Chapter Fourteen: Bring The World To Its Knees



The Heir of Slytherin found that she had forgotten all forms of speech she had known before. She sat staring, and for some moments not even that, just wandering off into oblivion. Natalia sat there for such a long time that Hermione began to fear she had gone into shock. Maybe she shouldn't have told her until she recovered fully from the previous night...

"I...I can raise the dead?"

Hermione sighed in relief. The Slytherin was just thinking after all, and not losing her mind.

"No, not in the sense that people usually mistake it for. Everyone thinks that necromancy is bringing the dead back to life, but it isn't that at all. It's impossible to make the deceased alive again. A real necromancer is just a person that is favored by the dead and can summon their spirits back to their physical forms to aid themselves. But in no way are they 'alive' again because they don't have a physical body capable of holding them for another lifetime. All they have is a corpse."

Natalia wanted to nod her head to acknowledge what Hermione had said but could not. Her entire body was frozen, every fiber in her body listening to the horridly fascinating art of necromancy.

"However, when you told me that the skeleton had imitated all your actions, I became a bit skeptical. Necromancers usually have to go through a big ritual to call spirits back to their bodies because even though the dead favor them, it takes quite a lot to convince them to come back to the physical world. But in your case, you did not even do a ritual and the dead came to aid you. Your connection to the departed must be awfully strong for you to be able to do so unconsciously."

Hermione eyed her closely to see if she was following the importance of this detail.

"Not even the most powerful necromancers can raise the dead without being aware of it. The deceased must either favor you a whole lot or you must have some kind of power over the afterworld, which is why I was so disturbed by this earlier, because if you have this kind of power over the realm of the dead, what kind of power would you have over the living?"

Natalia stared at her in horror, repulsed by her own abilities. Hermione put a hand on her friend's shoulder, comforting her.

"I wouldn't think too much on it now. Let's go to dinner first and decide what to do with your new powers later."

If the girls had stayed in the library any longer, they would have heard Madame Pince drop a book from shock over in the next aisle.

Dinner passed for Natalia like a silent picture. She picked at her food, forgetting that its purpose was to be consumed. Not being able to stand it any longer, she went out to the Quidditch Pitch, into the silence of the approaching night. It was times like these that made her wish her life away. She sat on the sand, softly raking it back and forth with her fingers, watching the sun slowly disappear to greet someone else's day. Raising her eyes to the sky, she fought anguish as she had always done since she was little. Her Father's death had left a wound that had never healed. Everything she knew of love, happiness, and content had been torn away from her in one afternoon. And now this...She cast her eyes down, burying her head in her knees. Having no one to turn to devastated her. She had always been alone. People loved her, but never understood her.

"It's rather hard to make the Quidditch Pitch smooth without a rake, you know."

She felt a person sit down next to her.

"The world is against you, you're right. I found that out a long time ago."

Natalia shut her eyes to keep unshed tears from leaking out. She buried her fingers in the sand.

"But you just have to accept it and decide whether or not life is still worth living. And if you do decide to go on living, you can be certain that you will regret that choice over and over again."

Natalia turned her head to look at her companion. Snape looked back at her with his dark eyes.

"But in the end, you still have to make a choice."

After a long silence, she closed her fingers, capturing a handful of sand. Lifting her head, she held her hand over to him. He looked at her, and after a moment, slowly opened his palm. She let the sand sift through her fingers onto his hand, some of it catching in the breeze.

"I have made my choice."

She looked up to meet his eyes.

"I am placing my burdens on you, for your power is made perfect in my weakness."

The one who was to salvage the world from its end quietly got up and left the one who would one day forsake the world to save her.

The professors had gathered for a short meeting after dinner. Snape walked in during the middle of it, and on seeing Madame Pince update the teachers on the latest gossip, he carefully rolled his eyes in perfection.

"...and I happened to be shelving books in the next aisle and overheard them saying that she is a necromancer. And a very powerful one too!"

Dumbledore looked at her carefully.

"Are you sure about this?"

Pince nodded, satisfied to have captured Dumbledore's attention.

"I'm pretty sure of it."

The Potions Master cut in.

"Well Irma, if you had eavesdropped more carefully, perhaps you would be completely sure."

Pince turned around, pinching her face into a scowl upon seeing Snape.

"You should be talking, Severus. It's your own precious Slytherin we're discussing. Natalia wasn't in the forest at all last night. I heard her tell Hermione before dinner that she was in a graveyard being chased by a Deatheater," she looked at Snape suspiciously when saying this, "and summoned a mutant skeleton to kill him. And she did so without knowing it! I say we shouldn't let her stay here. That girl could put us all in danger."

Snape narrowed his eyes and turned to Dumbledore.

"Do you really believe this woman?"

The Headmaster rubbed his eyes. This year was going to be a tiring one.

"Severus, honestly, I don't know who to believe. I did think that if a change of this impact had occurred in her, she would have already come to me. But seeing as she has not, I do not know what to think."

He folded his hands, looking pointedly at Snape.

"Which is why I am going to have you to talk to her and see what has happened."

Snape started in his chair.

"But Headmaster, really there must be -"

"Severus." Dumbledore said dangerously.

"You will do as I have asked you. After all, you are the best suited for this task as you know her best out of all us."

He looked at Snape as if to say, 'I did not slip you that potion for nothing.'

The sallow man grumbled, reclining back in his chair in defeat. He could not believe Pince's rumors. Nobody was known to raise the dead without a complete ritual, much less unconsciously. He rolled his eyes again in an experienced manner.



The Ominous Trio crept into the dungeons under Harry's Invisible Cloak.

"Do you think she'd be here? I mean with all the other Slytherins? I sure wouldn't want to be around them when I'm down." Ron said, shivering from the chill that took a permanent residence in the dungeons. Hermione gave him the all-knowing look.

"We've looked everywhere else. Besides, she has her own private chambers."

"I do hope she's all right." said Harry, "She looked pretty upset during dinner."

The redhead shook his head.

"I would've thought necromancy would be a pretty cool power to have."

The other two turned and glared at him.

"What? Wouldn't it be great to raise armies of the dead without even being aware of it? I mean, she has so much power that she...oh...she doesn't know when she's doing it."

After saying a quiet "pureblood" to the trapdoor, they slipped inside the Slytherin Common Room. Draco and his two henchmen were lounging on the couches.

"I reckon the bloody heir had her wits scared out of her so much that she won't be coming out for days."

Crabbe and Goyle snickered next to their prince. Ron started and began to walk over to Draco to beat the daylights out of him. Hermione and Harry quickly pulled him back, whispering,

"Ron! The reason why we're here is to see if Natalia is all right. Not to get into a bloody brawl!"

They quickly shuffled past the girl's dormitories into a hallway that led to the Master Chambers. They approached the door, each of them puzzling over the password that would allow them inside.

"When I came here with her this morning, I heard her say something in Parseltongue. Try to say a word in that language, Harry."

Harry concentrated and slowly hissed out "Open".

The door did not budge, nor did the snake awake from its slumber and slither away.

"That mustn't be it, Harry." Ron said, his face furrowed in thought. "Try something less obvious, like bloodbath, or something."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh, like that isn't obvious."

They began listing passwords to the door, and to their chagrin, none of them worked. While they were bickering amongst themselves over the password, a faint strain of bittersweet melody reached their ears. They shut themselves up at once and listened in fascination. Another sonorous note filled the air with its inevitable warmth, driving out the chill in the hall. Harry listened closer.

"It sounds like it's coming from inside her chambers."

"Well of course," Hermione rolled her eyes, "Natalia's playing the cello."

Ron frowned.

"What's a cello?"

The girl turned to him.

"Really Ron, do you ever pay attention in Muggle Studies? A cello is a Muggle instrument."

"I didn't know Muggles could make something so beautiful."

They stood in awe, listening to the sheer beauty of the profound melodies emerging from the cello's deep, rich voice.

"She's playing Rachmaninoff." Hermione quietly whispered.

Harry broke the trance, asking,

"How are we going to get in?"

The three of them stood in thought for some time, when Ron finally said,

"Why don't we try knocking?"

The other two grew red, realizing their obvious stupidity. Ron knocked loudly on the door. For a moment, the playing stopped, and then started again.

Natalia's fingers glided over the strings, pouring her soul into a release of the bow onto the string. She heard a knocking on the door, at which she stopped, but thinking it was just a Slytherin coming to pester her, continued playing Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise".

After an hour of playing, she remembered that Amicus had to be taken to Snape's office. Taking the dragon and his belongings, she headed off to Snape's office.

She waited outside the classroom after knocking on the door. When no one responded, she went inside to leave Amicus in the Potions office. Knocking on the inner door out of courtesy, she heard a tired "Come in".

The professor did not acknowledge his visitor until he had finished grading the entirety of the paper in front of him. He looked up, glad to see Natalia after the ridiculous meeting with the other professors.

"Miss Slytherin, I see you have come to leave me with Albea."

Natalia shook her head, her face slightly flushed.

"No, Albea's name is Amicus now because...well, Hagrid informed me that I made quite a mistake."

Snape nodded and could not keep a smirk from appearing on his face.

"I see...well then, just set him down on top of the shelf over there."

Natalia did so and stood waiting to be excused.

"Have a seat, I have something I must discuss with you."

After she did so, Snape folded his hands in a judicial manner and looked closely at her.

"I have been informed that you were at a graveyard last night, not the forest."

The girl turned crimson, seeing that she had been found out. The Potions Master leaned forward to meet her eyes with a hard look and said in a quiet deadly voice,

"I have also been told that you were attacked by a Deatheater."

After an eternity, he sat back, not averting his eyes for a moment.

"Now, Miss Slytherin, I am quite certain you know how incriminating those claims are. Even more so are the accusations that you are a necromancer."

Natalia drew a quick breath. The look in her eyes gave everything away to Snape. He pursed his lips.

"I see. I must tell you, Miss Slytherin, if you do not explain to me exactly why you did not inform Dumbledore or me of this right away, I will have no defense against your expulsion."

Natalia's hands shook slightly.

"I was afraid that by telling one of the professors, I would be sent away."

Snape sighed softly.

"It is almost inevitable that you will be, now that we know it is true. If you had come to us first, the Headmaster and I could have prevented the other professors from finding out about it. But now...well, I can assure you that Durmstrang will be more than content to accept back a student of your caliber."

Natalia looked at him in horror. With a shaking voice, she pleaded with him.

"Professor, you cannot send me away. I have no place else I can go!"

Snape's eyes flashed in anger.

"You of all people should know better than to say something like that. Some of the students here do not even have a single living family member! You at least have your Mother."

He was about to dismiss her when she interrupted him.

"Professor, if I go back, my Mother will be in danger."

The Potions Master narrowed his eyes. He hated it when people were melodramatic.

"What in the world are you ranting about?"

Natalia slowly began.

"This past summer, Headmaster Karkaroff paid me a visit. We had all thought that he had gone back to the Dark Lord, but instead, Deatheaters had taken him captive for attempting to start an uprising against Voldemort. When he reached me, they had taken both his arms and half his soul. He was given a Dementor's kiss that was left unfinished."

She closed her eyes, remembering every detail vividly.

"They had taken away what power he had left, and after running from them for two weeks, he finally reached me. He had come to inform me that people were coming after me because I possessed something they wanted. He did not know what it was, but told me that wherever I went, the people around me would be in danger."

Her voice cracked.

"For this same reason, my Father died."

She recovered in silence before continuing.

"He told me he had spoken to Professor Dumbledore earlier in the year about my transfer here because he knew that this would be the safest place for me."

Snape looked at Natalia, listening intently to what she was saying.

"Three days later, we found Karkaroff's burnt body in the woods. It was then that my Mother allowed me to be under the care of Hogwarts and Dumbledore. She was certain that the people would not be able to find me here."

She looked down at her shaking hands.

"But they obviously have."

There was a long silence of contemplation on what had happened and what would be.

"I know I cannot stay here because I am already responsible for enough deaths,"

She looked imploringly at Snape.

"But I really have no other place to go."

Snape closed his eyes. It pained him to see the amount of burdens life had put on her. No child should have to be responsible for another's life. Looking back up at her, he gently said,

"Natalia...you are welcome here at Hogwarts for as long as you need. I can assure you that the other professors and I will offer you the best protection we know of."

She nodded, her eyes thanking him more than words could ever express. He looked at her, noticing that weariness and age was settling in her eyes.

"But for now, I suggest you go and get some sleep. Don't try to think about any of this for now."

She quietly went back to the dormitory after he gave her a sleeping potion, leaving the Potions Master to ponder on how he had once also come to Hogwarts seeking its protection.