The End

Chapter 18: Dead to the World

"What is your next plan of action, Tom?" Nicola asked, filing her nails. Giovanna sat next to her, looking through a book. Jada and Consuelo were also in the room. Voldemort intertwined his long fingers and looked into the fire.

"We need to take the most powerful threat besides Potter and the Assante girl out," he said. Giovanna and Nicola looked at each other.

"And who might that be?" Nicola asked, returning to her nails. Voldemort made a snorting sound. Giovanna stood up and walked over to Voldemort. She kneeled down in front of him. His eyes rested on her.

"Who are you thinking of, Tom?" she asked. Voldemort smirked.

"Well, I would think it would be all too simple to realize. The elder Assante girl already knows of Tommy's infidelity. What we've all got to ask ourselves is if she's told anyone," Voldemort said. Jada nodded.

"Shouldn't you know if she's told someone?"

"Yes. The thing about that is I would know if she had said something verbally. Aurora is a Telepath. Potter and the Weasley girl are Telepaths also. Not to mention my daughter. I wouldn't know if Aurora had told one of them," Voldemort said. Jada nodded again.

"So, who will you put out of commission?" Nicola inquired.

"My daughter. She's the only person we have to care about doing something dangerous," Voldemort said. Giovanna looked up and narrowed her eyes.

"You will do no such thing, Tom! I forbid it!" she said, up starting. Voldemort raised a hand to silence her. She didn't move, but she crossed her arms.

"You are right, Giovanna. I will do no such thing," he said. Giovanna looked confused. Nicola looked up from her nails.

"What do you mean by that? How do propose getting rid of her then?" Nicola asked. Voldemort intertwined his long fingers and looked in Jada's direction. Jada raised an eyebrow.

"Me?" she asked. Voldemort nodded. Giovanna shook her head.

"No! You will not kill OUR daughter! I already made up my mind, Tom!" Giovanna protested. Nicola smirked. Giovanna turned her rage on her. "What the hell are you smirking at?" she asked her younger sister. Nicola just continued to smirk at her.

"Giovanna, this is necessary. I don't plan on killing her at all. I just plan on putting her out of it for a good minute so that we can strike," Voldemort said. Giovanna pulled out her wand and pushed it into Voldemort's neck. She held it steadily there.

"How do you know this will work? Avarielle's mental abilities are phenomenal. You can't possibly hope to get rid of her that easily. She could kill you by merely thinking it," Nicola said, watching Giovanna carefully. Voldemort stared up at her. Giovanna's face didn't falter at all. Her hand was steady.

"Nicola, Jada is much more talented than Avarielle. It will work. Now, Giovanna, if you don't remove your wand from my neck, I will be forced to something I really don't want to do," Voldemort said in a deadly tone. Giovanna's lips tightened and she lowered her wand. She looked at Nicola then stalked out of the room.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry stared blankly at Professor Binns as he droned on and on. History of Magic really was the most boring class on the face of the earth. Sighing, he looked to his left and saw that Ron was not trying to hide the fact that he was asleep. Ron's head was tilted backwards and his mouth hung open. Hermione noticed it and smacked him in the back of the head. Ron jumped up, pulling his wand. Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to taking notes. Harry smiled and looked at the large clock on the wall.

'One more minute of this torture,' he thought to himself. Suddenly, Hermione's quill broke. She looked at it and frowned.

"Shit!" she whispered loudly. Ron raised an eyebrow as the bell rang. As she was gathering her things, Harry looked at Ron. Ron shrugged.

"Mione, is something wrong?" Ron asked. Hermione looked up at him. She looked highly pissed. Blinking and taking a deep breath, she shook her head furiously.

"No, Ron. I'm fine. Just a little tired. That's all. I have to go back to the dormitory for a moment. I'll see you at lunch." Hermione kissed him on the cheek and ran off. Aurora and Draco walked up to them. Ron and Harry were watching her as she turned the corner.

"I've never heard Granger say shit before," Draco said, crossing his arms. Ron nodded absent-mindedly.

"You're right, Malfoy. She isn't one to use profanity very often. Something must be bothering her," Harry said. Ron sighed.

"Not this again," he said, mostly to himself. Harry clapped a hand on his back.

"Don't worry, mate. I'm sure she's really just tired," Harry said, trying to cheer him up. Ron cracked a smile.

"Whatever, Harry. Come on. I'm starving."

In the Great Hall, Hermione sat down hard on the table. Ginny looked at her. Hermione's normally bushy hair was thrown up in a knot at the top of her head. Her tie was loose and her robes were open. One of her knee socks was rolled down. She'd never seen Hermione look so slipshod before.

"Um, Hermione, are you all right?" Ginny asked. Hermione's eyes shot up at her.

"I'm fine, Ginny. What makes you think that something's wrong with me?" she asked through clenched teeth. Ginny shrugged.

"You just look so...sloppy," Ginny said. For a split second, Hermione looked as if she was going to reach across the table and strangle Ginny. Instead, she smiled an obviously forced smile.

"Well, everyone has a day when they don't look up to par; except for Ron," Hermione said, grabbing an apple. Ron looked up from his plate.

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked with a mouth full of bread. Hermione shook her head.

"Everyday is THAT day for you, Ron," she said laughing. Harry spit out his pumpkin juice. He started laughing and Ron threw a piece of meat at him.

"It's not funny, Harry."

"Yeah it is," Harry said, wiping tears from his eyes. Hermione continued to laugh. Ron shot her a look and Hermione turned her head, looking off into space. "What do we have next?" Harry asked.

"Defense. Who's our teacher?" Ava asked. Draco finished chewing and sat forward in his seat.

"Fionnula took her sister's place," he said. Everyone nodded. "This should prove to be interesting," Draco mused. Harry looked up at him.

"How so?"

"This is Fionnula Onsu we're talking about here. She's even more of a pencil-neck than her sister. They were both so stiff and mechanical. Do we call her Professor Shamus now?" Draco said. Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know? I never called her 'professor' before. It's always been Fionnula. Well, she did marry Darien..."

"Oh, stop deliberating on what to call a teacher. Just call her Fionnula, " Hermione said, sounding irritated. She gathered her bags and flounced off, leaving the group to gawk in her wake. Harry was first to come back to the real world.

"Who spit in her coffee?" he asked, mostly to himself. Ron shook his head.

"I don't know what's wrong with her and I'm not about to find out," he said, sounding resolved. Ava frowned at him.

"You're not even going to try and see what is bothering her?" she asked. Ron shook his head a little too fervently. Ava sighed.

"So, how are you going to put her out?" Nicola asked Jada. Giovanna sat across the room, her dark brown hair shielding her gaze. Nicola knew her sister well enough to know that she was near killing someone in the room. Voldemort was doing an excellent job of ignoring her brooding. Jada looked up at Nicola.

"I will merely shut down her mind. She will not die, but there can be complicat..."

"WHAT! What do you mean COMPLICATIONS!" Giovanna exclaimed from the other side of the room. She was in Jada's face in a hot second. Nicola stepped back. Voldemort did not even flinch at her outburst. Jada sighed.

"Complications to me, Giovanna. Nicola could be right and her mind could prove too strong for me. If she is, she could reverse the curse on me. That's all the complications there are," she said calmly. Giovanna relaxed and walked back over to her seat to brood some more. Nicola shook her head.

"Giovanna the Mighty. Anyway, what will this do to her?" Nicola asked.

"Avarielle will enter a semi-catatonic state. She can hear and see everything that is going on around her, but she cannot respond. In an essence, she will be dead to the world. She will have no hold on her mental powers. She will not move. She will not blink. She'll be in an almost petrified state and completely powerless," Jada said.

"What is this spell called?" Nicola asked. Before Jada could answer, Giovanna spoke up from her corner.

"It's called the Morti Al Mondo Technique. If you've ever seen that movie called Snow White: A Tale of Terror..." The group looked at Giovanna as if she was speaking Japanese. She sighed. "Well, I suppose not. I still find Muggle customs quite amusing and movie going is one of them. Well, in that movie, she eats an apple and it seems to get caught in her throat. She is alive, but she cannot speak or breathe. To the outsider, it looks like she is dead when in reality, she is just under a spell."

"And how exactly do you know all of this, Vanna?" Nicola asked.

"I went to school and did my homework, Nic. I know about more Dark spells than I care to know. Useless information if you ask me. Listen, Jada, if you hurt my daughter in anyway, I will do something so horrible, you will WISH I had simply killed you." Giovanna stood. Jada stared at her with no emotion in her eyes.

"Is that a threat, Giovanna?" she asked, smirking evilly. Giovanna walked up to her and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and brought her face up to hers.

"Of course not, Jada." She leaned in closer to Jada's ear. "It's a promise." Giovanna whispered in a deadly tone. She released Jada and stormed out of the room. Nicola and Consuelo chuckled and Voldemort shook his head.

"Why is she so moody?" Voldemort asked. Nicola cleared her throat to speak, but Consuelo beat her to it.

"She is mad at the fact that you are utilizing both of her children in your plan for destruction. If I was in her position, I wouldn't be a happy camper, either, Voldemort," Consuelo said. Voldemort shot him an evil glance. Consuelo just stared blankly at him. Nicola nodded in agreement.

"He's right, you know. You haven't been exactly the prime example of a father, Tom. You're using your children to get what you want and Giovanna's watching you do this. Plus, you're doing most of it against their will. Tomás obviously doesn't want to work for you anymore. You're forcing him to and..."

"Nicola?" Voldemort said, interrupting her. Nicola looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Shut up," he said simply. Nicola frowned and crossed her arms, desperately trying not to curse him. Voldemort looked over at Jada next. "Jada, get ready to do the spell." Voldemort rose from his seat. Jada nodded as he left the room.

Harry sat in front of Ava, trying to break her mind guards. She sat, staring at him with a vacant expression on her round face. Ginny and Aurora sat watching them. Fionnula walked up beside Aurora.

"So, has he made any progress?" she asked, crossing her arms. Fionnula had been rather pleasant since she'd started teaching at Hogwarts, even if she was no different than her sister. Aurora shook her head.

"Unfortunately, Harry's still trying. Ava is putting up absolutely no effort and she is still beating Harry," Aurora said. Harry was sweating and he furiously wiped the perspiration from his brow. Fionnula shook her head.

"Enough, you two. Harry, how long have you been shirking Telepathy?" she asked. Harry looked over at her and smiled innocently.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. Now why on EARTH would I shirk Telepathy?" he asked, blinking. Fionnula just stared at him.

"Because you spend every free moment you have hurling spells and objects and us; Draco in particular;" Ginny said absent-mindedly. Harry looked at her. Ginny was engaged in staring up at the ceiling, looking as if she'd never spoken.

"Thanks, Gin. I really appreciate it," he mumbled. Ginny looked at Harry and smiled.

"Anytime, Harry," she said sweetly. Ava and Aurora laughed at the two. Fionnula sighed again and walked away.

'Sonno eterno,' a voice said in Ava's mind. Ava looked around. Aurora stopped laughing and noticed Ava's frantic look.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. Ava didn't seem to hear her. " Ava..." Aurora touched her shoulder. Ava's head snapped towards her. She opened her mouth to speak and then suddenly fell backwards. Ginny and Harry looked at them.

"Harry, what's happening to her?" Ginny asked. Harry looked at Ava. Her eyes were wide open, but she didn't appear to be looking at anything. "Tommy!" Ginny yelled across the room. Tommy and Neve came running and looked down at Ava.

"What's wrong with her?" Neve asked. Tommy kneeled down by his sister. Fionnula came back up to them.

"What's going on?" she asked. Tommy touched his sister's head. She was growing cold. He began shaking her.

"Ava? AVA! AVA?" he yelled, still shaking her violently. Ava didn't make a single noise. Her regularly blue eyes turned an eerie gray color. Tommy was breathing hard now. He kept shaking his sister. AVA!" he yelled repeatedly. Fionnula kneeled down beside him.

"Lay her back on the ground, Tommy," she said. Tommy did as he was told. Fionnula examined Ava's eyes. The grayish color that they had turned was something she'd never seen. "What color are Ava's eyes normally?" she asked.

"B-B-Blue," Tommy stammered out, staring worriedly at his twin. Fionnula nodded. She closed her eyes and tried to see what was in Ava's mind. In less than two seconds, she opened her eyes.

"Tommy, can you carry her?" she asked. Tommy nodded and picked her up. "Take her to the hospital wing. I'll meet you there with Professor Dumbledore," Fionnula said. Tommy nodded. Neve went along with him.

"I wonder what happened to her," Ginny said. Harry shrugged.

In the hospital wing, Ava was still staring into space. Tommy stood over her and Neve stood beside him. Fionnula and Dumbledore walked in. Madam Pomfrey was with them. Tommy stepped aside as Dumbledore peered over at Ava.

"Is she..." Tommy began.

"No, Tomás. She is not dead. She is under a spell," he said slowly. Tommy looked confused. Neve voiced his question for him.

"A spell? How did she get under a spell? No one shot a spell at her," she said. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, that is true, Neveah. Avarielle is a Telepathic prodigy. Someone of equal or greater power put her in this state through Telepathy."

"I don't understand. Who would do such a thing?" Neve asked. Tommy looked back at his sister. Rage filled his veins, but he did not let it show. Dumbledore noticed him squeezing the sheets on the bed, but said nothing.

"Someone must know of Avarielle's Telepathic ability and possibly considered her a threat."

"Can you bring her out of it?" Tommy asked, barely audible. Dumbledore sighed and lowered his head.

"I'm afraid not, Tomás. The only way to lift the spell is to have the person who did it to her relieve her of it. I'm afraid whoever did this is a little out of our reach. Avarielle is in a trance almost. She can hear everything we are saying and she can see us to a certain extent. Even though she can do all of these things, she cannot interact with us. She cannot call upon her Telepathic powers to communicate with us. She cannot move. If it wasn't for her heart beating, we would all assume she is dead. She doesn't even look like she is breathing. Go back to class, you two. We will get to the bottom of this as soon as possible," Dumbledore said.

Late that night, Tommy sat watching his sister. Her normally radiant skin was now as pale as ever. Her body was cold and her once blue eyes were now completely black, lacking a pupil and white. She just stared up at the ceiling. Sighing, Tommy put his head in his hands.

"This is all my fault," he whispered. He jumped when he heard the curtain move behind him. Pulling his wand, he saw Aurora standing there. Relaxing, he sat back down. "Come to fuss at me?" he asked snidely. Aurora said nothing as she walked around to the other side of the bed. She looked down at Ava's pale face. She touched her forehead.

"Her body is like ice," she said mostly to herself.

"Dumbledore said it was just a side effect. When she wakes, it will return to normal. Why aren't you lighting into my arse?" he asked, thoroughly curious as to why she wasn't mad at him. Aurora looked at him through her narrow eyes.

"If I show that I am mad, Tommy, you would not need to be frightened of me. That would mean that I am in no way as angry as I should be. If I am quiet and talking to you in a calm way like this, that is when you should be afraid. I'm so mad at you right now, I would like nothing more than to blast your head off of your shoulders," Aurora stated calmly. Tommy nodded.

"I wouldn't stop you if you did," he said underneath his breath. Aurora did not hear him.

"You know, she knew about you," she said quietly. Tommy looked appalled.

"What?"

"Ava knew. Your sister is not dumb, Tommy. She is very perceptive and she can read you like a book even if she cannot enter your mind. She figured you out since the day you let you guards slip while we were out on the Quidditch pitch before Christmas," Aurora said. Tommy just sat there with a stunned expression on his face.

"So how did you know she knew?"

"We talked. We had a little conversation on what was bothering me the day after I caught you. Then she said, without me saying anything, that she knew it was you. I've never seen her look so disappointed, Tommy. Now, she is dead to the world because of you," Aurora said, her voice ringing through the air like ice. Tommy shook his head.

"I'll get her out of this," he said. Aurora crossed her arms and began to walk away. When she passed Tommy, she put her head down by his ear.

"You better or YOU will have hell to pay," she whispered dangerously. Then she stalked out of the hospital wing, leaving Tommy alone with Ava.

Voldemort walked in the room with Giovanna. She looked incredibly tired and sulky. Jada stood up as the two entered. Giovanna glared at her and took a seat in the far corner.

"Well?" Voldemort asked.

"It worked, Voldemort. The only way the spell can be undone is if I lift it," she said. Voldemort nodded and looked in Giovanna's direction. She was glaring at him with all the malevolence she could muster out of her little body. Voldemort's lips parted in a smug smirk. He walked over to her. Giovanna looked up at him as he touched her chin.

"If only looks could kill, Giovanna. Too bad they can't," Voldemort said. Giovanna jerked her head away from him. She stood up and looked him in the eye.

"I hope you rot in hell, you selfish bastard," she whispered evilly. She then proceeded to storm out, nearly knocking over Bellatrix. Voldemort just kept smirking as he watched her go.

"Tom, it would be best if you did not anger her even further," Nicola said from her solitary corner. Voldemort snapped his head in her direction. She had her arms crossed and her braid thrown over her left shoulder. "Vanna is a force to be reckoned with when she is angry and you have made her oh-so-angry. Do try and be a little more sensitive towards her," Nicola said. Voldemort just made a snorting noise and sat down.

"Why don't you go calm the woman then?" he said. Nicola shook her head.

"I'm not going near her. I happen to enjoy living at the moment."

Voldemort walked in Giovanna's room. She was sitting on the bed with her back to him. He heard her sigh as she acknowledged his presence.

"What do you want, Tom?" Giovanna asked. Voldemort walked up closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Giovanna closed her eyes as he began massaging them. Voldemort leaned down to her ear.

"Whenever I come to see you in your room, what do you think I want?" he whispered. Giovanna sighed.

"I'm not your little sex toy, Tom. You just can't come and get me whenever you get lonely. It doesn't work like that. You can't make me give in to you whenever you FEEL like it," Giovanna said, standing and turning to face him. Voldemort touched her hair. Giovanna stared him in the eyes.

"Hmmm...I beg to differ. You act like you don't want it," he said.

"What if I don't?" Giovanna said, staring up at him. Voldemort paused for a moment, looking falsely thoughtful. Giovanna rolled her eyes.

'Men,' she thought disdainfully.

"We both know that's not true, Gigi. You want it every chance you can get it. Seeing how you haven't done it much in the last nineteen years..." Voldemort said. Giovanna blinked at the nickname. Voldemort began removing her robes. Giovanna continued to stare at him as he busied himself.

"Gigi?' You haven't called me 'Gigi' in almost nineteen years. My, my. I never thought I'd see the day when you were desperate. I've never actually seen you try and seduce me. I'm always the one who does the seducing," She whispered. Voldemort finally untied the offending garment. Giovanna let it drop to the floor. He looked back in her eyes.

"Desperate? No, I'm not desperate. As for me calling you by that name, the time called for it. Now quit talking and let me do what I came to do," he whispered in her ear.

"You make it sound like a responsibility," Giovanna whispered as he pushed her on the bed. Voldemort looked down at her with a smug look.

"I suppose it is. I have to keep at least one of us satisfied..."

AN: I am SOOOOO sorry that I didn't update when I said I was going to. I am shamed... I will make it up and I promise there will be another chapter out in the next three days. You have my WORD!