Chapter 18
They Aren't There Anymore
August 14, 1997
"Oh, my parents are so going to kill me," I say to Kristina, who is driving.
"Relax, when have you ever missed your curfew before," she asks calmly?
I open my window and let the wind rush through my hair. "I was supposed to be home two hours ago. Can you drive any faster?"
"I'm already going ten miles over the speed limit." She laughs at my worried expression. "Relax," she tells me again. "The concert went a bit longer than you expected, so what. There was nothing you could do about it." Kristina gives me a fleeting grin. "Or is there?"
"What are you talking about?" I ask.
"You know. Couldn't you just do a little, you know?" She smiles mischievously. "Magic," she whispers, "to get us home faster."
I look at her with amusing disbelief. "I'm not that powerful."
"Were I stand, you are," Kristina smirks.
"You know, it doesn't work like that." I yawn. "Besides I don't have my wand with me."
She rolls her eyes. "Some witch, not carrying your magic wand around."
"Hey," I poke her in the ribs, "I am a fantastic witch. I just don't want any," I address her, "muggles," she pretends to look offended, "to know my secret."
"They would probably just think you're insane," Kristina points out.
"True," I agree. We laugh.
"But, seriously, I really need to be careful." I say in a sober tone, "Especially now that David almost caught me doing magic yesterday."
Kristina laughs again. "Right, the fireworks in the woods," she remembers from what I told her earlier. "Maybe you should just tell him that you're a witch and have done with it." She grins. "He might think it's sexy."
"Oh yeah," I agree sarcastically. "Sure, he might think that, or maybe, and this seems the more reasonable response, he would be scared out of his mind."
"Why? You're not scary."
"He would have many good reasons to be scared of me." I tell Kristina. "First of all, when you go through your life thinking the world is one way and then someone comes along and tells you that those things you believed to be fairy-tales are actually real would be frightening enough. Then, to learn that you have been living down the street from a witch for most of your life would be extremely unsettling. I mean, I could put him under enchantments that would make him forget who he is or who his family is. I could turn his pillow into a man eating monster or make him feel pain for no reason. I could even make him fall in love with someone against his will.
"But you wouldn't do those things," Kristina states seriously.
"No, I wouldn't, but I could if I wanted to." I say.
"But you wouldn't," she says conclusively. "I wasn't scared when you told me you were a witch, and your dad doesn't seem to mind."
"Well, you and my dad are freaks of nature." I tell her.
She laughs, "coming from the girl who rides on broomsticks. And who knows, maybe David is a freak too." She smiles. "I suggest you find out.'"
"Sure," I say, with an eye roll. "I will get right on that, Kristina."
"You really should," she laughs.
Finding her extremely obvious hidden meaning, I decide to not respond.
"Well," she stops the car, "here's your house."
I open the door. "Thank you so much for taking me to that concert. Those tickets were the best belated birthday present ever."
"You're welcome." She grins. "Now I expect an even better present on my birthday."
"Deal," I say as I hug her.
"Your parents won't be too hard on you. Or will your mom just turn you into a toad."
I ignore her last statement. "Bye."
"Bye," She says waving happily. "Call me tomorrow."
"I will," I say as I shut the car door. Kristina immediately speeds down the street and out of sight.
All the lights seem to be out. Maybe they are all asleep and won't even notice that I am late. That though gives me the courage to enter.
The door isn't locked. It swings at its ease with the tiniest of pushes, letting out a definite creak. My parents never forget to lock the front door.
Darkness closes in around me as I shut it. I hear something, though it could just be my imagination, whispers? I take extra care in turning the lock, wondering what I might be trapping myself in with.
Suddenly light. Many tiny lights irrupt out of nowhere, miniature suns, blinding me after the obscuring darkness.
"Finally," says a deep raspy voice, "we have waited long enough."
My eyes adjust. Eight masked figures stood malevolently in the middle of my living room, Deatheaters, their wands lit.
"Oh look how scared she is," a woman simpers disgustingly. A couple of them laugh.
My wand, I think, I need my wand.
"Alexandra Snape," steps forth a tall masked figure. "We have come with a message." He says with an official tone.
I straighten up, trying to appear more confident then I feel. "Where is my family?" My voice shakes wildly.
Maniacal laughter issues from every Deatheater in the room except the man who had just spoken. He has an era of professionalism about him, this was all business.
"Silence," he hisses. The other Deatheaters obey him at once. He must be in charge of the others. "We have a message from the Dark Lord." My insides twist painfully. "Message is a crude way of putting it, a request or better yet, an order. For if you do not obey there will be consequences." The man's voice is smooth and emotionless; as though what he is telling me has no effect on him at all, positive or negative.
"I will never do anything for him!" I shout defiantly.
"Oh no?" questions the women. "I think we will be able to persuade you." She turns to the man in charge. "Let's show her now." The women's voice is full of malicious excitement.
"Patients Bellatrix," orders the head Deatheater in a venomous whisper, "soon". He turns back to me. "The Dark Lord desires your devotion. He needs your power on his side. Join us."
"Never," I begin, "he is a murderous piece of-"
"Do not insult him," interrupts Bellatrix, her voice wild with passionate rage, "Do not insult the Dark Lord!" her shrill voice sends shivers down my spine. "Show her!"
"Very well," says the leader in the same dead tone as before.
The Deatheaters part to reveal Sidney, lying on the floor helplessly shaking uncontrollably. I run to her, a Deatheater kicks me away. I feel warm blood spill from my nose.
"Stay back, you," says a masked figure as he points his wand at Sidney.
"Don't hurt her," I cough through the stream of blood. He just laughs. His wordless spell drags her into a standing position. Her face as pale as death and her eyes empty, big and cold, as though all the sparkle that usually resides there had been stripped away permanently. What had they done to her while I was gone?
"It would be in your sister's best interest for you to come with us," the head Deatheater tells me; his words carefully meaningless. I cannot take my eyes from my sister.
"No," whispers Sidney weakly, "don't do it."
"Crucio," screeches Bellatrix happily. Sidney let out a piercing scream of pain.
"NO!" I run straight at Bellatrix. She falls into an end table and the lamp on it hits the floor with a crash. What do I do? What do I do? My breathing comes in sharp stabs.
"You little…" says Bellatrix as she stands.
I can't fight them off without magic. With every beat of my heart, pain burn through my body. I remember reading about curtain types of ancient magic, in which you didn't need a wand for.
"You will come with us or your precious baby sister dies," Bellatrix smiles. "And I will be only too happy to do it."
The ancient magic of sacrifice, one life to save another, I remember.
"What have you decided?" asks the leader.
I turn to Sidney; with her eyes wide, she shakes her head. I close my eyes fleetingly, and then open them again to stare at Bellatrix. "Kill her." I say.
It takes a quarter of a second for any spell to travel before it hits its target. "Avada kedavra," Bellatrix shouts. I run at Sidney guarding her with my body. A flash of green light comes from behind. I feel a sharp sting as the curse hits the back of my neck, then nothing.
"She's coming around, Alastor."
"Give her room to breathe, Tonk."
"But look at her thrashing, isn't there something we can do."
"That'll be a result of the curse. Best we can do is wait for it to stop."
"Is she going to be alright?"
"Even if the curse leaves no permanent damage, no, I don't think she will be alright."
My body is out of my control. Thrashing, I feel something evil inside me. Pain, the pain is inside me. It hurts so bad I can't remember how to breathe. My body rises and falls violently, my arms and legs flail, as invisible flames dance inside of me, licking my flesh from the inside out. Something is trying to get out of me, scratching at my insides, tugging, burning. Then suddenly it stops. A weight is lifted and the air around me seems cool and fresh and breathable again.
I can see again. I see the ceiling with painted stars on it, I am in my bedroom.
"How do you feel?"
I sit bolt upright, in result my head begins to spin ferociously. I feel like I am going to vomit. I look around, strangers' faces zoom in and out of focus.
"Are you alright," says one of the strangers, a young woman with mousey brown hair.
"Who are you," I ask, trying to open my mouth as little as possible, to keep from throwing up.
"Don't worry, you are going to be safe now," says the woman.
"Safe," I repeat? At least twelve people are standing around me.
"Ow," the back of my neck is throbbing, I reach back. As soon as I press my fingers against my neck, the throbbing becomes a flaming weight in my stomach.
I stand up and push my way through the crowd of people. They try to hold me back, but I kick and fight. I tear down the stairs.
"Don't go down there," shouts the women from before. "Wait!"
I hit the landing. The welcoming sunlight of morning disorients me, it creating a mental fog. I stagger around a bit until my foot finds something soft. I look down.
Three bodies lay in a neat little row, eyes closed, so still. As I look down at the stone cold faces of the people I loved the most in the world, cruel realization hits me. Those are just body, they are not there anymore.
I scream. I scream like I never knew I could. They aren't there.
Severus Snape sat rigidly in his armchair. He had read the same page of his book about twenty times without retaining a scrap of its information.
What gives her the right, he thought bitterly, what gives her the right to be so… interfering? He then turned the page so forcefully it ripped out. The professor rolled his eyes and quickly got out his wand to repair his copy of Curses, Unforgivable. And Dumbledore, what gives him the right to tell her to trust me.
He hotly slammed his book down on the end table, knowing full well that he would have no luck reading. "Trust me," he spat. With that he began to pace the room feverously.
Dumbledore said that he needed her. He needed no one, hadn't he proven that? No matter it will all be over soon. She would be out of his hands forever, come tomorrow morning. He stopped his pacing. The girl would be gone tomorrow. That is best of course and that is what Severus wanted, wasn't it?
Yes, she would be gone and he could go back to suffering in peace. No more of her following him around and nosily enquiring about his personal life. She was like a little lost puppy that you couldn't get rid of. But Severus was going to get rid of her, send her away, just as Dumbledore had told him too.
He would not have to worry about her anymore. He probably would not even ever see her again. She would no longer be his problem.
Snape's whole body stiffened. Screaming pierced the silent night, ringing through the house. Alex.
He race up the stairs and busted through the door to his old bedroom.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when they did the shocking scene came into view. Alex's eyes were tightly shut and her mouth was wide open letting out of her the heartrending shriek. Her torso slammed up and down on the old mattress as if being pulled by a string. She looked possessed.
Snape stood over the girl trying desperately to pin her down by the shoulders, but her intense thrashing made it impossible. The harder he attempted to restrain her, the harder she would kick and fight. "ALEX!" he yelled over her screams, trying to snap her out of whatever kind of trance she was in. Losing all patients he pulled out his wand and preformed a hasty spell. Alex's body went limp and the screaming ceased.
Severus supported her head as she began coughing and gasping for air. "Alex?" he asked uncertainly. Her eyes opened fleetingly and she looked at him as though confused of where she was. "Alex?" he asked again.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. "What is it?" Snape pressed her.
Her eyes widened. "They aren't there anymore," she said weakly her voice hoarse from screaming.
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