AN: When I started this fic (for Snape) I honestly never imagined being at 150,000 words and still being in the GoF. . .But I suppose there is a lot of fun stuff in this book. I want to say thanks for sticking with me and reading! We are drawing to the close of this book and I hope you enjoy these last spring days at Hogwarts before Voldemort returns!
Stay healthy and happy this week 33
"Tut tut Penny, I thought we had an understanding?"
Tom knelt above her, looking down on her with a measured impatience, his hand brushing her long red hair out of her eyes.
Penny jolted upright, her heart racing. But how could it be racing when she'd felt it stop just a moment ago? She looked around, the familiar darkness all that could be seen except for Tom.
"Why am I here?" Penny said, breathlessly, grasping her chest as though to make certain her heart was still in there, though she knew this was not her physical body.
"You are here because you have incurred the cost of a rebound, and for the second time, I have brought here here for protection until that nosy Professor of yours restarts your heart," Tom replied, a hint of irritation in his tone.
"I'm dead?" Penny said, slowly, her eyes unseeing.
"Hardly, to die you must pass beyond the veil," said Tom, turning around to bring that small lounge back into existence.
Tom gestured that Penny should take a seat but she was too rattled to do so and remained firmly planted on the ground.
"Why am I here, then?"
"As I stated, because of the rebound," Tom said, his pretty brown eyes flashing.
"I don't even know what that means!" Penny said, not bothering to hide her irritation.
"You and I made a deal, Penny. Your little endeavor with Severus just then, violated it," Tom said, softly.
Though his face looked like a picture of composure and poise, Penny could not help but note how his hand grasped the chair beside of him so firmly his knuckles turned white. She got to her feet, her eyes narrowed.
"You'll forgive me, the particulars of this deal of ours remained conveniently absent the last time we met," she said, scathingly.
An unnatural smile spread across Tom's lips, accentuating his charming features, but it did not have the effect he'd hoped because Penny had already been put on guard.
"Penny, if you'd had questions, you only ever need ask."
He seated himself in the cushion before him, his legs crossed, waiting for Penny to take the seat across from him. She did so, sitting stiffly on the edge of her seat.
"Alright, start with the rebound, what is it?"
"A rebound is a toll extracted in order to rebalance our exchange. As I told you last time, for something to be gained, something of equal value must be exchanged. Your pool of magic was exchanged for my help controlling your expression," Tom said, as lightly as if they were speaking about the morning's daily news.
"Rebalance? But the exchange was already completed," Penny said, not liking where this conversation was going.
"If you'd paid attention last time, you'd have understood that the agreement was completed, through our markings," Tom replied, raising his hand to show Penny the back of his hand, wiggling his long fingers gracefully.
On it, Penny saw the raw scar which seemed to glow upon his delicate skin. "Our exchange, however, is ongoing."
"Ongoing? And if I'd like to put an expiration date on that?" Penny said in an attempt to test her hunch about Tom.
"We made a deal Penny," he said, his relaxed posture stiffening.
"It seems to me you were purposefully not forthright about this deal, so I think I will be looking at my options,' Penny said, looking away lazily.
Tom was across the room in a flash, he grabbed Penny by both arms and yanked her from the chair, pulling her close to him. He towered over her, his face twisted horribly, rage oozing off of him.
"You seem to be forgetting your place, Penny. But don't worry, I can show it to you," he breathed, wrapping one long hand around her neck, and placing the thumb of his right hand firmly against her forehead.
"You have already let me in, that magic in your veins will do my bidding as much as yours," he whispered in her ear, his grip tightening around her neck.
Though she was certain her body was not real, it erupted in agony, nevertheless. She could feel every vein within her crying out as what felt like a river of daggers coursed through her insides. It ran along her veins, into her organs and then began seeping out of her skin. Blood was obscuring her vision, her eyes splitting apart, causing her vision to burst into fragments.
She was trying to scream, but the hand on her throat prevented her. Tom's hungry eyes gleamed above her, his mouth stretching in pleasure. When he was satisfied, he let go, allowing her to fall unkindly to the floor. Penny's chest rose and fell heavily as she returned to her senses. Her hands immediately ran over her face, but she found no blood. She looked at Tom, bewildered and terrified.
"Don't tell me, Penny, that you erroneously thought just because something happens to your mind only that it's not real?" Tom smirked.
"You're a psycho," Penny choked out, scooting herself away from Tom.
"It need not be this way. I have helped you, have I not? This is the second time I've intervened to protect that overactive brain of yours," Tom said, looking appraisingly down at her cowering form.
"To get what you want!" Penny spat.
"I could get what I want if you were brain dead, and it would be much less tedious."
"Then why. . ."
"Because I am merciful, am I not? If you only obey, there need not be only more lessons like this."
"Obey!" growled Penny, jumping to her feet, the anger swelling in her chest. "This is MY body and MY mind, it's you who will listen!"
Tom was upon Penny once again, his pointer finger landing dangerously on her lips to silence her, his jaw clenching as he peered down at her.
"Foolish teenager rebellion will get you nowhere. That mark has already linked us. Did you not feel it, when Snape entered your energetic pathways? It tore you in two because you cannot be linked to two. Even if you preferred Severus, the magic that binds us demands a toll, a toll you cannot pay to both of us, and when you cannot pay, you die," Tom whispered, his finger dancing its way around her face, almost tenderly.
Penny gritted her teeth, she did not want to die, and certainly not to spite this psychopath. What he said unnerved her because she recalled distinctly the sensation of being split in two and how there was more than Snape's presence she'd been aware of. She'd been helpless in the exchange, trapped struggling silently as her body paid the price.
Yanking her face away from his touch, she walked around Tom and took a seat, falling against the back of the chair as though exhausted. Tom followed her lead and returned to his own place. His features betrayed none of his thoughts, and looked casually at ease, his fingers entertained themselves tapping the arm of his chair idly.
"Are you saying that the bond we made functions like the link between Snape and my expression?" Penny asked the ceiling,
"You could say our bond is in competition to the one Severus was trying to access, but your body has not the capacity to be a part of both ."
Penny said nothing, internally agonizing about her predicament. Why had she been stupid enough to not think about what she'd been doing the first time she met Tom? Now she was stuck with him and she doubted very much he would tell her how to undo it all. In fact, she was certain such a question would bring out his violent side again.
"There's no need to look so glum. All you need to do is send Snape and his pestering on his way," Tom said, amusement in his tone.
Penny finally looked away from the ceiling to fix him with an arch of her brow.
"You seem to forget the part where Snape was helping me because of these little outbursts I've been having," Penny replied, not bothering to hide her condescension.
"Those are easily enough to fix. Just ask," Tom smiled, spreading his hands wide.
"Thanks, but I'll work it out myself," said Penny.
"Suit yourself," Tom shrugged, rising to pour himself a drink.
Penny watched the creepy boy as he twirled the amber contents in his glass, pondering it quietly. Doing so sent a shiver up Penny's spine, reminding her of a snake sliding its way over her skin until it enveloped her in its snare, finally squeezing the life from her.
It was evident he was withholding information from her, but for what purpose? His goals remained shrouded and Penny did not seem to have the same kind of access to him that he did her. Finding a way out would prove challenging, assuming she actually woke up at the end of this.
"So, am I dead or what? When will we know?" Penny asked, casually.
Tom fixed her with a distant look, as though he were confused as to why there was someone else present in the room.
"Interesting. . ."
"What's interesting?"
"How disconnected your mind is from your body that you can't sense it-it's almost like. . ." Tom trailed off before he started pacing.
Penny watched and waited, but Tom did not continue his sentence, annoying Penny.
"Uhm hello, so can I go now or what?"
"I thought this was your body and mind? You tell me," Tom said in a biting tone.
"Fine," Penny snapped and moved toward the door.
Tom stopped abruptly, watching her like a predator, waiting for her to reach for the door knob.
"You aren't going anywhere," he said, dangerously.
"Try and stop me," Penny challenged.
As if in response, the door burned her tender flesh, causing her to flinch away from it.
"I decide when you can leave."
"Like hell you will," said Penny, looking around.
He was controlling her mind, likely because she was so weak, so she could not make her way out through the front door, however she suddenly realized she had a back door, she'd always had a back door.
In a desperate attempt, Penny concentrated hard, searching herself for the bridge between her and Harry, calling out to him urgently. The feeling of his anxiety was instant.
I need a way out, help me find a way out
Large double doors appeared before Penny, causing her to smirk. Tom screamed in anger and made his way toward her, reaching for her with his claw like hands. Ignoring him, Penny concentrated on her twin, imagining flinging herself into his warm and waiting arms. She pushed through the door and plunged downward, leaving Tom's screams echoing behind her.
Penny's lips were tingling and her lungs seemed to be inflating on their own. And then she felt the crushing sensation, pressing hard against her aching heart, a heart she willed into movement again.
"Breathe Penny!" the voice said desperately from above her, "There is so much waiting for you, so much you have to live for. Come back Penny, you're too important to me. Don't go where I cannot follow. . ."
Penny knew that voice, though it was so much sadder than she remembered. His despair tugged at Penny. Why was she keeping him waiting? She needed to get back to him somehow, but she didn't know how. Her limbs were so heavy even though she felt her blood being forced to circulate. She needed that tired heart of hers to try again.
"Please Penny! Let me bring you back!"
Let him? Yes, her heart needed to let him do it. She concentrated on her heart, willing it into action as the form above her pressed down on it. A feeble spark sprang forth from it, a second following after it.
"BREATHE GOD DAMMIT!"
Breathe? Penny decided to try it, sucking in a mouth full of air that moved through her veins and traveled to those sparks. Her heart gave another weak thump in response, so she repeated this process several more times, until she gasped, her eyes snapping open.
Lupin gave a choked sob from above her as he reached almost fearfully for her face. Her eyes darted around and she took in a few more laborious breathes. She was no longer in her mind, she was on the cold table in Snape's potions classroom.
His warm fingers trailed her cheekbones, nose, eyes and jawline, finishing at her mouth, his tears falling silently from his face and splashing onto hers.
"I thought for a moment, you-" Lupin began, but his voice caught in his chest.
Still slightly disoriented and chest aching, Penny reached for Lupin's hand and clung to it, willing herself into the present.
"You can't get rid of me that easily," Penny croaked, her throat feeling unusually raw.
"Your lips were so blue, you weren't responding for so long. How?" Lupin whispered, laying his ear on her chest to listen to her heartbeat.
"I heard you calling to me," Penny wheezed, the weight of his head on her chest becoming painful. It was like there was a horrific bruise there and the lightest touch irritated it.
"Does that hurt?" Lupin asked, pulling away.
"It's just tender, but it's fine, your closeness and warmth is comforting," Penny frowned, feeling a wave of heaviness hitting her eyelids.
Lupin smiled sadly down at her, his hand moving to gently caress her forehead again.
"Penny, you were-your heart stopped," Lupin said, another tear sliding down his cheek.
"It's alright, I didn't go beyond the veil," Penny murmured as her eyes gave in against the weight of her drowsiness.
"Penny, try to keep your eyes open,"
"Where did Snape go?" Penny pondered out loud, swirling images overtaking her mind's eye.
"I think he was in shock, Penny. Everything happened in an instant, he was yelling. It took too long to realize you weren't breathing. He was here, but I was doing CPR for so long-I think he thought you were gone. . ." Lupin's voice trailed off, darkness taking its place.
When Penny woke she found herself admitted to the Hospital Wing yet again, her twin asleep, holding her hand. Harry wasn't allowed to stay long seeing as Madam Pomfrey shooed him off to classes. Which unfortunately meant they did not have time to discuss the details of what happened. Harry nudged her mind affectionately, tossed her one of the many chocolates sitting on her bedside table and rushed off for class.
By midday, Madam Pomfrey gave Penny a thorough examination, noted how lucky she was to be such a young healthy person, and then debated whether she wanted to keep Penny for another day, " just to be sure," but finally relented when Penny promised to report any abnormal symptoms immediately.
Tonight was the full moon and Penny knew Lupin would not be able to return to check up on her for several days. They hadn't really had a chance to talk seeing as she passed out and she felt bad making him worry like that. However, it gave her some time to consider what she was going to say. She could not and would not tell him about Tom, fearful Tom might find out somehow and enact retribution, possibly hurting Lupin is he could gain control of Penny's magic.
This, oddly enough, wasn't actually Penny's most pressing issue. Since waking up she'd been seeing flashes of memories she didn't think were her own even though they felt very familiar. The details were impossible to parse through and gave her a headache every time she tried. The only thing her brain was able to grasp onto in any tangible way was the face of a young girl with dark hair tied in two braids, and worried features. Who was she? Penny was certain she had never met her before and she looked too young to be a student at Hogwarts.
Was this some sort of haunting? Penny remembered watching muggle TV shows about those who were brought back from death and bring the dead with them. Was she going to spend her life hearing the cries of the dead as they tried to communicate with the living? The prospect was a horrible one seeing as Penny hated scary movies, and liked thinking of death even less.
In an attempt to gather her thoughts, Penny wandered the castle aimlessly to find a quiet place to avoid the thunderous demands for an explanation. Her thoughts were too muddled and Penny herself was stuck in conflict.
Snape had not seen her since running out on what he must have presumed was her lifeless body. Penny's insides squirmed uncomfortably thinking how the man might blame himself for the situation. Though she knew she should seek him out and assure him she was fine and none of them could have known this would happen, Penny could not do it. How was she even to begin explaining herself?
She also was not sure if Snape had sensed Tom's presence within her, though it had seemed like he had, but she could not be sure. It was evident Tom was wary of Snape and Penny didn't much like the idea of eliciting Tom's anger again. It seemed to her that explaining her poor decision making would only produce more problems for everyone and she'd be better off researching the branch of magic Tom had used to bind them in an attempt to find a way to reverse it.
Nevertheless, lying to Snape would prove a difficult task, one she'd never been any good at. So, even though she desired his company more than anyone else, to find comfort in the smell of bergamot, to feel the vibration of his skin on hers to remind her that life existed within her, she avoided him in hopes that the distance between them would give her the time to fix her stupid mistake, so he would not have to.
Realizing she had passed the same statue three times, Penny sighed. She felt disquieted and did not know how to shake the horrible feeling. There was too much pressing on her mind that she just wanted to forget for a while, but those like Harry, with whom she would seek comfort were likely to start demanding explanations.
The loud laughter of a group of boys caught her attention, causing Penny to turn around. Cedric's group of friends were joking loudly as they crossed the corridor Penny was standing in frozen like an idiot. Without even thinking it, Penny's feet were moving, propelling her after Cedric. He was quite a ways ahead of her so she called out, "Cedric, wait!" she hoped her voice did not betray her desperation and came off casually enough. He turned, his dirty- blond sparkling in the sunlight, a wide smile plastered to his face.
Penny could not help but smile back. Cedric made for her, wrapping his hands around her waist and twirling her on the spot. Cedric's friends groaned, "Get a room," and "You two are disgusting," as Cedric pressed his nose into Penny's neck causing heat to rush to Penny's face.
"How'd you know I was just thinking about you?" Cedric said, pulling away.
"A hunch," said Penny, smiling up at his handsome face.
"C'mon, there's no ungluing him now she's here," his friends continued, before heading on their way.
"I don't think they like me very much," Penny frowned.
"Good, that means I can keep you all to myself," Cedric said, nibbling her ear.
Penny gave a yelp of pleasure, a tickling sensation spiraling up her back.
"You're ticklish, are you?" he said, pulling away to give her a lopsided grin.
"No," Penny lied, trying to act casually.
"Did you just lie to me, Penny Potter?" Cedric said, holding her at arms length and looking thoroughly scandalized.
Penny had the decency to feel somewhat guilty, but she could not change course now and admit defeat.
"Generally, I am not ticklish, you did not ask if what you just did tickled," Penny pointed out, matter-of-factly.
"Feeling cheeky are we?" Cedric said, his pretty brow arched.
"I have been known from time to time to entertain a bit of cheek," Penny conceded.
"A bit?" Cedric snorted.
Penny gave him a reproachful look. "I'm sorry you struggle to keep up with my wit," she huffed, crossing her arms.
"If Snape can't even keep up with you, what hope did I ever have?" Cedric demanded, poking Penny teasingly in the chest.
Penny screeched, doubling over in pain.
"Penny! Are you okay, whats the matter?" Cedric said, his voice panicky.
Taking two steading breathes, Penny took a hold of his shoulders and pulled herself upright.
"It's alright Cedric, it's not your fault. I'm just bruised," Penny grimaced.
"Why are you bruised on your chest?" Cedric asked, incredulously.
"It's complicated, but Lupin came to find me yesterday because he and Snape are trying to help me with my expression."
"They did this to you?" Cedric said, his eyes narrowing.
"No, of course not," Penny said, dismissively. "There was an accident, and my heart stopped. Lupin gave me CPR," Penny said quickly, rather too quickly.
Silence reverberated off the walls as Cedric stared down at her, his features frozen.
"You died. . .?" he said, slowly. "You were dead yesterday?"
"No, of course not. I'm here aren't I?" The thought made Penny uncomfortable.
"People only use CPR when someone dies, Penny! If he used CPR he brought you back to life," Cedric exclaimed.
Penny could not respond. She'd felt very much alive in her mind and it hadn't occurred to her that during that time she was very much dead. The pulse vibrating through the hands she was now staring at, hadn't been there, her skin, full of color and blood, had it been lifeless?
Then she recalled Lupin's terror and the way he'd looked at her as though he could not dare to hope she was looking back at him. . .And Snape, had he left, unable to watch Lupin try to bring back a lifeless corpse? The thought was too awful to envision, but thankfully Cedric pulled her from it by wrapped his arms gently around her and pressing his face into her hair,
"I didn't hug you yesterday before I left for class. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't hold you like this," Cedric whispered in her ear, his voice breaking slightly.
"Cedric, I swear I'm alright," Penny said, lacing her own arms around him.
"But. . .were you afraid yesterday? Could you feel it?" he asked, after a long moment.
Penny thought back trying to pull the details from the hazy mess that was her brain. She didn't want to upset Cedric, but she could not lie to him, and something inside of her needed to say it.
"I. . .felt it stop, or at least I thought I did. Everything inside of me went so quiet, Cedric, a horrible kind of quiet, yet my mind was still yelling but it didn't make a difference, because my limbs were no longer mine, they were just dead weights. I felt. . .helpless," Penny admitted.
Cedric's arms balled into fists, but he was still mindful of her bruising, holding her as delicately as if she were a rose.
"I know that must have been horrible, and you are the kind of person who likes to be able to solve her problems herself, but it's okay to have help. Because Penny, even though you felt helpless, you weren't alone, Lupin brought you back. And right now, though you feel disquieted, you aren't alone, I'm here, I'll always be here," he said, kissing the side of Penny's head.
She closed her eyes, pressing her face firmly against his shoulder.
"I feel afraid Cedric, afraid that won't come true."
"When we realize things are fragile, we treat them differently. I can't say what next year, next month, next week, or even tomorrow will bring. But I do know," he said, pulling away to cup her face in both his hands, "we are together now, and those green eyes of yours are all I need," he finished, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.
Penny wrapped her arms around Cedric's neck, deepening her kiss. This moment was enough. Penny did not have to solve any problems, did not have to think about Tom, she did not have to worry about anything, because when she was in Cedric's arms, everything else just felt a little less important.