"Welcome ladies… to Nott House!"

Theo made a dramatic bow for them as they came through the floo, into a moderately sized entrance hall decorated with many magical portraits. He had warned them that for one the portraits were really rude, and second that the house was really draughty… and Crucie found that he hadn't lied. She pulled her robes tighter around her.

"Nice place…"

Theo rolled his eyes.

"The family house, built seven generations ago. It's too big, impossible to heat, and infested with probably every type of fungus you can think of. Don't lift any carpets."

"A little respect for the house of your ancestors, you little rat!"

"These days no one respects traditions anymore!"

"A dirty mudblood in our pure household, how dare the little rat!"

The portraits had woken up and decided they had to spill their opinion on the guests. Theo just rolled his eyes again and brought them to the first sitting room. He explained the overabundance of portraits in the entrance hall.

"We stuffed all the portraits that weren't permanently stuck to the wall into the hallway. It's great to chase away any unwanted guests, and like that I don't have to listen to them all day."

"Smart."

"My thoughts exactly. Now… want a tour of the house?"

They got to see quite a lot of the Nott House, and the most important observation was that almost all of it was equally dreary and cold, and also largely empty. Theo didn't hold back on the criticism and anecdotes, making the girls laugh out loud.

"Where is your room?"

"In the basement. It's actually the warmest part of the house; the ground isolates it well and the fires in the potions lab are always burning. I made sure you had rooms down there as well. They're small, but trust me; all the warming charms in the universe can't heat up the master bedroom in this place, and at night warmth is worth more than space."

"We trust your judgement."

"I may hope so."

(Pagebreak)

They watched how Theo waved his wand to open doors and move curtains, and finally Hermione dared to ask,

"How can you do magic here?"

Theo grinned.

"That's a good story… You see… this house is Unplottable."

"What? But… I thought only important buildings like Hogwarts and Azkaban and the Ministry of Magic were made Unplottable!"

"Well, that's what the story's about." Theo's eyes darkened a bit. "After my dad went to Azkaban, we had a lot of trouble with… well, call it attacks. Vandalism, burglary, threatening howlers… You get the idea. We had gotten penalties for having overly strong wards, so all we could do was just sit it out, really. We went to the Ministry more than once, but they always claimed it either a joke or muggle criminality. As if muggles would paint something like "DIRTY DEATH EATERS" all over our house, or manage to break through the weak wards we were allowed to keep up."

Hermione's mouth fell open.

"They did that? And the Ministry never investigated anything?"

"Nope. Officially all complaints were due to muggles, not wizards."

"Then… how did you get your house made…"

"I'm getting there. So the Ministry had by then filed over 20 of our complaints as muggle criminality, among which at least five of breaking and entering. My mom used to be a jurist, so she knows quite a lot about the Statute of Secrecy. Muggles breaking into our house would pose a threat to the Statute because we own magical items; therefor she went to the Goblins with the ministry-processed complaints, they judged the "muggle threat" serious enough to make our house Unplottable, and based on the Statute the Ministry was unable to prevent it."

Hermione's shocked face turned into disbelief.

"I can't believe the ministry let that happen because of… because of mean pranks! That's so unprofessional!"

"You'd be surprised how petty people can be, especially ministry people." Theo remarked darkly. For a moment he looked much older than 15. Then he grinned again. "Well, they got it back in their faces. If they had properly processed our complaints we would never have gotten an Unplottable house out of the deal!"

Crucie didn't know so much about the characteristics of Unplottable places, but if the spell had been performed by Goblins then the Ministry wouldn't be able to find out what they did there…

"Theo… Does this mean I can use spoken Unforgivables here without getting caught?"

Theo nodded and made a wide gesture around him.

"Unforgivable curses, Quidditch, necromantic rituals… You can do virtually anything here and they won't know!"

Crucie's eyes got an ethusiastic gleam.

"We are going to have so much fun here…"

(Pagebreak)

It took some time. It took some convincing. It took all their Slytherin cunning. It took for Theo to hold back all the mudblood comments that may have been on his tongue from time to time. It took a lot, but eventually they convinced Hermione that the Dark Arts weren't evil and that studying them wouldn't turn her into a female Voldemort. And that was definitely worth it. Theo had the know-how and materials, Crucie had the power and creativity, but Hermione's brilliant insight and encyclopedic knowledge was the last ingredient needed…

"This is going to work. It has to work. The diameter of the conductors should be large enough now."

In the potions lab, an unusual construction had been made. A can, formerly holding pineapple pieces, was now filled with battery potion and magically closed again. On either side a strange wooden pin stuck into the can, and the pin was through a silvery metal clamp connected to thick muggle cables, similar to those used to restart a car with. Those cables in turn led to a simple muggle coffee machine that had been stripped of all plastic casing.

"Ready?"

"You bet."

Crucie eyed the can, concentrated, and cursed it. She could feel how the curse interacted with the potion, and she had to monitor it closely to prevent explosions like the one Rabastan had inadvertedly caused. Theo suddenly yelled.

"We have voltage! The muggle meter device reads something! Keep going Crucie!"

Crucie kept going, and suddenly a sound resounded through the room. Ping. The three of them stared at the coffee machine, which now sported a green light and was making soft gurgling noises, slowly filling the glass cup below it with dark liquid. The silence was tangible for a moment… Then Theo took the word.

"I'm never gonna forgive myself this but… IT'S ALIVE!"

They all laughed, although Hermione's look told Theo that he would never hear the end of it.

One empty metal can, a messy potion, a couple broken wands bought for a sickle in a junk shop, two starter cables, Mr Nott's goblin-wrought metal tiepins, and a strong unforgivable curse. That was what it took to make muggle stuff work on magic. They had actually done it. Neither of them could really believe it.

"I still can't believe you read a muggle book, Theo."

"I still can't believe how you can think about that when we have just made what might be the breakthrough of the century."

"Shut up and enjoy how awesome this is. World's first magic-brewed cup of coffee. This is a historic moment!"

"In that case…" Theo grinned at them and yelled. "Kippy!"

Out of nothing a house-elf popped up.

"Master called Kippy?"

"Kippy, go get a camera and make a photograph of us. This moment had to be preserved for future generations!"

And so another magical pic found it's way into Crucie's torture registry: three unlikely friends, each holding a cup of coffee, while standing around the world's first magic-run coffee machine. A moment to remember… That night, they decided to tell Hermione about the Order of the Unforgivable, and their successful revenge…

(Pagebreak)

They had spent their time in the Nott House without running into anyone, and for the most part the large draughty house appeared to be uninhabited. Hermione often found it a little spooky. Despite that, sometimes the solitude was exactly what she needed. She needed to consult her conscience, which had screamed itself hoarse the past few weeks. She stared at the empty spot above an unlit fireplace, and imagined Salazar Slytherin's portrait hung there.

"Remember that you said that I was being melodramatic, when I said the dark was seducing me?"

Hermione snorted.

"It turns out that "seducing" could be taken far more literal than I did at the time. And the worst thing is, I don't really mind. I mean, I liked it."

She shook her head at the empty spot.

"I'm seduced, and… I liked it, and I feel bad about it still. I don't feel like I'm doing so much wrong, but… well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, no? The dark arts are dangerous for a reason, I keep thinking. I don't know where I stand anymore in the whole war-with-You-Know-Who. Light side? Dark side? It seems so easy for Crucie to walk that line, but it's not easy for me. Not at all."

Hermione sighed deeply. She must really be going mad, talking to an empty wall… but it eased her mind and it wasn't like anyone could hear her, so she continued.

"I like Crucie. And that's still okay, I think. Crucie is a dark witch, but she's also… It's hard to imagine her as something malevolent, despite the whole torture thing she has going on. I can't explain it, but there's something inherently good about her too. Sounds like nonsense, no? Especially when you think of what she did last year."

She bit her lip when thinking about the fate of those two jury members Crucie extracted her revenge on… She felt really, really conflicted about that.

"And I like Theo. And Theo is dark. He is so tormented and troubled and sometimes when I look at him I feel like… like he can just grab his wand and kill everyone, right there right then. He's a bit like a wounded animal sometimes. And yet I still like him. You know… I don't know if I'm a real light witch anymore. I feel like I've strayed too far from my original ideas already. You told me to go with what convinced me, but… aren't we supposed to have a fixed set of morals to guide us too?"

Her question hovered in the cold air, until an equally cold voice broke the silence.

"Fixed morals… There are none. All you have is those you hold dear, and even those you can't all save."

Shocked, Hermione turned around. In the dooropening stood a tall, sickly meager woman with thin brown hair, sunken cheeks and cold ice-blue eyes, wearing nothing but a thin dress of flowy soft pink chenille. The woman was eerily pale and so bony that for a moment Hermione thought she was a ghost.

"So you are the girl who turned my son into a blood traitor."

There was no accusation in her voice, only fact and exhaustion.

"Mrs Nott… I'm sorry… we h-haven't met… I am…"

"Hermione Granger. I know. My son may think that I'm senile and stupid, but I have ears and eyes too. I'm Lucretia."

Hermione slicked audibly, and the woman continued.

"I heard you. So you think my son is like a wounded animal?"

Hermione softly nodded, but said.

"I… that's personal, Mrs. Nott… I mean Lucretia."

"The house listened to you, I can too. Speak."

"He withdraws himself but when threatened he will lash out. Violently. But… I still like him."

Lucretia nodded pensively. Then she stated.

"Don't marry him. Don't marry at all, Hermione Granger. That's the only advice I can get you."

With that, the skeletal woman left the room with a swish of her dress, leaving Hermione stunned.

(Pagebreak)

"I met Lucretia… I mean, your mother."

"My mother's name is Phaedra."

Theo's eyes were dark and cold, and Hermione wondered if she had set foot on forbidden territory.

"She… she said her name was Lucretia."

"I know. That she does. She… she refuses the so-called connotations of her birth name."

"Huh?"

"Phaedra was a mythological figure. Her husband left to fight a war and was reported dead. She fell in love with her stepson in his absence, but he refused her. Then the husband unexpectedly returned. Out of spite she said the stepson had tried to force himself on her, and her husband had the boy executed. Eventually Phaedra couldn't live with what she had done, and she killed herself."

Theo gave her a dark look, and Hermione quickly drew the parallels. It seemed odd to her that a grown woman would change her name for fear of falling in love with her son, but then, Mrs. Nott had seemed pretty odd.

"Then why Lucretia?"

"Lucretia was a famous 16th century witch. She had a string of unhappy marriages that got put together and drawn apart solely for the sake of politics."

Hermione had heard the story of Theo's parents, so she immediately understood. She didn't know what to say though. Theo answered for her.

"Feel free, ask me if she's crazy. Because I can tell you, she is. She spends her life roaming through this house like a ghost, pretending to hear my dad's voice in the walls, and devoting her time to ridiculous theories about how names influence our destiny. Not to mention that she hopes to survive on water and bread, as a form of solidary suffering. She's fucking crazy."

Theo's voice was bitter, so bitter it almost scared Hermione.

"She… she seemed troubled."

He let out a joyless laugh.

"Troubled? That's the least."

"Theo…"

He looked at Hermione and shook his head.

"Please. Don't… just don't. I don't need your fucking pity."

And Hermione did something she had never expected of herself. She hugged Theodore Nott. He stiffened in her embrace but didn't resist, and eventually… he gave in. Hermione held him and whispered.

"We're friends and we'll make it through."

Later on, when they were fooling around with muggle tech again in the basement, Hermione caught a grateful look Theo threw at her. She smiled. Theo felt to her like a brother she never had, a little brother… even though he was technically older than her, if only a few months. Something just told her that he was in need of a big sister who would care for him.

(Pagebreak)

It was time for Hermione to leave to the Weasleys, and Crucie finally got a letter from her uncle. This time it was longer, and it soothed Crucie's nerves a tiny little bit, while raising a lot of extra questions too.

Dear Crucio,

I know you well enough; you aren't fooled by the ministry's stories. Our leader is back, in the flesh, and soon the tide will turn for us. I write you to say that I'm worried about you and that I miss you. I'm all right, and I know you are too, but things are going to change and for a while dark times will be ahead. Please be careful.

Lucy told me that the ministry is going to mingle big time in Hogwarts business. He also told me to warn you for a "pink menace" whatever that might be. She isn't to be crossed unless you want to end up bleeding, according to your other uncle. I have a vision of a bright pink Hippogriff now, just so you know.

My letters will be scarce from now on, I've been warned of ministry check-ups on Hogwarts mail and currently I can't afford to give away my position.

Mr Burke told me to tell you that he and the shop miss you, and that he wants a detailed report of your Projects. Speaking of those, I wouldn't mind a detailed report on those either. ;)

Again, I can't stress enough how much I want you to be careful. I don't know what I would do if they dared touch a hair on your head.

All my love,

Your Uncle

PS: I send you something to cheer you up too. This fell out of a drawer back at the apartment; I saw it and I thought just one thing: BLACKMAIL!

Together with the letter Crucie found an old photograph. It obviously depicted Lucius, who was crawling on hands and knees over the carpet with on his back two happy little kids that Crucie recognized as herself and Draco. After the worrisome letter the unusual image indeed cheered her up. The back of the photo read in an elegant female handwriting "My dear husband being a crazy idiot", followed by a small drawn heart. It made Crucie smile; she wondered if Aunt Narcissa still thought like that about Uncle Lucius sometimes… she definitely hoped so.

(Pagebreak)

"No, you can't hesitate. The magic will know it."

Theo frowned and drew his wand again, pointing it at the caged rat.

"Crucio!"

The red flash hit the rat, but it's squeaking was over an instant after the curse hit. Crucie smiled.

"That's better already. But look."

She went to stand behind Theo and took his wand-hand in hers, feeling how he trembled. She steadied his grip and made sure the wand was pointed directly at the test animal.

"It's not that hard. You make three important mistakes. One, you're trembling. It's bad for your magical focus. Two, you pronounced the curse, saw the flash, and felt relief. Your concentration slipped and the curse broke before you even started properly. And Three, you gain no pleasure from it."

She positioned herself right behind Theo, holding his arm in the correct position and steadying his pose in a manner that could almost be called intimate.

"Don't be scared, it's just pain. Everyone knows pain at some point. Take a deep breath. Try again."

Crucie felt how Theo's trembling became less; he took a deep breath and pronounced the curse for the fifth time already.

"Crucio!"

This time the rat squeaked and convulsed properly until Theo withdrew his wand, and Crucie grinned.

"You did it, Theo!"

The boy turned at her, looking incredulous.

"I… I did it…"

"You managed in five tries, I'd say you have potential! According to the Torturous Torture Book some people never manage at all."

"It was… it was mostly because of you though."

Crucie shook her head.

"Nah, you could easily do it yourself. All you have to do is determine the way the curse pleases you. Once you've found that you can do it anywhere, anytime."

"The way it… pleases me?"

Crucie nodded seriously and explained in a very teacherly way,

"Some people like the power pain grants them over others. Some people like to cause pain for the sake of pain alone. Some people want to see others suffer to soothe their own pain. Some like to instill fear in others by means of pain. There are a million different ways. The way the curse pleases us differs from person to person."

Theo shook his head.

"I don't know… I don't really know how it pleases me. It did though, and that was… well, a bit scary, actually."

Crucie smiled happily.

"When you do it enough you'll soon know. Practice makes perfect!"

That was the moment the door opened and a man stepped in…

"Oh, I'm not interrupting something am I?"

Crucie turned with her wand in her hand, only to see her uncle.

"Uncle Rabastan!"

She practically threw herself at the man in a crushing hug; the death eater almost fell from being caught by surprise. He grinned and patted her head.

"I missed you too Crucie…"

(Pagebreak)

Crucie made up for the time she hadn't spent torturing people by venturing more than once into Muggle London and letting her talents loose on unsuspecting passersby. It was a childhood delight she was happy to revisit, even though she didn't have the advantage of being cute and inconspicuous anymore. Muggles never suspected a woman staring at them to be the cause of their unexpected "seizure" anyway.

She still helped out at Borgin And Burke's too. Mr Burke had laughed dearly when she had told him about Regina's debauchery, and his eyes had gotten a curious gleam when she had casually said that the Project had been completed but that a spell protected the details from being spilled. She had however given him a full report on how Crouch had gone insane after seeing "the ghost of Bellatrix Lestrange", and Karkaroff had become pathologically paranoid after the Yule Ball. It was quite surprising how far you could come with facial expression and intonation to make something clear to someone. Mr Burke had looked both concerned and proud after she finished.

"You are a remarkable girl, Crucio Lestrange…"

"Is that a compliment?"

"You know me."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now have I told you that we sold that biting locket lately? You'll never guess who bought it, it was that woman from the Department of Obliviation, you know her from the scandal on…"

While Mr Burke had filled her in on the latest Knockturn Alley gossip, Crucie had sighed happily. She was home again…

Her time back home was limited though, and soon she left for Hogwarts again. She was excited to go back, but also apprehensive. Rabastan had been undescribably nervous and jittery, and Crucie knew it was because something big was about to happen. Something big that would include her family, if she was correct. And with Lucius' warnings in the back of her mind she knew big things would happen at Hogwarts at well. There was just too much alluding and too little explaining going on for her to feel completely at ease…

(Author's Notes)

Look at that, a new chapter! And an extra long one at that! I haven't abandoned this story, yay! I'm sorry it took me so long. Real life (and Silmarillion fandom, I admit) sort of caught up with me and kept me away from Crucie's story. It warms my heart that I have reviewers who actually wonder what happened to this story; there is no greater compliment to a writer than a reader who wants to read more of it ;)

I make no promises, but I will try my best to write more updates. I have at least one chapter written out and ready to upload after this one, so in about a week you'll have the next installment (just hope I find time to write more in the meantime...)

As for the story; we learn about Theo's home situation (wrecked, really wrecked), the muggle tech project reaches a success, Hermione has ethical doubts, and Crucie is wondering what is waiting for her at Hogwarts...

PLEASE REVIEW!