Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Author's Note: Once again, I do not speak French. I am using a dictionary/translator on my computer, so I'm aware it won't be perfect. If you do speak French, I would like to apologize now for any slaughtering of the language I may have inadvertently caused. Otherwise, what do you care, right?
French translations: ((example))
This chapter is a birthday present for Kelly, a.k.a. tkmoore! Happy birthday, girl!
My responses to my wonderful reviewers for the last chapter: To OpalKoboi, they aren't. This chap might clear it up a bit, but there will be more of that sort of interaction. To AznDreamer802, thanks! To Kat Davi, yes, I know, but it will happen eventually, I promise! To power of the stars, that really sucks! I hope you can still find a way to continue reading. To Jan, thank you so much, and I should have another chapter after this one posted too by the time you get back. To Chaney, I'm glad you've been enjoying the story. Please tell me what you think whenever you feel like it. J To DRACOSGIRL15, thank you! To a-sam, short arse, and Psi, I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing! To Lady-Nimoe, yes, yes I do! lol. To seri-chan, you're awesome! Thank you soooo much for the lovely review! It means a lot to me. To periodi-scuri, never to worry! I promise much, much more! To angelfire33, he meant the decision on whether or not to cover the whole thing up. I'm happy you liked it otherwise, though! To aoi-yuki-yume, thanks! You're awesome and please keep reading! To musiclover86, thank you so much! Now, onward!
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The gods sat down silently, everyone fully aware of why the Full Court had been called for the first time in centuries, but waiting for one of the Kings to speak and formally announce it. And it was not just the Full Court of Heaven assembling, but the Dark Court as well. The Courts did not usually mix well, for obvious reasons, and this was no exception. The Hall of Divine Justice was split almost completely down the middle, the gods of the Sky Realm to the right, the gods of the Underworld to the left, and the few neutral gods were spread out between the two. They no longer separated by pantheons on a normal basis, but this had been deemed a completely formal event. The only gods not with their brethren were those few sitting at the long table in front of the Royal Dais.
Cocidius sat there, of course, as he was the reason for this Gathering, and he was flanked on both sides by a few of the gods that supported him, two from each pantheon. Ares, the Greek God of War, sat on his left with Thanatos, the Greek God of Death, next to him. Anuke, the Egyptian Goddess of War, sat beside Thanatos, while Am-Heh, the Egyptian God of Destruction, the Devourer of Millions, sat beside her. Mars, the Roman God of War, sat to Cocidius' left with Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea, next to him. Loki, the Norse God of Fire and Trickery, was beside Neptune, and Skadi, the Norse Goddess of Winter and Hunting, was beside him. At each end sat the two Celtic deities. Donn, the Celtic God of the Dead, sat by Am-Heh, and Taranis, the Celtic God of Storms, was next to Skadi.
The Royal Dais was made up of ten sets of thrones, alternating white and black marble. The Kings and Queens of the Underworld lounged upon the silver-veined black sets, looking utterly relaxed compared to their counterparts, the Kings and Queens of the Sky Realm, who sat stiffly on the gold-veined white thrones. On the far right, in the first black set, sat Isis and Osirus, Amun-Ra and Mut beside them on gleaming white, the feel of Egypt's heat and old power rolling from them. The next black set held Hades and Persephone, the white set Zeus and Hera; all smelling of long-forgotten magic and Greek forests. Then came the Celtic Afallach and Macha seated on black, Dagda and Dana on white beside them; thunder trapped within their eyes.
The forth black set was occupied by Pluto and Proserpine, the white by Jupiter and Juno; the civilized barbarity and crushing weight of ancient Rome in every movement that they made. Hodur and Hel sat on the far left set of black thrones, Odin and Frigg on the white, their faces as hard and icy as their homelands. There was another set of thrones on the dais, with one black throne and one white throne instead of two, but it was empty, as usual. It was very nearly impossible to get those two in a room together without some sort of major catastrophe. She knew that they were listening from afar, but Sulis still thought that it was sad, as they had once been the best of friends, back when the world was new and they were relatively…young. The word sounded so foreign to her.
"Silence!" Ra's voice cut through the whispers, speaking in the common tongue of divinity since mortal languages, even the archaic forms that the gods preferred, sounded harsh and strange in their mouths. Sulis closed her eyes briefly, before snapping them back open. It was beginning.
"The Full Court has been assembled this day," Zeus begun, "to deal with a pressing matter."
"No." Isis said, tilting her head to the side, her long, dark braids spilling over one delicate shoulder. "We are here today to deal with your stupidity." Murmurs broke out again. Isis was very nearly enraged about something, no matter how calm she looked, if she was already insulting the rulers of the Sky Realm. Zeus started to reply, before Hera lightly touched his arm and shook her elegant head.
"We are here," she said, "to address the issue of Cocidius and his recent actions."
"For those of you not yet aware of what has occurred," Frigg continued for her, "Cocidius broke the Ban, intentionally and deliberately, by Marking two wizards and a witch as his Chosen." No one moved or spoke. They already knew. Everyone had felt the renewed ties between their Realms and the mortal one after he had stopped shielding them.
"Cocidius, how do you plead?"
"Guilty." Cocidius responded clearly. "And quite pleased about it." The Light Realm royals looked offended.
"As you say. You are being charged with breaking the Ban, Marking three humans and-"
"One human, actually." Cocidius interrupted Dagda. "With the other two, that is…questionable."
"Fine." Dagda nearly hissed, before catching himself and making the word sound simply clipped. "Three denizens of the Shadow Realm, then. You are also being charged of Awakening altars and sending aid to your illegal Chosen the day they were Marked and just now, mere hours ago in their time. You are also being charged for tricking two Greek deities into helping you make the first contact with said Chosen."
"Tricking!?" Ares and Aphrodite exclaimed in unison, while Mars, Skadi and Loki started snickering into their hands.
"We were not tricked!" Ares said, and Zeus glared daggers at him. Ares noticed the look, and his wolf-like eyes narrowed. "We broke no laws, so you can stop glaring at me, Father. Take out your marital problems on someone else." He said nastily, the tension in the air between them long past humming, having changed to something more like hysterical screaming after the last time that Zeus had cheated on his mother, Hera. It wasn't usually referred to publicly, however, and it just further proved how very much on edge they all were.
"Enough!" Hades demanded. "You know that I agree with you, nephew," he said, looking at Ares, "but now is not the time. And the charges, however stupid," Hades smirked at Isis, "are as stands. Cocidius, do you have anything you wish to say?"
"Yes." Cocidius replied, rising from his seat and causing Mars' hand to fall gracefully from where it had been lying on his shoulder. "I wish to say that I regret nothing. I would do it again in a mortal heartbeat, and should have done it sooner. My Chosen are brilliant and strong, as strong as the First Born were while in the Shadow Realm. Loyal and cunning, fierce and deadly, protective and loving, they are everything we meant for our Children to be. Quickly on their way to becoming warriors and scholars alike, they blend Darkness with Light in ways I have not witnessed their kind do in much, much too long. I wouldn't give them up if you handed your Realms to me on a golden platter, so do what you will. It changes not the decision I have already made." The Hall was completely silent for long moments that seemed to stretch on forever, before Dana spoke.
"And what decision is that, my son?"
"That nothing you say or do will take them from me. They are mine, their souls Marked and Marking in turn, and I refuse to deny them any longer." Cocidius said, and Dana looked resigned. Sulis realized why when she saw the intense delight on Dagda's face.
"That is your final word, Cocidius?" Dagda asked, barely able to keep the glee from his voice. Cocidius nodded.
"Yes."
"So be it." Dagda replied. "I, along with the other Light Sovereigns, decided your punishment earlier, should that be the case. As a member of the Sky Court, you understand that you must fulfill that punishment, yes?"
"Yes."
"You are banished from the Shadow Realm for the next millennium." Dagda said, smiling as if it were good news. "Keep your Chosen, if you will, but you won't be able to help them or communicate. Not until they Pass, at least." He added, waiting for Cocidius's reaction, as was everyone else. The gods that were spread out along the table with Cocidius stood, beginning to channel power in order to help him escape. But Cocidius waved them down, shaking his head, and they stared at him, surprised. He only smiled at them slightly, before vaulting over the table and landing lightly on his feet before the dais.
"I, Cocidius, God of Forests, Hunting and War, acknowledge and understand your terms." He said, giving them a mocking bow.
"Then you will abide by them?"
"No. I choose to Fall." Cocidius replied, and gasps were ripped from divine throats all around the room. No one had Fallen in…Well, the last was long before man. The Kings and Queens of the Underworld very nearly shrieked in triumph, jumping up from their thrones and laughing full out at their counterparts, who looked stunned. To Fall meant that he removed himself from the Sky Court, removed himself from their control, becoming completely a creature of the Underworld. And that was what the Dark Sovereigns had wanted for literal ages, especially his father, Afallach.
"You cannot Fall from Heaven!" Dagda yelled, forgetting himself and losing his temper. "I will not allow it and you have not the power to do so on your own!"
"Don't I?" Cocidius asked too quietly, and a blacker-than-black portal began opening in the ground behind his feet. "You wish it were so, don't you, Dagda? Wish that I were weaker than you? Do not think that I do not know why you have wanted to keep me from fully embracing the Dark Realm all these millennia. Do not think that I stand unaware of prophecies or that I do not know about the power I will gain when my Dark half cancels out the Light."
"I will not al-" Dagda started, but Cocidius cut him off, speaking words not heard for hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of years.
"I revoke my title as a Prince of Heaven as I revoke your rule over me, and I shall rule from Hell, answering to the Dark Sovereigns alone. Kings of Light, Queens of Sky, hear my words and heed them! Witness my descent into Darkness." With that said, he tilted back, and Fell. The watching gods and goddesses could only stare blankly as they felt the rippling aftershocks of his passing through the Sky Realm, and then sensed him crash through the Shadow Realm, causing freak storms and earthquakes all over the planet, before slamming into the Underworld with the force of a nuclear explosion.
"How dare he!" Dagda exclaimed after a few minutes of shocked silence. "He thinks he can just, just-"
"Mind your own throne, Dagda." Afallach snapped, though his eyes were filled with long-awaited joy. "Had you treated my son as he should have been treated, as we treated him, it would not have come to this. You tried to keep him from power out of fear, and we all know it. Your insufferable Ban begins to break, and I will laugh as the last of it shatters around your miserable head. But for now, the Dark Realm shall celebrate the return of its Prince. Enjoy your defeat." He said, and the Dark royals laughed before disappearing. The portal in the floor had closed, no trace of what had just occurred remaining. The other gods who called the Dark Realm home also began leaving, victorious smiles upon their faces. And as Sulis looked around, she noticed that the deities of the Sky Realm looked very nearly rebellious at the loss of one of their favorite Princes. Wishing her brother safe, she took her leave, the night's events wearing on her heavily.
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They'd been waiting to be released from Ministry custody for hours, answering endless questions and trying to keep their anger in check. Virginia was wrapped in his arms and had been for what felt like forever, while Draco stood stiffly behind them, his silver eyes cold and steely. The room they were in was nice, much better then most got, as they'd been pulling strings since they'd entered the building. Their mothers were furious that they were even being held as long as they were, but with over fifty dead bodies and a dozen unconscious ones on the floor of their office, they didn't have much choice at the moment. Of course, Blaise knew that had it been, say, Bill and Charlie Weasley who had killed a bunch of Death Eaters, they would have been patted on the back and sent home long ago.
But they weren't Weasleys (thank the gods), and it appeared that even that family wasn't infallible. Percy's treason had been quite a shock even to him and Draco, and not much did that anymore. But there he had been, face down next to a poisoned dagger, with the Dark Mark burned into his flesh. Blaise had been the one who had found him in the mess of bodies, having left Virginia safely with Draco. Ron (which Blaise was currently referring to him as, since he knew he was about to be surrounded by Weasleys and wanted to get them straight in his head, as he couldn't hope to call them all the same thing) hadn't believed them at first, going so far as to push him and demand that he prove it. Infuriated that the little shit had so much as touched him, he'd very nearly broken both his arms.
One look at Virginia's tear-stained face had changed his mind, however, and he had settled for grabbing Ron's shoulder and digging his fingers in just hard enough to prove a point. One that should have been clear to the bastard long before, and was based very simply on the fact that Blaise could crush his bones into dust without even really trying. He had then proceeded to drag the fucker around the room, saying that he needed his scent next to him so he could find Percy's, which should resemble it. It had been bullshit, of course, since Blaise's nose was so sensitive that he could have accurately put the bodies back together again, piece by piece, like a giant human jigsaw puzzle. He'd just wanted to make the little rodent wade through dismembered bodies.
He'd seen that that was the last thing on earth that Ron had wanted to do, and if the little Gryffindor freak got nightmares over it, it was just an added bonus. His face as Blaise had carelessly kicked severed limbs aside had been positively priceless, especially when he had 'accidentally' tossed a finger at him. The flailing, spinning, swatting dance that Ron had then preformed was sure to run through his mind countless times in the future. And if he was honest with himself, which he usually was, he had also wanted the idiot to see how much better his brother had gotten it, compared to the rest. The less pain her brother felt, the less pain Virginia would feel. And putting a smile back on her beloved face was his main priority, even if it meant he had to be mostly decent to her family.
After the Aurors had shown up, they had been taken to the Egyptian Ministry, waiting there for an hour while the case was transferred to Britain. They had then been moved to that Ministry, where they were currently waiting to view the security recording crystals from their office. After that, they were told they would be released, but the Auror who imparted that information hadn't looked very positive about it. Blaise, however, was quite positive of it. His patience had been worn nearly to the breaking point already, and he would tear the fucking place to the ground if it meant that he and Draco could get Virginia the fuck out of there. Why in Chaos did it have to be her that had run into Percy first?
He sure as hell wouldn't have lost any sleep over it, but he knew that she would. And it didn't even seem to be about killing him, as she wasn't moping over the other filth they had slain, but more about her family. They would be there any minute, and he could feel the nervous tension in her lithe form. He knew what she was so scared of. She feared that she was about to earn her family's hate. He doubted that that would be the case after they watched the crystals, but should it be…All he knew was that if they really turned on her, if they really hurt her that much, he and Draco would be digging quiet graves by the end of the week. But, once again, he seriously doubted that that would be the case. Of course, he'd also seriously doubted that a Weasley would ever turn traitor.
Everyone else and their grandmothers had always been possible suspects in his mind, because the nasty truth was that no one could really be trusted. Except for Draco, and now Virginia, but their circumstances were a tad bit different than most. But he had never suspected a Weasley of being a Death Eater, and it made him rethink a lot of things. Virginia shifted slightly in his embrace, and his eyes wandered back to her. She had learned an important lesson this night if nothing else, even if the situation hadn't been ideal. It was a lesson that he and Draco had grown up their entire lives understanding all too well, and it all came back to the same thing in the end. Trust no one, not even your family, especially during a war.
The majority of people are too fickle, too greedy, too swayable, for you to ever really trust them. Sad, yes, but still true. Footsteps approaching from down the hall caught his attention, and his gaze lifted to meet Draco's. A short glance was all that was needed to see that he had heard them too, and they waited silently until the door opened. The Head of the Auror department, Carrick, came in, followed closely by Virginia's parents and siblings, and Draco and Blaise's head lawyer. The Weasleys looked stressed, but not horrified, so he knew that they hadn't been told what had happened yet. They rushed over to Virginia and he moved faster than their eyes could follow, joining Draco behind the couch.
He hadn't wanted to let her go, ever, but he'd be damned if he was in the center of a Weasley pile-up. Draco gave him a sympathetic glance and played with a strand of his hair, which was still damp from the quick washing spells they had been allowed to perform so that their blood-soaked appearance wouldn't completely alarm the Weasleys or give their lawyer, Satordi, a heart attack. Ever since the incident with their fathers, he'd had to take potions daily for stress and high blood pressure. If he'd come in again to see them covered in blood and thicker things, he might have quit. It had taken him some time to arrive, having been on business in America, but their team of lawyers, which Satordi headed, had been with them for the earlier questioning and had only just left, along with Dumbledore, who was going to meet with the Minister.
"What happened?" Molly asked, glancing at them, the Golden trio and Severus, before her eyes landed on Draco and Blaise's mothers.
"Much has happened tonight, Molly." Narcissa responded carefully. "Perhaps we could watch the crystals now?" She asked, directing the question at Carrick.
"No!" Virginia said suddenly. "You can't make them find out like that!" She exclaimed, and her family's faces grew wary and more concerned than before.
"Ms. Weasley, the Minister said-"
"I don't care!"
"Baby," Molly started, "I'm sure it will be fine. But shouldn't we wait for Percy?" Virginia made a choking noise and stood, pushing her family's hands away. Stumbling, she made her way around the couch, ignoring the looks they were giving her, and Draco and Blaise were at her side immediately.
"Do what you want." Virginia intoned mechanically. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
"We'll get started then." Carrick said, and pulled a glowing blue crystal from his pocket. "Now, Lord Malfoy and Lord Zabini have denied us the right to view the entire crystal, so we will only be seeing what is directly relevant to this case."
"Case?" Arthur asked. "What case? What's going on? Is Ginny in trouble? I knew those boys-"
"Arthur!" Molly cut him off, her cheeks beginning to flame. Shooting Blaise and Draco apologetic looks, she turned back to her husband. "We're about to find out. Carrick, go on. We'll fill Percy in later. He's probably busy with work, as usual. Although it is quite late, even for him." She said, causing everyone but the Weasleys to look slightly uncomfortable, some more than others.
"Oh gods." Virginia whispered, burying her face in Draco's neck and squeezing Blaise's hand hard enough that had he been fully human, something surely would have broken. Sending pulses of soothing energy to her through his Mark, he tangled his free hand in her hair, kissed the top of her head, and turned his attention back to the others.
"Alright." Carrick said. "If everyone would take a seat?" They did so, scattering throughout the medium-sized room, and once they were settled, he continued. "I'm sure you all know how these work, but if not, it will show us a three-dimensional hologram in the center of the room. Ostendo!" He said, pointing his wand at the crystal. Trails of blue smoke began rising from its smooth surface, growing and spreading until they began forming a foggy shape. It cleared soon enough, though, and their Alexandria office appeared before them. Draco, Blaise and Virginia were sitting on one of the couches, Badru in a chair across from them. Their mouths moved silently for a moment, before another spell from Carrick had Draco's liquid voice crawling over their skin.
"So, what are we here for besides the usual? I know that you wouldn't have insisted that we come tonight when we already had plans, unless something had happened."
"You have been made an offer, my lords." Badru's image replied.
"What kind of offer?"
Silence. Then, "One from the Dark Lord." The Weasleys sucked in a collective breath, paling as the hologram continued. They watched with wide eyes as Badru explained the offer and how the price for it was Dumbledore's head. When Draco and Blaise's images didn't immediately say 'no', the Weasley males looked at them accusingly. No one spoke as the images of the two Slytherins threw furniture into the walls, watching the wood splinter on stone as if the heavy desks were nothing more than children's toys. The scene focused on Virginia and Badru, as the man's image handed her a letter.
"This," he said, motioning to it, "was to be given to you. I had it checked for curses, of course." Badru's image stated. Blaise remembered the following events clearly, so he wasn't surprised when he saw his and Draco's images stop suddenly, turning just in time to see what was happening as they'd sensed something amiss.
"No!" Their images shouted, but it was too late and Virginia's fingers had already closed on the letter.
Her image's eyes glazed immediately, even as they raced over the words on the page. Draco and Blaise's images were next to her in seconds, as the letter fell from her hands to the floor. They were yelling at Badru to tell them exactly what had happened one second, and the next they had thrown up shields before he even knew what was going on. They had felt the breach in the wards stemming from that damned note, and had had only one thought before the Death Eaters had appeared in the room. Protect VirginiaThe Weasleys all gasped as the robed and masked figures came out of nowhere, throwing curses before they'd even fully materialized. In another split second, black and silver shields deflected the first wave, tossing the hexes back at their owners.
That was when things had gotten…messy. It had never occurred to Blaise to record himself fighting before, so watching it was a new experience. But watching a recorded image of Draco fighting…Well, that brought many new ideas for those crystals into mind. Draco reminded him of a jungle cat; sleek, swift, deadly and beautiful. Blaise watched carefully as they fought with claws and magic before calling in their swords. That was when the Death Eaters' lines had begun to break. Too many among them knew those blades, and too many among them had thought that attacking the two who wielded them was foolish to begin with. But there had been one thing Voldemort had definitely not anticipated. It wasn't by any means easy to enter any of their offices without an invitation, but it was impossible to leave.
So it hadn't mattered when they had decided to retreat. They'd turned vicious when they'd realized that they were trapped, and Blaise remembered losing track of time completely until they'd felt Virginia release a torrent of power. Minutes afterward, she had thrown the link between their Marks wide open, and they had been able to focus completely on the fighting. Not having had the opportunity to watch her fight earlier, he relished the experience. She'd fought with natural talent in the beginning, but it had turned into fierce expertise when they had sent their knowledge to her through the Marks. Blaise hadn't known if it would work or not, but they had thought it worth a try. And then it happened. Virginia's image blocked a curse with a wall of fire, before slamming the hilt of Draco's sword into a Death Eater's head.
No one watching moved as they saw another figure sneak up behind hers, a wicked-looking dagger dripping poison in its hand. The renewed fury that coursed through Blaise's system surprised him, and he once again wished that it had been his hand that had caused the bastard's death. The Death Eater raised the blade high and then brought it rushing down, and Molly gave a small shriek before they saw Virginia's image spin at the last second, Blaise and Draco's blades sinking into the Death Eater's chest simultaneously. Her family stayed utterly quiet as they watched her image observe tradition and rip off the Death Eater's mask. They didn't stay quiet a moment more, however, as they collectively exploded.
"What the fuck is this!?" Bill demanded.
"Is this some kind of joke!?" Fred yelled.
"I knew you guys were fucked up, but this is the limit!" George spat, while they drew their wands. Charlie took his in hand as well, staring disbelievingly at the hologram that Carrick had frozen when they started screaming. Molly and Arthur were doing the same, but their wands stayed put up. It didn't even seem as if they were still aware of their surroundings. Going immediately on the defensive, Blaise and Draco hissed in unison, flashing fangs in warning.
"It's not a joke." Virginia said, her voice soft but carrying. After seeing it like they just had, she seemed more angry than upset. Her brothers stopped dead and stared at her, their faces going green and causing their freckles to stand out vividly. Then they turned to their youngest brother for confirmation, as if they believed that if he said it was just a twisted joke, everything would be okay. Welcome to reality, Weasleys, Blaise thought to himself with more than a bit of vindictive pleasure. He loved Virginia to death, but he couldn't stand her holier-than-thou, lily-white fucking family. And he very much doubted that that would ever change.
"It's true." Ron said morosely, and their features fell while Molly began sobbing, his words having reached her even in the odd state she seemed to have fallen into. "He had the Dark Mark."
"You can't be serious." Bill argued, but there was no heat in his eyes like there had been moments before.
"I'm afraid he is very serious, Mr. Weasley." Carrick said. "This is the first major attack the Dark Lord has made in three years of almost complete silence. We stand on the eve of war, and must begin it with a tragedy." He paused, looking slightly nervous. "You all do understand the law, yes?" He asked, looking from Draco, Virginia and Blaise to the Weasleys.
"Yes." The Weasleys chorused dully, numb with shock, while the other three stayed silent. Carrick looked at them questioningly, opened his mouth to say something, and then seemed to think better of it, turning back to the Weasleys.
"Then you know that you will be under suspicion yourselves until you partake in drinking Veritaserum before the court?"
"Yes." The Weasleys repeated, not even looking at him. Blaise and Draco didn't take his assumption quite as kindly, however.
"You fucking wish." Draco snapped, his eyes beginning to frost over. Apparently, he was at the end of his tolerance level as well.
"You've been trying to get us to swallow that shit for you for years." Blaise added, furious. "Do you really think that we'll do it now, when we haven't even done anything wrong?"
"The law states-"
"Would you like to try and force the issue?" Draco crooned, his words becoming honeyed poison, which was a very bad sign. "I could teach you so very many things about pain."
"A-Are you t-threatening me, Lord Malfoy?" Carrick stuttered, trying and failing to keep the hint of fear from his voice. The scent of it was sweet, and Blaise felt that sharp edge of cruelty rise up from within him, seeing the same happen in his lover's mercury orbs. Virginia noticed the change immediately, and couldn't hide the hunger in her own charcoal eyes. It was one of the many reasons that they loved her as much as they did. She embraced both sides of them equally, understanding the mix within them as no one else ever had, since she experienced it herself.
"Threatening you? Would I do something like that?" Draco questioned, making it perfectly clear by his tone that he would. The man blanched.
"O-Of course not, Lord Malfoy." Then, seeming to remember he was in a room full of people in the middle of the Ministry, he apparently fooled himself into thinking that he was safe, and his voice grew harder. "But we really must insist. I'm not sure how you two got out of it the last time, but we are adamant. Money can't get you everything." He added the last in a fit of boldness.
"Want to bet?" Blaise sneered, gliding forward slowly as the scent of fear lingered in the air, drawing his instincts to the forefront. "You'd be surprised. And what money can't acquire, power can. You're no match in either arena, and you would do well to remember your place. Unless, of course, you'd like to duel? Would you enjoy stepping inside the circle with me, Carrick?" He asked venomously, and the man took several steps backwards, going white.
"N-No, Lord Zabini."
"Coward." Draco laughed mockingly. "Smart decision, although I would have loved to see that. Whatever would your Aurors say when you were bested by a student?"
"That's enough, Draco." Narcissa said softly. "I'm sure Carrick is willing to be more…reasonable." She arched an elegant eyebrow at the man. "After all, I doubt he would want to lose his job after his family so recently got out of debt." Carrick's eyes widened impossibly, and he looked as if he'd suddenly remembered who he was fucking with.
"Fine." He said, sounding defeated. "No Veritaserum for the Lords."
"Or for the Weasleys." Blaise said silkily, enjoying the family's looks of surprise. The things he did for that woman…
"Excuse me?" Carrick asked with a look of disbelief plastered across his face. "Why would you care what happened to them?" He blurted without thinking.
"Not very bright, are you?" Draco asked, smirking coldly. "And it's not as if you need to know why in the first place, now do you?"
"No, Lord Malfoy."
"Good. Now can we leave?"
"Yes, Lord Zabini. You may, but the Weasleys will need to stay a little longer for the standard questioning that you have already…indulged us with." Carrick said, the color coming back to his face. Blaise looked at him suspiciously.
"Will they now?" He asked softly, and then turned. "Satordi?"
"Yes, Lord Zabini?" Their lawyer asked, his shrewd black eyes catching everything. He was a tall man with rich brown hair that he kept clipped, a muscular build from his years as a Beater, and a thick French accent. He was still quite young by wizarding standards, barely in his forties, but he didn't look so much as thirty. He was quick, intelligent and adaptable, which is why they'd kept him around after their fathers had died. Not to mention that he was utterly loyal, quite like Badru. Blood oaths were a marvelous thing.
"You will stay with them. Legal traps can be tricky things," he said slyly, casting a meaningful glance at Carrick, "and you are the best there is, Satordi. Should anyone try anything, advise them truly, as you would us. I would hate for my beloved's family to experience firsthand what it is like to fall from public grace. It only took one member apiece for our families, too, after all."
"We would never-" Carrick started, before Draco cut him off.
"Never what?" He asked viciously. "Turn this into a worldwide scandal? I'm sure you'll try, as it's what your kind does best. After all, if there are no big, nasty Dark wizards, then what's an Auror to do? So no, Satordi will stay. We can't stop this from going public, but we can ensure that nothing…unfortunate happens to them because of some technicality." He then put on a charming smile, his silver eyes going limpid as he looked at Molly. "If, of course, that's alright with you, Mrs. Weasley?"
"Yes, Draco, it'll be fine." Molly said, her eyes huge and haunted as she tried to smile at him. "You'll take Ginny with you?"
"If that's where she wishes to be." Draco replied neutrally, though Blaise knew that Draco wished to get her out as much as he did. Virginia's head snapped up, her eyes flashing.
"You wish me gone?" She asked in a strange voice, and Blaise quietly sucked in a breath. Shit.
But before Molly could answer, a loud humming noise filled the room and Blaise, Draco and Virginia put their hands over their ears in a pointless effort to block it out. It was so high, his ears felt as if they were bleeding, and he realized moments later, when he tried to throw an aural shield up, that his magic was going haywire. The shield spell filled the room with dragonflies instead, and he saw that his lovers' hadn't done any better. The others were staring at them as if they'd gone insane, but Blaise couldn't concentrate, on them or anything else really. He was almost sure that his head was about to liquefy, and he fell to his knees as the white-hot pain spread from his skull to his chest, the damnable whining noise growing even louder.
The Mark on his arm was searing, and he ripped his sleeve off in a frenzy, not too surprised when he saw the skin bubbling. He couldn't think long enough to figure out what was going on, but he could feel an insistent tugging and followed it instinctively. His vision was going out, but he saw the others finally covering their own ears right as he bumped into silky hair that smelt like Draco and Virginia. The pain continued to spread, and it felt as if something heavy had descended over the room, crushing them. Everything began shaking, pictures falling off the walls while the building moved as if it were swaying. The pain finally became too much, and as the world around him went black, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
'Forgive me, my Chosen. Let go and come to me. I shall make the pain stop.'
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Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, wishing more than anything that they could leave. She hadn't said a word since they'd found Draco, Ginny and Blaise covered from head to foot in blood, and hadn't been able to so much as look at Ron after Blaise had led him to Percy's body. She'd been surprised at her reaction, which was made up of more anger than grief, and it had all felt so surreal…It wasn't, though. It was all very real. She listened silently as Draco and Blaise refused to take Veritaserum, as their cloaked threats had a man much older than them backing down, and felt a vague moment of surprise when they extended their immunity it to the Weasleys. But she became fully aware again after Ginny questioned Molly.
Alarm bells sounded in her head when there was no response. Hermione looked up quickly, and then gasped as she saw that Blaise, Draco and Ginny had all frozen, their eyes clouding over and their hands going to their heads. Seconds later, they screamed, the sound brutal and cutting, almost tangible. The room filled with bats, dragonflies and phoenix song as their spells went awry, and Hermione sprang up from her chair, running as close to them as she dared, trying to find out what was happening. Something was obviously hurting them, but what? She couldn't stop herself from gaping as they fell to their knees, their faces contorted in anguish and their eyes rolling back in their heads. Their nails dug at the cheap carpet underneath their fingers, as if they were fighting to hold on.
They seemed to come back a little, as they desperately ripped their sleeves off in unison, and she felt sick again when she saw the distorted, moving flesh that was revealed. It looked as if worms were twisting around madly underneath it, their Marks a fierce red before turning black. Blaise somehow managed to crawl towards Ginny and Draco, and they both reached for him at once, as if they knew he was there, yet couldn't see him. All three's eyes were glazed and filled with agony, and their bodies began convulsing violently. She wanted to help, but she had no idea how. Severus, Narcissa, Silana, Harry and the Weasleys were also crowded around, their faces pinched with worry and the beginnings of panic.
And, right as Blaise made it to them, she had heard something. Faint at first, it quickly grew louder, until she covered her own ears, trying to make it stop. The pitch grew higher and higher, before something slammed her to the floor. The ground was moving, bucking and heaving, and she couldn't regain her feet. Then it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun, leaving her facedown with ringing ears. Someone grabbed her, pulling her up and checking for injuries, and she looked up to see Harry's distraught face looming over her. His lips were moving, but she couldn't hear anything, and she began to frantically wonder if she had gone deaf. A minute later, though, sounds started coming back.
"I-own-ee, car boo kay?"
Shaking her head, as she obviously wasn't hearing right yet, she got to her feet, wobbling. Her legs felt like jelly, and a splitting headache was beginning behind her eyes. Everyone else also appeared to be getting to their feet, except for Ginny and her boyfriends. They were crumpled in a pile, their eyes wide and unseeing, not even blinking. They were breathing, however, and she let out a small sigh of relief. Otherwise, they were utterly still, but it was better then the earlier, racking spasms. Moving to them immediately, where Narcissa, Silana, Severus and Molly already were, and she took the only available spot, which was between Narcissa and Molly. Looking down, she realized that Draco's head was right by her lap, lying on Blaise's thigh.
Blank, silver-turned-steel eyes stared right at her, and she clenched her hand into a fist. How could she find him beautiful? It was a question that she had asked herself many times, but she had never come up with an answer that satisfied her. She knew that he was dark, and more than likely quite evil, but he had a face that an angel would die for. She found Blaise beautiful as well, but he terrified her most of the time, loathe as she was to admit it. She had watched them both at first, before Blaise had noticed one day the year before. Her eyes had been on Draco at the time, and she didn't know what Blaise had seen in them, but he hadn't liked it.
The look he had given her had made her feel as if his gaze alone were peeling off her skin, and she had stayed as far away from him as possible after that. There had still been the occasional run-in, of course, and the look of disgust that filled his midnight eyes and scrunched his perfect nose had been like a punch in the stomach. Draco had been completely oblivious, but Blaise had scared the shit out of her. She had known, frighteningly clearly, that he would kill her if she ever so much tried anything with either of them. Which she wouldn't. She didn't like Draco, no matter what Blaise thought, damn it. It wasn't her fault she couldn't stop looking at him. And Blaise…
Well, she wasn't really sure that you could genuinely like someone who you were afraid to so much as breathe wrong around. It was probably just morbid curiosity, anyway. But looking down at the mercury-haired beauty beside her, something in her chest began aching. Pushing it furiously away, she looked over at Ginny. The younger girl was beautiful herself, and one of the luckiest people Hermione had ever met. Who wouldn't want two gorgeous men head-over-heels in love with you? Not to mention two gorgeous, rich and powerful men. Determined not to become some jealous hag, she shook her head and looked at Narcissa.
"What do we do?" She asked, and the woman turned.
"I would tell you to pray," Narcissa said, her face echoing the severely disgusted expression that Blaise always had around Hermione, "but I doubt it would do any good." The 'coming from you' part was left unsaid, hanging in the air between them. Uncomfortable, Hermione turned away, suddenly feeling very drab and plain next to the chic, aristocratic woman beside her. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have seen Draco's eyes finally blink. Spinning, and forgetting the woman's disdain for her, she tugged on the sleeve of her silk robe.
"What?" The woman snapped, turning away from Blaise, where she had been looking him over after checking on Draco.
"Look." Hermione said, and pointed. His eyes blinked again, and a soft groan came from Blaise at the same time.
Light poured into those gray eyes, turning them back to their normal shining silver, and Draco shot up, looking around wildly. Blaise and Ginny bolted upright at the same time he did, breathing raggedly and clutching their forearms. Their eyes met each other's and they calmed slightly, letting their hands fall away. Their Marks were back to the way they usually were, a rainbow vortex of swirling colors, except they were…darker, somehow. Ginny stretched out an arm, flexing her fingers, before her eyes met Hermione's. The look in them was unsettling, as if Ginny could see right through her, and Hermione recognized that look. She'd been receiving it often enough the last week. But she only then recognized it for what it was. A predator scoping out its prey.
"Baby?" Molly asked, looking at her daughter with tears streaming nonstop down her cheeks. But Ginny didn't even turn around, just let Draco and Blaise help her to her feet as they fixed the sleeves of their robes. Something was wrong; Hermione could feel it. Looking again, she reeled when Blaise met her gaze. There was nothing remotely human in his eyes, less even than in Ginny's. Not wanting to, but needing to, she turned to Draco, fighting to keep her expression bland, and wasn't as surprised when she saw the same look mirrored there. The three of them said nothing, making their way for the door as everyone stared.
"Ginny, what are you doing?" Arthur asked, and Ginny stopped, turning slowly. She looked at her father with darkly intelligent, alien eyes, before tilting her head and replying.
"It isn't safe for us do be around certain…people, at the moment. And we were told we were free to leave. I believe you left my choice to me." She said, her voice dry and bored, and she turned to leave again.
"But what happened?" Molly asked, getting unsteadily to her feet with Silana's help. "Are you okay?" Ginny froze, and when she spun around that time, she did it slowly, precisely, her eyes burning.
"Okay?" Ginny asked, as if the word were strange to her. "My brother, whom I was supposed to be able to trust no matter what," she shot a slightly suspicious glance at her remaining siblings, "tried to murder me tonight. I, instead, murdered him. Tomorrow, it'll be worldwide headlines. How many pictures of that room do you suppose they got this time? How many pictures of us when we had first left it, covered in blood? Oh yes, mother, everything's just fucking peachy." She finished sarcastically.
"It wasn't your fault, Ginny." Ron said, looking at her closely. She seemed vaguely surprised.
"Oh, well, I know that. After all, he was the one trying to kill me."
"Ginny?" Charlie asked hesitantly, stepping forward. His eyes were filled with grief and sorrow, but underlain with rage, which was something that Hermione had never seen from him before. "You know that the rest of us…I mean, you know that we wouldn't do what he did, right?" He asked hopefully. But Ginny only looked at him for a few moments, before her eyes flickered to Draco and Blaise, who stood like silent, deadly sentinels behind her, and then back to him.
"Perhaps. But I've come to realize that there are only two people I can truly trust." She said with a sense of honesty and conviction that stunned her family. Saying nothing else, she left through the door Blaise held open for her, her fire-like hair streaming behind her. Eyes swept over them, sapphire and silver, crawling over their skin before turning to each other. Something silent passed between them, and Draco stepped out with Ginny. Blaise shut the door behind him, before facing those still in the room.
"She loves you still, you know, so you can quit looking as if the world has ended." He said, a lock of bluish-black hair falling over his face as his piercing eyes pinned the Weasleys in place. "She is hurt and confused, and should never have had to do what she did tonight. But she's strong, stronger than you've ever given her credit for, and she will recover."
"And who's going to help her?" Fred snapped. "You?"
"Think what you will of us." Blaise replied, the purple in his eyes becoming vibrant. "But we do love her. And if we have to tear this world apart piece by bloody piece in order to keep her happy, then so be it. But I am…asking you," he said it strangely, as if the words were new to his tongue, "not to make this harder on her then it already will be. No matter what the circumstances, slaying your kin, even in defense, isn't easy on anyone." He left that statement hanging in the air, the implications of it as obvious as the threat in his voice. He made to slide out of the door, but his mother and Narcissa reached out and stopped him.
"What happened?" They asked, and he kissed their cheeks lightly before stepping back.
"Cocidius has Fallen, in order to keep us." Blaise replied, the tiniest hints of adoration and something very close to joy leaking through his mask. Then he was gone, between one blink and the next. No one said anything, as Severus once more joined the two women, and the Weasleys huddled together. Harry and Hermione stood off to one side, feeling out of place, especially when the Weasleys began to grieve. Agreeing with a look that it was time to get the hell out of there, they left at the same time Carrick chose to do the same, except that he stayed right outside the door, so he could finish the questioning in a bit.
"And just where are you two going?" Carrick asked nastily, obviously feeling the need to vent on somebody after his earlier humiliation at the hands of two seventeen year-olds. But Hermione's nerves had been stretched, pulled and stomped on too many times lately. Something inside her snapping, she spun on one heel, pulling on every ounce of remembered disgust that the Slytherins had always viewed her with and letting it fill her eyes, turning them disdainful and cold as they traveled over the pudgy man. She started at his scuffed shoes, then continued up his mediocre black robes, over his out-of-shape figure, and ended at his piggy little eyes.
"You listen to me, you nasty little man." She hissed, and he looked surprised. "What we do and where we go is absolutely none of your bloody concern. You're nothing but a weak, spineless bastard, a mind numbing irrelevance that is utterly reprehensible in every way. So if I want any shit from you, I'll just squeeze your head, understood?" She spat, and stormed off down the hall, Harry at her heels.
"Sweet Merlin, Hermione! That was brilliant!" He said, a real smile on his face.
They turned a corner, and stopped at what they saw. Nine hooded figures stood in the hallway, talking in hushed voices and what looked like hand signals to Draco and Blaise. Virginia stood between the two Slytherins, a haughty smirk on her lips as she laughed. Each of the hooded figures had two symbols emblazoned upon their cloaks, a set of crossed black swords outlined in green on the left side of their chests, and a silver set outlined in the same on the right. Hermione recognized the crests of course, and remembered reading something in an old book on wizarding families about the Malfoys and Zabinis' sworn guards wearing cloaks like that, except they had been two separate groups before. Draco's gaze traveled over to Harry and Hermione lazily, before dismissing them altogether with the same uncaring nonchalance.
"Prick." Harry murmured under his breath, and then louder, "Fuck them. Come on, Hermione. The exit's this way." He said, and grabbed her hand, pulling them down the hall towards the group.
As they drew closer to them, Hermione's eyes once again slid, mostly involuntarily, to Draco. His eyes were so bright she was surprised they didn't cast shadows, and his hair was the color of Christmas tinsel, although she knew it was softer than that stuff could ever dream of being. She started when his eyes met hers, and something like surprised understanding swirled within their mercury depths. He took a step back, looking faintly ill, and she felt her throat close up with tears. No, she realized as she found herself pinned to a wall by her neck, not tears. Ginny's hand. Sharp nails and shockingly strong fingers dug into her flesh, as the crazed vixen before her snarled. Meeting Ginny's enraged eyes, she tried to let the girl know that she couldn't help it, tried to let her know that she would never, ever be a threat. It didn't, however, work.
"You had to test me tonight, didn't you, Hermione?" Ginny growled, a terrifying fire beginning to swirl inside her smoky eyes. "What is it, hmm? Are my brother and Harry not enough for you? Did you need a change? Or was it just amusing to see if you could get me or Blaise to rip your fucking eyes out?" She asked furiously. Hermione tried to give a sign of denial, but she could barely move since Ginny had her hands stretched above her head, her free hand on her throat and a knee in her stomach.
"Ginny, no!" She could distantly hear someone calling, someone who sounded like Harry, but the world had narrowed down to nothing but her and the dangerous creature in front of her. Who, at the moment, seemed to want nothing more than to see her blood run. Ginny solidified that belief seconds later.
"Do you know what I see when I look at you, mudblood?" She asked, the word she knew Hermione hated the most slipping from her lips as if it had always belonged there. "Do you know what I smell?" Hermione screwed her eyes shut, trying to deny the primal hunger she saw in those charcoal orbs. "Food." Ginny continued, her lips right next to Hermione's ear. "You're nothing more to me than something that would taste delectable should it be sliced open and bled dry. Your blood may be tainted, but it least it's edible."
"Ma âme." A velvet voice cut through Hermione's horrified haze. "Someone comes. Finish with her, but mind your brother's…reaction."
"They gave me their hunger, Hermione." Ginny whispered, leaning even closer and licking a small trail up the side of her neck. "As did our God. And sometimes, I can barely resist tearing out your throat for the simple pleasure of doing it. You're very lucky that my brother loves you, and very lucky that I remember that, even now. Don't fucking push me, Hermione, or the memory might slip my mind one day. Stay the fuck away from my boyfriends."
She emphasized her words by pulling Hermione roughly forward and shoving her back into the wall. Stars sprang up in front of Hermione's vision, which wavered but stayed solid. Ginny obviously hadn't meant to knock her out, as she wasn't lying unconscious on the floor, and she hoped that that was a good sign. Ginny dropped her and another set of arms wrapped around her when two of the guards let Harry go. He cradled her to him, pale-faced and shaking, and she wondered if he'd thought she was going to die. She knew she had. She heard footsteps then, and the circle of guards closed around them, blocking their views, along with anyone's who tried to look in. The footsteps paused, and then continued at a much more hurried pace, while Draco and Blaise's musical, mocking laughter followed whoever it had been down the hall.
"My lords?" One of the hooded figures questioned, the voice letting them know it was a man.
"Yes?"
"We really must be going. The press outside grows worse by the minute, even at this hour." A different figure said, that one a woman.
"Alright." Draco replied simply, and as a whole, they turned and walked down the hall, leaving Harry and Hermione where they were.
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Sitting upon his throne, dark thoughts ran through his head. How had his plan been foiled again? The little brats were stronger than he'd thought, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. They might be powerful, but he was a Lord of the Dark. They were no match for him, even with their Elemental energy. He had a new idea, a better idea, one that couldn't fail. And he hated failure above all else. He waited silently when he heard scales slithering over stone, and watched impassively as a huge snake glided up to him, transforming into a beautiful, dark-haired woman.
"What news, my lord?" She asked, kneeling at his feet.
"What do you think?" He snapped, petting her head harshly, yet fondly. She was his most loyal servant, staying by his side even through the years that he had floated and pondered and plotted uselessly.
"What do you wish for me to do, my lord?" She asked, and he flicked his forked tongue over his thin lips.
"Watch. Wait. They want to play with me, and they'll soon see the consequences. I know something that even they can't be advanced enough to beat yet." He said, and she looked excited and anxious.
"Really? Ooooh, what is it, my lord? Will it be…bad?" She asked, her eyes filled with a strange sort of hope.
"Oh, yes. Yes, it will be. After all, a Deep Lord is not one to mess with." He said calmly, and she jumped.
"A-A Deep Lord, my lord?" She asked hesitantly. "But there will be a high-"
"Price? Yes, I know. But it will be worth it." He responded, and she hung her head.
"As you say, my lord."
"They are arrogant." He said thoughtfully. "Too arrogant. And they, as they won't find out until it is too late, are not the only Chosen walking this earth."
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