Squib Summer
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma and Jelsemium
a sequel to Squib Caretaker
Chapter Four: The Predator's Court
All recognizable characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling.
The less recognizable ones might be under your bed.
And I'm not talking about those dust bunnies, either.
I ached all over. And I was lying on a stone floor, chained in the dark!
My throat was bruised and sore. I couldn't scream. It took me a moment
to realize that only my right wrist was manacled. My left hand was free.
Rubbing at my throat, I took painful breaths that sounded like sobs.
Harry Potter was calling my name. "Mr. Filch? Can you hear me? Open your
eyes! Please!"
"Stupid… Gryffindor…" I rasped, weakly. "Why didn't you run…? You were
supposed to run!"
"She was going to kill you," the boy pointed out.
"She'll kill both of us now," I choked, dragging my eyes open. "Listen,
boy, when someone is trying to save your life it's considered good
manners to allow yourself to be saved! You're just as bad as your
godfather!"
If I'd expected the boy to be insulted then I was to be sadly
disappointed. Potter looked honored by the comparison. His expression
was visible in the grey sickly light that shone down all around us.
We were no longer in the basement room of the abandoned building near
the river. We'd been moved to a huge dim chamber. I had a sense of being
somewhere underground. Water dripped and flowed from somewhere far
above.
Potter was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor beside me. There were
no chains on him, no binding spells. He appeared unharmed. Mrs. Norris
was beside him, her grey fur fluffed out in alarm. It took me a few
moments to understand why.
Outside the circle of grey light that surrounded Potter and me there was
an expanse of darkness. The darkness was filled with glowing eyes.
Dreadful things were moving beyond the light. Things that whispered and
hissed while they slithered and flopped nastily against the stone floor.
"The Grey Woman told them not to harm me," Potter explained in a calm
voice when he saw me notice the eyes. "I don't think her orders were
necessary. They don't seem to want to come near me. But, the Grey Woman
said that they could do whatever they liked with you and Mrs. Norris. If
I wasn't here they'd probably eat you."
"W-What are they?" I whispered, sitting up slowly. The chain clanked as
I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
"I don't know," Potter said.
"Where's the Grey Woman gotten herself off to?" I asked, trying to stop
shuddering.
Potter shook his head. "I don't know that either. She was furious. When
she saw that I wouldn't leave you, she dragged you down here and chained
you to the floor. Then she said something about going to a Council of
Predators for justice, according to the ancient laws. Have you ever
heard of a Council of Predators?"
I shook my head.
"Maybe Hermione would know, or Ron," Potter said, wryly. "But I'm just
as glad that Ron and Hermione are somewhere safer than here." He paused
and looked around. "Mr. Filch," the boy asked, hesitantly, after a few
moments. "How did you break the Grey Woman's hold on me? D-Did my Aunt
really send you to help me?"
"More or less…" I said.
"I'm sorry for the all the rude things that Aunt Petunia probably said
to you," Potter said, ashamed. "I'm sure that she yelled at you and
called you a freak."
"I've been called worse," I said, shrugging. "Did you tell her that I'm
a Squib? How did she know?"
Potter looked startled. "She didn't call you a freak because you're a
Squib! She thinks ALL witches and wizards are freaks. My Mum and Dad,
Hagrid, Ron and his whole family. And me. Especially me… I'm really
sorry."
The more I learned about the boy's Muggle relations, the more horrified
I became. "Listen, Potter, stop apologizing! If your own flesh and blood
won't accept you for what you are, it's not your fault!" My voice
cracked.
"I should be sorry, boy. You're the only one besides me and the house-
elves who knows to dust all the way to the edges of things. You always
move the furniture when you sweep the floor. You polish the backs of the
trophies without being told. And I never thought about it. I never
wondered why."
"It's okay, Mr. Filch…"
"No! It's not! My family ought to have considered me a shame and an
embarrassment, but they never did. They wanted me to have a place in the
world, so they taught me to work hard. I assumed it was the same with
you. That's what I thought, Potter, I didn't know… I swear it!"
"Mr. Filch…" Potter said, helplessly. "It's all right. I didn't expect
you to know… I didn't want anybody to know. Snape and his Slytherins
have enough ammunition to use against me as it is." He stopped, gasping
a little as if short of breath. Then he continued in a bitter, self-
recriminating tone. "Besides, I probably deserve being treated like a
freak. I'm nothing but trouble."
Before I could protest, Potter continued. "Right now, we have more
important things to worry about, don't we?"
He had a point about that.
Mrs. Norris was keeping her unblinking gaze on the glowing eyes that
surrounded us. And Potter was rummaging around in the pockets of his
extremely baggy trousers. Producing a hairpin, he stared doubtfully at
my manacled wrist.
"I don't think this is going to work…" he murmured, avoiding my gaze,
embarrassed by the things that both of us had said. He put the hairpin
back in his pocket. "It's not strong enough to work on this lock. If I
had my wand with me, I'd have you free in a moment."
"No wand? You picked a fine time to start following the rules," I
grumbled.
Potter grimaced. "Aunt Petunia dragged me out of the house before I even
had a chance to think about grabbing it."
"What about your little thief in the night trick?" I asked. "That would
be helpful now."
Potter looked at me blankly, then he caught on. "Oh, sorry, I don't have
my Invisibility Cloak with me, either."
"What? Y-You really DO have an invisibility cloak?" I cried.
The boy nodded. "Professor Snape knows all about it. Hasn't he ever
mentioned it to you?"
"Yes, a time or two…" I answered, which was something of an
understatement. Severus had been insistent on the subject for years. "I
thought he must be mistaken! The Professor can be a bit… well… you know.
At least, where you're concerned. Poor man! I owe him an apology!"
Actually, an apology was only half of what I owed Severus where the
matter of Potter's Invisibility Cloak was concerned. I'd also made him a
promise. I hoped I'd be alive to keep it.
"Why apologize to him?" Potter asked, puzzled. "It's not as if Snape
ever says he's sorry to anyone. He certainly ought to have apologized to
Neville, at least. Remember when Snape took points away from Gryffindor,
on that day when Neville warned him that the Slytherins were in danger?"
"`Professor Snape'" I corrected Potter, automatically, "was wrong about
Neville, but he was right about your cloak. I should have believed him."
Poor Severus! To have been right all these years and not to have been
believed! That sort of thing hurt him more deeply than he would permit
anyone to see. I felt absolutely wretched. What a fool I was! It was a
wonder that the Professor put up with me.
"Apologizing to him might make me feel better," I told Potter, gruffly.
The boy was silent, frowning. Then his stomach rumbled. "Sorry," he
murmured, embarrassed.
"It's all right," I said. I was hungry too. Looking around us, at all
the eyes glowing in the dark, I decided that I didn't want to think
about food.
"You should have run when you had the chance," I said, unhappily. "The
Grey Woman had no hold on you. Those things out there won't come near
you. You would have been safe."
"When someone is trying to save your life, it's considered good manners
to allow yourself to be saved," Potter said, dryly.
He was using my own words against me! What cheek!
I glared at him. "Trying to keep you brats out of trouble is what I do.
It's my job!"
Potter sounded very tired. "It's not your job to die because of me. I
couldn't leave you and Mrs. Norris down here, alone with those things.
When Voldemort kills people I see it happen, and there's nothing I can
do." His voice cracked and he fell silent.
When Potter spoke the Dark Lord's name, sibilant whispers of fear and
horror came from the sea of eyes glowing in the darkness. The
slithering, flapping noises grew frenzied. I was afraid that the
creatures would fall on us, but the horrible things came no nearer. I
drew closer to the boy and my cat and the three of us huddled together.
"They don't seem to like it when I say `Voldemort…'" Potter murmured.
"Well, I don't like it either…" I murmured back. "Potter! Wait! What are
you doing?!"
The boy had risen to his feet. "Voldemort!" he said.
The sea of unseen nasty things whispered, flapped and hissed. There were
soft sobs, wails and the gnashing of teeth. The Grey Woman's nasty,
misshapen guards made sounds of terror that froze the blood in my veins.
From the darkness, understandable whispers were heard.
"Mustn't Speak The Name!"
"Dark One Will Come!"
"If I promise not to speak The Name again, may I ask a promise in
return?" Potter asked.
The whispering, flapping and hissing gradually died away, to be replaced
by silence. Finally, a single voice hissed, "Ask."
"The old man. And his cat. I don't want them to be hurt in any way.
Promise. By the ancient laws the Grey Woman mentioned."
"No! Our payment!"
"Broken Wizard is our meat!"
"Greyling promised us!
"Voldemort!" Potter shouted.
There was silence.
"Voldemort, come!" Potter shouted again.
This time he was greeted by hisses, snarls and a shower of debris. I
shielded Mrs. Norris as best I could. Potter wasn't quite quick enough
to dodge one missile and I heard him grunt as it smacked against his
face. It wasn't enough to shut him up of course, stubborn brat that he
is. He had to shout the Dark Lord's name three more times and duck three
more showers of trash before he extracted a grudging promise from the
whisperers. By then I was trembling violently.
Potter sat down again beside Mrs. Norris and me.
"There. Now, maybe all we have to worry about now is the Grey Woman," he
said. He looked around at the debris that now surrounded us with a
thoughtful expression on his face.
*******
Harry didn't really expect it to be that easy. The back of his neck
ached as if a bludger had struck him and there was a burning sensation
spreading from the point of impact down his arms. He forced the
discomfort from his mind as he searched through the objects that had
been thrown at him in hopes that there was something that could be used
as a weapon. Unfortunately the largest piece of trash turned out to be a
screwdriver, and a very small screwdriver at that.
Wait, maybe he could use this to pick the manacle lock?
Before he had a chance to try it, the Grey Woman returned. With her were
four other not quite human females… a banshee, a harpy, a sphinx and a
naga.
"Ssssoooo, Devourer," the Naga hissed. "These are the ones who are
denying you your rightful prey?"
Harry's stomach gave a lurch as he recognized the voice as Voldemort's
pet snake, Nagini.
To Be Continued...
Authors' Notes:
Shadowycat: Thanks!! And Mrs. Norris thanks you too. She's a very
important member of the group... -Ozma
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. All the angels are in heaven,
but few of the fools are dead." Ogden Nash. You're right, Filch is
becoming more Gryffindorish every day! -Jelsemium
Redone: Thank you!! I am also bothered when fan stories use Dudley's
weight as evidence of his "evil" nature or even as a character flaw.
Dudley is a character that I can sympathize with, having done some
dieting myself.
Yes, you're right, it was awful of Filch to call Dudley `a great soft
pudding.' Filch would be the very first one to admit that he's a sharp-
tongued, bad-tempered, mean old grouch.
Filch does scold Dudley for not knowing where Harry is. The first words
that Filch speaks to Dudley are "Where is he?" When Dudley, alarmed at
having this unkempt 'street-person' grab his arm, asks "Who?" Filch
yells "YOUR COUSIN! You're supposed to be looking after him!"
The `pudding' insult came after Dudley reminded Petunia that Filch has
revealed that he can't do magic. "Maybe he can't hurt us." Then Dudley
began to look at Filch in a threatening way. In Filch's defense, the
`pudding' remark wasn't entirely unprovoked.
Yes, Dudley has character flaws, but I truly don't think that his weight
is one of them. Neither Jelsemium nor I think that Dudley is evil. In
the prologue Jelsemium did a wonderful job of showing Dudley's
vulnerability and how much his weight bothers him. In the chapter where
Dudley and Filch have their confrontation, Dudley did several things
that showed strength of character. He tried to protect his mother from
Mrs. Norris. (For all Dudley knew at that moment either Filch or Mrs.
Norris could have been able to give him another pig's tail for his
audacity.) Dudley noticed when Filch revealed a potential weakness. And
then Dudley overcame his fear and dislike for the wizarding world to ask
Filch civil questions. (Which Filch answered quite civilly.) Finally,
Dudley was the one who showed concern for Harry, offered Filch
reassurances ("Potter's stronger than he looks. Faster too,") and
pointed Filch in the right direction.
Dudley also came out ahead of Filch in the "you mean you're *normal?*"
exchange. He said "You mean you're `not normal' because you're one of
THEM and you can't do magic?" Filch thought that Dudley was being
simple-minded, but Dudley understood the irony. Harry is considered
'abnormal' in the Muggle world because he can do magic, while Filch is
considered `abnormal' in the wizarding world because he can't do magic.
Filch didn't understand what Dudley meant. (Someone WAS being simple-
minded there, but it wasn't Dudley...)
Dudley did get his revenge for the pudding insult. And he wasn't even
trying. Dudley's innocent remark about Harry's cupboard and how Harry
has been forced to do the housework all his life really rubbed Filch's
nose in the similarities between Filch and the Dursleys. And Filch felt
terribly ashamed. -Ozma
Thanks, glad you like the story. Sorry if we offended you. No, insulting
Dudley for his weight isn't a nice thing to do, but people do say mean
things when they're angry. Filch got angry because Petunia and Dudley
didn't seem concerned about Harry. Being overweight myself, I don't see
Dudley being fat as a sign that he's bad. Frankly I worry about Dudley.
His parents are spoiling him to the point where he might get seriously
ill, there are any number of illnesses that obesity can bring on; heart
problems, hardening of the arteries, diabetes. "By the way, what does
"Dixi et animum levavi" mean? -Jelsemium
Saphron: Thank you!! As was revealed this chapter, Harry doesn't have
his wand. -Ozma
Thanks for the kind words. Nope, Harry doesn't have his wand on him.
Filch finds that out, as well as a few other things this time.
Of course Filch gets involved with the stubborn ones. Birds of a
feather, don't'cha know? -Jelsemium
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! You and I know that Harry wouldn't run, but
Filch still entertains fond, foolish notions that children ought to do
what they're told. -Ozma
Harry is always surprised when people are nice to him, poor kid.
I think that Dudley has the potential to be a good person, mostly what
he needs is some discipline. (And I don't mean punishment, either.) Yep,
them Gryffindors can be a royal pain if you want them to run away.
-Jelsemium
Rabbit-and-Jinx: Thank you!! The disclaimers are Jelsemium's, I love
'em! Yes, Harry was attempting to `unbind' the Binding with wandless
magic. He didn't realize what he was doing, he was just trying to get
free.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! A new chapter of "Balance!!" Is it almost ready????
-Ozma
Thanks for saying what you liked! Glad that the pacing worked. Yes,
Harry is using magic, but not consciously. He feels the pull, so he's
pulling back. The decree against underage magic is pretty far from his
mind right now. (Besides, self-defense is probably a good excuse for
this.) Filch's strategy is Ozma's doing and I thought it was pretty
clever too.
*Cough* you've also left the Marauders in a state of permanent detention
with singing bubbles to torture them. Hope that gets updated soon!
-Jelsemium
AET: Thank you!! The familial protective spells haven't actually been
broken, just 'interrupted.'
Snape vs Petunia, yes that would be a battle! (Rabbit-and-Jinx's
wonderful "Yet Another Snape Meets the Dursleys Story" has some
excellent Severus vs Petunia. Highly recommended!) -Ozma
Yep, our heroes have to keep going from one disaster to another. ("They
were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally, they became
heroes." -Princess Leia)
Dumbledore may notice that something's gone wrong with the spells.
However, they weren't actually broken, they just faded as the distance
between the Dursleys and Harry widened. -Jelsemium
Persephone Kore: Thank you!! `Hissy faced upstart' is all Jelsemium's,
she's got such a way with words! Yes, neither Snape nor Petunia would
appreciate the comparison. Filch will just keep that observation to
himself. -Ozma
Thanks for quoting the lines that make you laugh! I love stories where
Snape meets the Dursleys. Rabbit and Jinx have an excellent one out
right now.
No, Harry couldn't have left Filch behind. Nor could Filch just walk
away when he had the feeling that Harry was in trouble. That's why these
guys are heroes. (And why we have more than one chapter in this story.
Be pretty short if it had been: "Oh, it's HIM. Come, my sweet, lets have
another gillywater.") -Jelsemium
Andrea13: Thank you for both chapter reviews!! Filch *hoped* that Harry
would run. But Snape could have told Filch that Harry wouldn't.
(Snape: Idiot! Potter wouldn't even abandon ME under circumstances like
that!) -Ozma
Thanks for the kind words. Stalling? You call that stalling? You have no
idea how long I can drag a story out.;-) Yep, heroes can be so
predictable sometimes. Filch is used to Harry running away from HIM.
He'll know better than to expect Harry to run away from a mere monster
next time. -Jelsemium
Alla: Thank you!! Jelsemium has some great lines!! Reading her parts of
the story always cracked me up. -Ozma
Thanks for saying which lines you liked. ("And the vultures have a
hunch. That not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch!" -Zazu,
Lion King on Broadway.) -Jelsemium
A.Lee: Thank you!! Yes, the Greyling is quite bound by laws. She
considers herself a very law-abiding creature, though searching for
loopholes and twisting the laws to her advantage are her specialties.
-Ozma
Thanks for the compliments. Yes, the Grey Stalker is part lawyer. I got
that from reading so many folktales where you have to be very careful
how you phrase your request and listen very carefully to how the non-
humans talk. The fey folk don't lie, but they can mislead you if you
aren't wary. -Jelsemium
Ice Lupus: Yes, I got that "chapter doesn't exist" message for a while
too after chapter three was uploaded. (Once FF.Net even told me that
"user does not exist" when I tried to look at my own author page. That
was a little scary...) Ozma
I think that happens if you try to look before ff.net has a chance to
update its files. I've occasionally been told that I do not exist. (I
mean, I've always suspected it, but how would they know?) -Jelsemium
a Harry Potter fan-fic
by Ozma and Jelsemium
a sequel to Squib Caretaker
Chapter Four: The Predator's Court
All recognizable characters copyrighted by J.K. Rowling.
The less recognizable ones might be under your bed.
And I'm not talking about those dust bunnies, either.
I ached all over. And I was lying on a stone floor, chained in the dark!
My throat was bruised and sore. I couldn't scream. It took me a moment
to realize that only my right wrist was manacled. My left hand was free.
Rubbing at my throat, I took painful breaths that sounded like sobs.
Harry Potter was calling my name. "Mr. Filch? Can you hear me? Open your
eyes! Please!"
"Stupid… Gryffindor…" I rasped, weakly. "Why didn't you run…? You were
supposed to run!"
"She was going to kill you," the boy pointed out.
"She'll kill both of us now," I choked, dragging my eyes open. "Listen,
boy, when someone is trying to save your life it's considered good
manners to allow yourself to be saved! You're just as bad as your
godfather!"
If I'd expected the boy to be insulted then I was to be sadly
disappointed. Potter looked honored by the comparison. His expression
was visible in the grey sickly light that shone down all around us.
We were no longer in the basement room of the abandoned building near
the river. We'd been moved to a huge dim chamber. I had a sense of being
somewhere underground. Water dripped and flowed from somewhere far
above.
Potter was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor beside me. There were
no chains on him, no binding spells. He appeared unharmed. Mrs. Norris
was beside him, her grey fur fluffed out in alarm. It took me a few
moments to understand why.
Outside the circle of grey light that surrounded Potter and me there was
an expanse of darkness. The darkness was filled with glowing eyes.
Dreadful things were moving beyond the light. Things that whispered and
hissed while they slithered and flopped nastily against the stone floor.
"The Grey Woman told them not to harm me," Potter explained in a calm
voice when he saw me notice the eyes. "I don't think her orders were
necessary. They don't seem to want to come near me. But, the Grey Woman
said that they could do whatever they liked with you and Mrs. Norris. If
I wasn't here they'd probably eat you."
"W-What are they?" I whispered, sitting up slowly. The chain clanked as
I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
"I don't know," Potter said.
"Where's the Grey Woman gotten herself off to?" I asked, trying to stop
shuddering.
Potter shook his head. "I don't know that either. She was furious. When
she saw that I wouldn't leave you, she dragged you down here and chained
you to the floor. Then she said something about going to a Council of
Predators for justice, according to the ancient laws. Have you ever
heard of a Council of Predators?"
I shook my head.
"Maybe Hermione would know, or Ron," Potter said, wryly. "But I'm just
as glad that Ron and Hermione are somewhere safer than here." He paused
and looked around. "Mr. Filch," the boy asked, hesitantly, after a few
moments. "How did you break the Grey Woman's hold on me? D-Did my Aunt
really send you to help me?"
"More or less…" I said.
"I'm sorry for the all the rude things that Aunt Petunia probably said
to you," Potter said, ashamed. "I'm sure that she yelled at you and
called you a freak."
"I've been called worse," I said, shrugging. "Did you tell her that I'm
a Squib? How did she know?"
Potter looked startled. "She didn't call you a freak because you're a
Squib! She thinks ALL witches and wizards are freaks. My Mum and Dad,
Hagrid, Ron and his whole family. And me. Especially me… I'm really
sorry."
The more I learned about the boy's Muggle relations, the more horrified
I became. "Listen, Potter, stop apologizing! If your own flesh and blood
won't accept you for what you are, it's not your fault!" My voice
cracked.
"I should be sorry, boy. You're the only one besides me and the house-
elves who knows to dust all the way to the edges of things. You always
move the furniture when you sweep the floor. You polish the backs of the
trophies without being told. And I never thought about it. I never
wondered why."
"It's okay, Mr. Filch…"
"No! It's not! My family ought to have considered me a shame and an
embarrassment, but they never did. They wanted me to have a place in the
world, so they taught me to work hard. I assumed it was the same with
you. That's what I thought, Potter, I didn't know… I swear it!"
"Mr. Filch…" Potter said, helplessly. "It's all right. I didn't expect
you to know… I didn't want anybody to know. Snape and his Slytherins
have enough ammunition to use against me as it is." He stopped, gasping
a little as if short of breath. Then he continued in a bitter, self-
recriminating tone. "Besides, I probably deserve being treated like a
freak. I'm nothing but trouble."
Before I could protest, Potter continued. "Right now, we have more
important things to worry about, don't we?"
He had a point about that.
Mrs. Norris was keeping her unblinking gaze on the glowing eyes that
surrounded us. And Potter was rummaging around in the pockets of his
extremely baggy trousers. Producing a hairpin, he stared doubtfully at
my manacled wrist.
"I don't think this is going to work…" he murmured, avoiding my gaze,
embarrassed by the things that both of us had said. He put the hairpin
back in his pocket. "It's not strong enough to work on this lock. If I
had my wand with me, I'd have you free in a moment."
"No wand? You picked a fine time to start following the rules," I
grumbled.
Potter grimaced. "Aunt Petunia dragged me out of the house before I even
had a chance to think about grabbing it."
"What about your little thief in the night trick?" I asked. "That would
be helpful now."
Potter looked at me blankly, then he caught on. "Oh, sorry, I don't have
my Invisibility Cloak with me, either."
"What? Y-You really DO have an invisibility cloak?" I cried.
The boy nodded. "Professor Snape knows all about it. Hasn't he ever
mentioned it to you?"
"Yes, a time or two…" I answered, which was something of an
understatement. Severus had been insistent on the subject for years. "I
thought he must be mistaken! The Professor can be a bit… well… you know.
At least, where you're concerned. Poor man! I owe him an apology!"
Actually, an apology was only half of what I owed Severus where the
matter of Potter's Invisibility Cloak was concerned. I'd also made him a
promise. I hoped I'd be alive to keep it.
"Why apologize to him?" Potter asked, puzzled. "It's not as if Snape
ever says he's sorry to anyone. He certainly ought to have apologized to
Neville, at least. Remember when Snape took points away from Gryffindor,
on that day when Neville warned him that the Slytherins were in danger?"
"`Professor Snape'" I corrected Potter, automatically, "was wrong about
Neville, but he was right about your cloak. I should have believed him."
Poor Severus! To have been right all these years and not to have been
believed! That sort of thing hurt him more deeply than he would permit
anyone to see. I felt absolutely wretched. What a fool I was! It was a
wonder that the Professor put up with me.
"Apologizing to him might make me feel better," I told Potter, gruffly.
The boy was silent, frowning. Then his stomach rumbled. "Sorry," he
murmured, embarrassed.
"It's all right," I said. I was hungry too. Looking around us, at all
the eyes glowing in the dark, I decided that I didn't want to think
about food.
"You should have run when you had the chance," I said, unhappily. "The
Grey Woman had no hold on you. Those things out there won't come near
you. You would have been safe."
"When someone is trying to save your life, it's considered good manners
to allow yourself to be saved," Potter said, dryly.
He was using my own words against me! What cheek!
I glared at him. "Trying to keep you brats out of trouble is what I do.
It's my job!"
Potter sounded very tired. "It's not your job to die because of me. I
couldn't leave you and Mrs. Norris down here, alone with those things.
When Voldemort kills people I see it happen, and there's nothing I can
do." His voice cracked and he fell silent.
When Potter spoke the Dark Lord's name, sibilant whispers of fear and
horror came from the sea of eyes glowing in the darkness. The
slithering, flapping noises grew frenzied. I was afraid that the
creatures would fall on us, but the horrible things came no nearer. I
drew closer to the boy and my cat and the three of us huddled together.
"They don't seem to like it when I say `Voldemort…'" Potter murmured.
"Well, I don't like it either…" I murmured back. "Potter! Wait! What are
you doing?!"
The boy had risen to his feet. "Voldemort!" he said.
The sea of unseen nasty things whispered, flapped and hissed. There were
soft sobs, wails and the gnashing of teeth. The Grey Woman's nasty,
misshapen guards made sounds of terror that froze the blood in my veins.
From the darkness, understandable whispers were heard.
"Mustn't Speak The Name!"
"Dark One Will Come!"
"If I promise not to speak The Name again, may I ask a promise in
return?" Potter asked.
The whispering, flapping and hissing gradually died away, to be replaced
by silence. Finally, a single voice hissed, "Ask."
"The old man. And his cat. I don't want them to be hurt in any way.
Promise. By the ancient laws the Grey Woman mentioned."
"No! Our payment!"
"Broken Wizard is our meat!"
"Greyling promised us!
"Voldemort!" Potter shouted.
There was silence.
"Voldemort, come!" Potter shouted again.
This time he was greeted by hisses, snarls and a shower of debris. I
shielded Mrs. Norris as best I could. Potter wasn't quite quick enough
to dodge one missile and I heard him grunt as it smacked against his
face. It wasn't enough to shut him up of course, stubborn brat that he
is. He had to shout the Dark Lord's name three more times and duck three
more showers of trash before he extracted a grudging promise from the
whisperers. By then I was trembling violently.
Potter sat down again beside Mrs. Norris and me.
"There. Now, maybe all we have to worry about now is the Grey Woman," he
said. He looked around at the debris that now surrounded us with a
thoughtful expression on his face.
*******
Harry didn't really expect it to be that easy. The back of his neck
ached as if a bludger had struck him and there was a burning sensation
spreading from the point of impact down his arms. He forced the
discomfort from his mind as he searched through the objects that had
been thrown at him in hopes that there was something that could be used
as a weapon. Unfortunately the largest piece of trash turned out to be a
screwdriver, and a very small screwdriver at that.
Wait, maybe he could use this to pick the manacle lock?
Before he had a chance to try it, the Grey Woman returned. With her were
four other not quite human females… a banshee, a harpy, a sphinx and a
naga.
"Ssssoooo, Devourer," the Naga hissed. "These are the ones who are
denying you your rightful prey?"
Harry's stomach gave a lurch as he recognized the voice as Voldemort's
pet snake, Nagini.
To Be Continued...
Authors' Notes:
Shadowycat: Thanks!! And Mrs. Norris thanks you too. She's a very
important member of the group... -Ozma
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. All the angels are in heaven,
but few of the fools are dead." Ogden Nash. You're right, Filch is
becoming more Gryffindorish every day! -Jelsemium
Redone: Thank you!! I am also bothered when fan stories use Dudley's
weight as evidence of his "evil" nature or even as a character flaw.
Dudley is a character that I can sympathize with, having done some
dieting myself.
Yes, you're right, it was awful of Filch to call Dudley `a great soft
pudding.' Filch would be the very first one to admit that he's a sharp-
tongued, bad-tempered, mean old grouch.
Filch does scold Dudley for not knowing where Harry is. The first words
that Filch speaks to Dudley are "Where is he?" When Dudley, alarmed at
having this unkempt 'street-person' grab his arm, asks "Who?" Filch
yells "YOUR COUSIN! You're supposed to be looking after him!"
The `pudding' insult came after Dudley reminded Petunia that Filch has
revealed that he can't do magic. "Maybe he can't hurt us." Then Dudley
began to look at Filch in a threatening way. In Filch's defense, the
`pudding' remark wasn't entirely unprovoked.
Yes, Dudley has character flaws, but I truly don't think that his weight
is one of them. Neither Jelsemium nor I think that Dudley is evil. In
the prologue Jelsemium did a wonderful job of showing Dudley's
vulnerability and how much his weight bothers him. In the chapter where
Dudley and Filch have their confrontation, Dudley did several things
that showed strength of character. He tried to protect his mother from
Mrs. Norris. (For all Dudley knew at that moment either Filch or Mrs.
Norris could have been able to give him another pig's tail for his
audacity.) Dudley noticed when Filch revealed a potential weakness. And
then Dudley overcame his fear and dislike for the wizarding world to ask
Filch civil questions. (Which Filch answered quite civilly.) Finally,
Dudley was the one who showed concern for Harry, offered Filch
reassurances ("Potter's stronger than he looks. Faster too,") and
pointed Filch in the right direction.
Dudley also came out ahead of Filch in the "you mean you're *normal?*"
exchange. He said "You mean you're `not normal' because you're one of
THEM and you can't do magic?" Filch thought that Dudley was being
simple-minded, but Dudley understood the irony. Harry is considered
'abnormal' in the Muggle world because he can do magic, while Filch is
considered `abnormal' in the wizarding world because he can't do magic.
Filch didn't understand what Dudley meant. (Someone WAS being simple-
minded there, but it wasn't Dudley...)
Dudley did get his revenge for the pudding insult. And he wasn't even
trying. Dudley's innocent remark about Harry's cupboard and how Harry
has been forced to do the housework all his life really rubbed Filch's
nose in the similarities between Filch and the Dursleys. And Filch felt
terribly ashamed. -Ozma
Thanks, glad you like the story. Sorry if we offended you. No, insulting
Dudley for his weight isn't a nice thing to do, but people do say mean
things when they're angry. Filch got angry because Petunia and Dudley
didn't seem concerned about Harry. Being overweight myself, I don't see
Dudley being fat as a sign that he's bad. Frankly I worry about Dudley.
His parents are spoiling him to the point where he might get seriously
ill, there are any number of illnesses that obesity can bring on; heart
problems, hardening of the arteries, diabetes. "By the way, what does
"Dixi et animum levavi" mean? -Jelsemium
Saphron: Thank you!! As was revealed this chapter, Harry doesn't have
his wand. -Ozma
Thanks for the kind words. Nope, Harry doesn't have his wand on him.
Filch finds that out, as well as a few other things this time.
Of course Filch gets involved with the stubborn ones. Birds of a
feather, don't'cha know? -Jelsemium
Ariana Deralte: Thank you!! You and I know that Harry wouldn't run, but
Filch still entertains fond, foolish notions that children ought to do
what they're told. -Ozma
Harry is always surprised when people are nice to him, poor kid.
I think that Dudley has the potential to be a good person, mostly what
he needs is some discipline. (And I don't mean punishment, either.) Yep,
them Gryffindors can be a royal pain if you want them to run away.
-Jelsemium
Rabbit-and-Jinx: Thank you!! The disclaimers are Jelsemium's, I love
'em! Yes, Harry was attempting to `unbind' the Binding with wandless
magic. He didn't realize what he was doing, he was just trying to get
free.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! A new chapter of "Balance!!" Is it almost ready????
-Ozma
Thanks for saying what you liked! Glad that the pacing worked. Yes,
Harry is using magic, but not consciously. He feels the pull, so he's
pulling back. The decree against underage magic is pretty far from his
mind right now. (Besides, self-defense is probably a good excuse for
this.) Filch's strategy is Ozma's doing and I thought it was pretty
clever too.
*Cough* you've also left the Marauders in a state of permanent detention
with singing bubbles to torture them. Hope that gets updated soon!
-Jelsemium
AET: Thank you!! The familial protective spells haven't actually been
broken, just 'interrupted.'
Snape vs Petunia, yes that would be a battle! (Rabbit-and-Jinx's
wonderful "Yet Another Snape Meets the Dursleys Story" has some
excellent Severus vs Petunia. Highly recommended!) -Ozma
Yep, our heroes have to keep going from one disaster to another. ("They
were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Naturally, they became
heroes." -Princess Leia)
Dumbledore may notice that something's gone wrong with the spells.
However, they weren't actually broken, they just faded as the distance
between the Dursleys and Harry widened. -Jelsemium
Persephone Kore: Thank you!! `Hissy faced upstart' is all Jelsemium's,
she's got such a way with words! Yes, neither Snape nor Petunia would
appreciate the comparison. Filch will just keep that observation to
himself. -Ozma
Thanks for quoting the lines that make you laugh! I love stories where
Snape meets the Dursleys. Rabbit and Jinx have an excellent one out
right now.
No, Harry couldn't have left Filch behind. Nor could Filch just walk
away when he had the feeling that Harry was in trouble. That's why these
guys are heroes. (And why we have more than one chapter in this story.
Be pretty short if it had been: "Oh, it's HIM. Come, my sweet, lets have
another gillywater.") -Jelsemium
Andrea13: Thank you for both chapter reviews!! Filch *hoped* that Harry
would run. But Snape could have told Filch that Harry wouldn't.
(Snape: Idiot! Potter wouldn't even abandon ME under circumstances like
that!) -Ozma
Thanks for the kind words. Stalling? You call that stalling? You have no
idea how long I can drag a story out.;-) Yep, heroes can be so
predictable sometimes. Filch is used to Harry running away from HIM.
He'll know better than to expect Harry to run away from a mere monster
next time. -Jelsemium
Alla: Thank you!! Jelsemium has some great lines!! Reading her parts of
the story always cracked me up. -Ozma
Thanks for saying which lines you liked. ("And the vultures have a
hunch. That not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch!" -Zazu,
Lion King on Broadway.) -Jelsemium
A.Lee: Thank you!! Yes, the Greyling is quite bound by laws. She
considers herself a very law-abiding creature, though searching for
loopholes and twisting the laws to her advantage are her specialties.
-Ozma
Thanks for the compliments. Yes, the Grey Stalker is part lawyer. I got
that from reading so many folktales where you have to be very careful
how you phrase your request and listen very carefully to how the non-
humans talk. The fey folk don't lie, but they can mislead you if you
aren't wary. -Jelsemium
Ice Lupus: Yes, I got that "chapter doesn't exist" message for a while
too after chapter three was uploaded. (Once FF.Net even told me that
"user does not exist" when I tried to look at my own author page. That
was a little scary...) Ozma
I think that happens if you try to look before ff.net has a chance to
update its files. I've occasionally been told that I do not exist. (I
mean, I've always suspected it, but how would they know?) -Jelsemium