A/N: Eei! My brand-new series! Er…my first series! Quick plot note: this is
set A/H, in the year 2002. The prologue, however, is set in 2001. The war
with Voldemort is over, but there are new terrors striking the wizarding
world! Enjoy. ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter related except for bits of this plot. Most of the ideas from my plot I based on the manga Hunter X Hunter, so I don't really own that either. Haha.
Web of Lies:
Prologue
"I fear, too early: for my mind misgives
Some consequence yet hanging in the stars
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this night's revels and expire the term
Of a despised life closed in my breast
By some vile forfeit of untimely death.
But He, that hath the steerage of my course,
Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen." –Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
They were running late, as always. The tall, gangly redheaded man who was leaning against a wooden doorpost shouted up the stairs to his wife. "Darling, we're late! And you know how impatient Mum can get, especially when it's a big family gathering like this…" A murmured "mmm-hmm" was the response.
Finally, five minutes later (although it seemed like an eternity to the man waiting), the wife came flying down the stairs, a flash of colors and carrying the bundle which was their thirteen-month-old child. "I didn't even have enough time to magic my hair straight," the wife complained, patting her dark mass of curls.
"You look beautiful as always," the husband said, kissing his wife softly on the lips before looking down and laughing at the child pressed between them. "As do you, little one!" The man tickled his child affectionately before his wife suddenly spoke up.
"Oh blast it all! I forgot to pick up the refill of her formula; I just got an owl from Odgen's Pharmacy this morning. She's going to be bloody cranky all afternoon if I don't go pick it up. Listen, why don't you head over to your parents' while Hannah and I pop over quickly to Diagon Alley and grab her formula. Tell your mother I'm dreadfully sorry that I'm extra delayed, and oh! That I'll pick up some wine for dinner."
The husband looked disgruntled, but obeyed his wife in any case. She had him tied around her finger. "Fine, fine." One last sweet kiss, and then the husband Apparated away.
"Well, snookie, let's floo on over and get you your din-din!" The woman cooed at her dark-eyed child, who giggled, spat, and cooed back while grabbing her mother's finger. The woman laughed and hugged her child, throwing some Floo Powder in to the fire. "Odgen's Pharmacy!"
***
The woman appeared, exactly 2.4 seconds later, in the fireplace of Odgen's Pharmacy. Muttering (it sounded something curiously like, "Damned Floo Network. Think they could possibly make the transports something any dirtier?"), she shook the soot off of herself and her child and looked around the dark Odgen's Pharmacy.
Rows and rows of wizard medications were lined up, including of course, the pharmacy counter. Exactly where the woman was headed. Handing her purchase slip to the owl-eyed pharmacist, she said, "I'm here to pick up baby formula." The man looked over the slip, nodded twice, looked back at the woman, nodded, handed her a stock of formula, and said, "Please pay at the register."
True to her word, the woman picked up a bottle of Elderflower Wine on her way to the register (a particular favorite of her mother-in-law's), as well as a bottle of the famous Odgen's Old Firewhisky, a special treat for her father-in-law. Humming as she paid the hunched over woman, the woman felt that she couldn't be happier in the world. That's when the feeling hit her.
It was instant panic. She hadn't felt anything like it ever before. Just a tugging at her heart, a note that felt a bit off in the melody of her life. The woman knew something was very wrong. Her eyes large and her pulse racing, the woman grabbed her bag and adjusted her daughter on her waist in one swift, fluid movement. She closed her eyes and was about to Apparate (for the longing to get to her parent-in-laws' left her no time to floo) when she suddenly felt if she didn't want to go at all. She was much safer here in the pharmacy, in fact. Her mind set on those who were dearest to her though, the woman Apparated, clinging closely to her child and appeared on the scene of the crime.
In front of her was nothing where a house should have been. Where her family should have been. The woman's panic was taking her over, a fitful demon. "What the hell?" she whispered, fearing the worst. And then everything she saw fit together: the blankness of it all, a few little ashes clinging sorely to grass, the taunting little breeze that stuck to her, and most of all, the fourteen (in exact) spiders crawling all over the ashes.
The woman fell to the grass, clutching her child to her, sobbing hysterically and screaming and cursing and fuck why did this have to happen to her when she was finally getting used to her life finally getting happy. She was bawling as she looked up in to the clear sky and cursed everything that existed.
The Phantom Brigade had struck again, and had hit their hardest target.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything Harry Potter related except for bits of this plot. Most of the ideas from my plot I based on the manga Hunter X Hunter, so I don't really own that either. Haha.
Web of Lies:
Prologue
"I fear, too early: for my mind misgives
Some consequence yet hanging in the stars
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this night's revels and expire the term
Of a despised life closed in my breast
By some vile forfeit of untimely death.
But He, that hath the steerage of my course,
Direct my sail! On, lusty gentlemen." –Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare
They were running late, as always. The tall, gangly redheaded man who was leaning against a wooden doorpost shouted up the stairs to his wife. "Darling, we're late! And you know how impatient Mum can get, especially when it's a big family gathering like this…" A murmured "mmm-hmm" was the response.
Finally, five minutes later (although it seemed like an eternity to the man waiting), the wife came flying down the stairs, a flash of colors and carrying the bundle which was their thirteen-month-old child. "I didn't even have enough time to magic my hair straight," the wife complained, patting her dark mass of curls.
"You look beautiful as always," the husband said, kissing his wife softly on the lips before looking down and laughing at the child pressed between them. "As do you, little one!" The man tickled his child affectionately before his wife suddenly spoke up.
"Oh blast it all! I forgot to pick up the refill of her formula; I just got an owl from Odgen's Pharmacy this morning. She's going to be bloody cranky all afternoon if I don't go pick it up. Listen, why don't you head over to your parents' while Hannah and I pop over quickly to Diagon Alley and grab her formula. Tell your mother I'm dreadfully sorry that I'm extra delayed, and oh! That I'll pick up some wine for dinner."
The husband looked disgruntled, but obeyed his wife in any case. She had him tied around her finger. "Fine, fine." One last sweet kiss, and then the husband Apparated away.
"Well, snookie, let's floo on over and get you your din-din!" The woman cooed at her dark-eyed child, who giggled, spat, and cooed back while grabbing her mother's finger. The woman laughed and hugged her child, throwing some Floo Powder in to the fire. "Odgen's Pharmacy!"
***
The woman appeared, exactly 2.4 seconds later, in the fireplace of Odgen's Pharmacy. Muttering (it sounded something curiously like, "Damned Floo Network. Think they could possibly make the transports something any dirtier?"), she shook the soot off of herself and her child and looked around the dark Odgen's Pharmacy.
Rows and rows of wizard medications were lined up, including of course, the pharmacy counter. Exactly where the woman was headed. Handing her purchase slip to the owl-eyed pharmacist, she said, "I'm here to pick up baby formula." The man looked over the slip, nodded twice, looked back at the woman, nodded, handed her a stock of formula, and said, "Please pay at the register."
True to her word, the woman picked up a bottle of Elderflower Wine on her way to the register (a particular favorite of her mother-in-law's), as well as a bottle of the famous Odgen's Old Firewhisky, a special treat for her father-in-law. Humming as she paid the hunched over woman, the woman felt that she couldn't be happier in the world. That's when the feeling hit her.
It was instant panic. She hadn't felt anything like it ever before. Just a tugging at her heart, a note that felt a bit off in the melody of her life. The woman knew something was very wrong. Her eyes large and her pulse racing, the woman grabbed her bag and adjusted her daughter on her waist in one swift, fluid movement. She closed her eyes and was about to Apparate (for the longing to get to her parent-in-laws' left her no time to floo) when she suddenly felt if she didn't want to go at all. She was much safer here in the pharmacy, in fact. Her mind set on those who were dearest to her though, the woman Apparated, clinging closely to her child and appeared on the scene of the crime.
In front of her was nothing where a house should have been. Where her family should have been. The woman's panic was taking her over, a fitful demon. "What the hell?" she whispered, fearing the worst. And then everything she saw fit together: the blankness of it all, a few little ashes clinging sorely to grass, the taunting little breeze that stuck to her, and most of all, the fourteen (in exact) spiders crawling all over the ashes.
The woman fell to the grass, clutching her child to her, sobbing hysterically and screaming and cursing and fuck why did this have to happen to her when she was finally getting used to her life finally getting happy. She was bawling as she looked up in to the clear sky and cursed everything that existed.
The Phantom Brigade had struck again, and had hit their hardest target.