Unraveled
Chapter Forty: Trapped
Fiona woke up when the sunlight hit her face. She sat up and looked around her. She could hear the sound of birds chirping outside. Where was she? She looked around the room. It wasn't her room. It was a large room.
"Fiona, time to get up. Your father is waiting for breakfast," called her mother. Fiona felt a jolt go through her body. Her mother? That was impossible. She shook her head. Thalia finally opened the door. "Fiona, get up."
"Mom?" whispered Fiona.
"What's wrong, Fiona? Did you have a nightmare?" asked Thalia as she sat on her bed. "You look like you're going to cry."
Fiona felt like she was going to cry, but she shook her head. Then she realized that her mother had mentioned her father, "What's Dad doing here?"
"He lives here, silly," said Thalia. Her mother's accent wasn't hidden like it normally was when Fiona was growing up.
"Where are we?" asked Fiona.
"You're not awake are you? We're home," replied Thalia. "Now, get out of bed." She stood up and left the room. Fiona stood up and went to the bathroom and noticed that there wasn't a shower. There was only a bathtub.
"Come on and scrub your face, dearie," said the mirror, causing Fiona to leap back. However, she cautiously walked up to the mirror and took a face towel. She put it down and saw her toothbrush. She decided to brush first, and then wash her face.
After a couple of minutes, Fiona was dressed in her favorite outfit: her red t-shirt and jeans. She came down and saw her parents sitting together at the breakfast table. Her father looked up at her. "Good morning, Sleepyhead," greeted Sirius as he smiled at her.
"Good morning, Dad," said Fiona as she looked at her mother. Thalia was filling Fiona's plate with some food.
"Did you have a bad dream?" asked Sirius with concern. "Your mother said that you were a little slow getting up this morning."
"What are you doing here, Dad?" asked Fiona.
"I'm having breakfast before going to work. That's what I do every morning. Fiona, has going to Hogwarts fried your brain? You know that I have breakfast every morning with you and your mother," said Sirius.
"But…"
"Fiona, are you coming down with something?" asked Thalia with concern as she pressed her hand against Fiona's cheek. "You seem abnormal."
"What season is this? Where are we?" asked Fiona.
"It's summer. You've been home for a week, Fin. We're in our house, Black Manor," answered Sirius. "You're brain has been fried."
Fiona didn't understand. The last she remembered winter was approaching and she was headed for Voldemort's castle. Why was she in a place she had never seen before? Her mother was dead. Why was she sitting there? Her parents had never seen each other again. Her father had left. He had walked out on her mother even before she was born. Fiona felt her vision blur.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying, Fin?" asked Sirius with concern.
"I had—something happened. You were gone. Both of you," whispered Fiona. "Voldemort k—killed—" She was sobbing.
"Fiona, what are you talking about? Voldemort was destroyed the night that he tried to kill Harry," said Thalia.
"No! He wasn't!" cried Fiona.
"It was just a dream. I was never gone," assured Sirius. He stood up and walked around the table to comfort her. "Thalia, why is she having dreams of him?"
"I don't know. Fiona, don't worry about him. He can't hurt you," said Thalia. She looked a bit paler at the mere mention of Voldemort. She rubbed her shoulder.
"I wouldn't let anything happen to your mother and you, Fin," said Sirius. "Baby, nothing is going to happen to you."
"It was just a dream, Fin. The nightmare is over," said Thalia. Fiona looked back and forth between them. She felt at ease. She saw her parents smiling at her. Was this really all just a dream? Or was this all real?
*
"Harry, what are you doing? Wake up!" called a voice that Harry couldn't locate. "You can't let him win this time, Potter!"
Harry could feel the venom running its course through his body. He turned over so that he was on his back. "Potter! Get up!" shouted the voice.
He realized now whose voice he was hearing. It was Draco Malfoy's. "You bloody moron! He's got Fiona!"
Harry couldn't see Draco anywhere. "Potter! There's a vile of phoenix tears in your pack. Surely, you're not dead yet. What kind of King are you?" Where was Draco's voice coming from? He wondered.
"You're in Avalon," muttered Harry weakly.
"You're damn right, Potter. I'm using water magic through the High Priestess to communicate with you. Potter, get the vile already!"
Harry felt for his pack and found that it wasn't far away from him. In another minute, he would be dead. He had already lost the feeling in his legs. He grabbed the pack and the vile tumbled out. What was he going to do? He concentrated. The ground started to tremble underneath him. The forest was responding to the king of wizards.
The vines sprung up from the ground and picked up the vile. The vines poured the phoenix tears into the snakebite. Harry felt better. He was drenched in sweat as he got up. The forest was quiet. There was nothing out there that could hurt him. The forest wouldn't let him. It had changed its loyalty to him. It had saved his life. Harry struggled to get to his feet. He felt a little lightheaded, but he wasn't dying anymore. He couldn't believe that the forest had helped him. What surprised him even more was Malfoy's voice.
The Avalonians are watching the whole thing from the safety of their isle. Damn them. Why don't they help us?, thought Harry angrily as he picked up his pack and replaced the vile in it. The sun looked like it was going to sink soon. He looked around for a trail. He was looking for any indication of where Fiona was dragged off. He spotted the trail very easily. He followed it. He wasn't going to give up. He had to find her.
Instead of stopping for the evening, he took out his wand to light his way as he continued down the trail. He stopped when he got to the end. It had him directly to the castle. He paused as he looked at the walls. There had to have been a passageway for Nagini to slither through. It couldn't have been that easy for him just to walk up to the castle. He was right.
The moment he stepped up the castle there was a barrier that threw him back. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach. He looked upwards and saw the castles high towers. He wondered if the barrier reached that high up. How he wished he had taken his Firebolt with him.
Snow started falling. Harry decided to use that to his advantage. The snow would show how high the barrier went up. He looked upward and saw that the barrier was actually a dome. It covered the entire main compound. Harry didn't want to try directly at the barrier again.
He decided to divide his goals. He had to rescue Fiona, but that was his primary goal. His first goal was to get inside. He was a king. He had to think like one and he couldn't just rush in without a well-formulated plan. Or least any plan. The snow was coming down harder and harder.
He felt exhausted, but he couldn't stop. Fiona was trapped and under the mercy of Voldemort. He could only imagine what Voldemort was doing. He wished that the Avalonians would contact him again. How was he going to get through the barrier, if he couldn't so much as touch it?
*
Fiona felt the sunshine as she stepped outside with her mother. Thalia said that she wanted her to help with the weeding. Her father had gone to work with the Aurors. He said he would be home early. Obviously, Sirius was concerned about his daughter's outburst at breakfast.
"Mom, where was I born?" asked Fiona.
"Washington, DC. You know that. Your father and I went there for a little bit because he wanted to make sure it was safe before we came back to England," replied Thalia as she looked at Fiona worriedly.
"How long have we been living here together as a family?" asked Fiona.
"Well, a few years. We just moved back when it was time for you to go to Hogwarts. Your father had his heart set on it," replied Thalia. "Fin, is this about that strange dream you had earlier?"
Fiona didn't answer. She set to work weeding one of the flowerbeds. It seemed strange that her mother didn't put some sort of charm on the plants to keep the weeds away. She watched her mother as she gardened. How many times did Fiona see her mother like that? Too many for her to remember.
"What about Harry Potter?" asked Fiona.
"What about him? He's staying with the Weasleys for the first few weeks of summer. He should come back home soon," answered Thalia.
"What? He lives here?"
"Yes, he does. His parents died, Fiona. He's been living with us since before you were born. You used to take baths together. You go to school with him." Thalia looked at her strangely.
Fiona felt her heart beat in her ears. She wasn't sure if she was really in love with him yet, but it sounded as if they had been raised together. "Maybe, it's too hot for you. You can go inside and get yourself a glass of lemonade," suggested Thalia, worrying about the effects of the heat on her daughter.
Fiona stood up. She nodded and went into the house. What a big house it was. It wasn't just a house. It was a manor. Fiona knew that her father came from a wealthy family, but she didn't know the extent of his wealth. Her father had told her that she was his heir.
Fiona had no idea what was in this house. She decided not to get the lemonade. She decided to explore the house instead. She walked around, taking in everything. There were paintings on the walls that moved and the tapestries that hung on the walls had beautiful Gaelic calligraphy on it. Her father had said that he was a British mutt with some Irish blood thrown in. The furniture was old and fine. Most of it dated back much further than Fiona could have ever imagined.
She walked until she found a room that she was sure that her mother spent a lot of time in. It was the music room. It had a piano in it and several instruments in the glass cabinets. Sirius knew how to play the piano because he had been forced to learn as a child.
Fiona stopped in front of it. She hadn't had a chance to play in such a long time. She didn't realize how much she missed just being able to play when she had a chance to. She sat down and slid the cover back to expose the keys. She started to play a Mozart piece.
She stopped abruptly. Because someone had come into the room. It was her mother, but she didn't look like she was made of flesh and bone. She looked like a ghost. In fact, she was gliding across the room, her feet barely touching the floor.
"Fiona, look around you. Remember what your father said," whispered Thalia. Fiona looked down and realized that the crystal was missing. There was something terribly wrong. This was the dream. It had to have been a dream. There was something wrong. Something that was missing. Fiona had to think. She had to remember every detail that her father told her about Black Manor.
"She's still resisting, Milord," said the servant to Voldemort as he watched the servant try to take the crystal off of Fiona.
"How long before she wakes up?" asked Voldemort.
"We cannot say. She was already knocked out when she was brought in. Then with the sleeping draught, you ordered, we will not know when she will awaken. The spell you placed on her is very powerful indeed," said the servant admiringly. She was a vampire. The child fascinated her. However, the servant knew better than to attack the Dark Lord's grandchild. She had been the governess to the previous young mistress.
"Leave us," ordered Voldemort in a harsh whisper.
"As you wish, Milord," said the vampire as she bowed, then exited the room.
Voldemort walked up to Fiona. She was fast asleep in what used to be her mother's bed. He didn't expect her to look so much like her mother. He reached out to stroke her cheek, but a jolt shocked him. It was a protective barrier much like the one that surrounded the main compound of the stronghold.
The child looked too much like her mother. He could tell that the dream was effecting her. Where had the specter of his daughter got off to? Why wasn't she here taunting him? "Damn you, Thalia," cursed Voldemort out loud, realizing that Thalia had invaded the dream to bring Fiona into consciousness. He smiled because Fiona wasn't showing any signs of waking up. He had created the perfect dream for her. Why would she give it up to return to reality?
By the time, Fiona would wake up, it would be too late. Voldemort decided to go back and monitor the teams that were headed for the castle.
The team led by Severus Snape was only halfway through the maze. They had met with difficulty because Voldemort had installed more traps. Two of the knights were dead. Snape had incurred a nasty injury on his body, but he was still pressing forward. The wound was held together with some magical gauze.
The other team, the one lead by Sirius Black, was already making its way up the face of the cliff. Sirius and Remus were making excellent time and their team was still intact. However, there was no place for the team to stop for the last day or so. They had no choice, but to continue their ascent up the cliff. The whole team was tired, except for Sirius and Remus. What nuisance of a son-in-law Voldemort had.
Voldemort turned his attention to the last person, Harry Potter. He wasn't all that surprised to find him alive. The boy wasn't going to die that easily. He watched him staring at the barrier outside. The snow was falling on him. Voldemort shook his head. What a fool. Why were the women of his family attracting such fools?
Voldemort stopped and switched back to watch Snape's team again. At least, they were more interesting that Harry Potter standing in snow.
*
Harry wondered how he was going to get through the barrier. He was the most powerful king in the world. The proof was the sword at his side. Then, he realized something. If he couldn't get through the barrier, the other teams wouldn't be able to do it. Harry was positive that Voldemort put up the barrier knowing that Snape had a good chance of making it through the labyrinth.
Harry had to break down the barrier for everyone else. Then, the answer came to him. It was too simple to even consider. The sword. He looked at Excalibur. He had never drawn it for battle. During his practices with Draco, Harry used a Japanese wooden sword because that was what Sensei Ran recommended.
Harry touched the hilt and felt a tingle go through his body. He drew the sword. If he couldn't get through the barrier this way, then Fiona didn't stand a chance. He took a deep breath before he charged.
*
Fiona wondered what she wasn't seeing in the house. Did she even want to wake up? Her mother was alive and well in her dreams. Fiona didn't realize how much she still resented her father for walking out on them. She remembered being a small child and dreaming of having her father home. When she was younger, her mother didn't show so much as a picture of him to her. All the pictures Thalia had had of Sirius were wizards' photos. How was she supposed to explain that to Fiona?
Fiona was left to her imagination when it came to her father. She had dreamt about how he looked many times over in her mind. Seeing her father for the first time months ago was like a dream come true. He looked even more handsome than she had imagined.
Fiona realized that she was allowing herself to get pulled in by the dream again. She shook her head furiously as she tried to get her bearings straight. She had asked her father everything there was to know about Black Manor. He had promised that they would return home as soon as their mission was over. It was one of the many plans she had made, but she was trapped in a dream. If she couldn't figure out what was wrong, then she wouldn't be able to wake up.
She looked around. Everything was as neat as a pin. Then, she realized what was wrong. Where was the house elf? Her father had mentioned the house elf that lived in Black Manor. Hermione had talked about how unfair it was. Ron said that most house elves made it a point not be seen. However, Fiona knew that the house elf bound to the Black family was not a mere slave. She was allowed a lot of privileges for a house elf. Another thing, Black Manor was her home. Fiona tried to remember her name. What was the house elf's name?
"Where's Mimi?" asked Fiona simply. With that the dream began to fade and everything turned into light again.
*
Harry charged at the barrier and with one swipe of the sword the barrier shattered like glass. The snow started falling on the castle's high towers. Harry smiled to himself. He had gotten completed his first objective. He walked up to the castle and tried to figure out how Nagini was able to get in and out.
He tentatively touched the castle wall. To his relief, there was no shock. Harry knew that breaking the barrier was the easy part. It was getting through the castle that would be a challenge. He had no idea what the layout of the castle was inside. Snape knew. Harry wanted to curse out loud. Snape should have provided a map for the teams, but he had warned them that Voldemort most likely had things moved around the castle.
Harry wasn't about to let anything keep him from Fiona. He didn't want to stop and think about what was happening to her. He had to figure out a way inside the castle. Unfortunately, the trail that Nagini had left on the ground was covered with snow. By the time the snow would clear what was left of the trail would be gone. Harry had to think.
He had to think like Voldemort. The castle was his ultimate stronghold. Everywhere else Harry had met Voldemort previously was Harry's turf. The school and his parents' house at Godric's Hollow. This was Voldemort's ground. If Nagini could come in and out, then Harry could do it. Voldemort was the one who designed the castle. Snape had said that it wasn't an old, abandon castle. Voldemort's minions had constructed it, long before Thalia was born.
Harry cursed under his breath as he looked around him. The snow was coming down harder. He didn't make it this far to lose. He didn't survive so many attempts from Voldemort to lose to a castle wall. Harry took of his glasses to wipe off the excess snow on them. He put them back on. His vision was clearer, but he was exhausted. He had fought venom, hiked more than a mile, and used the sword to break the barrier. However, Harry couldn't let his fatigue get the better of him. He had to get inside.
He had to think clearly. Nagini was carrying Fiona with her. She had to go through an entrance large enough to fit the both of them through without injuring Fiona too much. Harry had a feeling that Voldemort wanted Fiona in one piece. Otherwise, Nagini would have simply sank her fangs into her.
He looked at the ground. Wherever Nagini went through had to have been at ground level. There were no other structures for her to slither up, and with Fiona there would have been no way for her to do so. Harry didn't care that he was cold. He touched the ground with his gloved hands and searched along the stones. There had to be a secret passage for Nagini. Something that a snake could go through with another person.
Harry felt along the cracks and crevices. He didn't care that the snow was really coming down now. He stopped. Harry remembered something important. He was wrong. There was a time when Harry was on Voldemort's home turf during one of their encounters. The Chamber of Secrets. Nagini was a snake. Voldemort designed the castle much like Salazar Slytherin helped design Hogwarts.
Harry cleared his throat. "OPEN UP," he hissed in Parsel Tongue and waited. The sound of stones shifting and moving came. Harry saw the passageway was about twenty feet from where he was. He made a dash for it before it could seal up again.
He squeezed into the passageway. It wasn't very narrow at all, but it was low. He would have to crawl through it. Harry had no idea where the end of the passageway was. He also had to be careful. Nagini could go in at any moment. That was fine. Before he couldn't hurt her because she had Fiona in her grasp. Harry didn't care if he had to lop off her head with the sword. As he crawled he tried to pay attention to any sounds he could hear. He had to keep himself focused.
Voldemort had gone too far this time. Harry was going to stop him. He had to save Fiona. Before Voldemort destroyed her like he had with the rest of his family. Harry started to think of Thalia Black. Fiona said that her mother seemed sad most of the time. Harry thought of Tom Riddle Sr. and the rest of the Riddles. All of them were killed using the Killing Curse. Harry shook his head. He couldn't think like that. Fiona was like him. She was strong and resilient. Her magic was also stronger than his, even if she didn't know how to use it.
The crystal was with Fiona. Harry thought about it. He attempted to reassure himself that she was alright as long as she had the crystal with her. However, he couldn't make himself believe that Fiona was completely safe. He sighed as he pressed forward. He first had to think of getting out of the passageway first. He had to take it one thing at a time.
*
Fiona practically leapt out of bed when the dream faded. She looked around her and didn't recognize her surroundings. She sat up in bed. It was a large feather bed with blankets made of cotton and velvet. She looked around and saw the canopy hangs. It was just as ostentatious as the one in Avalon. The room had tall glass windows which showed that it was snowing.
She noticed that she was still dressed in the clothes that she had come with. She walked up to the window, fearing the worst had happened. She took a deep breath when she realized where she was. The room was located even higher than the one she had stayed in Avalon. "Oh my God," whispered Fiona.
"It's a beautiful sight, is it not my young mistress?" asked someone from behind her. Fiona whirled around. There stood a tall woman in a black dress. She had long fingernails painted black. Her hair was black, but streaked with white. It was up in an elegant twist. She had high cheek bones with a graceful chin. Her eyes were yellow like Nagini. She had fangs.
"Who are you?" breathed Fiona as her fear increased.
"My name is Vivian. I am here to serve you," said the woman as she bowed. "Come we must change your clothes."
"Why?" demanded Fiona.
"You are meeting with your grandfather. You have not eaten in hours, Child," said Vivian. She walked to a large walk through closet and opened it. There were many dresses inside. They once belonged to Thalia. Vivian picked up some shoes that looked like ballet slippers.
Fiona wondered why her grandparents insisted on dressing her. Lady Desdemona did in Avalon, and now, Voldemort was doing it. "Please. You must not come to dinner without being dressed properly."
"My mother taught that etiquette. I know the etiquette. What was it? Oh, Vivian," said Fiona icily. Her courage was building up again. A surge of defiance seemed to be coming up her belly and up to her mouth.
"You have your mother's fire. That will be tapered soon enough," said Vivian, unaffected by Fiona's words and attitude.
"What do you know about my mother?" she demanded as she narrowed her eyes at the vampire.
"I was her governess. I was the one who taught her those manners, Child. Now, please corporate and you will return to your room as soon as possible," replied Vivian as she handed Fiona a dress. "I will help you dress."
"I can dress myself," said Fiona as she marched over to a screen. She changed clothes quickly into a loose fitting dress made out of pale blue silk. There was a corset, which explained why Vivian offered to help her dress. She tried to tie the dress and did so loosely. She walked back out of the screen.
Vivian walked up to her and redid the tie on the corset. Fiona was surprised that she didn't make it that tight. "You do remarkably resemble your mother," said Vivian. Her tone almost sounded sad.
"Your hair is a mess. We will have to do something about it," continued Vivian. She guided Fiona to the chair in front of the vanity. To Fiona's surprise, it was a normal mirror. Vivian took out her ponytail and brushed out her hair. "It's ashamed that you do not have the time to take a bath. You will have one after dinner before you go to bed."
"I had no idea that Voldemort treats his prisoners so well," said Fiona sarcastically.
"You are not his prisoner. You are his granddaughter," said Vivian.
"Just like my mother? She was his daughter not a prisoner for seventeen years?"
"Tsk. You children never learn to appreciate what you have. You never realize how many sacrifices have to be made."
"I know what kind of sacrifices a parent makes. It has to be for the child, not for the parent's plans," whispered Fiona as she touched the crystal.
"Why not take off that crystal? That is all that is left of the master's daughter. Give it to him," said Vivian, sensing some weakness.
"His daughter would still be alive, if he hadn't murdered her!" snapped Fiona. The table started to tremble. A bottle of perfume on the vanity burst.
Vivian didn't look disturbed by Fiona's outburst. "Come. It is time to meet your grandfather." Fiona stood up obligingly. Vivian had to be careful around her. The child was not only the granddaughter of Voldemort, but she had the power to destroy with a mere thought like her grandmother. Vivian unwittingly had strengthened Fiona's will to survive and defy Voldemort.
AN: Harry's a lot smart than we give him credit for. Hermione's not with him, but he does work very well under pressure. He tends to think better under those circumstances and he's under a lot of pressure. Voldemort and Fiona finally have a talk. It's been a long awaited conversation. Okay, I must wrap this up before MS Word does something again. ~_~
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter. This fanfic is mine and so is the style used to write it.