CHAPTER 30: DARK TRIO
(Sirius, James, Peter POV)
None of them spoke. None of them moved, for they were too shocked and shaken by what happened. Only the sound of Wormtail biting at his nails could be heard, as he trembled and shivered.
It was a frightening and shaking ordeal. To have the Dark Lord appearing before them with an army was already terrifying for anyone. Yet…
To see someone actually making You-Know-Who and his followers look like pathetic circus clowns, undoubtedly brought about everyone who witnessed it fear on a totally different level.
Still, James and Sirius greatly envied Peter. At least, he was some distance away from the scene. The two of them, however…
Why in Merlin's name did we follow them? thought the dog animagus and the stag animagus, not noticing that their pants were wet, as something had trickled down uncontrollably before the source dried up.
Padfoot and Prongs, on a stupid whim, and confident that the Invisibility Cloak they have would sufficiently conceal them, followed Severus Snape and his two female companions, thinking that they were about to join You-Know-Who. At the time they were nervous, and were half-wishing they never did, yet…
Now they wished that they never even bothered to do so. Thanks to their little Gryffindor act, James Potter and Sirius Black earned for themselves front row seats to the spectacle of the white-haired girl, and it, brought them nothing but…
Sheer terror…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"That was a close one," said the white-haired girl, as she collapsed onto a set, looking exhausted. "You have no idea just how lucky we all are to still be alive."
The three of them, Severus, Ilya, and Alice, were now back in their compartment. In truth, they actually almost did not make it back, seeing as the Hogwarts Express started moving again the moment the Dark Lord's spell was apparently lifted (Or else it was the fact that the three of them were returning was why the ones in charge of the train started moving it again, since the Hogwarts Express started moving when they started heading back to it. The other occupants of the train actually began panicking and screaming when they did so.).
Severus Snape was at a loss for words. Yes, the raven-haired young man had seen this side of his girlfriend before, but not as menacing as it had been a few minutes back. If he were to be honest with himself, the killing intent he had felt from the white-haired girl actually rivaled that of Lord Voldemort's. Still…
The raven-haired man could tell that the Gryffindor female was also just as shaken as him, if not more, by what they had just experienced, less because of the Dark Lord than it was of what they had seen his silver-haired girlfriend do. In front of Lord Voldemort, she was formidable, dominating, unwavering, deceptive. But what made Severus and Alice (and probably all the other spectators) shocked, worried and horrified most of all was that it appeared that Ilya was just playing around, toying with the Dark Lord. Yet now…
"It's just like I said," said the white-haired girl, and Severus noticed that his girlfriend was actually sweating, as she started wiping them with her handkerchief. "We are lucky to be alive."
"Ilya, are you alright?" asked Severus in a gentle voice, as she wrapped one of her arms around him. To the raven-haired young man's surprise, he realized that she was actually trembling.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Alice in quiet voice, who was sitting opposite the two of them. "What do you mean we're just lucky to be alive?"
"It is exactly what I mean," replied the white-haired, her voice almost monotonous, but Severus noticed the fear that was in her voice.
The black-haired girl snorted, and was about to say something, but stopped, as she noticed that the white-haired girl was looking pale and sweating, as she held on more tightly to her raven-haired boyfriend.
"We were just fortunate," began Ilya, trying to keep her voice calm, but Alice now noted that her voice was slightly shaky. "Really fortunate, that we were attacked there… Had the ambush been somewhere else, things would have been much more difficult, and we could have all died."
The room was silent for a little while, as all the occupants could not find any words to say, as they watched the stars in the dark sky outside.
"But, still," began the black-haired girl, in apparent disbelief. "When you were talking with Y-You-Know-Who, you seemed so…"
"Calm? Fearless? Unwavering? Confident?" inquired the white-haired girl quietly.
Alice nodded.
"It was just an illusion," replied the white-haired girl, as her two companions listened to her intently. "A façade, to fool Voldemort and his followers. To be honest, I was probably just as scared as the two of you. I was merely hiding my emotions so that they will not notice that I have something in store for them. Had my plan not worked… I don't even want to think about what could have happened…"
"Then, wouldn't it have been better if you just ran away?" asked a male voice suddenly, which made the three occupants of the compartment jump, just as something brown launched itself at the white-haired girl, its arms wrapped around the latter.
"MS. ILYA! MR. SEVERUS!" wailed a brown-haired girl, as she detached one of her arms from the white-haired girl, and with unbelievable strength for an eleven year old, wrapped the couple into a tight embrace.
"Evelyn," gasped the white-haired girl and the raven-haired boy together, as they experienced a not-so-surprising breathing difficulty, the brown-haired girl squeezing them both…
-BREAK-
(Albus Dumbledore POV)
Albus Dumbledore was deep in thought. He was torn between being glad that his students were mostly safe, and being worried about the events that led to their salvation.
Tom Riddle's move on the Hogwarts Express was a possibility Dumbledore overlooked, one of the miscalculations which he blamed to his ever-growing-older self. When the old wizard read the letter sent to him by Alastor Moody, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and one of the Aurors who responded to the Auror Head's unofficial order to protect the train, he felt shocked but relieved, shocked that he could have made such a blunder that could have caused the death of his students, yet glad that most of them were okay, though Dumbledore still could not help but feel sad that there were a few of the students who were swayed by Voldemort to joining him…
And this was the worrying part. According to Moody, Lord Voldemort brought an army with him, yet they were taken down by three people.
At first Dumbledore was confused, but then noticed that there was also a vial attached to the letter, a vial which contained a silver strand: a memory.
Dumbledore immediately placed the memory into his Pensieve, and dove into it to observe…
And the old Headmaster was dumbstruck…
The memory belonged to one of the students on the Hogwarts Express, who witnessed the whole spectacle, from beginning to end…
Flashback
"Children gifted with magic who attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I am Lord Voldemort…"
"It is as my follower told you," said Lord Voldemort, as his cold voice echoed throughout the train compartments. "We have not come to harm nor hurt any of you, who are children of magic … Those who are still undecided may continue their journey to Hogwarts… Lord Voldemort does not intend to impede your magical education…Those who are ready to follow me however, may come with us now, provided that you are of age… I guarantee that you will provided with magical learning far greater than what has been taught to you at your school…"
"Severus Prince Snape…Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya…Evelyn Scrimgeour… you are to remain…you are to step out of the Hogwarts Express…the rest may continue with your journey …"
"…Lord Voldemort personally offers you a place, among my esteemed Death Eaters…"
"…I now ask you to join me, and together we can cleanse the Wizarding World of all of its weaknesses and impurities. You have earned yourselves the right and place to be among my ranks..."
"So we finally meet.."
"I guess so," replied the white-haired girl.
"Ilya!"
…
"You dare interr…"
"Tell me, Lord Voldemort," said the white-haired girl cheerfully. "What do you think of non-magical people called Muggles, and the witches and wizards who are born among them?"
…
"How dare you…"
"You have no right to speak his name…"
"Speaking to the Dark Lord in such an insolent manner…"
"Treat him with respect…"
…
"Enough… I must commend you for your bravery, child. Few have ever been able to speak my name freely, without flinching. You should, however, refrain from trying my patience...for you see…"
"Get to the point…please…"
"...So in other words, we join you or we die, am I right?"
…
"Do your subordinates know how to swim?"
…
"ROOOOOOOOAR!"
The ground was breaking apart …
"WHAT DID YOU DO, GIRL?"…
"Fufufu…That's the problem with some people, all talk no bite… Lord Voldemort, all powerful wizard, supposedly the greatest Dark Lord to walk on the planet, unmatchable, unbeatable in every aspect…pfft…what a joke…fufufu…ahahahahaha…"
…a cold, cruel, female laugh rang through the air.
"HAHAHAHA"
Screams and roars could be heard, as trolls and humans alike attempted to claw at the collapsing ground, to no avail…
"HAHAHAHA"
"YOU'RE A THOUSAND YEARS TOO EARLY TO EVEN THINK YOU HAD A CHANCE AGAINST ME, VOLDEMORT!"
The girl continued laughing, her mirth uncontrollable…
End of Flashback
Albus Dumbledore was a formidable man. Yes, he was a great wizard, and with his power he could easily match Voldemort in a one on one duel and prevail, though it was a 50-50 chance. For years now, ever since Tom Riddle had returned to the country and began his campaign, Dumbledore did what he could to stop his evil plans. Yet now…
Just who is she? thought the Hogwarts Headmaster.
The Hogwarts Headmaster could not help but gasp, as he watched the events unfold, hearing the entirety of the conversations no-less, as they reverberated throughout the train compartments.
In the very rare incidences that the Dark Lord himself appeared in person, no one has been able to best him and his Death Eaters. Yet…
This girl managed to do what even Dumbledore could not achieve. Not only had Voldemort been defeated, but it was in one of the worst and humiliating ways.
Despite the distance, Albus Dumbledore could tell what happened. The girl merely used psychological warfare on Lord Voldemort. Then, calculating the right moment, she used the geography and her enemies' numbers, as well as total weight, to her advantage, and with a meager amount of magical energy, judging by the splashing noise, sent Tom Riddle and his army plummeting to an underground lake or river.
Yes indeed. The Headmaster was impressed, yet not exactly in a good way… Lord Voldemort was undoubtedly an expert in Occlumency, even during his teens (as Dumbledore found it hard to penetrate the Dark Lord's mind even when he was still Dumbledore's student.), which of course meant he was also good at Legilimency, or reading minds. The fact that someone like Tom Riddle was tricked by the silver-haired girl tells just how good at it she was. It will be difficult to get anything out of her.
As he thought further, he recalled how his friend Ollivander had once asked Dumbledore to visit him at Diagon Alley. And then he remembered.
The silver-haired girl, her name is Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya.
Yes, she was the student who passed the entrance exam and was about to start her fifth year at Hogwarts. The Headmaster did not give it too much attention at the time as he was too busy with Order of the Phoenix matters, but then…
She was chosen by a wand, the wand, which was in fact, the sibling of the wand in the hands of the Dark Lord, both wands containing a phoenix feather from the same source, which turned out to be Dumbledore's companion Fawkes the Phoenix…
Dumbledore stood up, and started pacing to and fro in his room…
The news in the Daily Prophet...While it was only passed on as rumor, it was said that a silver-haired girl and a raven-haired young man had confronted and battered the Death Eaters before the Aurors arrived. This was all hushed up, and the head of the Order did not see it to have much relevance at the time, but now it was different…
And the Evans incident…
Alastor had once told Dumbledore that there was also a rumor about a young couple who took on seventeen Dark Wizards, seven Death Eaters and ten werewolves, all by themselves, delaying them long enough for the Ministry Wizards to arrive. Moody himself confessed that he did not know everything, as the Order Member suspected that the four Aurors who knew all of the information, left out certain details from the report they made…
Still, with this much information, Albus Dumbledore was able to come up with some theories, theories which he will soon confirm…
The ones who fought the Death Eaters at Diagon Alley, the ones who fought and delayed them at the Evans, were two of the three people who confronted Lord Voldemort during the train incident, and the same ones who Tom Riddle wanted to recruit for his army…
Severus Prince Snape and Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Colloportus," muttered a brown-haired man, as he locked the room and cast a Privacy Ward, (unaware that there is a Bounded Field in place that could serve the same function, or more), before taking a seat beside the black-haired Gryffindor.
It took about fifteen minutes for the brown-haired young girl to fall asleep, during which time Ilya and Severus introduced her and her brother, the Auror, Rufus Scrimegour, to Alice, who was initially wary of the man, as he managed to sneak up on them (The white-haired girl was not pleased with herself, for neglecting to place a detection mechanism on the Bounded Field, something that was supposed to be basic, even if it was only temporary.).
Rufus, as well as two other Aurors (though Severus, Ilya, and Alice have not yet seen them), arrived on the train through the Port Key which the Dark Wizard Catcher had locked on to his sister(It was Evelyn who sent a message to his brother using a two-way mirror). He had suspected that something similar could happen, but never expected it to be of this magnitude, a multitude of trolls, Death Eaters, and even the Dark Lord himself appeared…
Now that the brown-haired girl was asleep, the four other occupants were now able to discuss more freely. (In other words, Ilya did most of the talking while Severus and Alice listened.)
"…So, basically, that's what happened," conversed the white-haired girl. "And as I said, we're just lucky to be alive."
"I see," said the brown-haired man finally, looking at the other three in the eyes, and finding that there were no lies in them. "Still, I must admit, that was very impressive. How did you know that the ground was unstable?"
"Magic," replied Ilya simply.
The Auror frowned, apparently able to tell that the white-haired girl was refraining from answering the question…
"So, anyway, Rufus," the white-haired girl began, and her voice suddenly turned cold. "Why is it that only two Aurors, aside from yourself, responded to the situation? Did I not tell you that the possibility of an attack on the Hogwarts Express was high? "
At these words the temperature of the room seemed to drop. The raven-haired young man and the black-haired girl could not help but stare at Ilya, who Rufus Scrimgeour, the well-known Dark Wizard Catcher seemed to treat, not as an underage witch, but as an equal.
"Politics," growled the Dark Wizard catcher, obvious irritation in his voice. "As I told you before, I myself have come to that idea, but without any evidence to back it, we could not make a move, even the Head of the Auror Office had only so much influence. To be honest, my colleagues and I are here only with discreet permission from him. This is not official."
"But why is that?" inquired the white-haired girl. "I mean, you did respond rather quickly to the attacks on the second of August."
"That's because the situation was different then," growled Rufus. "Diagon Alley was just a few blocks away from the Ministry, so that comes as no surprise. As for the incident at the Evans residence, it was just a few hours from the last Death Eater encounter, so the Ministry was still on high alert. Right now, however, Voldemort has not made a move in a few weeks, and sadly, it has put the Ministry under a false sense of security."
"I doubt that could have been the only reason," stated Ilya, as her emerald eyes grew ever colder, staring at Evelyn's brother.
"What you're thinking is correct," said the Auror grimly, as he seemed to understand the white-haired girl's thoughts. "Lord Voldemort has spies in the Ministry, even in the higher places. They're probably responsible for cancelling the order which states that Aurors should be sent to guard the students on the Hogwarts Express."
"WHAT?!" said Severus and Alice together, looking outraged.
"I WANT MORE CHOCOLATE FROGS!" shouted the brown-haired girl in her sleep suddenly, with her head currently on Ilya's lap.
The white-haired girl sighed.
"I think we should discuss more on this matter later," said Ilya, as Rufus nodded, and collected her sister, carrying her gently so as not to wake her.
"Oh, by the way," Ilya called after the Auror, before he could open the door that he had just unspelled…
"When did you arrive on the train?" the white-haired inquired.
The Auror was silent for a while, before answering…
"We arrived just in time to hear you ask Voldemort if his subordinates knew how to swim," said the brown-haired man with a smirk.
"You heard that?" asked the white-haired girl, mildly surprised.
"Yes, we did," replied the Auror. "Loud and clear… As well as everything else after that…"
"Am I to assume they did not take it well?" asked Ilya, knowing the answer.
"Not as well as I did, I'm afraid," sighed the Auror. "Alastor actually wanted to take you in for questioning right away. I managed to convince them not to on the obvious grounds that you just saved almost the entire population of Hogwarts students…which they obviously disregarded."
"I see," replied the white-haired girl, frowning. "It can't be helped though. At least the students were saved… though I doubt they would be grateful for our actions."
"You have no idea," said Rufus, with a pitying look on his face. "They have completely overlooked that fact, and are now afraid of you. I hope you don't let it get to you, but on our way to your compartment, my sister and I heard some of the students either screaming or whispering, calling you the Dark Lady."
Severus' eyes widened at this piece of information, and noticed that the female Gryffindor's reacted in the manner. Ilya however, as the raven-haired boy noticed, on the other hand, merely smirked…
"Anyway, Ilya, Severus, Alice, I'll be seeing you again soon… perhaps sooner than you might think," said the brown-haired Auror. "The train is slowing down...we'll probably be at Hogsmaede in ten minutes, you better go and get yourselves changed." And Rufus closed the compartment door as he left with his sister in tow…
-BREAK-
(Multi-person POV)
In an unknown location, deep underground, if anyone looked, they would notice that powerful bursts of green light can be seen, in the place which is normally pitch black in darkness…
"AVADA KEDAVRA! AVADA KEDAVRA! AVADA KEDAVRA!" screamed the Dark Lord, as he sent curses left and right with no particular target, sending it in any and all direction, and would have taken the life of anyone who was foolish enough to appear in front of him…
Luckily, his followers had enough common sense not to get into his line of sight… but the trolls were not so lucky, and around a dozen of them were killed before the rest got the message and hid behind boulders…
"I think it would be wise to let our Lord vent out all his anger first before we try and speak with him," muttered the voice of Lucius Malfoy, who was soaking wet. "Specially you, Bella…" drawled the blonde with a sneer.
The former Black wanted to retort, but decided against it. Cissy was there with them, and Bellatrix knew that Narcissa liked Lucius…
"So what do we do now Lucius?" inquired Narcissa Black.
"We wait," the blond said firmly, as a Killing Curse shattered the boulder immediately to their left. "We wait until the Dark Lord calms down. Then, we move to one of our manors… I must admit… I've never seen our Lord with this much fury before… and folly it will be to try and appease him at this point…"
The other Death Eaters, and even the trolls who can understand and were within earshot nodded silently, as they continued to hide… er… hold their position…
"ARRRRGHHHH! AVADA KEDAVRA! AVADA KEDAVRA! AVADA KEDAVRA! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE! NOBODY MAKES A FOOL OUT OF LORD VOLDEMORT AND GET AWAY WITH IT! NOBODY!"
The Dark Lord continued his yells and curses, promising a swift death to anyone who catches his vision, Voldemort swearing to have his retribution on the silver-haired girl who made him look pathetic…
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"OH NO!"
"IT'S THE DARK TRIO!"
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
"Well, isn't this lovely," said the black-haired Gryffindor, Alice, sarcastically, as students were hurrying, as fast as they could to get on the horseless carriages, which were actually pulled by thestrals. They were supposed to be invisible, yet those who have seen people die in front of them can see them…
And this particular aspect applies to all three of them, Severus and Alice had seen their mothers die (The Gryffindor had mentioned it briefly when she and Ilya were discussing the proper use of blades), while Ilya… well… Severus could only guess just how many, and it couldn't have been less than five... not exactly a pleasant thought…
Unfortunately, all the carriages were occupied, and they had no choice but to wait for the carriages to return (since it will be too tiring to walk the distance with the luggage they were carrying) , and the three of them decided to use the time to take a little leisurely stroll.
"I'm really sorry for getting you involved in this Alice," said the white-haired girl, sincerely apologetic.
"No, it's okay, Ilya, neither you nor Severus is at fault here," replied the black-haired Gryffindor female firmly. "After all, I was the one who got myself involved in the first place."
"But will you be fine with this?" inquired Severus, who was also truly concerned for Alice. "I mean, your fellow Gryffindors…"
"…will probably treat me badly like I'm some kind of traitorous wench, right?" the black-haired female completed the statement for him, in a mock tone.
The raven-haired young man nodded silently.
"Well, they can do what they want," continued Alice. She was walking in front of the Ilya and Severus (who were holding hands), taking backward steps. "The two of you are my friends now and I don't care what other people say about that. Doesn't matter to me even if you are a Slytherin Severus, and even if Ilya also ends up going there…Ilya saved their lives back there and this is how they say thank you? Now that's not being thankful at all."
"Thank you," replied Ilya, with a smile on her face, her cheeks growing slightly reddish, touched by the black-haired girl's remarks.
"No, I should be the one thanking the two of you," replied Alice. "You've opened my eyes to the truth.. you're right Ilya… doesn't matter what House you're in, or even if you can use magic or not… when it comes right down it… we're all just human beings… though I must admit that hairstyle looks good on you, Severus." The black-haired girl said suddenly with a malicious smirk…
"My hair, what do you…" Severus began, feeling confused, but he froze when Alice suddenly brought a mirror in front of him…
"WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DID YOU DO TO ME?!" roared Severus, as he saw that his hair was no longer long, but cut neatly…
The raven-haired young man could not help but panic, like a madman, as he looked at himself. For his hair was no longer long and sleek, it was now short, and stuck out in strange angles, and it reminded the raven-haired (at least the hair color was not tempered with, and is still raveny black) young man of a certain hated individual who also sported messy hair. Still..
The main reason why Severus Snape had kept his hair long was because it helped protect his eyes from the fumes whenever he was doing Potions experiments, which was a daily habit of his at Hogwarts, even if there was no Potions lessons, (although if he had enough ingredients he would also do so at home, and since he was not exactly rich, well you get the picture.).
"You," snarled the now semi-spiky haired young man (note: from this point on the author will still use the phrase raven-haired as a substitute when referring to Severus Snape), about to launch himself at the Gryffindor female, but found himself unable to as a certain white-haired female tightened her grip around his arm.
"I'm sorry, Sev," began the white-haired girl, who was red in the face. "I asked her to do it."
"Ilya?" the raven-haired boy inquired of her girlfriend.
"Yes, she did," said Alice, grinning. "Hey, come on, now Severus… it looks good on you, honest."
Still, Severus could not help but feel a little betrayed. There was no doubt in his mind. The two conspired to do something weird with his hair, and did it while he was asleep. That was underhanded. Still…
"Why, Ilya?" the raven-haired young man asked, hurt in his voice.
"It's because…that hair style," began the white-haired girl, and Severus was mortified to see that tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "It's actually…the same as my father's."
Upon hearing these words, the raven-haired young man dropped his personal frustration and hurt on the issue. Ilya merely wanted to see something to remember his father by…
Silence reigned between the three for a short while…
"It's okay, I understand," said Severus to his girlfriend, stroking her hair gently...
"Thank you," the white-haired girl replied, and without warning, Ilya lifted herself slightly and kissed him…
"So it really was like that, huh?"" said the Gryffindor female named Alice, a wide smile on her face.
The couple broke off from each other's arms, feeling embarrassed, both really red in the face.
"Ummm…" stuttered Ilya.
"Well, y-you see," stammered Severus.
"No, it's fine, really," said the black-haired girl, though a mischievous smile was still visible on her face. "I won't ask you about that… but if you feel like telling me, I'm all ears."
"You should have been in Ravenclaw, Alice," said the raven-haired boy, still blushing. "Love of knowledge is their specialty after all."
"And you should have been in Gryffindor, Severus… same goes for you Ilya," replied the black-haired girl, the smile on her face, if possible, widening further. "If I remember correctly…you two were actually brave enough to publicly make out on the train, and in the continuous stare of one, spell-bound, James Potter, no less."
"Whaaa…" said Severus, as he remembered the little incident in the train a few hours ago.
"And if I also remember correctly, it was Ilya who had you pinned down to the floor," Alice added, the smile still on her face.
Dear, Merlin, thought Severus, as he tried to keep himself calm… wait… something's doesn't feel right…
"H-hey, that was an acci… PROTEGO!" shouted the white-haired girl suddenly, just in time, as the shield blocked a jet of red light aimed at the black-haired Gryffindor…
Though there was actually no need, as Alice already ducked, before moving closer towards the two of them.
"Sev, Alice," said Ilya, the carefree tone gone from her voice, replaced by her cold demeanor.
The raven-haired young man and the black-haired girl nodded, as the latter pulled out her wand, while the former activated his Magic Circuits…
"That was an interesting display… you did not even bother to bring out your wand…so the rumors were not entirely false, then," said a curt voice, as a dark-grayish-haired man, along with five others, came out of the shadows.
"Good evening," the man began. "My name is Bartemius Crouch Sr., Head of the Department For Magical Law Enforcement. I am here to take you in for questioning…"
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Alright, another chapter out.
I've been reading the reviews, and yeah, a couple have begun speculating on Lily and Ilya's identities. Well, for starters, Ilya is not an alternate universe version of Lily Evans.
Hope you enjoy this chapter. Um, by the way...
If someone could help me think of a better for the three of them aside from "Dark Trio," please post it in the reviews or pm it to me... it would be highly appreciated...
As for Severus Snape's current hair style, just look at the images of Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate/Zero.
Later then people...