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Chapter 35 – Karma
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…
"Grimm."
The voice addressed her with a youthful tone of worry.
…
"Grimm."
It called again.
…
"Do it."
Grimm felt something sharp press against her temple.
She shivered as she looked to the side, and found herself pointing her wand against her head.
The witch's body was small, untrained and young. Tears poured down her cheeks and she was so, so very afraid.
Grimm looked about her surroundings and recognized it as Tonks' old room. She was a little girl again, wearing the pajamas she borrowed from her classmate she was staying with.
"Do it," the voice said.
Behind Grimm, was the child Tonks. Her eyes filled with a cruel malice. A look of pure loathing seeped in every trace of her expression.
"No, this wasn't how it was," Grimm muttered.
"Do it, Grimma! Obliviate yourself!"
"No…"
"I wish I'd never met you!"
"NO!" Grimm screamed.
"I HATE YOU!"
"OBLIVIATE!"
Darkness blotted Grimm's vision.
When her sight returned, she saw herself in her parent's bedroom. Her mother was packing up all her belongings, a blank expression on her face. Alongside her was Grimm. The daughter pointing a wand at the mother, commanding her to begin her new life. A foolish child, who thought she knew what was best.
Stop it!
Don't DO IT!
"Obliviate."
Her mother's memories erased. The location of where she was sent to, gone.
Her sorrow drowned in her screams.
Grimm's father hugged her with his mutilated body.
She choked on the poison of her own guilt.
Deeper and deeper she sank into her demon's cold embrace.
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X
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"How is she today?"
"No change."
Norse joined Liar at Grimm's bedside. Together, the two looked on hopelessly at their leader's unwaking slumber. Accompanying them in the bedroom was Moody, Kingsley, and Aberforth.
"Come on, Grimma. Fight this, girl. Yer made of tougher stuff than this," Mad Eye growled, while placing a hand over her head. "Come back to us, you ruddy fool."
Kingsley rested his palm on the man's shoulder in consolation. "She's strong, Mad Eye. She'll pull through. You trained her, after all."
"Apparently, not enough."
"I doubt she would see it that way."
Moody nodded, but continued to speak to her, quieter this time.
"Don't do this, Grimma. Don't you dare fucking die on me."
Kingsley turned to Aberforth. "I want to thank you again for lending us the room."
The owner of Hog's Head Inn only shook his head gruffly.
"The little lady gave her everything to protect the children at Hogwarts—honoring a promise I shouldn't have imposed on her. She gets whatever the hell she needs, and then some. You two," he addressed Norse and Liar. "You tell me if there's anything else I can provide." And with that, Aberforth turned and left the room.
The Forgiven thought bringing her to Hog's Head Inn would be safer than Hogwarts, while, at the same time, still keeping her close by. Aberforth gave them a room, the second they asked.
And there they all stood, around the sleeping woman's bed.
"What has Dumbledore to say about this?" Kingsley asked.
"He believes the cause is linked to her use of the Cruciatus Curse, coupled with the activation of her Origin Magic. Something about the compounding aftereffects of dark magic leading to this karmic backlash."
"Karma," Liar scoffed. "To think the consequences of our actions would demand payment in the form of this."
"Given her recent behavior and action, this fate seemed inevitable."
"Norse?! How could you say that?!"
"I do not say it in spite of her. I say it in spite of myself! I saw this coming, and I did nothing! My words failed to assuage her and now this happens!"
"This isn't your fault."
"Isn't it?"
"Enough, the both of you!" Moody's voice drowned the other two. "Albus advise any sort of solution?"
Liar and Norse shook their heads.
"He said we could only let the curses work its course. Health-wise, there's not a thing wrong with her. Bloody fucking helpful, that is."
"There must be something we can do."
"In the meantime, Troll Garden continues to move. Tis only a matter of time before Voldemort makes his gambit."
Kingsley gripped Moody's shoulder. "We should see to the matter. Let the three have their time. They need it."
The veteran Auror gave a stiff nod. With one last parting look at his apprentice, Moody and Kingsley stepped from the room, closing the door behind them.
Neither Liar or Norse moved. They only stared down at Grimm's sleeping face, hoping in silence that she would wake. Finally, knowing that no amount of wishful thinking would help, Norse started writing words into the air.
"Is there nothing we can do?"
Liar didn't respond.
"Liar," she wrote.
Still nothing.
"LIAR!" the word crackled, and Norse grabbed him by the shoulders, forcing him to face her. There, she could see the wizard was holding onto something tightly in his hand. "That is…"
"Heh. I wonder if Grimm would be cross," Liar revealed a weary smile.
Clutched in his grasp was the Sorcerer's Stone. The very one Grimm had tossed him, the night they presented Dumbledore with the Mirror of Erised.
"Why do you have that?"
Liar only shrugged. "Grimm didn't want you to know. Told me to keep it, just in case any of the students met with anything unfortunate."
The two stared at the stone and contemplated the consequences of using it.
"How like her. She could have told me."
"She knew you would have disagreed."
"I would not hesitate to make use of it."
"How curious. I am of the same mind."
Norse took the Stone in her hands and glanced at Grimm.
"She would hate us."
"She would murder us."
"And then spoon feed us Elixir of Life, so she could do it again."
"Let it never be said, even in our darkest of hours, we never spurned a moment for deliciously poor humor."
They both shared a cheap chuckle.
"So, we are in agreement, then? We shall use the Stone on behalf of our dear leader."
"Agreed."
"I, for one, am not."
Norse and Liar turned to the door with wands drawn, and saw Dumbledore standing there.
Without sparing a second, the Headmaster strode past the two to Grimm's bedside.
"The Elixir of Life does not act as an all-cure," he continued. "It would not save Grimm from her current predicament."
Norse and Liar gulped.
"You knew we didn't destroy the Stone."
"I presumed you would in time."
"What do you mean it will not work?"
"The Elixir would prolong the life's current state. If you were to give the serum to Grimm presently, she would only be kept in a perpetual state of vegetation."
Norse choked at the thought.
"Then, what can we do?"
Dumbledore turned to them with a grave purpose.
"She must overcome this herself. If not, then her time has come. As for the two of you, I urge you to continue carrying her will. It is what Grimm would have wanted." The older man paused. "Stay the course. Do what is necessary. Whatever the cost. They were her own words."
Liar clenched his fist. He readied to accost Albus with every verbal profanity he could think of, when Norse clasped his hand.
"We understand. We will go."
Norse hurriedly led Liar out of the room, and outside Hog's Head Inn, before he exploded.
"What the bloody hell was that?! You don't honestly plan to listen to him, do you?"
"Of course, not. Albus believes us expendable. Grimm, especially."
"Then, why?!"
"Because he is right about one thing; we must stay the course. Liar, we cannot lose our heads. The students of Hogwarts take precedence, and if Grimm were awake, she would tell us to hold their well-beings above all else, including her own."
Liar stared incredulously at the large witch, before taking sharp breath in.
"You are my rock, did you know that?" he said after a time.
Norse clapped him on the shoulder.
"We shall save the children and Grimm, of that I promise, brother. Come, we have much work to do."
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X
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"Wotcher, Grimm," the voice greeted her.
"Wotcher, Tonks," the witch responded tiredly.
Sitting naked in an uncomfortable chair, in the middle of a cold cell in Azkaban, was Grimm. The ones standing outside her cell were Tonks and Moody. The two of them glared at her in accusation.
"Ready for the next one?" Tonks asked.
An apparition of a witch materialized inside the cell. A witch from Troll Garden.
"Remember her?"
Grimm looked at the spirit.
"Should I?"
"Hm. Of course, you don't remember. Well, perhaps you'll remember the Crucio you inflicted her with."
At that moment, Grimm felt glass sprout from her insides like growing frost. The shards pierced her inner organs, making their way through her intestines. She could hear cracking crystal in her ears. Every twitch of pain sent more jagged edges into her most vulnerable spots.
"Why is her Crucio glass? Care to answer Grimm?" Moody growled.
The witch tried to, but just breathing meant shards puncturing the walls of her lungs.
"Answer the question!"
She spat blood and wondered if she would drown in it.
"You tortured her! You know why!"
Grimm felt herself dying.
And at the instant of her death, she was whole and naked again.
"Her mother…" Grimm panted. "Her mother made her…! Swallow broken glass whenever she was bad…! And then…! And then, mended her so she could do it again…!"
Tonks and Moody never answered. They only looked on with disdain.
"She was a child at the time…"
"Yes," Tonks answered.
"She didn't deserve it."
"No," Moody replied.
"Not back then. Not when I did that to her. She didn't deserve any of it."
"No," they both answered.
"None of them did."
"No."
"AND IS THAT THE FUCKING POINT?!" Grimm screamed. "I know none of them deserved it. I know this is my punishment, so get on with it!"
"No."
"What do you mean 'no'?!"
Grimm turned up at the entrance of the cell and saw Kingsley and Dumbledore, where Tonks and Moody had once been.
"Punishment is not the point of this exercise, Grimma," the Headmaster lectured. "At least, not entirely."
"Then, what is the point?! I'm dying at the end of this, aren't I? I can feel it! I'm dying!" Grimm pressed her head against her knees. "I'm finally dying…"
"You've always been so sharp, Grimma. Use that keen mind of yours," Kingsley spoke to her.
"For what?!"
"To understand."
"Understand, what?!"
"The reason why you want to die."
Grimm choked, and felt something heavy fall into her gut.
"I…want to die?"
"Dear, what do you think this all is?"
"Alice?!"
Before Grimm, stood the Longbottom family.
"Once you've felt your part of the suffering you've inflicted on others, all that's left is to die. But the thing is—" Frank tapped on the prison bars. "—you won't be freed until you've found the answer."
"So while this all goes on, think real hard about why you want to die," Neville piped up. "And the truth will set you free."
Grimm's senses blurred.
The worst memories of her childhood played out again with twisted fantasy. They were worse than the Crucio she cast on others. Nothing was worse than her own memories. These times, which were supposed to be her happiest.
The times with Tonks and her parents were supposed to be her comfort, her safety. She hated them, but also clung to them in desperation. And that made it all the more painful to relive again…
And again…
And… again…
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X
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"Firenze! Bane! Pleasure as always!"
Norse elbowed Liar in the ribs, which forced him into a bow.
"Greetings, Firenze. And to you as well, Bane."
"Greetings, Friend Norse," Firenze returned the bow.
Bane only gave a sharp sniff of displeasure. "Why do you continue to meet with these humans? They are no longer any part of our concern."
"They are our allies."
"In what way? Tell me, how much blood have they shared with us? How many lives have they given in the defense of our Forest?"
"Bane."
"How many of our people have died compared to their one wounded?!"
"Enough, Bane!"
"Hmph!" Bane crossed his arms.
"Please, do not mind it. How does Grimm fare?"
"Not too well. She refuses to wake." Norse answered softly.
"You have my sympathies."
"Thank you. The gesture is enough. I would rather hear of the news you bring."
Firenze nodded. "We have located the army's main host."
"Oh!" Liar yelped. "….Oh. Is that good news, anymore? I swear, I can't tell the difference these days."
"Where is the host located?"
"Twenty leagues north of Hogwarts," Firenze answered. "Three hundred strong with the trolls."
"That. Is. Substantial."
"Less than a week's travel on foot with the trolls in tow. The battle is imminent."
"They're practically on our doorstep. How, exactly, did they come within such close reach without detection?"
Norse and Liar couldn't help but throw a questioning look at the pair of Centaurs.
"The clans in that area have chosen a passive stance against the intruders. I believe, they may have been cautious of damages to their homes, if they had notified us of the army's whereabouts sooner," Firenze explained.
"The Trolls and their masters have also left all the clans' lands intact," Bane added. "Besides their initial entering of the Forest, they have elicited no further provocation to us, Centaurs."
"…Is that your roundabout way of saying the clans won't help us defend Hogwarts?" Liar squinted.
"Take it as you like. Enough of our people have died for this. This 'Troll Garden' has seen what happens if the ire of our people is stirred. As such, they have done nothing to raise our ire further. This war is now between you humans, and you humans alone."
"Bane," Firenze began to plead.
"Enough! You have entertained these humans' foolishness for long enough!"
"We have seen the Dark Lord's ways. He will not stop with the school. He will bring more trolls and the Giants into the Forest. He has already summoned those foul Dementors!"
"This is NOT our war!" Bane bellowed.
"It will be!"
"There has been no sign that will be so!"
"YOU DO NOT NEED THE SKY'S GUIDANCE TO SEE WHAT COMES AFTER THIS!"
"Careful, how you tread, Firenze," Bane loomed threateningly near. "You do well to remember who your people truly are." He turned to scowl at Norse and Liar. "The clans will no longer participate in the campaign against the Trolls. Defend your school yourselves." The Centaur then circled, and galloped away.
The three watched Bane leave into the Forest. A tense silence fell between them.
"Is that right, Firenze?" Liar broke the silence. "We won't have the Centaurs with us?"
He nodded gravely. "That is the decision our clan leaders have come to. All of them. I am…sorry."
Firenze left them a crude map, indicating Troll Garden's location, before taking his own leave.
"Still think we can do this, sister?"
"We must."
Norse felt her arms shake, but stilled them with a fierce resolve.
We must.