Surprise! I'm not dead. Just wish I was. Haha . Ha. What is emotion.
The houses were too perfect. It set Assassin's teeth on edge. They were too uniform. Each one an exact copy of the next, the only variations being in the colors of the hydrangeas in the front gardens.
As the three walked slowly down the lane, and came to a stop in front of one of the identical houses, Assassin bit his lip. "I think I'm going to be sick," he confessed.
Shade gripped his shoulders gently, squeezing softly. "We'll make sure they know not to touch you," she said with a sad smile. Sin's stomach roiled.
Elena glanced at him. "You are stronger than they are. If they twitch in your direction, you could send them flying through the wall." Assassin nodded. He would never tell Shade, but Elena's reminder was much more comforting. The knowledge that he could hurt them, if he wanted to - that he could defend himself - that was powerful. It made him feel strong enough to grit his teeth and walk up to the front door.
Shade rang the doorbell for him, and there was a muffled yell and a crash echoing through the walls. Moments later, the door swung open gently, revealing Aunt Petunia's skeletal form.
"We're not interested in buying -" she froze mid-sentence, her eyes nearly popping out of her horse-like face. She blinked several times, before rage began to bloom across her features.
"You freak! You run away, and then have the nerve to come crawling back -" and suddenly she was raising her hand and it was coming towards his face, and he couldn't move. He should be able to send her flying, but he couldn't even run, he was frozen, he could only close his eyes -
The slap never came. He peeked, squinting ever so slightly, before taking a deep breath and allowing his eyes to open fully. Elena was gripping Aunt Petunia's hand, her nails digging into Aunt Petunia's skin.
"What the hell -" started Aunt Petunia, her face growing paler, but Elena placed her finger against Aunt Petunia's lips.
"I'm speaking now, alright sweetheart? So here's what's going to 're going to let us in, and show us into your living room, where we are going to sit down and wait for you to bring your husband down. Then we're going to have a nice long discussion, and if you cooperate, you'll get through today without losing any limbs. Sound good?" The vampiress asked, extending her fangs on the last word, the expression on her face not at all something Sin would want aimed at him. Aunt Petunia whimpered but nodded, and Elena let go of her hand.
The muggle led the three of them into the living room, and Sin gazed around the familiar house in a daze. He never thought he'd be back here.
The three of them settled into a horrid salmon pink sofa, and Shade put her arm around Sin. He flinched slightly at the contact, and she swore under her breath before retracting her arm.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "That was insensitive. This must be horrible for you." Sin let out a shaky laugh, but he didn't bother replying. He just nodded.
"Breathe, Assassin," Elena murmured, sitting perfectly still and straight. The picture of elegance. "Remember to breathe." He nodded, taking a deep breath through his nose and letting it drain out slowly.
"WHAT THE RUDDY HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Shouted a familiar voice, and without warning Sin couldn't move, or breathe.
'Harry heaved in a breath, crawling to his cupboard because the pain in his legs was too great to stand - '
'Tears leaked from Harry's eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to"
"FREAK! USELESS!"
"I'm sorry!"'
'"Please!" Harry pleaded, backing away from his heavily intoxicated uncle. "It's not my fault!"
Uncle Vernon snorted, backhanding his nephew across the face. "Tell that to Dudders!" He slurred, hitting Harry in the stomach.'
He was frozen, he couldn't move - and suddenly Shade was kneeling in front of him, holding out her hands. "Breathe," she said quietly. "You are not Harry Potter anymore. You are not weak. You Assassin, and you are so strong. You survived the streets, you are reigning champion of the Fights, you've survived eating Sparky's cooking. You can survive this."
A shaky, forced laugh burst from Sin's lips, and his hand darted out to grab Shade's. He inhaled deeply. He was not Harry. Harry was someone who curled on the floor and let his uncle beat him to a pulp. Assassin was someone who could beat other people to a pulp. Someone who had survived a Runespoor, and dealing with Elena. He could do this. He was Assassin.
He nodded at Shade, squeezing her palm. She squeezed back as she stood, and the two of them turned to where Elena had a hand around Uncle Vernon's thick neck, lifting him several inches above the floor.
She set him down when his face turned a very unappealing shade of puce. She turned to Aunt Petunia. "Well? Aren't you going to offer us some tea?"
Aunt Petunia squeaked and hurried off into the kitchen. Uncle Vernon seemed to have recovered from the shock of being held in the air by a very slim seemingly seventeen-year-old, because the puce faded into crimson.
"WHO THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE -"
Elena sighed, before grabbing his head, tilting it back, and emptying a small vial into his mouth. He made a gurgling noise but she shut his mouth and held his nose until he swallowed it.
Her smile was terrifying. "What you just drank is of my invention. It's a mixture of Aconite extract, diluted Water Hemlock, salamander blood, and my own special venom," she purred, flashing her fangs once more. "Because it is homemade, I own the only known antidote. Unless you have a phoenix hiding in your china plate cupboard?" She asked, pausing. Uncle Vernon only stared at her in terror. She grinned, and Sin questioned how he ever thought she was remotely human. "Didn't think so," she added sweetly. "Fortunately for you, the poison takes exactly seven days to kick in. Before then, you won't feel a thing; however, should you not receive the antidote before 168 hours from now… well, you can kiss your heart functions goodbye."
"Who - who are you?" He rasped, pulling at tufts of his moustache. Elena patted him on the shoulder.
"You don't need to worry about that."
"What do you want from me?"
"Now that, Mr Dursley, I can answer. Assassin here," she gestured to Sin, who refused to look his abuser in the eye, "is going to be staying here for a few days. You are not going to hurt him, nor touch him in any way. You will not prevent him from eating, or roaming about the house. You will give him whatever room he asks for, and you will respect his privacy. You will keep your infernal son away from him. You will not speak to him unless he initiates the conversation. In fact," she glanced at Sin quickly, being turning back to Uncle Vernon, "Unless he initiates contact, you will not so much as look at your nephew. Am I clear?"
With each sentence, Uncle Vernon grew slightly more purple. However, he was clearly stricken with fear, as he nodded hurriedly. Elena's smile grew.
"Good. I'll be back in a week, perhaps less, and if you have followed each of these instructions, then you will receive your antidote."
Aunt Petunia reentered, carrying a tray with five cups of tea. She set it down on the coffee table, shaking. She had clearly heard everything.
As Assassin watched, he couldn't help but feel a thick glee rise up within him. To see his tormentors so scared… it was like a drug. Suddenly, he was filled with a burning desire to be the reason they were so scared.
So he took a deep breath and stepped toward Uncle Vernon, and did not flinch. "Uncle Vernon," he said, spitting out the two words like they were expletives. "You made my life a living hell for eight years." He raised a hand, and Uncle Vernon's eyes bugged as he was once again lifted, this time suspended in the air. Sin took a step forward, his previous panic draining, replaced by an icy rage. Images of being curled up on the floor, Uncle Vernon above him, flashed through his mind. "I am going to enjoy returning the favor." Sin relinquished his hold over the disgusting man and letting him collapse to the floor in a heap.
Aunt Petunia squealed and ran to her pig of a husband, kneeling down and trying to help him up. He swore and stumbled to his feet, turning to Sin. Sin's feet urged to step away, to flinch, but there was too much cold anger in him to find enough fear to move.
"How -"
"Ah ah ah," Elena said, her red lips stretching over her too-white fangs, "think before you speak, Mr Dursley. Is it something that would be an obstacle between you and the antidote?"
Uncle Vernon shut his mouth, and instead only glared at Elena and Sin. Sin wondered if he would have an aneurysm. Sin wouldn't be too put out if it happened.
"Now," Elena said pleasantly, "Why don't you show me where Sin will be sleeping?" She asked Uncle Vernon. Sin didn't think it was possible for his face to go a deeper shade of purple, and yet at the request, Uncle Vernon's head resembled a very ripe plum. However, when Elena took a step closer to him, his survival instincts kicked in, and with an expression of both fear and disgust, he tramped up the stairs.
Aunt Petunia took one look at the emotion in Sin's eyes and scurried out of the living room. "Don't even think about calling the police," Shade called after her. "They certainly won't have the antidote, and I'm already on the run for murder. I have no qualms about adding to my rap sheet." There was a squeak, and a slammed door.
"You've killed someone?" Sin asked in shock. Shade shook her head, the corner of her mouth ticking up.
"No… but she doesn't know that," she admitted with a grin. Sin let out a quiet laugh, before sitting down on the salmon sofa. Shade sat next to him, but refrained from reaching out to touch him. Sin was grateful.
"So I wanted to have someone year to keep you company round-the-clock," she said quietly, "Because I can't stand the thought of you being here alone. But realistically, money's tight right now, Stickler is days away, Sparky is working hard on her new project, and I don't trust Spider not to murder your uncle. However, I can get either Wheels, Hero, or myself to stay with you at night. I know that everything gets a little worse in the dark."
Sin's heart clenched with love for his family. "Thank you," he said to Shade sincerely. "That means a lot." He paused. "Where is Stickler, anyway?"
Shade laughed and rolled her eyes. "Hell if I know. He's tracking down one of his old fences, Scooter. Apparently Stickler thinks he's starting selling cocaine, and he wants him to go back to selling stolen ID's and passports.
Sin raised his eyebrows. "Huh."
"Yup. And he's meeting up with someone who collects foreign jewelry. Stickler thinks he can sell this woman some cut glass and convince her it's 'exotic foreign diamond' or something like that. He thinks he'll return with enough cash to buy nearly everything on my list for the next month or so."
"What's high up on the list?"
"Firstly, some basic math books. Those are hard to come by. Hero's been teaching Roach and Light how to read from books she's dug out of dumpsters, and Sparky is teaching them basic science, but I want them to have a good grasp on math too. Otherwise they'll get swindled one day. Also both you and Wheels have birthdays coming up, and the fund is a little low after we went all out for Hero's fifteenth two months ago. And I think everyone is getting a little sick of second-hand cabbage." She scrunched up her nose in thought. "What else… oh, right. Spider wants to start keeping a stock of basic medicine; we've always kept bandages, but he wants pain killers and stuff to sterilize wounds. And Hero, Sparky, Toxic and I could always do with real tampons instead of makeshift ones. Oh, and it'd be nice to have one or two bicycles, just to get around more quickly."
Sin's eyebrows were lost in his hair. "Stickler thinks he get get you money for all of that?"
Shade shrugged. "If we're lucky. He said the lady is both very wealthy and really stupid. Besides, he doesn't need to get us two new bikes. He can just by old ones, or parts, and then Sparky can fix them up." Sin nodded.
There was a buzzing sound, like radio static, and Spider's voice clicked from the walkie-talkie on Shade's belt.
"Shade? We need you. Hero was attacked."
Shade stood suddenly, unhooking the device. "Attacked? What do you mean, attacked?" She asked, speaking into the walkie.
"She was picking pockets at the tube station when three guys came after her, yelling at her. One of them tore off her hijab, and when she kicked his ass, the other two smacked her around. Her wounds aren't that serious - Toxic's tending to her now, she doesn't need the hospital - but she's pretty shaken up. They left her on the platform and she had to crawl to a payphone and call us."
Sin swore, and Shade's fists clenched tight. "I'm coming back." Spider clicked in confirmation and Shade dug through her bag, before handing Sin a second walkie.
"I'd come, but if the letter comes while I'm not here -" Sin started, feeling slightly sick -
"I know," Shade replied with a tight smile. "I feel awful for leaving you here alone, but - I have to go - I'll send Wheels up tonight, but I really do need to go," she said apologetically. She opened her arms, clearly letting Sin make a decision, and he was grateful. Tentatively, he gave her a short hug, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
As she left, Elena and Uncle Vernon came down the stairs. One look at Sin and Uncle Vernon joined Aunt Petunia in the kitchen.
"Where is Miss Lestrange going?" Elena asked as she sat on the sofa, somehow managing to look elegant against the hideous salmon.
"Her name is Shade," Sin said shortly, "And it's none of your business."
Elena raised a delicate eyebrow but didn't inquire further. She tilted her head. "Well, since it looks like you're going to have lots of free time while you're here, I thought I'd leave this with you," she said, slipping a familiar book from within a bag that looked far to small for its contents. The Current Political State of Affairs and How to Navigate It.
"Oh joy," he said flatly. "Such fun."
Elena rolled her eyes. "Well, if you don't want to do that, we can always get a head start on your occlumency."
"Occlumency?"
Elena nodded, crossing her legs. "It's a difficult but extremely useful branch of magic that protects one's mind from being accessed by a Legilimens."
Sin inhaled sharply. "I'm - I'm sorry? You mean there are people out there who can read minds?"
Elena's thin lips lifted into a cold smile. "I wouldn't quite put it like that - thoughts and memories aren't generally in words - but yes, that would be an apt description. While Legilimency is even more difficult to master than Occlumency, it's common enough to be a danger. For example, you only know two people from the magical world and one of them is a Legilimens." She pulled her lips over her teeth in a smug grin, and Sin, who had thought he was immune to Elena's queer lure by now, felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Have - have you ever read my mind?" He asked, suddenly disgusted. If she had - if she had violated his most basic privacy like that -
Elena shook her head. "It's incredibly illegal," she said, her eyes glinting. "Although since it's nearly impossible to detect, it's rare for anyone to be charged for it."
That didn't reassure Sin.
"Besides," she added, "it would make life incredibly boring, if I knew what everyone was thinking."
"And Occlawhatsit will stop them from being able to get in?" He asked. Suddenly, learning Occlumency felt like the most important thing Elena would ever be able to teach him.
Elena tilted her head. "It will certainly make it much more difficult. The more practice and willpower you put into it, the harder it will be for anyone to get into your thoughts and memories. Because you aren't a natural born Occlumens, then you'd never be able to keep out a natural born Legilimens. Lucky for us, there hasn't been a recorded natural Legilimens since the 1930s, in New York."
"But if I - if I practice enough, I can keep out every living Legilimens?" Sin asked urgently.
Elena tilted her head. "It's possible," she acknowledged. "But Occlumency is one of the most difficult branches of magic. It's not something you can simply read about. You need to have incredible will power and mental control."
Sin swallowed. "Teach me."
Elena nodded. "First, you'll need a place to store your memories."
"I'm sorry?"
"In your mind, you need to have a place where your memories are stored. A place that others will have to break through fortifications to get to. For example, my mother stored her memories in a replica of our manner. Many people choose their childhood homes. It doesn't have to be a real place, but because you need to be very familiar about it and its dimensions, most people do use a real place."
Sin tilted his head, thinking. To give himself time, and because he was curious, he asked, "Where do you store yours?"
Elena's lips thinned. "Wouldn't you like to know."
Sin rolled his eyes. "If you're going to be teaching me, then obviously you're going to know mine. Turnabout is only fair."
Elena looked at him and he shrugged. "It was worth a try."
Sin sat back in the sofa, barely needing to think. The only place he held any sort of emotional attachment for was the warehouse he lived, so there was no other choice.
"Once you've chosen your place, close your eyes and try to imagine packing all of your memories in their. This is an abstract concept, and takes a lot of concentration, but it can be done in small pieces. I suggest meditating for an hour or so before bed and trying to fit your memories into your chosen space."
Elena stood, gesturing to the book. "And try and read some more of that, as well. It'd be good for you to have read the whole volume by the time you board the Hogwarts Express."
Sin stared at her. "You're giving me homework?" He asked, his tone incredulous.
Elena simply raised a thin, delicate eyebrow in response. Sin sighed.
"Whatever." He would never admit it to Elena, but he begrudgingly admitted to himself that it would be helpful to know how the politics in the wizarding world were structured before he attempted to gain any sort of standing.
Elena stood, brushing off the front of her dress. "Well, I'm off. The spare bedroom upstairs is yours. If you have any trouble from any of them, you know what to do." Sin nodded, swallowing. A small part of him almost wanted Uncle Vernon to try something, just so he'd have an excuse to retaliate - but the rest of him was still scared. Fear tasted bad on Sin's tongue, and he felt ashamed. Realistically, he knew he had nothing to be afraid of - he was far from defenseless - but it was difficult to fight off the trauma of years of abuse.
"Oh," she added, taking a piece of paper from her sleeve and handing it to him. "Carve that into your bed, or your door, before you go to sleep." Sin took it from her, furrowing an eyebrow at the strange shape inked onto the paper. There was a cross with pitchfork shapes on the ends, and two slashes on each line.
"What's this?"
"A protection rune. Very basic, you don't even need to use magic to invoke it. Only to draw it on. But like I said, it's basic, so it will just automatically draw the magic from you."
Sin nodded his thanks, mentally noting that he needed to do that. It would, at the very least, give him a small sense of security.
Elena looked back at him as she reached the door. There was an unfamiliar expression in her eyes. "Assassin…"
"Mmhm?"
She hesitated. That caught Sin off guard even more than the words she spoke. "Stay safe."
Then she was gone.
Sin opened his eyes and punched the mattress below him. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He was trying to follow Elena's instructions, but she didn't really give him much to go on.
"'Oh Sin, just imagine putting your memories somewhere, that'll work,'" he mocked. "The hell am I supposed to do with that?" He sighed, falling back and letting his head meet the pillow with a small 'oomph'. He rolled over, pulling the duvet over himself, and resolved to keep practicing in the morning.
His gaze fell onto the book on his bedside table, and he scowled. However, he sat up and flicked on his lamp, pulling the book onto his lap. Since he had failed at Elena's first instruction, he ought to at least read some of the book
Resigned, he opened it to the page he finished on last time.
"Dark, Light, and the Grey Area in Between
Most members of the Wizengamot are affiliated with the "Dark" or the "Light". A few prefer to stay "Grey", or the middle area between the two. Dark and Light are similar to the Muggle political parties of Labor and Conservative, or Republican and Democrat. Entire families are typically on the same place on the spectrum. "Light" families tend to find certain spells easier for them, and vice versa. However, not all Dark families are talented at Dark Magic, or lousy at Light Magic. Light families and members of the Wizengamot tend to lobby for more restrictions on magic, while Dark families and members of the Wizengamot tend to lobby for less restrictions. Grey families tend to want a middle ground. Light members of the Wizengamot usually form alliances and vote together, as do Dark members, so many times things are decided in the Wizengamot by the Grey minority. As follows is a list of the members of the Wizengamot and their house affiliations.
Chief Warlock (Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore)
Light
House of Lords
First Estate
Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
Dark
Noble and Most Ancient House of Peverell
Grey
Noble and Most Ancient House of Slytherin
Dark
Noble and Most Ancient House of Hufflepuff
Grey
Noble and Most Ancient House of Van Rau
Dark
Noble and Most Ancient House of Gryffindor
Light
Noble and Most Ancient House of Ravenclaw
Grey
Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom
Light
Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy
Dark
Second Estate
Noble and Ancient House of Bones
Grey
Noble and Ancient House of Greengrass
Grey
Noble and Ancient House of Gaunt
Dark
Noble and Ancient House of Lestrange
Dark
Noble and Ancient House of Nott
Dark
Noble and Ancient House of Burke
Dark
Noble and Ancient House of Bulstrode
Light
Noble and Ancient House of Selwyn
Dark
Noble and Ancient House of Diggory
Light
Noble and Ancient House of Ollivander
Grey
Noble and Ancient House of Prewett
Light
Noble and Ancient House of Slughorn
Dark
House of Commons
Minister for Magic (Cornelius Fudge):
Light
Senior Undersecretary to the Minister (Lyria Abbott)
Light
Senior Advisor to the Minister (Tiberius White)
Light
Head of the Department of Magical Education (Griselda Marchbanks)
Grey
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (Amelia Bones)
Grey
Head of the Department of Mysteries (Aelfwynn Quigley)
Dark
Head of the Department of Magical Transportation (Octavius Pennfeather)
Light
Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (Portus Diggleby)
Light
Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports (Ludo Bagman)
Light
Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation (Bartemius Crouch)
Light
Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes (Penelope Spinnet)
Dark
The Wizengamot in Session
An example of a typical Wizengamot legislative session is the most recent session, September 5th 1989. A law was proposed by Lord Percival Selwyn, one stating that unless the ministry had a warrant signed by the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, they would have to give at least twenty-four hours notice before searching a place of business. Before, the ministry could avoid notifying the owner and/or management of the business by having the warrant signed by the head of any office.
A complaint was filed by Margause Merrythought, owner of Merrythought Second-Hand Wands in Knockturn Alley, after his shop was raided by a group of Aurors without any notice. They had a warrant, but it had been signed by the Head of the Department of Intoxicating Substances, who at the time had a grudge against Margause Merrythought for sleeping with his wife. The aurors raided the shop without any notice, and went into the backroom - where Margause lived - only to catch the Head of the Department of Intoxicating Substances' wife in nothing but a towel.
This complaint gave Lord Selwyn the grounds to propose such a law. He convinced Lord Slughorn and Lady Burke to sign the law. At the September 5th meeting, the law passed with a significant majority, only the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation (Bartemius Crouch), the Senior Undersecretary to the Minister (Lyria Abbott), the Senior Advisor to the Minister (Tiberius White), the Minister for Magic (Cornelius Fudge), and the Lord Amos Diggory voted against passing the law.
After passing the law, there were eight more laws proposed, none of them passing. A few on them include a law that would give shop owners free reign on cauldron bottom thickness, a law that would allow wizards to set up shops in the muggle world without a glamour, and a law that would criminalize drinking pumpkin juice before six in the morning.
With nothing more to discuss, the meeting was adjourned, although several members of the Wizengamot stayed on the floor afterwards to discuss amongst themselves. This is a perfect time for forming political alliances.
For an hour after each session, the press is allowed inside the room to interview any member of the Wizengamot."
By the end of the chapter, Sin's eyes were drooping. Shade had told him that if he really needed someone to stay with him that night, she would send Wheels over, but Sin didn't want to have to stay up any longer, and he didn't trust himself not to panic if he saw someone come into the room in the middle of the night and woke him up. So, safe with the knowledge that Elena was sufficiently terrifying, there was a protection rune carved into his door, and he could knock Uncle Vernon on his ass if he needed to, he set the book on the table. Pulling the covers to his chin and pushing the remaining fear far down, he drifted off into fitful sleep.
I really hope you liked that chapter! I know nothing important really happened in this one, but if I manage to stick to my plan, something HUGE is going to happen in the next one. Please review! I know having long excerpts from the book is just lazy exposition, but the only other way I could write that in is long conversations between Elena and Sin. Let me know if you'd rather I do that
IMPORTANT: BEING A VICTIM OF ABUSE DOES NOT MAKE YOU WEAK. BEING AFRAID OF YOUR ABUSER DOES NOT MAKE YOU WEAK. NOT FIGHTING BACK AGAINST YOUR ABUSER DOES NOT MAKE YOU WEAK. This is just the fucked up psychological effects of Sin's abuse speaking out into his conscious.