EYES OF THE EVERGREEN - quantum witch © 2001
see Prologue for warnings, rating, and summary
8 : Percipio
When they came from the fireplace, Therion jumped up from the hearthrug, every hair raised on his body. He hissed wildly and felt torn between trying to defend his mistress of so many years, and fleeing for his life.
Then he ran.
He leapt through the tall meadow grass, frantic to find what he needed. Finally he located the item. An empty cat food tin. He touched it with one front paw, and vanished.
Voldemort dumped Juniper unceremoniously onto the floor where the Kneazle had been. He'd scarcely paid attention to the creature, as most animals ranked just above Muggles in his opinion. He preferred them slightly more, because they were less complicated.
"How very fortunate that you have a home in such a charmingly remote area. No nosy neighbors to hear your screams. I shall get to enjoy them all by myself." He smiled as he seated himself on her sofa.
She tried hard not to think of the first night with Severus, and how they'd nearly come to make love on that very spot. The pain in her legs was so enormous that it successfully dimmed even that pleasant memory.
"Let's continue now, shall we?" Voldemort said. "Tell me of your other implants."
Gasping, compelled still by the Veritaserum, she said, "There is a Riddle Onyx… onyx imbedded with a sphinx feather… in my left wrist… It creates an automatic Confundus or Oblivate spell when I need it to. It protected me."
"No longer. Though I'm sure you used it well on some of my Death Eaters," Voldemort shook his head. "How very disappointing. I shall have to re-educate a few of them what their purposes are. What else have you?"
"In my right wrist is a Power Opal… a black opal fused with dragon wing bone… to make all spells with my wand more precise and powerful…"
"A good tool. What more?"
"A Pure Heart device… the tip of a unicorn's horn, just between my ribs, over my heart… it enhances my own natural ability to see the auras of other people. Helps me see their true hearts…"
"And does it help you see that mine is blacker than a starless night?" he asked with some amusement. "Yes, I'm sure that's poetic enough. Is there anything else?"
"Only… one more. A cap on my upper back molar… Truth Agate… a blood agate with a carving of a serpent, combined with Jobberknoll feather…"
"Ah, that is most cunning. A kiss, and a man not prepared might give away most any secret." Voldemort rose then, bloodied knife in hand. "Now for the biggest question. I know you passed information to someone. Who was it? How did you do it?"
The power of the ultimate spell in her head prevented her from speaking the total truth, even under the influence of the Truth Serum. "I gave information to whomever would use it best," she said softly, "and it was sent… in the usual way." It was truthful and he could make of it what he wished, but it would be wrong.
And it was. "The Ministry, by owl? How disappointingly normal. But I suppose your poor little frame could only handle so much constant magic. Only those of us who are strong and prepared to take the consequences could have handled more than you." He smirked proudly, believing himself to be above her in all ways. "Let's find out now how much pain you can take…"
He then went to work with violent delight, removing her wrist implants. She was weeping freely now, but had yet to actually scream aloud. This seemed to mildly disillusion him, but only enough to make him scoff at her attempted bravery. Truth be told, she was floating on a cloud of pain but barely felt it anymore.
Slicing open her bodice, he smiled nastily. "Yes… I can see why all the young fools found you so delectable." His skeletal fingertips brushed rather carelessly over her left breast as he carved into her ribcage for the next artifact. He continued speaking haughtily, "As for myself, I find that I have all but moved beyond the lusts of simple flesh. The greatest of pleasures come from power. Especially over the weaknesses of others."
She really didn't care to hear his proselytizing just now, as she rather was busy dying. So she gasped, "Pity you'll never know how to master your own weaknesses."
He snarled, nearly crushing the bit of unicorn horn in his fist, and lowered his face too closely to hers. "I have no weaknesses, girl."
"But you do… cruelty, violence, hatred, corruption of others… so small and petty and weak you are inside… What a sad little insignificant thing you truly are… so-called 'Lord' Voldemort."
"I'm killing you, girl," he raged in her face, "isn't that proof enough of my power?"
"No… it only proves my own point." She smiled almost ecstatically up at his anger, knowing what a nerve she'd struck and enjoying it even as she felt her life ebbing.
"I'll remove that damned smile now," he hissed and wrenched her jaw open. With no more grace, he tore the molar from its socket.
She choked, almost drowning on her own blood. Perhaps now he'll kill me, she thought. The pain had become a humming in the background, almost beyond sensation now. But somehow she found her voice again, slurred but strong. "I know you… Tom Riddle."
Voldemort froze. "That is not me," he glared at her with hatred enough to burn holes in her.
"Yes, it is... At the core of everything you've done… everything you became… you're still the same lonely, frightened orphan boy… too frightened to even risk loving someone…" A look of bliss came into her eyes then, and her voice sounded more remote, as if coming from someplace outside herself. "One day… Dark Lord… the brightness of Love itself shall bring you down… and you shall be tainted by that Love forever more…"
"SHUT YOUR INFERNAL MOUTH, YOU HALF-DEAD SLUT!" he screeched in her face, trembling at her words despite himself. "Dumbledore shall be notified of your death. I shall send each of your implants one by one to him, as a token of how you sacrificed your stupid life for 'love'."
"Yes," she whispered, "that will be most appropriate for you to do." And she closed her eyes, as if to finally die. But before she could even become unconscious, he poured the nearly forgotten second vial of liquid down her throat and the world caught fire again. Poison.
Pain wracked her weary ruined body anew, and she moaned, a long keening wail of agony. Trying to curl into a fetal position, she couldn't even manage. Her arms and legs were all but useless now. She shook violently as the poison destroyed her muscles and nerves, tearing holes in her organs. Her head tilted to the side as blood, saliva and tears mixed together and flowed onto the floor with her life.
Voldemort smiled again, satisfied at last. "Much as I would enjoy watching you suffer 'til the last, I shall content myself with the knowledge that you cannot be saved. There is no ready antidote, so even if your dear Dumbledore burst through the door this instant you would merely die in his loving arms. And that image shall keep me warm at night for quite some time to come." He turned to the doorway, as if to leave. "I bid you farewell. Let your death be a lesson to Dumbledore and all who would oppose me."
As he Disapparated, he left Juniper with one coherent thought still on her dying mind. Good riddance.
Snape had waited most of the evening, hoping Juniper would arrive. She came as often as she could rid herself of the attentions of Rosier, or Wilkes, or whoever the hell she was 'seeing' this week. He only prayed it wasn't that bloody damned Malfoy. He'd have to kill him personally.
He'd left the closet door open until nearly midnight, but she hadn't appeared. So he closed it, and lay down in his clothes, prepared to spend another sleepless night tossing and turning alone in his bed. Damn, but he missed her, even if it was only a day without her presence.
Suddenly a thud and a loud scratching came from the closet, following by a horrible yowling. He leapt from the bed, confused and worried. Opening the door he was almost knocked down by a huge Kneazle. It was Therion.
"Whoa, boy, easy," he said, attempting to calm the beast. But it was frantically tugging at his pants leg with its claws, trying to drag him into the closet too.
His heart went ice cold and nearly closed his throat with fear. Why else would the cat be here… unless Juniper was in terrible trouble.
Tonight. Voldemort. The potions he'd asked for.
The potions Snape himself had made and given him…
He made a frantic search in his potions cabinet, and found one that might help a bit, then grabbed the animal and leapt into the closet.
NOTES:
· TITLE. The Latin title "Percipio" means both "perceive" and "to get the better of". She does both to Voldemort in the end, which he doesn't want to admit, of course.
· ARTIFACTS. Each artifact is my own invention. THE RIDDLE ONYX (no relation to Tom!): According to "Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic", onyx can be used for protection and defense, as well as supressing sex drives (i.e.- the men she was warding off). That combined with a sphinx feather could make for a powerful combination and lots of confusion in their minds. THE POWER OPAL: Same reference as above. It describes the rare black opal has always been prized by witches, used to increase power during spells. Combining with anything from a dragon would make it especially strong. THE PURE HEART: The unicorn horn is self-explanatory, I think. THE TRUTH AGATE: Same reference as above. Agates are often worn as truth amulets, and were used in ceremonial magic with engravings of serpents as protection against snakes. Combined with Jobberknoll feather, this could draw out a lot of truth from someone. Betrayal with a kiss, eh?
· JUNIPER'S PROPHECY. Re: Lily, of course.
· THERION TO THE RESCUE. Isn't Therion a smart little Kneazle! I think (know) that Crookshanks is half Kneazle himself, and maybe Therion could be his daddy?