Potions: What would a Girl Do without It?
By Slave4Severus
Disclaimer: I still do not own any of J.K.R. characters. Even though I wish I did.
Alanna silently crept down the dark hallway leading to the mezzanine of the foyer. While she seemed cool and confident on the outside there was a war waging within her. There were so many questions that have been left unanswered by her father's letter, and many more that had arisen since then. As she walked to the hall leading to her chambers she stilled her steps. What harm could there be in gathering a few of her more precious belongings before exiting this place? It would not take long to gather her potions books, favourite quill, and diary. On second thought, while she was already in her rooms she could also take her favourite Dark Arts and Arithmancy books, along with her "thinking sweater," and…well maybe her father was right about not going to her rooms. She would have trouble leaving everything behind even if it was only for a few nights.
Alanna quickly turned from that particular hallway before she could change her mind; those potions texts were VERY tempting after all.
'Besides, who would want to have my books anyways? They are probably the most secure items in the house.' She tried to convince herself of that, and walked a little faster. As she approached the mezzanine her eyes roamed over the East wing corridor across from her, her parents chambers were only a few feet away. A small peek could not hurt, right?
'They surely would not get too upset by my presence.' She reluctantly assured herself. Alanna cast a quick glance at the entrance hall and the foyer from her vantage point by the statue of Morgane before flitting across the mezzanine in a flutter of robes and cloak. Safely on the other side she scanned the corridor for any signs of movement, but again found everything dark and silent. Cautiously, she approached the heavy oak doors to the master boudoir and steadied her breathing before tentatively knocking on it.
She waited a few seconds before turning her head and placing and uncloaked ear to the solid wood. She could not detect the faintest sound coming from the other side of the barrier, and in a moment of despair she placed both hands on the door and with a bowed head, she leaned her forehead against its coolness. Closing her eyes she prayed for strength from any God willing to supply it. What if her flying skills were not good enough to get her to that castle? What if something had happened to her parents? Why did she have to leave?
'Why?' she bumped her head into the door. 'Why?'…thump… 'Why?'…thump…
'Am I being punished for something?'…thump… Suddenly the door sprang open with an unnaturally loud creak. Alanna's trembling hand nudged the door imperceptibly, revealing a very cold and empty bedroom. Everything was shrouded in darkness, but nothing was out of place. The massive bed lay undisturbed, the small desk in the far corner was uncluttered, and the couch by the fireplace was not occupied by her mother's surly cat.
'Merciful Merlin! Even the cat got out before me!'
With a small humph she turned and left the bedroom, heading back to resume her original path down the stairs. Standing at the mouth of the hall she regained her bearings and slowly made her way down the grand staircase. One step… 'What was that sound?'…second step… 'It was probably nothing.' …third step… 'Sweet Merlin, I am louder than a Gryphon!' …fourth step… 'I need to stop talking to myself.' On her fifth step the foyer was illuminated by a flash of lightning and she let out a small yelp of surprise.
Without another thought she flew down the remaining stairs and skidded into the dining room and hid behind the door. Her breath was coming out in soft gasps and her adrenaline was fueling her mounting anxiety. It was finally settling in that she was truly…utterly….alone.
There was that sound again. She was not quite sure what it was, but this cloak was making her daft trying to identify it. In an impatient gesture she removed her hood and strained for the sound to come again.
Tap…There it was. Tap…tap…tap-tap…tap-tap-tap…
Her eyes were searching out the source and fell upon one of the bay windows a few feet away.
'Bloody Hell, Alanna!' She was staring at the first raindrops of the impending storm. 'At this rate, I will never get out of here.' She thought disgustedly and walked towards the kitchen. Upon entering, she found the exact same sight as in all the other rooms. Everything was particularly clean and undisturbed, as if nobody had been living here in months.
Alanna started. 'As if nobody has been living here.' She recited to herself. Maybe her father wanted to leave their house like this, so that whoever entered the mansion would notice its obvious vacancy and be deterred from searching the premises. Or perhaps to evacuate everyone from an unspeakable evil; she subconsciously placed her fingers upon the hidden blue vial. Whatever the answer to her questions, she had to leave her home. Not just because her parents wished it, but also because of the discomfort she was feeling in these once familiar walls; something as pure and innocent as her childhood home seemed to be tainted with evil.
She finally reached the door at the end of the kitchen leading into the gardens beyond. She quickly turned the bronze key and unlocked it softly before opening it a fraction to peek out. Satisfied that nobody was laying in wait for her, she opened it some more and was greeted with a cold gust of wind. She could smell the impending rainstorm on the frigid gale, and glanced up into the heavily clouded night sky. The storm that had been brewing for hours was promising more than the usual Scottish downpour, and she involuntarily shuddered at the thought of flying in this type of weather. The frosty air pricked her skin like nettles as she wrapped her cloak tighter around her form. Lightning flashed overhead illuminating the deserted grounds, a clap of thunder soon followed rumbling over the mountains as she slipped out of the kitchen and into the night.
Her eyes tried to focus on anything out of the ordinary while trying to covertly make her way across the lawn to the shelter of the forest. The frigid wind was howling through the crowns of the trees making them bow and creak in the darkness. Her hair was mussed and tangled within minutes, while her hood lay flat against her back, in a forgotten attempt to cover it. She quickly made it to the edge of the tree-line where she nervously fumbled for her Nimbus, and as she firmly grasped her hand around it she turned one final time to look at her home.
And stared at a large, black clad figure.
Alanna recoiled in fright taking several steps backwards until her spine slammed against an unidentifiable Spruce. In a haze of fear, her eyes roamed over the figure until they focused on the white mask starring back at her.
"Papa?" Her voice cracked on the word as she watched the man in front of her. What were mere seconds seemed like hours before he finally opened his arms for her. Without hesitation she ran into his embrace and clung to him for dear life.
"Oh Papa! I was so worried about you. I thought you left me. I thought…" her voice was muffled by the fabric of the man's cloak and she tried in vain to suppress the tears that have been threatening to fall for the past hour. The arms that engulfed her so securely tightened at her declaration.
"Shhhh." Was all he said while soothingly stroking her back. She tried to stop the flow of her tears, burying her face into the man's chest. She went rigid however when those comforting hands began to move under her cloak, stroking her sides and lower back, tugging at her robes. Confused she tried to wriggle out of his grasp while staring into his masked face. Her Papa would never do such a thing to her, as it dawned on her that she had flung herself into the arms of a total stranger.
His hands sharply wrapped around her wrists, which he pinned easily behind her back making her flinch in response. Her upper body was rendered utterly useless as it was pressed into his chest, crushing the breath out of her lungs. She stopped struggling for a moment to regain her composure while staring at the masked face above. Why had he not spoken to her yet? He was just staring at her face in the darkness. Alanna was becoming irritated with herself, for letting a stranger manhandle her this way. Was she not made of stronger stuff? Where was that courage when she needed it?
"Unhand me, sir!" She said through clenched teeth, while trying to hold on to the little shred of dignity she had left.
He chuckled before he softly spoke to her. "Why would I want to do that, my pet?" The lilt in his voice sounded oddly familiar to her.
'Who is this man?' She was racking her brain for a hint of memory, but could not turn up anything.
Suddenly, he shifted his grip on her and pushed her a few steps back against the same Spruce, pinning her uncomfortably with his lower torso. Her breath was coming out in short pants as she watched his gloved hand come closer to her face. He slowly traced her right cheekbone and jaw line with his index finger, resting it right below her lower lip. His other hand came up to his mask, softly muttering an incantation, and releasing it from his face. He leisurely removed his mask.
"Has your father never taught you not to trust strangers?" He purred with a sardonic curl to his lips.
Alanna's eyes grew wide in recognition. She was being pushed against a tree in a highly inappropriate manner by none other than…
"Mr. Platinum." Oh, Merlin. Did she just think that out loud?
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Lucius watched by the trees as the Death Eaters fanned out over the property, wands drawn and ready to strike. A few waited outside the manor while the rest infiltrated through various doors and low lying windows. All he had to do now was wait for the fun to begin. A bitterly cold wind whipped around his cloaked form, making him bristle against its stinging grip. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a bit of movement by the back of the house. Fortunately, another bolt of lightning split the darkness and he could make out darkly cloaked figure exit the building, briskly walking towards the forest. The thunder was echoing off the mountains in the distance as he attached his mask with an adhesive charm and walked gracefully towards his next victim. He knew he was going to enjoy breaking her in immensely.
Regrettably, he was not the only one to have seen her attempted escape. He could recognize Knott and MacNair sneaking up on the chit without her noticing. Honestly! With the amounts of noise those two made by breathing alone she should have turned around by now; the lady in question however walked undeterred towards the trees. It only took Lucius a few 'longer' strides; a Malfoy would never run of course, to bypass the two imbeciles before they got to his little dove first. A quick shake with the head and point of the wand and they got the message, turning towards the door that was left open by its occupant. With a determined glint in his eye Lucius turned around and soundlessly followed his prey.
As they both approached the tree line the girl turned around quickly in mid stride only to find him three steps behind her. Her facial expression alone made his body twitch in anticipation. She looked up at him with a mixture of fear, confusion, and sorrow as she stumbled backwards against one of the trees. He knew she was not going anywhere and thus stood his ground a few feet away from her, watching the play of emotions on her delicate features with devious fascination. That was until the girl spoke.
"Papa?"
Lucius' eyes grew wide behind the mask and he thought he had not heard correctly. Here he was dressed in his Death Eater finest to elicit fear in anyone who may look upon him, and this waif of a girl is actually happy to see him. Where is the world coming to? And why, for Merlin's sake, does she think I am Farrell? Does the man flaunt his mask in front of his family? He thought about Narcissa's reaction to his uniform and had to suppress an ungentlemanly snort. That old bat would have strung him up by his balls if he would have dared to even keep these garments in the house. Pulling his thoughts to the task at hand he realized that this situation could be used to his advantage and wordlessly opened his arms to the trembling young woman before him.
She rushed into his embrace in a flurry of robes and auburn hair, pressing her tasty nubile flesh into his front.
'Sweet Merlin!' he thought as she shimmied closer into his embrace talking inaudibly into his cloak while his arms closed around her frame on their own volition. He could feel the swell of her breasts pressing against his upper abdomen and a pang of lust filled his body and lower extremities. Oh yes, he was going to REALLY enjoy this…if the woman would quit that incessant talking.
"Shhhh," he made the soft sound close to her ear in hopes that she would quit those maddening questions of hers. She was still relaxed in his embrace as he began to run his hands up and down her back, trying to accurately portray the father figure she had mistaken him for. Being the man that he was, though, his hands soon strayed to the other parts of her delectable body, running under her cloak and up her sides in an attempt to stroke her firm breasts. His delight rose as he felt her grow rigid beneath his insistent hands and struggle out of his embrace.
'I love it when they resist.' He thought scathingly as he reached for her wrists and expertly pinned them to her back, thrusting her breasts onto his upper body. She was breathing hard with effort at this point with her futile attempts of freeing herself from his grasp.
"Unhand me, sir!"
'The nerve!' He thought, surprised by her moment of bravery, but could not help but chuckle at her fortitude.
"Why would I want to do that, my pet?" He drawled out absentmindedly, while he was thinking of her breasts burning into his upper body.
'Too many bloody layers.' He mused as he grew impatient by their little 'foreplay,' and without further ado pushed her back several steps against another tree. He could hardly stand the sensation of her pinned against his hardening flesh, but he was determined to make this feeling last, not only for his physical pleasure, but also to see the reaction on Farrell's face when he broke his daughter in. In a deceptively loving manner he traced his gloved finger down the side of her face and jaw, placing it strategically below her lips. It was time to scare the living daylights out of her. He removed his mask with reverie anticipating that first moment when her eyes met his in the darkness.
"Has your father never taught you not to trust strangers?" Going by her behaviour tonight obviously not. He watched her beautiful eyes, which colour were still a mystery to him, grow wide with something a kin to recognition. Lucius thought the darkness had played a trick on him before he heard her breathy whisper.
"Mr. Platinum."
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Alanna was released in an instant, but before she could breathe a sigh of relief the man had pulled his wand from the folds of his cloak and positioned it close to her face. Gods, she wished her mouth would not get her into trouble all the time!
"Have we met before?" He asked conversationally while his wand made contact with her cloaked collar bone.
"No." She wished she could have said more to placate him, something witty perhaps, but 'no' was all that escaped her chapped lips.
Lucius knew there was something she was hiding from him. If he would have had the time to explore her thoughts he would have, but alas they were expected at the festivities. He unceremoniously grabbed her wrist, yanking her from the tree, positioning himself behind her and placing his wandless hand on her neck. He could feel her pulse racing beneath her delicate skin and caressed it tenderly, before whispering softly into her ear.
"Your parents are expecting us, my sweet."
Alanna could feel his warm breath tickling her ear and face while his hand placed feather light touches on her neck, she shuddered involuntarily. This must be the man her father had mentioned in her letter. The one she was supposed to flee from. Alanna was disgusted with herself for having been caught only a few feet from her doorstep. Honestly, how thick could she get! Her father would be very disappointed.
Lucius pressed his wand between her shoulder blades, emphasizing his intent to return her to the front of the manor, and she complied instantly. He curled his lips in pleasure at her submissiveness and tossed any thoughts of her wanting to escape him.
Alanna's mind was racing. She had to figure out how to get away from him before he would do to her what she had read about in her father's private library. She shuddered with disgust and tried to push away the images of human couplings that she had 'stumbled' upon by accident a couple of months ago. She would die before she would let him touch her. As she walked over the lawn she could feel the blue vial pressing against her side, and vowed not to hesitate if the need called for it. Alanna straightened her spine and lifted her chin in defiance; at least she would give the impression of being brave. Her thoughts wandered back to her Nimbus still tucked away in her cloak. If she could stun him somehow and get up on her broom she would be out of danger in no time.
How much trouble could one fully grown…strong…muscular…dangerous….man be? She gulped convulsively.
'Well, if you put it that way maybe that plan needs some modification.' She thought sarcastically.
Alanna rounded the corner to the front of the house and stopped abruptly as a bolt of lightning seared through the night casting a surreal glow on the scene before her. In front of the steps of her house were at least fifteen other figures dressed in the same attire as her captor with wands pointing at various bundles of rags on the ground. She could see the green and red sparks of their cruses hurdling toward the objects, hitting the writhing forms continually. The sight made her flinch in distress and she began to backup in horror, only to find herself bump into the man behind her. Were they torturing the house elves? Her eyes were still fixed on the scene when strong hands steadied her, gripping the flesh of her arms in a vice.
"Dear me, it seems you are the last guest of honor to arrive." He drawled out coldly before shoving her in the direction of the gathering. Alanna stumbled clumsily, loosing her footing and let out a cry of pain as her knees connected with the unyielding soil. Lucius grabbed her impatiently and pulled her upright, dragging the girl the rest of the way into the midst of the revel.
Alanna's knees felt like fire as she was pulled harshly from the ground and hauled a few feet into the circle of waiting men. With one final shove from the blond Alanna lurched forward and into the waiting hands of another solid black figure. Her back connected with his chest and thickly muscled arms coiled around her shoulders, pinning her into place. The man behind her did not lose any time exploring her body however and grabbed her breasts and thighs, making her cry out in pain. Before he could connect his lips to her neck however, Lucius stopped him with an icy stare.
"Remember what we discussed earlier, MacNair." He sneered while running his eyes over Alanna's body. He abruptly turned and walked towards the figures that were still lying on the ground.
Alanna struggled against her bonds with all of her might, but soon realized that her efforts were rewarded with a sudden tightening around her ribcage, making it difficult for her to breathe. She was frantically gasping for air as the man named MacNair effectively cut off her supply of oxygen until little white dots were clouding her vision.
In the meantime, Lucius regarded the two people lying on the ground before him cast only in the light of a few strategically placed Lumos charms. With a swift kick of his booted foot he turned the man over on his back and studied his unconscious features. Farrell did not look well at all he mused with satisfaction. There was an abundance of blood running down the other mans head and face from various cuts and bruises. His knuckles were chaffed, probably out of retaliation, and his body convulsed involuntarily from the Cruciatus curse even now. With a smug smile he turned to the other victim of the evening. Melanie had not faired any better than her husband, though her body was mainly bruised than bloodied. The others probably did not want to get themselves too messy when they continued their fun with her, and thus left her face oddly mark free. Lucius looked down on her with distaste not believing that he actually wanted this woman only a few short hours ago. Lust was a fickle thing he mused before returning to Farrell's side and pulling his wand from his robes.
"Enervate!" He muttered softly and watched the man by his feet stir with a soft groan.
"Farrell, how good of you to join us." Lucius exclaimed, his words dripping with sweet sarcasm. He began circling the struggling man looking at him with contempt before he continued his speech.
"As you can see, all of your friends have come to see you." He made a sweeping movement and pointed at the Death Eaters who eagerly surrounded Lucius in their thirst for torture and blood. MacNair stood off a bit to the side, still clutching Alanna tightly to his chest while whispering lurid things into her ear, making her ashen faced and frantic. She had yet to realize who the others were crowding around.
Farrell raised himself from the ground and stood before his former comrades with as much dignity as he could muster. He stared defiantly at Lucius as he walked around to face him.
"Tut, tut, Farrell. You have greatly displeased our Master, and you know what he does to traitors, am I correct?" Lucius was taking immense pleasure in watching Farrell be cornered like a caged animal. Even though he enjoyed killing groveling traitors, he knew that Farrell would never stoop that low and loose all of his dignity to him. Unless of course, he was forced to plead for the life of his daughter; Lucius smiled at his own evilness.
"Go to Hell, Malfoy!" Farrell's scratchy voice spat out with venom.
"Oh, I will. Just not today." Lucius drawled sweetly
Alanna was still fighting against her human bonds that had been loosened enough for her not to loose consciousness. She tried to drown out MacNair's horrid sexual suggestions by thinking of an adequate escape plan, but when the topic switched to whips and chains she froze in horror.
'Maybe it would be best just to drink the Draught of Living Death,' she thought in despair, as her fingers brushed against the vial under her cloak. 'At least the potion would take me somewhere safe…what was that?' Her head jerked up at the sound of her father's voice. A powerful surge of relief flooded her body as she turned her head searching for her father's tall frame.
"Papa?" Her voice sounded like a pathetic whine, but she did not care. Her father would get them out of this mess, she was sure of it.
Farrell's head snapped toward the familiar sound, and grew rigid with anger. He looked back at Malfoy with an arrested expression of hate.
"Let her go Malfoy, she has nothing to do with this." He spat out in seething anger.
"Of course, she has nothing to do with this. Nobody even knew you had a daughter since about two hours ago." Lucius enjoyed his struggle to capture his composure. He turned on his heel to face the others.
"MacNair! Bring her to me." He commanded regally before turning back to Farrell's battered form.
"Farrell, you have not been out of the loop THAT long, have you? You remember what we do to the family of traitors, do you not? Well, if you have forgotten I will be more than happy to enlighten you, my old friend."
Alanna was dragged into the middle of the circle and positioned a few feet away from Lucius. She gasped at the many cuts and bruises her father was covered with and wanted nothing more than to fling herself into his arms to comfort him. She was abruptly stopped however by MacNair's heavy hand on her shoulder.
A smile curled Lucius' lips before he studied Farrell's reaction.
"What a sweet moment. I am so sorry that I will have to be the spoil sport of this little family reunion, but as you recall we are not here for a social call." He turned toward the girl. "Now then, first we have to inflict some sort of pain, preferably affecting more than one person." He pivoted with lightning speed toward Alanna.
"Crucio!"
Alanna did not notice herself falling to the floor. All she could feel was the intense pain that permeated through her entire body. Her hands began to claw at her arms and chest as she writhed in pain on the sodden ground before them. She could hear an unearthly scream rip through the silence of the night, but was not exactly sure where it had come from. Then, suddenly, the pain seemed to subside, leaving behind a dull ache in her convulsing body.
Lucius observed Farrell's reaction with sinister satisfaction. Though he tried to be unresponsive at first, his calm and collected exterior began to crumble when Alanna began to scream in agony. A murmur of approval went through the ranks of Death Eaters as the first bout of Crucio always announced the official beginning of the revel.
"She is quite adorable when she screams, is she not?" Lucius purred softly. "I can not wait to get my hands on her soft…virginal…flesh. I guess I should be thanking you, Farrell, for keeping her safe for me all of these years. Her inexperience is just an added bonus, you know."
Lucius watched as a muscle began to tick in Farrell's jaw and his breathing turned ragged. Sweet Merlin, how invigorated he felt! He turned from Farrell to Melanie and pointed his wand at her still form.
"Before we continue, however, we need to invite your lovely wife to the party. You know how she just loves to be the center of attention." He smirked sardonically before muttering: "Enervate!"
Melanie was barely conscious before the rough hands of the Death Eaters lifted her to her feet. Lucius turned to her staring into her eyes while addressing the men surrounding her.
"Gentleman, why don't we show Mrs. Flint how . . . hospitable . . . we are?" Melanie's glassy stare was soon filled with horror as more than eight pairs of hands began to violate her body. Her screaming began instantly and fueled their lecherous intent.
Lucius turned back to face the former Death Eater challengingly.
"Well, I do not need to tell you what they are doing to your wife right now, correct?" His wand began to make small circles on the other mans chest. Farrell was quickly loosing his control.
"You sick bastard!" He hissed through clenched teeth.
"Temper, temper, tsk tsk tsk." Lucius turned back to where Alanna had been trying to collect her composure.
Though she could not see her mother, she could most definitely hear her screaming over her left shoulder, or it could have been her right her dazed mind playing tricks on her. Alanna was in turmoil between her own pain and her mother's suffering. MacNair had not moved from his post and held her wrist in a vice like grip, leaving his other hand free to rip the bodice of her robes. When she felt the icy air hit the skin of her exposed cleavage something inside of her seemed to get her out of the pain induced haze. With a fury she had never felt before she turned on MacNair and began to hit him with all of her might, striking anything and everything her fist, legs, and feet could make contact with.
"Do not touch me you, you insufferable brute!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, while ramming her knee strategically into the man's crotch.
Lucius watched her antics with pleasure, halting MacNair before he could knock Alanna unconscious with his meaty fists. "A fiery little minx, is she not?" He turned to Farrell and lifted his wand.
"But where ARE my manners." Lucius chortled with feigned shock. "Imperio!"
Farrell's eyes glazed over and he became very relaxed under the Unforgivable. Lucius gaze traveled back to a furious Alanna, who he thought looked rather fetching with her messy hair, dirt and tear streak face, fiery eyes, and heaving breasts still encased in her white-lace bra. MacNair was handling her roughly, but nothing like what she would feel while pinned under him, that was for sure. While his body screamed to get on with it his mind was still caught up in the entertainment this torture was creating.
"Your daughter needs to be disciplined, Farrell. I think a few slaps will do, do you not agree?" He smirked at his own genius and watched the man approach his daughter with steady unfaltering steps.
MacNair grinned like a fool when Farrell approached with grim determination etched on his features. He let go of Alanna's arms and stepped back from both of them, probably to get a better view of what was to happen next.
Alanna looked up into her father's cold eyes while her hands tried in vain to close the cleft of her gaping robes. 'He must be mad at me for having been caught. Gods, he looks so mad!'
"Father, I am sorry, I…" She did not even see the first blow being issued. All she could feel was an intense pain stinging the side of her head as her knees buckled and hit the ground. She looked up at her father in disbelief only to see his other fist coming straight at her, connecting with her jaw in a sickening crack. She did fall to the ground limply at this point. Never having been hit before in her life, she did not realize that it would have been best just to lie in the mud while the fists rained down on her body. Alanna, was not thinking like that though, as she moved in slow motion, slowly coming up off her knees into a standing position before her father. Her eyes watched in macabre fascination as he pulled back his right fist yet again and followed through, connecting with his new target; her stomach.
The pain was intense and throbbing she could feel it coursing in her vains, or was that her heartbeat pulsing in her ears? She was not quite sure, she mused, as her body connected once again with the ground.
Lucius had walked up to Farrell after the last well placed punch and had stopped him from continuing his forced corporal punishment. He motioned for MacNair to lift Alanna from the ground to face the other two men. Lucius stepped over to the dazed girl and ran the back of his hand over her bruised face, stopping only at her bleeding lip where he gingerly wiped at the sticky substance.
"Pity. What a waste of pureblood." He stated blandly before glancing down at Alanna's face. "I think a kiss is in order."
Alanna was about to spit in his evil face when he turned to her father and gave him a malicious smirk. Her eyes widened a bit. 'He could not possibly…'
"Farrell, time to make up with your daughter…with a kiss."
Alanna tried to resist again, even though her movements were slow and clumsy. Was there no end to these sick bastards' twisted games? Her father was coming closer and though she would never want to hurt him she would not let him kiss her like that! His face was only mere inches away.
"No, no, Papa please stop…" she pleaded brokenly not daring to look up at him, and pressing her fists against his upper body.
Suddenly all hell broke loose. Her father screamed in agony as his hands dug into her shoulders painfully. Before she could cry out in pain herself, his hands left her and quickly fumbled for the hidden wand pocket in her cloak. Upon contact he grasped it and whirled around to face Lucius and the other Death Eaters head on. Another howl of pain split the air from behind her and in an instant the offending hands that held here in place were removed from her person. She turned her body around in confusion as to who had released her and her eyes fell upon her beloved pet, as his many teeth sliced through the Death Eaters leg.
"Peaches." She breathed before she felt a strong hand clasp hers, pulling her from the grotesque scene. A few steps later Farrellturned Alanna to face him, placing her wand back into her right hand, and looking over his shoulder to make sure the others were still occupied with his anti-gravity charm. Satisfied that nobody followed them through the mist he turned back to Alanna with urging eyes.
"Alanna, darling, now is not the time to dawdle. You need to fly out of here right now." His right hand came up and cupped her swollen cheek where he had hit her. "I am so sorry that I did this to you." His voice broke.
"Fly! Fly faster than you have ever before, do you understand me?" His tone was harsh with emotion.
"What about you Papa?" She was not ready to leave her parents behind.
"Do not worry yourself about us. I need to go and help your mother." He straightened and watched her take out her Nimbus, enlarging it with her wand.
She quickly got on and kicked off hard from the ground, soaring a couple of feet in the air before turning and watching the scene below her. Her father gave her a small wave before turning to the fog hovering only a few feet behind him. She could not make out where her mother was, but most of the cloaked figures were caught up in the anti-gravity mist. The man named MacNair was still screaming as her faithful familiar ripped the flesh off of his leg with sickening precision.
The broom set into motion on its own volition forcing her to look the other way towards the looming rain clouds in the north; probably another charm of her fathers so she would not linger at the scene. Lightning illuminated the dark sky as she flew higher barely skimming the tops of the trees with her cloak. Alanna leaned forward on her broom and sped up faster and faster, until the rain hit her with a blinding force. She did not dare look back to see if anyone was following her, but kept on flying, hanging on for dear life as the nor'easter tried to shake her off her broom.
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Lucius was furious as he emerged from that damnable fog in time to watch Alanna make her escape by broom. He was pretty sure that Farrell was sending her to Dumbledore for 'safe keeping' and he had to do everything in his power to stop her if he wanted to live to see another day. The Dark Lord was not the forgiving sort. He turned and barked out commands to the Death Eaters NOT lost in the anti-gravity mist.
"Fly after her, you fools! Do everything in your power to get her off that damnable broom, and whatever you do; she can NOT enter past the Hogwarts wards. Do you understand me?" The men nodded dumbly before transfiguring various objects into sleek racing brooms and taking off into the night.
'Ten should be enough to take down one little girl.' He thought to himself.
"Now, it is time to take out the trash." He said to himself and walked back into the mist.
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All of Alanna's energies were spent trying to hold on to her bucking broom, while nature raged around her. A peal of thunder rocked the sky shaking her to the core and making her lean even further against her broom. She was not sure if she was being followed or not and thus chanced a quick glance behind her. Thankfully, Mother Nature illuminated the sky for her just as she looked back and what she saw made her gasp in horror. Only a few short yards behind her were at least six masked men on brooms, flying straight at her. Her first impulse was to speed her broom up even more, but when it began to shake precariously she returned to her original speed.
"Think Alanna!" she said to herself, as she maneuvered over the side of a mountain, dropping down vertically towards the treetops. Her fingers had turned cold and rigid around the handle, pain shooting up her arms as she pulled the broom from its feint. From the corner of her eye she could make out a green flash of light coming toward her at an alarming rate, and with a small hand-maneuver to her left she bypassed the hex and continued on at breakneck speed. Without warning the men, began to fling hex after hex at her fleeing form, in hopes that at least one of them would hit its mark; and hit it did.
Alanna felt a searing pain on her lower back and nearly tumbled off her Nimbus in surprise. During her short lapse of concentration however another curse hit her shoulder throwing her balance off and spinning her and her broom around in circles, before righting itself and setting its course due north once again. Alanna was fighting with her body to stay conscious while the unmistakable warmth of blood was trickling down her back. She had learned enough about hexes to know that she had been hit with a slicing charm that could only be healed with a complicated rejuvenation potion she had never ventured to brew. The stinging sensation that was engulfing her shoulder was naturally from a stinging hex meant to knock her off her broom to her death. She shivered as she looked down and realized how far that fall would have been.
Intense anger coursed through her body. 'They are trying to kill me,' she thought heatedly. 'Those bastards are trying to kill ME!' She could feel her pulse throbbing through her tired body giving her a boost of energy. Her fury intensified as another slicing hex hit the top of her right collarbone. Acting on pure instinct she grabbed her wand from her cloak and pointed it at herself before muttering: "Protego Maximus!" An instant later four curses hit her shielding charm in rapid succession recoiling at odd angles behind her.
With a quick turn of her torso she aimed her wand at a black figure, sending the first thing that came into her red-hazed mind.
"Impedimenta!"
The hex hit one of her pursuer's dead on and slowed him down considerably, until his broom stood motionless in mid-air fifty feet from the ground. The other Death Eaters quickly closed their ranks without looking back at their incapacitated comrade and proceeded to cast more hexes on her.
Before Alanna had the chance to cast another hex the sky illuminated once again followed immediately by a clap of thunder, which shook both sky and earth with a jarring energy. She thanked Merlin that she had not been hit when a burning figure zoomed by her screaming on the top of his lungs. With a smirk she realized that although she had not been hit, one of the men behind her had. Maybe this weather was not as bad as previously assumed.
Another hex attempted to penetrate her shielding charm and she turned quickly to make out its origin, only to be confronted with a white-masked man two feet away from her left flank. She knew what was going to happen before the hard shoulder hit the side of her body and braced herself for the impact, compensating her weight on her broom as her father had taught her mere weeks ago. As she was hit from one side another man was waiting on her right to pluck her from her broom, but she expertly evaded his outstretched arm by flying under him and sending a hex of her own toward his buttocks.
"Laceratio!" The hex hit its target as the man's skin was shredded into tiny bloody bits preventing him from sitting on his broom any longer. Alanna ducked her head as he veered to his right and straight into a tree with a resounding thump. She quickly looked around for the other masked cretin and was shocked to find him hovering a little above her with his wand pointing straight at her head. She knew that at this close proximity any hex would penetrate her shield and hit her right on her forehead.
Alanna defiantly smiled at the man in the darkness and plunged straight down into the peaks of the trees; the hex he threw after her barely missed her head and ignited a tree instead. The branches of the trees were once again tearing at her face and body as she counted down the seconds before pulling sharply on her broom. Once again she barely managed to miss the hard ground beneath and with a quick Lumos she lit the tip of her broom in order to see in the darkness of the forest. Alanna could hear her hunters crashing through the treetops after her as she leaned down on the broom and shot into the thick underbrush. Another splintering crash informed her that someone had waited too long to pull out of their fall. As she began to dodge the first group of trees, she wiped the blood from her face with mild surprise; with everything else that had happened, she'd nearly forgotten the lacerations from the stinging branches. The trees seemed to grow much closer together in this part of Scotland than the ones she practiced on earlier that day. She lost all sense of time as she continued to dodge tree after tree not wanting to give in to the mind numbing exhaustion her body craved. She had not heard any noise coming from behind her and knew that there were at least two more men hot on her trail. Keeping her gaze fixed on the trees in her path she pointed her wand behind herself, hoping that the spell would work.
"Mobiliarbus!"
A loud creaking sound filled the silence of the forest as a huge oak tree was pulled from its roots and placed right behind Alanna's broom.
The oak reconnected with the ground with a teeth-jarring crunch that shook the earth, leaving great upheaval in its wake. A muffled scream greeted her efforts and she smiled grimly while dodging more trees. She had to get out of this forest somehow before her concentration waned and she too would hit a tree. With her last energy reserve she turned the wand on herself and muttered a mirror image reflection spell.
"Speculum Imago."
Alanna's broom just dodged another big oak tree, rounded the trunk and shot straight up through the thick foliage. A quick nox extinguished the light on her broom as she emerged through the crown of the trees.
Below her a reflection of herself was turning due east, leading the remaining pursuers away from her. She did not have much time before the image would dissolve in thin air so she hovered over the trees only a few seconds to count the bright orbs of light following her manifestation. There were five of them left she discovered with a groan before turning and heading for the low-lying clouds in the sky.
While the clouds were a great camouflage their icy fog penetrated her already cold body like sharp knives. She had been exposed to so much physical pain today that by the state of things she knew she could not take much more of it. She flew a few hundred feet before stopping and catching her breath placing her numb fingers into the hidden pocket of her robes and retrieving the Fortifying Draught from its depths. She hastily uncorked the vial and drank the bitter liquid in one mouthful. Though the potion revitalized her body and mind her many cuts and bruises were not healed, however. She could feel a fresh surge of blood seeping through her many wounds as she wondered how long her body could last under such conditions. Not wanting to linger too long in one place, she re-corked the vial and placed it back into her pocket. Deciding that the cover of the clouds would be preferable to the openness that awaited her below she urged her broom on, hoping that Hogwarts castle was not much farther from her current location.
Two hours later the rain and storm had finally stopped, though the clouds still seemed to linger in the predawn sky. Alanna was holding on to her broom with one hand, shaking like a leaf from her sodden clothes and the loss of adrenaline. In the past hour she had become keenly aware of many pains in her body, starting with her broken jaw, blackened eye and bleeding wounds on her back and shoulders. Her ribs also ached whenever she would take too deep of a breath, sending her into a coughing fit that she tried to suppress. Her blurry vision was not only due to her swollen eye, but also to her constant rise in body temperature effectively 'burning out' the effects of the Fortifying Draught. She prayed that she would make it and told herself constantly that her destination is just around the next mountain. Alanna barely noticed that dawn had finally broken and that the cover of the clouds was slowly dissipating into a soft haze. Her broom was carrying her at a slower pace, one that she knew she would be able to maintain without falling off.
As the morning sun peeked over the tree tops on the horizon she could make out a few black specks coming at her from an angle at high speeds.
She knew she had been found out and quickly urged her Nimbus forward placing another shielding charm on herself. In a matter of minutes the five men were upon her, firing hexes and curses at her from all sides. With her last bit of magical energy she targeted one of them and bellowed:
"Barrus!" The elephantitis hex hit him directly between his ribs in a flash of red sparks. Instantly his body convulsed on his broom and his legs began to swell up like great balloons, turning gray-purplish in colour. Alanna sped past him as his upper body engorged and turned colour as well, his broom breaking under the pressure of the added weight. He fell shortly after.
Alanna did not waste any more precious time especially since she could feel her shielding charm faltering around her, and flew as fast as she could towards the mountain ridge ahead of her. As she began to climb the ridge another curse flew past her, searing the delicate skin of her neck as she cried out in agony. Little white dots danced before her eyes as she barreled over the ridge and dropped down to the glassy blue lake that lay beyond. Alanna shook her head trying to force out the blackness that was threatening to overtake her as her feet made contact with the coldness of the lake. In surprise, she jerked her Nimbus up a few feet in order to keep from falling into the water and spotted the most glorious sight a few miles ahead of her.
There it was in its entire splendor; she was sure of it. A huge castle loomed before her like a beacon of hope with its many towers and turrets, and she could hardly contain her relief. The men behind her, unfortunately, saw this as their last chance to get rid of her and began firing curses at her in earnest. Alanna was able to dodge a couple before she was hit with a blood boiling curse that made her go rigid on her broom as fresh blood spurted from her wounds. The curse would take a good twenty minutes to run through her system before killing her, but that did not deter her from making it to her destination. She had promised her father as much after all.
While Alanna was struggling to keep her position on her broom she did not notice the changes in the lake below her. From the depths of the blue waters two huge tentacles shot through the air and caught two of the four remaining Death Eaters in mid flight. For the first time throughout their journey the other two turned around to look at their screaming fellows at arms and blanched in horror. The two tentacles were slowly retracting back into the cold depths taking the struggling Death Eaters with them. Now, there were only two of them left and while one was fleeing the scene in fright the other turned toward the girl that was about to pass through the Hogwarts wards. Being a faithful servant of the Dark Lord, he flew after her, positioning his wand and aiming straight at her head muttering an unknown curse that erupted from his wand in dark green sparks.
The castle was only a few hundred feet a way and she could feel the pull from its powerful wards. She could only hope that the Potions professor had a supply of antidote ready for the blood boiling curse because her time was running out. In about fifteen minutes this whole night from hell would have been for nothing and she would not die like that.
That was the last coherent thought Alanna would have, as the curse hit her from behind and propelled her through the castle wards. The broom did not slow down its descent as Alanna's body ruptured into many facets of pain, gripping her in a vice and rendering any movement impossible. She watched herself come closer and closer to the huge windows at the side of the castle, as if she were traveling in slow motion. The beating of her heart the only sound she could hear.
'This is the end then,' she thought as the front of her broom connected with the top of the stained glass window. Her body followed at an angle, shattering the glass into millions of fragments that seemed to either entrench themselves into her skin or fall in glittering shards to the floor. She was vaguely aware of hitting something cold and solid that scraped the side of her cheek before her mind finally gave itself over to dark oblivion.
Authors Note: She has FINALLY made it to Hogwarts, and now I need a serious break! Thank you, for reading and reviewing my story. If you have read THIS far, please leave me a review, you know you wanna! Thank you to my wonderful beta Mysticsong1978 who helped with the curse invention among many other things. Also, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my #1 reviewer LKLTB. Next up, Sevvy!