Lucy versus Voldemort
Lucy was on edge since the dementor attack. He was here, he had to be. Why hadn't he shown himself? They had stopped to rest and recover from the latest attack. Sirius and Ginny had fallen asleep almost immediately, but Lucy could not sleep. She stared at the sky, twisting her engagement ring around on her finger. She thought about Oliver, no doubt going out of his mind with worry for her right now. He'd been the thought in her mind when she attempted to fight the dementors. The first time he told her he loved her, the way he held her after she found out about her father, the feeling when he kissed her and touched her. He'd been the first to learn the truth about her heritage, and to love her in spite of it.
---Flashback-
Scalding tears ran down her face as she re-read the passage in her mother's diary for the tenth time. So many years she'd longed to know the truth. Now she knew and it was tearing her up inside. Voldemort was her father. Her mother had been raped when she was a student here and gotten pregnant with her. She was the child of the most evil wizard in the history of magic. The wizard who was responsible for the deaths of so many witches and wizards including her mother and Harry's father. Merlin, she thought, it was her fault. Her father had killed Harry's parents, had tried to kill Harry because of her. "Professor Dashall," she jumped up and slammed the book shut. She turned and saw Oliver standing there. "Oliver," she said. "You startled me"
"You've been crying," he said concern etched all over his face. She quickly wiped her face with the sleeve of her robe.
"I'm fine," she said trying to brush past him. Oliver stepped into her path and gripped her shoulders.
"Emily," he said gently touching her hair. She felt her insides melt at the simple caress. When Dumbledore had told her about Oliver and his problem, she had expected some brainless jock, not this sweet, caring man. When she'd come to Hogwarts looking for her answers falling in love was not in the plans. Oliver glanced down at the diary she gripped tightly in her hands.
"What have you been reading that has made you so sad?" She pulled away hiding the book behind her.
"It's nothing," she said. "I'm all right." Oliver could not know the truth about her. He would hate her if he knew the truth about her past. He was looking at her so gently, his dark eyes so deep and wondrous, she couldn't bear the thought of those eyes looking at her in hatred.
"Emily," he said coming very close to her and cupping her face. "I care for you, deeply. Not just as a friend or as the woman who is going to fix my eye. I think you know that and I think that you feel the same for me. Am I wrong"
"No," she said. "I do care for you Oliver"
"Then won't you tell me what is wrong?" Lucy sighed. How she wanted to confide in him. But she couldn't bear it if he were to reject her. Still, he had the right to know. If he truly felt the same for her as she did for him, he had the right to know the truth. She took a deep breath and handed him the diary. Then as an afterthought opened it for him. Oliver took the dairy with a curious look. "Lily Evans," he read the name inside the book. "I know that name," he said. "She was Harry's mother," Lucy said turning away. "November twenty-second nineteen seventy-one." She stood staring out the library window as Oliver read the passages she'd been pouring over for so long. When he was finished she heard him close the book. Tears fell from her eyes as she turned to look at him. He was staring at her a mix of sadness and confusion.
"Emily," he said. "You're..."
"The child that was concieved as a result of the rape. I am Voldemort's heir." Oliver shook his head.
"I don't understand any of this," he said. "All those books about you. Emily Dashall, the self taught witch from America. The witch who came up with all those potions"
"Not entirely untrue. I did come up with those potions. Though technically I was born in England I lived in America till I was six in an orphanage. They told me my parents were dead. When I found out the truth about who my mother was, I left to find her. I used my powers to get to England. As for being self taught, again only partially true. Henry Dashall, the wizard who raised me, taught me until I was sixteen. After he died I taught myself"
"Lily wrote in her diary that her daughter had her eyes. Lily Potter's eyes were green like Harry's." Lucy nodded and closed her eyes. When she opened them again she knew from the stunned look on Oliver's face that the glamor Henry had placed on her had sucessfully been removed. She only hoped she'd be able to put it back on again, or the game would be up. "Merlin," Oliver said. "All this time," he said. Lucy choked back a sob. He hated her now.
"You have to believe that I didn't know any of this until a few days ago when I read that diary. I didn't know who my mother was or why she gave me up or why they lied to me about her. I'm not here to harm anyone, especially not Harry. I just wanted to know who I am"
"So that's why you took the teaching job when Dumbledore offered it to you," Oliver said. Lucy sighed. "I didn't expect to like teaching. But I do. Passing down my knowledge like Henry did with me, it's an amazing feeling and my students, with a few exceptions, are wonderful. Especially that Hermione Granger"
"And the potion to fix my eye," he said softly.
"I have every intention of fixing you sight, Oliver. I would have done that even if Dumbledore had not asked me to"
"This is all just so unbelievable. I've known Potter since he was a first year. I can't believe I'm in love with his sister." Lucy gasped.
"You love me?" He took her hands and lifted them to his mouth.
"I do," he said kissing the back of each wrist. He drew her close to him and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I love you, Lucy." "Say it again," she said. "My name"
"Lucy," he said kissing her cheek. "Lucy," he said again kissing her other cheek.
"Lucy," he kissed her forehead.
"Lucy," he kissed her nose.
"Lucy," their lips met in a fiery kiss...
End Flashback
She glanced over at Sirius where he dozed against a tree. She'd been stunned when he'd revealed that his happiest memory was the day she moved in. When Harry had asked her to live at Grimmauld Place she'd been very hesitant. After living alone for so long she didn't know how living with her brother and godfather would feel. But it had been wonderful, at least until her powers had gone awry. For the first time in her life she had felt like she was part of something special. Now all of it was in danger of being destroyed because of her father. Even in death the man still had power over them. Running her fingers over her wand she made a decision. She was not going to wait for him to attack. Moving carefully so as not to disturb Ginny and Sirius she moved through the trees, further and further away from their campsite. The trees were dark and forbidding and she could feel the swampy earth soaking her sneakers. She shivered as the wind blew through her hair and a slimy branch clawed at her face. He was close. She could sense it. "Expelliarmus!" She shouted whirling around and firing at the dark lord who stood there. He easily deflected the jinx and laughed.
"Did you honestly think I would be taken down by such a simple jinx?" Lucy glared at her father.
"Why can't you stay dead like other wizards?" she asked sarcastically.
"I shall never truly be gone," he sneered. "As long as the memory of me remains amongst my loyal followers"
"Your followers failed," Lucy snapped. "A temporary set back," Voldemort said. "But they shall not give up. No, even as we speak they storm the manor while you and Potter's godfather and girlfriend are trapped here. They will not rest until I am restored to life"
"It will never happen," Lucy said pointing her wand at him. Voldemort laughed.
"My heir," he said sinisterly. "Why do you continue to support the side that will only lose in the end"
"Funny," Lucy said. "My side doesn't seem to be lacking a leader at the moment"
"Foolish child. You live in that house with the blood traitor and you think he loves you. You are nothing to him but a memory of that mudblood"
"That is not true," Lucy said through clenched teeth. He certainly knew what buttons to push.
"You know that you are nothing compared to your mudblood mother. But you could be. You could be even greater than she was. That is what you want isn't it. To be the greatest witch of all"
"No," Lucy said. "You don't know me. I am nothing like you"
"Nothing?" he said with an unpleasant smile. He turned and raised his hand.
"Kill, Nagini. Kill her!" Lucy took several steps back as the large snake moved toward her, fangs snapping dangerously.
"Stop!" she screamed at it as it made to snap at her. The snake stopped mid-strike and backed away. Lucy sighed.
"Not so different as you thought are we?" he said with a smirk.
"Crucio!" Lucy screamed as horrible pain wracked her body. She tried to fight against it but it was simply too much. She crumbled to her knees as her father tortured her.
Oliver threw a curse at Bellatrix Lestrange and quickly ducked back into the corner. All around him curses and hexes and jinxes were being thrown around. There had to be at least fifty Death Eaters in the basement. They were outnumbered but they were holding their ground. He stood up and fired a shot at another death eater who was getting to close to the comatose quartet. During the battle they'd been dragged behind an old sofa. All death eaters who had made a move toward the sofa had been met with a hex from himself, and Hermione who stood in the corner against the opposite wall. His attention was caught as a scream was heard from behind the sofa. Oliver's heart froze. It was Lucy screaming. He jumped from his corner and ran to the sofa, firing curses as he went. He leapt behind the sofa and sure enough found Lucy writhing as though in agony.
"Oh god," Oliver gasped. It was the Cruciatus curse. He recognized it immediately. "Oh god Lucy," Oliver cried. "What is happening to you?" He pulled her into his arms even as she convulsed. "I'm with you," he said. "I'm right there with you. You can pull through this. Whatever the nightmare. Please Lucy, I love you. I'm gonna marry you." He looked up at the small explosion near the sofa where Snape had tossed a potion that had blinded a death eater. That was it! The potion that Lucy had used on Sirius earlier.
"Hermione!" Oliver shouted. "Get over here!" From her hiding place Hermione popped up like a spring and dashed over the sofa barely missing getting hit with a hex. She knelt down behind the sofa and stared at Lucy.
"What's happening to her?" "The Cruciatus Curse," Oliver said. "She has a potion that will stop the effects"
"Yes!" Hermione said "I know it, she showed it to me two weeks ago"
"We need that potion." Hermione shot a scared glance at the battle scene and sucked in her breath.
"Cover me," she said. Oliver nodded. "You can do this Hermione," he said. Hermione took a deep breath and nodded.
"Ready," she said.
"GO!" he shouted. Hermione hopped over the sofa and dashed toward Lucy's cabinets. Oliver sent hexes at any and all who made a move toward her. In a matter of seconds Hermione was sprinting back a bottle clenched in her fist. As she went to leap over the sofa Oliver saw Crabbe pointing his wand at Hermione's back.
"Stupefy!" Oliver yelled as he grabbed Hermione's arm and yanked her to safety.
"That was too close," Hermione said as she pulled out the stopper. "Open her mouth," she said. Oliver gently opened Lucy's mouth and Hermione carefully poured the potion down her throat. At once Lucy stopped convulsing and her face was peaceful. Oliver sighed with relief.
"Thank you," he told her. Hermione smiled.
"You're welcome."
"Sirius," a frantic voice shouted at him yanking him from his sleep. "Sirius wake up!" Sirius opened his eyes and saw Ginny staring down at him. She was shaking him frantically.
"What?" he grumbled.
"Lucy's gone," the red head said. Sirius was instantly awake.
"What do you mean gone?" Sirius said.
"I mean she is not here," Ginny said giving him an exasperated look. "Something must have taken her. That's what this place does. It separates us"
"No," Sirius said. "I think this time is different. I think Lucy left of her own accord"
"Why would she do that?" A shiver of fear ran down Sirius's spine.
"She's gone to face Voldemort," he said.
"Oh Merlin!" Ginny said. "We have to find her. We can't let her face him alone." Ginny took off with Sirius close behind her. They ran through the swamp, heedless of the muck and the trees that scratched at their faces. A horrifying sight met them as they emerged from the swamp. Voldemort had Lucy under the Cruciatus Curse. Lucy was fighting it with everything that was in her, but they could see her weakening. They raced to help wands held high. As before Sirius slammed against an invisible barrier.
"What is this?" Ginny said ramming her hands against the barrier. "It's the same as when we found you with Riddle," Sirius said. "Lucy has to face him on her own"
"NO!"Ginny screamed. "We have to do something"
"Fight him Lucy!" Sirius shouted, hoping, praying that she could hear him.
She could hear him. She knew that Sirius and Ginny were here, trapped behind some invisible barrier powerless to help her. Her body was on fire as her father hit her again and again with the Cruciatus Curse. "Poor fool," her father taunted her. "Discarded for all these years. Tossed away like some mangy dog that no one wanted. You could have had everything you ever desired. The world could have been yours. Instead you chose to align with those who only see a disappointing substitute for the one they lost." Tears streamed down Lucy's face as he taunted her. The pain was becoming almost too much to bear. Then all of a sudden the pain stopped. As though it had fled her body. How? she thought. How was it possible? Then it hit her. Her potion. The anti cruciatus potion that she had used on Sirius earlier. Someone had given it to her on the other side. As she carefully got to her feet she glanced at her left hand. Oliver. She could feel him, in her heart. She reached up to grasp the talisman that kept her connected to him. As she gripped it her fingers brushed her mother's pendant. She thought of the pain at giving her up to protect her that her mother had written about so many times in her diary. She thought about James and how he'd been willing to raise her as his own. She thought of Sirius searching for her when everyone else had given her up for dead. She thought of Harry and Oliver, Remus, Tonks, and everyone else she'd come to care about. She stood straight and glared at her father. "HOW?" Voldemort shouted.
"The one power you will never understand and how Harry and I will always defeat you. Love." "What's in my blood does not define who I am!" Lucy shouted. "There is nothing you could offer me that is worth more than what I already have"
"Fool!" Voldemort shouted. With the word the dark lord crumbled until he was nothing but a pile of dust. "Lucy!" She turned and saw Sirius and Ginny running toward her. She opened her mouth but before she could say a word Sirius seized her in a bone crushing hug.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again," he said squeezing her tight. "What were you thinking going off alone"
"I wasn't alone," she said. "I never was. I didn't realize that before, but I do now. I'm sorry if I scared you but I needed to do this by myself." Sirius looked at her hard but then his face filled with understanding and he nodded.
"Look." They turned to where Ginny was pointing. Out of nowhere a large black castle had appeared.
"That wasn't there before," Lucy said.
"Harry's in there," Ginny said. "I know he is."
"Let's go," Lucy said.