Evil Still Blooms: Slytherin's Story
Chapter 9: Guests in the Garden
Author's Note: Okay, I'll try to make this quick, but it probably won't be. Before I forget, I would like to take this space to honor the memory of Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies and who recently died of cancer. If you have seen the second Harry Potter movie yet, you would probably understand if I said that Richard Harris didn't look very well. At least he spent the last year of his life doing one of the things he loved most: acting. Also, go see the movie if you haven't yet!! In my opinion, it is sooo much better than last year's. If that doesn't convince you, the Lucius Malfoy in the movie looks like an older Legolas! *Everyone runs to the theater* Off you go! Also, an apology if things are confusing in this chapter, I'm trying to make it as smoothly running as possible. Lastly, after this is complete (one more chapter after this), I was planning to write a fic about Hermione's second year called "Locks and Keys." Please let me know if you are interested. Now, read on, and afterwards, GO SEE THE MOVIE!
A strange sight awaited Snape when he stepped into Voldemort's chambers. The man who was usually alive with excitement, cackling about his evil plans, was sitting silently in a chair with a look of defeat and depression.
"What could possibly be wrong with you?" Snape asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Voldemort did not look up. "I am doing a terrible thing, Severus."
Snape was stunned. Voldemort's tone did not suggest that he was joking. Pansy had just left the room, hadn't she? Snape frowned. What had happened?
"The girl is in *love* with me, Severus," mumbled Voldemort. "She was just crying in here, sobbing and saying that I was the only one who cared about her..."
The potions teacher could only stand there and slowly process what he was being told. If Pansy had told Voldemort that he was the only one who cared about her, did that mean that she had seen through his own fake feelings for her? Or was she only concealing the relationship that they had a Hogwarts from Voldemort? Did either of the possibilities make sense?!"
And Voldemort was actually caring about someone else's feelings? That was new.
Frustrated, Snape shook his head as if to clear his confusion and marched over to Voldemort's chair. "You must snap out of this!" he insisted. "If you were in your right mind, you would know that now is the perfect time to settle everything!"
Voldemort nodded slowly. "You are right..." He took a deep breath, and looked up at Snape, his eyes glinting. "Pansy is the one I have chosen as my wife. As for Erica, I'll have to kill her. She can be terribly annoying and destructive when she doesn't get her way. Severus," continued Voldemort, "Do you know why I chose Pansy and not Erica?"
"Quite frankly, no," replied Snape, who by this time was more confused than ever. "I was never sure you would actually listen to anything I suggested."
Voldemort smiled. "You see, if I were just a normal wizard, Erica would be the perfect choice. She's from a wealthy family, she is intelligent, and she is beautiful," said Voldemort with a scandalous look on his face. "But Erica lacks something very important thing... faithfulness. She wants power. No matter how sweet she may look or how well she may serve you, evil still blooms in her heart like an ever-growing flower. Pansy is the exact opposite. She will do anything for one who will give her love. Not money, not authority, but love. And her obedience is easy to grow... I believe you already know this fact to be true, Severus?" A horrible expression spread over Voldemort's face.
Snape swallowed hard. He knew about what had happened a Hogwarts, between him and Pansy. Somehow, he knew. Snape suddenly felt ill.
Voldemort whisked his wand out of his robe pocket. "You will pay," he hissed.
*CLASH*
The two wizards glanced up as a vase on a nearby table smashed on the floor. The red roses it had been holding lay crushed on the ground, buried underneath a pile of sparkling pieces of glass. Water was seeping quickly into the carpet.
Someone had knocked over the vase.
"Severus. Go and send one of the guards to Wormtail immediately. The wedding will take place this evening. Hurry."
~*~
A few thousand miles away in New York, a little girl was trying to choose what flowers to plant in her little garden. Her mother had given her a book called "The Book of Blossoms," and after looking at the photos, the girl was determined to plant ericas: small, pink, tube-like flowers.
The mother shook her head when she heard the girl's choice. "You can't grow ericas." She picked up the book and read the description aloud. "'Often not long lived. Rather demanding to grow.'" The mother scanned through the book. "How about pansies? 'Can withstand frosts. Easy to grow.'"
"But the ericas are so pretty," whined the girl.
"Now, now," cooed the mother. "They would only cause you disappointment. You would have to watch over them like a hawk, or else they would die! Pansies will be much easier, and I assure you that they are just as pretty... wait and see..."
Back in England, in a huge castle, on the tenth floor, in the corner of a hallway, outside of a great wizard's chambers, underneath an invisibility cloak, Hermione was reading the exact same description of ericas and pansies.
Pansies were easy to grow, to control, to manipulate. And that was all Voldemort wanted.
Pansy Parkinson was The Bloomist. But the title was empty.
Hermione walked to Pansy's room and quietly let herself inside. She could hear her humming in the bathroom, and after peeking through the keyhole, Hermione saw that Pansy was trying on a magnificent gown as she made faces and posed in front of the mirror. Hermione couldn't laugh. Her own life was at stake, and time was running out. Even worse, she had no idea what to do or how to escape. Judging by the fact that Pansy was getting married to Voldemort, asking her for help would be the worst thing to do. Pansy would love to hand her over to Voldemort on a silver platter.
What could she do?? She had to do something before-
A guard stepped through the door. "Miss Parkinson?" he called.
"Coming," shouted Pansy, and she came out of the bathroom.
The guard bowed. "The master has requested that you meet him in the garden promptly. Please wear your finest attire."
Pansy flashed him a smile. "Will this do?" she asked, smoothing her gown.
The guard smiled back. "It's perfect." He gestured toward the door, and they left the room.
Hermione let out a sigh of both relief and exasperation. She had nothing better to do than to follow them and see what would happen.
Why were things working out this way? She had only come to help Pansy. But what about herself? She closed her eyes. Would anyone from Hogwarts ever find her before Voldemort did? She missed Harry... and Ron...
She hated Pansy. But all the same, she felt sorry for her. She was blinded by confusion. She was going to get hurt.
Hermione watched Voldemort and Pansy from the bushes as they sat by the fountain, as he knelt in front of her and slid a diamond ring on her white finger, as she smiled at him and thought she had everything. Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. She wished she had that, even for just a moment... wait. She did have that... once. With Viktor, over the summer. But then everything went wrong...
Voldemort was kissing her now. Hermione looked away and thought about how warm it was outside. She took off the invisibility cloak. She didn't need it anymore since she was hidden by the bushes...
There was a sound of rustling leaves behind Hermione. A hand shot out of a bush and grabbed onto her arm, dragging her out of her hiding place, into the courtyard, by the fountain, in front of Voldemort and Pansy, who awakened from being lost in themselves and gaped at the people before them.
Hermione had only a moment to recognize the long blond hair before the owner himself turned to stare at her with detesting eyes.
"Lucius...?" Voldemort gasped.
Mr. Malfoy smirked. "I'm afraid you have the wrong Bloomist, Voldemort." Hermione was shoved forward, knocking Pansy into the fountain and leaving Voldemort staring at Hermione with a mixture of confusion and disgust.
"I believe Severus gave you a twisted explanation of The Bloomist Legend. It will only come true if you grow to love and marry... a Mudblood."
"Like last time," Voldemort spit hatefully.
"Yes... just like with Rose..."
What?? Hermione looked back and forth between the two men, trying to understand. Meanwhile, a fit of coughs came from the fountain behind her. Pansy. Hermione's heart sank. She was surrounded by people who loathed her.
-"You will not touch either of them."-
Hermione searched for the voice, her eyes resting on the figure of someone she loved, respected, and at that moment, worshipped.
No, it was not Harry Potter.
It was Albus Dumbledore.
Pansy stood in the fountain, her eyes wide and full of shock. Lucius and Voldemort were backing away as they whipped out their wands. Hermione just sat there. She wanted to smile, but it couldn't be over yet, this easily... the two most powerful wizards in the world were facing each other now; it could only end with...
"AVADA KADAVRA!"
There was a flash of light... and Hermione closed her eyes.
Chapter 9: Guests in the Garden
Author's Note: Okay, I'll try to make this quick, but it probably won't be. Before I forget, I would like to take this space to honor the memory of Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter movies and who recently died of cancer. If you have seen the second Harry Potter movie yet, you would probably understand if I said that Richard Harris didn't look very well. At least he spent the last year of his life doing one of the things he loved most: acting. Also, go see the movie if you haven't yet!! In my opinion, it is sooo much better than last year's. If that doesn't convince you, the Lucius Malfoy in the movie looks like an older Legolas! *Everyone runs to the theater* Off you go! Also, an apology if things are confusing in this chapter, I'm trying to make it as smoothly running as possible. Lastly, after this is complete (one more chapter after this), I was planning to write a fic about Hermione's second year called "Locks and Keys." Please let me know if you are interested. Now, read on, and afterwards, GO SEE THE MOVIE!
A strange sight awaited Snape when he stepped into Voldemort's chambers. The man who was usually alive with excitement, cackling about his evil plans, was sitting silently in a chair with a look of defeat and depression.
"What could possibly be wrong with you?" Snape asked with a hint of sarcasm.
Voldemort did not look up. "I am doing a terrible thing, Severus."
Snape was stunned. Voldemort's tone did not suggest that he was joking. Pansy had just left the room, hadn't she? Snape frowned. What had happened?
"The girl is in *love* with me, Severus," mumbled Voldemort. "She was just crying in here, sobbing and saying that I was the only one who cared about her..."
The potions teacher could only stand there and slowly process what he was being told. If Pansy had told Voldemort that he was the only one who cared about her, did that mean that she had seen through his own fake feelings for her? Or was she only concealing the relationship that they had a Hogwarts from Voldemort? Did either of the possibilities make sense?!"
And Voldemort was actually caring about someone else's feelings? That was new.
Frustrated, Snape shook his head as if to clear his confusion and marched over to Voldemort's chair. "You must snap out of this!" he insisted. "If you were in your right mind, you would know that now is the perfect time to settle everything!"
Voldemort nodded slowly. "You are right..." He took a deep breath, and looked up at Snape, his eyes glinting. "Pansy is the one I have chosen as my wife. As for Erica, I'll have to kill her. She can be terribly annoying and destructive when she doesn't get her way. Severus," continued Voldemort, "Do you know why I chose Pansy and not Erica?"
"Quite frankly, no," replied Snape, who by this time was more confused than ever. "I was never sure you would actually listen to anything I suggested."
Voldemort smiled. "You see, if I were just a normal wizard, Erica would be the perfect choice. She's from a wealthy family, she is intelligent, and she is beautiful," said Voldemort with a scandalous look on his face. "But Erica lacks something very important thing... faithfulness. She wants power. No matter how sweet she may look or how well she may serve you, evil still blooms in her heart like an ever-growing flower. Pansy is the exact opposite. She will do anything for one who will give her love. Not money, not authority, but love. And her obedience is easy to grow... I believe you already know this fact to be true, Severus?" A horrible expression spread over Voldemort's face.
Snape swallowed hard. He knew about what had happened a Hogwarts, between him and Pansy. Somehow, he knew. Snape suddenly felt ill.
Voldemort whisked his wand out of his robe pocket. "You will pay," he hissed.
*CLASH*
The two wizards glanced up as a vase on a nearby table smashed on the floor. The red roses it had been holding lay crushed on the ground, buried underneath a pile of sparkling pieces of glass. Water was seeping quickly into the carpet.
Someone had knocked over the vase.
"Severus. Go and send one of the guards to Wormtail immediately. The wedding will take place this evening. Hurry."
~*~
A few thousand miles away in New York, a little girl was trying to choose what flowers to plant in her little garden. Her mother had given her a book called "The Book of Blossoms," and after looking at the photos, the girl was determined to plant ericas: small, pink, tube-like flowers.
The mother shook her head when she heard the girl's choice. "You can't grow ericas." She picked up the book and read the description aloud. "'Often not long lived. Rather demanding to grow.'" The mother scanned through the book. "How about pansies? 'Can withstand frosts. Easy to grow.'"
"But the ericas are so pretty," whined the girl.
"Now, now," cooed the mother. "They would only cause you disappointment. You would have to watch over them like a hawk, or else they would die! Pansies will be much easier, and I assure you that they are just as pretty... wait and see..."
Back in England, in a huge castle, on the tenth floor, in the corner of a hallway, outside of a great wizard's chambers, underneath an invisibility cloak, Hermione was reading the exact same description of ericas and pansies.
Pansies were easy to grow, to control, to manipulate. And that was all Voldemort wanted.
Pansy Parkinson was The Bloomist. But the title was empty.
Hermione walked to Pansy's room and quietly let herself inside. She could hear her humming in the bathroom, and after peeking through the keyhole, Hermione saw that Pansy was trying on a magnificent gown as she made faces and posed in front of the mirror. Hermione couldn't laugh. Her own life was at stake, and time was running out. Even worse, she had no idea what to do or how to escape. Judging by the fact that Pansy was getting married to Voldemort, asking her for help would be the worst thing to do. Pansy would love to hand her over to Voldemort on a silver platter.
What could she do?? She had to do something before-
A guard stepped through the door. "Miss Parkinson?" he called.
"Coming," shouted Pansy, and she came out of the bathroom.
The guard bowed. "The master has requested that you meet him in the garden promptly. Please wear your finest attire."
Pansy flashed him a smile. "Will this do?" she asked, smoothing her gown.
The guard smiled back. "It's perfect." He gestured toward the door, and they left the room.
Hermione let out a sigh of both relief and exasperation. She had nothing better to do than to follow them and see what would happen.
Why were things working out this way? She had only come to help Pansy. But what about herself? She closed her eyes. Would anyone from Hogwarts ever find her before Voldemort did? She missed Harry... and Ron...
She hated Pansy. But all the same, she felt sorry for her. She was blinded by confusion. She was going to get hurt.
Hermione watched Voldemort and Pansy from the bushes as they sat by the fountain, as he knelt in front of her and slid a diamond ring on her white finger, as she smiled at him and thought she had everything. Hermione's eyes welled up with tears. She wished she had that, even for just a moment... wait. She did have that... once. With Viktor, over the summer. But then everything went wrong...
Voldemort was kissing her now. Hermione looked away and thought about how warm it was outside. She took off the invisibility cloak. She didn't need it anymore since she was hidden by the bushes...
There was a sound of rustling leaves behind Hermione. A hand shot out of a bush and grabbed onto her arm, dragging her out of her hiding place, into the courtyard, by the fountain, in front of Voldemort and Pansy, who awakened from being lost in themselves and gaped at the people before them.
Hermione had only a moment to recognize the long blond hair before the owner himself turned to stare at her with detesting eyes.
"Lucius...?" Voldemort gasped.
Mr. Malfoy smirked. "I'm afraid you have the wrong Bloomist, Voldemort." Hermione was shoved forward, knocking Pansy into the fountain and leaving Voldemort staring at Hermione with a mixture of confusion and disgust.
"I believe Severus gave you a twisted explanation of The Bloomist Legend. It will only come true if you grow to love and marry... a Mudblood."
"Like last time," Voldemort spit hatefully.
"Yes... just like with Rose..."
What?? Hermione looked back and forth between the two men, trying to understand. Meanwhile, a fit of coughs came from the fountain behind her. Pansy. Hermione's heart sank. She was surrounded by people who loathed her.
-"You will not touch either of them."-
Hermione searched for the voice, her eyes resting on the figure of someone she loved, respected, and at that moment, worshipped.
No, it was not Harry Potter.
It was Albus Dumbledore.
Pansy stood in the fountain, her eyes wide and full of shock. Lucius and Voldemort were backing away as they whipped out their wands. Hermione just sat there. She wanted to smile, but it couldn't be over yet, this easily... the two most powerful wizards in the world were facing each other now; it could only end with...
"AVADA KADAVRA!"
There was a flash of light... and Hermione closed her eyes.