EYES OF THE EVERGREEN - quantum witch © 2001
see Prologue for warnings, rating, and summary
7 : Exprimere
While Voldemort was outside and Juniper was held in the coils of the serpent, she desperately performed the Fidelius Charm on herself.
The Shadow Spiders could only keep so many secrets, and they probably wouldn't come within ten feet of the giant snake anyway. So she had to become her own Secret Keeper now. Almost silently, so that the snake didn't think she was trying anything unusual, she muttered the complicated words that would bind her thoughts of Severus to the one thing in her body that Voldemort couldn't possibly touch or find. The spells around it were cast to prevent discovery, made by a wizard of awesome power. Now, Voldemort would never find the truth about Severus, and nothing he did to her mind or body would tear it from her. Not even death.
Moments later, Voldemort strode back into the room, almost in a good mood. He carried two bottles, and she knew they were for her. "Well, shall we get started?" he said almost cheerily, and unstoppered one bottle. Grasping her cheeks with the other hand, he forced her lips open. She was already half breathless from the pressure of Nagini, and so couldn't prevent his tipping the contents into her mouth.
She swallowed convulsively and felt the slow spreading coldness take her over. She would not be able to fight this. But at least he would not get the one ultimate truth from her. Her mind ensnared, she became limp, her eyes dull and barely blinking.
"Ah yes. Now we shall have some fun," Voldemort said with delight, and hissing to Nagini to release her hold. The snake obeyed and slithered away into the dark, as Juniper crumpled to the floor before him. She was virtually boneless, more a puppet than under the Imperius curse now.
"Tell me," he said softly, "who gave you these implants? Where did you come by them?"
"They belonged, in pieces, to my parents who were great collectors. They collected many great ancient artifacts and devices. What I have in my body is only a small part of their collection."
"Indeed? Then again I am impressed. Did they make you into this?"
"No, they have been dead for three years now. I was implanted two years ago."
"And no doubt there was an extensive period of adjustment, and training for your task, before you attempted to infiltrate my operations."
"Yes, almost a year and a half. I have been spying actively for only six months."
"And caught so soon," Voldemort tsked. "Such a shame. But you did manage to cause some damage, so I suppose your mission was something of a success. Your parents would have been proud. How did they come to such an early end?"
"Accident. Killed by a Muggle driver. Muggle doctors couldn't help them. I was in shock, and there were no magical folk nearby. But it was just an accident. I never blamed the Muggles."
"Ah… I had wondered how you slithered your way into our midst. You used this tragedy to pretend a hatred for Muggles you don't even feel. An effective ruse, with just enough truth to pass muster if anyone investigated your background. Which of course no one did, as they were too busy with other pursuits." Voldemort sneered, then smiled. "You do continue to impress me, child. Pity you couldn't have been sincerely interested in following me. I could use one so determined as you."
"Rather die first. I shall." A small smile played on her lips, as she blinked at nothing.
He sneered yet again. She was too sure of herself, even under the Truth Serum, that he wondered just how strong she might be. "Now, back to your interesting history lesson. Your parents died and then what? You were still quite young. Where did you go? How did you live?"
"Went home to England, sold my parents' estate, and many artifacts. Paid for private tutors. Didn't go back to Hogwarts…"
"But surely you had someone, a guardian. You were still a minor."
"Yes," she said softly, wishing deep inside that she could stop herself from answering. "My great-grandfather… Aberforth Dumbledore…"
Voldemort's face twisted into a rictus of hatred and he drew his breath in with a hiss. At least that much was a small pleasure to her in her state, to know that the stories were true - he did fear one wizard above all else.
"You… are related to Albus Dumbledore," he snarled.
"His great grand-niece," she said with honest pride, smiling muzzily at the distance. "He who is far greater and more powerful than you could ever pray to be, in your most fevered perverse dreams… you disgusting piece of filth…" Veritaserum had the advantage now, since they would both know her words were nothing but truth.
"Dumbledore," he spat the name as though it fouled his lips, "I might have guessed. That Muggle-loving antiquated fool. Tell me what part he played in this decision to send you as a spy?"
"Not so very much really. It was my idea, and he was against it at first," she said softly. "But when I grew determined, and decided on the implants, he sent me for training with the Ministry. Otherwise, he knows only what is passed to him. We've had no direct contact in some time…"
"Why should you desire to risk your life and limb, young thing that you are, on such a suicidal mission? Was there nothing worth living for?"
"There is much. I wanted to help protect people from your monsters. And I wanted some revenge…"
"Oh, do tell."
"I had doubts that my parents' deaths were purely accidental. The driver literally seemed to come from nowhere. And there was no way that my wand signals should have been completely unanswered. There are magical folk everywhere, even in the strangest of places. I suspected those in the Dark Arts… because my father had several artifacts that were quite dangerous, and some people had tried to buy them unsuccessfully… I knew I was right, as a few weeks after I returned home, the same people came by trying to get me to sell. Figured I was too grief-stricken, too young and naïve, to know better… They were wrong. I had already turned most of the artifacts over to the Ministry, and the rest went to Gringotts." She smiled fuzzily. "The most useful ones, I kept for myself."
"Yes, you were very clever girl. I am sure that those people who wanted the items were indeed working for me, though not Death Eaters themselves. Now, what are these things you have within you? Tell me everything they do."
"They are multi-purpose and some are interactive. I have Guidance Lodestones with imbedded Kneazle hair in my ankles. When I cross my ankles like so," she said, weakly making the movement, "a mark appears on a map in my great-great-uncle's possession… so that he shall know precisely where I am."
Voldemort grinned maliciously. "And so those shall be the first items we remove, and then we move to a new location. Besides, I don't wish to sully my fine rugs with much of your blood." He approached, wand out and ready. "So, shall we just hack off both feet? No, then you might bleed to death before I finish with you. Where are they located precisely?"
"They replace a bone in each ankle," she said quietly, and felt actual fear flow through her. Wasn't Veritaserum supposed to keep her from feeling such things?
Voldemort pointed the wand and uttered, "Monstroare Aviatus". A bright red glow shone through her skin, and he quickly conjured a knife. Slicing into her left ankle, while she struggled not to cry out, he found the glowing object and used the knife further to pry it loose from the socket, between cartilage and tendons.
She whimpered helplessly as he held it up for closer inspection. "Most impressive. Cut to exact shape, made to fit as a replacement for bone. Must have been difficult to learn to walk on stones. Why not remove them both," he snarled as he cut mercilessly into her left ankle and tore the second stone out. "Impressive indeed. Oh, but now you shan't be able to walk at all. Well then… Mobilicorpus."
And she felt herself floating, weak and wracked with pain, unable to control her own body or mind. When she'd gotten the implants, it had been uncomfortable but handled with medical precision and pain relievers. This was purely brutal, and he was reveling in it. More and more, she realised she'd made the right choice in trying to save what lives she could. Even at the expense of her own.
"Now girl," he was saying, "tell me where you live. We'll finish this mess on your own rug. Are you on the Floo network?"
"Yes…"
"The name of your home?"
"Dwy Gwenu…"
"'Two Smiles'. How fitting," Voldemort smiled. "Except tonight it shall only be one…" And he flung a handful of Floo powder into his fireplace, dragging her with him.
NOTES:
· TITLE. The Latin title "Exprimere" means "to squeeze out", because that's what starts happening in a very unplesant way.
· KNEAZLES & LODESTONES. According to JKR, the Kneazle is not only capable of telling about a person's character, but is great at helping their owners find their way home. Therion's hair, combined with a lodestone, seemed perfect.
· LATIN. The spell "Monstroare Aviatus" means basically "show me", and conveniently sounds a bit like "monster".
· FLOO NETWORK & NAMES. Seems like the Floo network requires individual names for each location, kind of like having phone numbers (i.e. "The Burrow"). The Welsh name "Dwy Gwenu" (two smiles) makes an obvious reference to the name Janus, and seems to indicate she lives in Wales somewhere. Plus I love the Welsh language. Interestingly enough, the word for "smile" is almost identical to the word for "white" (gwen), and perhaps should indicate that happiness and positive magic go together?