Hi fam! Sorry I've been mia uni has been kicking my butt and I just wasn't very inspired to write for a couple of weeks there. I actually spent some time reading some other fics to regain my enthusiasm. I actually needed to go back and re-read everything I've written and take some notes to make sure I keep thinks straight! I never imagined how huge this story would get, we are seriously only a few thousand words from a 300k story and I am only in book 5! So it was important I keep details straight because I've finally decided which direction I'm going for a few things! So thank you for your patience!
This chapter is longg, and I imagine most won't suspect whats coming, but lots of ya'll have been asking all the right questions, so here we discover the answer to a very important question! So happy reading!
"Hold on, say that again," Penny said, looking up from her paper to peer at her twin, who rolled his eyes at her.
"Can you not do that," he said.
"Do what?"
"Pretend to be listening when you're clearly not."
"Sorry, I can't help it after years of Uncle Vernon's long winded rants."
Harry grinned at her while he idly scratched his lightning-bolt scar. Now that Penny was looking at him, really looking at him, she noticed he seemed agitated, or perhaps uncertain, so she set down her quill and gave her twin her full attention. Seemingly satisfied she was mentally present this time, he began again. "Hermione asked if I would teach some defense against the dark arts lessons."
"Hermione? Did she get hit on the head? She realizes that Umbridge would have a hayday if she found out, seeing as she is doing her damndest to ensure we don't learn anything this year."
"Yes, Hermione. She seems to think there are no rules against it, but it'd be in our interest to keep it quiet. Obviously she's completely-"
"Hmm, well if she's sure. Count me in," Penny cut across.
"What?" Harry said, flabbergasted.
"You weren't going to invite me?" Penny replied, her eyes narrowed, Harry knew Penny did not like it when he forgot to include her in his little posse, they'd had many fights about it, the biggest one happening in their first year when Harry had snuck out of the Gryffindor common room with Ron and Hermione and gone through the trap door on the third-floor corridor to protect the sorcerer's stone from Professor Quirrell and ended up facing Voldemort. At no point did any of them consider waking Penny, meaning she was forced to discover what had happened the next morning when she found Harry in the Hospital Wing, which she then thoroughly chewed him out out for in front of a very amused Dumbledore. Since then, invites were a sensitive topic for Penny.
"What can I teach you? You're way better at school work than me!"
Penny gave Harry an 'you-have-to-be-kidding-me look' but he merely folded his arms in resolution.
"You know, sometimes that humility of yours makes you come across really stupid, just sayin'"
Harry kicked her in the shin from beneath the table and said, "I'm being serious, Ron and Hermione acted the same way, I thought you would have understood. . ." he said not finishing his sentence, but Penny didn't need him to, she felt his thoughts as keenly as if they were her own; that sobering reality that existed in Harry as he remembered the times he'd come face-to-face with death, thinking of the sheer dumb luck that was involved in his surviving.
"Of course they don't understand it, and I hope you didn't lose your temper because of it," Penny said in a tone of exasperation.
"They think it's some big joke, like facing that kind of stuff is a game," Harry said, defensively, telling Penny he had lost his temper.
"Because they're 15, and normal 15-year olds don't know what it's actually like! But they understand that, which is why they asked you!"
"I can't teach them what it's like-"
"No you can't, but he's back, Harry, and sooner or later we will all learn. What you can teach them is what you learned, what helped you," Penny said, deciding it was probably better to sound less antagonistic, so she took his hand in hers.
"I don't know, Penny. You'd be great at this, but me?"
"If I can manage not to give myself a complex being the sister of the chosen one, you can accept that even though I have better grades than you, you are much more qualified to teach this. And if you hadn't noticed recently, my wandwork sucks, so it'd be really nice to have an excuse to practice it."
"I'm not the chosen one!" Harry said in irritation.
"Voldemort chose to try to kill you that night so you kinda are. But that's not the point."
Harry surveyed her for a moment, and then sighed deeply as he began fidgeting with his quill. "Maybe."
"Look, if you don't want to , that's one thing. But don't try convincing any of us you can't do it," Penny said, looking back down at her essay.
"So-where's Ginny?" Harry asked, shamelessly trying to shift the conversation away from himself.
Penny met his gaze, Harry shifting uncomfortably beneath it. They'd never really talked about romantic relationships before. Harry had never had one and things were a little strange with Cedric because he was competing against Harry, but even then, Penny had avoided the topic with Harry, though she was not certain why.
"Why do you ask?" Penny said, suspiciously.
"Why does there have to be a reason, you're my sister?" Harry flushed.
"You've never inquired about Cedric."
"Yeah, well," Harry said awkwardly. "A lot has happened since then."
Penny's brows furrowed as she surveyed her twin, trying to read him, and then it dawned on her. "Oh Harry!" Penny cried, leaping from her seat and tackling him from his chair. He tumbled to the ground with a groan, Penny sitting on top of him and pinching his cheeks in abject affection. "Look at you, being the best little brother and looking out for your sister!"
"I'm only a minute younger," Harry said sourly, pushing Penny so he could sit up. "And quiet down or Madam Pince will come tell us off."
Penny got off Harry and picked up his chair, taking him by the hand and putting him back in it before giving his cheek a very enthusiastic kiss. "Can we get back to the topic," he said, doing his best not to grimace at her displays of affection.
"If you want to have any hope of dating-anyone-you would do well to learn that avoiding displays of affection is a sure fire way to get dumped."
"Funny thing, I haven't seen any displays of affection between you two, in-fact, I haven't even seen you speak to her since word got out," Harry said, pointedly.
Penny scowled realizing her twin was paying much more attention than she wanted him to. "I've avoided being alone with her, but it's not that I don't want to, it's just-I caused her all this trouble," Penny said, flopping miserably back into her chair.
"Trouble?" Harry said, looking perplexed.
"Do you pay attention to anything?" Penny said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "It's not just me people are harassing, the other day someone dumped the entire contents of her school bag out of the 5th story window."
"Why would anyone do that!" Harry said, furiously.
"Because the world is a dumb place, Harry, one where homophobia isn't that uncommon."
"Yeah well, stuff those people, you shouldn't let them make decisions for you, Ginny deserves a chance to say how she feels about it."
Penny stared at Harry, feeling thoroughly shocked by the wise words coming from his mouth. She loved her twin dearly, but he'd never been the best person for certain types of advice, yet it was evident he'd decided to work on it and was really trying to support Penny, though he looked rather unsure of himself.
"For once, I think you're right," Penny said with a small smile. "Now give me your potions essay so I can fix it."
With a relieved grin, Harry handed it over, leaving Penny to add the last third of his essay. It was lucky for Harry that their scrawling handwriting was identical, unlike them, so Snape would never know it was Penny who'd finished the piece, well he'd know, he always knew, but he'd never be able to prove it.
The thought of Snape made Penny crinkle her nose in annoyance, she was still very upset and confused by the situation. Part of her felt irrationally angry by his rejection of her attempts to work through their disagreement, even though she felt thoroughly wronged by what he'd done and hidden from her. She was trying very hard to see things from his view in an attempt to understand why he felt certain in his belief that she was not interested in listening to him. But when she spent time thinking about their summer and how much progress they'd made, Penny could not for a second convince herself there was any merit to his argument, and instead felt he was using it as an excuse to avoid talking about what was really bothering him.
Something had changed when they'd returned to Hogwarts, but Penny did not have the faintest idea what it was. She thought about the blissful night she'd spent sleeping on Snape's lap, how he'd looked relieved when she asked him to stay, how dearly she missed those days, but she had to remind herself that Snape had been hiding important truths from her and that she could not always allow herself to let things go for the desire for comfort and ease. As much as she wished life were simpler, the fact was, Snape would never be a simple man, and his life choices even less so. If she truly wanted a better relationship with her favorite professor, she needed to stand her ground and make him understand what he'd done was unacceptable.
Bidding Harry farewell, Penny made her way to her detention, dreading spending another three hours listening to Filch gripe about students. She was lost in thought, watching the autumn leaves blow across the grounds through the windows she passed when someone called out to her.
"Miss Potter, a word," came the severe tones of Professor McGonagall.
Surprised, Penny turned and followed her Head of House into her office.
"I'm on my way to a detention, if I'm late-"
"I'll write to Professor Snape," Professor McGonagall said, dismissively, observing Penny severely from behind her square spectacles. Penny shifted uncomfortably in her chair, uncertain of what she'd done wrong.
"I came across Miss Weasley this morning, I noticed several students were shouting-well, profanities," Professor McGonagall said, giving a dignified sniffle as she remembered the encounter.
"Oh. . ." Penny said, looking down at her hands and feeling the guilt rise in her chest at the thought of Ginny enduring what Penny also had been experiencing.
"After some coaxing, I learned that the abominable behavior of her peers seems to have started because it became common knowledge that you two have a romantic interest in the other."
"She told you?" Penny gaped, her cheeks burning red in embarrassment.
"I hardly needed telling, Potter, I do have ears. But I was looking to confirm that the rumors were not just the usual gossip that makes the rounds."
"Are you giving me detention?" Penny said, feeling sure Professor McGonagall must know what Penny and Ginny had done in Ginny's bed.
Professor McGonagall looked startled, her eyes narrowing on Penny. "Surely not, Potter dating is a perfectly acceptable thing to do with one's time," Professor McGonagall said reproachfully.
Penny stared at her professor, uncertain if she was joking or not, but then Penny remembered Professor McGonagall didn't joke and stared at the woman in stunned silence.
"I would hope you would not let the ignorance of others prevent you from enjoying the happiness we all deserve. The world is a very different place from when I went to Hogwarts, yet, detestable behavior remains very much the same. I want you to know, Potter, I am very proud to have you and Miss. Weasley in my house. When I started dating Aurora, we wouldn't so much as sit in the common room together for fear. The day she took my hand in public, well it changed something for us," Professor McGonagall said, her voice much softer than Penny had ever heard it before.
"Aurora? As in Professor Aurora Sinistra?" Penny said, weakly, uncertain if she'd heard her professor right.
"Yes, Potter," McGonagall replied, looking almost amused by Penny's shock.
"You two are dating?"
"Dating? We've been married for 27 years," Professor McGonagall said, removing her glasses to wipe something from them.
"Married! How come no one knows that!"
"When at Hogwarts we are colleagues, we're hardly going to be caught kissing in the corridor like teenagers," she said, her eyebrows disappearing.
"The other teachers?" Penny asked, feeling intensely interested.
At this, Professor McGonagall's thin lips twitched into the faintest of smiles. "Seeing as we host the staff Christmas party, I'd say they are aware."
"I don't want to pry, but when people found out did-did they. . ." Penny trailed off, finding it hard to choose the words to describe what she was thinking.
Professor McGonagall considered Penny for a moment before responding. "I hadn't been able to get a job before Dumbledore gave me this position. Back then, there weren't many of us and word got around. Many were furious at Dumbledore for appointing the two of us, but you know the headmaster, he does what most won't," she said, glancing at a photo of her and Dumbledore standing before a group of Gryffindors, Dumbledore shaking McGonagall's hand.
"He's a really great man, the headmaster," Penny smiled.
"Of course he is,'' McGonagall said, blotting her eyes quickly, making Penny realize she'd gotten emotional. "So you will understand why I feel it is my duty to ensure Hogwarts retains all that he has imparted to it. Aurora wanted me to tell you that her as well as my own door are always open to you and Miss Weasley should you need us," she said.
Their eyes met, Penny unable to stop the smile that spread across her lips. The direction the conversation had taken, it was the furthest from what Penny could have imagined, but it made her happier than anything else that day. Much to Penny's surprise, Professor McGonagall smiled in response and patted Penny's hand in an almost maternal sort of way, if it had not retained the stiffness that was evident in almost every aspect of her person.
"I appreciate that, Professor, and I won't let them take it. Those stupid people I mean," Penny said, when Professor McGonagall gave her a questioning look. "I won't let them take the progress you created for people like Ginny and me."
With her note in hand, Penny made for the dungeons, her heart feeling much lighter. The knowledge that Professor McGonagall had shared with her was special to Penny and she held it deep in her heart, smiling as she remembered the dozen times she'd seen Professor Sinistra having a conversation with her Head of House. It made Penny want to find Ginny and give her the biggest kiss she could muster, but first she'd have to endure the man intent on bestowing upon her misery.
She handed the note to Snape before he could open his mouth to berate her for being late. His eyes narrowed, he took it from her and opened it, his eyes scanning it quickly, and then moved aside to grant her entrance . Before he could shut the door however, a hem,hem , wafted through, sending Penny's stomach crashing through her insides.
"If you are lost, Dolores, I cannot help you, I have better things to do with my time," Snape said, unkindly, not bothering to allow Umbridge entrance to his office.
Umbridge chuckled softly, but ignored Snape's jab. "I understand that our Penny Potter has been given a month's detention."
"And who told you that?" Snape said, his voice still cold and uncordial.
"The caretaker. He tells me you were intending to have our dear Penny sort some old records for him again tonight, but I feel Penny would be put to better use in serving detention with me," Professor Umbridge went on in that girlish voice of hers.
"Did you now," Snape said, and Penny could hear the arch of his brow in his tone.
Penny did not dare turn around, her heart was thumping very hard in her chest, her shaking hand clinging to the crook of her elbow. She closed her eyes, willing the universe not to let Snape hand her over to the wicked woman.
"It seems you came all this way for nothing, Filch was mistaken, Potter will be assisting me in replenishing the supplies of the Hospital Wing," Snape drawled. "Now if you'll excuse us-"
"A moment, Professor Snape. Surely one with your skill has little need for assistance, and I would prefer her time be spent with myself." Umbridge's voice was like sugar, no part of it giving away her true intent.
"Unfortunately for you, as it stands, it is I, not you, who gave Potter detention, therefore it is I who decides where her time is best utilized."
"You forget I am high inquisitor-"
"I assure you that's quite impossible, seeing as you remind me whenever I am unfortunate enough to have you thrust your company upon me. But it is you that seems to have forgotten that nowhere in the appointment of your position have you fabricated the authority to supersede the rest of us," Snape said in that familiar gloating way of his, the one he used on Penny when he wanted to push her anger over the edge.
"I'm sure I must have misunderstood you, Professor Snape, but it sounded to me that you were saying you do not support the Ministry's presence here. But surely I am mistaken, Lucius after-all, spoke so highly of you."
At these words, Penny felt sure her fate was sealed. Lucius had clearly put his neck out for Snape to ensure he made it through Umbridge's evaluations, and she was threatening that security. There was no way Snape was going to throw that away just to annoy Umbridge. He didn't even know what she intended to do to Penny, perhaps if he did- but that didn't matter, Penny turned and resigned herself to the horrific turn a very nice day had taken.
"Correct, Dolores, you are mistaken. I do not have the slightest interest in what the Ministry wants, I simply do not like you, so you can rest assured that I will do everything in my power to ensure you get nowhere near the girl. Now, goodnight, and next time, a note suffices, I'd really prefer to see as little of you as possible," Snape said delicately.
Without so much as waiting for her response, he snapped the door shut in her face and turned on his heel. Penny looked at the man, his features betraying his irritation. Penny wondered if Umbridge had noted it or not. His customary sneer was in place, but it slowly slid from him when his dark eyes found Penny watching him. His brows furrowed as he took in her tense form, hand still clasped on her elbow, her eyes wide.
He stared at her, not moving from the place, Penny watching him back, the sound of her breathing feeling absurdly loud in the moment. "You shouldn't have done that," she finally said.
"If you'd prefer to follow after her, be my guest," he said, his lip curling as he gestured toward the door.
He waited, but Penny did not move from the spot. Looking annoyingly satisfied, he moved past her toward his brewing station where something was already simmering in the cauldron.
"Don't just stand there and ogle, Potter, unless you want to be here until midnight."
Penny heeded the warning and took up residence beside Snape, there was just enough room for the two of them, but their arms often pressed up against each other because the station was evidently only meant for one. Snape conjured a cauldron for her and handed her an ingredients list. He gave her no instructions and made no polite conversation, instead, focusing completely on the task before him. Following his lead and having no idea what she was supposed to say to the man, she did the same, finding herself calmed by the arm pressed against hers, the melody of the buzzing that came from him clearing her mind.
What Penny really wanted to do was hug the man and thank him, but of course she did not have the courage for that, especially after their last encounter. Inside, she felt lost and confused, part of her was still furious-he'd used her as bait, but then he went and protected her from Umbridge and Penny didn't understand what it meant, or what he wanted from her. There were many questions Penny wanted answered, and now she was beginning to wonder if Snape hadn't realized the importance of answering them long before she did.
So much had happened in such a small space of Penny's life. It was like she'd been on constant alert dealing with the newest hurdle, so it was like her brain decided for survival's sake that she not pause a moment and take stock of what had happened and what she should be doing. Instead, she just buried her head in the sand, desperate to make life the way it'd been before all of this began, but it was never going to be the same, she couldn't go back.
"I thought that if I just didn't know what Umbridge did then it wouldn't be real, like somehow it wouldn't be a part of me. But I realize that means just letting her keep the control and I don't want that, not anymore. So, if there is a way-" Penny said hesitantly.
Snape peered at Penny from the corner of his eye, stirring his potion methodically for thirty seconds before turning on her. "I would advise you, Potter, not to be foolish enough to believe that just because something happened to you that you are required to let it determine how you feel about yourself. If you want to learn the truth, let it be for your ability to determine a recourse."
Penny was unsure if Snape had meant his words to be a reproach or if he was, in that emotionally stunted way of his trying to connect with Penny. Deciding it was better not to ask and just let herself believe he was trying to be nice, she said, "So you can do it?"
"Minds are delicate things, and altering memories can be precarious. Nevertheless, when successful, they can be difficult to break. Assuming she used a memory charm, then there is only a single method I know of that could attempt to undo the charm, but it requires a great deal of pain," said Snape, sprinkling a dash of the crushed powder that lay perfectly measured before him into his cauldron. It fizzled and emitted pink vapor before quieting again.
"Pain? Why?" Penny said, not liking the sound of that in the least.
"Because pain has the most powerful memory potential of all feelings. For good reason, the mind does not easily forget pain ."
"If you say so. But if that's the way it has to be," Penny said, straightening herself up.
"Of course you would be foolhardy enough to want to pursue this method. No, Potter, if I am going to retrieve your memories, then it will be through Umbridge," Snape said, his lip curling in displeasure.
"Are you proposing we attack a Ministry official?" Penny asked, skeptically.
"There is no we , Potter. Seeing as I am not an impulsive child, I am capable of coming up with a more subtle way of retrieving what I want."
"No we? They're my memories!" Penny protested.
"No, Potter, they're Umbridge's and this is not up for debate. Now, be quiet before I decide to take points for the suggestion of conspiring against one of your professors" he sneered, turning away from Penny to indicate he would not tolerate the continuation on the subject.
Penny wanted to yell at the man for the unfairness of his threat, especially considering it was him who'd decided to target Umbridge rather than just seeing if Penny could remember herself. It took all the willpower she possessed to return to her cauldron. But then another idea came to her, and she waited for a couple of minutes before saying, "Fine. You're probably right and I'm all too happy to go near that evil woman. But I still don't understand why pain is required to break a memory charm. I've been hurt plenty of times since she did whatever she did, and still nothing," Penny pointed out.
"You have had injuries, yes, but they are of a different nature. Only an all consuming pain, one that reduces a person to their basest instincts can alter a memory charm."
"Like the cruciatus curse," Penny said, quietly.
"That is the choice for many, however, its use for such a purpose rarely leaves the person in tact."
Penny couldn't help but shudder at his insinuation. She remembered keenly what it felt like to experience the cruciatus curse, and she remembered Harry confiding in her that Neville's parents had been tortured into insanity, a thought that made her sick to her stomach.
"If one is not so dimwitted, there are other methods," Snape added, glancing at the horror struck look on Penny's face and evidently taking pity on her. "A poison is often sufficient."
"Right. . ." Penny said, quietly, focusing intently on her potion.
Snape eyed her for a moment, and Penny thought he might see straight through her, but apparently her face was enough to convince him that she'd been utterly turned off the idea and left her to her work, neither of them breaking the silence again until Penny offered to put the freshly brewed mixtures away in the store cupboard as Snape cleared the station.
Once inside, her eyes quickly scanned his stores. She'd only been allowed in his private stores on very rare occasions and she knew the man was absurdly meticulous with his organization. She knew she only had a minute at most until he became suspicious so she needed to be quick. She'd already brain stormed several poisons that she thought might do the trick, however she speculated that Snape would likely only keep three of them on hand, whichever one she found first she would snag.
Her eyes fell first onto the bezoar she knew she needed, and then she began quickly scanning as she set the bottles from her hand onto the shelf where they belonged. She only had ten seconds left when her eyes found its label- Death-Cap Drought. Her hands moved without thought of recourse, dropping the small green vial right into her pocket before she turned and made her way back to Snape, who did not seem the wiser.
"You may go, these will sit the night and tomorrow you will finish the rest," he said, dismissively, not so much as looking at Penny or wishing her a good night.
For this, Penny was thankful. Lying to her Potions Master was difficult, made more difficult by the fact he was able to detect even the most subtle changes in her mood from her face. Penny knew she would not be able to hide the anticipation she felt from him and was happy to hear the door thud behind her, running for the stairs as soon as she rounded the corner.
When she made it to her bed, the others were already asleep, so Penny got into her own bed as quietly as she could and cast the muffliato charm, afraid the pain from the draught would cause her to wake the others. While Penny wasn't sure how long the process would take or what to expect, she had a hunch that it would not prove easy and she would likely need to endure the pain for some time.
She uncorked the lid and brought the vial to her lips, stopping just shy. The idea was a stupid one, she knew this, and for a moment she thought she should just chuck it across the room but then she tossed her head back and gulped the disgusting liquid.
Penny was tired of everyone telling her what she should care about or focus on. She wasn't a child anymore and she felt she'd proved that. None of them had endured what she'd endured, but still, they patted her on the head and told her not to worry about it, but she did worry about it. What they didn't understand was all she had done was worry. While her peers around her worried about normal teenagers things like passing their OWL's or who was dating who, Penny was preoccupied with worrying about her brother being murdered, losing her sanity to a curse and whether or not she'd be kidnapped by the Ministry again. But the forefront of all her worries was Snape. Deep in her heart, Penny was terrified of the possibility of losing the man. Pain, torture, those were nothing compared to the fear she felt when she thought of not finding Snape in his office, in the the thought of finding herself alone.
Snape always fixed her problems, he put himself in danger to help Penny, but Penny could not endure it. Being caught by Umbridge simply to give Penny some peace of mind, she couldn't allow it. So she laid back and ignored the growing sense of discomfort in her belly.
Penny was uncertain how she should go about trying to recall the memories, so she spent a good half hour quieting her thoughts and opening her mind. She allowed memories to flitter across her minds-eye without stopping to dwell on them. This took considerable effort because of the anxiety she felt wondering what she might discover were the method to work. While she refused to turn back, she still kept the bezoar close in her pocket, just in case the efforts proved unfruitful. From her study she knew she had several hours before she had to even begin to worry about the poison producing any lasting effects.
The discomfort increased and while Penny was very familiar with the list of side effects, the experience was not at all how she imagined them. Her nausea abruptly became a stinging in her fingers and toes, the kind of stinging that was like that of a bee, except if it continued to sting the same spot hundreds of times. It spread quickly from her limbs inward, the worst being when it made it to her inner thighs.
It was a good call on her part to use the muffliato charm because after about an hour of increasing pain, Penny was unable to remain quiet, and was struggling to focus. But she knew she'd reached the peak of the poison's pain so she began opening her mind and clearing it of all thought when her forehead gave a sharp twinge. She grasped it as though that would make the pain go, even though she knew it to be inside her head, but it only began to throb more, Penny crying out with pain as tears blinded her.
The pain was so intense, Penny thought she might vomit. Worry edged its way into her thoughts because she knew whatever she was feeling was not a typical response to the draught and she considered the possibility she was having an adverse reaction. The pressure in Penny's head felt like a drill, slowly buzzing its way into her skull in search of her brain, the closer it got, the more it hurt. She yelled out, trying to reach for her pocket, but the pain was blinding and making her feel lightheaded.
Realizing that if she passed out, there would be no way to administer the bezoar and that she would end up severely poisoned by the time anyone went looking for her, Penny rolled sideways. Having no real sense of orientation she got caught in the hangings, ripping them as she threw herself to the floor. The bed disappeared beneath her and Penny prepared herself for impact, but it wasn't her body that collided with the floor as she expected, instead her forehead smashed into the corner of her bedside table and all went black.
"I hope you realize it would have been easier had you not resisted me."
Wanting very much to stay in the warm ball she was, Penny groaned, and tried to push away the hand that was caressing her cheek. "Go away," she mumbled.
"How tedious, letting the effort of poisoning yourself go to waste."
At these words, Penny's eyes snapped open, her pounding heart reminding her of what she'd been trying to do. "Yes, it's me," Tom drawled, anticipating Penny's words.
"Get away from me! Why did you bring me here?" Penny demanded, looking around at the familiar sitting room and scooting herself as far away from Tom as possible.
"You have a bad habit of endangering my investment, so for the third time I have come to spare you the consequences of your stupidity," Tom said, with a measured impatience.
"Because I should believe anything you say after you attacked me last time?" Penny said, getting to her feet and putting as much distance between them as she could.
"An unfortunate loss of temper on my part, it's been a while since I've had interactions with others," Tom said, looking at Penny as though she were a particularly nasty truth he could not ignore. Making no effort to follow after her, he rose and leaned against the wall, his arms crossed and brown eyes surveying Penny with interest.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it was a little more than a toss of temper," Penny said, dubiously.
"If that's how you feel, I shall not try to convince you otherwise," Tom said, inclining his head slightly. "But I assure you I have no intention of repeating the experience. But I do feel compelled to impress upon you how vital your being alive is to my own existence."
"That's all I am to you is it, something for you to leech off of?"
"You say that like it wasn't understood when we made the deal," Tom said, looking down at his fingernails as though bored. "Come now, Penny, you are a smart girl, even if you've been foolish. This partnership can be whatever you wish it to be."
"I wish it to be less evasive, if you catch my drift."
Tom looked up, amusement playing at the corner of his lips, "As you wish," he said softly. "And just to prove to you my intentions are wholly in your interest, I'll start with why I thought it pertinent to have this little discussion," he went on rising from the wall and making his way slowly toward Penny, pausing to play with the doily on the table. "I believe you were poisoning yourself in order to retrieve a memory, a valiant, if not foolish choice on your part. I rather thought you'd give up, so bravo. "
Penny watched him as he looked back up at her, his tone casual, almost too casual, as though he was trying to put her at ease, but she could not be sure and was more interested in what information he might share with her, so she allowed her tension to ease as she stood. Seeing he had her complete attention, he continued, "Trying to undo a memory charm has the unhappy tendency of leaving one worse off, were you not to tread carefully. Knowing you, I figured there was no way to deter your attempts, nonetheless, I feel you may be interested to know the memory you think you are looking for is not the one you will find," Tom said, tapping his long fingers rhythmically against the table.
"What are you saying? I know Umbridge messed with my memories." Penny said, taking an involuntary step forward as her defenses fell, her mind racing, trying to understand what Tom was telling her.
"To that, I don't disagree. That hag certainly did alter your memories, but erase them, she did not. To counter magic, one must be able to identify what magic was used first, Penny. All of this was quite unnecessary, you simply needed to find a way to jog that memory of yours," Tom replied, turning away from Penny to rearrange the glasses standing beside the numerous bottles of liquor displayed on the table.
Bridging the distance between them, Penny stepped up beside Tom and took the glass he was fiddling with from him. His heavy lidded eyes, glanced sideways at her, telling her she had his attention. "Were you implying that there is more than one missing memory?"
"Of course I am," he said, almost tenderly, but when he noticed the shock on Penny's features that quickly became a sigh of annoyance, "Oh come now, Penny, don't be so simpleminded, can you not think of a single experience where you could not account for your time?" he said, his handsome eyes flashing with a cruel intrigue.
Penny stared at him, her eyes narrowing."Is this your confession? Is that what this is, you finally going to tell me what you did to me for those two months?"
"You wound me, Penny. Why are you so quick to accuse me, and with no proof," said Tom, turning to face her. "If it had been me, why would I be helping you remember? It seems a bit counter productive, and you seem to forget a small, but important detail, I have neither a body nor a wand to perform a memory charm with."
Penny searched his face, searching for a lie, but all she found was an infuriating gloating. Tom knew Penny needed him, and he relished having that power over her. However, even as infuriating as the boy was, she wasn't convinced he was the one who had altered her memories. It did not make sense.
Turning away from him, she played with the glass in her hand, thinking hard on what she did remember of that day. She recalled losing control with Snape, and meeting Tom. But anything after that until she found herself in the quiet snowy forest was a blurr. She never had asked Snape where that place was, though he had been intently interested in how she'd gotten there. The lapse in her memory had obviously worried him, but Snape had never made mention to her about it, except for when he asked her about the split in her memory.
All this time Penny had assumed it was Tom who'd done something with her expression, but now the thought that someone else may have been involved, that unsettled her. Why had they gone to the effort to erase her memories?
"Who. . ." Penny said, turning slowly back to Tom, "Who erased them?" she asked.
"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise," he smirked, draping his arm across her neck and turning her around to face a door that had not been there before. "The memory you seek is here for you to reclaim if you deem it worth the risk. Otherwise, that door will return you to yourself, though I suggest waiting, that professor of yours seems to be in quite the rage," he whispered in her ear.
"Snape? Did he find me?"
"No, he was summoned to the Hospital Wing to cure you. For now it's up to you, but once that antidote sets in, the choice will be made for you," Tom went on, twirling one of Penny's long locks around his finger.
"I'm not going back with nothing," Penny said, setting her jaw and shrugging her way out of Tom's hold.
Penny reached for the door, but Tom's hand flashed out of nowhere and caught a hold of her wrist, slipping a loop over it and tightening it. Penny looked down, seeing that Tom had tied a long red string to her arm and was connecting the other end to his own wrist.
"What are you doing now?" Penny asked, feeling annoyed.
"Sometimes, Penny, you can use your eyes. This is the red string of fate, it will keep you from losing yourself in your memories," Tom replied, not bothering to remove the condescension from his tone.
"I hate to tell you this, but I already have a girlfriend and psychopath really isn't my type," Penny said, sardonically.
"Am I to know what muggle nonsense you are spewing? If you are not familiar with the red string of fate, you need only say," Tom said, smoothly. He gave himself a moment of relishing the irritation that burned Penny's cheeks before continuing, "A red string merely allows the wearers to find each other. And seeing as it cannot be cut, it prevents tiresome meddling. If, at any point you deem it necessary to abandon this foolish quest, you need only tug on the thread and I will return you here."
"A cute gesture, however, after the last time you connected us, I find myself skeptical of your intentions, so I'll just leave this here with you," Penny said, tugging the string from her wrist and handing it back to Tom.
For a moment, Penny thought she saw fury flash through his eyes, but a moment later the handsome smile appeared on his face and he said "Suit yourself. I wish you the luck in your venture."
"Thanks," Penny said, stiffly, turning back to the door and opening it.
Behind it lay a blanket of eery blankness that sent a chill up Penny's spine. For a moment, she reconsidered, but taking a deep breath she jumped straight through the door and into a free fall. The sound of a thunderous wind pounded Penny's ears and she lost all sense of direction as she spun uncontrollably, but towards what, she did not know. She could not even make out her own hand before her face, and the further she fell, the harder it became to tell her limbs from the space around her, it was like they were melding into one.
Penny's fear quickly subsided and the sensation of falling dissolved and the world was motionless. Her brain, which felt rather groggy, tried its best to recall where she had been and what she'd been thinking a moment before, but she could recall nothing, there was only a horrible sense of disorientation. For a long moment, Penny couldn't even remember how to tell her eyes to open or her fingers to curl, but gradually she became aware of the cold, and that more than anything awakened her senses, and yet Penny remained still, her eyes firmly shut, as though at any moment, she'd roll over and fall back asleep.
Footsteps reverberating through her head told Penny she was on the ground, but why she did not know. Was she supposed to be there? Where had she been before she came to be lying in the cold? It seemed unusual to her, but she wasn't sure why.
"Over there," a voice said, the sound of which made Penny feel as though she should move, get as far away from where she was, but she did not know why the voice unsettled her, it just felt to her that there was something unnatural to her about it.
By the time the footsteps stopped above her, Penny had only managed to open her eyes. A stubby figure loomed before her, it's features she could not make out, until a squeaky voice said lumos and Penny found herself blinded by a sudden light.
"Who is it!" the first voice hissed.
"M-My Lord, it is the Potter girl," the other said, sounding as though he could not believe his eyes.
Blinking back tears Penny stared into a face she knew, into a face she'd last seen the night she learned Sirius was her Godfather and cleared his name. Standing before her, some sort of child, wrapped in a heavy blanket in his arms, stood Wormtail, the one who had sold her parents out to Voldemort.
"Bind her!" the other voice commanded just as Penny found her sense, she rolled onto her knees and began scrambling away from Wormtail, her movements clumsy, but not nearly as clumsy as his.
He tried to reach for her hair, but he swiped wide and Penny made it to her feet and began running forward at full speed.
"You fool use your wand!"
"Incarcerous."
The spell found Penny, who's muscles still were not awake enough to dodge, several cords winding their way around her and sending her face first into the dirt. In a matter of seconds, she was completely bound, with no way to escape.
"Bring our guest inside, Wormtail, so we can give her a proper welcome," the voice coming from the bundle Wormtail held said.
Obliging his master, Wormtail pushed Penny over with one foot, he paused for a moment, his eyes transfixed on her face, and then he waved his wand, and a very confused and terrified Penny was magicked after him toward a dimly lit house a small distance from them.
First, thank you for being amazing readers, both new and old. Your thoughts and engagements with this story really make my week wonderful!
Secondly, Oh Tom, how I've missed writing you! I AM SORRY FOR LEAVING YOU ON THIS CLIFFHANGER. I promise that I have already started the next chapter xx. Penny has been channeling Harry this chapter lol or Britney Spears because I've been spamming Britney Spears' albums since she got free of her conservatorship. But I just felt like, headstrong Penny was gonna figure something out for herself. RIP her when she has to face Snape tho!
A little spoiler for the next chapter, I have titled it "Penny's Worst Memory"
I LOVE YOU !