CHAPTER 33: DESCENDANT OF THE HOUND
(Severus POV)
After the nice little food fest event in the Great Hall (which of course, included throwing and wasting the menu prepared for the beginning of year feast as weapons of war), the Hogwarts students were sent off to their common rooms with empty stomachs…well, a third of the students at least. Not for nothing was Ravenclaw considered the House of Intellectuals, where everyone was sensible enough to eat while engaging in the food fight (Severus was glad to see that a certain James Potter and Sirius Black were among the list of the famished, who groaned loudly upon the announcement, apparently too engrossed in the war that went on.), before everything was cleaned and magicked away by the teachers.
The raven-haired young man was actually nervous, knowing full well that something unpleasant could end up as a consequence/s for their actions, especially since a hysterical Professor McGonagall was there (Given that the Head Mistress was already cruel enough with her punishments in her calm state of mind, as well as this was the first time Severus had seen her in this state…well, you get picture).
Fortunately, the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sided with the students, announcing that since they had just been through a terrible ordeal (Too true, thought Severus), no punishments or detentions will be handed out (to the dismay of the Deputy Headmistress), except of course, that the students were first required to clean the mess they created 'without magic', and the teachers were inspecting their work, apparently making sure they really did things the 'Muggle Way," before allowing them to leave.
Then again, with the numerous pairs of hands on the job, it proved to be a rather easy task (Ilya actually looked like she was enjoying herself with the mundane task.), after which they were sent off to their common rooms…
I sway in the wind, I sway in the night… I am the sun but not bright… asked the bronze eagle knocker (Note: this particular riddle was borrowed from chris, who posted it on a blogsite.)
"A sunflower," answered one of the Ravenclaw Prefects, after which the way into the Ravenclaw dorms opened.
Severus could not help but notice the many differences between his old dorm and the new one he will be staying at…
Unlike the Slytherin dungeons, Ravenclaw Tower had a far more welcoming atmosphere about it.
The Ravenclaw common room is one of the airiest rooms at Hogwarts. It is a wide, circular room with a midnight blue carpet, arched windows hung with blue and bronze silks, and a domed ceiling painted with stars. The room is furnished with tables, chairs, and bookcases; and by the door leading up to the dormitories stood a tall statue of Rowena Ravenclaw made of white marble... (Note: These three sentences were borrowed from Harry Potter Wiki)…
Well, this doesn't seem so bad, thought the raven-haired young man, refusing to admit that he was a lot more than just a bit relieved, undoubtedly excited, especially at the presence of numerous new books he could gain knowledge from…
But then, the seemingly welcoming air became tense and downright unfriendly, as Severus, Ilya and Alice, found themselves surrounded by the unwelcoming stares of their new dorm mates.
-BREAK-
(Severus POV)
"Why in the world do we have to share a dorm with these three?"
"Who knows what they might do to us…"
Severus Snape was not pleased. Ever since they entered the common room they have been surrounded by their new dorm mates, who were apparently half-curious, but were still obviously fearful, as Ilya, Severus and Alice, found themselves blocked at the entrance door by a dozen Ravenclaws, who, were still keeping a bit of distance from them, looking uneasy, while the rest watched from a much safer distance, not wanting to get involved.
"Then again, I must admit, if I wasn't so… FREAKED OUT with what they did back at the train…"
"Those trolls…"
"Even You-Know-Who…"
"You should be thanking us you know...especially Ilya," said the raven-haired young man, feeling irritated, finding himself hardly able to restrain himself from shouting. "But instead you're going 'Dark Lady' this and 'Dark Trio,' that. In case you've forgotten, what she did actually saved your lives!"
But the Ravenclaws ignored the raven-haired young man's words, and continued talking among themselves.
It was not a pleasant situation. Now that the excitement of the Great Hall food fight had subsided, the mindset of everyone was back to what happened prior to it, and Severus realized that they were back to square one.
"I think we better raise our complaints to Professor Flitwick…" murmured one of the students…
"The Dark Lady in Ravenclaw? That can't be good…"
"And that git's a Slytherin…"
"Alice… even though she was a Gryffindor…"
"Since she's with them it's pretty obvious…"
"Let's just ask Dumbledore… he might be able to send them away…" muttered another one, although their voices were still audible enough to understand.
"Ungrateful little…" Severus heard Alice muttering, as he noticed that the former Gryffindor was also seething…
The group of Ravenclaw students were now slowly moving toward the door, wands out, apparently to force the three newcomers out of the common room…
Unable to control his control his temper any longer, Severus Snape was about to shout bloody murder when…
"MS. ILYA IS NOT A BAD PERSON!" screamed a young female voice, as something brown forced itself through the wall of students and was now standing between the three and the other Ravenclaws. The raven-haired young man recognized her immediately…
"Evelyn," gasped the raven-haired young, half-surprised, apparently too deep in thought to notice that the brown-haired girl had been Sorted into Ravenclaw, half-worried, of what might happen next, as the others were now giving the frail first year a stare that was similar to the one they were giving the three of them…
For a few seconds, there was complete and utter silence, but it was a calm before a storm. The other Ravenclaws were just about to resume on their attempt to force the 'Dark Trio' to leave when…
"AGUAMENTI!"
SPLASH!
"What in the name of…" gasped one of the
"Who the hell…"
"HEY YOU! WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, TERRORIZING NEW STUDENTS!?"
Everyone in the room turned to see who it was who spoke (although Severus noticed that some of the Ravenclaws seemed to flinch as they heard the voice speak.)…
It was a girl with navy-blue hair, wand in one hand, a broomstick on the other, looking furiously at her fellow Ravenclaws for their current conduct. She was above plain at least, and she looked rather beautiful (Though not as beautiful as Ilya, thought the raven-haired young man.) But her most distinguishing feature…
was her eyes…
The girl, who was now busy telling off their attackers, had a pair of ruby-red eyes, just like Ilya's were before. But unlike the white-haired girl's, as Severus noticed, there was something about them that was different, something beastlike…
"No buts," the blue-haired girl was saying, who had now gotten the situation under control, as Evelyn Scrimgeour ran and attached herself to Ilya. "They are now in Ravenclaw, and I expect you treat them as you would any member of our House… now off with you… unless you want me to report you to Professor Flitwick and have him make you scrub toilets for a week…"
"But…" began one of the Ravenclaws who tried to corner Severus and his two friends, but he immediately stopped, then left for the dorms with the others in the group immediately, as the blue-haired girl narrowed her eyes, glaring, a growl noticeable in her tone…
"Well, well," began another female voice, amusement in its tone. "Who would have thought that I would actually get to meet one of the descendants of the Hound of Ulster."
Upon hearing these words, the blue-haired girl immediately turned to look for the source of the voice, her ruby eyes wide with shock…
"Ilya?" inquired Severus and Alice together, as they saw that their silver-haired companion had a strange smirk plastered on her face, the brown-haired Evelyn looking up at her inquiringly.
"What did you just say?" the blue-haired said in a low voice, recovering from her previous surprise.
"The Hound of Ulster," began the white-haired girl, the smile still on her face. "If I'm not mistaken, you're a descendant of Cu Chulainn, aren't you?"
-BREAK-
(Ilya POV)
"Rose Ann Walker Garnet," greeted the blue-haired girl formally, (who turned out to be a fifth year Ravenclaw Prefect) but talking rather quickly, as she held out a hand. "Welcome to Ravenclaw Tower."
"Thank you," replied the white-haired girl, as she accepted the offered hand and shook it. "My name is Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya… you can call me Ilya for short, and these are my friends Alice, Evelyn, and Severus…though since I think you already know them, there's no need for further introductions…"
The white-haired girl could not help but be shocked. While keeping her facial expression in check, in truth, inside she could not help but feel quite surprised and amused by the sight that greeted her.
No way…she's like a female version of Lancer, thought Ilya to herself.
Cu Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster, the hero or Ireland, was the true identity of the Servant Lancer in the 5th Holy Grail War, in which Ilya, as the Master of Berserker, was a participant. He was a demi-god, a powerful Heroic Spirit, who wields the dreaded spear Gae Bolg, as his Noble Phantasm, a red demonic spear which, when activated, will always go for and never miss the heart of its opponent, a sure kill…
And indeed the resemblance was uncanny. Had Lancer been born a girl, the blue-haired female in front of Ilya right now would have been exactly what he would have looked like.
"How did you know?" the blue-haired girl, Rose, inquired, her ruby eyes lighting up with shock and excitement. "I have never told anyone…"
The question was actually an indirect confirmation of Ilya's suspicion. The look in her eyes, there was no doubt about it. Rose was definitely a descendant of the red spear wielding Servant. Still…
"I think we should talk about this another time," Ilya cut off Ravenclaw Prefect, as she noticed that the brown-haired girl had fallen asleep, gently lifting Evelyn in her arms, so as not to wake her. "For now, I think we should get some rest. We have classes tomorrow… Would it be ok with you to show us where the students sleep for the night?"
"Ah…yes, of course," replied the blue-haired girl automatically, as she called (yelled) at another Ravenclaw student, who reluctantly approached them. "Wellington, would you mind showing Severus to the boys' quarters?"
The other student merely nodded.
"Thank you," replied Rose to the gesture. "You two, come with me…"
Yes, Ilya would have really liked to engage Rose Garnet in a nice conversation, but it was getting late, and as Saber used to say, fatigue was the enemy.
"Night, Severus," said Alice, stifling a yawn, as she started following the blue-haired girl.
"See you later then, Sev," said Ilya, as she gave him a quick kiss to the lips, before heading off with the black-haired female, carrying Evelyn Scrimgeour with her in a sister-like manner, as her raven-haired boyfriend waved his hand slightly in response, a mixture of joy, relief and curiosity readable from his expression…
-BREAK-
(Rose POV)
It was two o'clock in the morning. Despite the considerably traumatic events of the day prior, most of the girls in the dormitory are now sleeping soundly…
Except for one Ravenclaw fifth year Prefect who goes by the name Rose Ann Garnet, who found that sleep would not come to her. And it was not because of the fact that Voldemort attempted an attack on the Hogwarts Express, nor was it because she was sleeping in the same room as the Alice Chaucer and Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya. Well… her current insomnia was actually caused by the white-haired, but it was not due to the train incident. No, the reason why Rose Ann was unable to sleep was due to…
"The Hound of Ulster…If I'm not mistaken, you're a descendant of Cu Chulainn, aren't you?"
To say that Rose was surprised would be an understatement. For in truth, the shock that she felt when You-Know-Who (The blue-haired was not exactly afraid of calling said Dark Lord Voldemort, but as others flinched whenever the name was uttered, she stopped using it to be considerate) attacked the Hogwarts Express, was nothing in comparison to the one which she experienced when Ilya voiced out that statement.
The blue-haired girl looked at the white-haired girl with her piercing ruby-red eyes, who was now fast asleep, not even bothering to close the curtains, on one of the blue-sheeted four poster beds (One of the other female Ravenclaws begged to switch beds with the Prefect, obviously not wanting to sleep near the so-called Dark Lady). She was actually contemplating on waking Ilya and engaging her in conversation, wanting an explanation on how she figured it out, but decided against it, knowing it was bad manners to do so…
Still, Rose could not help but wonder how it was possible for someone to know about it, let alone make a connection…
-BREAK-
Rose Monologue
Rose Ann Walker Garnet, a member… well, formerly a member of the prestigious Garnet family, before she was disowned… though since she did leave on her own accord, it did not really matter…
She was the first born child of Raymond and Julia Garnet, both purebloods and of noble lineage. But the two wanted a son, and not a daughter, so when Rolando was born (The blue-haired girl was five years old at the time), Rose's parents focused all their loving attention on her brother (Adding the fact, of course, that the medics stated that Julia will not get pregnant again, as well as the fact that the boy had inherited his mother's blonde hair and her face, as well as his father's blue eyes, while none of these traits were inherited by Rose, even though they were 100% biologically related.).
In truth, Rose was not really affected with this kind of treatment. While for the most part, she was ignored by her parents, the blue-haired girl did not mind. She was in fact, pleased with this fact. For while her mother and father were busy spoiling and giving all their loving care to her younger brother, Rose did not bear any grudge or will against them. For that meant that she was free. She was not starved, nor was she maltreated, so she was fine with things, and the blue-haired was actually kind of fond of her little brother. And the fact that she was not given much attention meant she had no shackles on her…
And that meant that she had a lot of free time on her hands, which she spent with her grandfather on her mother's side, the only living relative she had from that generation, and the only one who ever truly cared for Rose, much more than her parents ever did. (since the rest of her grandparents were already dead).
Flashback
WHOOSH!
SPLASH!
"I DID IT! I FINALLY DID IT! LOOK GRANDFATHER! I FINALLY CAUGHT ONE!" cried an eight-year old Rose happily, as she grabbed the self- carved wooden spear from the riverbed, and showed it to her old man, with a fish pierced helplessly in it.
"Well done, my child," replied her grandfather Frederick, smiling as he clapped his hands, his hair whitened by age, yet who had a pair of sharp red eyes just like the blue-haired girl's. "All that hard work is paying off."
"Just don't get cocky, kid," said a teasing voice, which came from a pocket-size portrait, of a blue-haired man with sharp red eyes, just like the other two's pair, grinning amusedly, but with pride at the young lass. "You're still a long way from my level… but it's a start."
The blue-haired girl continued her training with the use of the long weapon. It was not exactly easy, but no one actually forced her into it. In fact, Rose was really happy when she was using the spear, feeling at home and at ease when she had one in her hands…
End of Flashback
Yes, the blue-haired girl recalled those happy and carefree days by the stream, but such days are never meant to last.
As a member of the noble house of Garnet, learning proper etiquette befitting of a lady was a must (and Rose's nature was far from something like that). When she turned nine, her parents hired a tutor for the blue-haired girl and, not wanting to cause any trouble (despite the fact that the sessions were really boring and irritating), Rose complied, and like any obedient daughter, attempted learning the art of being a goody-two-shoes-noblewoman.
Because of this, being occupied with all the nonsense, it was six months before Rose was able to visit her grandfather again(She had been able to get express permission from her tutor, who was pleased with her 'apparent' progress)…
And to her great sorrow, she discovered that her grandfather had passed away.
The old man had actually lived alone in an old house by the riverside, with only an old loyal female servant for company, who informed her of Frederick's passing. He had many properties of course, but he somehow preferred simple living compared to the usual lavish lifestyle nobles led. Unknown to Rose, her grandfather actually had a terminal illness, but kept it hidden from her…
She was filled with grief and sadness, as she heard the old maid told her that her grandfather had been calling out her name on his death bed. And the worst part...
Flashback
"He was s-sending me l-letters?" the blue-haired girl sobbed.
"Yes, he was, owling you every single day since you started visiting him actually, whenever you were not around," replied the old maid, sadness also present in her voice. "It is a pity… he would have been overjoyed to be able to see you one last time before he passed away…"
"B-but I never received any of them…"
End of Flashback
Rose could not believe it. She never got a single letter from her grandfather, but she had not given that much thought, assuming as a child that the old man was just busy with adult matters. There was only one possible explanation, and she did not like it…
When the girl got back to the Garnet manor, she immediately confronted the maids. At first, they were reluctant about telling her about it, for fear that it would get them into trouble, but eventually gave in when Rose promised not to tell her parents about it…
It was not a pleasant tale. Her grandfather had indeed been sending her letters, but her parents, both her father and mother, ordered that those letters should be burned…
Now, Rose recalled something else. The tutoring… the lectures on ladyship… it all began the day after the blue-haired girl told her parents about her adventures one dinner… as well as the fact that she had been visiting her grandfather, which they did not seem to have been aware of until she told them…
Yes, it was her fault. Her childish naivety made her fail to notice the dark look that appeared on her parent's faces…
From that day on, Rose refused to take any of the worthless lectures (which never involved anything about magic, only about nonsense ladylike manners and appeal), opting to stay out of sight, sometimes climbing on top of trees (When Mr. and Mrs. Garnet heard that she visited her grandfather's grave, she was expressly forbidden from leaving the manor, and Rose still opted to obey that much.), hoping that things will turn for the better if she at least tried and showed her parents her point…
And sadly, she was mistaken…
Flashback
SLAP!
Rose simply kept an impassive face, as her mother slapped her in the face.
"Servant, take my son to the other room," said the cold, commanding voice of Mr. Garnet, who was crying, wailing, unhappy with what was happening, for the boy was actually rather attached to his elder sister, something which the mother and father did not like.
The door of the room was shut, and Rose was left alone with her parents.
"Well, now, young lady," said Mr. Garnet coldly, as he turned to face his daughter. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
The blue-haired girl simply kept quiet. In truth, she was seething, she was angry, but she kept herself composed. Rose simply let her parents' words and anger wash over her. Ever since she started skipping her tutor sessions, this had been a normal event, and she was now accustomed to it, but then…
"… you have been betrothed to the heir of the House of Black, Regulus, I think was his name," said the blue-haired girl's father. "… and you are to attend your lessons on a regular basis from now on. Do I make myself clear, young lady?"
Even though she was only ten years old, Rose understood full well what those words meant. She was being sold off, as a tool, to forge an alliance, a pact, for business, or for whatever other selfish reasons, by her own parents no less.
The blue-haired girl would have exploded in fury, had it not been for the fact that the door of the room opened and her little brother entered at that precise moment…
"Yes, Father…" replied the blue-haired girl through gritted teeth.
End of Flashback
That was the last straw. Without another word, the blue-haired girl, leaving a note of apology under her brother's pillow, left Garnet Manor that very night, and went to her grandfather's old house by the river (The house, as Rose later learned, was not among the declared properties of her grandfather, so it was not registered… not to mention the fact that it was protected by the Fidelius Charm, and as her grandfather's old maid, Mrs. Numern, had sworn an Unbreakable Vow never to reveal its location to anyone before her grandfather died, her parents were never able to find her.)…
And since then, Rose had not had any contact with her family for six years,(And since both the Walker and Garner families were very influential and could have contacted her easily, especially when she entered Hogwarts, it was an indication that she was undoubtedly no longer considered part of the family, not that she cared). The blue-haired girl was actually glad to have been able to break free, the one tinge of regret she had was the fact that she had to leave her brother behind...
End of Monologue
-BREAK-
(Rose POV)
"Still can't sleep young lady?"
"What do you think of her, Cu?" Rose asked the blue-haired man in the pocket-portrait she was holding in her hand, completely ignoring his question, referring her new dorm mate.
"Hmmm…" the man in the picture was musing, as he looked at the white-haired girl sleeping on the bed beside the blue-haired girl's. "Well… she does have a nice body…"
"I'm not talking about that, you WOMANIZER!" shouted Rose furiously at the man in the frame, thankful that it had been her nightly habit, since her first year, to place a Privacy Ward around her bed, which prevented her screams from coming in and getting out of any sound-enclosed-area. Having a talking guy in the frame after all (even if it was just a mini portrait), especially one with the same mind track as this perverted image of a hero, and in a room full of females… well, it's easy enough to tell. "I'm talking about what she said… about me being your descendant, I mean."
"Well, if you really are my descendant, you'd probably also be interested in women like m…WHOA! HEY!" shouted Cu Chulaiin, as the blue-haired girl started shaking his frame violently, noticing the familiar beastlike fury that appeared in her eyes…
Who exactly is she? thought the blue-haired girl to herself, as she removed her eyes from the Irish hero and stared at the white-haired girl who was sleeping on the bed immediately adjacent to her left…
There was no question about it. According to her grandfather, the Walker family was originally known as the Setanta family, but for some reason, changed it many generations back. Apparently, this particular bit of information had been lost for centuries, and even Julia's mother did not think much of it, believing it as nothing more than a myth. Only Rose and her grandfather Frederick (and since he was now dead, only Rose) believed in it, knowing that the legend was in fact true.
But the rest of the Walker family had completely forgotten about it, disregarding it, the heritage from the hero no longer part of their official recorded history for centuries… and yet…
"I'm serious," said the girl in a eerily calm voice, her red eyes flashing dangerously. "And if you don't want to get thrown into Moaning Myrtle's…"
The blue-haired girl found it strange. The white-haired girl, Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya, recognized her, not by her official ancestry, but by the unofficial one which only Rose ever considered, before the blue-haired girl had even told the white-haired girl her name…
"Alright, alright, I get it already," said the blue-haired picture of a man quickly, remembering a certain not-so –pleasant experience... "You really want my opinion on that aspect, young lady?"
The blue-haired girl nodded.
"To be honest with ya," began the blue-haired picture. "I honestly don't know…HEY! GIVE ME A BREAK WILL YA!?" shouted the blue-haired man, as Rose started rattling his frame violently again.
"Useless," said the blue-haired girl in a growling voice that made the picture of the Cu Chulainn flinch…
Silence reigned for a while, as the blue-haired girl was deep in thought about the white-haired girl named Ilya, not because of what she did to Voldemort, but because of the fact that she had recognized Rose, not as a member of the noble house of Walker, but as a descendant of the Hound of Ulster…
"You know, young lady," sighed the portrait of the legendary spearman. "I can think of two ways for you to be able to get that damn uneasiness off your back."
"Name them…"
"Well first, you can use the direct approach. Talk to her, ask her about it. Didn't she say you can talk about it later?"
"Yeah, that's a good plan, thanks a lot," replied the blue-haired girl to the picture of the spearman sarcastically.
As if that would work, thought Rose to herself. Having seen how Ilya converse with people so far, even going as far as to fool Lord Voldemort and debating with the Sorting Hat, the blue-haired girl, despite being talented in the particular aspect, knew just how far she could go with her conversational skills, and using said approach… was unlikely to yield any fruit…
Silence reigned for a while…
"So, mind telling me the second approach?" the blue-haired girl inquired of the Hound of Ulster.
"Well, young lady," began the red-eyed man in the picture, then lowered it to an almost inaudible whisper so that only the intended listener could hear (completely forgetting the fact that there was an anti-eavesdropping spell cast around them…)…
The blue-haired girl listened carefully, nodding her head from time to time, as Cu Chulainn continued with his advice.
I guess that really is the only course of action that could work, sighed Rose to herself, a worried, yet determined expression on her face…
-BREAK-
(Cu Chulainn POV)
"Rest well, young lady, you have a long day ahead of you…" whispered the picture of the Hound of Ulster to the blue-haired girl, not in a perverted way, but in a mixture of the way that a brother or father speaks with his sister or daughter…
It was already past three in the morning when Rose Ann Walker Garner finally managed to fall asleep, finally sufficiently at ease to be able to do so, having finally determined her next course of action…
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Another chapter out then, people. This time, I guess I'm introducing another OC who will have a somewhat prominent role in my fic. For those of you who want to know more about Cu Chulainn, there's plenty of information on him, ranging from Wikipedia, the Type-Moon Wiki and many other sites. The Hound of Ulster was Servant Lancer in Fate/Stay Night, but he is not exactly the same Cu Chulainn that Ilya met in the 5th Holy Grail War, and the portrait will only have memories up to the point of the death of his natural life.
Anyway, I've really been busy so as I said before, I will at least try updating this fic at least once a week. And again, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Later then people...