Chapter 52
"That must have been bloody brilliant! Why didn't you have someone wake me?" Harry asked, chuckling as he walked beside Ron. As usual, Ron had his arm around Pansy, Blaise on her other side.
"Sorry mate. Heat of the moment kind of thing. The twins just about skinned me when they found out what they'd missed, believe you me! Wish I'd had one of those Muggle moving camera things dad is always going on about!" Ron said with a wide grin on his face.
Harry chuckled, "Movie cameras. Ya, that would have been ace if you could have found one that would work here."
"Besides," Blaise said from Pansy's other side, lowering his voice as they approached the stairs leading up towards the Great Hall, "If we'd woken you, your 'little friend' would have had a field day on him, since he was uninvited, and we'd have a legal mess on our hands."
"Still," Pansy said, smirking widely, "Wish we would have at least had little Colin there with that blasted camera of his! Would have had a companion piece for Ginny's picture for one! Could have sold them as gift sets for the holidays!"
They all chuckled at that. Harry had long since gotten used to seeing himself being pummeled in almost every room in Slytherin Dungeon. It didn't even bother him since he knew it had been the demon at the time. In fact, only the demon seemed irritated when he looked at one of the pictures. Harry was just glad Ginny hadn't let the demon get away with hurting people without any kind of retribution, even if it had been his own body that had taken the brunt of her retaliation... and even though the injured party had been Draco.
Ginny chuckled and gave Pansy a playful shove on the shoulder from behind. "Quiet Miss Snape!"
Pansy turned her head, sticking her tongue out at Ginny. "I'd rather be a Snape than a Parkinson!"
"Bloody hell!" Blaise said faking shock, "I'm shagging a Snape! Agh! That's so disturbing..."
Pansy slipped her arm from his waist and smacked his butt sharply.
"Ooooh!" Blaise said with a giggle, "Maybe I'll like shagging a Snape... you like that kinky stuff!" He said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Pansy's jaw dropped in mock indignation as she smacked him up the backside of his head.
He chuckled, sweeping her up into his arms. "Oh stop!" He said with a wicked grin, "You're getting me all worked up..."
She giggled and struggled half-heartedly as he started kissing her neck playfully.
"Ok, break it up!" Draco chuckled. "Let's not get the other Houses wagging their tongues even more than they already are."
Blaise chuckled, giving her a kiss on the lips before setting her back down, "Killjoy!" He said mirthfully over his shoulder as they started up the stairs.
Harry fell behind a bit as they started up the stairs since there was only enough room for three abreast with the students going back down the stairs as well. Some of the Slytherins who were being picked up by their parents had gone to breakfast early and hurried through it so they could get ready in time. They had even started serving breakfast especially early to accommodate them. The ones taking the train, on the other hand, had until eleven to get out to the carriages with whatever they would need for the holiday.
Draco looked over at him as they made their way up. "Is that Delse's necklace?" He asked, spotting the striated crystal hanging from his neck.
Harry glanced down and blushed. "Um... ya..." He said, obviously embarrassed. "She was pretty excited when she found out about the wedding. She took off so quickly this morning she left it. She was planning on apparating once she'd gotten clear of the school grounds, so I'm sure she's probably home by now. Figured this way I wouldn't lose it. Not as if I really need the protection, but..." He shrugged.
Blaise came to a stop and turned back to him, looking at the crystal in shock, "She just forgot it? I don't think I've ever even seen her take that thing off!"
Harry's blush deepened slightly. "Well, I doubt she realizes it... it... um... was kind of... next to her pillow." He said dropping his voice so only they could hear.
Blaise gave a snort of amused disgust and shook his head. "Ok, I don't think I really needed to be reminded about you and my mum having wild demon sex."
Harry rolled his eyes, "You asked." He said deadpan, but a little smirk was trying to fight it's way onto his lips as they started up the steps once more, Ron and Pansy trying to stifle their chuckles.
When they reached the Great Hall, the atmosphere was as charged and cheerful as would be expected on the day the holidays began. The students in the other Houses were so preoccupied with excited talk about what they were planning on doing during the break that they barely paid the Slytherins any notice. Few even bothered to stare at Harry as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione was already seated. There was a bit of open space around her still, but the gap was slowly narrowing, which was encouraging since she planned on returning to the Tower after the Holidays. She had gone to breakfast alone ahead of them to draw less attention and speculation. Her Housemates knew she wasn't sleeping in Gryffindor Tower, but most of them assumed she was still staying in the Hospital wing for observation. She decided it was best to foster this misconception.
They smiled at eachother and exchanged little nods of greeting as he sat, but otherwise remained quiet. They really had nothing to say to eachother that they felt free to discuss in front of the other students. It was strange to start to think of your own Housemates as outsiders...
Dumbledore's announcements that morning consisted of little more than wishing them happy holidays, reminding them of when and where to meet for their trip to Hogsmeade station, and the reassurance that they would be returning to classes as usual upon their return. Then they settled into their meals properly, the volume dropping only slightly.
The morning post came on schedule, hundreds of owls soaring through the hall and depositing letters, parcels, Quibblers and Daily Prophets. Harry and Hermione each got Daily Prophets, and Hermione got a small parcel with a letter attached as well. She pulled out the letter and opened it, then smirked. "Mum and dad are going to send my presents a bit at a time. They're afraid of overexerting the owls."
Harry grinned. "They're a lot stronger than you'd think. I once got a box of Hagrid's rock cakes by owl! I wasn't daft enough to eat them of course, but it just goes to show that...." He trailed off, looking around curiously. The noise level in the hall had dropped markedly. Most of the students were now clustering around those who had copies of the Daily Prophet.
Harry took up his copy and undid the twine that bound it. One look at the article that took up almost the entire front page and his stomach dropped. Hermione saw his eyes widen and snatched up her own copy.
Horror In Hogsmeade
By Rita Skeeter
The calm of the small, peaceful wizarding community of Hogsmeade was shattered yesterday afternoon by a violent and
unexpected attack by Death Eaters. If they thought the sleepy little town would be an easy mark, a simple way to achieve
enough devastation and a high enough death toll to strike terror into the populous, then they were sadly mistaken. Of the
reported thirteen Death Eaters that struck, only one managed to evade capture. What happened to the remainder should
make the Dark Lord think twice before striking again.
So what happened you ask? Reports so far are unconfirmed and sketchy at best, but one thing that the Ministry officials have
confirmed as fact is that twelve Death Eaters lay dead. Though some humanitarian effort was made to recover several who's
injuries should have been reversible, they remained inexplicably unsavable. No injuries were reported by the citizens of
Hogsmeade who, thanks to the Ministry warning sirens, were alerted and able to take shelter the moment the attack began,
and only superficial property damage appears to have been inflicted on the town itself.
Though the Ministry will give no official statement on the incident other than the death count, interviews with witnesses told a
very strange and disturbing tale. It appears students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were allowed to visit
Hogsmeade that day, and this reporter can exclusively report that it is believed that it was a single student from the school
who brought about the demise of all twelve Death Eaters!
One would think to count this as a prestigious accomplishment for the student, and indeed a great credit to the school who
produced them, but once more details came to light, the fact that it was a mere student becomes disturbing. The Death Eaters
were not just killed, they were slaughtered.
The killing of Death Eaters in defense of yourself or others has been declared legal in the July second Public Defense Act, and
following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has also legalized the use of Unforgivables
against Death Eaters in such cases, going one step further and extending the authorization not only to Ministry Aurors, but
also to private citizens. These deaths were not caused by such spells however. That would have looked almost humane
compared to what this reporter witnessed. The conditions that the bodies that we were allowed to view were in was horrific.
The injuries inflicted ranged from impalement to bludgeoning, and even severe dismemberment. One grouping took Ministry
Officials nearly twenty minutes merely to determine how many bodies the blood soaked area actually contained. Never in all
my years as a reporter have I ever witnessed a more macabre scene.
So who was this student? Lips are still sealed at this point, but some speculation has been made. Eye witnesses saw a small
group of students returning to Hogwarts soon after the attack, two carrying unknown persons wrapped in cloaks to hide their
identities. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, refused to comment other than to say that there were no lasting
injuries reported. However, the eye witnesses confirmed that students Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger were seen in
the group, both known close companions of none other than the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter.
So where was Harry? Was he one of the shrouded forms being carried back to Hogwarts? Could it have been Harry Potter
himself who killed the Death Eaters with such viciousness and flagrant disregard for human life? It gives one pause,
wondering if the boy who's life has been so tormented has finally snapped and unleashed lifetime of pent up fury on others.
This was a blow against He Who Must Not Be Named, there is not doubt about that, but at what cost?
What could have caused such a break? Some believe that it goes far beyond his tragic childhood. Even beyond his scar, the
remnant of the curse that nearly ended his life when he was no more than a baby, and some have speculated, might well have
left him mentally unbalanced. They say that his brush with demonic possession, which was reported upon recently, may have
severed his last tenuous grasp on reality and left him profoundly disturbed.
Students that wish to remain anonymous admitted to seeing a marked change in his demeanor after leaving Ministry custody.
He reportedly became withdrawn and uncommunicative, abandoning the companionship of his friends and well-wishers in
Gryffindor Tower and often choosing rather to lurk in the solitude of dark corners. One student went so far as to say she felt
he might be continuing the demon's abusive behavior towards a certain student or students that remain unnamed, despite the
demon's confirmed absence. It was also confirmed by several students that young Harry left Gryffindor Tower soon after
said questioning for the dank recesses of Slytherin Dungeon, and has yet to return to the sanctuary of his own House.
Others have a different theory as to the cause of his current disturbed mental state. They believe it was the testing itself that
was implemented by our own Ministry that is to blame. Many claimed to have caught glimpses of horrific scars, said to mar
his entire body, left behind at Ministry hands.
Though records detailing the tests are required to be handed over as part of the Administrative Accountability Act,
introduced recently into law by Albus Dumbledore during his brief tenure as Interim Minister of Magic, Ministry officials claim
the records have somehow been lost, and several Ministry workers have received official disciplinary reprimands for the loss
of the files.
Though no 'official' record appears to exist any longer, an unnamed, but reliable source in the Ministry confirmed that a 'fair
few' invasive, outdated, highly dangerous and overall rather questionable tests were performed on the boy, even though
standard, uninvasive tests had already been performed by both Hogwarts and the Ministry, and should have more than
sufficed. The source went so far as to say, "Not saying that he is mad, mind you, but if he is I'd wager it was that that's done
it. Some of the things they did would have made You Know Who proud! It made me deeply ashamed to be associated with
an organization that would do such a thing, especially since it appeared to be merely on a sadistic whim. It was a rude
awakening for me, and is making me rethink everything I thought I knew. All that I've wanted, all my hopes and ambitions
have changed. It is making me completely reevaluate my work, my life and my family."
In response to this statement and the accusations of malicious misconduct in the methods used for the testing of young Harry,
Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge stated that no unnecessary tests were, in fact, performed. He goes on to say that this is all
"Merely an attempt by someone planning on running for my position in the upcoming election to discredit me."
Whatever the reason for Harry Potter's disturbed mental state, one has to wonder if the actions of the Ministry were truly for
his own good, as they claim, or something darker that will eventually drive him away from the bosom of our society. What
will become of him as his dementia grows? Will it be his fellow Hogwarts students who will feel his wrath next? Though the
demon has been officially declared contained, and the school is set to resume normal functioning upon the student's return
after the holiday break, one has to wonder if the students are truly safe under the circumstances. And what of Harry? Let us
just hope that all that has happened to him does not drive Harry Potter, our last and greatest hope in this terrible war, to cross
over and side with He Who Must Not Be Named himself!
The article had small pictures scattered through it of damage to the town (though thankfully they hadn't been allowed to photograph the remains of the Deatheaters) and Fudge looking dodgy. The biggest picture however was on the bottom left hand side of the page, taking up a good quarter of the page. It was one of Harry himself looking rather moody and I bit unstable. He remembered when it was taken actually. Rita and her cameraman had been chasing him all over during the first few Hogsmeade visit. Near the end of the second visit that she had ruined for him, the cameraman had snapped that one while he was in the Three Broomsticks, just trying to enjoy a Butterbeer in peace with his friends. He'd been a bit less than pleased. The picture was snapped about fifteen seconds before he'd stood up and yelled at her to leave him the bloody Hell alone, storming back to Hogwarts where she wasn't allowed to follow.
"What utter bloody tripe!" Harry growled. "That bloody COW! A couple of people see you and Ron with a group carrying two shrouded figures away from Hogsmeade, and suddenly I'm a raving bloody loon who's massacring people for jollies and romping off to join bloody Voldemort! No one even bloody well saw me there and yet still she can manage to make most of the article about how I'm fucked in the head!"
"Harry!" Hermione hissed warningly.
He looked up and glared at the surrounding students that were now staring at him as if he might attack them at any moment. He took deep, calming breaths, trying not to let the demon's anger show. The last thing he needed right now was for people to see him with glowing eyes!
He snatched up his paper and got up, storming out of the Great Hall.
"Potter!"
Harry stopped in his tracks halfway to the stairs, growling irritably as he waited for Draco to catch up with him.
"Where are you going?" Draco asked as he came to a stop beside him.
"Oh, I don't know." Harry said with biting sarcasm, "Thought I'd just slink back to the 'dank recesses of Slytherin Dungeon' and lurk in some dark bloody corner planning my next killing spree!"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a baby! So she called you a head case. So what. It's not the first time she's said it, and I truly doubt it will be the last. Especially if you keep acting like this."
Harry glared at him. "She didn't have a shred of proof I was even there!"
"But you were." Draco said softly, glancing around to make sure they were alone. "And it was you, whether you were in control or not. If I didn't know about your little friend, I'd think you went round the twist as well. You have to admit that what it did to those men..."
"Was bloody well justified!" Harry growled angrily.
Draco's eyes widened. He never expected Harry to agree with what it had done!
"Oh don't look at me like that!" Harry hissed, keeping his voice low, "You said it told you what they did to it! Did it sound like fun?"
"No." Draco said, glaring at him, "I never said it didn't sound like they..."
"Well it didn't tell me!" Harry said, breaking in, "I saw it! Last night it had a bloody nightmare about it! And therefor so did I! It has a photographic memory. Did you know that? I'm all too aware of it! I could see it, I could hear it, and I could feel it! I woke up curled up under my bed around midnight and haven't slept a wink since. It was all I could do to pull myself together and get back in bed by the time Delse woke up in the morning. If those men were in front of me right now I'd probably kill them myself! With my bare hands if necessary!"
Draco was a bit taken aback. He knew how real Darien's memories could be when he shared them. To have the memory of being violently raped like that thrust into your mind would be traumatic for anyone, especially someone who wasn't on the most stable of mental footing to begin with, which would definitely include Harry. Stable people didn't try to kill themselves.
Harry let out a sigh and looked away. "Just have the house elves toss some food through my door now and then. I'll be fine."
Draco looked up sharply, "What do you mean? When we get back you'll be expected to attend classes, just like everyone else."
"When you get back. I'm not going anywhere." Harry said darkly.
Draco folded his arms over his chest. "I beg to differ. I'm not going to leave you to your own devices for the entire holiday! Besides, the Weasleys will be most put out if you don't go. Even Granger will be coming Christmas Eve for the wedding and staying for Christmas."
Harry sighed, staring at the stone floor, "I can't face all of them!" He said, glancing significantly towards the doors to the Great Hall before dropping his eyes again. The conversation within it had now risen to such a high level that it sounded like a low rumble through the thick wooden doors. "Almost an entire day on a train with all of them staring and talking about me... it was bad enough before. I don't think I could handle it without snapping and yelling at them or worse. The demon's really pissed too, and containing it with the way they go on might well prove impossible."
Draco furrowed his brow, "Why would the demon be pissed?"
Harry looked up at him and blinked, looking thoughtful. "I don't know actually... it just is. Maybe it's just reflecting my emotions or something." He said with a shrug.
Draco let it slide, but made a mental note to ask the demon about it should they have a chance to talk again. He sighed. "Fine. You'll go with Ginny and I. I was kind of looking forward to the trip with just her, but I suppose I'll have to put up with you tagging along. It'll just be the three of us, and if I tell you you're fucked in the head, I assure you it will have nothing to do with that bloody article, so you have no excuses left. Dumbledore asked me to take along some protection anyway. I guess you'll have to do."
Harry blinked. He wanted to object, not really feeling like being around a bunch of happy, celebrating people right now, but couldn't think of a good reason why that would be a problem. He started to ask him for more details, but just then the doors to the Great Hall opened and Dumbledore walked out. He was followed by Snape, then Ginny, Ron, Pansy and Blaise as well.
Harry sighed as Dumbledore came to a stop before him. "I'm fine." He said in a gloomy tone.
Dumbledore gave him a little smile. "No, actually you aren't, but you will be." He said softly. "However," He went on, raising his voice a bit and looking over at Draco, "That is not what we are here for. It appears that Cornelius has some legal issues he wishes to discuss in regards to an event he says took place last night. He has requested an audience with us, and I have granted him temporary permission to enter the school to discuss it. He owled from the gates, so he should be here momentarily."
Draco rolled his eyes, "I knew that bloody wanker couldn't let things lie without a fight."
----------
Fudge made his way into the room followed by Sulla and Breanna Parkinson and group of Aurors. As soon as he spotted Harry leaning up against the wall he stopped so fast that Sulla ran into him. Sulla hissed with pain and irritation, rubbing his wrist which he had been cradling to him, bandages visible sticking out of the sleeve. It was obvious the bones had required removal and regrowing, and the Skelegrow hadn't completed the task quite yet.
Breanna Parkinson was just as lovely as Blaise had said she was, though she and Pansy looked little alike. She was a tall, slim woman with long, wavy sandy brown hair, blue eyes and a small, almost button nose that had a spattering of delicate freckled across it extending out across her cheekbones. When she spotted Pansy her eyes widened and she tried to go to her, but Sulla grabbed her with his good arm and shoved her back behind him irritably. She didn't look happy, but stayed put, her eyes still on Pansy.
"What is that doing here?!?" Fudge demanded authoritatively, though an edge of fear was discernible in his voice.
Harry scowled at him. "Don't call me a 'that'. It's your bloody fault I'm like this, so shut the bloody hell up about it!"
"If you hadn't..." Fudge began heatedly, but Dumbledore held up his hand and Fudge, for once, heeded him. Most likely for fear that lack of compliance might somehow give the demon reason to go after him again.
"Harry, perhaps you could wait in the other room with the Aurors." Dumbledore suggested gently.
Harry glanced at the Aurors and smirked as he saw them shift uneasily. "Ok." He said, pushing off from the wall suddenly and making them start, then strolling sedately over to the door and standing beside it. "After you." he said, holding his hand out to indicate the door invitingly.
"My men are staying with me!" Fudge blustered, looking worried. His men were the main source of his confidence at the moment.
"Do you really think we pose a threat to you, Cornelius?" Dumbledore asked with a genial smile.
"There are regulations..." Fudge started.
Harry rolled his eyes impatiently, "The Aurors were not invited to stay in this room." he said slowly, making Fudge fall silent and glaring at the Aurors significantly.
The Aurors glanced at Fudge, but didn't wait for his leave, quickly filing out of the room.
Harry smirked over at Fudge and gave him a little wave, "Now play nice, Fudge!" He said pleasantly, but with a cold glint in his eyes. Fudge remained silent as he strolled out, closing the door behind him.
Fudge then turned back to the group, quickly regaining his composure. "Well now, what's this rubbish about you all stealing this man's daughter by forcing him to sign legal documents against his will?" he demanded.
"Balderdash!" Snape said briskly, "He signed the forms of his own free will. We have a whole House full of witnesses if you care to interview them. You seem to like doing that." he said, folding his arms across his chest.
Fudge scowled at him, "You can't go about adopting your students at random!" He growled.
"It wasn't random. I saw a girl in desperate need of a father who actually had her best interests in mind, and accepted the responsibility. She only has one year left at Hogwarts and then she'll be old enough to run her own life. Until then, I will pay for her housing and schooling and such if that is your worry. The Snape bloodline might not be quite as prodigious and affluent as some, but we have done alright for ourselves. She should be no burden. I fully intend to fulfill my duties as her father for so long as she wishes."
"You're not her father!" Sulla growled angrily, his face red. "That's my daughter! I'll not let you steal her from me!"
Snape gave him a wry grin, "I beg to differ. According to the paper you signed, I am, in no uncertain terms, her father."
"I don't care about what some blasted piece of paper says! Paper doesn't make blood ties. You could never be her father! You need proof? Just cast a Lineage spell! Those don't care about paper and crafty little loopholes! They tell the truth!"
Snape gave a derisive snort. "Go ahead and cast one, Sulla. I very much doubt it will help your case."
Dumbledore noted the slightly panicked look in Breanna's eyes. "I don't think that will be necessary..." He said gently.
Fudge seized on it, "I will be the judge of what is and is not necessary, Dumbledore! I am still the Minister of Magic! Blood counts for more than paper! If this man is so deluded that he can't tell the difference, perhaps he needs to be shown!"
Snape smirked, "Fine. I tell you what. Cast your little spell. If it points to Sulla, I'll give her back."
Pansy couldn't help but notice how her mother was glaring at Snape murderously from behind her father's back. Her father was obviously completely oblivious to her reaction. He folded his arms over his chest. "Fine!" He said triumphantly.
He nodded to Fudge, who smiled, feeling this would surely win the argument. He pulled out his wand and cast a Lineage spell towards Pansy.
They all watched as a ghostly white line, thick as a mast rope, emerged from the center of Pansy's chest, twisting around like a snake as it drifted towards Sulla and Breanna, searching for a link. Sulla, still looking triumphant, took a couple of steps forward to hurry the process a bit. The rope-like lines slipped towards him... then darted around him.
Sulla's eyes went wide with shock. He turned, watching it slip towards Breanna. It glided to one side of her, then split in half, making a T intersection. One half darted forward, to connect with Breanna, and the other half hit Snape dead center. The line lost it's ghostly quality, firming up and straightening, leaving no doubt that it had completed it's determination.
A bemused smirk spread over Snape's lips as he stared down at the glowing line touching his chest. "Well, would you look at that! What are the odds?" He said, looking up at Sulla with a genuine smile gracing his lips, "I'm not a betting man, but quite honestly if I were to have wagered on it, it would not have been myself that I bet on! I just knew it wasn't you!"
Sulla was just staring at him with open shock. "This... this can't be... you did something to the spell!" He finished with an accusatory growl.
"Severus is not the one who cast the spell." Dumbledore said softly. "Are you suggesting that Cornelius had some reason to alter it?"
Sulla glared at him, then spun, glaring at his wife, who was now deathly pale and had half collapsed into a chair, staring at the line linking her and Snape in stunned silence. "YOU! You whore!" He all but screamed, "Spent a couple of days at your mother's did you? Your mother talked you into trying for a baby did she? You lying, cheating, conniving little..."
Her eyes darted to him and narrowed, a flush of anger colored her pale cheeks as she stood back up stiffly. "So I cheated! So I gave in and made a rash decision in a moment of weakness and had a little fun for a change! So what! Not like I wanted to marry your miserable arse in the first place! Keep my half of the bloody shack! Staying faithful to you was killing me! Two bloody years I went without a decent shag! It's not my fault you're an absolutely wretched shag with barely enough stamina to go for a whole minute straight! Not to mention that you're hung like a bloody doxy! If that girl did manage to kick you in the hampton, I'd like to commend her on her exceptional locating skills that obviously border on precognition! " She growled furiously.
Sulla looked completely thunderstruck that his wife would talk back to him like that, let alone say such things about him in front of others.
"Hey!" Blaise said in a soft, amused voice, tugging on a little line that looked like very thin yarn that had formed between him and Draco. "Cool... gotta check my family tree again..."
Draco looked down, noting that the spell had continued working, spreading lines of relation between those gathered in the room. There was a thick line between Ron and Ginny of course, as well as a line no thicker than button thread between Draco and the two since they were very distantly related on his mother's side. He leaned forward a bit, ignoring the little screaming match that had begun between Sulla and Breanna. Pansy was just staring at Snape, her eyes wide and fixed with shock. She appeared completely oblivious to the thick white line of parental relation had formed between her and Blaise, the line branching from the middle disappearing down into her stomach, and the same with Ron on the other side. In fact, looking around, Fudge and Sulla were the only ones completely unrelated to anyone else in the room.
He looked over as the shouting suddenly ceased. Breanna was staring at her daughter, her eyes wide. "What's that?" She asked faintly, vaguely indicating the lines linking her with the boys at her sides.
"That would be our grandchildren." Snape said with a smirk.
"Grandchildren...?" She asked, looking as if she might faint at any moment. It was obvious that Sulla had intercepted the letter Pansy had sent, and hadn't bothered informing his wife of the pregnancy. Breanna shoved past Sulla, going over to Pansy and staring down at the lines. She looked up at Pansy, her eyes filling with joyful tears, "Grandchildren!" She said with a happy laugh, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight.
"Indeed." Snape said, looking back at Sulla, "The ones he tried to murder last night using a highly dangerous, highly illegal potion. Which reminds me, why isn't he in Azkaban?" He asked, looking over at Fudge.
Fudge was looking completely thrown by the unexpected turn of events, but quickly tried to pull himself back together. "You didn't even sign that form until after. I'd have to look up the precedents, but I doubt that makes you eligible to press charges..."
Snape glared at him, "See this?" He said, indicating the line still leading to his chest, "This makes me eligible!"
Breanna had released Pansy and was staring back at them in shock. "He did what?"
"Seems your dear husband was afraid Pansy's unexpected pregnancy would cost him too much money since he appears to view her as a commodity to be traded or sold... and so he tried to force a potion down her throat to get rid of the 'problem'. It very nearly worked too. If Draco hadn't stopped him the babies would have been long gone by now... possibly Pansy too. That potion has about a twenty percent chance of killing the mother as well, hence it's illegal status." Snape said, glancing over at her. It wasn't until then that he noticed the other lines that had formed. There was now a second line emerging from his chest that was about as big around as very thin rope. He followed it with his eyes, then stared in puzzled shock at the person the other end was linked to.
"Finite Incantatem." Dumbledore said softly, dispersing the spell with a wave of his wand.
Snape's attention was drawn back forward as Breanna strode over to her husband, "Is this true?" She asked in a carefully calm voice.
His eyes narrowed angrily, "You have no idea what it takes to survive today! I've taken care of you all these years, sheltered you from the real world, provided you with food, clothing and shelter, given you everything a proper lady should have, even though you quite obviously didn't deserve it..."
"I asked if it was true, not for a bloody sob story." She said evenly, breaking into his tirade before it had a chance to get going good.
He glared at her. "As far as I knew, she was my daughter, and therefore mine to do with as I saw fit. Her stupid mistake stood to cost us a great deal of money, so I did what I had to."
"You BASTARD!" She shriek, her fist catching him in the jaw. He staggered back but she gave him no respite, catching him hard in the gut, then in the kidney as he tried to turn to protect his soft stomach. He let out a yelp of pain as he tried to grip his side and guard his kidneys while still curled over from the stomach blow. "Those are my grandchildren!" She yelled, grabbing ahold of two handfuls of his hair and shoved his head down to meet her knee as it thrust up, smashing the nose that had been so recently repaired.
He crumpled to the ground. Everyone just stood there, watching as she started kicking the downed man hard, circling around him to get at any vulnerable spot she could. "You're the bloody mistake!" She shrieked, punctuating her words with kicks that were bringing yelps of pain from the man.
Fudge looked a bit panicked, obviously wanting to stop her, but without his Aurors it would be himself he would be putting in danger of bodily harm, and he seemed unwilling to do that for Sulla.
"I'll show you what's necessary!" She growled, stopping her kicking and pulling out her wand. Her head darted around, glaring as a hand caught ahold of her wrist before she could cast.
"That's enough, Breanna." Snape said softly.
She growled irritably, pulling her wrist out of his grasp, then tucked it away, glaring down at him. She leaned down, "You had better hope they put you in Azkaban for a very long time you bastard!" She hissed, her voice making no secret of what she intended to do if they didn't. She then looked up at Fudge. "If you won't accept Snape's charges, you had best accept mine! I want that bastard to rot away in Azkaban for the rest of his miserable bloody life!" She darted a look down at her husband, who was moaning in pain and desperately trying to draw breath properly.
"And another thing!" She said, glaring down at him, "I want a bloody divorce!"
Sulla let out an indignant sound. With what was obviously considerable effort he dragged himself up to his feet, leaning against the wall for support as he tried to wipe away the blood that was coming from his nose. "No Parkinson has ever gotten a divorce!" He said, trying to sound superior, despite the amusing way his injured nose made his voice sound.
"Looks like you finally get to be the first at something!" She growled back.
He straightened as much as he could, glaring at her, "I'll have you know that the Parkinson name stands for..."
"It stands for shit!" She broke in angrily. She looked over at Fudge, "He's completely strapped, did he tell you that? He's potless! A bloody charity case! Good luck sniffing around for another handout with this one, because all he has is a pisspoor little shack in one of the worse parts of the London outskirts!"
Fudge was staring at Sulla in shocked silence. It was obvious Sulla had failed to pass that information on to him. It was also just as obvious that it made a significant difference in his viewpoint on the situation. He started looking at Sulla with a definite edge of irritation, probably having been promised some kind of payment should he get Pansy back in Sulla's custody.
"You mean we're strapped." Sulla growled angrily.
She snorted. "Don't correct me unless I have misspoken! You may be a pauper, but I have the inheritance from my mother!"
His eyes widened. "You said she didn't leave us anything!"
She smirked. "She didn't. She left it to me and Pansy, with the main stipulation being that you never saw a single knut of it! It's held in trust in Gringotts until you got out of the picture. She knew a deadbeat when she saw one! Now give me a divorce and slink off to Azkaban like a good little bastard!"
"You'll not have a divorce!" He said, mustering as much resolve as he could.
She moved closer until their faces were mere inches apart, making him shift back some uneasily, "By tomorrow I will either be a divorcee... or a widow! Take your pick!" She hissed with deadly seriousness.
Fudge cleared his throat uneasily as the tense moment drew out, the couple staring at eachother murderously. "Well, since I'm sure we all want to see this situation resolved peacefully, I will be sure to have a representative visit you in your cell with the proper papers, Sulla." Fudge said briskly.
Sulla looked over at him in shock, "My what?"
Fudge put on his diplomatic look of being aggrieved at the situation. "I'm afraid both of the children's grandparents appear to be filing charges of attempted murder, and since you are not, in fact, Pansy's father, you had absolutely no legal grounding for your actions. I'm afraid my hands are tied. You really should have checked before taking such rash actions. You can plea your case in front of the Wizengamot of course, just like everyone else."
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"Why didn't you tell me who my real father was?" Pansy asked incredulously after Fudge and the Aurors had gone, two of them 'helping' Sulla along.
Brianna sank down into one of the chairs. "I didn't know who he was!" she sighed tiredly.
Pansy's eyes widened, "Just how many possibilities were there?!?"
Brianna looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed irritably, "Oh bloody Hell! How am I supposed to know?"
Pansy's jaw dropped.
Her mother saw her reaction and rolled her eyes. "Oh stop it! I was faithful to that bastard for over two years! When Lucius invited me to the Beltane party he was throwing I couldn't resist. I knew if I went there was no way I'd stay faithful... I mean we weren't so crass as to actually do the dancing naked in the moonlight, but that doesn't mean our clothes stayed on once we were out of sight of the others. People were shagging in every bedroom and closet in the entire place by the time I got there! There was a lot of alcohol and special potions... and quite frankly I don't remember a whole lot after the first couple of those I took. I remember men vaguely... from what I recall, there were... a number of them..." She said, blushing. "Admittedly, I don't remember you being one of them though..." She said looking over at Snape.
He grinned at her. "Well I remember you. I don't normally have relations with women when they are under the influence of mind altering substances... but... well I wasn't exactly a real ladies man... and you were coming on to me like a drunken nymph on the pull... you can be quite persuasive. Not to mention that Lucius had insisted I shag at least one woman that night. He always seemed quite put out that I didn't share his all-consuming desire to shag every woman in sight. I might add that I actually took you to a proper, private room with a bed. Unlike Zabini. I really didn't think that was a proper use for a banquet table."
Brianna buried her face in her hands in embarrassment, the memory returning in bits and pieces. "Oh bloody Hell..." She muttered softly, then looked up at her daughter. "I guess you should be thankful it turned out to be Snape. Otherwise that might have been your half brother standing next to you!"
Pansy's eyes went wide and darted over to Blaise. They stared at eachother for a moment, then both broke into laughter.
"Bloody Hell! That was a close one!" Blaise said with great amusement, pulling her into his arms. "Good thing we aren't... otherwise we'd have gotten spankins cause we have been very very naughty..." He said, nuzzling up to her and nibbling her neck playfully. She giggled, swatting at him.
Breanna smiled, then sighed, "I was a bit paranoid and did a pregnancy test on myself after I woke up cuddled up with Goyle."
Pansy giggled, "You did Gregory's dad?!?"
Breanna gave a snort of laughter. "Why not? He might not be too bright, but he is big all over..." She said with a smirk. "After I found out I was already pregnant I decided what the Hell and let him shag me a couple more times before heading home." She said with a reminiscent smile on her face. "He's the only one I can really remember with any accuracy actually..."
"Goyle..." Pansy chuckled, still shaking her head.
Her mother looked at her with a smirk, her eyes narrowed shrewdly, "He has a boy here your age. Are you going to try to tell we you haven't so much as checked? I'd wager he takes after his father under his clothes..."
Pansy blushed bright red and looked studiously away.
"Mmhmm..." Breanna said mirthfully, then sighed. "Lucius was giving each woman who didn't have one a contraceptive charm when they got there, but mine obviously didn't work."
"Oh it worked." Snape said from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "At least as much as he wanted it to. You didn't notice the unusual rash of female babies that cropped up right around when Pansy was born? Lucius planned the party for that very reason. I didn't find this out until later of course."
Her eyes were round, "Female babies...? Why would he do that?"
Snape gave Draco a rueful smirk, "Because of him." He said, nodding towards him, "Lucius found out Narcissa was with child, and it would be a boy. He wanted to have plenty of pureblooded girls to choose from for his son's wife. That party alone accounted for at least a dozen pureblood females born within a month or two of Draco. They were pureblood, but most weren't from the women's husbands. Most of the women did just what Breanna did. Pretended it was their own husbands that had gotten them pregnant. Of course he didn't count on their animosity over the incident making most of them turn down the proposed betrothals flat. Only two from that party agreed to it."
Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like something father would do."
Snape pulled away from the wall, walking over to stand before Pansy. "I must admit that somewhere in the back of my mind I always wondered. As I said before, I felt the odds were greatly against it, but..." He reached out, brushing her bangs back and brushing his fingers down the side of her face, "I couldn't help but notice how much you looked like the pictures of my mother as a girl..." He gave a little sad smile, "She died when I was four, but I used to look at her pictures all the time. She was a petite little blonde with an impish grin... and occasionally a wicked temper from what I'm told..." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I'm a father..." He said, a hint of wonder in his voice.
Pansy couldn't help herself. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his shoulder. He held her, sighing happily.
Blaise glanced over at Draco with a smile on his face. He reached over and draped his arm on Draco's shoulder, "Isn't that something?" He asked wistfully as he watched father and daughter embracing.
Draco arched an eyebrow at him.
Blaise's smile widened as he looked back over at Draco, "Hermione's gonna be a grandmother!"
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A/N - Before you ask, the Twins and Harry were staying in the Siege tunnel, which is not technically part of Slytherin Dungeon, so that's why the announcement for the conference didn't reach their rooms (in the last chapter. Just thought I'd clarify). And don't everybody go asking who else Snape was linked to. Read carefully and it should become clear.Oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR! I can finally say that, cause it would take like a miracle to get an entire other chapter done in time to be able to say that in the next one. Agh. I'm tired. It's two thirty in the morning and I have to get up for work in about three hours, so sorry if there are some mistakes, but I need at least a little nap!
References - BELTANE: A Wiccan festival celebrated on April 30th or May 1st (traditions vary). Beltane is also known as May Eve, Roodmas, Walpurgis Night, Cethsamhain. Beltane celebrates the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess and God, and links in with the approaching summer months. From : (I spelled out the dots and dashes cause otherwise you can't post web addresses) shadowwalkerdotdreamscryingdotnetslashbosslashsabbatsdothtm
Tinas74 - Yes, the wedding contract would still most likely be valid, especially if Fudge saw it as a way to throw around political weight (or use it to blackmail Draco to control the demon or something), though Pansy's father (well, her old one!) wouldn't get a dime since he was no longer her legal guardian (nor her genetic father). Best to just get hitched to be on the safe side!
Frogs Rok - Who said I could remember anything? My memory sux. Fortunately, I happen to have a copy of my fic on hand, and can simply think of a word I know is in that scene and do a find until I come across it. :)
NeonBlue21 - What does it mean when I say 'sitting tailor fashion'? Agh. That's a tough one. I guess that term dates back to before clothing was mass produced, when tailors would have to fit the garments to the individual (Which, I know is still done today, but it's rare) I think it comes from the way they would sit on the floor to get low enough to do the hems/cuffs. It least that's my guess on the origins of the term. I have only heard two terms to describe it. Tailor fashion and Indian style. It is how indians (an most other people too for that matter) sit when sitting on the ground, but I thought 'indian style' sounded like a bit of an Americanization, so I went with the former choice. It's when you are sitting on the floor/ground/whatever with your legs tucked up in a somewhat pretzel-like shape, crossed at the ankles and feet generally tucked under the thigh or knee of the opposite leg. Is this making any sense?
SuckerForASweetTalker - actually, I consider myself strictly non-political in the 'real world'. I just hate Fudge in a way that is inspired by J.K.s descriptions alone. I'm not a big fan of Bush, admittedly, but I have little idea what he's doing, and try to keep it that way. Real life sux. I try to ignore the 'real world' as much as possible. It's far too depressing. Some call it living in denial, I call it remaining as sane as possible in today's society. I don't watch the news, I don't listen to the news on the radio, never touch a newspaper unless I need to wrap something breakable in it, and I very rarely will discuss anything even remotely political. Hell, I don't even watch tv! Well, I will watch movies on video, but not 'regular tv'. The last TV series that I followed was the first season of Dark Angel. Ok, I kinda watched Joan of Arcadia its first season too, but it's too hard to remember to watch something on Fridays. I'm just so relieved to be off of work I tend to just veg in front of the computer and forget until it's too late. I have only seen Enterprise (Which you can tell, because my only other fic on here at the moment is an Enterprise one) because I have the first couple of seasons on DVD. Don't worry, I'm not some freaky purist or anti-establishment type. Fact is, I only get like three channels (And can't afford any of that cable/digital crap!), so there's very little point to it most the time, and a lot of stuff on tv is getting disturbing anyway. Hell, the cartoons meant for little children are getting disturbing! Those radical church types should leave off of Harry Potter and go after those! Cause from what I've seen, they make HP look like freakin bible stories! I don't let my son watch regular tv cartoons, and tend to get ticked if others (like relatives) let him. A lot of that stuff is just WRONG!!! They have given him nightmares before, and he used to go to sleep to Godzilla '98, and loved the Jurassic Park movies! Ok, enough preaching about the downfall of society ;P