Disclaimer: None of the characters in this story belong to me... okay the odd one may be mine but most are the property of JK Rowling, same with the setting, that's hers too. Basically I claim the plot... that's all...
Author's Note: Hey... I think you'll like this chapter... lots of action and strange behaviour, Green_Pig allowed me to sit and bore her with my ideas for this one while adding a few things... some I used so many thanks... hehe!
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As everything begins to fade and everything becomes unclear one thing you can be assured of is the darkness - it follows us everywhere...
Dissendium
Even though she was pregnant and felt like yesterday's garbage Raine raced though the remainder of the school like she had a rocket up her backside. If she got out side and acted normally until she reached him she may be able to lull him into a false sense of security and make him think that she was her normal self slightly agitated but not going to harm him. Then she could pounce without him knowing. When she reached the doorway she walked out onto the lawns out the front of the castle and was confronted by something she hadn't expected. Quentus appeared to be calling her over but slowly, he looked sad yet, she couldn't make out his expression. His head was leaning downwards like he was feeling down cast but there seemed to be something he was holding back. She slowed down her approach and walked calmly up to him concealing her wand.
"What do you want this time?" She snapped looking at him with fire in her eyes she was ready to get rid of him this time, he'd pushed her too far.
"What did you tell that no good scholar this time?!" He snapped his eyes fading to a pale colour.
"I don't know what you mean..." She said calmly as he lifted his head to meet her gazed, his whole eye was practically white, she couldn't make out the sized of the pupil or where it was for that matter.
"He doesn't report me to Fudge without due cause my sweet now why might he consider something so important that he needs to confer with that badger faced old prune without my presence I wonder?" His voice was twisted, insane almost raising in pitch slightly. He pointed at her with his long spindly fingers occasionally stroking his chin, there was a scar running down his jaw line that had been there for many years, Raine knew where it had come from, it was one reason why she detested him.
"I don't know..." She said reaching into her pocket for her wand.
"Now, now Raine you know that you can't lie to me... I know what makes you tick you see... I've been reported... I want to know why!" He snapped moving forward extremely quickly snatching Raine's wand from her fingers and snapping the wand over his knee. "Are you going to tell me, precious..." He oozed smoothing his hands down her front as she quivered with fear under his touch she couldn't move momentarily, she felt sick.
"Take your hands off me!" She yelled moving her hand to strike his face only she'd been too slow again, he grabbed both of her wrists and twisted them round so she had started to wince with the pain falling to her knees as he increased the pressure but she wasn't going to allow him the satisfaction of hearing her beg.
"Now that would be a sad thing to see my darling... little witch so young and yet so stupid, didn't you learn anything from me? From my brother? From that old fool that preceded me?" He muttered in a fever of frantic ravings.
"Let me go Quentus!" She snapped, she didn't like where this was going.
"Now that all depends upon your co-operation doesn't it Raine?" He mumbled twisting her wrists around even more. "My brother always did have a soft spot for you... and now you have found a way of turning him against me... It doesn't matter to me though... Nothing matters... I only want to know why?" He said in a slightly more credulous voice.
"Why what?!" She cried. "Let me go Quentus!" Her green eyes flashed brightly momentarily. His flashed blue before returning to their nearly white state.
"Why your darling Astix is so intent on sending me to Azkaban?" He twittered. "Marvellous place you know my sweet... No room for a soul there." He grumbled in his continuing to rant.
"You have no soul..." She groaned through the pain inflicted upon her wrists.
"Maybe so my dear but perhaps that is why I'm blind to your screams, or am I not hurting you enough? I don't want to show you any more favouritism than I already have now do I?" Her eyes widened as he looked at her right wrist. "Perhaps I should break it?" He said and inane grin growing in his featureless face, his teeth were as white as his eyes and everything about him became ghostly.
"I'll never scream for you..." She said as he snapped her lower forearm as if it were a twig. He then dropped it and smoothed his free hand round her face.
"You never learn what is best do you my dear? Such a stubborn girl, my student, my sweet, would you care for the lesson I should have taught you a long time ago?" He said smoothing his hand over her lips. "I believe you are ready to be taught now my precious... I believe I am even better apt at teaching you now... Years of waiting have made me..."
"I already know what you have planned... You're not the only one who ever wanted to teach me... as you put it," she said drawing sharp breaths, he stopped brushing her skin with his hand. She hadn't been completely innocent all her life as Quentus had liked to think, because she would never allow him to have her he always assumed she would remain untouched... One event that took place made her truly wish she had been.
"What do you mean?" He took a step back and looked at her mid rift pushing his small semicircular glasses up his perfect nose.
"I'm hiding more than you know within," she said shortly.
"You... fucking slut!" He barked whacking her round the face making her dizzy as she fell face down in the short grass. "It was the Snake wasn't it?!" He snapped beyond insanity now. "Wasn't it?! Answer me!" He yelled pulling her face from the ground by her hair and looking across her face his eyes blurring her vision.
"It isn't what you think you despicable Shit!" She mumbled through her confused state making a little effort to struggle out of his grasp.
"What is it then?!" He whispered savagely. "A blessing?!" He continued. "Hummm?" He wanted to know who had beaten him to her, who was supposedly the better man? He was also partly drunk.
"Voldemort... He had someone... It's your fault!" She said breathlessly.
"Slut!" He yelled throwing her face to the ground again with surprising force. She lifted her head slowly from the ground to see Quentus staggering around like he was drunk beyond control his head in his hands.
"Voldemort he... he wanted to get me to carry his heir and... the man... Severus... He wouldn't I didn't want him dead... I know that sounds stupid but I... Hypnotised him and hoped that when we were out of Voldemort's sight I was going to bring him out of it but I couldn't," she said looking at the insane man run about pulling his hair and mumbling to himself.
"So you're not a slut..." He said with some hint of redemption his voice soft and sympathetic. "You're an idiot!" He thundered standing up straight again.
"I guess I... I didn't mean for any of this to happen..." She started but why was she explaining this to him, he'd just broken her wrist, she grabbed her right wrist as she staggered to her feet before snapping it back into place. She hadn't broken that for a while she'd forgotten how much that hurt.
"Very good my sweet I'm glad to see you did learn the medical part of your work even if you have become a little floozy!" He said gently.
"Just shut up Quentus I'm not in the mood for this, and I'm not yours remember... get that into your thick skull will you and quit following me around! This is hard enough already without you trying to teach me the Karma Sutra!" She snapped, this was ludicrous why did he always insist upon being such a pervert, when he was younger he was different, he was still kind of obsessed with her but he managed to control himself but now he couldn't keep his hands off her.
"You will never ever speak to me like that again!" He yelled still very much the schoolmaster ruling his mind.
"I'm not your student any more Quentus!" She snapped. "I'm your equal get used to it!"
"Oh yes, that..." He mused, before stepping up to her slowly.
"What are you doing?" She said worried... He was reaching in his pocket.
"I wish to know how long it has been there," he muttered pointing his wand casually at her, he extended a hand out to her stomach and pressed his flat palm to her abdomen, his eyes flickered back to the bright blue before they started to look sorrowful. "I'm sorry," he whispered remaining in front of her but lifting her wrist from her side and whispering the healing charm filling her arm with warmth before she knew that it had fully healed.
"You see what you did now?!" She said coldly. She knew he hadn't been the one to put it there but he had caused the mess and she knew that would bother him.
"I'm sorry..."
"Is that all you can say?" She said shortly. "You're the idiot Quentus!"
"And you're a lying conniving bitch," he mocked, before grabbing her wrists again bringing her to her knees.
"Oh I'm not taking this crap from you!" She dismissed his action like she was being annoyed by a small insect, he being to press on the centre point of her wrist, before she lifted herself from the ground thrusting her knees into his mid rift with extremes of propulsion. He let go of her and felt to the floor coughing and spluttering. "You can't even begin to comprehend what you've done. You're a low form of life not even fit to be crushed under my heal!" She shouted kicking him in the stomach as he lay on his side trying to recover his breath. She grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him from the floor towards the lake throwing occasional glances towards Hogwarts to make sure no one was watching her or approaching.
"You can't do this you crazy bitch!" He breathed unable to move as she dragged him into the cold water, he couldn't move, his stomach hurt too much, he felt dazed and confused at the same time.
"Why not?" She said distracted as she lowered his hold body under the cold depths, he didn't have chance to answer as she lowered his head into the ice cold water. "I should have done this years ago I just never had the guts!" She breathed as the cold began to affect her too she shivered, Quentus was thrashing about wildly in an effort to get his head above the water. She lifted him out or one small breath before forcing him back under the water. "You see, I never really had the thirst to kill anyone... until now!"
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Severus walked out of the Great Hall, what had he said to her? What was she thinking of him now, he'd never be able to treat her the same way again she knew something he didn't ever want her to... well eventually but that was completely the wrong moment. He headed towards her office, there he might be able to get some answers.
The corridor was long and cold, the suits of armour appeared to be talking, he knew they weren't but the portraits definitely were. He couldn't make out what they were saying but they mentioned a Professor in a mad rush and appeared to be speculating why...
He ran the rest of the way, round several corners and up a flight of stairs to see Raine's office door left ajar, he popped his head round the corner and saw nothing but darkness. He looked about the room but saw nothing, he noticed the window was open and looked out of it. It was the window facing the Forbidden Forest and a small area of Lake. He didn't think that window opened and it drew his attention immediately, what if she'd throw herself out of it? He looked at the Forest and towards the Lake. There appeared to be a lot of splashing in the water and something black was struggling with something else that was black.
"Raine?" He drew a breath and ran out of her office back to the Great Hall.
"Headmaster..." He said calmly.
"Yes Severus what can I do for you?" He smiled.
"I think we have a problem," he said through gritted teeth.
"Problem?"
"I think we are going to need Madam Pomfrey Sir... It appears something is happening in the lake and I don't like the look of it," he said hurrying out of the hall to the Lake.
"Minerva, would you come with me, I don't like the sound of this at all, you may be of help," Dumbledore said to Minerva as he left his seat and the Hall the students oblivious to what was going on.
"Certainly Albus," she said following him out of the school building onto the lawns.
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"I never really wanted to do this Quentus but you can't take no for an answer can you!" Raine continued to say as she dragged the weakening Quentus up now and again to catch a breath.
"Please..." She heard him gurgle through each breath she allowed him, she was sure there was more to follow but she wasn't interested, she just wanted to make the low life bastard suffer.
"... No..." She said through the torture.
"Raine?!" She could hear someone call.
"Professor Stark?!" Another voice called as she continued to throttle Quentus under the cold water.
"Raine! Is that her?" She heard the female voice call.
"Raine what the bloody hell are you doing?!" She heard one very recognisable voice yell from a fair distance, she could still kill him though, she could kill him before they reached her, she could still finish her task.
"Raine! What are you doing, let him go! He'll die!" That voice was definitely Dumbledore, and he was getting closer extremely quickly.
"Never!" She cried as Quentus began to stop struggling.
"Raine! Let him go," Severus yelled wading into the water.
"No!" She sobbed as he went limp beneath her. McGonagall stood on the waters edge a look of horror on her face, Quentus was completely white his jet black hair floating around his face.
"Let him go!" Severus said through gritted teeth pulling on her right arm as Dumbledore took a firm grip on the left pulling her from the apparently dead form of Quentus, he rose to the surface with what little air remained in his lungs and floated aimlessly on the surface.
"Minerva get him out of the water!" Dumbledore commanded as Raine began to try to struggle out of their grip. She looked at Dumbledore holding her arm looking absolutely livid, he appeared so angry it felt like someone was trying to slice her arm off. She then looked to her right and let out a high pitched yelp that momentarily stunned Severus so he loosened his grip enough for her to break free, she used her free arm to poke Dumbledore in the eye and began to stumble backwards as Quentus' limp figure rose out of the water, lifeless and head lulling to the side as if lifted by an invisible hand. Dumbledore was staggering about as Severus tried to get hold of Raine again, she was breathing deeply and trying to get away just watching the limp body rise out of the lake, she thought he was coming after her.
"Stay still blast you!" Snape shouted trying to get a grip on Raine but failing again. He stumbled about in the water until he managed to get behind her getting a firm grip on her waist. Albus was still covering an eye with his hand and fumbling about in the lake before landing on his backside in the water, when everything calmed down she was going to be in trouble but that didn't bother her right now Severus on the other hand frightened her.
"What the bloody hell is going on Stark!" He bellowed - very unlike himself, the water was cold and Dumbledore wasn't used to the whole situation.
"He's dead... Oh my God I killed him, help me!" She whimpered before she noticed Snape's hands round her waist pulling her out of the waist high water. "Get off of me!" She screamed.
"Raine, get out of the water... I think you've done enough damage tonight..." Severus said softly wanting to help her out of the lake.
"I warned you!" She snapped tumbling backwards grabbing his collar and proceeded to try to drown him as well.
"Albus what do I do?! What do I do?!" McGonagall ask frantically still hold her wand up to keep Quentus out of the lake.
"For goodness sake stop her woman!" He shouted scrambling for Raine and Snape reaching for his wand.
Severus was in a better position than Quentus he hadn't been clunked round the head and weakened before she began to throttle him, he took a light grip on her robes and began to pull her under the water with him, she squeaked as she was dragged beneath the cold sheet of water.
"What's going on?" McGonagall asked unable to distinguish the two Professors dressed in black through the waves of water being produced from the struggle.
He managed to roll about beneath the water so that he wasn't the one being drowned, he lifted his head out of the water and took a deep breath, holding Stark down under his knees over her hips. Bubbles of air were issued from her mouth as the struggle with her arms became less and less until her hair just floated about her head gently in the torrents.
"Severus!" Dumbledore said sharply noticing how lifeless she had become, her eyes however were still blinking every now and again before a few tiny air bubbles issued from her mouth again. There was an unbelievable burning on his left forearm, it felt like nothing he had ever felt before, like his lower arm was on fire and being jabbed with red-hot pokers. He let out a yell through the pain standing abruptly before throwing himself into a deeper part of the lake.
McGonagall allowed Quentus to fall into the shallow end of the water as his eyes snapped open and his arm flew over his head like he was cutting an invisible rope. He dropped into the lake a little dazed looked about frantically before noticing Raine pop up to the surface. He stride across slowly trying to catch his breath with deep heavy drags on the air. When he reached her he pulled her out of the water and rested her on the grass before slumping over next to her while trying to crawl along the grass to get away from the whole situation.
Severus discovered himself screaming into the water to silence himself but the pain was so extreme he would never be able to stop. He began to tuck his arm into his chest and bumble his way out of the water, before making his way across the Hogwarts lawns towards the gates to Hogsmeade where he knew he had to disapparate. Only he knew Dumbledore would want him there, there was only one problem, his inevitable death if he didn't go to Voldemort.
"Severus... Where are you going?" Dumbledore called after him but got no reply.
"What am I going to do with her?" McGonagall asked as she saw Madam Pomfrey bustling over the lawns.
"Snape!" Dumbledore yelled. "Get back here now!" He continued, Dumbledore hadn't called him Snape very often, he stopped and hobbled back clutching his arm.
"What happened here?" Madam Pomfrey asked looking at Raine lying unconscious on the ground. "What has she been doing this time?" She continued checking Raine's breathing.
"We discovered trying to drown this man..." McGonagall said looking about but Quentus was no where to be seen. "Where did he go Albus? He was right here!"
"I have no idea but I'll bet that Professor Stark knows," he said darkly.
"We'd better get her inside," Poppy muttered brushing Raine's cheek with her hand, she was very cold.
"When we do Poppy I want you to do a complete check up on her, there is something bothering her and I need to know what it is, she's not telling me by herself so she may need a little prompting," Dumbledore said looking at Severus who collapsed in a heap next to Raine clutching his arm. He conjured another stretcher and pointed to it.
"I can walk," Snape groaned.
"Don't argue with me Severus... I'm not in the best of moods at the minute," he said the twinkle having completely gone from his eyes.
"But surely I had better go... What if he thinks I'm betraying him? What if he discovers I am really on the light side?" He said hysterically.
"Get - on - the - stretcher!" Dumbledore said through gritted teeth.
"Yes Sir," Snape said quickly sitting on the stretcher and curling up grasping his arm.
"I want to know exactly what has sent her up the wall!" Dumbledore said to Madam Pomfrey who was trying to scurry up to the Hospital wing.
"This is so demeaning," Severus burbled through the occasional howl of pain.
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When they reached the top of the school into the hospital wing Madam Pomfrey showed Severus to a bed where he curled up trying to protect himself from the pain unsuccessfully. He then discovered himself isolated with Dumbledore and McGonagall as Madam Pomfrey closed a curtain around the bed where they rested Raine.
"What were you thinking Severus?" McGonagall said shocked. "You could have killed her!"
"Killed her!" He snapped. "Excuse me but was I the one found trying to drown someone?"
"She's unstable that is true, do you think we should find another Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Albus?" Minerva asked.
"I don't think so... There has to be a calculated reason for that outburst, I want to know what it is," he said his eye now having recovered, it wasn't that she had jabbed them with much force more of the shock that she had jabbed him that got him.
"Can I go now!" Severus asked his arm continuing to burn.
"Take these," Madam Pomfrey said walking up to him trying to take his pulse.
"Fuck off!" He snapped abruptly. He yanked up his left sleeve and showed her the Dark Mark burning black on his pale flesh. "Think these will cure that do you?" He spat.
"No need to be so rude Severus!" She snapped.
"If I don't go now everything will fail and I'll be killed." Severus babbled looking desperately at Dumbledore who's expression changed.
"Go Severus," he said quickly. "I forgot, quickly before you get caught!"
"Make up your mind! Am I staying or going?" Severus said quickly. "I was just getting comfortable."
"Go... Quickly!" Dumbledore said in a hoarse tone. Snape got to his feet quickly and rushed out of the room. "Was I a little harsh just then?" He asked Minerva who seemed to look sorry for the old wizard. "He's a brave man yet don't give him much credit for it."
"Don't worry I'm sure Severus knows you appreciate it, he owes you his life Albus he's doing what he knows he must in return," she said softly.
"Albus I think there are a few things you need to know about your Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, she isn't all that she seems," was Madam Pomfrey's voice from behind he curtain.
"What is it Poppy?" He asked stepping round the curtain. Madam Pomfrey was holding Raine's palm to face upwards, Albus leant over her to get a look, there was a small symbol in the palm of her hand, very light and flesh coloured, it was like a spiral over an exploding star. "The Oct'rix." He murmured. "What else?" He asked as Madam Pomfrey pointed to what looked like an X-ray board. She rolled it jut over Raine's upper body structure.
"If you look on her right arm he wrist has been broken about ten times, and repaired again quickly but the most resent break was today, whoever broke it was extremely strong, it snapped in seconds, from what I'm willing to guess all the breaks were made by the same person on different occasions," Madam Pomfrey said pointing to different fracture lines. "As you work you way up the arm you can see a few more stress fracture lines though what worries me is that her knuckles appear to have shattered in the past, that I believe is where she hit something a little to hard. The other arm isn't so bad, it doesn't have as many breaks in it and the knuckles are in tact. It's my opinion that if she didn't know a spell to heal bone structure that she would most likely be dead, her skeleton appears to be extremely fragile. I haven't looked at the legs yet but I suspect that they are the same," she rolled the board quickly over the torso, nothing appeared to have ever broken there. Poppy just mumbled as Dumbledore watched the X-ray board. There were white splodges where the organs obscured the picture but there was a dense yet small white patch in her abdomen, Madam Pomfrey ignored it and rolled the board down her legs, no fractures there either. She mumble to herself again. "Do you suppose that the kung fu training she received when she was younger affected the strength of her arms?"
"I think that's logical but Poppy could you move the board to her abdomen, I noticed something that doesn't seem normal," Poppy did as he requested and looked closely at the dense white area. "An illness? Cancer?" He asked, it was a Muggle illness and was extremely uncommon among the magical community but he still had to ask.
"I don't think so... I think I do know what it could be though..." She looked up at Raine's face, there was clear bruising to her cheekbones and she looked very ill. "She took quite a beating today Albus, could that have disorientated her enough to want to kill people?"
"It depends if there are other factors, what is it you think is wrong her?" Poppy point to the door and he stepped outside, after a short amount of time Poppy joined him outside, McGonagall was with him though half-asleep by now.
"Albus I know what it is," she said her face flushed and worried.
"What then Poppy, please tell me, I'm falling asleep here," he said yawning - it was now extremely late even for the teachers.
"She's... I'm not sure how to say this, it's never happened to a teacher here before," she said sitting down. "She's pregnant Albus," Dumbledore's eyes shot open.
"Excuse me, say that again..." McGonagall said opening her eyes quickly as well.
There was a murmur behind the curtain Poppy jumped to her feet followed by Minerva and Albus.
"What am I doing in here?" Raine yawned.
"I think you have some explaining to do Raine," McGonagall said shortly.
"What? What have I done? Where's Quentus? I want to kill that no good, lying arse wipe!" She snapped.
"Is that who the father is?" Poppy asked.
"Quentus father? Of what?" Raine asked as innocently as possible.
"You're pregnant Raine, who is the father?" Dumbledore asked looked down at her sadly. "You do know that visitors are not allowed in this school... Why were you so foolish?"
"Excuse me?" She snapped. "I'm a woman and I am old enough to know how to act responsibly. The thing is I never planned for this! I just kinda happened!" She said looking at Poppy who was taking her temperature.
"'Just kinda happened', what do you mean?" Minerva said sarcastically.
"Look I'm not answering to you preachy pat!" She spat at McGonagall. "I guess you've never been interfered with at all, so of course you wouldn't understand. Sometimes things beyond your control happen and there is nothing you can do about it!" McGonagall narrowed her eyes as her lips curled. "I'll talk with Albus but could you two please leave, I'm not going to broadcast this."
"I think it's best that you both leave," he said calmly, McGonagall left in a huff followed by Madam Pomfrey who went to check on her other patients who were fast asleep.
"Well who is it Raine?"
"If I tell you, promise me you'll not tell him, it would kill him, the things he did... they..." She closed her eyes and took a sharp breath. "He doesn't know what he did... Or why, I wiped his memory..."
"Oh no... Not - Severus..." She nodded. "What are you doing in the company of Voldemort?" Dumbledore didn't really know how to respond to this.
"I... It's my job Albus, I'm an Auror, I was instructed to watch Severus like a hawk and to make Voldemort believe I was a mindless puppet he could control. I played the mindless puppet a little to well and my hypnotism failed when I tried to snap him out of it... I couldn't get him to look me in the eye to break it... he just kept..." She broke off and looked at Dumbledore. "He's a Death Eater sir..." She added.
"No he's a spy... What are we going to do Raine? What are we going to do?" He said as she sank back into her bed.
"Hide and hope the world dies around me when the time comes," she muttered before breaking into silent tears. "Do you want to know why I tried to kill Quentus?" Dumbledore nodded. "Because he was the one that brought the whole situation on, he caused Severus to run from me... if he hadn't then something I found out tonight wouldn't have bothered me so much. If Quentus hadn't spoilt my life I might have found it in my heart to be happy... Severus almost told me something today... The problem is I feel the same way but can't act upon it now," she looked at the old wizard who's expression was nothing but sympathetic. "Or at least I think I feel the same way, I've had partners before but never really experienced love so I don't know what it's like but I think... What am I explaining this to you for?" She whispered, Dumbledore just turned his face from her.
"Something's are beyond explanation and you just have to learn to face them, then to tackle the obstacles that stand in the way... It's part of life Raine, I think you know what I mean," he said, she nodded her head.
"Yes, I think I understand," she said before drifting into an uneasy sleep, Dumbledore left the room, McGonagall was waiting outside for him.
"Who's the father?" She asked hungry for information.
"Trust me on this Minerva, I really can't tell you," she nodded and walked with him until she reached her office, he looked sad and tired, what was it that had upset him so?
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Author's Note: Hello again, it's me! Yes I know, just wanted to apologise for an behaviour of the characters that you believed to be inappropriate it just seemed to me that Dumbledore can't be nice all the time and she did poke him in the eye... a little uncalled for I must say. So there you have it, what is to become of Professor Raine Stark? KILL QUENTUS is all I have to say.... he needs to snuff it... Please review, I need them to keep me from getting disheartened...
I.C. Fire
silver_shadow54@hotmail.com