Episode One Hundred and Eleven

            With only her anger to keep her company Gwen stewed. She sat for hours in her mother's study clenching her teeth, clenching her fists. It felt like there was no one powerful enough to stop the forces of evil building up around her. She felt impotent and that weakness drove her nearly mad.

            She knew where he was. She had a wand. She had the desire to end his reign of terror. She had been given the opportunity before, but she didn't have the strength of mind to do so. The passing of that chance was something that was pushing her past her limits.

            The things he had said to her…

            She closed her eyes and slammed her fists on the desk. She threw the papers all over the floor. She ripped out pieces of hair but hardly felt the burning sensation of her torn scalp. She fell into a pile of papers and curled into a ball, her anger spent for the time being. But the physical act of destroying the study had not dulled her rage enough to stopper it up.

It wasn't much later when she decided to return to Hogwarts. She needed some more time to think and she needed Graves. She needed to curl up in his arms, not on the floor strewn with papers. She needed real human contact to calm her down, the kind that only Corwin could give her.

She snuck into her bed quietly and closed her eyes hoping she hadn't woken him, sleeping there so peacefully on her bed in her absence, the only place he felt truly comfortable anymore.

"Gwen?" Graves asked timidly. He hadn't heard her return, but he felt her body sink into the bed next to his. He rolled over to see her lying quietly on her side.
            "I had the chance to kill him." She said softly.

"Kill who?" He asked concerned, leaning his arm over her body.

"You-Know-Who." She whispered. She turned to him as the terror of her meeting had finally sunk in. Her eyes were wide with shock, her complexion paler than he'd ever seen it.

"How?"

"I found him." She heaved a great sigh. "And I asked him why he wanted to kill me."

"What happened?" Graves asked his mind reeling.

"I couldn't kill him." She said angrily. "I wanted to so badly, but he's immune now." Her fists clenched at her sides, her teeth grating viciously, she stared at the wall of her bedroom.

"Gwen?" He asked, fear rising in his gut.

Her breathing sped up. "He hurt me and then I cursed him Corwin. I used fey magic, like that day with the death eaters. I don't think he'll come back, but I can't be certain. We'll never be certain until he's dead."

After a long moment Graves had to know. "Did he tell you why?"

She looked at him with the deepest regret she'd ever felt. "That is one secret that I will never reveal." She said. "The truth is sometimes the worst weapon any wizard could have against another and I prefer not to relive that moment ever again."

Graves wanted to argue with her. What if Voldemort had lied? But he saw the way Gwen's jaw was set. He saw the 'don't protest' look in her eyes. Anything he might have said to learn the truth died instantly before it reached his lips. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly. "I'll never ask again." He said quietly.