Chapter 17:
'Hufflepuff….Hufflepuff?!'
Alina watched, and cringed slightly, as Sirius' exasperated tone sounded for what seemed to be the millionth time.
'Hufflepuff!?' he raised his eyes to hers, his eyebrows knitted together as if waiting for her to provide an explanation.
'I know' she sighed 'but look on the bright side, it could have been Slytherin…'
Sirius paused for a moment, his shoulders relaxing slightly.
'I know' he sighed 'but Hufflepuff?'
Had she not been so bemused herself at the sorting, she probably would have laughed at the confused expression on his face, but she was baffled, far too baffled for humour to exist.
Sirius had received the letter from Harry over half an hour ago, and she had had to pry the letter from his fingers after he had sat unresponsive for at least a minute.
'She was scared she was going to be in Slytherin' Alina confided in him, and she saw his eyes flicker with surprise 'she thought she belonged there…because of some of the things she's done'
'-she didn't have a choice-'Sirius began.
'-I know, I know!' Alina replied quickly 'but at least she didn't end up there…and knowing your family history we should be thankful, it was definitely a possibility.'
Sirius' expression soured at the mention of his family.
'I suppose Hufflepuff isn't too bad' he relented, and he shared a wry smile with Alina 'I wonder why she didn't write to us herself…'
'She was probably too nervous that we'd react…well, like this' she let out a chuckle that was void of amusement.
'I didn't really speak to many Hufflepuffs when we were at school' Sirius commented.
'Oh I know you didn't speak to many Hufflepuffs, but I'm pretty sure you spent plenty of time not speaking with the Hufflepuff girls' Alina remarked, arching her eyebrows and earning a cocky grin from Sirius.
'What are we going to say to her?' he changed the topic, although still looking rather smug.
'We'll tell her that we're proud…and that we hope she makes lots of friends…' she went to the desk and found some parchment to begin penning the letter.
'And that she better not become a complete bore, with no competitive bone in her –'
'Sirius!' she scolded, before her expression softened and she quietly quoted 'Hufflepuff; where they are just and loyal. Those patient Hufflepuff's are true, and unafraid of toil.' for the first time appreciating the words.
Later that night, after a brief meeting with the Order, Alina slipped upstairs alone and shut herself in her bedroom.
She locked the door behind her and cast a Muffliato charm, before swiftly crossing the room and lifting up a loose floorboard, thanking Harry silently for giving her the idea.
There were a variety of items there, but she scooped out an intricately carved mirror, taking a moment to admire its polished glass and black stoned frame, before grasping two small bottles containing herbs and making her way to a more spacious area of the room, sitting down and spreading her items before her.
She paused, frowning thoughtfully down at the objects as she thought back to her and Eve's meeting with Dumbledore.
Dumbledore sat thoughtfully before them, his usually calm brow furrowed slightly after having listened to what she and Eve had related to him.
'And how long has this been going on, Eve?' he asked.
'Erm…well only since I've been here' Eve replied quietly, looking uncertain 'i-it was the fire, you see' she explained after Alina had given her an encouraging smile.
'The fire' Dumbledore repeated, mumbling to himself, and absently began to stroke his beard, causing Alina's lips to twitch slightly.
'I have already told you that unfortunately, there is very little knowledge of the Vadima…in fact, curiously little knowledge'
'Curiously little?' Alina picked up on his words, and questioned him, earning a smile.
'No matter how far back in history, there is very little that has not been passed through the ages at all. It can be in the form of writing, pictures, myths and legends, it is nevertheless there. The Vadima however, there is little to no trace of their existence. It has taken a lot of intense research for me to have discovered them at all…'
'And that is curious' Alina breathed.
'Why is it curious?' Eve asked.
'Because' Dumbledore replied 'it seems that for some reason the Vadima have hidden their existence, or at least something or someone has hidden their existence…the question being, why?'
A moment of contemplative silence fell upon the three of them, before Dumbledore broke it with a loud clap of his hands.
'Now, as for the matter at hand…I believe, and do remember this is a theory I have not definitive facts, but I do believe that Eve, you have been doing something known as scrying.'
'Scrying?' Alina asked, positive she had read the term before.
'Scrying is an ancient form of divination' Dumbledore explained 'it is the act of perceiving events that lie outside of the knowledge of your physical senses and instead through your inner eye.'
'So it's like having a vision then?' Alina asked.
'Similar, but not the same' Dumbledore answered 'scrying is achieved by use of medium, this is commonly in the form of a mirror but natural elements can also be used, such as water or fire' he met Eve's gaze at this.
'Although the use of water and fire is a lot less common' he added.
'Why?' Alina frowned.
'The elements are far less easy to control, it takes a powerful force to manipulate them for one's own use, and even then unless scrying through them is mastered, they often provide far more unpredictable and unclear results.'
'Then why use them at all?' Eve breathed, engrossed in Dumbledore's words.
'Because' he smiled slowly 'when mastered, scrying through elements is the most powerful form available, and will produce the clearest and most accurate results possible. I believe, the clarity of the vision you had together was due to the combined force of your powers' he glanced from Eve to Alina.
'Until then, am I right in guessing that you had very little control and very little clarity in what you were seeing?' he asked Eve, who nodded in response.
'So, I could scry alone?' Alina asked 'I could have visions of what I want to see?'
'Perhaps' Dumbledore replied 'although alone, it would be far more reliable using a mirror, whilst you are learning to master fire, that is, if you are able to'
'So once we've learned, I could – we could – see what we wanted?' Eve asked.
'Scrying is not always certain, there may be occasions where you will see what you want, and others where you do not' he told her 'and there are other uses for scrying as well.'
Seeing their interested looks Dumbledore continued.
'As you already know, Scrying places you in a channelling condition, used correctly you can channel visions of the present, the past and even the future – although the future is often far more vague – it can be used to locate lost objects or people and even to find solutions to the scryers own emotional problems.'
Alina felt her mouth hanging open, but she could not form any words.
'Wow' Eve stated, summing up everything Alina was feeling.
Alina licked her lips, which were incredibly dry, and reaching out for the mirror in front of her, she moved it closer so that she could stare directly into it.
Opening one of the bottles, she sprinkled a pinch of Acacia around the mirror to intensify the psychic properties of the object, and then added some Bay.
'Okay' she breathed, wringing her hands together and kneeling forward so that she was staring deeply into the mirror.
She slowed her breathing, something she had mastered over the years and as such waited for her heartbeat to slow too. She allowed her body to relax, with each breath loosening each muscle, until her entire body was in a luxurious state of peace. The only sound echoing around her was that of her breath.
It could have been minutes, or even hours, but soon the image of her reflection faded. Her blonde hair melting away, her blue eyes blending into the reflective glass.
Her reflection was no longer relevant; instead she focused every atom in her body on the task at hand.
She conjured up the image of the temple in her mind's eye. She pictured it so clearly it seemed as if she were standing directly before it. She imagined the surroundings, the towering trees that circled the clearing that the majestic building stood in, and even the feeble figure of the Death Eater scurrying towards it.
A flickering in the mirror caught her attention…or did she imagine it? She unconsciously moved closer the frame her eyes gazing deeply and unblinkingly into the glass.
It was there, the image of the temple, before her eyes.
And then she could smell it. She could smell the rich fumes of the jungle plants, the moist air emphasizing the smell until it was almost overwhelming. The sun was bright, causing her to squint her eyes to adjust to the sudden change of lighting.
And no longer a memory, no longer an imagined object, the Temple was towering over her, so real she was positive she could touch it.
Her gasp was inaudible, but she was sure she had formed it.
She moved closer to the Temple, it felt as if there were tenders of thread attaching her to the ancient structure, reeling her in, tugging her towards it.
She complied.
Closer and closer she moved, almost drifted, until she was so close to the magnificent entrance she could almost taste the history radiating from the stones.
With her own eyes she could see the carvings, the lost language that burned into her eyes, frustrating her with the mystery of their unknown meaning.
Her heart began to pump faster; it seemed to have moved from her chest and was thumping wildly in her ears. Her mouth was dry and a lump thick in her throat.
Her breath, no longer calm, was rash as she tentatively raised her hand, reaching out to brush across the engravings.
'NOOOO!'
The voice exploded around her, and she felt a terrified scream tear from her throat, as the temple disappeared before she even had a chance to blink and was replaced by a familiar face.
A face that both sent a wave of shock and utter terror right into her very core.
Bright blue eyes, wild with insanity. Blonde hair, tainted with a mixture of greys and white, strewn haggardly and lank from her head.
The face so gaunt, she seemed inhumane.
'Mum?' Alina whispered, the word sounding so foreign on her tongue that she choked on it.
Coming out of the vision was a lot like waking from a day dream, for a moment she was dazed, surprised by her surroundings, before she gathered her bearings, taking in the familiar room, the mirror and herbs in front of her and let out a shaky breath.
Two things were immediately clear to her.
Firstly, the Temple; she needed to see it, for real. Not through scrying, not through her memory or dreams, she needed to physically stand in its presence. This meant, logically speaking, that she needed to discover its location.
And as soon as possible she silently added, her mind wandering to the Death Eater that had already been there.
Secondly; her mother.
She didn't know what it meant, that her mother had appeared in the vision, but her gut told her that it was relevant. And from past experience, her gut instinct was usually correct.
A knock on the door disturbed her from her stream of thought, and she jumped violently, grabbing her wand and countering the muffliato charm.
'Alli?' Sirius' voice sounded from behind the door, and she jumped up, stumbling clumsily across the room and opening the door.
'Alli do you know where Buckbeak's water bow – are you all right?' he stopped what he was saying when his eyes fell upon her face.
'Y-Yes, erm…I think so' she stuttered.
'You look a mess' he told her blandly, moving past her and into the room, immediately eyeing the objects on the floor, and turning to her with one eyebrow raised.
'I tried to scry' she mumbled her explanation.
'You tried?' he clarified, taking hold of her arm and marching her over to the bed, pushing down on her shoulders and making her sit.
'I did scry' she corrected herself, blinking slowly to clear her head.
'Are you sure you're all right?' he asked again, a little more gently 'you seem dazed.'
'I – I guess I am a little bit' she replied, her voice slightly airy 'it, it was really weird…' her voice faded out, as her mind once again became lost in thought.
'Alli!' Sirius demanded her attention, and she snapped out of her thought path, her eyes flickering to his and her eyebrows raised as if surprised by his presence.
'Are. You. All. Right?' he almost growled, his frustration beginning to overtake his concern.
She paused before replying, her thoughts all finally coming together.
Don't think about them, just do it.
She hoped she wasn't going to regret her lack of concern for the consequences as she finally met his eyes steadily and jumped up from the bed, startling him.
'Come on!' she instructed brightly, making her way quickly to the doorway, turning to face him expectantly.
He was sitting on the bed, staring at her with his mouth hanging open.
'W-What?' he spluttered.
'Come on! Get downstairs, get transformed, we're going out.'
The second she mentioned leaving Grimmauld Place, she knew that she could have been taking him to Voldemort's doorstep and he would have come. For the last few weeks leading up to Harry and Eve leaving, his mood had gradually darkened, until he was at times almost unbearable to be around.
He was crossing the room towards her, his face still plastered as a question, his grey eyes teasing a glimpse of a twinkle.
'We're going to visit my mother' she stated blandly.
Sirius' face dropped.
'But you're sure you didn't imagine it? I mean, considering everything else, your mother suddenly appearing was a bit…well, random?' Sirius suggested, having listened to Alina hurriedly explain what had happened.
'Well that's the point!' she told him, exasperated that he wasn't keeping up with her train of thought 'it was random, but it was definitely real. Which means it must have meant something or had some kind of relevance to that Temple…'
'And how are you planning to find out exactly what that is?' he asked, before his voice became more gentle 'Alli, your mum isn't exactly…forthcoming'
'I know that' she sighed 'but it's a start, right? And we need to find out about that Temple…if it's important to Voldemort –'
'Alli, you don't have to convince me!' he interrupted quickly 'let's go.'
She grinned. No one else, in the world for all she knew, would spontaneously act on her instincts.
She nodded, glancing along the corridor to ensure they were alone. When she turned back she found a shaggy black dog gazing expectantly up at her.
'You know' she commented lightly 'I think James was right, maybe you should make the change permanent, you're far more adorable as a dog'
She chuckled lightly at his low growl, and led him to the front door, opening it slowly so as not to disrupt the portrait of Mrs Black, and as such alerting the rest of the house.
She crouched down, once they were both standing on top step, wrapping her arms around the dog.
And then with a loud crack, they disappeared.
Unsure of what she had actually expected, Alina stared surprised at how utterly unchanged the house was. It still stood strong, powerful and especially beautiful, at the end of the sweeping drive, its pure white marble still exuding irony in comparison to the darkness lurking behind its walls.
'Are you sure about this?' she heard Sirius' voice, but chose not to respond and instead marched forward in a far more confident fashion than she was feeling.
'Okay then' she heard him mutter, and follow her up the doorsteps, just as she rang the doorbell.
When she had apparated them there she had not considered what memories the visit would bring back. With all that she had suffered over the last fourteen years, the images and nightmares that resulted from her father's abuse had long since buried themselves in the very depths of her mind.
But at the sound of the bell, all of a sudden her mouth was bone dry, and her stomach began to churn in an ominous manner.
Would she see him?
Just what exactly would she find behind that door?
'S-Sirius –'her voice shook, and she cursed herself at how weak she sounded 'I can't do this –'
As she made to turn, and flee, away from the house and away from her past, the door opened, leaving her frozen to the spot.
'Can I help you?' a middle aged woman asked them, eyeing them both with slight suspicion.
'Where's Blinky?' Alina blurted, before she could prevent herself.
'The old housekeeper passed away five years ago' the woman replied archly 'is there anything that I can do for you?'
Housekeeper? The woman was clearly a Muggle. Alina felt a rush of sadness upon hearing of the death of her house elf, perhaps the only source of affection that she had growing up.
Alina decided that she didn't like the woman, regarding her pursed lips and the pretentious manner the woman eyed both herself and Sirius with.
'We're here to see Lady Blake' she informed the woman, feeling Sirius shift slightly as he recognised the edge to her tone.
'Do you have an appointment?' the woman asked pointedly.
'No' Alina replied sharply.
I do not need this right now she grumbled internally.
'Well Lady Blake is an incredibly busy woman and she does not take calls without an appointment, so I'm afraid –'
'-I didn't realise I needed an appointment to visit my mother' Alina interrupted her coldly, causing the woman to instantly snap her mouth shut.
'-h-her daughter?' her shock was obvious, and Alina used this to her advantage.
'The one and only' she smiled sweetly 'now if you'd just let me through…' she squeezed herself awkwardly, and slightly roughly past the woman, who made a sound of objection.
'Mrs Soloman, what is that racket?'
A booming voice from a room at the end of the hallway made Alina freeze on the spot, her head jerking upwards towards the sound.
'Excuse me' Sirius muttered, pushing past the housekeeper.
'Mrs Soloman!' the voice barked, and Sirius' arm wrapped around her shoulders protectively.
'I- I'm sorry Lord Blake' Mrs Soloman stuttered, scurrying past them and down the corridor into the room 'y-you have a guest here to see Lady Blake.'
'Lady Blake does not take visitors' he replied coldly, the tone sending ice chills down Alina's spine.
'I am aware, that is what I told them, but she claims to be your daughter and –'
'Excuse me?'
'Y-your daughter –'
The room fell silent, and then a scrape of a chair sounded, followed by approaching footsteps.
Oh God, Oh God, Oh God.
Why did she do it? Why did she disregard the consequences?
'Shit' she whispered, horrified by her own reaction.
'LiLi?'
She heard the name on his lips before her eyes acknowledged his presence. He had aged, his face framed with a grey beard, and his head slightly balding. He had put on a lot of weight, but he was no less intimidating than he had been when she was a child.
His eyes were still as cold, dark and soulless as they had always been.
'Don't call me that'
Silently she praised herself at the strength in her voice, thankful for the overwhelming rush of anger that immediately replaced her initial helplessness.
'And…you' her father's eyes narrowed as he recognised Sirius.
'Yes, me' Sirius growled, his tone feral 'and we're not here to see you.'
He turned to walk away, leading her with him, but she remained where she was. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor, and her eyes glued upon the man in front of her.
'Your mother won't react well to your visit…not after all these years' his tone seemed almost accusatory.
'I'm sure she'll get over it' she retorted.
'It didn't cross your mind at all in the last seventeen years to come home?' he asked 'you just abandoned your mother…'
She wasn't quite sure at what point she had completely lost her temper, whether it had been the moment she had heard his voice, the use of that horrid name, or his accusations regarding her mother. All that she was sure of was that her father had been slowly approaching her, and was suddenly thrown backwards onto the floor behind him.
'Lord Blake!' a shocked voice sounded, and Mrs Soloman came running out of the nearby room and helped the man up from the floor.
'You know very well why I haven't come back to this place' she told him coldly 'so don't you come anywhere near me. I think we both know that it is no longer you who holds the power here.'
She didn't wait for a reply; instead she turned on her heel, and regained her place beside Sirius as they made their way up the staircase.
'I can go curse him a little bit if you want?' Sirius suggested quietly, earning a forced smile from her.
'Crucio?' she suggested.
'Avada?' he continued, and Alina tilted her head, nodding slightly in consideration.
'I still don't know how he got away with it all…for all of those years' she shook her head 'I should have told someone.'
'You did, you told me' he replied, squeezing her tightly to him 'but you know, putting all jokes aside, I would kill that man – quite happily – if it would make you feel better. It's not like I haven't dealt with the consequences of murder before…just without having committed the actual act –'
She turned to him, her eyes displaying a rare openness, and she smiled sadly.
'There are plenty of people, who deserve punishment for their actions, but punishment doesn't change what has already been done' she told him 'and besides, if anyone gets to kill that man, it's going to be me.'
He didn't reply as they found themselves outside her mother's bedroom, but Alina could feel his gaze burning into the side of her head.
She ignored it, not quite sure of what expression that the look would read.
She tapped the door lightly, nausea now consuming her stomach, tainted by a spell of apprehension.
'Yes?' a muffled voice answered, and Alina's heart skipped slightly at the sound.
Mum.
She opened the door, entering the room before her apprehension grew any stronger, and sucked in a deep breath at the sight before her.
It was as if she had travelled into the past, for the same sight she had seen so many times before, appeared in front of her.
The ghost of a woman, huddled in bed despite the late hour of the afternoon, clutching a mug with both hands as if her life depended on it, and judging by the stench of the room, the liquid contained in the mug was some form of spirit.
'Mum' she sighed, regarding the woman with pity.
Not even examining the woman closely would any trace of the beauty she once possessed be found, a trait that she had been renowned for in her youth.
Her mother stared at her, her expression blank.
'You don't recognise me?' Alina asked gently, and once again got no response.
Her mother's eyes flickered to Sirius.
'I warned you to stay away from her' she whispered, conspiringly.
'Mum…' Alina began sadly, still feeling stung by her mother's words despite how expected they were.
'- you did all of this…if I were alone…alone' she muttered, frowning and fretting over her words.
Alina opened her mouth to respond but Sirius interrupted her, his eyes unusually bright, he hurried forward and crouched down beside Mrs Blake's bed.
'What did she do?' Sirius asked.
Mrs Blake paused, seeming surprised at the acknowledgment to her words, and silently Alina triumphed over his plan. They needed her mother to co-operate, and playing along with her delusions surely would help them with that.
'She exists' her mother answered simply, as if it were obvious.
'I was wondering if we could ask you some questions?' Sirius continued.
Mrs Blake frowned deeply, and seeming to have no objections Sirius carried on speaking.
'We need to find out information about a particular place we are looking for, and you might be able to help us' he spoke slowly, as if to a young child 'it's an old temple…somewhere in a jungle –'
Mrs Blake let out a loud gasp, and pulled herself out of her relaxed position, throwing herself backwards against the headrest as if trying to distance herself from Sirius.
'Mrs Blake?' Sirius questioned, alarmed by the reaction.
'Mum?'
'No, no, no, no!' her mother muttered, shaking her head profusely.
'Mum, do you know the place?' Alina questioned with more intensity in her voice.
'You can't, you mustn't…'
'Mustn't what?' Sirius jumped on her words, and Mrs Blake's head snapped up, meeting Sirius' confused eyes with her anguished ones.
'She triggered it all' she pointed a bony hand, shakily at Alina.
'Triggered what?' Alina asked, desperate for a sane answer.
'There's more than one…I was no longer alone…they will come for you. To find the others'
Alina and Sirius exchanged helpless glances, completely at a loss to understand what her mother was trying to say.
Perhaps they're just crazy ramblings.
'Mrs Blake, calm down' Sirius spoke gently 'it's all right, just try and explain what you mean, please?'
'She was like me, just like me' Mrs Blake told him, her voice choking 'I tried to love her, I did!' she told him earnestly.
'I know' Sirius replied softly.
'But the more of us…when we are not alone…the power, it can be found'
Alina fought to prevent the gasp escaping her lips; was her mother aware of what they were? Was she aware of their powers all this time?
'How? How can it be found?'
'Too strong, it is too strong to hide…and they will use us to get the others. I should have gone with the others but he wouldn't let me take her' venom laced Mrs Blake's words 'so I stayed because of her. I wish she'd never been born.' Suddenly, the hysteria in her mother's words evaporated, and she sounded more sane, more sure of herself, than she had in most of Alina's childhood.
'The others? What others?' Sirius pressed, but it seemed that her mother had finished cooperating and took a large swig from her mug, narrowing her eyes in Alina's direction.
'I've had enough of this!' Alina snapped, glaring back at her mother 'why won't you just tell me what you know! All this time, all along you knew how strong you were, you knew about my power? And instead of helping me, or at least explaining it to me, you let me go through it all alone!'
'Alli…' Sirius attempted to pacify her, but her frustration had exceeded self-control.
'You've never looked after me properly, you never helped me!' she ranted 'and I don't care, I don't need your cooperation!'
She felt her power crackling as her anger grew, and she embraced its electricity, projecting it forward with her mind and directly into that of her mother's.
She was startled by the weakness of resistance, it was unlike what she had experienced with Eve; the alcohol that poisoned her mother's system must weakened her defence enough to enable Alina a route of access.
Let's find out what you know…
Many of the memories in her mother's mind were damaged, fragments of what they should have been, slowly rotten away by her mother's addiction.
She saw glimpses of smiling faces, of Hogwarts uniforms and even herself as a baby, but however tempting it was to do otherwise, she ignored them all; they were irrelevant.
And then a flicker of something caught her attention, her mind picked up on the faintest trace of a thought wave, and she zoomed in on it, focusing all of her power on that minute detail.
'You only have one chance to enter Eternity' a celestial man stood before her, his face so beautiful it was almost painful to gaze upon 'you can either spend your existence hiding, or enter the sanctuary of your own race, of your ancestry'
'But my husband' she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
'Your husband does not possess our power. Your husband may not enter.'
'But what if –'
'Death will fall upon him upon his attempt No mortal may pass. If you wish eternal safety for yourself and your daughter, if you wish to join those you are destined to be with, you may pass now. The barrier is open for those who know where to seek. Your power is the key.'
'Can I not return to him? Ever?'
'You may enter Eternity once, you may not return. It is the price of eternal sanctity.'
She pulled away from her mother's mind as the memory faded, and felt as if an ice cold bucket of water had been thrown in her face.
'W-What was that?' she spluttered, not immediately registering the rage on her mother's face.
'YOU DID THIS' she screeched 'YOUR EXISTANCE DID THIS!'
'What was that?' Alina countered, demanding answers from her mother.
A dark chuckle emitted from her mother's throat, and her blue eyes narrowed with sheer hatred, distorting her features inhumanely, with disgust she spat in her daughter's face.
'Get away from me' she hissed.
Instead of arguing, Alina felt the familiar wave of numbness wash over her body, and barely registered Sirius protectively wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leading her from the room.
She surprised both herself and Sirius at demonstrating that her ability to apparate remained, as they appeared on Grimmauld Place's doorstep, both fully intact.
She wasn't even aware of her entire body shaking as she sunk into the comfort of an armchair once inside.
'You'll be fine' she heard Sirius tell her quietly.
'I know' she found herself replying, despite being very aware that she had returned to Grimmauld Place with a lot more questions than she had when she had left.
As she sat quietly, whilst Sirius made a cup of tea for them both, she pondered over the memory she had pulled from her mother.
The man with the beautiful face.
Who the hell is he?
A/N: Thank you for all of your reviews, I'm glad you enjoyed the sorting and that it was Hufflepuff! Please keep reviewing, they really urge me to write :) and i hope you enjoyed this chapter!x