Chapter Eleven
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does and unfortunately I am not her.
Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.
There are going to be a lot of OCs, but the focus is going to be on Freya.
Warning: This chapter will contain scenes of torture and distress.
HARRY POTTER
One week later
Freya stood in Lance's temporary office along with all the Guardians. The Guardians stood a line, depending on their importance. Freya, Rebecca and Connor were at the front of everyone because they were guarding the Potter children, then came the Guardians for the Weasleys, Longbottoms, Scamanders and Malfoys and then everyone else. This was how they always had to stand in front of Lance and no one could break formation unless he commanded it so. Lance had called an unannounced meeting which had caused most Guardians to panic because they'd had no preparation for this meeting and no one knew why Lance was calling this meeting in the first place. Even Freya felt unnerved at this sudden announcement.
Standing in front of everyone, Lance was looking at his Guardians with a neutral expression, giving nothing away. Clearing his throat, he began to speak. "I've called you all here today for a special reason." He said, sounding calm.
Connor let out a shaky breath, he was shaking on the spot. Freya saw this out the corner of her eye and inwardly sighed. Rebecca had also noticed this and looked like she wanted to help him, but she couldn't.
"I've decided that it's time to teach you the three Unforgivable Curses if you haven't been taught already," Lance said, a smile spreading on his face.
The air in the room became tense. Most young Guardians were holding back gasps whereas the older Guardians didn't react at all. Freya had already been taught the three Unforgivable Curses by her parents. Her parents would teach her one each summer since she entered Hogwarts. First, it had been the Imperius Curse in her first summer, the Cruciatus Curse in her second summer and the Killing Curse in her third summer. After her third summer, she was forced to practice them constantly. If any other Wizard or Witch were to use any of the three Unforgivable Curses than they would be sent to Azkaban within seconds. However, this law didn't apply to Guardians, they were exempt from this rule and were actually encouraged to use the three curses. This was another aspect of the Guardians that was hidden from everyone.
Lance took out his wand. "I will show you each one and then you will copy me." He said, looking around the room, his smile only growing wider. Lance seemed to glance around the room for a moment before he pointed his wand at one of them. "Imperio!"
Joseph tensed up and his eyes seemed to haze over. His eyes were now a grey colour and his body seemed to sag slightly. There seemed to be a lazy grin on his face, giving the impression that he was happy.
Connor was now full-on shaking, his eyes wide in fear.
Freya watched with a blank expression.
"Walk forward," Lance commanded, his wand still pointed at the Ravenclaw.
Joseph followed his command without any hesitation.
"Now to the right," Lance commanded once more.
Again, Joseph moved to the right with no hesitation.
Satisfied, Lance dropped the spell and put away his wand, for now. Instantly, the haze over Joseph's eyes disappeared. For a moment, Joseph looked disorientated before it hit him what happened. Joseph's eyes widened as he dashed back into formation, but he seemed to be shaking and found it difficult to move immediately. It took him a few moments, but no one was paying attention to him. Everyone was looking at Lance, cautious that he may use one of the Unforgivable curses on them.
"Now, all of you give it ago," Lance said, levitating over a Pixie to each Guardian using magic. The Pixies were trapped in a cage where they couldn't escape. They were screeching and trying to fight their way out of the cage, but Lance had enchanted them so they couldn't escape at all.
Freya looked at her Pixie, which seemed to be looking at her with its big black eyes. Feeling nothing, Freya took out her wand. "Imperio." Without another thought, she cast the spell, aiming her wand at the Pixie.
The familiar haze appeared over the Pixie's eyes, just like it had with Joseph and when she'd cast this spell five years ago. When Freya was younger, she didn't want to cast the spell but she hadn't been given much choice in the matter. Her father was a very strict teacher and wouldn't let her get away with anything.
Lance walked up behind Freya and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Great work, Freya." He said, his hand tightening on her shoulder.
Freya said nothing and forced herself not to flinch as his touch. She only felt relief when he took his hand off her shoulders and walked away. Taking this opportunity, Freya looked around the room. Most Guardians had been able to cast the Imperius Curse, but it was younger Guardians that seemed to be having trouble with it. Connor, in particular, looked to be struggling with it. Lucy looked to be near tears and her hand was violently shaking. Freya inwardly sighed. The Imperius Curse was the easiest spell to cast out of the three curses. If they couldn't manage this one then they wouldn't be able to deal with the other two, which were significantly worse.
However, Lance wasn't giving them any mercy. He walked over to Connor with a frown on his face. "Why haven't you cast the spell?" He asked, his brow arched.
The room went silent as everyone was looking at Lance and Connor. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch.
Connor began shaking. "I-isn't this I-illegal?" He asked in a low voice.
Freya felt her heart stop for a moment. It seemed that most people had this reaction, some were even looking at Connor in sympathy. Others looked as though they were praying for him. Connor had made a very rookie mistake: questioning Lance.
Lance laughed, his head was thrown back as the laughter seemed to engulf his whole body. He was acting as though Connor had just told him a funny joke. "Look everyone! We have a volunteer for the next spell!" He looked at everyone, the utter glee on his face. However, Lance stopped laughing and pointed his wand at the Gryffindor. "Crucio!"
Instantly, Connor fell to the ground and began screaming. He was withering, his body bending in odd and painful positions as the pain overloaded his body. He felt nothing else but this burning pain that coursed through his body.
Many Guardians looked away. Ryan and Cordelia were two of those people. They looked like they wanted to help, but they knew better. Katrina looked like she wanted to jump in and help, but Alexander was holding onto her hand, preventing her. He was smart enough to know not to intervene and to stop his sister from intervening. Freya watched Connor wither in pain with a blank expression, pushing back any emotion she was feeling at all. Other Guardians seemed to be doing the same – they were desensitised to it by now. Castiel seemed to be one of those people as he watched Connor wither and scream on the ground with a blank expression. Lance seemed to be in a playful mood today, and that was quite dangerous because that meant he was unpredictable.
Suddenly the screams stopped and Connor's body seemed to go limp.
The room was silent, all breathe were held.
Lance walked over and kicked Connor's limp body. "He's weaker than I thought." He muttered lowly, but everyone heard him.
"Get to it!" Lance yelled at everyone, walking away from Connor's limp body.
Freya watched Connor for a few seconds and saw his chest moving. He was alive and not dead like everybody thought.
Lucy moved to help him, she was planning on taking him to see Madame Pomfrey. Surely he would need medical attention. Lucy had needed it after her ordeal with Lance in McGonagall's office – which Castiel had given her.
"Don't even think about it!" Lance yelled, throwing a book in Lucy's direction.
The book nearly hit Lucy, only she dodged at the last minute, which Lance didn't see. He had already turned his back and was walking around the room. Lucy looked at Connor's limp body once more before reluctantly getting back to what she was doing.
"Everyone who has completed the Imperius Curse move onto the Cruciatus Curse. If not, keep practising." Lance instructed, weaving himself around the room.
Freya turned back to her Pixie and pointed her wand at it. "Crucio."
Instantly, the Pixie began shrieking as it curled up into a ball. Freya watched it squirm, an uncomfortable feeling building up in her stomach, but she pushed it aside. Soon, multiple little screeches filled the room as other Guardians had moved onto the Cruciatus Curse. After a few moments, Freya stopped the spell.
Lance stood at the front and watched everyone, before clearing his throat. "Now, the last one: the Killing Curse."
Everyone held their breath, even Freya. She was hoping that he wouldn't use of the Guardians as an example like with Connor. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing, some were able to hide their nervousness better than other though.
"Avada Kedavra!" Lance pointed his wand at Connor's Pixie. The moment the spell hit the creature, it died instantly, falling to the bottom of the cage lifelessly. "Your turn," Lance said, looking at everyone with a critical eye.
It was at that moment that Freya realised the reason for this exercise. Lance was weeding out the weak. If someone couldn't perform these spells then they would be cut from the Guardian Program in the only way that was known: death. This was another test of Lance's. Glancing at Connor, Freya felt a sense of dread. He hadn't even been able to cast the Imperius Curse, he would be seen as weak. She wasn't surprised though, Connor was only twelve years old. The very thought made her feel angry, but she didn't show it. She hides her anger behind the perfect mask she had built over the years.
Turning to her own Pixie, she noticed that it was staring at her. Its big eyes pleading with her not to use the Killing Curse. It knew what was happening, it had seen what had happened to Connor's Pixie and it had known its fate.
Taking a deep breath, Freya pointed her wand. "Avada Kedavra." A green jet of lightning shot out her wand and hit the Pixie. It was dead the moment the spell hit it. It fell to the bottom of its cage, lifeless. Freya felt nothing. By now, Freya had already used the Killing Curse a few times by now. The first time she used the Killing Curse was much worse than now. This time wasn't as bad because she had no attachment to the Pixie – she didn't even acknowledge its existence. It was the only way that Freya could handle it.
Freya remembered that day very clearly.
Flashback
A fourteen-year-old Freya stood in the Williams' mansion. It was summertime and Freya would be heading into her fourth year at Hogwarts. She stood in the Williams' extensive garden – which was well kept with the amount of House Elves they had around the house. In front of her was her father – Rupert Williams. He was looking at his daughter with an apathetic expression on his face as his wand was drawn.
"Use the Killing Curse," Rupert instructed, looking at his daughter.
Freya shook her head. "No." She said, a bubble of worry building inside her. She had never told her father no and that scared her. When he asked her to do something, she usually did it without any hesitation because she knew her mother would punish her.
Rupert sighed in exasperation. "Use it, now." He glared at his daughter, beginning to become impatient with her.
Freya frowned. "I won't do it."
"Use it now!" Rupert yelled, having enough of her resistance. His hand clenched in anger as he quickly tried to calm himself down.
Freya whimpered slightly, her father never usually yelled and when he did it was scary. She turned and looked to the family House Elf. Topaz had always been there for Freya when she was younger – this House Elf was much more of a friend and mother than Vivienne. Freya looked at Topaz and found her smiling at the younger girl – she had already accepted her fate, she knew she had no choice in the matter.
"It's okay." Topaz smiled at her young mistress, hoping to reassure her. However, nothing she did help to reassure Freya.
Rupert glared at Topaz. "Who said you could speak?"
Topaz said nothing and looked to the ground.
Freya turned to her father. "Father, please don't make me do this." Freya whimpered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She was hoping that her father wouldn't make her do this, maybe he would be nice for once.
However, luck was not on Freya's side.
"Freya Louise Williams, if you do not do this spell I will go and get your mother." Rupert glared at her, the threat loud and clear.
Freya's eyes widened in fear. Her father was scary when angry, but her mother was beyond terrifying.
Shakily, Freya turned to Topaz and held out her wand. She took a few deep breaths, the tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry." She whispered, looking at her House Elf with regret. She was hoping that Topaz would understand that she didn't want to do this.
Topaz smiled and closed her eyes.
"A- Avada Kedavra!"
Topaz dropped to the ground – lifeless.
The sound of Topaz's lifeless body hitting the ground broke Freya, it was a sound that would ring in her ears even years later. Freya dropped her wand as she began to sob. Falling to her knees, her sobs became loud and heavy. She found it hard to breathe as she began gulping in air. Regret instantly filled her, she should have fought back against her father. She shouldn't have done the Killing Curse. All Freya wanted at that point was for Topaz to come back and hug her – tell her that everything was a joke or that Freya had missed. Freya didn't want this day to be real, she wanted it to be a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from.
Hearing footsteps, Freya looked up and saw her father in front of her. He did nothing to comfort his crying daughter, just looked at her and stared, a sneer of disgust on his face at her display of emotion.
"W-why di-did yo-you m-make m-me do th-that?" Freya sobbed, finding it very hard to even speak. She was speaking and the hiccupping at the same time.
Rupert frowned. "The world you're in harsh. You will be forced to worse things than this."
"Even worse than killing the only person who cared for me?!" Freya yelled out, anger filling her very being. Hearing her father say this made her angry. Freya had been forced to kill the one person who had been there since birth and had practically raised her. Topaz had always been there to comfort her in the night when she scared, Topaz would always be there in the mornings to greet her with a smile and Topaz was there to sing lullabies when Freya couldn't sleep at night.
Rupert didn't say anything and watched his daughter cry.
"I hate you," Freya whispered, still crying.
"Good, use that feeling," Rupert said, walking away.
End Flashback
Freya was soon snapped back into reality when Lance clapped his hand to get everyone's attention. He was standing in front of everyone again, a large smile on his face. Freya quickly scanned the room and saw that most Guardians had accomplished the tasks. Nearly all the Pixies were dead, and only a few remained.
Lance smiled, unsettling a lot of people. "I am feeling nice today, so I'm going to do something I don't usually do. I'm going to give the people who didn't complete all three tasks today to have another chance."
The room was silent. There seemed to be a consensus of disbelief and shock. Freya looked at Lance, feeling utterly confused. He had never done this before, never. Lance never gave anyone second chances, it was something that was well known in the Guardians community.
"However, if by next week you fail, then the results won't be pleasant," Lance warned with an almost feral smile on his face.
Freya looked at Connor, Lucy and Katrina. They were the only three that weren't able to perform all three spells. Freya wasn't shocked that Connor and Lucy didn't manage it – since Connor had only just become conscious and was barely standing on his own. Freya also wasn't shocked to see Katrina as one of the few people that couldn't do it. There was no way that Katrina could actually kill another creature – it's something she'd never be able to do.
"No one is to know about this, that is an order," Lance said, looking at each and every one of the Guardians.
Freya felt her Guardian mark burn, he had given his order.
"Dismissed," Lance said, waving his hand.
HARRY POTTER
Later that same day
Freya and Cordelia sat in the Gryffindor Common room reading while sitting on the two-seater sofa in front of the fire. Fred and James were in the boy's dormitory doing their work for once. It was the beginning of their NEWT years and they were very busy with homework that was due in. Freya had already completed hers to an average level and had submitted it without anyone seeing. There were times that Frey didn't even see the point in her doing work as she could never show her true potential and it wasn't like she was working towards a job. She was going to be a Guardian until the day she died – something she had learned to accept over the years.
Cordelia sighed, looking at the fire with a frown.
Sending her side glance, Freya didn't say anything. She knew that if Cordelia wanted to say something, she would come right out and say it like she always does.
After a few more moments of reading, Cordelia sighed again.
"Stop sighing, it's annoying," Freya commented dryly, turning the page on her book. Freya had picked a habit up from Katrina – reading Muggle fantasy books. They were really interesting and it was an escape for Freya. It wasn't often she got to sit and read because she was constantly watching after James, and she didn't appreciate that her reading time was getting interrupted.
Cordelia's face dropped even more. "It's just… today's lesson…."
Freya inwardly sighed and page marked her book. "Was that the first time?" She asked, putting the book away to give Cordelia her full attention.
Cordelia nodded her head. "It was horrible." She muttered lowly, bringing her knees up to her chest. She didn't want to use the Killing Curse on that poor Pixie – but it was either its life or hers. Her parents had never forced her to learn the Killing Curse. They were pretty relaxed about her training – her parents understood that Cordelia didn't need to be perfect and would help her if she needed it. They never pushed her to do anything she didn't want to do.
Freya said nothing, choosing not to comment. She just looked into the fire, a frown marring her face as she remembered Topaz with a grim expression. Using the Killing Curse on the Pixie didn't make her feel anything. Freya knew that she should probably feel something for the dead creature, but she felt nothing.
Just then, the Gryffindor common room door opened. Connor walked in, his eyes scanning the room. He was looking for someone and he found that person very quickly. His eyes landed on Freya as he dashed over to her. Connor stood in front of Freya, waiting for her to acknowledge him. He waited for a few moments as Freya had gone back to her book and wasn't paying attention to him. Connor cleared his throat, but it still didn't gain her attention.
Cordelia grinned weakly and nudged Freya to get her attention.
It worked. Freya looked up at him, "What?" She asked dryly, not liking the fact she had been disturbed twice now.
Connor inhaled deeply. "I-I need your help." He asked, almost timidly.
"Not interested." Freya denied, looking back to her book.
Cordelia sighed and looked at the younger Gryffindor. "I can help you." She offered with a kind expression.
Connor shook his head. "No, I want Freya to help me."
For a moment, Cordelia frowned but wasn't hurt at all, actually she understood why he was asking for Freya. Cordelia had only been a Guardian for one year whereas Freya had been one for five years and was very good at her job. Instead, she laughed and nodded her head. She looked in Freya's direction and nudged her again. "Come on Freya, he needs your help." She said, a teasing grin on her face.
Freya exhaled roughly. "Why me?" She asked, looking at Connor with a blank expression.
Connor blushed, "B-because I want to be like you." He muttered softly.
Freya frowned. "No, you don't." Freya couldn't help the bitterness that came out with her answer. She didn't want Connor to be like her – no one should be like her.
Connor was about to object when James and Fred ran out of their dorms with grins on their faces. Without another word, Freya stood up and walked away. She didn't look at him as she passed, she pretended he wasn't even there.
Standing up, Cordelia looked to the disheartened Connor. "Sorry kid." She said with a sad smile before rushing after Freya.
It didn't take long for Cordelia to catch up with Freya. "Why didn't you help him?" Cordelia asked, looking over at her with a curious expression. Usually, Freya didn't object to helping the younger Guardians, especially when they had the guts to come and ask her, face-to-face. Cordelia was one of the people Freya helped, it was because of that Cordelia really did look up to Freya.
"He wants to be like me," Freya said lowly.
Cordelia sent her a confused look. "What's wrong with that?" Freya was the person nearly everyone looked up to. In the Guardian world, Freya had been the longest Guardian to survive, so everyone wanted to be like her. People wanted to know what her secret was to getting this far.
Freya sighed. "Everything is wrong with that statement."
HARRY POTTER
James and Fred stood at the corner of the Great Hall with large grins on their faces. They had failed to prank the Durmstrang boys on their first day and they were making up for that mistake. James and Fred had been looking at everything, trying to understand why the last prank they tried to pull didn't work. Every prank they had ever done usually worked and had always gone off flawlessly so it was irritating. But now, they had perfected it. In the Great Hall, everyone was congregating for lunch, but James and Fred had other plans.
"Now," James whispered to Fred with a grin.
Fred's grin grew wider and they both take out their wands and waved them.
The Great Hall seemed to explode. All the food in front of the Slytherin's and the Durmstrang boys seemed to explode onto their faces. Many people began screaming trying to get the food off their faces while the other tables began laughing. Hufflepuffs who had been caught in the crossfire began using their fingers to wipe food off their faces and eating it – still looking pretty content. However, many people who got food in their hair were not so happy.
"JAMES! FRED!" Albus shouted out, he was covered in food and looking pissed.
Scorpius was looking at himself in disgust, he was also covered in food.
"Mr Potter! Mr Weasley!" McGonagall shouted, looking highly annoyed. She was standing from her seat in front of everyone. Renée looked disgusted in everyone whereas Vladimir seemed to find this prank absolutely hilarious. He was pointing at his own students and laughing at them.
Fred fell to the ground from laughing so hard, his face red.
James was also laughing, but he stopped when he saw something from the corner of his eyes. Turning his head, he saw a girl walking closer to him. She appeared tall with dark brown hair and stormy grey eyes. The girl walked past him and into the Great Hall, smelling like strawberries. His eyes widened as he was about to shout after this girl who had walked into the Great Hall, but he was interrupted.
"Run!" Fred shouted, running away.
James turned his head in time to see McGonagall walking their way. Seeing this, James bolted and ran after Fred, quickly catching up with him. As James ran, he couldn't help but think of the girl he had seen. For a moment, his memory went fuzzy, but James wasn't letting go of this memory. It seemed very familiar to him and he didn't know why. Just as the memory was about to fade, James fought back, clinging to the memory for dear life. He wanted to remember that girl and he refused to forget her.
HARRY POTTER
Hello everyone!
I wrote this chapter on purpose and it was to really highlight what being a Guardian is really like. It is not a nice thing to be and it was also show the extent of Lance's twisted mind in a sense.