Shado of the Covenant

Chapter 23

Bait

Susan Bones really didn't like being called 'The Bait'. Of course, when Shado came to her with the plan she was all for it. It would drop Dumbledore in it, and hopefully get rid of Snape, and be one step closer to getting Rosette her parents back, and maybe Shado might be able to forgive them for their weakness. She had Ginny Weasley as her 'Bodyguard', or more like chaperone when not in classes. Ginny was talking a lot while holding Susan's left hand with her right, and had threaded their fingers. She was then hugging her arm while Susan was feeling self-conscious, and she had thought it was embarrassing waking up in bed with her best friend on Saturday morning, naked and some dirty memories, and she felt weird as they lay cuddled like that for over an hour before they finally got up, once they were sure their dorm-mates had buggered off, but thankfully it was a Saturday, so they had fun things to do.

They thought it was embarrassment, not wanting to move but thinking it over, Susan could secretly admit she enjoyed cuddling like that, and especially everything she did with her best friend the night before. Hannah was soft and warm, and it was comforting in a way. That night Susan had never felt so scared, and then she discovered that the 'scary' Empress of the Covenant was actually-really-sweet when she wanted to be. Susan liked the way Shado treat her and Hannah, like little sisters and comforted them even though Susan was actually-older by 2 months, she knew Shado would protect them, and here they were, a part of Shado's scheme for that very reason.

Hannah was walking with them, and kept looking at Susan, blushing when Susan realised what her best friend wanted, and reached out her free hand, taking Hannah's. It might have felt weird but Susan didn't see why as they were girls, and that was a girlie thing to do, and their tongues had tasted more than either of them had ever thought too before. Hannah went bright red, but gripped Susan's hand tightly, and then her fingers were thread with Susan's like Ginny's were.

It was weird that they got so few looks, and Ginny dragged them after her, smiling and happy they were all going to become great friends. After having known her brother Ronald for a few years, Susan hadn't thought she would like Ginny, but she was nice and fun, and not one bit like him. In fact, Ginny was the opposite. She had been hanging to the Slytherin, Tracey Davis when they met up with Susan and Hannah to begin the completion of 'Operation Explosion'. Apparently, Ginny would be the final ploy that made Snape explode as she was an empath, and could magnify his emotions here and there, which were always negative, so not hard.

When Susan saw Ginny with the Slytherin girl giggling and hanging off each other, she would admit that she was shocked and awed. She didn't know Gryffindors could love any Slytherin, unless it was a love of bullying them. Anybody could tell that Gryffindors bullied people even more than Slytherins, as most Slytherins wanted to keep below the rest of the school's notice, which was the cunning thing really.

"Don't worry, honey bunny!" Ginny chimed out cheerfully as Susan looked around but realised barely anyone looked to them for more than a moment or two as they entered the Great Hall for lunch. "Us red heads have to stick to-geth-er!" she said with an eyebrow wiggle. "And then we have our blondie honey bunny to keep us extra happy," she said teasing them and giggling. They couldn't hold back from laughing no matter how embarrassed they were as Ginny was fun and nice.

Shado had personally selected Ginny to hang with them as much as she could until lunch, which was most of the day, except for classes where she got a different girl or two from either house to keep them company and help with the plan, which most didn't know the full scope of, as it was rather fluid.

Ginny led them to the end of the Hufflepuff table near the teachers table as there was going to be a huge show Susan was certain they didn't want to miss. They sat down and Susan grimaced as she looked at the teacher's table. McGonagall wasn't in the hall yet, but Severus Snape was in a fuming temper, and she had to let him hex her, and there was the possibility that she would have to take the torture cures.

Shado promised that if Susan took that curse that it would last no more than a second before Snape was taken down. She also promised that any green or black coloured light coming from him would be torn apart by her, and there was a look in her eyes that said she didn't know whether Snape would survive that.

Susan had to be brave, still in the knowledge that she would be playing her own aunt, as she was her only family. Susan's aunt would never agree to let her do this, as she would be so worried, (not that she wouldn't plot against Snape and Dumbledore, because she would be on the front lines in that vein). But no matter what, Susan would never stand aside and let Dumbledore get away with what he wanted too if she could stop it, especially, this, as in truth it was tad amount to illegal imprisonment, and then worse, well she would rather not think about that.

"Shado knows what she's doing!" Ginny whispered into Susan's ear, startling her as she gave her a reassuring grin. "Now turn that frown upside down, the fun is about to begin!" she said as the hall was almost full and then started quieting as McGonagall came charging in, furious with two scared looking Slytherin seventh year girls behind her, as they were following timidly, and they were nearly in tears. Susan admired their acting skills even if they were using magic to added effect. It was a surprise that Shado had such power over Slytherins, mainly girls, but boys feared not bowing to the queen too from what she had heard.

"SEVERUS SNAPE!" McGonagall roared out at the top of her lungs, and everything stopped in amazement. The greasy teacher looked to her, and he had paled, which was new. Though Susan knew, the stern teacher could scare anyone if she needed to. Even Dumbledore looked to her in fright she was like a raging daemon of hellish fury come to devour evil souls.

Dumbledore took but a moment to stand quickly while the woman's fury was just that awesome. "Please, Minerva, whatever this is about I'm sure we can deal with it in my office, in private," he replied, looking quite concerned.

"No!" she hissed out angrily. "This man has been threatening these two girls and others too I would presume with detentions, and a hard time for making friends with muggle-born students, and others from outside of their house! I will not stand by and allow this 'man' to promote racism in this school! This is unforgivable, and goes against everything this school should stand for!"

"They're lying!" Snape cried out in his defence. Susan knew, though they were exaggerating things up a level or two that Snape actually-implied things like that all the time, as when Tracey had been with Ginny earlier that morning, he told her off, and took points from Gryffindor, which didn't bother them as it was in line with the plan, but still.

"So, your Slytherins come to me with these accusations, for giggles?" McGonagall asked sarcastically. "Though, now I think about it, I quite honestly can't remember the last time a Slytherin student had come to me with a problem! I remember that quite a few girls used to for certain, things, even if they weren't related to bullying or misbehaviour?" she asked, mockingly, and Susan blushed a little as she realised those things were probably 'girl-things'. "What possible reason could they have to come to me now, and lie?!" she demanded, but she didn't stop there. "They've also told me that you've been teaching Slytherin students that they can't go to anyone but you with problems, and that you've led them to believe the rest of the staff won't care!"

"He's doing what!?" Sinistra stood glaring at the man as he moved away from her, and looked scared. Susan was surprised as she could feel a slight pressure coming from the dark-skinned woman, and Susan's eyes widened, as she had never thought of her as powerful before. Susan realised that Sinistra had been holding back, and taught what she did because she enjoyed it, not that she couldn't teach anything else, but she chose not to. "I was a Slytherin back when you were in your final year, when I was in my first. I could always go to Professor McGonagall if I had a problem. But back then Professor Slughorn didn't encourage such appalling behaviour while he was Potion Professor, and Head of Slytherin!"

"No... that's all a lie!" Snape declared quickly, but he wasn't getting any leeway from her as other teachers added in their own dirty looks, and angry glares as the truth was getting out now, finally.

"P-Professor McGonagall!?" a quiet voice asked, and everyone turned to look around to the Slytherin table where an adorable little muggle-born Slytherin first year sat with tears in her eyes threatening to fall. "I-it's true... the-the prefects when they took us to Slytherin common room said so. And-and then they went to attack me and Miss. Shado because I'm a muggle-born, calling me filthy mud-blood, and Miss. Shado because she's Miss. Rose's sister, and Miss. Rose destroyed their daddies master, and she had to defend me from harm!" she said crying before she burst out into sobs as she threw herself into Daphne's comforting arms where she held her tight.

"It's true!" Daphne agreed with a sad look. "If Shado hadn't come to Hogwarts we would all still be scared and still think that was true."

"Potter...!" Snape hissed enraged. "Where is Potter, she's getting them all to do this to ruin my good name!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" interrupted Professor Flitwick coldly, and Susan had never seen him look scary before he was so small. But Susan was highly impressed with the small girls' performance, and though mostly true she obviously didn't feel, threatened enough to cry like that with Shado holding her hand most of the time, as Shado would likely crush anyone who tried to hurt any of the first years. "Miss. Ivy Potter is quite the well behaved, and good student once some twit isn't trying to provoke her by being an imbecile, and not leaving her and her friends alone. You just want to blame her for all of your troubles because-!" he said, but stopped, as his eyes flickered to Lily and James Potter sitting at the staff table looking confused and uncertain, and for a moment, Flitwick's eyes flashed furiously to Dumbledore before back to Snape and the matters at hand.

"Enough!" Dumbledore commanded, likely trying to figure out what they were doing, and knew something wasn't right, but not what as any pureblood from an old-line like Susan's would know he was a smart man, even if he was a meddling fool when lots of people didn't want him to be. But it would be a long while before he realised this wasn't about Snape, but that was just a happy side effect. "We should continue this somewhere more private!" he said, leaving no room for debate as all the teachers followed him into the hall antechamber, and the hall started making noise again, talking about what was going on.

"You bitches-!" a Slytherin, year seven boy yelled out at the two Slytherin girls but they shield away when several Slytherin boys stood drawing their wands at them.

"Yo!" Shado startled the heck out of everyone as she entered the room through the side entrance with a giant chicken and bacon salad baguette, munching away happily. She looked around to see everyone staring at her in shock as her sparkling green eyes looked to see the boys quickly retaking their seats in terror as her eyes lit up with lime green and gold sparks. Word and deed of Shado's growing might and magic was spreading, and the disobedient Slytherins were getting smart as they were realising that Shado wasn't just bark, spark, and punch, but deadly too, and held a beauty more than any could see as well as what they could see of her. "Umm, what's up guys?" she asked, sitting opposite Susan, as she looked over to see Rose was with Lucinda at the Gryffindor table, and whispering something, so shrugged.

Shado put her sandwich on a plate and hurried to pull Tabitha into her arms, as the small first year charged over with her friends, and crawled into her lap to cry the spell out while pretending to mumble what was going on while Ginny gently 'explained', and told her about what Flitwick let slip.

"I see," Shado mumbled before shrugging. "I'll deal with that-," she didn't finish as the antechamber opened, and Snape stormed out without looking at the students while in a fuming rage, and left the way Shado came in before the rest of the teachers returned to their table pretending everything was all okay. Well Dumbledore was while the rest of them except a few were giving Dumbledore death glares of doom.

"All great Empires fall Mr. Dumbledore," Shado spoke quietly and Susan could just see it. To the old man, Hogwarts had become his Empire where he taught people, he was right and they should follow his lead, but throughout history, every great Empire had fallen because of men like that, because the people didn't like to be controlled and told what to do. They had moral obligations to each other as a civilised society, and as people who needed each other to thrive, but when the ruler took your freedom and stepped on it throughout all of history, new kings had stepped up and fought back.

That was it! Susan thought she understood! Shado was their new king, or should she say she was their new queen, and she didn't need nor want a king. She was the Empress of the Covenant, and Susan was here with her as she was laughing with Tabitha as she fed the girl some sandwich and wiped her tear-stained eyes with some tissues, a contradiction on so many levels of everything.

Susan had joined the beginning of something new, and the world around her. Everyone-everything changed the moment Shado was found, and shown what she was. Shado defied their world from day one, and Susan felt a strange sense of peace because of that. Shado was meant to be their queen. It was a chance to not be objects, but to be free, and for their world to change.

"Hey, Susie, I'm talking to you!" Shado said smirking as Susan started as Shado poked her in the face with the last half of her sandwich. It had obviously been a full-sized baguette when she brought it in with a few bites out of it. Susan blushed as she licked the mayo off her lips with a sigh while she was laughed at. "I was just saying that I thought it would be cool to have a get together after school and hang out, so you and Hannah will be in too, right?"

"Oh, of course," she quickly agreed sheepishly while she had just been staring at her.

Hannah nodded too. "Umm... Shado, where were you at the start of lunch anyway?" she asked, curious but they all listened in.

"Snape has a stash of booze. I was convincing the house-elves that it was stolen from that weird fake-seer, Trelawney, and they kindly returned it," she answered smugly. "According to the elves she was very grateful for all of that quality fire whisky being 'returned'. I knew I could count on her taking it in since she has an alcohol problem, so she wasn't going to turn it down. Professor Strife was annoyed with me though, while spiking Snape's tea when she found out I gave it all to Trelawney when she would have had it."

"So, Snape can't try to calm down with a little booze, but what about a calming drought?" Tracey asked in a whisper.

"He's taken a cleansing potion. The booze wouldn't work on him anyway, but just finding he couldn't have a drink will make him worse, and then realising a 'student' must have stolen it," Shado said smugly. "Well, anyway, let's finish up lunch and get out of here; we have more fun to have."

Susan nodded with the other girls, and everyone was soon finished and heading off to classes. Susan was actually-shaking a little as they walked through a side corridor. Shado seemed to pull out two Gryffindor robes from nowhere for Susan and Hannah. They had finished Defence against the Dark Arts and had Rune Class next, but the Professor was going to skip over their names and mark them present anyway, so they could go to Potions with Shado and company. The robes had Shado's magic weaved throughout, which would twist Snape's perception, so he wouldn't realise they weren't Gryffindor's while they wore them. The robes were mainly set to mess with Snape, but they would interfere with stupid people too, so hopefully no one brought attention to them.

They entered the dungeon to see the slimy man was boiling over with rage, and looked at Shado with such hate the class could almost feel it bouncing off her giant happy grin, as if she hadn't a care in the world, and that angered him more. It amazed Susan how one girl could be so carefree while being the most dangerous student at school.

Rosette was with Lucinda, and the brown-haired girl looked moments away from saying something when she saw Susan and Hannah, but Rose grabbed her arm and pulled her into the class to take seats together. Lucinda looked like she didn't like breaking the rules, but when Rose leant over and whispered something Lucinda frowned and nodded, and kept quiet. However, a surprise was Hermione Granger as she paused by her seat, staring at Susan with Shado before she sat down with that waste, Ronald oblivious next to her, but she didn't say anything. Rose had already said that Hermione wouldn't say anything, and that she no longer seemed to care about being the 'teachers pet' in potions, as even she knew he was a piece of shit, so she wouldn't say anything.

Susan sat down with Hannah next to Parvati Patil, and her best friend Lavender Brown. They both looked at them as they sat in the back, and Lavender gave them a wink, as the fun would soon begin. Shado sat up front with Daphne and Tracey.

The class was exceptionally quiet as Snape sneered hate at them all, even his favourites. "Potter!" he spat out. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for daring to attack my character! Then fifty more for not wearing a proper school uniform!" he said with a sneer while the likes of Ronald Weasley looked smug, and Susan wondered whether he got that those points were stolen from Gryffindor or missed that because they were taken from her and didn't think about the house. "Then the other, Potter, fifty points for having a sister!" he added glaring at Rose while she only shrugged with an amused smile while Lucinda looked at her in concern. "Books out, and instructions are on the board!" he finished in a hiss, and went and sat down when his eyes suddenly flickered up when Ronald Weasley pulled a large glass bottle filled with amber liquid from his backpack looking befuddled.

However, all Snape saw was half a bottle of HIS booze and lost the plot. "WEASEL!" he screeched out in fury, spittle shooting from his mouth. "How dare you steal from me, you pathetic little tramp with your filthily made robes that some other tramp wore before you?!"

Ron actually-messed himself, and Hannah and Susan could only stare in awe, as that was crafty. It would piss of the 'teacher' more while striking at Ronald too. Snape dragged Ron out of his seat, taking the drink, opened the door and flung him out before he went to slam the door closed, but instead the fuming mess of a grease ball sneered at everyone.

"Out now, all of you!" he spat and everyone was quick and getting up, but he wasn't finished. "Except you Potter, you stay!" he hissed with a vile grin on his face as he went to stop Shado, she grabbed his wrist, twisted it behind his back with little effort and smashed him into a wall.

"A pathetic little Death Eater like you isn't worth beating up!" Shado said before pulling the drink from his other hand and smashing it into the wall while he whaled out in rage while she threw him to the side, where he landed painfully on the ground.

"I'll kill you Potter, you and your filthy sister!" Snape cried out, but Shado had already led everyone out. Shado didn't have to tell anyone before they were running because they all knew like her that Snape would be blindly firing at the students backs blinded by rage, and she had to slow her pace, and could have just fought, but that would be against the plan. This was going better than she thought it would as even if Snape didn't hit a student, he was screwed.

Then in a blast of crimson lightning, an older girl blazed into the hall, seeming to glide with each step she took, and Susan watched as she pulled a girl, and she didn't even think she was one of Shado's, and she was a Slytherin, out of the way of a spell. The Slytherin girl was small and Susan didn't have time to see who it was as she was flung around the corner while the familiar blazed and flashed back and around; she grabbed that somewhat annoying Gryffindor know-it-all, Hermione Granger, crashing her back into the wall while the Gryffindor girl cried out as a spell sailed by them.

Shado grabbed both Lavender and Parvati by the smalls of their backs, throwing them out of the way while leaning back to avoid a spell just as Susan and Hannah span around into the corner. Several students were staggering up to their feet running faster, some screaming as Shado streaked into the hall, grabbing the small Slytherin girl, as she had been dazed by so-called friends trampling her, but pulled her to her feet and moved her on so she ran under her own steam.

"Elektra, change of plans, you know who to fetch?!" Shado called out as she pulled Susan out of the way of a spell as they rounded a corner, charging up the stairs out into the Entrance Hall as the familiar blazed away in burning red light.

"Potter...! What the hell have you done!?" Malfoy panted out as everyone had stopped, and everyone but Shado was out of breath, grabbing at his or her own chests and ribs, and she pulled Susan up while ignoring him.

"Plan B.," Shado whispered in Susan's ear. "Call him a bastard and tell him your aunt will arrest him and throw away the keys!"

"This wasn't her!" the small Slytherin she had saved turned out to be Pansy Parkinson, and she wasn't normally a very nice person, but she was shivering and in a life debt situation which was more of a family honour thing than an obligation, and she had been rescued twice. "It was that idiot Weasley!" she said turning to glaring at him in fury while he was white as a sheet and covered in his own urine. "He thought he could get away with stealing Snape's fire whisky-!"

Pansy hadn't the chance to say more as everyone paled as Snape slammed through the door like a bull in a China shop. "S-stay away from us...!" Susan braved, and he turned to her. She realised she didn't have to be heroic and take a spell for Shado. Snape was aiming for Susan. "M-my aunt is head of the law enforcement department, and she'll have you in Azkaban you spiteful, useless man!"

Snape was already aiming at her. She heard the word before he said it. "Crucio!" he roared out flicking his wand and the entire world slowed down as Susan watched it come for her. It was a dirty orange colour, and she knew that Shado was going to let it hit her, even if for only a moment before she stopped it, as for him to be gone forever, he needed to hit Susan with the unforgivable curse. Not that she would forgive him for hitting her with anything less if he chose to.

Susan heard the scream ripping from her own lips, detached from reality, and felt a pain that just wasn't describable, but was-it just was. It was like every nerve in her body screamed in a pain so foreign that her body didn't understand as her mind felt numb, only able to feel the pain, imagining nightmares and wishing for an end. She realised that death was not the worst thing that could happen, and to fear death over this was to love such excruciating agony that it felt like the world would end and that was only under for a moment.

The pain left in a second, and Susan was on the floor cradled in soft arms. She looked up into emerald green, so beautiful, so worried and loving for her safety. The potions and spells Susan had taken couldn't do anything to dull the pain of such a curse. Susan could feel herself crying and whimpering, sobbing as Shado held her protectively in her arms while Professor Strife was with them kneeling beside her using her wand on her to dull the aching.

Susan was panting for breath. Her eyes looked around the hall at terrified students and teachers staring at her, some, (students), in concern. All head teachers had come and looked like they ran along with Professors Strife and Sinistra. Professor Dumbledore was there looking numb and slack jawed as he looked passed Susan, unconcerned for her well-being, but she saw some concern shining through for the greasy bastard, as Professor Snape was crumpled up against a far wall. He had huge black burn over his face with a burnt gash, and a gaping burnt mess where his left eye used to be, but as Susan's vision cleared, it looked like melted gunk.

Snape was also tied in thick vines cutting through his flesh, and his robes were still smoking. Then she could see the red puddle forming around his head and spreading out. There were nasty blisters forming over what little she could see of his burnt flesh, and his body was twitching. Susan could see he had been soaked too, and two empty suits of armour stood either side of him with long sharp spears at his throat with Flitwick standing over him with wand drawn.

It was obvious that if Snape was dead, it was because of the burns, and wondered if that was Shado going a little too far, and Susan knew she was dangerous, but even the first time they met she hadn't believed she was really-able to kill someone, but here Susan realised Shado had actually-not just shot to stun, but maim. But then she looked back up into her soft eyes as Shado held her comfortable stroking her hair. Susan's other friends had arrived, and Hannah was there kneeling, holding her hand, worried.

"I think we should get her to the hospital wing to rest!" Professor Strife said with a soft smile showing that she wasn't always as hard as while in class, and with troublemakers as she stroked Susan's sweaty red hair from her face with a proud smile.

Shado scooped Susan up into her arms with ease, holding Susan gently, and showing off her strength, as she stood. Susan curled up to Shado, and buried her face into the crock of her neck, sighing in relief; the hard part was over. Susan had an experience that she hoped would allow her to grow. She knew what it was like for a vindictive person to hurt her out of pettiness, so she knew she would do whatever it took to put a stop to people like Snape.

"Milking it...!" Shado accused playfully and kindly, whispering in Susan's ear, and Susan had to stifle a cross between a laugh and a sob as she realised, she was, just a little, but she didn't care as she felt safe in her queens' loving arms.

to be continued…