Wednesday, March 1, 1995
Dungeons, Ritual Room
Eden sat in the center of the Ritual Circle, and waited.
The room was smaller than what she had thought it would be. It was fifteen feet by seventeen feet, and had ten-foot-tall ceilings. On one wall, there were various Ritual supplies, like Crystals, rock salt, Chalices, Candles, and so many more things that she didn't know the name of or what they could possibly be used for.
The rest of the walls were bare, save the door, and it was also sparsely decorated. Four wooden chairs, a small, plain fireplace, a rug, and a Ritual Circle that was painstakingly carved into the dead center of the room.
The door opened, and a sleepy Draco stepped in. "You're crazy, I hope you know," he stated through a yawn. "Who even gets up this early?"
She smiled. "I do. Did you bring the potion?"
He flopped onto one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs. He rummaged around in his robes for a moment before he threw something at her. She deftly caught it with nimble fingers. She examined the ornate, crystal vial before she unstopped it and sniffed. "Thank you."
He nodded and yawned once more. "You know," he mumbled, "Uncle Severus is going to kill you if he figures out you've done this."
She scoffed. "He was the one to tell me about Locking one's Core. I didn't even know it was possible until he told me about it."
"Really? How long ago?"
"A couple weeks before the Task. After some deliberation, I decided to wait until after to Lock a chunk of it away. Why do you suddenly look like everything makes sense now?"
"Because he's been doing research. I've seen the books on his desk, and when I asked him about it, he said it was too dangerous to do."
"I don't have a choice."
"What do you mean?"
"I decided to wait until after the Task, in part because I didn't know if I'd be healthy in time, and partially because I wanted to see if time would be all that was needed. After the Forced Expansion, time is no longer an option if I want to keep people I care about safe."
He nodded.
She nodded. She grabbed the Ritual Dagger and poked the tip of her pointer finger, and she was about to let the blood drop into one of the gouges of the carved lines, when a shield formed under the drop to stop it. "Wait!"
"What?" she whined.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
She sighed. "Draco, I've sent thirteen more innocent people to the hospital wing since the Task. I have to do it. It needs to happen. Why are you suddenly questioning me?"
"Well, it's just . . . ."
"Spit it out."
"Fine. Right now, your magic is protecting you, as evidence of the seven people who deserved to be sent to the hospital wing, that you have sent to the hospital wing. If they corner you again, I'm afraid that with your lessened Core, you won't be protected."
"I can defend myself."
He scoffed. "You haven't been able to yet." It stung, but it was the truth. "What makes you think that having less power will help you?"
"Guilt."
"Explain."
She sighed. "I'm tired of sending people I care about to the hospital wing. My plan was to Reduce my Core size to about what I had before the First Task. If it will make you feel better, I'll do it so I have just a little bit more than what I planned."
"Half."
"What?"
"You will go down to what you had before the First Task, and then you will add half of that. That's the only way that I'm going to let you do this."
Her eyes narrowed. "If I hurt someone—"
"We'll have Uncle Sev work with you on Control, but for now, we need to Lock your Core. Pansy, Ambrosia, and I have your excuses for the next few days as to why you won't be attending classes."
She nodded and took a deep breath. Draco dropped the shield that held a now small puddle of her blood, and the blood fell into the deep groves and the Circle started to glow.
She unstopped the potion and swallowed the sickly-sweet liquid in one go. She gagged for a moment before she unBound her Core, her magic lazy and drugged due to the Magic Relaxation potion she just took.
Magical Tears started to drip down her face.
The Magic Relaxation potion was a fairly safe potion. It was given to those who had extreme anxiety attacks, and given to them when they were in the middle of one. Their magic would relax, and they'd be able to calm fairly quickly because they wouldn't have their magic ramping everything up and up and up until it grew to needing to stun them in order to calm them.
Once the room was covered in a thick haze due to her magic being completely unBound, she took a deep breath and pictured a small sphere about the size of her fist. She imagined that it was made of unbreakable glass, and that it was surrounded in chains.
She pictured the center of her Core, and she mentally traveled to it, until she was next to it. It throbbed like a heartbeat, but it danced like a pianist's fingers as it waited for her next command, or waited for her to be in need of it.
Her magic reached out and nudged her, and her hair floated around her body as Magical Tears started to drip onto her hands. She smiled, and nudged it back, and she pictured the small sphere was right next to her Core, right next to the achingly bright, and brilliant willo-the-wisp-mixed-with-dandelion-fuzz mass that was her entire Life.
The sphere slowly came into existence, and she held out her damp hands, and felt a weight that was both there and not. Her magic throbbed, as if it knew what she was about to do, and started to grow wild. She gritted her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut even more, and started to force it into the small, pin head opening on the top of the sphere.
Sweat beaded on her brow and upper lip. It eventually dripped down her face, and within minutes, her clothes were stuck to her skin as she sweat, and sweat, and sweat. Soon, she was no longer able to tell if she was wet due to the Magical Tears, or the sweat that dripped down her skin. She heard Draco's hesitant questions, but ignored him in favor for shoving her straining magic into the equally strained sphere.
Her stomach growled.
Her head ached.
Her bladder strained.
Her heart hurt.
Her ears rang.
But still she shoved.
She continued to Lock and Lock and Lock until she was left with just a bit more than what she and Draco had agreed on.
It would be enough.
Thursday, March 2, 1995
Slytherin Girls Four Year Dorm—2
Eden's eyes flickered open.
Her ears still rang with the vicious, nearly 8-hour long lecture Tom had just graced her with on the dangers of Locking so much of her Core at once—she hadn't paid much attention, if she were honest (she was too tired to do so).
"She's awake!"
She was suddenly smothered in beautifully hideous touch and weight, until it was all gone, and all that was left was Draco's hands on her damp skin. "How are you feeling?"
"Weak," she answered after a moment of thought. "How long?"
"Almost 24 hours."
She groaned softly.
"What did you do?" Daphne demanded.
"I Locked my Core in such a way that I can unLock it in time of need, or it can unLock itself when I'm in extreme danger. It took more out of me than I thought it would."
"You're an idiot," Ambrosia hissed before she climbed on the bed next to her and started to wipe at her face.
Eden snorted softly. "I know." Her eyes flickered open, and saw the once white rag was stained black.
She would Adjust to it. Eventually.
Hopefully.
She closed her eyes once more, and slept.
Wednesday, March 8, 1995
Hogwarts—Exact Location Unknown
Everything was blurry.
The only thing she knew was pain.
She heard the distant shouting of spells, and saw the obscure flashes of light, and smelt the sour, and disgusting, musky scent of Dark Magic being used—corrupted violated infringed abused—by someone with a Light type Core.
Faint, panicked shouts reached her ears, and no new pain was added onto the perverted agony currently caressing her shattered skin and bones. She rolled onto her back and grimaced when she felt warm liquid beneath her—she prayed to the Olde gods that she hadn't wet herself.
She tilted her head to the side and underneath the sweet, ozone-y scent of Dark Magic being used—admired exalted cherished loved—by a Dark type Core, smelt the acidic iron of blood—she wasn't sure if that was better than wetting herself or not.
She felt for her magic, and wondered, not for the first time, what spells they had cast on her. Her sphere was shattered, and her magic was dim.
"Come on, lass, stay with me."
Her eyes flickered open, and she frowned slightly at the sight that greeted her. "Cra'y Fa' . . . wha'r . . . you doin' her'?"
"Saving both our hides. Keep your eyes open, lass."
He picked her up and she cried out before she was rocked into unconsciousness by hurried and uneven footsteps that carried her away in the darkness of late afternoon.
Thursday, March 9, 1995
Riddle Manor
Barty Crouch Jr. stepped lightly into the room, and closed the worn door softly behind him.
He quickly moved to kneel in front of his Master and only spared a quick glance at the man in the corner who stood behind a bubbling cauldron as he worked on a potion for the resurrection of their Lord. "My Lord," he said before he kissed a corner of the blanket that had warming charms on it to keep his Lord comfortable.
"Barty, my friend. You have returned, my most faithful of servants." He preened under the weary praise, and sneered at the man in the corner. "Now, now, my friend, let's have none of that. He is aiding us as well. Now tell me, how is our darling Noah doing?"
He bowed his head and tried not to think about it. "She is doing much better than anticipated, my Lord. She has successfully made it through the Second Task, and the injuries that she has received from it are completely healed." He spared the man in the corner another glance, because surely he of all people would have told their Lord this already. "Although, she seems to be resisting my attempts to aid her as usual."
His Lord nodded, and then spasmed, and before he could even think about asking, he recast the warming charms on the blanket and rewrapped him. "Thank you, my friend. Her schoolmates, have they yet settled down with their antagonism?" He blanched as he remembered what he had seen that afternoon. Don't think about it. "Barty?" his Master prompted at his reaction.
"No, my Lord . . . they have not, at least, the Gryffindor's haven't. Everyone else has, especially the younger years. As we speak, she is currently in the hospital wing in critical condition."
Fiery and blistering magic—weak though it may be—curled out from his Master and wrapped around his neck, and squeezed. "Barty, I recall telling you to protect her."
"I did, Master! I swear it! I saved her!"
"How long has she been in the hospital wing?"
"I took her there mere hours ago, my Lord!"
"And are they healing her?"
Neither noticed the tenseness to the man's shoulders who stood in the corner of the bubbling and spitting cauldron. "Yes, yes!" he gasped, "but, she seems to be almost immune to the potions and spells being used on her!"
The beautiful magic finally curled back around his Master, and he took deep, gasping breaths. "Interesting. How very interesting."
"What is, my Lord?"
He waved a frail hand as he turned his face away. "That is of no matter to you. I have called you here because I have a task for you."
"Anything, my Lord."
His Lord's beautiful magic filled the room once more, and an iron key floated in front of his face. He gingerly accepted it, and his Master spoke. "I need you to go to the Vault of one Tom Marvolo Riddle and retrieve an item from it."
"Of course, my Lord . . . . Might I . . . might I be allowed to ask what it is for, my Lord?"
His Lord chuckled softly, and his magic reached out and brushed through his hair, like a parent fondly running their fingers through their child's hair. "It is something vital for my resurrection."
He bowed his head in thankfulness. "I thank you, my Lord." He stood and walked to the door, and paused when he realized something. He closed the door that he had slightly opened and turned around. "My Lord, what is it that I am acquiring, exactly?"
The man in the corner snorted as his Master laughed again. "A locket made of rhodium, Barty."
"I will go now, my Lord." He left with a deep bow, and paused slightly outside of the door.
"The locket, what does it contain?" He bristled at the lack of respect shown and just barely prevented himself from running in and defending his Master's honor.
"Something that will make me whole again."
He would get that locket, as soon as he could. Even if he had to break into the bank to do it.
Friday, March 9, 1945
Head Dorms
Tom frowned when she came back just as injured as before.
"Why don't they hire a Neutral Core type healer?" he demanded as he carefully helped her to his bed. It was just after dinner and she had been in and out since the middle of the night the previous day.
His love shrugged and winced before he carefully tucked her in underneath the spelled covers. She was still extraordinarily weak from Locking away a majority of her Core, and he seethed at how weak she was from doing something so foolish.
She should have waited.
Waited for him.
Built up to the amount she Locked away.
The little hellion, despite his telling her no, reLocked the same amount away again while she had been awake.
The little brat.
He didn't know who he was more mad at: her for Locking her Core, or whoever supplied the necessary Magic Relaxation potion.
"I don't know. Madam P is good, despite the lack of ability to heal Dark type Cores. Snakey-Snape helps, but, he Drains himself too fast. Not to mention he's not there today. He had to run an errand or something like that."
He pushed his anger to the side. He would deal with her when she was better. He could wait. He was patient. "He's not used to having to heal you, love." He laid down on the bed next to her on top of the softened covers and draped an arm carefully around her waist. "May I heal you yet?"
"Too many injuries," she insisted as she shook her head.
He closed his eyes. "Love, it hurts to see you like this, especially when I know that I can help you."
She sighed, and he knew he won. "Fine. But you have to work up to Medela Aer, alright?"
He kissed her softly. "Alright."
He hated whenever she made him do that, but, when he considered what happened the last time he healed an extreme amount of injuries with Medela Aer, he understood where her logic came from, as much as he wished he didn't. He had tried to convince her that his Core had had five more Natural Expansions since then, and even an Aged Expansion since, but she was resolute in not letting him heal her instantly.
She was his stubborn little witch, and he didn't think she'd ever change—not that he wanted her to.
He summoned his wand and started with the contusions on her ribs, lungs, chest, sternum, clavicle, and shoulders. Once her upper body was healed to the point that the spells would get them, he moved down her body and healed the large fractures that the shattered bones had been healed to, and all of the bone bruises that he could.
After 30 minutes of constant healing spells, she yawned.
"If I'm asleep when you're back, wake me up." She nodded her head and he moved up her body and pressed another soft kiss to her lips.
She faded away with a sigh, and he returned to his schoolwork.
|}(){|
He was about to leave on his rounds when she came back. He checked his watch and noted that she had been gone for nearly four hours. She looked better than she had before she left, and even had the smallest of smiles on her breathtaking face.
"Is Snakey-Snape there?" Eden bit her lips to keep from laughing and ultimately failed.
"Yeah. It's why they woke me up. He brought some Dark healing potions and was going to perform Medela Aer before I stopped him."
"Why did you stop him?" She decided it was vital for her continued health—as sketchy as it may be at the moment—to ignore the blatant frustration in his voice.
"Well, two reasons. The first is that the last time he did it, he was out for three days due to the Magical Strain that he'd never experienced before. The second is that you would have bitched about it for weeks if I allowed someone else to try and heal me with it."
He pouted for a moment as he finished pinning his Head Boy badge onto his robes. "You're right. I would have. Although, I would have used a different word for it."
She smiled and he stepped towards her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips as he held her hips loosely. "About to do rounds?" she asked before she ran her fingers through his hair.
His grip on her tightened as he sighed and kissed her again. "Yes, unfortunately. When I get back, I'll heal you, alright?"
She huffed softly before she assented because she knew that he'd do it with or without her consent. "Fine. I love you."
A feral grin stretched his face before he kissed her once more. "I love you, too."
He stepped out of the door, and she carefully settled on the couch with a book on Solar Magic and began to read.
|}(){|
She opened her eyes in the darkness of the room and smiled softly when she saw Tom sprawled on the bed, asleep, and still dressed in his school robes, minus his shoes and badge. She waved her wand and saw it was just before midnight. She delicately limped over to the bed and carefully climbed on top and curled up next to him.
She pressed her head under his chin and draped an arm around his side. He took a deep breath and she felt him press his lips against the top of her head "You're back," he murmured softly. His breath brushed against her forehead and she smiled at him.
"No, you're dreaming."
He groaned softly before he started chanting, and soon she was a semi-solid mass of liquid as her aches and pains finally receded completely with the cleansing fire of his blood. He pressed another kiss to her head and wrapped his arms tightly around her, so his arms supported her head and held her close.
"Sleep, Tom," she murmured softly. She tried to ignore the soft panting she heard from him or the trembling of his hands that signified he was more than halfway Drained. Apparently despite all of the healing from both sides, she was still too injured for him to safely cast it.
"I love you," he murmured.
"I love you, too." She pressed a kiss to his lips, and he sighed softly before he fell asleep.
She summoned the large tome on Solar Magic that she had been reading earlier, and continued to do so until she too fell asleep.
She hadn't noticed that her own Strain from Locking her Core was gone.
Friday, March 10, 1995
Location Undisclosed
"Tell me about your daughter."
He flinched and just barely managed to keep from pouring in too much of the basilisk heart-blood when his Master spoke. He stared at him in shock for a moment over the fumes that bubbled out of the cauldron in front of him. He put the enhanced crystal vial down softly on the table next to the large object and cleared his throat.
"Pardon?"
"Your daughter. The reason you've practically sold your soul to me for. Tell me about her."
He couldn't bring himself to be upset with his Master as a fond smile stretched his lips as thoughts of his daughter flickered through his mind. "She's . . . Merlin, there are so many things about her. She's kind, funny, has a wit that could break bones if it were tangible. She's forgiving to most of those who have wronged her, and is willing to give them second chances.
"She's still young enough to automatically look for the good in people, or perhaps . . . . Perhaps she's foolish enough to do that, but I don't believe that she has a foolish bone in her body . . . ." he trailed off as thoughts of his little girl filled his mind.
His Master shifted slightly. "What else?"
"She's powerful. Mordred, she's powerful. She's easily the most powerful witch that I've ever met." He shook his head in awe. "She's only fourteen, but she's already more powerful than any of the other students at Hogwarts, even though she hides it well. I dare say, that if she weren't to hold back, she'd be stronger than most in the Ministry."
"Well, in the Ministry's defense, they're all weak and spineless fools."
He snorted at the accurate assessment of their governing body, and as he brewed, he willingly shared stories about her. Shared his frustrations with those in her life who try and manipulate her. Those who constantly hurt her, and how he's forced to watch it happen, because he couldn't do much about it with his hands tied behind his back with the close eyes of all of those around him.
He told his Master the truth about their relationship, and the hardships that came with it.
When he left that evening, he felt closer to his Master than he ever had before. Despite the darkness that pressed in around him from all sides, he finally began to see a faint light at the distant and murky end of the tunnel.
He stared at the stars and murmured to himself, "It's all for her."
It was all for his little Eden.
Saturday, March 10, 1945
Head Dorms
"How are you feeling love?"
Eden wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled close to him. "I'm okay. A little tired, but, that's normal." She pressed a kiss to his cloth covered chest and breathed in his minty scent that had a slight tinge of smoke and ozone to it—she absolutely adored it. "Merlin, I can't wait until I leave that stupid place. I feel like I sleep more in the Hospital Wing than I do in my own bed," she groaned.
He chuckled softly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head and breathed in deeply. "I know. I want you out of there just as much as you do, love. Trust me. But we should look on the bright side."
She pulled her head back and glared at him. "What bright side?"
He cupped the back of her head, pulled her close once more, and dropped another kiss to the top of her head. "The bright side is, love, is that we get to spend more time together."
She smiled softly, and nodded against his chest before she curled into him again. He laughed softly before he picked her up. She proceeded to channel her inner bonobo monkey as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and propped her head on his shoulder. She tilted her head until the crown of it was pressed under his chin.
"You're right. As usual."
"I can't believe you ever doubted me, love."
"Never doubt. Just testing you."
He pinched her back, and she responded in the Very Mature way, and pulled his hair. After an impromptu Mild Torture Tactics War, she cuddled back into his arms—even though she never left them.
"What do you have planned for me today?"
He frowned against her head. "Are you sure you're up to training?"
"If I'm up to War, I'm up to training." When he made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a protest in the back of his throat, she continued, "I'm just a little tired. I think if I do something easy, like the dummies, climbing, or the Spaghetti Course, I think I'll be fine."
He kissed the side of her head, and ran his fingers up and down her side as he breathed deeply. "We'll work with the dummies today."
She tilted her head up, and he pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, and she tightened her hold on his waist. "Will you be with me?"
He nipped her bottom lip before he soothed it with his tongue. "Always."
She grinned, and pulled his bottom lip between her teeth. She slowly licked at the sensitive flesh before she released his lip, and pecked his lips twice.
"For eternity?"
"For eternity."
So, I hope you guys liked it. There are some things that you guys need to know.
1) In My Dreams is not being abandoned.
2) I've joined a writing competition that will officially start on the 11th of this month.
3) I'm traveling on the 12th.
All of these things combine to one answer: I may no longer be able to post weekly. In the author's notes, I will post the next guaranteed post day. For the competition, once it starts, I'll have a short fic due every 2 weeks, and with how quickly I write, I don't anticipate it taking me long, but since my stuff will actually be being judged, I'll be spending more time than I usually would on them, and I'll actually have beta readers tell me what I need to change and do differently, and brainstorming, and then the eternal struggles of keeping my word count below 3,000 words.
I honestly think that that will be the hardest part of the competition.
Also, the competition is a fanfic writing comp, and Harry Potter based, and after it is judged, I'll be uploading them on AO3 if I feel they are completely complete . . . you know what I mean?
Anyways, I love you all, and I look forward to reading your feedback on this chapter. :)
. . .
By the way . . . just a warning . . . there will be about the same amount of chapters between the Second and Third Task, as there were between the First and Second. I don't want to cheat you guys, so, that's why it's taking so long to get to the awaited point of Eden and Voldemort finally meeting.
Don't kill me. Please.
If you want to read Harry and Draco having a confrontation over Eden, read Memory #4 in In My Memories