* * * *
Three days later the owls started to pour it for Kendra, barn owls, white owls, owls from all over the world. Many people had known her parents, it seemed, yet none of them had taken interest in her while her parents had still been alive. She didn't open any of the letters, just looked at the name and address, then tossed it onto the growing pile of paper on the floor of the Great Hall. Dumbledore and Snape had withdrawn from Kendra's life for the moment, leaving her alone to grieve with the help of the only person who could understand a fraction of what she felt. Over the past few days that she had spent in the Gryffindor tower, Harry had been with her.
As Ron, Hermione and Parvati grew more and more agitated, waiting for their parents to arrive safely at Hogwarts, Harry and Kendra grew closer, sharing something only they could understand. Kendra talked to her other friends, but not about her parents and when they had offered their condolences she had shaken them off like nothing was wrong. Her concern for her friends' families seemed to be the bigger issue most of the time and it was only when Hermione would come across Kendra and Harry deep in conversation did she finally know how hurt Kendra was.
Breakfast that morning wasn't especially appealing to any of them and they sat picking at it, not wanting to leave the table because breakfast gave them a task. Once they left the table the overwhelming emptiness of the school would leave them nothing to do but worry. With most of the other students gone and no classes to take up their time, The Five were left only with their thoughts of the possible future and no actual information to back up their random ideas.
"Do you suppose it'll be like some apocalyptic battle?" Parvati asked, breaking the silence at the breakfast table. "Will our world been in shambles when we're done?"
"Maybe it won't be that bad," Ron offered. "Maybe we'll be the only ones who are affected."
"I doubt that's true," Kendra said. "Our families have already been drawn into a battle that has yet to begin. Who knows what lengths You-Know-Who will go to."
"I don't want anyone else to die," Hermione murmured. "If he massacres innocent people that guilt will weigh down on us for the rest of our lives."
Silence fell over them again as each of them pondered what their battle would be like. They had been strangely accepting of the daunting task until this point when they each began to wonder what they were really getting into. Were they being set up to die? Would they rush headlong into a battle that they could never win?
Their thoughts were broken when the doors to the Great Hall banged open and Snape hurried in, followed by three couples. Hermione's face lit up and without a word she rushed into the arms of the nearest woman. Her mother smiled and hugged Hermione tightly as her father gently brushed her hair off her face.
Parvati stood, then went to her parents, burying her face in her mother's neck. They looked far more worried than Hermione's parents did, possibly because they could better understand the threat of Voldemort.
Ron stood last, expecting his parents to come to him. Mrs Weasley patted him on the head, a feat for the tiny woman, then pushed past him to Kendra.
"Oh, my dear, I read all about it in the Daily Prophet," she exclaimed, sweeping Kendra into a hug. "Just so you know, if you ever need a place to stay when school lets out the Burrow is always open to you."
Kendra, having never met Mrs Weasley before, looked momentarily shocked by the hug, but she soon relaxed. Harry watched as her arms self consciously wrapped around the woman and she began to cry, silent sobs shaking her small body. Ron's mother made sympathetic clucking noises and smoothed down Kendra's hair as she cried.
"Poor dear, you must be just heart broken," Mrs Weasley murmured. "Harry here must be the only one who can possibly understand you."
Kendra nodded miserably and tried to wipe her eyes.
"You just get it all out," Mrs Weasley insisted. "Ron can wait for me, he sees me all the time."
Kendra wiped her tears away and took a step back. "I'm all right now, really."
"Are you sure, dear?" Mrs Weasley asked.
She nodded slowly. "I'm sure." She glanced at the other parents. "Everyone is okay? No one tried to hurt you?"
Parvati's mother shook her head. "We're all safe. We're terribly sorry for what happened to your parents, but we're very thankful that you had the sense to have Dumbledore contact us. We owe you our lives."
Kendra blushed slightly and shook her head. "No, it's not because of me that you are safe. It is because of the quick actions of Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore. Don't thank me, thank them."
As Hermione, Ron and Parvati started private conversations with their parents, Harry and Kendra began to leave the Great Hall. Their friends were with their families now, they deserved their privacy. Snape brushed past them on their way out, disappearing in a dark hall, his shoes thumping loudly on the dungeon stairs.
"Are you really okay?" Harry asked as they strolled the empty halls of Hogwarts.
Kendra shrugged. "I suppose. I mean, my parents are dead, it's going to be rather hard getting used to that, but at least I knew them. You didn't even know your parents."
Harry smiled sadly. "That's true, but I accepted that a long time ago. Now all we have to do is get our revenge on Voldemort."
Kendra smiled back. "Oh, and that shouldn't be too difficult."
Harry laughed. "A breeze."
"That's what you think," a voice said from behind them.
Harry frowned, then turned to find Draco Malfoy at the end of the hall that had just entered. He was trembling from head to toe, rage evident in his pale eyes. Both of his hands were clenched in tight fists on either side of his body and inside his arm, just below the joint of his elbow was the Dark Mark, burned into his skin.
"You're a Death Eater," Harry breathed, his eyes wide.
"Good guess Potter," Draco sneered. "Don't you wish you had known sooner? Maybe then you would have been able to prevent this."
"Draco, just stop," Kendra said. "Stop and think about what you're saying."
"No," he said. "No, I think I've thought about this quite enough."
Harry started toward Draco while he was distracted by Kendra, but Draco turned toward him and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Harry felt his body lock up, his joints stiffening and his muscles constricting painfully. He toppled over, dangerously near a staircase that twisted into the depths of the dungeons on his left. He could do nothing but watch as Draco grinned and advanced on Kendra.
"So you're part of The Five," Draco murmured. "My father warned me about you, he said you'd do nothing but get in the way. But I think I know of a way to get rid of you."
"My wand," Kendra moaned, knowing she had left it in the Great Hall after Mrs Weasley had hugged her.
"What, caught without your wand?" Draco laughed. "Not a very smart move for one of the so-called 'world saviours', is it?"
Harry tried to fight the curse, he tried desperately to move his legs but nothing would work. His eyes were frozen open and he was forced to watch Draco point his wand at Kendra, smiling menacingly the entire time. If Kendra was hurt now, or if he ended up falling down the stairs and being injured, there was no telling what would happen to The Five.
"I'm going to enjoy this," he murmured, leaning in close to her. "Of course, you could always convince me not to hurt you. Say a few more words like those you said to me on the night of the All Hallow's Eve Ball and maybe I'll let you off easy."
"You wish," Kendra spat angrily.
"Your choice sweetheart," Draco murmured. He grinned and hissed, "Crucio."
Kendra dropped to her knees and screamed, the sound piercing the silence of the school. Her palms slammed against the stone floor and her fingers drew inward, three of her fingernails snapping raggedly as she scraped them against the stone. Blood pooled under her hands as she drew in another deep, shuddering breath and screamed once more.
Draco smiled, watching the girl writhe in agony. Her eyes were squeezed shut, blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth and coloured her chin red. Her chest constricted painfully and her legs gave out completely. As Kendra fell, her head slammed against the rock wall and she moaned, even through the haze of pain that already covered her.
"Want another go, bitch?" Draco hissed. "I'll keep doing this until you can't even move. I'll do this until you go mad. Unless of course you just give up."
Kendra mumbled something unintelligible, then coughed up blood onto the floor.
"What was that?" Draco asked.
"I said, you could try it again, but it might not be in your best interest," Kendra repeated.
Draco laughed, pointed his wand at her again and said, "Crucio."
Her scream was no less pained than the one before, but Draco was ready for the noise. What he wasn't prepared for were the strong hands that grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. Snape loomed over him, a mixture of emotions clouding his normally expressionless eyes. Grief, at losing a favoured student to Voldemort. Rage, for what he was doing to Kendra. Disgust when his dark eyes flickered to the Dark Mark on Draco's arm.
"Draco, no," Snape said quietly, his voice pleading.
"Let go of me," Draco ordered, his wand out.
"No," Snape said more firmly. "You're not getting away with this."
Draco's pale eyes narrowed in disgust. "I thought you were one of us Snape. I thought you were still loyal to Voldemort." He grabbed Snape's arm and pushed up the sleeve of his robe. The faint outline of the Dark Mark could still be seen on the inside of his elbow.
"You think this kind of mark goes away?" Draco asked. "It never goes away. This is with you for life."
"You're going to Azkaban," Snape said softly.
Anger flashed in Draco's eyes. "I'm not going anywhere." He pointed his wand in Snape's direction and before the professor could react he had yelled, "Crucio."
As Snape dropped to the floor, Draco turned and fled the building. His footsteps faded quickly and Harry watched as Kendra slowly recovered and Snape suffered horribly. His teeth were gritted in his determination not to scream, his eyes tight with concentration. With one hand he braced himself against the floor, leaned over with his other arm across his stomach.
"Professor," Kendra said quietly, her voice shaking. "Professor, I'm going to take your wand out of your robes and use it to help Harry. Is that all right?"
She inched toward him on the floor, still unable to stand, and reached inside the front of his robe to find his wand. Her hand closed down over it and she slowly removed it, her hand trembling.
"Ennervate," Kendra whispered, the wand pointed in Harry's direction.
He felt his body slowly begin to let go and in minutes he was on his feet, hurrying over to where Kendra and Snape were both lying on the floor. Kendra was lying on her back with her eyes closed, Snape's wand still held lightly in her hand. Snape was still bent over, but he was now resting his forehead against the cool floor, breathing heavily from the pain that was still coursing through his body.
"I-I'll get someone," Harry said quickly, then ran down the hall, screaming for any of the professors to notice him.
"Professor?" Kendra asked after a long moment of silence.
Snape slumped to the ground completely and turned his face toward her. "Yes Miss Rayne?"
"It's happened to you before, hasn't it?"
"What has?"
"The Cruciatus Curse," Kendra said slowly. "It's been put on you before."
Snape closed his eyes, his head still turned in her direction. "Yes Miss Rayne, it has. I was a Death Eater that betrayed Voldemort. I was punished many times over. I still don't know why I wasn't killed." He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling, wondering if there was anything more he should say.
Instead, they fell silent again, the only sound in the corridor was that of their laboured breathing. It had been a shock to both of them to discover that Draco Malfoy had indeed followed in the footsteps of his father. Snape had been so sure that the boy had been on the right path, but he had been proven wrong. Draco was a Death Eater and he had performed a forbidden curse on two different people in one night. Unless Lucius could find a way to protect his son, Draco would be found and sent to Azkaban.
After a long moment, Kendra sat up and reached toward Snape. He stiffened and shrunk away from her hand, but the hurt frown on her face made him rethink his reaction. Slowly, he relaxed and let her replace his wand in his robes.
"Sorry," she murmured, backing away. "I probably shouldn't have done that."
Snape waved his hand dismissively and closed his eyes again. Every movement hurt, despite all the practice he'd already had with suffering through the Cruciatus Curse. He was completely surprised by the fact that Kendra was already sitting up, so very soon after being cursed twice and tortured horribly.
"Do you feel all right?" he asked suddenly.
Kendra glanced at him and shrugged carefully. "It feels like my blood is on fire," she said, then laughed. "What a cliché, right?"
"It may be a cliché, but it is the perfect description," Snape assured her. "But what I find strange is that you can move so freely where I am still completely incapacitated. The Cruciatus Curse can disable grown men for anywhere from three hours to a week. How is it that you can already move?"
"It hurts," Kendra admitted, "but it's fading quickly. Maybe it has something to do with The Five. Maybe we're affected less by curses."
Snape shook his head. "I wouldn't think so. I've seen Potter and his friends affected by many different curses."
"Well, we just found out about this power recently. Maybe it's something we developed recently."
"Potter couldn't fight the body bind, could he?" Snape pointed out.
Kendra shrugged. "Does one usually get up so quickly after a body bind?"
Snape paused, then frowned. "Actually, no. It's . . . well, I really don't know what it is."
Silence fell over the hall once more as they both thought about the effectiveness of the curses. In the distance they could hear voices shouting and they began to get louder, as the footsteps of many pounded down the hall toward them.
Kendra smiled dryly. "We're saved."
Snape nodded slightly in acknowledgement.
"Thank you, by the way."
He turned to her. "For what?"
"For saving me. It seems you were right," Kendra said. "We're not allowed to die."
* * * *
Three days later the owls started to pour it for Kendra, barn owls, white owls, owls from all over the world. Many people had known her parents, it seemed, yet none of them had taken interest in her while her parents had still been alive. She didn't open any of the letters, just looked at the name and address, then tossed it onto the growing pile of paper on the floor of the Great Hall. Dumbledore and Snape had withdrawn from Kendra's life for the moment, leaving her alone to grieve with the help of the only person who could understand a fraction of what she felt. Over the past few days that she had spent in the Gryffindor tower, Harry had been with her.
As Ron, Hermione and Parvati grew more and more agitated, waiting for their parents to arrive safely at Hogwarts, Harry and Kendra grew closer, sharing something only they could understand. Kendra talked to her other friends, but not about her parents and when they had offered their condolences she had shaken them off like nothing was wrong. Her concern for her friends' families seemed to be the bigger issue most of the time and it was only when Hermione would come across Kendra and Harry deep in conversation did she finally know how hurt Kendra was.
Breakfast that morning wasn't especially appealing to any of them and they sat picking at it, not wanting to leave the table because breakfast gave them a task. Once they left the table the overwhelming emptiness of the school would leave them nothing to do but worry. With most of the other students gone and no classes to take up their time, The Five were left only with their thoughts of the possible future and no actual information to back up their random ideas.
"Do you suppose it'll be like some apocalyptic battle?" Parvati asked, breaking the silence at the breakfast table. "Will our world been in shambles when we're done?"
"Maybe it won't be that bad," Ron offered. "Maybe we'll be the only ones who are affected."
"I doubt that's true," Kendra said. "Our families have already been drawn into a battle that has yet to begin. Who knows what lengths You-Know-Who will go to."
"I don't want anyone else to die," Hermione murmured. "If he massacres innocent people that guilt will weigh down on us for the rest of our lives."
Silence fell over them again as each of them pondered what their battle would be like. They had been strangely accepting of the daunting task until this point when they each began to wonder what they were really getting into. Were they being set up to die? Would they rush headlong into a battle that they could never win?
Their thoughts were broken when the doors to the Great Hall banged open and Snape hurried in, followed by three couples. Hermione's face lit up and without a word she rushed into the arms of the nearest woman. Her mother smiled and hugged Hermione tightly as her father gently brushed her hair off her face.
Parvati stood, then went to her parents, burying her face in her mother's neck. They looked far more worried than Hermione's parents did, possibly because they could better understand the threat of Voldemort.
Ron stood last, expecting his parents to come to him. Mrs Weasley patted him on the head, a feat for the tiny woman, then pushed past him to Kendra.
"Oh, my dear, I read all about it in the Daily Prophet," she exclaimed, sweeping Kendra into a hug. "Just so you know, if you ever need a place to stay when school lets out the Burrow is always open to you."
Kendra, having never met Mrs Weasley before, looked momentarily shocked by the hug, but she soon relaxed. Harry watched as her arms self consciously wrapped around the woman and she began to cry, silent sobs shaking her small body. Ron's mother made sympathetic clucking noises and smoothed down Kendra's hair as she cried.
"Poor dear, you must be just heart broken," Mrs Weasley murmured. "Harry here must be the only one who can possibly understand you."
Kendra nodded miserably and tried to wipe her eyes.
"You just get it all out," Mrs Weasley insisted. "Ron can wait for me, he sees me all the time."
Kendra wiped her tears away and took a step back. "I'm all right now, really."
"Are you sure, dear?" Mrs Weasley asked.
She nodded slowly. "I'm sure." She glanced at the other parents. "Everyone is okay? No one tried to hurt you?"
Parvati's mother shook her head. "We're all safe. We're terribly sorry for what happened to your parents, but we're very thankful that you had the sense to have Dumbledore contact us. We owe you our lives."
Kendra blushed slightly and shook her head. "No, it's not because of me that you are safe. It is because of the quick actions of Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore. Don't thank me, thank them."
As Hermione, Ron and Parvati started private conversations with their parents, Harry and Kendra began to leave the Great Hall. Their friends were with their families now, they deserved their privacy. Snape brushed past them on their way out, disappearing in a dark hall, his shoes thumping loudly on the dungeon stairs.
"Are you really okay?" Harry asked as they strolled the empty halls of Hogwarts.
Kendra shrugged. "I suppose. I mean, my parents are dead, it's going to be rather hard getting used to that, but at least I knew them. You didn't even know your parents."
Harry smiled sadly. "That's true, but I accepted that a long time ago. Now all we have to do is get our revenge on Voldemort."
Kendra smiled back. "Oh, and that shouldn't be too difficult."
Harry laughed. "A breeze."
"That's what you think," a voice said from behind them.
Harry frowned, then turned to find Draco Malfoy at the end of the hall that had just entered. He was trembling from head to toe, rage evident in his pale eyes. Both of his hands were clenched in tight fists on either side of his body and inside his arm, just below the joint of his elbow was the Dark Mark, burned into his skin.
"You're a Death Eater," Harry breathed, his eyes wide.
"Good guess Potter," Draco sneered. "Don't you wish you had known sooner? Maybe then you would have been able to prevent this."
"Draco, just stop," Kendra said. "Stop and think about what you're saying."
"No," he said. "No, I think I've thought about this quite enough."
Harry started toward Draco while he was distracted by Kendra, but Draco turned toward him and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"
Harry felt his body lock up, his joints stiffening and his muscles constricting painfully. He toppled over, dangerously near a staircase that twisted into the depths of the dungeons on his left. He could do nothing but watch as Draco grinned and advanced on Kendra.
"So you're part of The Five," Draco murmured. "My father warned me about you, he said you'd do nothing but get in the way. But I think I know of a way to get rid of you."
"My wand," Kendra moaned, knowing she had left it in the Great Hall after Mrs Weasley had hugged her.
"What, caught without your wand?" Draco laughed. "Not a very smart move for one of the so-called 'world saviours', is it?"
Harry tried to fight the curse, he tried desperately to move his legs but nothing would work. His eyes were frozen open and he was forced to watch Draco point his wand at Kendra, smiling menacingly the entire time. If Kendra was hurt now, or if he ended up falling down the stairs and being injured, there was no telling what would happen to The Five.
"I'm going to enjoy this," he murmured, leaning in close to her. "Of course, you could always convince me not to hurt you. Say a few more words like those you said to me on the night of the All Hallow's Eve Ball and maybe I'll let you off easy."
"You wish," Kendra spat angrily.
"Your choice sweetheart," Draco murmured. He grinned and hissed, "Crucio."
Kendra dropped to her knees and screamed, the sound piercing the silence of the school. Her palms slammed against the stone floor and her fingers drew inward, three of her fingernails snapping raggedly as she scraped them against the stone. Blood pooled under her hands as she drew in another deep, shuddering breath and screamed once more.
Draco smiled, watching the girl writhe in agony. Her eyes were squeezed shut, blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth and coloured her chin red. Her chest constricted painfully and her legs gave out completely. As Kendra fell, her head slammed against the rock wall and she moaned, even through the haze of pain that already covered her.
"Want another go, bitch?" Draco hissed. "I'll keep doing this until you can't even move. I'll do this until you go mad. Unless of course you just give up."
Kendra mumbled something unintelligible, then coughed up blood onto the floor.
"What was that?" Draco asked.
"I said, you could try it again, but it might not be in your best interest," Kendra repeated.
Draco laughed, pointed his wand at her again and said, "Crucio."
Her scream was no less pained than the one before, but Draco was ready for the noise. What he wasn't prepared for were the strong hands that grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. Snape loomed over him, a mixture of emotions clouding his normally expressionless eyes. Grief, at losing a favoured student to Voldemort. Rage, for what he was doing to Kendra. Disgust when his dark eyes flickered to the Dark Mark on Draco's arm.
"Draco, no," Snape said quietly, his voice pleading.
"Let go of me," Draco ordered, his wand out.
"No," Snape said more firmly. "You're not getting away with this."
Draco's pale eyes narrowed in disgust. "I thought you were one of us Snape. I thought you were still loyal to Voldemort." He grabbed Snape's arm and pushed up the sleeve of his robe. The faint outline of the Dark Mark could still be seen on the inside of his elbow.
"You think this kind of mark goes away?" Draco asked. "It never goes away. This is with you for life."
"You're going to Azkaban," Snape said softly.
Anger flashed in Draco's eyes. "I'm not going anywhere." He pointed his wand in Snape's direction and before the professor could react he had yelled, "Crucio."
As Snape dropped to the floor, Draco turned and fled the building. His footsteps faded quickly and Harry watched as Kendra slowly recovered and Snape suffered horribly. His teeth were gritted in his determination not to scream, his eyes tight with concentration. With one hand he braced himself against the floor, leaned over with his other arm across his stomach.
"Professor," Kendra said quietly, her voice shaking. "Professor, I'm going to take your wand out of your robes and use it to help Harry. Is that all right?"
She inched toward him on the floor, still unable to stand, and reached inside the front of his robe to find his wand. Her hand closed down over it and she slowly removed it, her hand trembling.
"Ennervate," Kendra whispered, the wand pointed in Harry's direction.
He felt his body slowly begin to let go and in minutes he was on his feet, hurrying over to where Kendra and Snape were both lying on the floor. Kendra was lying on her back with her eyes closed, Snape's wand still held lightly in her hand. Snape was still bent over, but he was now resting his forehead against the cool floor, breathing heavily from the pain that was still coursing through his body.
"I-I'll get someone," Harry said quickly, then ran down the hall, screaming for any of the professors to notice him.
"Professor?" Kendra asked after a long moment of silence.
Snape slumped to the ground completely and turned his face toward her. "Yes Miss Rayne?"
"It's happened to you before, hasn't it?"
"What has?"
"The Cruciatus Curse," Kendra said slowly. "It's been put on you before."
Snape closed his eyes, his head still turned in her direction. "Yes Miss Rayne, it has. I was a Death Eater that betrayed Voldemort. I was punished many times over. I still don't know why I wasn't killed." He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling, wondering if there was anything more he should say.
Instead, they fell silent again, the only sound in the corridor was that of their laboured breathing. It had been a shock to both of them to discover that Draco Malfoy had indeed followed in the footsteps of his father. Snape had been so sure that the boy had been on the right path, but he had been proven wrong. Draco was a Death Eater and he had performed a forbidden curse on two different people in one night. Unless Lucius could find a way to protect his son, Draco would be found and sent to Azkaban.
After a long moment, Kendra sat up and reached toward Snape. He stiffened and shrunk away from her hand, but the hurt frown on her face made him rethink his reaction. Slowly, he relaxed and let her replace his wand in his robes.
"Sorry," she murmured, backing away. "I probably shouldn't have done that."
Snape waved his hand dismissively and closed his eyes again. Every movement hurt, despite all the practice he'd already had with suffering through the Cruciatus Curse. He was completely surprised by the fact that Kendra was already sitting up, so very soon after being cursed twice and tortured horribly.
"Do you feel all right?" he asked suddenly.
Kendra glanced at him and shrugged carefully. "It feels like my blood is on fire," she said, then laughed. "What a cliché, right?"
"It may be a cliché, but it is the perfect description," Snape assured her. "But what I find strange is that you can move so freely where I am still completely incapacitated. The Cruciatus Curse can disable grown men for anywhere from three hours to a week. How is it that you can already move?"
"It hurts," Kendra admitted, "but it's fading quickly. Maybe it has something to do with The Five. Maybe we're affected less by curses."
Snape shook his head. "I wouldn't think so. I've seen Potter and his friends affected by many different curses."
"Well, we just found out about this power recently. Maybe it's something we developed recently."
"Potter couldn't fight the body bind, could he?" Snape pointed out.
Kendra shrugged. "Does one usually get up so quickly after a body bind?"
Snape paused, then frowned. "Actually, no. It's . . . well, I really don't know what it is."
Silence fell over the hall once more as they both thought about the effectiveness of the curses. In the distance they could hear voices shouting and they began to get louder, as the footsteps of many pounded down the hall toward them.
Kendra smiled dryly. "We're saved."
Snape nodded slightly in acknowledgement.
"Thank you, by the way."
He turned to her. "For what?"
"For saving me. It seems you were right," Kendra said. "We're not allowed to die."
* * * *