Note: So, having gotten distracted by making a new avatar (because as a post production student having one you made on Microsoft Paint at the age of about 15 is just unacceptable!) and also having had a sudden recurrence of LOTR obsessiveness (which hasn't really worn off yet, actually), I've finally written this chapter!
I'm not terribly pleased with how this story is going, it's being rather slow and boring, but please bear with me! After all, this isn't such a frantic story as Meet the Order of the Phoenix was, the pace generally is a bit slower. There is a lot of important backstory here! But hopefully it is interesting and the story will speed up at least a little before you all get horribly bored and start flaming me to a cinder...please try to avoid flaming me, because that would be nice! :-)
There are spoilers for Meet the Marauders in this chapter! Consider yourselves warned!
For anybody who has not noticed, the first ever Meet the... oneshot has now been posted. It is entitled Meet the Malfoys, since that was a popular name in the last name-a-fic poll. Speaking of polls, there's yet another one up because I got bored...!
And speaking of fics, specifically Meet the... fics, I can now admit to having relatively solid plans/promising sounding plot bunnies for two more stories after this. I've even written the first half of a chapter for one of them...who knows when I will ever get round to writing them, however! We could be talking years!
It is now officially the Christmas Holidays, and besides applying for my final year of university I have very little work to do! So, with any luck I might just update a little more often!
Naturally, this 'fic is dedicated to PoppiiD, for prodding me into updating again. It is also dedicated to Tonks23, for being a new face, and for writing such a glowing and shiny review for the previous chapter that I grinned like a madwoman whilst reading it upon the train, possibly mentally scarring a fellow commuter or two in the process. So, hello to you, thanks very much and I hope you, and everybody else for that matter, enjoys this chapter!
Epically long note over with, here goes nothing...
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
5: Bad Blood
Despite rising early the next morning, fully prepared to be presented with a pile of dung and a shovel, and feeling surprisingly excited about it too, Carrie found the breakfast table entirely void of life.
The muggle shuffled over towards the table, eying the plate piled high with toast, the enormous steaming teapot and assorted bowl of fruit, before dropping down into the nearest chair. She was just wondering where everybody else had gotten to and musing that it really was eerily quiet when a sudden shriek of laughter coming from one of the bedrooms very nearly made her jump out of her skin.
Carrie twisted in her chair to look towards the source of the noise, just in time to see a door being flung open to reveal a rainbow-haired Dora, dressed in an over-sized bottle green dressing gown. The witch seemingly didn't catch sight of Carrie straight away, for she immediately turned to look back into the room, exclaiming:
"What is this, anyway? A re-enactment or something?"
"Oh very funny..." Remus' voice said, not sounding amused in the slightest. "Now for Merlin's sake give me back my dressing gown before I catch my death!"
Dora seemingly chose to ignore this request, for she let out another shout of laughter, spinning back around, at last catching sight of the muggle sat at the table.
"Morning, Carrie love!" the witch half-sang, positively grinning as she sauntered across the room towards the table. She was just reaching to snatch up a piece of toast when her husband called:
"Dora...!"
"What?" the Auror shot over her shoulder, utterly exasperated.
"Seriously, give it back, I can't feel my fingers!"
"Bloody wimp!" Dora grumbled, face contorting into a scowl. "Lucky thing it was Kit by the river yesterday, isn't it Carrie?" she commented loudly as she set off back towards the bedroom. "Left it up to Remus and you'd probably have drowned to death; he can't even take a luke-warm shower without succumbing to frostbite..." She paused in the doorway and set about shrugging off the dressing gown to reveal some alarmingly bright pink pair of pyjamas. As she hurled the dressing gown across the threshold and into the room, Remus threatened:
"Come a bit closer and say that!"
Dora merely stuck her tongue at him.
"Like that, would you?" she began, only to apparently think better of it and suggest: "Cup of tea, Sweetheart?"
"Please." came the equally sober response, and Carrie decided to busy herself with a trio of cups and saucers, her cheeks tinged pink. As Dora dropped down into a chair opposite her, the muggle greeted:
"Morning Dora."
"Alright, love? Did you sleep well?"
"Like a log."
"Ah, well that's cleansing draught for you."
As she reached for the milk jug and Dora busied herself with the teapot, Carrie shuddered. The large glassful of cleansing draught that the Auror had practically threatened to force down her throat the previous night before bed had been one of the most revolting substances that Carrie had ever come across. Worse still was the fact that she truly hadn't felt unwell in the slightest! She had been convinced that she didn't need any more medicine.
Unluckily enough, both Dora and Remus seemed to have been convinced otherwise. Apparently, Dora had explained in such a melodramatic tone that Carrie had practically snatched the glassful of potion out of her hand and downed it in one, looks could be extremely deceiving. The rivers in the valley contained all manner of bacteria and magical bugs that could be downright fatal to those whose bodies had not built up a resistance to them.
You might just die if you don't drink this potion, the witch had concluded impatiently, not amused to spend near on half an hour of her evening squabbling with the teenager, and Remus had instantly scolded her for scare-mongering.
Nevertheless, Carrie had drunk the foul mixture without further complaint, and it had left her feeling a little light-headed and very sleepy.
Indeed, it made Carrie wonder if she really had managed to wake up as bright and early as she had first thought.
"What time is it?" she wondered as she splashed milks into the cups, before pushing them over so that Dora could pour the tea.
"Mm...ten thirty?" the witch estimated, before pursing her lips together in concentration so as not to splash tea onto the table.
"Ten thirty?"
"Yep."
Carrie felt a disappointed sinking feeling in her chest.
"I thought it was closer to seven." she mumbled somewhat dejectedly, and as she set the teapot back down upon the table, Dora gave a disbelieving snort.
"Seven! Sweet Merlin no, you won't see me up that early! I'll have a lie in thank you very much!"
"Well yes but you always say seven IS a lie in for you...when you've been up for work at five, I mean..."
The Auror scowled accusingly at the toast she was smearing with a generous coating of strawberry jam.
"That's not a real lie in, Carrie love." she said as movement behind them announced Remus' exit from the bedroom. "I just like to tell myself that so that my job seems a little less crap."
"Looks as though they managed to drag Teddy out of bed bright and early." Remus said as he took a seat at his wife's side. "I wonder how in Merlin's name they managed it!"
"We'll have to ask them what their secret is." Dora said, setting down the knife. "Could come in handy back home."
"I thought they were going to drag me out of bed too." Carrie confessed, still disappointed, and as the witch took a generous bite of jam on toast, she announced:
"Nope. You're in no state for work, love."
Carrie let out a disbelieving huff as she reached to select a slice of toast of her own.
"That's ridiculous!" she complained. "There's nothing wrong with me! I feel absolutely fine, I've taken that silly medicine..."
"You've taken half of that silly medicine." Remus corrected, smiling apologetically at the look of pure indignation that materialized upon the girl's face. "You've another dose to take before we finally let you off the hook."
"Cheer up, Carrie love!" Dora insisted brightly as the muggle slumped miserably in her chair. "Take it after breakfast and you'll be fit as a fiddle this afternoon!"
"What am I going to do all morning?" Carrie wondered, frowning accusingly at her cup of tea. "I'll be all groggy and horrible..."
"Well you won't be wandering off on your own, that's for sure." Dora announced, sounding far too cheerful as far as the muggle was concerned. "If you can fall into a river whilst entirely potion-free, Merlin only knows what you'll get up to with a dose of cleansing draught in you. Worse for the head than fire whiskey, that stuff is."
"Great." Carrie grumbled. "I'll just sit here and wait for it to wear off, then."
"Don't sulk." the witch instructed briskly, which only made the muggle scowl until she added: "Besides, you don't have to stay cooped up in here all morning. You can come out with us, if you fancy it."
Carrie instantly brightened.
"I do fancy it!" she exclaimed, straightening in her chair eagerly. "Where are we going?"
Husband and wife exchanged a rather long glance, apparently not entirely prepared for this sudden addition to their plans for the day, and Carrie felt her enthusiasm falter a little, he cheeks tinging pink. Surely, she thought as Remus paused in chewing a mouthful of toast, they already had plans, plans that didn't involve her. It was their holiday, after all. And of course they would offer to take her out, just like they had offered to bring her along to the Vale in the first place...
"Or I could stay here..." she mumbled hurriedly. "I mean...if...if you already had...had plans or something..."
"We're going...up to the stone circle." Remus decided, entirely ignoring her, and Dora grinned widely and declared:
"Excellent. Fresh air'll do Carrie good!"
Despite their enthusiasm, Carrie continued to feel a little awkward as they finished their breakfast. Both Lupins appeared oblivious to her awkwardness, either that or they chose to ignore it, and before long Carrie found herself downing another disgusting dose of potion before they three of them donned coat and cloaks and headed out into the chilly morning air.
Carrie trailed along just behind the couple as they led the way, arm in arm towards the edge of the village clearing. A cool breeze blew the hair back from her face, and as she began to feel the groggy effects of the cleansing draught take a hold of her senses the slight chill to the air was welcome relief.
"So..." she began a few minutes later as they reached the cover of the trees. "What's this stone circle all ab..."
The muggle was abruptly cut off mid-sentence as she felt her foot catch upon a tree root, and before she could do little more than let out a little shriek of alarm she tripped, landing amongst the leaves with a muffled grunt of pain. There was a sizeable pause and as she slowly lifted her head from the ground, spitting the dirt from her lips, Carrie heard Dora mutter:
"Bloody potion..."
"You can talk." Remus muttered back, and with that the two of them each seized an arm and pulled Carrie back onto her feet. As Dora briskly set about brushing the dirt from Carrie's clothes, the werewolf told the muggle: "The stone circle is a memorial, a shrine of sorts, to the Six Sisters who founded the village."
"Oh..." Carrie managed, reaching to wipe her grazed hands upon the front of her jeans with a wince. She felt quite glad that neither adult saw fit to comment on her latest little blunder, as instead they set off again through the trees, arm in arm once again, Dora's head leant somewhat lazily upon her husband's shoulder. They made it some distance and were just beginning to climb what looked to be a rather steep hill when Carrie once again lost her footing, this time toppling backwards to fall flat upon her back.
"Urgh..." the muggle moaned, face contorting at the pain blossoming upon her shoulder blades, and again she soon found herself being pulled firmly back onto her feet. "Whoops..." she mumbled, this time tinged pink in embarrassment, yet more embarrassed as Dora reached to pick a stray leaf from her hair.
"Never mind, eh?" the witch said as she let the leaf fall to the ground. "Not too long to go now."
As Carrie reached to flatten her wayward hair and tug at the hem of her coat self-consciously, witch and wizard set off again, Dora reaching for Remus' hand, only for him to pause to glance over his shoulder to observe Carrie's next dazed couple of steps.
The couple exchanged a long glance, and Carrie just about caught sight of Dora's raised eyebrow before Remus gave the witch's hand a firm squeeze, before releasing it.
"Here," the werewolf said, taking a good few steps backwards until he was at the muggle's side. "Give me your hand."
Despite Carrie's utter humiliation, she allowed herself to be led on up the hill, and Remus promptly saved her from yet another tumble when she stumbled over another tree root. As Dora trailed along behind them, talk turned once again to the Six Sisters, and so began another tale of the village that Carrie found almost as unnerving as that from the day beforehand.
"They were the six daughters of a famous Dark Wizard catcher named Alastor Gray." Remus recalled as they weaved their way through the trees, steering Carrie well clear of any large tree roots that crossed their path.
"'S who Mad-Eye's parents named him after." Dora recalled, frowning deeply. "No wonder he ended up such a paranoid old git!"
"Indeed...Alastor Gray was known to be exceptionally paranoid, so much so that his daughters found him utterly unbearable to live with. He was so very over-protective of them that as young children they rarely mixed with anybody other than each other, and they were rarely allowed to leave the house without one of their parents with them. But, since their father was such a renowned Dark Wizard catcher, the family was vastly rich and owned acres upon acres of land. And so the sisters spent their days outside in the woods and in the fields, which is where they got their interest in wildlife."
"How do you know so much about them?" Carrie wondered, as usual quite impressed by Remus' seemingly ending supply of knowledge.
"Fourth year Care of Magical Creatures." the werewolf recalled, and his wife instantly recalled:
"Question Five: Name the six daughters of Alastor Gray who together founded the Six Sisters Vale Sanctuary in...whenever it was." As Carrie glanced over her shoulder she saw the witch's face contort in irritation. "I remember," Dora said, "because it was such a stupid question. Who honestly cares what their names were, as if anybody would manage to remember..."
"Zelda, Imelda, Esmerelda, Ada, Alinda and Hilda." Remus recited, counting names upon the fingers of his free hand, and Dora instantly demanded:
"Oh shut up!"
"Is there anything he doesn't know?" Carrie wanted to know, and Dora sought to wipe the smirk from the werewolf's face as she announced:
"Well I can't be certain, Carrie love, but I don't imagine he knows that Alastor Gray was the inventor of the Foe Glass, and not only that, but his defeat of the Dark Wizard Algavaine in 1423 brought about the establishment of the Gray Wardens, whose Charter of Righteous Protectors was later used for the basis of the original Aurors' Code of Conduct, when the third Ministry of Magic set up the Auror Department in 1681."
There was a lengthy pause as Carrie was forced to bite her tongue against laughter, and Remus stared somewhat blankly at his wife for a moment before admitting:
"I can't say I did know that, no."
"There you have it then, Carrie." Dora said, positively grinning with glee. "There is something he doesn't know!"
Remus offered her an unabashed raised eyebrow as he turned and continued to lead the way on up the hill.
"Oh but I know now." he said.
It was not for many long minutes of sniggering and the odd giggle that Carrie finally consented to musing:
"I don't suppose Alastor Gray liked it that much. His daughters all disappearing off into a forest with a bunch of dangerous magical creatures, I mean."
"All the more reason for them to do it, then." Dora muttered, and Remus rolled his eyes.
"No, I don't suppose he did." he agreed. "But they went all the same. They set up camp on their very first night here atop this hill. And that's where their children built the Stone Circle to commemorate them...and there it is!"
Carrie looked up for her careful inspection of the uneven ground in front of her, to spot a series of towering stone statues, weather-beaten and disfigured with age, set in a circle in the clearing at the crown of the hill.
The trio came to stand in the middle of the circle, looking up at each tall stone figure in turn, six witches each dressed in long flowing robes, medieval mantles of stone twigs upon their brows.
"I wonder who's who." Carrie mused, peering up at a particularly stern looking figure who appeared to have lost her nose.
"Which witch is which?" Dora said, rocking back on her heels thoughtfully. "Well that's got to be Imelda, she looks like the mean one with a nose like that. Very Riddle-esque!"
"What was mean about Imelda?" Carrie asked, shuddering a little at the Auror's chosen comparison, and Dora puffed her cheeks in consideration.
"Well," she decided a moment later, "not a whole lot to begin with. Imelda Gray was liked well enough, it was Imelda Carter who was a bit of a nutcase."
"Carter?" Carrie repeated, feeling quite startled by the familiar name, and Dora raised a knowing eyebrow.
"That's right, Imelda Carter. She had a bit of a falling out, you see, with the other sisters. At first, when it was just the six of them and none of them had married yet, they all got on well. They decided if the sanctuary was to run successfully one of them ought to be in charge, and quite naturally they all agreed that the eldest sister ought be the boss."
"But it just so happened that the eldest two sisters, Imelda and Zelda, were twins." Remus explained as he continued to circle the clearing, looking up at each statue in turn.
"So," Dora went on, "they decided that they would both be in charge, share the responsibility. And that was fine for a while, but then Imelda married Alaric Carter, and he thought that they as a couple should be the ones in charge."
"Zelda and the other sisters were strongly opposed to such an idea, and so Imelda began to distance herself from her sisters, and Alaric Carter hatched a terrible plan for them to take control of the valley."
"What sort of plan?" Carrie asked, stomach clenched in anticipation, only for Remus to shake his head.
"Nobody quite knows what he had planned, only that it failed...ultimately."
"Some sort of ancient and dark magic." Dora murmured, sounding somewhat unnerved by the recollection. "He meant to use it to kill Imelda's maiden sisters, but Imelda was not entirely convinced by the idea. By the time they finally went ahead with the plan it was almost futile, all but the youngest sister Hilda had married and most of the sisters had children and relatives living in the Vale. The entire nature of the place had changed."
"So...he didn't kill anybody?" Carrie asked uncertainly, only for Remus to shake his head again.
"Hilda died a day before her wedding." he said, and Dora added:
"And Alaric the day after. They say Imelda struck him down dead. She couldn't stand the thought that he had murdered her sister."
Carrie was left to gaze up at the disfigured face of Imelda Carter as Remus and Dora set about spreading their cloaks out upon the floor, and as they settled down upon the ground, Dora sprawled upon her back to stare up at the sky above, Carrie at last turned back to face them.
"D'you think..." the muggle mused, shuffling over to stand by Dora's feet. "There's such a thing as...as bad blood?"
Remus' expression grew uncharacteristically dark, and Dora's gaze dropped sharply to fix the muggle with a piercing stare.
"Absolutely not." the witch snapped, and Carrie ducked her head, biting her lip.
"I didn't mean...like...like well..."
"We know exactly what you meant." Dora interrupted, apparently quite offended by the suggestion, and Remus reached to lay a hand upon her arm.
"There's no such thing as bad blood, Carrie." the werewolf informed the teenager sternly. "There's only bad influences."
"Yes..." Carrie mumbled, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. "But...what I meant is...well...well if your parents are...are bad then you'll be bad because, like you say, they influence you and...and that'll happen to your children and theirs and theirs...like...like blood..."
Dora gave a huff, ignoring Remus' grip upon her arm tightening.
"You've got far too bleak a view of the world for somebody who's barely started living in it." the Auror observed grimly. "Try and glimpse a rainbow or two before you hit your twenties, won't you, love? Because pessimism won't get you very far in life."
Remus' grip upon Dora's arm grew so tight that Carrie thought it looked quite painful.
"What Dora's trying to say," the wizard explained meaningfully, as the witch's gaze drifted defiantly skyward once again, "is that life isn't that black and white. We aren't influenced by relatives alone, we are influenced by life as a whole. Yes, it's true to say that our parents are a major one of those influences, but we don't have to copy them, and it does nobody any good to judge a person on their relatives. Judge a person by their actions, Carrie. It's the fairest and most accurate method, even if not everybody else will agree with you."
Carrie nodded vigorous agreement, cheeks burning, and she glanced down at Dora, determined to say something to break the sudden atmosphere...
"Dora...?"
"Hm?"
"Um..." Carrie attempted to swallow the lump in her throat, and when it didn't make her feel any better she resorted to asking: "Can I...can I go for a walk?"
"Knock yourself out, love." came the nonchalant reply, and as she shuffled off to hide amongst the trees, Carrie wondered if this was in actual fact a serious suggestion.
She returned to the hilltop some twenty minutes later, guilty and creeping, where she found Remus and Dora almost exactly as she had left them, he sat gazing up at one of the statues, raking his fingers through the witch's hair, now a leafy shade of green, as she lay with her head in his lap.
"Well then," Dora was musing, reaching to stretch an arm lazily up towards the sky, "perhaps Carrie isn't half wrong. Perhaps I'm proof...Bad Black Blood!"
"I rather doubt it." Remus murmured, thumb scuffing her cheek soothingly. "You didn't hex her, after all."
"I do try, you know."
"To hex her? Sweet Merlin..."
"I'll bloody hex YOU in a minute!" the witch exclaimed, reaching to grasp a fistful of his hair threateningly, only for her grip to slacken to a caress instead. "No, I mean I do try not to lose my temper."
"I know." he said, catching hold of her hand in his so that he could press a kiss to her fingers. "I know you do and she knows it too."
"Does she?"
"Of course she does."
"It's just...well..."
"Shh."
"...but I've always hated the comparison, you know! They made such a thing of my blood, when I signed up at the Ministry. Sometimes I reckon...if it wasn't for Mad-Eye, they'd have chucked my application in the bin without so much as a second glance!"
"Well thank Merlin for Mad-Eye, then." he murmured, toying with the wedding band upon her finger, before looking down at her with a a smile as he said: "Now then, my darling, how should you like lunch up here whilst the sun is still out?"
"Mm..." she mumbled, sounding distinctly sleepy, "I reckon I should like it very much."
"Well then," he breathed, reaching to ease her up from his lap, only for her to twist and throw her arms tightly around his neck. "I better hurry up and fetch it."
"What are we having?" Dora asked, though it seemed a somewhat pointless question for she promptly stifled any chance he had to respond with a firm kiss to his lips.
"Anything...you like." he managed between kisses, and she sucked in a deep breath, leaning back and glancing up thoughtfully, expression instantly mischievous.
"Ah," she began, causing him to lean to stifle a resigned snigger into the crook of her neck. "In that case, Sweetheart, I think I would like...some champagne..."
"Mm..."
"With caviar on toast."
"Mmhmm..."
"And some chocolate spread sandwiches."
"Right...is that it?"
"No. I want apple crumble with custard for pudding."
"Mm..."
"With cream. Loads of it. And then I want some strawberries."
"Alright then..."
"Obviously there has to be cream with those, too. That should do."
"Mm...so that's a bottle of champagne, some caviar on toast, some chocolate spread sandwiches, apple crumble with custard..."
"And cream."
"...and cream, and finally strawberries with cream?"
"That's it precisely, Sweetheart. That's what I want for lunch."
They managed just a few seconds of seriousness before she collapsed giggling against his shoulder, and he puffed his cheeks wearily and announced:
"Well, if that's what my darling wants..."
"Oh stop it!" she exclaimed, planting a kiss upon his cheek, but he seemingly refused to be deterred.
"...that's what my darling gets." Turning to press a kiss to her forehead, he gave her a gentle push upon the shoulder and told her: "I'll be back soon. Try not to hex Carrie too much whilst I'm gone."
Carrie watched as he carefully untangled himself from the witch's grasp, faltering a few times in favour of a kiss, before rising stiffly to his feet, snatching up his cloak to throw around his shoulders. He set off back down the hill, leaving Dora to stare after him with a sigh.
For a while, Carrie simply stood amongst the trees, watching as the Auror settled back down to lie upon the ground, staring up at the sky. Carrie felt foolish for her earlier questions, yet she supposed she hadn't really been able to help them. She couldn't quite seem to put her wonderings about Kit Carter out of her mind, and it would would be a lie to say that for a while the tales of his ancestors had not left her feelings about him somewhat shaken.
Merlin, she thought despairingly as she watched Dora reach to pull her jumper more firmly down over her hips, she really should have given her questioning a little more thought. Of all the people to ask about blood, she'd chosen to ask Dora...
The muggle felt compelled to say something comforting. Silently she shuffled out into the clearing and went to lie down upon the ground at the witch's side, ignoring the slightly damp leaves against her hair. Dora was motionless beside her, and did not look sideways at the muggle until Carrie admitted:
"You've got her eyes."
Dora offered the girl an inquiring frown, and Carrie whispered:
"Bellatrix. When I saw her, in Remus' home village that day, when I thought she'd kill the lot of us, that's what I thought. I thought...those could be Dora's eyes, almost."
Bellatrix's almost-eyes returned to their observation of the sky and Dora murmured:
"Perhaps that's why I chose them. Any similarity would have pissed her off no end. And I like that."
"Did you choose them?" Carrie asked, twisting so that she could prop herself up on one arm, and the Death Eater's niece frowned again.
"Yes and no." she said. "This is their natural colour. But I suppose I choose not to change them."
"I wanted you to change them," Carrie confessed, "for a time. When I had nightmares. But now...now I'm glad you keep them. I'm glad they look like hers."
"Why would you be glad of that, Carrie love?" Dora asked, dark eyes once again upon the muggle's face, and Carrie gazed straight back at her.
"Because it reminds me you're proof." she said, causing the witch's lips to curve ever so slightly towards a smile. "Your proof that what you and Remus say is truth. There's no such thing as bad blood. No matter what anybody else thinks."
And so it was that any doubts about Kit Carter, descendent of Imelda and her murderous husband, were entirely lost from Carrie Winters' mind. Because she had herself entirely convinced that people were wrong about him. As far as she was concerned Bellatrix's almost-eyes were all the proof she needed.
But in her haste to do what was fair and just, the muggle had entirely forgotten the rest of what Remus had told her. She had not a care for other influences.
No indeed, Carrie Winters was far too intent on glimpsing rainbows.