Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters, ideas and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: I am sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. I will try and have the next chapter out soon… I have no excuse, but can only profusely apologize as I am extremely overwhelmed since I am writing over twenty stories at the same time and I am trying to have them all updated and posted quickly for all my wonderful and loyal readers, all of which inspires me to never quit and become better!
Thank you for your support! Truly!
Chapter 26:
Six years ago, an assassin emerged, and her first solo act was murdering two of her own to escape her oppressors who desired to use her as their personal weapon, and coveted her as nothing but a killing machine, meant to abide by their strict rules and enact their bidding. Six years ago, Shadow Swan surfaced and instilled fear in every city she targeted, leaving her mark on her innumerous victims' foreheads, ensuring she was never forgotten, and the threat of her existence lived in perpetuity. Throughout those six years, many referred to her as a heartless murderer, a plague, a sadistic killer – rapists and pedophiles dwindled, the air was saturated with terror, and Shadow Swan became renowned as a force of nature, an assassin to be feared, for whoever turned up on her radar, inevitably ended up dead, slaughtered in the most excruciating and gory method.
Only few knew her true identity, and those who did were explicitly revealed by Shadow Swan herself.
Children were privy to a plethora of frightening tales about the cruel, lethal and cold-blooded assassin by terrified parents, and Shadow Swan was a recurring nightmare, never failing to make an appearance in the young ones' dreams. None knew that Shadow Swan herself was human, a fellow child who had been severely wronged, brainwashed, and molded into the monster they all hear about today; none knew that Shadow Swan herself had recurring nightmares of her own, featuring three particular monsters, each of whom had a major role in destroying her mind, defiling her body, corrupting her innocence, and tarnishing her soul, and while Shadow Swan never grew complacent, never in her wildest dreams did she expect two of her tormentors to materialize right before her eyes in a corporeal form, as opposed to in her dream state.
Hearing their voices, inspecting their distinctive features, acknowledging their presence, and being in close proximity to them, triggered potent fear and Odette's heart was drumming aggressively against her ribcage, frozen in her nightmare that came to life, and there was only one mantra on rewind: they found me, they found me, they found me, they found me, they found me, they found me…
Odette may be a cold-blooded, unmerciful killer who actually reveled in fear which was her own personal brand of drug, and relished in each one of her kills, prolonging her victims' death to enjoy their anguished screams and tormented pain like the sadist they all speculated her to be. Odette may be feared by hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions, but at the end of the day, Odette Arielle Potter was human, she bled red like everyone else, and that fear made her human… it was part of her humanity.
She didn't know how long she stood in a petrified state, trying her hardest to mask her horror and the trembling of her limbs, while the two sons of bitches cruelly smirked at her, their eyes vacant of any emotion, until she heard Divus' soothing song trill in her mind, awakening her from her trance, and pushing her to overcome her fear. Recovering her bearings, she unconsciously slipped back into Russian tongue as she confronted them with a pronounced sneer marring her beautiful visage, "Pyotr. Pavel. Pochemu ty zdes'?!"
It was quite hilarious really; the one everyone feared, and the one who easily instilled fear into everyone's heart, could be terrified to death. Odette magically and physically adroit, with the ability to murder someone with the simple flick of her wrist, disarm an opponent blindfolded, snap necks with her supple thighs, knowledgeable in killing with nothing but a fork as her weapon of choice in forty-four different methods, with hundreds of spells in her growing repertoire, and last but not least, could subtly teleport away by shadow-traveling – and yet, Odette feared two magic-less men. It sounded ludicrous. Completely ridiculous! However, she was still human, and Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich inspired fear within her, they have ever since her induction into the Red Room where she was the butt of their ruthlessness and torment; their personal and most favored punching bag. Her reaction was natural, and instinctive to her, ingrained into her system since the malleable age of four.
Pavel glared at her in vehement disapproval, and he spat out, "Insubordinate! Such insolence! You dare speak to us vith ill-manners! Calling us by our given names as zhough we were equals! As zhough you are OUR superiors!" Pyotr however, reacted differently as he threw his head backwards and laughed loudly, an alien sound that didn't belong with his cold features and glacial tongue. "Calm, brother. Our malen'kiy ubiytsa is nearing puberty, no? I hear zhat teenagers are very testy and defiant vith sharp tongues and abysmal attitudes," Pyotr grinned, patting Pavel's shoulder in a camaraderie fashion, his cold orbs never once leaving Odette's impassive face, "Nevertheless, dorogaya moya, in response to your question, we are here for you."
Like a predator cornering a prey, Pyotr took a step towards her, eliciting Odette to automatically take two steps back, "Do not be frightened, Odette. You vill of course, be punished for your insubordination, and for ze murders of two of my best assassins in Berlin six years ago-"
"Like hell I will, Pyotr!" she sneered, recovering her backbone, expelling a harsh breath from her nostrils. Pavel snarled once again, but was immediately halted by Pyotr who was now staring at Odette with fascination, almost as though she were an insect he was itching to decipher and subsequently dissect, "Come, come, dorogoya moya, you did not honestly zhink zhat my brother and I would just allow you your freedom, did you?" he mocked, cocking his head to the side, a Cheshire grin forming on his lips as though Odette thinking she could escape them was a laughing matter, "One does not simply leave zhe Red Room, Odette! You know zhat. Do not disappoint me. One only escapes zhe Red Room in death, like your dear friend, Zelda," he purred, his cold orbs glittering with glee as he paused to inspect her reaction to his words.
Odette recoiled backwards as though she were slapped. Zelda had always been a sore spot to her, and to hear her name uttered so cruelly and used as an example by the same man, NO, the same monster that ordered her, forced her to kill, it broke her further, and while her heart constricted with pain, her temper unleashed, opening like the floodgates, erratic, wild and thirsting for blood to be spilled.
"You've become so veak!" Pavel spat the word as though it were an expletive, his face contorting in disgust, "Look at you! Allowing human emotions to impact you. Have we taught you nothing?! Disgusting creature. Takoye bezobraziye."
Ignoring the caustic brother, emerald orbs pierced Pyotr, "How did you find me?"
"Oh, come, come," Pyotr suddenly looked disappointed – the bipolar lunatic – and inspected her face for any signs of mockery, "Odette, if you did not give us zhe slip in Berlin, you would have been trained in zhe intricacies of hacking and monitoring. I had my personal hacker monitor the CCTVs in all cities, world-wide," a smug expression took over his visage, "As well as zhe police database. I vill admit," he grudgingly divulged, "Zhat it took Pavel and I years to discover you as zhe assassin Shadow Swan, quite ingenious if I may say so," he winked. "After zhat, you were found to be a current visitor to zhis particular street, and voila, here ve are."
Divus sent an instant warning in their mental link, hurriedly exclaiming that Rodolphus and Rabastan were approaching them in concern. Numbly, she wracked her head for the camouflaging spell Loki taught her a few weeks back to change the Lestrange brothers' appearance to the Petrovich brothers. She would not risk their safety and allow them to recognize them in the future, after all, magic was inferior when compared with guns and the Petrovich brothers weren't to be easily trifled with.
"Odette?" Rabastan frowned at the two Russians, "Is everything okay?"
Rodolphus stood in a protective stance beside Odette, his face morphing into his menacing Death Eater glare. Odette faked a smile at them and curtly retorted, her emerald orbs never leaving Pyotr's interested gaze, "Yes, sir. Lost tourists. I was just giving them directions to the Corinthia Hotel." The double meaning wasn't lost, and while Pavel grunted in annoyance, Pyotr had a menacing smirk as he courteously dipped his head, his cold eyes never leaving the entrancing emeralds that were ablaze with malice, "Spasibo, little one."
As the Petrovich brothers disappeared from their line of vision, Odette found herself on the receiving end of two disbelieving stares, and she inwardly winced. The Lestranges were adept in the art of deception and could easily decipher truths from falsehoods, and it was obvious that they didn't believe her lie for even a second. "Odette-"
Odette cut Rodolphus off, unable to bear the concern and worry in his gaze that seemed almost paternal. "I'm sorry for making you wait, but something's come up, I need to leave." And without another word, she turned around and ran off, leaving the calling out of her name to mingle with the winter breeze and blow away into oblivion.
***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***
It was a lackluster day like any other in Asgard; the All-Father was ensconced in the throne room communicating tedious matters of importance with the legislative body, Frigga was concocting remedies with Healer Eir, one of the Queen's hobbies to pass the time. Thor, on the other hand, was as always, sparring with the vitriolic Lady Sif and the Warrior Three, and Loki had plucked a book from the majestic library and to humor his brother, sat in one of his favorite alcoves, where he could enjoy the refreshing breeze and watch his brother boastfully showoff his skill with both, a sword and Mjölnir.
"Loki! Come spar with us," Thor boomed out as he disarmed Fandral and bellowed a few hearty chuckles, offering a hand to his fallen friend. Sif scoffed, cynically staring at Thor and then Loki, "Leave Loki be to practice battling with cowardice strategies. He has no right to wield a sword, anyhow."
Fandral and Hogun shifted uncomfortably, especially when Thor chuckled heartily, not recognizing the biting quality in Lady Sif's tone, nor realizing she was not being kind to his brother, but insulting the youngest prince of Asgard. Volstagg laughed alongside Thor, and Sif squared her shoulders in pride, smirking slyly at Loki who was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth in irritation. However, before the silver-tongue could send back an eloquent riposte, a ruby bullet flew straight into his arms, a small face buried deeply into his chest, and he found his arms full of his favorite Seidhr, abruptly ceasing the echoing laughter in the courtyard.
"Odette?" Loki coaxed, but to no avail. In response, the young redhead buried herself deeper in his strong, protective arms. Thor, Fandral and Hogun quickly approached them while Sif and Volstagg, both of whom had never took a liking to Odette and vice versa, remained rooted in their spot, observing from afar. It was only when Loki noticed that her entire body was trembling, did his irritated mood turn disconcerted, and he gently shook her, "Grænn gimsteinn minn. You are alarming me. Whatever happened?"
In a painstakingly slow movement, Odette finally lifted her gaze to meet Loki's concerned visage and she muttered in a terrified hush, "They're here, Loki. They, they found m-me!"
"Spýta-eldur, who found you?" Fandral urged, trading concerned frowns with a grim Hogun and a baffled Thor. Odette's wild gaze traveled to each of the four men, "The Red Room. Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich-, they found me!" Loki's entire body stiffened and he clutched Odette tighter, molding her into his chest in a protective stance as he let out a spine-chilling growl.
Thor's normally jubilant face darkened in recognition; those two mortals harmed his Fjársjóður, prompting the penalty of death by Asgardian justice! Raising Mjölnir above his head, he snarled, "Let them come! I will pummel them with my hammer. Teach them what happens when they mess with one of our own."
"Never fear, Spýta-eldur, you shall come to no harm by those despicable mortals," Hogun promised her.
A collective agreement had been made that Odette would be spending the rest of her Yule break in Asgard. Despite the circumstances, Frigga was most delighted and immediately whisked away to arrange Odette's personal chamber that had been refurbished and designed as her own living quarters. For the last week of her break, Odette sparred with Thor and Hogun, caused mischief with Fandral – their main victim being bitch-faced Sif, practiced nature magicks with Frigga, and studied with Loki as well as plotted a way to deal with the Petrovich brothers for the meantime. In a surprising turn of events, when Odette confided in the royal family of her inborn gift of premonition, a proud Odin took her under his wing, adamant in honing her gift, especially when receiving visions in public, since the All-Father himself was warred with visions, too.
As always, time flew by at a rapid speed when having fun, and before the ruby-haired witch knew it, a day remained before she had to disembark the Hogwarts Express. Holding hands, Loki held Odette in a firm grip and transported themselves into Midgard.
***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***
"She von't come, brother," Pavel growled out, pacing the suite in apoplectic fury. They had postponed their stay in England at the very hotel Odette had subtly mentioned in passing, believing her to stop by shortly afterward – that had been a week ago. Pyotr sighed, his cold orbs reflected the violent flames in the fireplace, "Patience, Pavel. Odette vill come. I am sure of it."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Odette's cold voice called out from behind them; before the Petrovich brothers could fully pivot around and arm themselves with weapons, their vision turned black, and they faintly recognized their body hitting the ground before they succumbed to an unconscious state. "Nice, Loki," the redhead beamed at the Asgardian Prince who stood beside her, a menacing grin contorting his handsome features as he stared at the unconscious brothers with utmost loathing he could muster.
Loki approached their fallen forms, nose wrinkling in disgust as he flexed his fingers, itching to end their abominable lives for harming his gem. "Odette, are you sure you don't want to kill them?" and while Loki was inquiring after her opinion, he was imploring her to allow him permission to murder them in cold-blood. Odette grumbled, unable to help but add in a few sharp kicks to each of their manhood, "I have been fantasizing their death for seven, nearly eight years now, and as much as I would love to get rid of them for good, I know the way they think, Loki. They wouldn't have come to London without some contingency plans in case they were abducted or killed. No. for now, it's best if we just erase their minds of meeting me and putting them under the effects of a compulsion charm to stop their search for me in England," she sorrowfully concluded.
Thor, Loki, Fandral and Hogun were quite adamant in killing them and eliminating any future threats of their existence, and while Odette wholeheartedly agreed with them, wanting nothing more than to cross out a few names she had a vendetta against from her little black book, Odette was an assassin and a trained spy, and she learned to allow her brain to override her impulsive behavior. After all, Odette had been one of the few trusted girls in the Red Room, included with the Petrovich brothers many contingency plans, therefore, she knew how they thought, she knew their style and many methods – Pyotr more than Pavel, since the elder Petrovich took a more hands-on approach and interest to her many sessions of torture and combat lessons.
No – to best the Petrovich brothers, they needed to be killed in their own territory.
"It is done," Loki sighed, rearranging them into their respective bedrooms. He then embraced the redhead and tenderly stroked her hair, "If you need me, all you have to do is call my name and I will appear to you. At any time, and anywhere, I will find you, and if not me, then call for Heimdall. Take care, Grænn gimsteinn minn."
Consecutively, Loki transported himself back to Asgard where his parents, Thor, Fandral and Hogun were eagerly waiting for hopefully good news, and Odette shadow-traveled into her room at Potter Manor, were an angry James was impatiently waiting to confront his wayward daughter once and for all.
Little did they know, they may have gotten Pyotr and Pavel out of the way for the meantime, but it was not the end… merely the beginning.
***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***
Odette was about to turn in for the night when the door to her bedroom slammed open and an enraged yet worried James Potter appeared in her line of vision. Glaring heatedly at his audacity, the redhead snapped, "It's impolite to enter somebody's room without permission, James!"
"You're not somebody and I'm not anyone, Odette," James retorted with equal heat, his eyes scrutinizing her, making sure that she was unharmed, "You're my daughter, and I'm your father! And this is my house! While you live under my roof, you abide by my rules! I have been worried sick, spending the past week sleeping in front of the fireplace waiting for you to show up! Where have you been, young lady?"
There was a brief moment of silence as Odette's expression turned from disbelief to amusement and she chuckled dryly, "You're joking right? Is this some elaborate hoax you and your wife cooked up? What's with the sudden concern James? Got bored of your precious Boy-Who-Lived already?" not giving James any time to come up with an appropriate response or scolding, she carried on, "Don't fool yourself. I may share your blood, but you are not, nor will you ever be my father. How I come and go is none of your business, as for me living under the same roof as you," she sneered, "Don't flatter yourself. The only reason I remain here is for Harry and Harry only. Once he's old enough to start Hogwarts, I'm out of here!"
At the end of her cruel speech, James was aware that his daughter was a complete stranger to him. It was a sharp slap to the face and he cursed himself for not noticing the perceptible change until now. Her accent was foreign – it didn't resemble the British lilt, but a mixture of American dialect and something stronger, maybe Bulgarian or Russian, and he was desperate to know why and how. Where had she been during her childhood? He was ashamed to admit that he didn't notice Odette's disappearance, too overwhelmed with being the father of the Boy-Who-Lived and busy with auror duty, but he faintly recalled Daisy hysterically weeping to him and Lily that she couldn't find Odette.
Where had she been?
Unconsciously, he took a step forward, eyes widening at the lack of emotion in her eyes and her stone-cold face, and a shiver trickled down his spine. Absentmindedly, he heard the many rumors this year at Hogwarts as the Transfiguration Professor, and most students, even seventh years, feared his daughter, claiming that she had a vindictive streak and a poisonous tongue. How could he have been so blind? If it weren't for Albus' rebuke, James would have remained happily oblivious.
"What happened to you?" James finally whispered, noticing his daughter's eyes widen a fraction, too subtle for anyone to notice – but he did. "You have an accent," he began musing out loud, realizing that with every word he uttered, Odette took a step back in response, "You don't travel by floo and yet you vanish from your room and materialize back in without our knowledge, in fact, if it weren't for the wards tied to my magical signature as Lord Potter, I would still be waiting for you down in the drawing room… you disappeared… after we returned from the ball at the Ministry, I don't recall seeing you until-, until your Hogwarts letter arrived. You- you're a prodigy when it comes to magic, you recognized Grindelwald when we were all oblivious for eighteen years, and-, somehow, you rescued Albus from Nurmengard." He ceased processing his words out loud to stare questioningly into his daughter's face, and for the first time in a long, long time, James bore witness to her beautiful emeralds gleaming with emotion.
"I don't know what you are babbling on about, but I want you to get out of my room," she sucked in a shaky breath, "Now." But James stubbornly shook his head, and took a huge step forward, his heart clenching in anguish when she reciprocated a step back, farther away from his reach, "No, no, I am your father, and I know, God Odette, I know I have been a horrible father to you and you hate me," his voice was choked with tears and he struggled to keep his composure, "And I'm sorry. I'll do anything to earn your forgiveness. I want to know my daughter, please, allow me the chance to be the best father I can be. Please."
Odette turned around, not wanting to portray herself as weak in front of the man who was supposed to love her, nurture her and protect her, but instead aided in tormenting her in a way worse that Ivan Vanko, because- he was her father! The man she had looked up to and starved of his attention. "You can't just barge in here, after twelve years of ignoring me, and abusing me and hating me, demanding for a chance! You lost any chance of being my father when you dragged me here, to this very room, and hurt me after the Ministry ball. You don't get another chance with me. GET. OUT!"
Slumping in defeat, James turned away, ignoring the tears streaming down his face, but before he closed the door behind him, he left her with a solemn promise, "One day Odette, be in a week, a month, a year or ten years from now, I will earn your forgiveness. I'm not giving up, not now, not when I was finally awakened to my cruelty and unfairness to you. I-, you may hate me, but I love you, Odette. That will never change."
***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***
Two months into the second term, and Odette was convinced that her six Slytherin friends were worthy of her trust and friendship. Not once did they inquire over her disappearing act in front of the Leaky Cauldron, or why she stopped visiting them during the last week of their Yule break, and while they would curiously stare at her, they kept their mouths shut and didn't bother prying into her business. The adults were a different matter completely, and Odette was positive she had been the subject to many conversations since Rodolphus and Rabastan were two astute individuals and hadn't easily bought her lie; fortunately, she didn't have to worry about a confrontation until the summer holidays, therefore giving her ample time to come up with a cover story.
Finally, on the second week of March, Shiva slithered toward her with fruitful results concerning the mission she had given her.::Mistress, I sensed a taint of vile magic last night. I followed a girl into the first floor bathroom where the wailing ghost resides.::
Intrigued, Odette wasted no time in jumping off her bed and making a beeline toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with Shiva coiled tightly around her wrist.::Tell me more, Shiva.:: … ::She wore Gryffindor colors, Mistress, and she hissed in snake-tongue. The sink sunk! It sunk! And she disappeared.::
Shiva had found the Chamber of Secrets!
Ignoring the perpetually bemoaning and quite irritating ghost, Odette wasted no time in hissing for the sink to open, before she commanded the appearance of stairs and descended into the grimy pipes. Ignoring the nauseating skeletons of rats crunching in her wake, Odette finally appeared in the fabled chamber, eyes widening in awe at her surroundings. The second Odette set foot into the Chamber and stood before the magnificent statue of Salazar Slytherin, the Slytherin ring of Ladyship glowed and her mind was attacked with an onslaught of information, and she knew what to do.
::As Lady Slytherin, I command that you show yourself, oh majestic familiar of Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Founders Four!::
The mouth of the statue opened wide, and before her very eyes, the gigantic, poisonous green basilisk slid out of the opening, unaffected by the lethal gaze. The basilisk let out a viciously sibilant hiss and stared down at Odette's resolute gaze with animosity; Odette allowed the potent magic of her Ladyship ring to saturate the air and emerge from her being, and in the blink of an eye, the basilisk's huge head impacted with the ground, in an awkward kneeling position. ::Lady Slytherin? You are my mistress? You have come to free me from the bindings of my previous, nasty master?::
::Tell me about your previous master?::
::Tom Riddle is his name given at birth, but he fashioned a new name, one he wished would inspire fear; Lord Voldemort.::the basilisk thrashed her tail in a wild manner, aggravated by her words. ::I was hatched and taken care of by my beloved Master, Salazar Slytherin. I was to be his familiar, and he bequeathed to me the name Indra. I was to guard the secrets in his chamber and protect the fledglings from harm. Centuries later, my master's descendant located the chamber and as the Heir of Slytherin, I was ordered and forced to harm the very fledglings I meant to protect. Unfortunately, I unintentionally killed a young girl in the bathroom, and when Riddle vanished I was pleased, but now, the soul of my previous master took possession of a young fledgling and I am forced to do her bidding.::
Odette's blood boiled, raging like an inferno. How dare Voldemort abuse Salazar's familiar to achieve his own twisted agenda. Narrowing it down, the only redheaded Gryffindor that fit Shiva and Indra's description was little, foolish, and sycophantic Ginny Weasley, and despite the fact that she too, could be considered as a victim, Odette knew that she must have done some idiotic action to become possessed by Voldemort in the first place, and she would not rest until she solved the puzzling enigma.
::Indra, I am the true Lady Slytherin. I wear the ring, I am his legacy, and from now on, you answer to me, and me alone. You are now under my protection. What must I do to negate the previous Heir's orders?::
Indra's bulbous yellow eyes dilated with excitement and joy.::Mistress protects me! Yes, Lady Slytherin is truly great. You must tie me to your magic, and make me your familiar. I have lived over a thousand years in confined solitary, unfettered to the castle. Just allow my fang to pierce your finger, you shall be immune to my poison, and in extent of all potent venoms.::
Odette watched in fascination as the wound instantly healed and Indra's lethal venom meshed with her blood, a vibrant smile appearing on her face. She tenderly stroked Indra's head, suppressing her laughter over the factthat a ginormous, lethal basilisk with a fatal stare and bite, was actually purring.::Indra, Shiva and I will visit you from now on. I have two other familiars, Shiva:: She elevated Shiva so that Indra could better see the Taipan Snake clearly::and Divus, a Daemonion Phoenix, emulating an owl. If this girl possessed by your previous master approaches you, pretend that you are still loyal to him and send word to Shiva who will, in return tell me.::
::Do not leave me alone for long periods of time. It gets lonely.:: Indra sadly cried out. Smiling widely, Odette kissed Indra's temple and hissed::Don't worry, I will visit you. I promise. Also, I will have Divus or a house-elf send you raw meat and you are free to travel the forest at your own leisure, just do not kill anyone.::
One hour later, Odette joined her fellow Slytherins by the fire in the Common Room, shocking them all with her vibrant smile and cheerful disposition. Daphne, not one to beat around the bush, said, "What's got you smiling like a Hufflepuff?"
"Daphne!" Aaron and Tracey groaned, smacking her lightly. However, the six of them gaped in unadulterated shock at the redhead when she erupted into musical laughter, not at all insulted by the icy blonde's caustic comment. Whipping out her wand, Odette cast a privacy charm and ward around their armchairs and leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner, "I may have solved the Chamber of Secrets dilemma. Therefore, I am in a rare celebratory mood."
"How?" Draco blurted out, and to stress his shock, he rubbed his eardrum to hear properly. Odette smacked him in jest, "Let's just say I had Shiva remain behind during Christmas break and she finally located the entrance to the chamber. I just had a riveting conversation with the basilisk."
Tracey yelped loudly, Daphne's jaw dropped open in an unattractive manner, Theo dropped the library book he had been reading onto Blaise's head as he was sitting on the rug near his armchair and grumbled audibly while massaging his head, and Aaron and Draco were rendered speechless. Odette mentally patted herself on the back for having the foresight to cast a strong privacy ward, for Tracey shot up onto her feet and hysterically screeched, "HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"
"Or better yet," Aaron scrutinized her expression, "Why are you so effected by the attacks?"
Odette inhaled sharply, her emeralds traveling to each gobsmacked and confused Slytherin. They had already proven themselves trustworthy and Divus was adamant over the fact that they would never betray her, that they weren't the typical Slytherins that would throw her under the bus to save their necks. Her features morphed into one of utter solemnity, prompting her six friends to straighten their postures and trade equally solemn looks with one another. Divus trilled in their mental link, soothing her worries and cajoling her that they were to be trusted, spurring her into action.
"This goes in the vault, you got it?" six heads simultaneously bobbed in acquiescence. Instead of verbally informing them, she willed her Slytherin Ladyship ring to appear to them. Six pairs of eyes widened on the emerald ring, a basilisk inscribed into the stone, and they were all rendered speechless. "I am Lady Slytherin. The fact that some charlatan is emulating me and tarnishing Salazar Slytherin's esteemed name, it is an insult to the Noble and most Ancient House of Slytherin. That is why I personally made it my mission to unveil the imposter and punish them severely. It is why the basilisk didn't dare to attack me, for she is my familiar, and I her mistress."
Blaise's indigo orbs burned her, and she could practically hear his mind whirring as he processed the meaning behind her admission, "The Dark Lord is the Heir of Slytherin. It is widely known. The Potters are descendants of Godric Gryffindor, you cannot be accepted as Lady Slytherin unless-"he sucked in a sharp intake of breath and his eyes widened in a mixture of awe and horror. Tracey kept whipping her head from Blaise to Odette and back again, like a never-ending cycle, "Unless, what? Mind sharing with the class?!" she huffed impatiently. Daphne and Theo sharply gasped as well, their faces dawning in comprehension.
"Right of Conquest," Theo muttered in a hush, "But, Charlus-"
Odette interrupted him by shaking her head, proving his theory to be incorrect, "I have an eidetic memory, you guys. That Halloween, the night Voldemort attacked Charlus and I at Godric's Hollow – I remember that night vividly. I recall every single thing. Voldemort never approached Charlus. He never did. The second he entered the nursery, he felt my raw power and he showed remorse for having to kill me, but stated that he could not allow a child as powerful as me, to live, posing a threat to his tyranny. He cast the Killing Curse, and somehow, I deflected it. It rebounded and Voldemort left the destroyed nursery as nothing but a wraith. I was magically exhausted, my magic depleted as it needed recharging and I was immediately speculated to being a squib and Charlus was hailed the Boy-Who-Lived," she snorted crudely, "Hailed as a hero for sleeping soundly in his crib."
"Circe," Daphne gasped, covering her mouth in pure shock. Odette smiled wryly, "Now you see why I kept it a secret. At first, nobody believed me. James and Lily thought I was fabricating a lie so that I could gain their love and attention and steal Charlus' thunder, and I learned to remain quiet. I don't want this getting out, you guys," she warned them.
Draco solemnly nodded, "Promise."
Theo cleared his throat and odd enough, he was wringing his wrist in a sign of nerves, "I've been, I've been keeping something from you, Odette, from all of you. But I, I have no interest in following my father's footsteps and serving the Dark Lord, but I was scared of the consequences of my betrayal-"Odette clasped his hands with hers, giving him the courage to confide in her and the other five, about the conversation he overheard his father having with Pettigrew in his study, before he disembarked to Hogwarts for the start of their second year.
Suffice to say, Odette didn't take the news well – the mere fact that the traitorous, filthy rat who betrayed her family to Voldemort was living the comfortable life as a house pet and was most possible at Hogwarts. …Let's just say, Odette was about to scratch another name from her little black book, and a plan began to formulate in her devious mind.
***THE FORGOTTEN POTTER***
"You are early," a cold, menacing voice sneered as the door opened and her useless, good for nothing boyfriend appeared by the doorway, "I do recall my explicit warning that you are banned from returning empty-handed, Adolf!"
In an instant, Adolf Müller was in a kneeling position by her feet, his imploring and sycophantic gaze meeting her unmerciful eyes, "Tima, my beloved, I have succeeded. I spied on the Potter brat like you ordered me to-, I come bearing intelligence. I know of her greatest fear, Tima!"
Septima abruptly lowered herself onto the ground and cupped Adolf's chin before forcing herself into his mind, uncaring that the force of her intrusion had his body writhing in pain. A minute later, she harshly threw him across the room and continued to pace around the room, her face splitting into a sinister smile and she cackled loudly in an unhinged manger that had her minions in the adjoining room shiver in fear.
"That bitch fears two Russian Muggles?" she spat, though the triumph could be acknowledged in her tone, "Weakling. My father and I had been bested by a weakling who fears filthy muggles!" she murmured to herself. Nevertheless, it seems that an alliance shall be forged, an alliance to get rid of the Potter brat once and for all, to have her revenge, and once again, free her father from Nurmengard and cause mass destruction. Yes, Pyotr and Pavel shall join her side and together, they will eradicate the brat, and then, she will turn her wand onto them, eliminate them, and enslave the muggle world!
"Adolf!" Septima Vector curtly barked out, "Assemble a team, gather information about Pyotr and Pavel Petrovich, and then share with me your discovery." Only then, will she travel to Russia to form an alliance with Odette Potter's greatest fear.
A/N: YAY! Done! ... I hope this chapter was to your liking? XD
(1)First of all, translations are down below, and if they are translated incorrectly, I do apologize, but this is the results I received via Google Translate. (2) My Dear Readers may be wondering why Odette didn't just kick Pyotr and Pavel's asses – I am trying to show that Odette may be a cold-blooded, ruthless and lethal assassin, but she is still human, a child, and has a heart. She fears just like everyone else. She isn't exactly an emotionless robot, ya know. Seeing two out of three of her tormentors and nightmares come to life, it triggered feelings that she had been suppressing for over six years. (3)Also, about the whole Petrovich fiasco, for those that wanted Odette to kick some ass, don't worry, their time is coming ;). I already have that confrontation all planned out as it will start off a new plot-twist and new problems to arise, I have the whole thing all planned out, so be patient! ;) (4) To those Asgardian Lovers out there, I added some Asgard Fluff! Did you like it? (5) What's your opinion on the James/Odette confrontation & the Basilisk/Odette confrontation? (6) A small spoiler for next chapter: we will have a scene with Lockhart && a separate scene with our favorite Weasley Twins … it's a surprise. (7) AND, next chapter will be the last for Chamber of Secrets. (8) There was no Lexi, Lee and Bree. Odette won't act out on her vision as it has yet to happen, and there is still time for that, so be patient. (9) To those who had been impatiently waiting for Septima Vector, you can all guess what her future plan is now. Imagine, Grindelwald's spawn teaming up with the Petrovich brothers, hmm… it does sort of have a ring to it, doesn't it? I'll keep you guessing anyways. I know, I know, I am evil. LOL!
R&R.
Old Norse Translations:
Grænn gimsteinn minn – My green gem.
Spýta-eldur – Spit-fire.
Fjársjóður: Treasure.
Russian Translation:
Pochemu ty zdes' - Why are you here.
Malen'kiy ubiytsa – Little killer.
Dorogaya moya – My dear.
Takoye bezobraziye – Such a disgrace.
Spasibo – Thank you.