Warning: Later in this chapter, Crabbe's section to be precise, there is a very non-descriptive murder of a child. If this bothers you please do not read it but it was necessary.
center
bChapter 2Explaining the Past/b
bHermione/b /centerHermione looked through the window of her lab and down the hall a few doors to the door of Goyle's lab. She had to grudgingly admit that the man worked nearly as hard as she did. He had arrived to the R&D Department before her and left long after she had given up for the night. Based on his time sheet, he was getting barely four hours of sleep each night - if that much.
Hermione added the crushed vampire fang and essence of garlic to the slowly boiling cauldron. She stirred thirteen times counter clockwise then removed it from the heat, happy to see the potion turn the deep red of heart blood. Hermione nodded to herself and waved her wand over the cauldron, casting a stasis charm. It was time to check on Goyle's progress.
Hermione watched him work for a few moments before making her presence known. She could feel some very thorough precautionary wards protecting the room. His movements were precise and measured, and she noted that he kept his lab neat and orderly, something she had yet to accomplish in her parchment and cauldron-strewn lab. She also noticed, as she had on several other occasions, the presence of a Quick Quotes Quill scribbling away on some scrolls of parchment near where he was working. The first time she looked at his notes she had checked them for an enhancement charm like the one that Skeeter woman had used in the past, but never again. No, Goyle's notes were impeccably written just as he spoke.
An entire week and she had nothing to complain about and no reason to get rid of the evil git.
Resigned, she stepped through the door, knocking lightly. Goyle looked up, and Hermione saw, with some surprise, a pair of spectacles perched on his nose. They changed the whole look of his face. He looked gentler to her, less of the bully she remembered, and she wondered when he had gotten them since she certainly didn't remember him ever wearing them at Hogwarts.
Twenty minutes later, she was back in her office with her eyes closed, trying to unravel the enigma of Gregory Goyle. She was positive that Goyle had pulled barely passing marks when they were in school, but she always had trouble separating him from his seeming other half, Vincent Crabbe, in her memory. The quarter-hour spent in his lab had enlightened her of both him and the Cruatius Curse. He was possibly brilliant, and he worked hard for his brilliance as it certainly didn't come easy to him. Hermione couldn't help but respect that.
Hermione was snapped out of her reverie a short time later by the smiling faces of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, who appeared in her office doorway in their dark blue Auror's robes.
"Ready for lunch?" Ron asked with a grin.
"Sure," Hermione answered as she rose and shrugged on her dark green robes. She followed her friends to the apparition point in the main hall of the Ministry of Magic and, a few moments later, appeared in Diagon Alley. They walked together, laughing over the latest exploits of Fred and George.
They waved to Nevin, old Tom's nephew who had recently taken over the Leaky Cauldron for the ageing innkeeper, and slid into their regular booth in a secluded corner of the pub.
"So," Harry began with a concerned smile. "How are things going with Goyle?"
"No problems at all. He knows his subjects," Hermione said with grudging respect. Gregory Goyle had definitely earned over the past week. "I'd still like to know more about his background - like where he has been the last dozen or so years."
"I agree," said Ron thoughtfully. "Did anyone else find it odd that he received an Order of Merlin for services to the Ministry when the war ended? Why would Goyle, of all people, be given an honor like that? I haven't been able to find any details in the law enforcement archives."
Harry looked at the tabletop before speaking, "I spoke to Snape. If anyone would know about Goyle, it would be his former Head of House, correct?" Harry gave them a rueful grin, "Well, after a serious amount of dancing around the question, Snape alluded to the second spy."
Hermione was shocked. The second spy was Goyle? It was Ron, however, who voiced her silent incredulity.
"Goyle? Deatheater-and-Draco's-bodyguard Goyle? A spy? You must be joking Harry." Ron said softly.
Harry nodded. "Then Snape shut down completely. Told me, and I quote that, unless I was conducting an official investigation into Gregory Goyle's activities during the war, I should remove my bothersome Gryffindor arse from his laboratory and ask Goyle myself."
Hermione was pensive for a few moments before speaking. "Maybe we should," she began.
"Should what?" Ron asked dully.
"Ask Goyle. I mean, what have we got to lose?" Hermione was quickly warming to the idea. "At best, he'll be offended and quit, and at worst, he'll hex us on the way out."
Later they would say that their thirst for the truth got the better of them, but at that moment, the Golden Trio was back and was ever a force to be reckoned with. Ten minutes later, they were hovering outside Goyle's lab, where they found him taking a short break and absently eating a sandwich as he bent once more over the enormous book sitting on the counter.
bGoyle/b
Greg heard a light tapping on his door and looked up. His eyes narrowed at the sight of the three former Gryffindors darkening his door. Greg rolled his eyes inwardly. 'Do those three ever do anything alone?' he thought to himself.
"Yes, Ms. Granger? How may I help you?" he asked softly, pointedly ignoring the presence of Potter and the Weasel.
"Goyle," Hermione began in a serious tone, "I'll be blunt. We'd like to ask you a few questions."
Greg had known this was coming from the first day he began working for the former Gryffindor Head Girl. "So," he said suspiciously, "what exactly would you like to know?"
"What did you do to get the Order of Merlin?"
Granger rolled her eyes and lightly smacked Weasley on the shoulder. "So much for subtle, Ron."
The fire-haired Auror scowled at Granger before turning back to Greg with an expectant look. Scarhead, Greg smiled slightly at the memory of Draco's nickname for Potter, had been silent thus far, observing everything with his disconcerting green eyes.
Greg sighed as he closed the book he had been researching and shut his eyes, battling the urge to fall prey to the images of the war and the faces of his own victims that raced through his mind. "I received the Order of Merlin Second Class for services to the Ministry, but if you must know, it was for my work as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix. Severus recruited me during sixth year, just after I received the Dark Mark."
"Do you still have it? The mark, I mean." Granger asked, her damnable curiosity getting the better of manners.
With deliberate slowness, Greg shrugged out of his work robes and unbuttoned his left shirt cuff. He neatly rolled his sleeve to his elbow and held out his forearm for the Golden Trio's perusal.
"It has faded to near nothing, but it will always be there like an indelible stain on my soul." Greg held their gazes until his last words, and then his eyes dropped to the table, guilt and remorse taking over.
Granger's voice was soft as she spoke after a moment's silence. "Is that why you disappeared for a dozen years?"
Goyle nodded silently. He looked up, knowing his eyes were haunted. "I had to come to terms with some of the things I did while serving the Order. The ghosts of my victims revisit me still, and they always will."
He dropped his eyes back to his hands resting on the scarred worktable. He could still see, if only in his mind's eye, the blood of the innocent on his hands. It was the kind of stain that you couldn't wash away. It would never wear away.
"Cut the act, Goyle," Weasley snapped angrily. "We all had to do things we regret. We did what we had to do to win, to defeat V-Voldemort."
"Ron!" Granger and Potter shouted in the same instant.
Greg's head shot up, and he pierced Weasley with a glare of loathing as anger boiled up within him. He slammed his fist down on the worktable. He was beyond incensed. "You have no idea, Weasley, of what I had to do! While you three were tucked safely away at headquarters, I was going on raids. I had to prove my loyalty every time I was summoned for a new mission." Greg stood up suddenly and a few short steps brought him nearly nose to nose with the guileless auror. "Tell me something, Weasley. How many girls did you have to rape while a member of the Order? How many children did you kill in their beds as they clung to their teddies? Could you have done it? Could you? And lived with yourself afterwards?"
In that moment he wanted nothing more than to plow his fist into Weasley's gobsmacked face, but instead he turned and stalked silently out of the room. He walked until he found himself standing in the atrium in front of the Fountain of Magical Brethren. He stared a long time into the rippling water and didn't move when he felt a touch on his arm. He was surprised when he heard Granger's voice.
"I'm sorry about Ron," she said softly. "I only know of one other person who did what you had to do, and he didn't get out of it unscathed either, but he has always had my respect. I'm sorry that I have treated you so poorly, Goyle. Take the rest of the afternoon off. I hope that on Monday morning we can start over."
Greg nodded silently and felt her touch his arm again before she moved away. He couldn't say how long he stood there staring into the water, but before he left, he dug into the pocket of his trousers and tossed every galleon, sickle, and knut he had with him into the fountain.
bCrabbe/b
iVincent…/i
Vincent Crabbe rolled over in his sleep and pulled his blanket tighter around his bulky frame. His brow furrowed a bit but then relaxed once more as he snored particularly loudly.
iVincent! Wake up, you lazy, ignorant arse! /i
With a snort, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and wondered what the knife wanted now.
iWhat do I want Vincent? I want to show my self to you. Would you like that, Vincent? Would you like to see whom you now serve? /i
After a moment's thought, Vincent nodded mutely. It would be some time before he woke up enough for coherent speech.
iVincent I need you to help me. The blood of an innocent will free me. Can you do that, Vincent? /i
Again Vincent nodded mutely before he moved to pull his trousers back on and shove his feet into his shoes. He threw his old DeathEater robe on over his pajama top and slipped the knife into an inner pocket as he disapparated.
He appeared outside a muggle home. With a silencing charm, he stole inside and crept up the staircase. He looked into each room until he found the child's room. He walked to the side of the bed, and with a flick of his wand, he locked the door and cast another silencing charm on the room. He looked down on the sleeping child and a mad grin bled over his face.
It was a little girl no more than seven years old. Dark ringlets surrounded her face, and his fingers itched to touch her little body. His fingers brushed over her pink heart-covered panties.
iInnocent, Vincent. Blood of an innocent. Soon you will be able to rape to your heart's content. Tonight she must be innocent. /i
With a wistful sigh, Vincent nodded and retrieved the knife from his robe pocket. He covered the girl's nose and mouth with his grimy hand and smiled as she came awake. He felt his cock harden as the fear gathered in her eyes. He kissed the girl-child roughly and thrust his tongue into her little mouth. He pulled away and plunged the knife into her chest. Once. Twice. Three times the knife descended into the little body.
The knife began to vibrate in his hand, and the blade began to glow a bright, hot red. The ruby blade exploded, jagged pieces of the precious stone slicing into Vincent's skin, as a black mist streamed in to the room. The mist dissipated, and Vincent looked around for his new master, but found no one else in the room.
"What is the matter, Vincent? Don't I look like you imagined?" A moment later, the voice became harsh and angry. "Down here, you buffoon."
I know that was kinda a bad cliffhanger but ah well it will just keep you coming back right? More next chapter on the Baddie of the Knife.
Thank you to all my reviewers including Malice, Tarotgoddess7, DemonQueen17, Talene!
Hawklaw- I totally agree… As to where I'm taking this welll… hmmm I am going to be really evil and say you'll just have to keep reading to find out!
Lintasare- Thank you again so much I am glad you like them!
Deblovesdragon- I think there will be some romance later definite friendship to begin with but romance will take a while. Greg still has a huge number of issues he has to work through before he will let himself love or be loved. Ahh well as with anything I write I and the Muse's bitch and I write what she wants and right now Wish and Stealing are not it.. hopefully soon though.
GrrArrg-Thank you so much love. I think she is already beginning to learn that there is more to Greg than what she thought.
Hunnypeach-Smile thank you so much! Here is our little creation starting to come alive more next chapter