Thank you reviewers! I love you all! Just keep writing reviews! By
the way, some of you were wondering about the whole "Trio" thing. I
decided to do three fics, one for each year until Voldemort is defeated.
The first one is "Voldemort's Daughter", the second is "Tangled Webs" and
the third will be "A Flash of Light."
ADVERTISING: Check out my latest fic, "The Silver Ribbon." Pretty please? It's cool! (well, I think)
So, story-time -
The man made a gurgling sound as he was thrown out of the hospital wing. He slammed against the wall and slid, semiconscious, to the floor. Draco looked on and shook his head, then walked through the open door.
"You know, the Ministry is going to come after you if you keep throwing reporters out."
"Let them," snarled Severus. He stalked over to door and slammed it shut, then on second thought opened it again. "And don't come back!" he shouted. The man groaned in reply, and Severus closed the door with a resounding bang. Draco shook his head again.
"You know, you've probably woken her up," he told his Head of House reproachfully. He walked over to Erin's bed and began to pull back the curtains. "Erin, I need some help with my Transfiguration homewo - ". He paused.
"What?" asked Severus quickly. He strode over and stood by Draco's side.
"She's gone," the boy said simply.
"I'm going to be in so much trouble when Severus figures out I'm gone," groaned Erin. She scratched at the bandage on the side of her head, then stopped self-consciously.
"Oh, come on, I thought you wanted to learn how to fly," said Harry. He was at Erin's eye-level, being mounted on his Firebolt. "Besides, what's he going to do, take points from Slytherin?"
Erin laughed. "Over his dead body."
"Exactly. Now, put your hand over the broomstick, and say 'up'."
"What are you in a hustle about?" he asked Severus. The man was leaning casually against a pillar. Severus stopped and glared at him.
"You were supposed to be here two days ago, Avery" he muttered.
Avery glanced over his shoulder. "Dangerous times, Sev," he murmured. "If He knew I was here - "
"But he doesn't. Now, tell me, will you take the job?"
Avery swallowed nervously. "Severus, you know I can't. He'd kill me."
"If I could do it, you can."
Avery looked at him in envious exasperation. "You've always been different, you know that. You know perfectly well I'm not spy material. Why me? Why have me betray Him? Give me one good reason why I should."
"Very well," said Severus, turning and striding down the corridor. "Follow me."
"Okay, this is scary," said Erin. She was half-laying on her broomstick, looking extremely awkward as Harry swooped around her.
"Relax, you're doing good. Now, sit up a little."
Cautiously Erin did so. The broom wavered and shook, but somehow remained steady in the air.
"Okay, lean forward a little - good - now slow down - now stop! That was great!"
"Wonderful," said Erin dryly. "I flew five feet."
"Without falling off, I might add. Or losing control. You should have seen poor Neville fly for the first time." Harry grinned.
Erin burst into laughter, but managed to hold her broom steady. Harry began to laugh as well.
Severus wasn't sure where his daughter was, but he had a good idea. The sounds of laughter from the Quidditch field confirmed his guess. He opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight, shoving Avery before him. About fifty feet away, two figures on broomsticks were howling with laughter. Avery saw them just as Erin straightened.
"My God," he whispered. He was suddenly shaking, and stumbled back a few steps, staring at Erin. "It's like seeing a ghost! It's Angelina, all over again."
"I know," whispered Severus, more to himself than to Avery. He was suddenly shaking too, remembering. Then with a jerk he pulled himself back into reality. "Angelina was always decent to you."
"Decent!" said Avery hoarsely. "She was the sunshine of the whole gang."
"If you won't do it for me, then do it for her," said Severus, gesturing towards Erin. "For Angelina's daughter. If Voldemort wins, he'll kill her. He already tried."
"I know," murmured Avery. He was staring at Erin the way a man in the desert stares at a pool of clear, fresh water. Suddenly he straightened, and looked his old friend in the eye. "I'll do it."
"Dang, here comes my detention," said Erin, seeing her guardian and a strange man on the field.
"And fifty points from Gryffindor," added Harry glumly. But, to their mutual surprise, both simply went back inside.
Erin stared after them. "Okay, that was weird."
Harry shook his head to clear it. "Well, come on, I've got to teach you how to ascend and descend."
Quirrell stood in the corner of Dumbledore's office, shifting from foot to foot uneasily. Like a unicorn pawing the ground, thought Dumbledore.
"I don't suppose," said Dumbledore, absently stroking Fawkes' feathers, "that you'd like to tell me why you are still alive?"
"The unicorns saved me," said Quirrell bluntly. He was half-hidden by shadow, but the dark scars still showed on his face. "I don't know how they found me, or how they managed to - to give me their blood, but they did. And it wasn't cursed, because they gave blood freely. They saved me, even though I had killed them. I didn't deserve it, but they gave it - " Realizing that he was beginning to babble, Quirrell shut up.
Dumbledore sighed. "When we found you in the Last Chamber," he said sorrowfully, "I thought you were dead. We buried you in the Dark Forest, rather hastily I'm afraid. Apparently the grave was shallow enough for them to dig you out and revive you."
Quirrell nodded. There was a long silence, and then Quirrell said suddenly, "He's weakened, then? Voldemort?" There was a faint note of eagerness in his voice.
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Are you planning to rejoin him?"
Quirrell's face darkened. "He left me to die," he said softly. "I owe him nothing. How long will he be weak? And why did he live at all?"
Dumbledore sighed again. "I can only guess, you understand." Quirrell nodded. "Angelina Kristoff, Erin's mother," the Headmaster continued, "left a charm on her, to protect her. This charm had the effect of restraining Erin's powers, so that Voldemort could not find her using magical means. It also meant that she showed no signs of being anything other than a normal, Muggle child - which is why no school found her earlier. I think," said Dumbledore, slowly and deliberately, "that the charm has been wearing off, but that a fragment still remained, and that this charm was what protected Erin from her death. A charm set with a mother's love."
"But now the charm is used up?" asked Quirrell.
"Yes. Erin's powers are fully-grown and have been released. If she cannot learn to control them - " Dumbledore's voice trailed off. Quirrell nodded shortly. "But I have hopes that she will. And in the meantime, we can begin the offensive." His twinkling blue eyes looked sharply into Quirrell's. Quirrell looked down.
"There are some things I won't be able to do," the man said softly, staring down at his hands. Like his face, they were covered with dark scars. "I have the unicorn's blood in me. I'm not human anymore. Not really. But I'll help in any way I can."
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Bryan."
"You're welcome."
ADVERTISING: Check out my latest fic, "The Silver Ribbon." Pretty please? It's cool! (well, I think)
So, story-time -
The man made a gurgling sound as he was thrown out of the hospital wing. He slammed against the wall and slid, semiconscious, to the floor. Draco looked on and shook his head, then walked through the open door.
"You know, the Ministry is going to come after you if you keep throwing reporters out."
"Let them," snarled Severus. He stalked over to door and slammed it shut, then on second thought opened it again. "And don't come back!" he shouted. The man groaned in reply, and Severus closed the door with a resounding bang. Draco shook his head again.
"You know, you've probably woken her up," he told his Head of House reproachfully. He walked over to Erin's bed and began to pull back the curtains. "Erin, I need some help with my Transfiguration homewo - ". He paused.
"What?" asked Severus quickly. He strode over and stood by Draco's side.
"She's gone," the boy said simply.
"I'm going to be in so much trouble when Severus figures out I'm gone," groaned Erin. She scratched at the bandage on the side of her head, then stopped self-consciously.
"Oh, come on, I thought you wanted to learn how to fly," said Harry. He was at Erin's eye-level, being mounted on his Firebolt. "Besides, what's he going to do, take points from Slytherin?"
Erin laughed. "Over his dead body."
"Exactly. Now, put your hand over the broomstick, and say 'up'."
"What are you in a hustle about?" he asked Severus. The man was leaning casually against a pillar. Severus stopped and glared at him.
"You were supposed to be here two days ago, Avery" he muttered.
Avery glanced over his shoulder. "Dangerous times, Sev," he murmured. "If He knew I was here - "
"But he doesn't. Now, tell me, will you take the job?"
Avery swallowed nervously. "Severus, you know I can't. He'd kill me."
"If I could do it, you can."
Avery looked at him in envious exasperation. "You've always been different, you know that. You know perfectly well I'm not spy material. Why me? Why have me betray Him? Give me one good reason why I should."
"Very well," said Severus, turning and striding down the corridor. "Follow me."
"Okay, this is scary," said Erin. She was half-laying on her broomstick, looking extremely awkward as Harry swooped around her.
"Relax, you're doing good. Now, sit up a little."
Cautiously Erin did so. The broom wavered and shook, but somehow remained steady in the air.
"Okay, lean forward a little - good - now slow down - now stop! That was great!"
"Wonderful," said Erin dryly. "I flew five feet."
"Without falling off, I might add. Or losing control. You should have seen poor Neville fly for the first time." Harry grinned.
Erin burst into laughter, but managed to hold her broom steady. Harry began to laugh as well.
Severus wasn't sure where his daughter was, but he had a good idea. The sounds of laughter from the Quidditch field confirmed his guess. He opened the door and stepped out into the sunlight, shoving Avery before him. About fifty feet away, two figures on broomsticks were howling with laughter. Avery saw them just as Erin straightened.
"My God," he whispered. He was suddenly shaking, and stumbled back a few steps, staring at Erin. "It's like seeing a ghost! It's Angelina, all over again."
"I know," whispered Severus, more to himself than to Avery. He was suddenly shaking too, remembering. Then with a jerk he pulled himself back into reality. "Angelina was always decent to you."
"Decent!" said Avery hoarsely. "She was the sunshine of the whole gang."
"If you won't do it for me, then do it for her," said Severus, gesturing towards Erin. "For Angelina's daughter. If Voldemort wins, he'll kill her. He already tried."
"I know," murmured Avery. He was staring at Erin the way a man in the desert stares at a pool of clear, fresh water. Suddenly he straightened, and looked his old friend in the eye. "I'll do it."
"Dang, here comes my detention," said Erin, seeing her guardian and a strange man on the field.
"And fifty points from Gryffindor," added Harry glumly. But, to their mutual surprise, both simply went back inside.
Erin stared after them. "Okay, that was weird."
Harry shook his head to clear it. "Well, come on, I've got to teach you how to ascend and descend."
Quirrell stood in the corner of Dumbledore's office, shifting from foot to foot uneasily. Like a unicorn pawing the ground, thought Dumbledore.
"I don't suppose," said Dumbledore, absently stroking Fawkes' feathers, "that you'd like to tell me why you are still alive?"
"The unicorns saved me," said Quirrell bluntly. He was half-hidden by shadow, but the dark scars still showed on his face. "I don't know how they found me, or how they managed to - to give me their blood, but they did. And it wasn't cursed, because they gave blood freely. They saved me, even though I had killed them. I didn't deserve it, but they gave it - " Realizing that he was beginning to babble, Quirrell shut up.
Dumbledore sighed. "When we found you in the Last Chamber," he said sorrowfully, "I thought you were dead. We buried you in the Dark Forest, rather hastily I'm afraid. Apparently the grave was shallow enough for them to dig you out and revive you."
Quirrell nodded. There was a long silence, and then Quirrell said suddenly, "He's weakened, then? Voldemort?" There was a faint note of eagerness in his voice.
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Are you planning to rejoin him?"
Quirrell's face darkened. "He left me to die," he said softly. "I owe him nothing. How long will he be weak? And why did he live at all?"
Dumbledore sighed again. "I can only guess, you understand." Quirrell nodded. "Angelina Kristoff, Erin's mother," the Headmaster continued, "left a charm on her, to protect her. This charm had the effect of restraining Erin's powers, so that Voldemort could not find her using magical means. It also meant that she showed no signs of being anything other than a normal, Muggle child - which is why no school found her earlier. I think," said Dumbledore, slowly and deliberately, "that the charm has been wearing off, but that a fragment still remained, and that this charm was what protected Erin from her death. A charm set with a mother's love."
"But now the charm is used up?" asked Quirrell.
"Yes. Erin's powers are fully-grown and have been released. If she cannot learn to control them - " Dumbledore's voice trailed off. Quirrell nodded shortly. "But I have hopes that she will. And in the meantime, we can begin the offensive." His twinkling blue eyes looked sharply into Quirrell's. Quirrell looked down.
"There are some things I won't be able to do," the man said softly, staring down at his hands. Like his face, they were covered with dark scars. "I have the unicorn's blood in me. I'm not human anymore. Not really. But I'll help in any way I can."
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Bryan."
"You're welcome."