Again, we are sorry for the updating time :(. Thankyou to all are reviewers. Please do, even if it is just about a spelling error or your thoughts in general. Also, to KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, you know what they say about intelligent people! All brains and no common sense...
Chapter Nine - Of Desperation and Discovery
Fomalhault sat in the Slytherin common room with his head in his hands. It was the early morning after Tom had given them there mission and he had gone on his Prefect rounds, giving Fomalhault, Abraxas and Cygnus time to reflect on what they'd been asked to do.
"Hi, Fomalhault," Mizar tweeted near his ear.
With a snarl, he snapped around to face her. She was annoying.
It was early in the morning and he'd been ordered to kill one of his best girls.
His only girl.
"I was wondering if you'd like to take a walk by the lake later... It's very sunny around midday," Mizar was still twittering, her voice grating on Fomalhault's nerves.
"No," He cut her off, "I'm busy."
"Well, what about later? I-"
"Mizar. Leave. Me. Alone."
Mizar frowned in confusion before turning and storming out of the common room in a huff.
"Someone's in a bad mood," Propus smirked from by the fireplace. In reply, Fomalhault threw his Potions text book at him.
Hermione sighed and sipped her pumpkin juice, feeling anxious.
The JEDs were late for breakfast and that, was unusual.
The JEDs were never late for something that involved food.
With another sigh, Hermione finished her breakfast and rose, heading for the door so she could make her way to Defence Against The Dark Arts class. She arrived at the classroom five minutes early and they were still nowhere to be found.
It was odd... Very odd indeed.
Cygnus paced about in the dorm he shared with Tom, Fomalhault, Abraxas and some other boy he didn't know the name of. He was thinking about Hermione... And Tom. He couldn't kill Hermione, he just couldn't. It was a well known fact that he had grown extremely fond of Hermione in part of a month he had known her. He couldn't kill her.
He'd have to have a word with Tom. He'd just... Refuse. He'd say no, point blank. I mean, Cygnus was loyal to his Lord but... Killing Hermione? That was madness. With a groan of despair, Cygnus threw himself down on his bed.
Abraxas strolled out of the Slytherin changing rooms and onto the Quidditch Pitch with his broom in hand.
The broom he'd bought with Hermione.
It was the first Quidditch practice the Slytherin team had had for their match against Ravenclaw the next weekend but Abraxas was feeling nervous.
"So that's our tactics," The Slytherin captain finished his speech, looking around at the team for approval. They were nodding but Abraxas still wasn't listening. He was brooding over the task Tom had given him.
He couldn't do it.
Not Hermione.
Anyone but Hermione!
"OK, mount your brooms!" The captain announced.
Abraxas slid onto his broom and rose, searching for the snitch that one of his team mates had just released. He was the Slytherin seeker and he had been looking forward to seeing Hermione's face as he zoomed around the pitch. Maybe when he'd caught the snitch, he could point to her in the crowd... And then swoop down and take her before flying away into the sunlight...
That would be absolutely perfect. If she was still alive by then...
Fomalhault or Cygnus might have already done it by then...
No. They wouldn't.
Would they?
"Abraxas! Keep your eye on the snitch! It was practically touching your nose a minute ago!" One of the team yelled as Abraxas swooped ideally around the pitch, lost in his own thoughts.
"Yeah... Sorry... I'm just tired," Abraxas lied, losing himself in thoughts once again.
"So are the rest of us! Just keep your wits about you! We need to win this match to get off to a good start!" The captain yelled.
Tom strolled down the corridor with the majority of his Knights behind him. He was late for class but he didn't care. He was happy. He had assigned his most loyal Knights a job and they would get it done. Fomalhault, Cygnus and Abraxas... Together, they were unstoppable. And killing Westron, would be as simple as doing a Crucio. For Tom, things were starting to look up again.
Cygnus had made his decision. He would not kill Hermione.
Besides, Tom couldn't kill him. He was Cygnus Black. Heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, and very rich, powerful and well-connected.
Tom was no fool, he wouldn't risk killing Cygnus. But...he could hurt him...
It would be worth it, for Hermione!
Yes but, why not stay in his favour?
Cygnus shook his head and disregarded the thought. He wouldn't kill Hermione. What utter insanity! He would tell Tom.
After all, Cygnus thought bitterly, he's got Fomalhault and Abraxas...
No, Cygnus would just have to find a way to stop them. He stood up and started pacing.
He then took a deep breath and headed towards the Come-and-Go Room, where he knew Tom was talking to a boy in fourth year about joining the Knights.
Something Dolohov was his name...
Tom sat back in his throne, relishing in his latest triumph. He now had the Dolohovs under his thumb. Not only were they an old Wizarding Family, but they also had connections in Russia, a place where most of his Knights had no existing ties too.
Tom smirked at the thought. In a couple of years, he would have all of the most influential families under his command and he could further Salazar Slytherin's noble work.
Except, he wouldn't just be focusing on Hogwarts. No, he would purge the whole Wizarding World!
Tom sat up straighter when he saw the bricks on one of the walls rearranging themselves into a door.
There better be a good reason.
Tom wasn't very fond of interruptions, or unknown visitors...
Tom leaned forward slightly when he saw it was Cygnus. That must've meant that Cygnus had already succeeded in his task. However, Tom saw that Cygnus was nervous, no matter how hard he tried to mask it.
A good Slytherin always hides their feelings...
Cygnus' face was carefully blank, and he was standing tall but Tom could almost smell his fear.
"Why have you interrupted me? Have you disposed of that girl yet?"
"A-actually, that is precisely what I have come to talk about..."
Tom started to wonder what one of his most loyal followers would have to inquire about...
"Yes," he snapped.
"...I won't kill her." Cygnus blurted out.
"I beg your pardon."
The words passed like poison over Tom's lips. Tom's stare seemed to pierce through Cygnus.
"I won't kill Hermione!"
Tom was shocked. How dare Black refuse and order from him! Salazar's heir and his master!
Cygnus knelt before him.
Tom considered his options. He couldn't risk such a conspicuous kill...he could torture him but that wouldn't guarantee his compliance...he then grinned. He knew what he could do. He would not have one of his Knights deny any order...ever.
But first, he would have a little fun.
Tom lazily flicked his wand.
"Crucio.." He drawled, bored.
Cygnus cried out, his body convulsing and his fists clenched.
Funny, he wondered how sore a Crucio truly was...it's not like anyone had tried it on him...
Tom was getting bored. Crucios were effective, but rather simple.
He let Cygnus recover for a few seconds.
Anyway, it would be funnier to let him catch his breath and relax his muscles, before hitting him with another curse...
"Haud Spiritus!"
Tom watched as Cygnus slowly turned blue, his hands started clawing at his throat as he tried to gasp in air.
He held the curse until Cygnus was so weak that he couldn't move, before lifting it.
As he lay face down on the floor, panting, Tom spoke.
"If you fail in compiling with an order ever again, that will be a warm-up act compared with what will happen. Kill Hermione, or give me a very good reason why I should not. If you can't do any of those things, I will kill your brother. What I did to you will seem like a breeze and I will make him beg for death. His head will be the only part of him that will be recognisable and it will be sent to your mother. Are we clear?"
Cygnus rose shakily to his feet before nodding, bowing his head submissively.
"Good. Leave."
Cygnus glamoured his chalky complexion and headed back to his dorm.
His brother, or a girl he had known for barely a few months.
There was no choice, but it didn't make it any easier.
He slammed his door shut and stormed through his room. Items were starting to shake and skid about with the magic that his emotions were causing.
He sat down on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands.
He would have to do it tonight, before he risked getting closer to Hermione.
There was no way to prepare for this.
With his hands shaking, Cygnus pocketed his wand before heading to the corridors outside the library.
That was probably where Hermione was know, plus they were usually empty because anyone rarely went their.
With his decision made, Cygnus waited, alone and in the dark.
Fomalhault sprawled on his bed in his dorm, thinking about what he was going to do. He hadn't seen Abraxas or Cygnus all day so he hadn't got a chance to talk to them about what they'd been ordered to do.
Abraxas had been practicing Quidditch all day and seeing as Fomalhault hadn't went to class... Well, he hadn't seen anyone.
He just hoped he'd see Abraxas and Cygnus before they decided to kill Hermione. But they wouldn't...
Would they?
They weren't that desperate to be in Tom's favour?
Fomalhault jumped as the dorm door opened but he was relived to see Abraxas walk in, frowning.
"You OK, Abraxas?" Fomalhault asked.
"What do you think?" Abraxas snapped.
"Hey, calm down. You're not the only one who's been ordered to kill her!" Fomalhault snarled.
"Bugger off, Fomalhault," Abraxas sighed, walking over to his bed and catching a glimpse of a piece of parchment. He quickly read it before turning to Fomalhault.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Abraxas snarled.
"What are you talking about?" Fomalhault demanded, propping himself up into a sitting position.
"Read," Abraxas said, forcing the parchment into his hand.
Fomalhault quickly scanned over the note.
I know neither of you will have the guts to kill her so I'm going to do it myself. Don't try to stop me. She'll be dead before you read this.
The ink was still wet on the note.
"Well?" Abraxas growled.
"It wasn't me!" Fomalhault insisted.
"Then who was it then?" Abraxas yelled before realising the only person it could have been, "Cygnus."
"Cygnus?" Fomalhault repeated.
"Yes! Cygnus is going to kill her! Where's Hermione at this time of day?"
"Ummm... Library!"
"The note's still fresh, come on! We can catch him before it's too late!" Without another word, the two boys took out their wands and set off at a sprint towards the library.
Hermione stifled a yawn as she poured over another text book about time travel. The day had been boring, seeing as her favourite JEDs Cygnus, Abraxas and Fomalhault had disappeared. Well, Izar and Propus had been in some of her classes which was a plus but still...
Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts before turning back to the huge book in her lap that was crushing her legs.
She hadn't found out much. Just that pretty much the only thing that could get her home was a free elf (which didn't exsist in that far back in time!) or a time turner.
She wasn't likely to get either.
"Hello, Hermione," A cold voice sounded in her ear. She jumped before turning around to see Cygnus. She sighed in relief.
"Oh, hey, Cygnus! Come sit down!" Hermione insisted, motioning to the seat opposite her, "I haven't seen you in the library before."
"Well, you never really see anyone in this library. Apart from you, that is," Cygnus replied, a small smile touching his lips.
Then he remembered why he was there and the smile disappeared as quickly has it had appeared.
He couldn't allow her to charm him. If he did, he wouldn't kill her and then his brother would die.
And it would be all his fault.
"I suppose so," Hermione frowned, "Where I came from, lots of people used the library. But here, it just seems a bit of a waste."
"Doesn't it just?" Cygnus said, sitting down opposite her and slowly reaching for his wand. He planned to catch her unaware.
"What are you reading?" Cygnus asked.
"Oh, nothing," Hermione said quickly, "I was just going to put it back."
"It doesn't look like nothing," Cygnus commented.
"Well it is!" Hermione snapped, "I'll be back in a minute." Hermione went and put her book back before coming back to where she was sitting with Cygnus. But Cygnus was no longer there.
"Cygnus?" Hermione's voice rang out in the almost empty library, "You there?"
There was no reply and Hermione looked around, just as candles lighting the part of the room she was in went out.
"Cygnus, this isn't funny!" Hermione scowled.
"No... It never is," Cygnus's voice seemed to come from near another candle, just before it went out. The room slowly darkened as each candle went out, one by one.
"Cygnus! Stop it!" Hermione turned and started to walk towards the door. Cygnus was frightening her and she didn't like it.
She didn't like it at all.
"Don't be going anywhere yet, Hermione," Cygnus snarled, stepping out in front of her, "I haven't got a chance to explain."
"Explain what?" Hermione demanded, squinting to see him in the gloom.
"Why I'm going to kill you."
"You... You're going to what?" Hermione gulped. She wanted Cygnus to be joking but he sounded so... Serious.
"It's not my choice, Hermione," Cygnus said, his voice barely above a whisper, "If you had a sister or a brother, would you kill someone to save them?"
Hermione didn't answer but started slowly stepping backwards so Cygnus didn't notice.
"Would you?"
"I don't know!" Hermione yelled at him.
"Yes you do, Hermione. If you had a chance to save your parents from being killed, would you take it with both hands, no matter what it was?" Cygnus demanded.
"I don't know!" Hermione cried, "Just let me go, Cygnus! You're not going to kill me!"
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because I won't let you," Hermione snarled. Without another word, she whipped out her wand but Cygnus already had his out.
"STUPEFY!" He yelled.
Hermione blocked it before sending back a spell of her own.
"LOCOMOTOR MORTIS!"
Cygnus ducked out of the way.
"TARANTALLEGRA!" He bellowed.
Hermione dodged again, making Cygnus's blood boil with rage.
Why wouldn't she just die?
"CONFUNDO! CONFRINGO! DEFODIO!"
The spells kept coming as Hermione continued to dodge.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
Hermione barely got out of the way and tumbled into a shelf of books. She pulled herself up to face Cygnus again.
"Flip, you really are trying to kill me!"
Cygnus lifted his wand again, his lip curling. "CRUCIO!" He snarled.
This time, Hermione was ready.
"Jaik-" Hermione was cut off. The Crucio hit Lind (who had been curled up on the chair next to Hermione's) who had sprang in front of Hermione. The force of it hit him sending him backwards, knocking him into a bookshelf and rendering him unconscious. Cygnus stood in front of Hermione, eyes wild and heavily panting.
It was then that Fomalhault and Abraxas ran in, wands at the ready.
They were coming to help him!
Well...she should have expected it at some point. They weren't good people to be 'friends' with...
Hermione was crying in her head. "I... I thought you were my friends!" Hermione wailed. With tears starting to run down her cheeks, she launched herself past them and started running down the corridor.