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 knowingly 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 FIFTY: CONFRONTATION - PART TWO
If Richard had any comment to make to his new opponent, he never got the chance. Orion doubted the boy even had the time to size up his new adversary as the other 'Power' was seized by an invisible force and lifted off the floor.
Gliding across the floor, chattering a mile a minute, Bo finally stopped before the other 'Power', staring up at him with his arms folded loosely in front of him.
"Parlor tricks and basic magic!" Richard spat at the boggart. "You are pathetic! Do you hear! Release me, and I may yet allow you to live!"
Bo now stood silently before the other 'Power' for a few more moments, but then suddenly lifted a hand and drove it forward, plunging it directly into Richard's midsection.
Orion watched as the boy's body went absolutely ridged, arms and legs held out straight, and his mouth open in a silent, frozen scream.
For his part, Bo simply stood where he was, his hand moving about within Richard's midsection, as though searching for something.
After several tense, silent seconds ticked by, the boggart finally gave a small peep and withdraw his hand, leaving the other 'Power' to drop in a heap to the floor with utter disregard.
But Richard's freedom was short-lived as the dark 'Power' descended on him again, grabbing him by the neck and holding him high off the floor.
"Deceitful filth! You were warned about further treachery and you chose to ignore those warnings. Now you will pay the price."
But another small peep and a soft trill distracted Eric away from his victim as he turned to face the boggart standing behind him. For a moment Orion waited for Bo to resort to his usual form of communication, ready to translate any of the gestures. But instead the two 'Power's' simply stood silently with locked gazes. But slowly the rage in Eric's expression dissipated just slightly as he turned once more to face the boy still held tightly in his grasp.
"Your luck seems to have no end, boy." He stated in a low, tight voice. "This one seems to think you are worth more alive...and cognizant."
Richard returned a smug smile to the Deatheater. "More likely he's seeking to save you the embarrassment of any further defeat at my hands."
Eric gave the boy a deep sneer. "Insolent child, you already bore me." He stated and with a solid throw, delivered the other 'Power' directly back into the waiting arms of Hershel Bennett, who clamped around the boy's body like a springing steel trap, eager for a victim. A few, brief moments struggle was all Richard gave before once again falling prey to the Dementor's power.
Sure that Richard was once again secured, Orion turned his attention once more to Orin, who still lay unconscious in Becca's arms as a soft blue light encircled his body.
Orion met the girl's frightened eyes.
"Richard has hurt him very badly." She stated in a near panic. "This body is failing. We need to get him to Katlin as soon as possible."
But even as she spoke, Bo had placed himself in front of where the two were. Reaching out, he took hold of one of Orin's hands in his own robe covered one and held it as the others watched.
Within moments the body gave a single, abrupt jerk, followed by a sudden sharp gasp for air as Orin pulled forward in Becca's hold.
Becca quickly moved with him, continuing to support the body as best she could. "Elder? Elder!" She cried. "What is wrong? What has happened?"
Eric was already at his brother's side, also helping to support his body as he leaned forward.
"Orin? What is it? Are you all right?"
For several moments Orin simply sat motionless, leaned forward as he held a hand to his chest and taking several deep breaths. But finally, slowly, he raised his eyes to meet the hooded stare of the boggart, who stood slightly bent over, watching him intently.
"Thank you, brother." Orin said quietly.
Bo gave a slight peep, then backed up as Orin pulled himself slowly to his feet with Becca and Eric's help. But after a few moments of regaining his balance, he walked over to where Richard was once more held securely in Hershel's grip.
Standing before the other 'Power', Orin turned slowly to the Dementor. With his right hand held up, a bright, flaring white light suddenly appeared nestled in his palm.
"Mr. Bennett," Orin stated slowly, "I believe you can release Richard now."
The Dementor turned with surprising speed towards Orin, but made no move at all to release the man in it's grip.
"Mr. Bennett!" Orin stated firmly. "Release him! Now!"
The Dementor turned slowly back to it's prey for a moment. But with one last scream retched from his victim, the Dementor suddenly dissolved into a cloud of darkness that pulled away from the boy, who would have collapsed to the floor had his body not been seized by another force and delivered directly back into the waiting hand of Orin's brother.
Floating up above the floor, the cloud slowly reshaped itself into the form of Hershel Bennett.
"If you had no intention of allowing me my prey, you should not have given him to me to start with."
Eric returned the half-Dementor's dark stare. "You knew well enough from the beginning of this that we never intended for you to have Richard as your prey. You were only here to subdue him. Nothing more."
Hershel pulled back from the dark 'Power', claiming a darkened corner of the room for himself as he now seemed to simply sit back to watch the proceedings.
Orin, now seeming to have regained more of his own strength back, stood before Richard as Eric kept a firm grip on the back of the boy's neck, forcing him, with no allowance, to face his brother.
"Banished to this realm, I can not send you back." Orin stated in a clear, flat, emotionless tone. "But you must be punished for your crimes, Richard. A task, no matter how distasteful, that has fallen to Eric and me."
The boy gave a gurgling laugh under Eric's grip on his throat. "You two? You're pathetic, the pair of you. In our realm, you were nothing to me. Barely worth my notice."
Orin never let his stare move from the boy before him, nor did his expression change by one muscle. "You may be elder, Richard, but you have gained no wisdom from your age."
Orion's head snapped back to his superior. "Elder?"
But it was Eric who answered the question. "Of four of us here, Richard is the eldest in terms of how we judge age." The Deatheater said, turning to him. "You were taken in by the easiest of his deceptions, Mr. Black. As were my brother and I also, at first. Richard chose for as a body for himself that of a child in your realm. A deceptive mask to keep us off guard as to what and who we were really facing. But as our contact with him increased, Orin and I began to clearly suspect that Richard was no child. He was too strong. Nor do we suspect that Mr. Barantor actually 'called' Richard. He was too easily adjusted to this realm. We suspect instead Richard simply had been laying in wait for just such an opportunity. And connecting with Mr. Barantor's spell, simply 'stepped into the roll' as one of us having been called from our realm."
"Which brings us back to what to do with you, Richard." Orin added, his gaze remaining locked on the 'Power' before him..
"If you are wise," the other 'Power' sneered at the head of the Unspeakables, "you will release me immediately."
The comment earn the boy a solid snap of his head forward as Eric gave the body a hard jolt in his grip. "And if you are wise, you will shut up." He stated in a low, firm tone.
"You said you can't send him back." Orion commented.
Orin nodded. "That is true. To send him back would be to violate our laws. He was banished here, and here he must stay. To send him back would bring a great deal of trouble to Eric and me."
Eric pulled the boy about by his neck until he was facing him, the sneer having never left the Deatheater's face. "Kill him then."
"Don't be so hasty, Eric." Orin replied, a small smile on his lips as he watched Richard hang frozen in the Deatheater's stare.
"He was banished here, and he learned nothing from his punishment. It is the only thing left to do with him."
"But he has continued to commit crimes here, Eric." Orin answered. "Crimes he must pay for. Killing him won't serve as adequate punishment. At least not yet."
Eric turned back to his brother. "Your suggestion then?"
"I need someone else here." The small smile grew just a little.
"Who?" Came the stoic question.
"Heudros Barantor."
No sooner had Orin said the man's name than he appeared beside the head of the Unspeakables.
"Mr. Barantor," Orin stated, never once bothering to even look at the startled man standing next to him, "I believe I have a promise to fulfill to you."
Reflections:
Silverfox:
Yes, but I'd still rather have Bo than Becka. He is still my favourite character, you , does the fact that Richard is exiled mean they can't get rid of him by simply sending him home?
I'm very happy to know my boggart has a good fan base. A lot of readers from the early pages of the Family story arc seemed to like Bo.
Well, maybe if he had been just exiled. But you see, it was more than a simple exiling. It was more of a 'banishment'. Sort of a 'we don't want him either' thing.
Eric and Orin could try sending him back, but as Orin points out in this chapter, it would not go very well for either of them. Just because Orin and Eric are in this realm, doesn't mean the other 'Powers' in their own realm are unaware of them, or vice versa. But being as they are not very social creatures, they tend to pretty much ignore each other, for lack of a better term, and...again, vice versa. Unless one does something to draw the other sides attention. Like trying to send an annoying little nuisance home.
All answers are as of 10/17/2010.
And remember;
Art Theatre: That's where the theatre is clean, but the pictures are filthy.
