled at her. "Hey Snakes, Rika send you to drag my ass to the table so she could eat?"
The Slytherin girl blushed and shook her head, she took Dae's arm and guided him through the Great Hall doors. Everybody, including his dirty dozen, thought he fell off the towers, while running along the buttressed top edge of the walls. They were eight inches wide, and most mornings he ran them at a full sprint. Dae slipped into his chair beside Professor Snape and glared at the empty platters. He knew by now that meant that Headmaster Dumbledore was going to have a few words for everybody, and already he could feel Rika's claws digging into his good thigh in aggravation.
"It has come to my attention," the old wizard began, "that certain members of our staff, and some students, have taken it upon themselves to have... activities, on the rooftops." The old man slowly turned to glare at Dae, then at Snape, both of whom had hobbled limping into the Great Hall. "Those areas, are now out of bounds to all but the people who are doing maintenance on them." He cleared his throat meaningfully at the soft titters that spread around the Hall. "Let us please remember, this is a school of learning, not a ...Jungle Gym. Propriety will be observed at all times, by all on the grounds, if you please."
Dae rolled his eyes and shook his head mournfully. This day was just going to suck, even if it was a Saturday.
Rika leaned in closer and whispered between bites, "Snakes needs to talk to you off the grounds, so you're riding in a carriage with her to Hogsmeade today." She nearly giggled in glee. "Relax, she's a teenager, not like she can overpower a Sith Lord." She exploded into laughter and handed Dae his cane. "Finish eating and get out to the stables, Hagrid will set the carriage up for you." She slowly looked around the Hall and gestured with her chin. "You seeing this? The looks you're getting? Watch Quirrell, he's nearly fainting at the stares. Everybody knows about the other Trolls. Stupid Peeves spread the word, and the kids spent all night watching the teachers get the bodies out of the school."
Dae sighed again. The Headmaster's explanation wasn't going to fly at all, everybody already knew. "Ok, Rika, Hagrid's, the carriage and a moment with Snakes, anything else you wish to toss at me to make my day truly suck?" He sighed in exasperation.
"One thing," the beauty said happily, and sprang up with his staff in her hands. "You won't need this today." She glared at him, "it's just a ride and a talk, not a fight. You need to relax more, and if there is trouble," she dropped a roll of American quarters beside Dae's plate. "Just hit someone with those." She pranced happily off to their rooms as Dae stared incredulously.
Hagrid cleared his thought softly and the smaller man looked up into his broad friendly face. "C'mon Mr. Dae, we've got to get the carriage sorted out for ye."
.§..§.
Dae looked at the town and shuddered, granted Snakes was good company, and her body heat made the ride pleasant, if a tad uncomfortable under a coach blanket, but it was way better than walking. He was getting soft, letting this world make him surrender his harsher instincts. A pretty, hell, a beautiful, human woman beside him, the soft crunching of the wheels in the cold snow, the heat of her body and scent of her perfume... He looked at her, the ride had been totally silent, the two of them not willing to talk in the carriage until it stopped. They were quite a way past where the other students hung out. This pub wasn't so much in a forbidden area, it was just... seedy.
People stared as Snakes helped him down, and then held his arm like he was an invalid as they moved into the building. Soft music, almost rock and roll, oozed out into the cold air, but the language was strange, and his translator was having issues with it. The voice was so familiar as well. Inside there was a largish common room and four people tuning up a strange mixture of muggle and magician instruments. Snakes helped him to a seat, walked to the small raised stage, and picked up a muggle guitar. A few strums, a twist of a spell, and two small brass men started to run in a hoop behind the group, giving them power for their muggle instruments.
"Well, call me impressed, they figured that out," Dae muttered. He stared, and thought to himself, 'oh flark, that's Braids, Snakes, one of the older guys from... Ravenclaw I think, and two guys not in school uniforms, muggles?' They attacked the music, it throbbed and pounded, and Braids sang her heart out. It was beautiful, if confusing. Half the time the words were lost to the translator, but he got parts of it. She was obviously singing in Japanese, and he never had the computer fully download it for him. When they switched to English she was smooth, flawlessly keeping the pitch and accent even, so there wasn't a jarring switch. For almost an hour they put on a small show, and the pub's patrons loved them.
Snakes came over to Dae's table and slid in beside him, pushing the table aside a little so his injured leg could stand straight out on a second chair. "This is what I wanted to talk to you about Dae. I want to drop out at the end of the year and go with Mariko to Japan and stay with the band."
Dae stared at her then looked at the group of kids. If he had his way he'd take them all home with him to Rika and make them play for them every night. There was no denying their talent. "Snakes... Rowena," he paused as a large hand landed on his shoulder.
"Ey' you squib, bugger off outta me pub! Times is now that all you wanna-be's think you can come to this town, stare at the poshes from that school, and think you're welcomed here. Well ye aren't." The smell of ale was so strong on the man's breath Dae almost gagged. Dae started to open his mouth once more and the tip of a wand touched his throat. "They says there's only three unforgivable curses, squib." The drunk chuckled, as did his three friends, the other patrons suddenly found other things to look at. "I thinks there's a fourth... Penipulpy... makes yer hard-on go down forever," he laughed cruelly, his chin bobbing down to indicate Dae's lap.
Dae turned his head slowly and reached into his pants, the wand tip pressed harder into his neck. "You want to point that stick somewhere else, or I'm going to beat you half to death with this roll of quarters, then jam that up your ass my friend," Dae intoned slowly.
The drunk looked up to his friends and laughed again. "Roll of quarters he said..." the sound of an apple being crushed under a firm heel interrupted the drunk. His nose bent over sideways and before he could gasp, the rapid snap, snap, snap of his wrist, elbow, and shoulder being destroyed in Dae's grasp was like a starter's pistol in the silent pub.
The man was on his knees, blood gushing from his face as Dae's fist, filled with the tight roll of quarters, impacted with his mouth, a second time, a third, and a fourth. His jaw collapsed and all his teeth exploded across Dae's lap. The Sith Lord spun up to his feet, twisting his body to the side as a spell sailed past him from one of the other drunks, and blew out a window. His foot went up, out, around, his knee curling around the back of the man's neck and flipping him to the sawdust covered floor, his filthy back pausing for only a milli-second on its speedy trip down to demolish a chair.
From his knees over the second downed man, Dae rolled forward in a somersault and slammed his fist into the crotch of the third drunk. The pelvic bone popped loudly, and the man passed out as his destroyed sex organs sent a signal to his brain letting him know he would never have children. Dae snapped his head to the right and looked the last man in the eyes. "Drop that stick, or eat it," he commanded coldly.
The fourth man looked at his wand, and then at the wreckage of his drinking mates. Blood, teeth, moaning and writhing all over the pub's floor, and one truly pissed off looking squib. His fingers loosened, then tightened. There was blood running down the squib's side and leg, one or two of the slashing spells had landed, even if the clothes weren't torn. He opened his mouth, "Av..." Dae sprung forward, left hand slapping upwards on the wrist, right slashing down on the elbow. Both popped, then the wand went into the man's mouth, and out the side of his cheek. A short jab with the quarter-filled fist and his jaw snapped shut, breaking the wand in a soft explosion of released energy, blowing out the man's teeth and sinuses.
Dae stared at the screaming man as he squirmed on the floor and kicked him in the head, twice, so he was knocked out. "Told you I'd make you eat that. Now, for Mr. Stiffy..." Dae turned and went to his first assailant who was crawling for the door. His boot stomped down on the wand the man still clutched and broke all the fingers of his hand. "See, here's the lesson for today, when making threats, make them huge, so outrageous one wouldn't dare risk the consequences. Finally, no matter what the threat, if you have to, carry it out, to the letter." Dae picked up the wand and with a brutally efficient thrust/rammed the slim tip into the seat of the man's pants, then shoved further until his hand hit the man's butt cheeks. Driving the full 12 inches of wooden wand into his rectum.
"Luckily, you didn't have a larger wand. Though I'm sure right now it feels three miles long." Dae paused considering things. "Here ends the lesson." Dae stomped down once more, knocking the suffering man out cold as well. He turned to the stunned patrons and shrugged. "Sorry folks, a little soap and water and the place will be good as... new? Rowena, I understand your desire to go off and follow your passion for music, but in all honestly, we can't be slaves to our passions. Control is the most important thing. It's only another year of school, but it is your decision either way."
Coming soon, Chapter 13: London's calling.
