Chapter 2: Idiot spanking
Here comes the second chapter of "Secret of the blade". The next installment(an intermission-like construct plus chapter 3) is due within the next couple of weeks.
To those that reviewed we have to say 'Thank you for taking the time to give feedback, good or bad'
And before one of us forgets again, one last thing needs to be said….. Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Witchblade belong to their respective owners. We make no money with this and own only our computers and the licenses of the miscelaneous software installed on our respective PCs
There's just five words to say as you go down [...] You're gonna burn in hell
Day turned to a darker shade of grey. Rain continued to drop steadily. The late afternoon quiet streets of London slowly turned to the regular evening rush. The 9-5 crowd slowly trickled down towards their favorite pub, for a large pint of beer, or their homes, for a warm meal and a spot of tea.
Lily Potter had to get home as soon as possible. Not because of the weather, but because she felt a heart-to-heart with "her sweet" was long overdue. Getting out of Godric's Hollow was easy, getting back to her family in time for dinner would prove to be more of a challenge.
She never liked to fly by broomstick, and lately, it seemed it was one of the most dangerous ways of transportation, being too noticeable. The Floo Network was also compromised, if reports in the Daily Prophet were to be believed. Normally, she would Apparate on her doorstep in the blink of an eye, however, the entire village of Godric's Hollow was fully warded against Apparition - Dumbledore's handywork. The same wards prevented the use of Portkeys.
Luckily, her home village was a fairly small settlement. The few residential streets converged in a quiet little square, which had all the usual necessities of a quaint community, with only a church, a post office, a pub, and a few retail shops.
Lily decided to Apparate outside Godric's Hollow, as it would be the fastest option. She quickly casted a Notice-Me-Not Charm and vanished out of site, only to rematerialise in Godric's Woods, a wooded patch of land just off one of the roads that led into the village. She made her way down Church Lane, keeping a watchful eye on the shadows in the streets and on the windows of neighboring cottages. She cut across the square and down the street near the post office, when she heard the Witchblade whisper to her.
"Young one, I have one request of you."
"What now? Can't this wait?" Lily was anxious. She was in the open and she was so close to home.
"I am afraid it cannot," the Witchblade said.
"Fine… but make it fast."
"I request you do not disclose our association yet. Especially to your consort. His family kept me from this world for far too long, nigh to half a millenia. Making our association known could pose a disadvantage at this moment in time."
"Makes sense. Fair enough. I promise I will not willingly disclose our partnership to James. However, I do want your assistance when dealing with my loving husband," Lily said with a smirk.
"That seems like a fair enough trade. It is in agreement."
Lily slowly turned the front door knob and walked in. She was about to remove the Notice-Me-Not Charm when she heard two male voices. James had a guest.
"Albus, this sounds terribly risky."
"Don't tell me you lost your Gryffindor spunk, my boy," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes. The man knew he held all the cards. Or at least he thought he did.
"Hey, I didn't say I didn't like it. Actually, I'm all for it. I'm sick and tired of hiding like a rat."
"Glad you see it my way."
"Not to mention it will give me a chance to finally put an end to this madness. You said we are going to fight. Care to share any specifics? Where is he and when do we go after him?" James was getting overly excited.
"We will do no such thing. We'll wait for him to come to us. I have it on good authority he is preparing to move against you and your family. We don't know when. But we can control where. And we can be ready for him," Dumbledore explained.
"An ambush. And I thought I would get to see some action soon. I am getting bored."
"You may well get your chance soon enough. However, you must remember you have a son who you must protect. Harry must be protected at all costs, regardless the sacrifices we must all make."
"Don't worry, Albus. I will. But what about the rest? Won't Voldemort know something's off if the Order of the Phoenix is gathered in Godric's Hollow? Powerful as he and his acolytes are, I doubt he'll be stupid enough to challenge all of us at once."
"Oh, but we won't be anywhere near Godric's Hollow."
"What? Why? And how am I supposed to hold him off?"
"Why? For the reason you just mentioned. Voldemort could sense something is off and just wait until one of us slips up. And you will not be alone. Remember the wards I have set around the village? He will not be able to show up on your front door without walking the length of the village and without tripping several alarming wards. Should you hear them sound, conjure the Phoenix in the sky to call on us and we will be here in a flash."
"That makes sense. And I have my secret weapon - the Cloak of Invisibility. You couldn't catch me and my friends in school while we were wearing it, I doubt he would be able to find me. I should be able to get in some good shots before the cavalry arrives."
"Ah, this was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I will need to borrow the Cloak for a couple of days. It could save the life of our spy within the Death Eaters' ranks. As soon as he is safely out of their clutches, I will have it returned to you."
"I don't like this, Dumbledore. I've had it all my life, I kinda feel naked without it at arm's length."
"Relax, my boy, you should have it back in a day or two."
"You better be right. I don't feel safe at all."
"Have faith in me. Have faith in the Order. And, most importantly, have faith in your Marauders, who I would recommend you call close."
"Remus is still missing in action. Sirius… he's a wild cannon, he will not lay in wait, for the fight to come to him. I would be doing the same thing, if I didn't have Harry. Peter would be the only one who I could rely on if worst comes to worst."
"It is still better than nothing. There is strength in the friendship that binds you."
"One more thing, Albus. Do you still have the parchment with our address? Make sure everyone in the Order reads it, otherwise, they won't be able to find this place. And the Secret Keeper might prove to be unavailable at a moment's notice."
"Of course. Don't you worry, James. And I would recommend you not worry Lily. She is a mother and will do the right thing when the time comes. Ah, a mother's love…"
Lily decided she had heard enough.
'Do not act on what you heard just yet, little one' the Witchblade whispered in her mind as Lily removed the Charm and slowly opened the front door, only to close it with a loud slam.
"Honey, I'm home!" Lily said with a big smile on her face as she entered the living room. "Oh, I am so sorry, I didn't know you would be visiting today, Professor, I would have cut my errands short," she continued as she went in for a hug.
'Keep up the pretence, youngling,' the Witchblade chimed in, sensing the pent up rage within its new master. 'As much as you despise this old man, your attitude towards him must not tip your hand. An enemy unaware of his status as an enemy will present more openings.'
"Albus and I were talking about precautionary measures, should Voldemort decide to make his move against us any time soon. Our dear Professor seems to have every base covered."
"Yes? Could you tell me about it?" Lily asked, with an honestly curious look on her face.
"All you need to know at the moment is that the Order of the Phoenix will be on permanent call to assist you and James, when the time comes," replied Dumbledore, who decided to play his cards close to his chest.
"That's a load off," Lily said, feigning relief. "Should we have Peter send them all our address? He is the Secret Keeper afterall and I don't think some of the newer members know where we are. Should Voldemort have bring his own army, we need to have every able hand ready to fight."
"I have that covered, my dear girl. All I need to have everything in place is your husband's cloak."
"Do you think it is wise, Professor? I mean… it is pretty much our last line of defense against any intruders."
"For the thousandth time, please call me Albus. You are no longer my student, but my friend and my ally."
'Changing the subject? So that is the way you want to play this,' Lily thought to herself, gritting her teeth.'
'Careful. Halt your thoughts, before you are discovered,' intervened the Witchblade. 'I sense your anger towards the old man swelling, and for good reason. He bears the same posture and demeanor of the one who betrayed me long ago. The creature your people call Flight-from-Death may be a threat to you, but the old master is even more so. I feel he views you as a liability if left alive. His next step would be to dispose of you as soon as possible.'
"Is something the matter, my dear?" James asked, looking a little worried. Lily snapped back to reality.
"Yes? No, sorry, I am just a tad tired. Albus, you were saying?"
"I was saying a life might be at stake. Thus I need to borrow the cloak."
"May I ask whose life?"
"That of the spy who risked all to get us the knowledge of Voldemort's actions."
"Of course. Riddle me this, Albus. Why on earth would you decide leaving three lives without their greatest defensive measure is worth saving one single life? What makes YOUR SPY'S life more important than ours? Regardless who the spy is, they should be pretty well versed in the art of deception, otherwise you wouldn't have sent them in. And, by YOUR OWN words, Harry must be kept safe AT ALL COSTS."
Lily was adamant. She could no longer play it cool, feeling as if she could lunge at her old teacher's throat. Still she was surprised at her restraint, not acting on her impulses. And it looked like Dumbledore saw that too.
"I am sorry, my dear. It was not my intention to upset you. I was hoping…"
"Albus, please, stop. James might be an accomplished duelist, but I don't have the same experience. The cloak stays with us. Your spy has survived so long, I am sure he knows how to stay out of trouble for a couple more days." Lily's tone indicated it was the end of that discussion.
"James?" Dumbledore asked, seeking help.
"Hey, don't look at me, she can be scary when she gets riled up like that," James said, backing down.
"Sigh You are right, Lily. You are most right. Well, I should be off. I need to get back to Hogwarts. And I need to let the rest of the Order know."
"Let me walk you out," James offered, standing up.
"Thank you, my boy. I bid a good night to you and your son, Lily," Dumbledore said, coming in for a hug. For the second time that evening, he could feel something was off with his former student.
"A good night to you too, Albus," Lily said.
She then turned to go up the stairs to check on Harry. She entered the bedroom and saw him looking at her with a big smile. She leaned in close to pick him up.
"He-llo, sweetie. How have you been?" She then proceeded to feed him and to change him into his onesie. "Time to get ready for beddy bye" she said as she laid her son to sleep. She then made her way back downstairs, to find James waiting for her in the living room. He seemed tired.
"Albus is not pleased at all, you know?" he said.
"Why? Because I wouldn't let him have the cloak? He's a big boy, he'll just have to get over it." Lily saw this coming.
"The village is protected by Dumbledore's wards. This house is protected by a damn powerful Fidelius Charm. I saw you cast it myself. Do you really think it would make any difference, if we were to lend him the cloak for a couple of days?"
"I am sorry, James. I know you really believe Dumbledore has our best interest at heart, but, with all the madness going around, with so many people we know attacked, I think I am entitled to be a little paranoid."
"Do you really think Peter would give us up that easily?"
"Well, I can safely say he wouldn't have been my first pick for our Secret Keeper. Remember the reason why we went with Dumbledore's suggestion and chose Peter in the first place. Both Remus Lupin and Sirius Black are more accomplished duelists, but with one's condition and the other's wild and reckless streak, Dumbledore felt Peter Pettigrew, the oddball of your little posse, would be the best option. The man couldn't even disarm a dummy…"
"I will have you know I trust Peter just as much as I trust Sirius or Remus," James said on a definitive tone.
"I wonder why I couldn't choose anyone myself." Lily decided to poke this sore subject a little further. "Oh, I know, because, who ever I would choose myself, they would have to be vetted by Dumbledore. And he would vet only those he would have groomed himself."
"I thought we already talked about this. We chose Peter exactly because of the fact he would be the most unlikely choice. Nobody in their right mind would think he is our Keeper," James wanted to calm her down. "Look, he may not be a very good fighter, but he can lay low. And you know what they say: out of sight, out of mind."
"Fine. Fine. Too late to change anything now," Lily said with a shrug. She then made her way towards the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" James seemed grateful for the sudden change of subject.
"Go wash up and get ready, I'll set the table."
Half an hour later, the Potters were sitting down, enjoying James' novice attempt at bangers and mash. Little did they know it would be one of their last ot meals together. Shortly after that, James poured himself a glass of firewhisky, while Lily grabbed a bottle of butterbeer, both settling down in the couch in the living room. The radio was playing in the background.
'I am sorry to interrupt your merriment, young one,' Lily heard the Witchblade whisper with impatience, 'but time is short. You must confront your husband now!'
'It's about damn time.' Lily replied. She expected the Witchblade to prod her into action sooner.
"Everything alright with you?" James asked before she could make the first move.
"Yes. Why wouldn't it be?"
"You seem lost in thought. And something seems different ever since you got back from the bank. Did anything happen there? Hope there were no problems with the goblins. For some reason, they tend to be overprotective of the Potter vault."
"No. They were courteous as ever. Even ran into my old childhood friend, Xan. He helped me get to your vault."
"Still, what happened?" James asked as Lily sat down on the couch near him.
'Tell him a jewel tried to bite you, little one,' the Witchblade suggested. Lily did as told. She then continued:
"That must have tripped some ward, because the vault doors closed."
'Tell him how scared you were…' Lily repeated the Witchblade's whispered advices.
"Why didn't you tell me about the booby traps in that vault? Nearly had a heart attack when I saw the vault doors close on me."
"It is one of the regular defense mechanisms of my family's vault," James said as he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "I am sorry, darling, I should have told you about that."
"You probably should have. I was so scared," Lily said, making one of those faces that would melt any man's heart. James leaned in for a kiss. She got off the couch before he could do that and set her bottle on the coffee table. She then made her way towards the corridor and picked up the bag full of the gems she retrieved from Gringotts. James let out a quiet sigh.
"Honey, I wanted to ask you something," Lily said when she entered the living room. "While I was locked in the vault, I found something rather interesting in one of the desks." She pulled out the parchments the Witchblade guided her to. "You wouldn't know anything about a… dimensional bauble, would you?" A little smile formed on her face when she saw him gulp. She tried to keep her face as quizzical as possible.
"N-no. Where did you find that?" James stammered, almost spilling his drink. Lily could see he was cornered. She decided to have some fun with her prey.
"Told you, in one of the desks in the vault."
"It sounds like something that Remus would use back in school. You know, for his more… difficult times of the month."
"Probably true. It is dated October 1974, with the mention To be ready by New Year's Eve. You wouldn't remember helping Remus creating one, would you?" Lily had to bait him into admitting the truth.
"It's… possible. I honestly don't remember. We might have tried it once or twice, but we always fell back on the Shrieking Shack. I would need to ask Remus, it might be that they're not meant to be used for extended periods of times."
"However, I think I've seen the drawing of the house and the plans on the seond parchment, somewhere before." James got up from the couch and started pacing through the living room. "It reminds me of my family's house. But I am sure that's not it. We lived in a regular British home."
"Probably that's why it looks so familiar," James said. "Remus might have chosen a regular home, exactly because of the fact he never had one himself."
"Probably right," Lily replied. "How-ev-er," she continued with a small grin, stressing every syllable, "I found something else as well. A very official looking document. Too bad it's been shredded. I was hoping you might want to help me piece this puzzle together."
"As interesting as it sounds, I think we can leave it for later," James said, heading towards the front door. "I need to take a walk."
"Oh, but where are you going, my love? Don't you want to play?" Lily said, following him into the corridor in time to see his hand on the knob. "Colloportus." James turned to see his wife glaring at him, wand out.
"What in blazes is going on with you, woman?" James was furious.
"Finally, some backbone," Lily replied still glaring at her husband. She then to continue on what James deemed a suspiciously cheery tone. "Since you don't look like you want to play, I had to start the puzzle myself." She returned in the living room and spread the shredded parchment on the coffee table. "And I have the top row completed. Hmmm… it's a Marriage Contract. I wonder whose…"
"Accio!" James' wand extended towards the bits of parchment in Lily's hands. He caught them in a single swipe, his seeker instincts showing through. "Incencio!" Tiny parchment fireflies turned to ash.
"Look who came to play. Now, that makes me wonder what didn't you want me to see so badly?" She picked up the butterbeer bottle from the table and took a sip. A short while later, her husband spoke.
"You dare toy with me? You DARE challenge me!?" His voice was filled with barely contained rage, his wand now pointing directly at his wife. "It seems I need to put you in your place! To remind you YOU ARE MINE! Yes, that contract was supposed to be ours, but you deemed it… unworthy of your stature." James spat those last words with utter disgust.
"Then why even pursue me?" Lily was interested in his answer.
"Because of that strong will of yours. It is a double edged sword. It's the one thing that I loved about you since I saw you in the Gryffindor Common Room."
"Thank you, honey!" Lily said in the most of sarcastic of voices.
"But it is also the single greatest obstacle to my happiness," James continued, ignoring the interruption. His rage subsided and he returned to his old, calm, demeanor. "I am sure you have no idea why or how we ended up together. Do you remember when we officially announced our relationship?"
"Sometime at the beginning of summer 1975, after the OWLs" Lily replied, looking bored. Still, she was wary in the sudden change in the tone of his voice. "Why?"
"Up until then, you'd spurned my every advances for years. I am a Potter, and in my world, you NEVER say no to a Potter."
"Spoiled brat…"
"For years, I tried to get into your good graces. My natural talents didn't help as much as I had hoped, since you never liked Quidditch and never came to a single game. By the fourth year I decided I had enough. I knew I had to break your will, at least, towards me. By hook or by crook, I had to make you mine. Niceties couldn't cut it. I had to improvise…" James stopped, sighing profoundly. Weirdly enough, talking about this was extremely liberating. He picked up his glass and took another swig of firewhisky.
"Care to continue? I don't have all night," Lily was losing patience.
"I knew where Remus kept his contingency plans, in case he wasn't… near a place for him to transform safely. I borrowed the Dimensional Bauble schematics. I knew it wasn't the most stable of the options, but it provided enough time."
"But why my house?"
"I know I could have chosen any place," James said, running his hand through his ruffled hair, "but where would you have lowered your guard enough for this to work? At school? Any of the teachers would have noticed something is off. Except for probably Binns…" he trailed off.
"What then?"
"Do you remember anything from the New Year's Eve 1974?"
"The party. Spent that New Year's with my family and with Severus and his mom," Lily replied, matter-of-factly. "It was one of the last times I spent time together with Severus. You wouldn't have anything to do with that as well, would you?" James seemed to ignore her last remarks.
"You probably don't recall why. I had employed Peter's owl, Speckles, to deliver the bauble to you. I had hoped you'd be alone when you opened it… but that was not the case. Both you and Snivellus got transported into the illusion I created for you."
"How come Severus never mentioned anything about that?"
"He was… disposed of pretty fast. I had to have you all to myself, for this to work."
"Fair enough. What happened next?"
"I attempted to… force… you to sign the contract you found in the vault. You promptly tore it up as soon as you saw it."
"Doubt that deterred you from pursuing this absurd endeavor."
"The bauble had the illusions weaved into its own fabric. All I did was put them to work. Remember I told you your strong will is a double edged sword?"
"What the hell did you do?"
"As strong as your will is, you still have one weakness - your family. I… used them against you."
"How?"
"I think you know how. Do you even have to ask?"
"I want to hear you say it!" Lily was getting more and more impatient.
"The more you resisted, the more they got hurt. Your father opened his heart to me," James said, an evil smile starting to show at the corner of his lips. "Your mother fell to pieces and even lost her head, by the time I had my way with her."
"You sick sonuvabitch!" Her right hand was twitching on the wand.
"Your sister proved to be your breaking point. A little Cruciatus Curse had your sister screaming for dear life. That brought you to the edge. The threat of using the Killing Curse on little Tuney and you were mine. Just had to seal the deal." James looked like he was remembering a very fond memory.
"You really are maniac," Lily said, gobstruck at the ease and delight with which her husband recounted this tale. "I am afraid to even ask how you thought you could 'seal the deal', as you say, after pulling this off."
"You tell me. What is better than a Binding Contract? Other than one of the strongest forms of magic? An Imperius curse can be easily beaten by a will lesser than yours. This all boiled down to me extracting an Unbreakable Vow from you."
"You irredeemable bastard…" Lily started massaging her left temple in frustration. "You are willing to use all three Unforgivables… all to stroke your own ego? How come the Ministry didn't pick you up right then and there?"
"You forget one thing. The bauble. It was a separate dimension. My world, my rules. And I had, well, added insurance. I made sure neither you nor Snivellus ever remembered a thing. The Memory Charm kept you quiet, so neither the ministry nor your parents would ever know or do anything to hold me accountable."
"So, let me get this straight." Lily paused a couple of seconds to collect her thoughts. "You used trickery, psychological torture and memory altering charms JUST to have me bound to you?! I have to give it to you, that is one of the most creative, most brilliant and most convoluted ways for the great James Potter to get his perfect match." The sarcasm in her voice was punctuated with slow claps. "Now, tell me what would stand in my way if I were to just walk out and go to the Ministry? I am sure Dumbledore would have a heart attack when they bring you in to stand trial, in front of the Wizengamot."
"What makes you think he didn't help in any way? Who do you think gave me the idea in the first place?" James seemed to enjoy shocking his beloved wife.
"Somehow that does not surprise me." Lily composed herself almost instantly. "I kinda expected him to aid his poster boy. I will need to have a nice long chat with him next time we meet for tea."
"Ah, my sweet, I am afraid I can not let you do that. Too much is at stake. Our lives, our freedom, the entire wizarding world, depends on our little plan. Now, why don't you be a good little girl and… forget?" James smiled as he saw his wife's grip on her wand tighten. "Tell me. What qualities does a Quidditch player bring to the table in a duel? Chasers would fight only in a good squad, with coordinated attacks. They would hate being caught off guard. Beaters, they have their strength and could withstand some harsh punishment. Seekers… on the other hand," James said, slightly adjusting his glasses, "they have lightning reflexes and speed to match." He extended his wand in a blink of an eye and yelled "OBLIVIATE!"
"PROTEGO!" Lily's defensive spell, while cast at the exact same time, could not hold the force of the memory charm back. She was thrown back onto the couch.
"Poor little flower… Didn't anyone tell you?" James moved closer and sat in the armchair near the couch. He ran his hand through Lily's hair. "The Memory Charm is not something you can easily protect yourself against?" He considered letting her sleep it off. "Accio," he summoned a blanket and tucked her in. As much as he loved playing the confession game, James needed to keep the pretense of a loving husband for a while longer. He decided this was enough excitement for one night and placed his wand in the holster. thinking that it was past time to get some rest.
Just as he was about to exit the living room, James heard the faintest of rustles. Just as fast as before, he turned around drawing the wand out. This time, he was not fast enough.
"EXPELLIARMUS!" His wand flew in an arc in front of him and landed in the extended left hand of a furious Lily, her eyes burning green and magic flowing forth from her. "Honey? Where do you think you are going? We haven't finished our heart to heart."
"W-w-what? … But… how is that possible?" James was flabbergasted. He looked like he couldn't comprehend what just happened.
"Sit… Down!" Lily ordered as James stepped towards her, her wand still pointing at his face.
"Sweetie…" he said, as he inched closer and closer to his wife, "put the wand down so we can finish our talk."
"In… your… dreams!" Lily punctuated her every word with jabs of her wand, every jab creating jets of red sparks that landed on her husband's clothes. He didn't seem to notice, or, even more worrying, didn't care.
"Lily?" His tone was appeasing. If he was scared or worried, he hid it well.
"Yes, James?" Her anger didn't let down.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He was getting closer. One more step and she would be within arm's reach.
"Why wouldn't I?" Lily seemed to take pleasure in singeing her husband, so much so that she lost focus for a split second. Long enough for James to launch himself at her, knocking the two wands out of her hands. Rather than grabbing either wands, he wrenched her left arm behind her.
"Because, my sweet little flower, you might end up getting hurt." She struggled against his grip, but sharp pain shot through her arm with her every move. "I have permitted you too many liberties, too much freedom. The sacrifices I make for love."
'Little one, keep calm.' The Witchblade decided to intervene. 'I am here for you. All you need do is call on me.'
"You've been extremely quiet," Lily muttered under her breath. "Where were you?"
"Said anything, darling?" James asked amused. "Don't tell me you already lost your mind? I was hoping you would last longer."
"Don't worry, honey. I will last longer than you on our wedding night," Lily replied, sarcasm oozing out in droves.
"Oh," James' interest peaked. "Want to have a crack at that? We can do it either way," he continued on a horny voice, his left hand groping at his wife's bosom.
"Come give me a kiss and I'll think about it." Lily's lucious lips puckered up for a kiss. Her husband couldn't miss the opportunity and loosened his grip on her arm, in order to turn her around. As he leaned in for the kiss, Lily drew her head back and whipped it forward almost instantly. The headbutt struck James right in the nose, causing him to release her and stumble backwards, falling on the couch.
"Always a horndog…" Lily sighed. She continued on the calmest of tones: "I think it is time to end this lovely talk, don't you think? I would love to meet a friend I made while in your family's vault." She rolled up her right sleeve and revealed the thin silver bracelet, adorned with a red tear-shaped gem.
"No… This can't be!" James was dumbstruck.
"The Great Potter, at a loss for words. This must be a first."
"It found you… Do… do you even know what you have done?" He was clearly shocked. His eyes started searching for his wand.
"You bound me, tortured me, wiped my memory and raped me, and you still have the balls to ask me that?" She tried to keep a neutral tone. "You must be joking. Now, why don't you enlighten me? What have I done?"
'Let me manifest, little one,' the Witchblade bade her host. Lily flexed her fingers and silently agreed. The tear-shaped gem flashed and the bracelet expanded into a gauntlet with bladed fingertips. James' jaw dropped.
"What's the matter, honey? Cat got your tongue? I thought you were going to explain what I have done that is so shocking."
"Do you know what… THAT… is?" James asked, pointing at her right wrist.
"It calls itself a witchblade. Why? What do you know about it?"
"Oh, Merlin! It spoke to you…" Her husband looked deeply tormented. "That is how it begins. Lily please, you don't know what that thing can do to you."
"By all means, enlighten me then. But sit right where you are. I don't feel like scrubbing blood out of the carpet."
'Should he move, I can bring forth a sword to halt his momentum.' Anywhere up to 3 meters.'
"I think it would be best if you were to sit down yourself. It is a long story. This might take a while." James sighed deeply, still eyeing the bladed gauntlet just feet away from him.
"Just start already," Lily said rolling her eyes and sitting down in the armchair closest to the door.
"That thing was Joan of Arc's secret weapon. All of her achievements can be chalked up to her using it. She was eventually captured by her enemies because the damn thing suddenly decided to stop working for her." He got up.
"Where the hell do you think you are going?"
"Relax, I just need a drink," he told his wife. "See, just a glass of firewhisky."
"Fine. Will you get on with it?" After taking a swig, James continued.
"Muggles shouldn't have magical weapons, least of all sentient ones. My ancestor took it upon himself to insure Joan's conviction and to retrieve the… let's call it artifact. He kept it hidden in the dungeon of his house for close to half a century, before relocating it to our family's vault in Gringotts." He swirled the contents of the glass, before taking another swig of firewhisky. "After that, the story is pretty boring. The knowledge of the artifact was passed on from generation to generation. The Heir of the Potter family, upon becoming of age, is charged with protecting the wizarding world from it."
"I understand why something like this would need to be kept out of the hands of Muggles. But what would warrant it to be locked up from the entire world? Why not turn it over to the Ministry?" Lily was intrigued.
"Remember, the Ministry was founded in the 1700's. Joan of Arc died in 1431. What would you have wanted my ancestor to do? Take it to Hogwarts, where it could be found by many young maidens? That would have been exactly what IT would have wanted." James stared at his empty glass.
"But what if its power? Joan did not exhibit any magic on the battle field. Other than the armor and blade, it doesn't look like it has any power." Lily decided to leave out her enhanced physical prowess, promised by the Witchblade. "And there's tons of magically enhanced Muggle armors and weapons. Not to mention, back then, some Muggle armies employed magic users. What would make this," she raised her right hand, "so damn dangerous?"
"There isn't much recorded about its true abilities. Most of it has been scrubbed from history. Safe to say it's been deemed dangerous enough to be locked up. My grandfather almost had a heart attack when he heard rumors of something similar being wielded by one of Gellert Grindelwald's acolytes in Germany, during World War II. He thought the goblins might have given it away."
Lily stood up and started walking about the living room, rubbing her eyes, trying to relieve the building pressure. She needed to clear something up.
'Witchblade. Answer me. Is what James said about your bond with your previous partner true? Did you leave her to the mercy of non-magicals? Did you abandon her to be tortured, raped, and die a slow, agonizing death? Did you know how she died, burned at the stake by religious fanatics? Should I be worried about our partnership?"
'Little one, lay your fears to rest. Allow me to tell you my version of Joan of Arc's story. She was the King's elder sister and, while she never wanted the throne for herself, her brother saw her successes on the battlefield as a threat to his own rule. So he hatched a plan. During her last battle, her allies left her wide open and Joan was eventually captured. Potter's ancestor, alongside his cronies, set up a suppression ward before confronting her. I could not manifest, I could not come to her aid. I never knew how she met her end, for my consciousness was blocked by the suppression ward. She was a worthy user. I would have given her the full extent of my power to preserve her.' Lily sighed deeply.
'What about 40 years ago? Were you the one to cause all of that destruction? Did you aid Grindelwald?' she asked.
'I have no memory of the man you speak. You must know, I am not the only one of my kind. It is possible that another witchblade might have revealed itself. If that is the case, it could only have been The Prime. She was born for battle and will always be in the middle of strife and sorrow.' Lily took a second to process all the Witchblade told her. She turned to James. He didn't seem to notice anything, otherwise he would have attacked her while she was distracted.
"Say I believe you, James. How can it be removed?"
"As you might have noticed, you can't remove it from your wrist. Once you've bonded, it's impossible for an outside force to separate it from you." James paused for a moment. "That is… unless you either lose your arm, or your life."
"I think I'll keep all three," Lily replied without missing a beat.
"Are you mad, woman?"
"No madder than you, if you think I will remove it while I'm still bound to you." Lily was adamant. "Didn't you Notice last attempt at wiping my memory failed? Miserably, I might add. No," she said, raising her right hand, still encased in the gauntlet, "this is the perfect insurance. Once I find a way to rid myself of that Unbreakable Vow, I will deal with the witchblade. Plus, you seem to be deathly afraid of it, so this is definitely an added bonus."
"Listen to me," James barked at her, grabbing the gauntlet with his right hand. "This thing is dangerous!"
Before he could do anything, golden chains started materializing between the two, wrapping around both the gauntlet and James' right hand.
"The hell?!" He tried to pull his arm back, but he couldn't move an inch.
'Little one, worry not,' Lily heard the Witchblade say. 'I could dispatch of him right now and you would be free of him.'
"Do no such thing! He might deserve a sound thrashing, he might even deserve to die for what he did to me." Lily spoke the words, rather than thinking them to herself. "But, if we do this now, we would be no better than him." James' eyes showed nothing but terror.
'In that case, it may please you to know I have found another way of breaking the bonds that shackle you to him without his demise.'
"Do it!"
The gauntlet started vibrating violently. James felt his arm was about to break. The tear-shaped gem flashed a blinding light and James was thrown against the wall of the living room. He landed awkwardly on the floor. When he came to, his head was pounding, his right arm was completely numb, his vision blurry. He blinked a couple of times, trying to shake off the cobwebs, but as his eyes cleared up, he could see the blood trickling from his brow. He wiped the blood with his left hand and tried getting himself up, but his right arm gave way as he leaned on it, breaking in three.
"I was considering leaving you there and just run with Harry," he heard Lily's voice say. He looked around and saw her sitting on the couch, rifling through the Witch Weekely magazine. "Buuut, as much as I would love to dump your sorry ass, I doubt I could take Voldemort on alone. I might have the Witchblade, but since I still don't know much about it, I must admit… I still need your help." He noticed the gauntlet was no longer there. However, the gem on the bracelet still flickered fiercely, much like barely contained wildfire. It suddenly stopped, as if the Witchblade noticed it was being watched.
"Lily…" James said with a breaking voice. Lily got up and walked towards him.
"Oh, shut up. That does not mean I have forgiven you, nor have I forgotten what you've done. Now, let me fix you up. I'd hate to permanently ruin the carpet." She pointed her wand at his face and calmly casted a couple basic healing spells. "Episkey." The cut on his brow stopped bleeding. "Tergeo." The dried blood disappeared, "Now, let's see that arm… I see she did quite a number on you. Ferula." His whole arm was bound and put in splints. Finally, the pain subsided. Somewhat.
"T-thank you."
"Now, drink this." She handed him a glass of thick white liquid. "Don't worry, it's safe," she said pointing at a bottle of Skele-fix on the table.
"What happened?" James asked, still groggy.
"She did it. The Witchblade did it. I no longer feel like anything is binding us… magically, at least.
"But… How?"
"The golden chains that wrapped around our hands? Those were the chains cast during the Unbreakable Vow. She could not break them, but she ripped them from your body. Your arm didn't snap on impact with the wall, it was because of the chains."
"She?" James asked confused.
"Huh?"
"You called it She, twice now."
"She speaks to me with a woman's voice. So why not?"
"Lily… Please… Be careful with that thing."
"Oh, I will. Don't you worry. Now… for the sleeping arrangements. After tonight, I doubt we can share the same bed, let alone the same room." If no one knew what had just happened, they would have said she was talking about nothing else except the weather.
"So… what do you propose?" James asked. "If you want, I could move into the guest room or even on the couch…"
"No, you keep the bedroom. I'll be sleeping with Harry. And I don't want to be disturbed. I will think more about this tomorrow morning. Now, fix this mess. I am going to bed. Good night."
Lily walked out of the living room and up the stairs. James did not expect her to act this way in the slightest.
"Reparo." James pondered the long climb up the stairs to their… no… now it is his bedroom and just gave up. He took too steps and crashed on the couch. This had been one helluva night.