Summary: Scarlett Potter vanquished Voldemort and won the war, but felt dead inside ever since. After being murdered by muggles, she finds out what the title of Mistress of Death really means and uncovers the many benefits that come with it. Starting again in a Universe where Grindelwald is the Dark Lord that killed her parents, what will Scarlett do differently?
Pairings: TMR/Fem!HP
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Some scenes were inspired by other writers... if anything has been done before I most likely have gotten my ideas from there.
Warnings: This chapter contains violence and torture.
Part 1 - Chapter 11
When Scarlett saw the distinctive red of a Howler flying towards her, she had a feeling that her day would be off to a great start. She'd told Sirius about the detention, omitting the Grindelwald part, and she was excited to see his reaction. It seemed like she'd be hearing it instead.
Ignoring the weary looks on all of her friend's faces, especially Neville's, Scarlett wasted no time in opening the letter. She gleefully watched it come to life and hoped that Sirius wouldn't disappoint her. She had high expectations.
"Scarlett," Sirius' voice rang out loudly in the Great Hall, attracting the attention of those around her. "My most amazing and wonderful goddaughter! I'm so proud of you and all of your achievements and I can't wait to see you once the term is over!"
Scarlett smiled, she couldn't wait to finally spend some time with Sirius.
"However, this letter is not for you… I only addressed it to you to make sure that it would be played in front of everyone rather than behind a privacy ward. Now you might want to cover your ears!"
Scarlett smirked.
'Let the show begin!' She thought to herself as the letter flew towards the Head Table.
"DUMBLEDORE!" The Hall fell into complete silence as all the students were now avidly watching the scene taking place in front of them. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR BLOODY MIND? HOW COULD YOU ALLOW CHILDREN - ELEVEN YEAR OLD CHILDREN - TO WANDER AROUND THE FORBIDDEN FOREST AT NIGHT AND CALL THAT DETENTION! ONE OF YOUR OWN RULES IS TO NEVER ENTER THE FOREST,"
Scarlett was impressed at the volume of the Howler, she'd even go as far as to say that it was louder than Mrs. Weasley had ever been able to achieve in hers.
"I should know, I got into detention for wandering in the forest more than a few times! Isn't that right Minnie?" The letter momentarily paused its rant to wink at McGonagall. Scarlett hadn't even known that was possible! She'd have to look into what else Howlers could do, maybe she should send them out more often.
"AND YOU MAKE MY INNOCENT GODDAUGHTER GO IN THERE HUNTING FOR UNICORN KILLERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?" Sirius was back to shouting at ear splitting volume. "YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE SEEING A MIND HEALER INSTEAD OF ME! YOU HAVE FINALLY GONE SENILE!"
There was a momentary pause, which Scarlett attributed to Sirius taking a deep breath, before the Howler zoomed towards Hagrid.
"AND YOU! HAGRID! HOW COULD YOU ABANDON LITTLE SCARLETT TO FEND FOR HERSELF? WERE YOU TRYING TO GET HER KILLED! IF FIRENZE HADN'T FOUND HER WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED!"
Hagrid seemed to be trying to curl into himself and was looking around like a lost puppy. Serves him right for abandoning children in the middle of a forest!
"AND DON'T THINK I'VE FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU RIDDLE!" Riddle, who up until that point had been smirking, looked momentarily weary before schooling his face into detached blankness. "I KNOW YOU'RE THE ONE THAT GAVE HER DETENTION IN THE FIRST PLACE! AN UNDESERVED DETENTION FOR ALMOST HITTING YOU DURING A QUIDDITCH MATCH! WHAT KIND OF BULLSHIT REASON IS THAT! AND I BETTER NOT FIND YOUR SNAKE ALL OVER MY PRECIOUS BABY AGAIN OR THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!"
Riddle's magic was swirling agitatedly around him, a mix between shocked and furious. Scarlett assumed that the man didn't often receive such threats.
The Howler then turned back towards the Gryffindor table.
"Anyway I hope you have a lovely day my beautiful and incredible goddaughter! See you soon!" Sirius practically sang those last words, and with a final wink towards Scarlett, the Howler exploded, showering the nearby professors' food in tiny bits of paper.
Sirius must have been really angry for him to forget to insult Snape. Ah well, Scarlett was sure that there would be other opportunities in the future.
As conversation around her slowly started picking up volume, Scarlett nodded to herself. She had been right: the day had gotten off to an excellent start.
Quirinus Quirrell was pacing agitatedly in front of the mirror. He could feel his Master's anger and impatience.
It had been a hard year for Quirinus and he had not always been able to hide his regret at stumbling upon his fallen Master nor his frustration at being too weak to rid himself of the parasite. These were dangerous thoughts to have, especially when the Dark Lord was residing in his head and was more than willing to punish him for any perceived transgression.
Since his return from the Forbidden Forest, his Master had been acting more erratically than usual. Something in there seemed to have spooked him and he had become impatient, demanding that Quirinus retrieve the Stone immediately.
For his part, Quirinus would love nothing more than to be free of the oppressive presence feeding on his magic and life force. He had been foolish to think that he could achieve glory and grandeur by joining the Dark Side. He had found nothing put pain and regret instead. Therefore, the sooner his Master was able to regain his own body, the sooner Quirinus would be free. He was planning on retiring and hiding out somewhere to live a quiet life away from servitude and punishment.
So when his Master told him that it was time to steal the Stone, Quirinus was, for once, eager to comply with the order. Ensuring that Dumbledore was called away from the castle by an urgent request from the Mistry, Quirinus had immediately set out for the third floor corridor.
Most of the protections had been laughable, especially with the help of his Master. Only Riddle's room full of Black Mambas proved a little more difficult to overcome, but a wide area freezing charm had been enough to take care of them.
It was upon reaching what Quirinus assumed was the last chamber that he'd gotten truly stuck, not even his Master's input being of any help whatsoever. Quirinus could see the Stone, knew it was there, but it was just out of reach, mocking him. He had been staring at himself using it to create a new body for his Master for the past hour, with no idea on how to actually get it out of the blasted mirror.
It was perhaps for this reason that he didn't realise that he was no longer alone until a familiar voice spoke up behind him.
"Good evening Professor Quirrell."
Quirrell spun around to face her and seemed surprised by her calm.
"I wondered if I'd be seeing you here Miss Potter" he said.
"I'm sure you did" said Scarlett. "I must admit you are a very good actor" she said nonchalantly. "Your performance at Halloween was especially good except you forgot your stutter. I'm surprised no one else noticed really. But then who would suspect the p-po-poor s-stutte-stuttering P-Prof-Professor Qui-Quirrell? Isn't that why you chose to possess such a weak wizard Grindelwald? Or was it simply that you weren't able to control a stronger one perhaps?" Scarlett said tauntingly.
"Let me talk to the girl" Grindelwald's voice was no louder than a whisper.
"Master you are not strong enough."
"I am strong enough for this" he snapped.
Scarlett waited patiently, lazily twirling her wand in her hands as Quirrell slowly unwrapped his turban. As Grindelwald's features were revealed, she couldn't help but notice that he was looking much better than Voldemort had done stuck on the back of a head. Perhaps it was the fact that he was not missing a nose.
"Scarlett Potter" Grindelwald whispered. "See what I have become?"
"You look rather well" Scarlett commented. "For someone stuck on the back of someone else's head, that is. How is that working out for you by the way?" She asked him tauntingly.
"Don't you dare mock me!" He snarled. "Or you'll find yourself meeting the same end as your parents…"
"Now, now Grindelwald, we both know that I am not so easy to kill" Scarlett chuckled darkly. "You on the other hand, well you are nothing more than a shadow now, resorting to drinking Unicorn blood for a modicum of strength. My, my how the mighty have fallen."
Grindelwald gritted his teeth and glared at her.
"ENOUGH!" He screamed! "Come here, look in the mirror and tell me what you see."
Scarlett prowled forwards.
"Well since you asked so nicely… Who am I to deny the Great Gellert Grindelwald?" She smirked mockingly as she positioned herself in front of the mirror. After all she'd need to look into it if she wanted to steal the stone for herself.
As Scarlett faced her reflection, she could barely contain a gasp of denial. Like in her previous life she saw herself, but this time she was not joined by her family. She was in her adult body and Tom bloody Riddle was wrapped around her, holding her possessively. Mirror Riddle smirked mischievously, the Philosopher's Stone appearing in his hand, and Scarlett's breath caught in her throat as he, never taking his eyes off her, slowly sank to his knees. His hands trailed up her leg hunting for the invisible pouch she had stuck to her thigh and Scarlett felt the added weight when he placed the Stone inside it. What she couldn't feel was the way he proceeded to caress her thigh, trailing his fingers over her leg suggestively.
There was no way that she desired Riddle. Scarlett barely tolerated him. She might enjoy toying with him but she most certainly did not want him touching her in any way! Perhaps, she mused, it was his surrender that she desired, the man had gotten to his knees for her after all. That must be it. She wanted to see her former enemy acknowledge her power and bow to it. She chose to ignore the fact that Riddle had returned to his feet and had once more wrapped his arms around her, one hand still on her thigh and the other rubbing possessive circles on her waist.
Pain suddenly snapped Scarlett out of her daze. The unwanted image in the mirror had so utterly consumed her attention that she'd momentarily forgotten where she was. Grindelwald was clearly unimpressed by her lack of attention and Quirrell had used her distraction to hit her with a Cruciatus. No matter how many times she had now experienced it, and despite the fact that Quirrell's curse had nothing on Voldemort, it still hurt like a bitch. Gritting her teeth and locking her muscles to avoid falling over, Scarlett tore her gaze away from the mirror and focused on her assailant.
"What do you see?" Quirrell demanded, cutting off the curse so that she could answer him.
"I see…" Scarlett started in her sweetest voice. "I see…"
"Tell me!" Grindelwald snarled.
Scarlett chucked darkly.
"I see myself killing you slowly and painfully, burning you from the inside out until there is nothing left of you but ash" she smiled wickedly. "It's a desire that will soon become reality, but first…"
She glanced at the mirror again. Riddle was fisting his hand in her hair, tilting her head as he leaned forward, their lips almost touching.
BOOM!
The mirror exploded into a million pieces. A small flick of Scarlett's wand was all it had taken to remove the distasteful image from existence.
"NOOOO!" Grindelwald shouted. "What did you do, you little bitch? The stone is gone forever!"
"Oops?" Scarlett asked innocently.
"KILL HER!"
Quirrell turned towards her but he wasn't fast enough. It was about time that Scarlett got to have some fun.
Spurred on by the tortured screaming, Tom rushed towards the chamber that was housing the Philosopher's Stone. He'd been in his quarters when a Black Mamba had found him to report that "a twitchy man and a child who smells like death" had gotten past them. Tom immediately knew who they were referring to. Potter must have somehow known that Gellert would be attempting to steal the Stone and she'd gone to stop him. Stupid girl.
Tom found himself racing towards the third floor corridor. It was in moments like this one that he detested Hogwarts' anti-apparition wards. He told himself that he just wanted to make sure that everything went according to plan, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of worry. What state would he find Potter in? Would Gellert have already disposed of her? The thought filled him with rage. He'd always been very possessive and the little puzzle was his to kill. No one else's.
Tom upped his pace as he neared the screaming, screaming that didn't sound like it belonged to an eleven-year-old child. He rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop. Potter was facing him, but she didn't seem to notice him. Her gaze was fixed on Quirrell who was on his knees in front of her. Potter's usually angelical looking face was twisted in sadistic pleasure as she pressed her hands to Quirrell's temples, his screams increasing in volume as she took her time torturing him. However, he wasn't the only one who was screaming.
Quirrell had his back to Tom so he could clearly see Gellert's face contorted in anguish as his screams joined the ones of his host. As nothing more than a spirit, Gellert should have been able to simply flee Quirrell's body, but a film-like magical force field was clinging to their body, holding Gellert's soul captive so that he couldn't escape the torture. With a jolt Tom realised that it was a variation of an ancient Chinese ritual used to stop a patient's soul from leaving their body during dangerous procedures, giving healers more time to resuscitate them should there be any complications. He recognised the ritual as it was outlined in one of his books, the book that Potter had chosen to read when she'd visited him on his birthday. Aged eleven, she'd understood the ritual, mastered it and been able to alter it to suit her nefarious needs. Tom felt something that felt suspiciously like admiration for his little enemy.
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Tom heard Potter murmur in her musical voice as she stroked Quirrell's cheek.
"Don't worry, the pain will be over soon" she said, gently wiping his tears away. "After all, I did promise that there would be nothing left of you but ash."
With those words, Potter's hands once again latched onto the man's temples and she increased the flow of her magic, burning him from the inside out until there was nothing left for her to hold on to. Once Quirrell's body had fully disintegrated, what was left of Gellert's spirit was freed and he didn't hesitate to flee the area, clearly still in pain from the torture he just suffered.
Tom knew that he should have been outraged, that he should have attacked Potter and defended his old mentor, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bring himself to kill a young witch with so much power, so much potential, so much darkness. Because the little puzzle was dark, no matter what her magical aura felt like, she was as dark as him. He hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from the sight of her torturing and killing a grown man without even using her wand. He couldn't wait to see what she'd be able to do in a few more years. It was in that moment that Tom decided that Potter couldn't die. She was Gellert's enemy but she didn't have to be his. She had too much potential for it to be snuffed out over a stupid prophecy.
Potter finally noticed him and she met his eyes warily, wand suddenly in hand.
"10 points to Gryffindor for an excellent use of wandless magic, Miss Potter."
Potter's eyes glowed as she laughed, her lips spreading into a wide smile.
"Thanks for the spell, Professor" she winked before collapsing onto her knees, her eyes filling with tears as she stared at her trembling hands.
Tom automatically stepped forward to catch her, his magic stirring around him in agitation, confused by the sudden change. That's when he felt Dumbledore's magic behind him and realised that the little puzzle must have also felt him approaching. He was reluctantly impressed by her acting skills. If he hadn't seen her glee at killing Quirrell, he would have believed that she was wallowing in guilt. What confused him most though, is that when he picked her up to once again take her to the Hospital Wing, her aura still felt pure white. How could that be possible? A murder always left a stain. Always. So why was she so different?
'No need to worry about it for now', Tom thought. Having decided that he no longer wanted to kill her, he would have plenty of time to work out all the secrets hidden behind his little puzzle's innocent looking eyes.
A/N: So I know it's been a while... but here is the next chapter! What do you think?