And sadly I must tell you all that Santa DID NOT leave the rights to Harry Potter under my Christmas tree this year so that means I still own nothing but this story and the charactors that came from my mind!
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!
Chapter Thirty
From Libraries To Fighting in the Corridors
One argument and a half hour later, Taylor walked into the library with her brother, Ginny, Hermione and Ron.
Harry had not been impressed with Taylor for agreeing to go to the library to study with the Head Boy. He had growled that they should be starting their search of the dungeons and had only stopped his complaining when Hermione had pointed out that it probably wouldn't be a good idea for Taylor to use anymore magic today. Plus Ginny had pointed out that they could catch up on their homework and be ready to continue their searching tomorrow night. Ron didn't think much of going to the library to study with Hunter either, but when Hermione said she'd help with Ron's potions essay, he had agreed.
Taylor spotted Greg at the back of the library at a table that the five-some had often used. She led the way towards him and smiled at him as she sat down beside him.
They made substantial headway with their homework. Taylor was able to complete her Potions essay and the questions for Herbology, plus get a good start on her three-foot Transfiguration essay due Friday. With a half hour left before the library closed, Taylor got up and went searching for a curse-breaking book that they hadn't yet read.
"Hey, now that is some heavy reading." Greg said quietly as he joined Taylor in one of the back aisles eyeing the thick old book she was flipping through.
Taylor smiled. "I like to read everything I can. You never know when it might come in handy."
Greg was quiet for a few minutes as he flipped through the book that he had pulled off the shelf. It was never a good idea to let the librarian, Madame Pince, find one idly standing back here.
"So are you going to tell me what happened earlier?"
Taylor glanced up quickly at the handsome Hufflepuff, but her voice was nonchalant as she said, "I already told you. A spell went wonky."
"Yeah, I know that is what you said. What spell?" Greg asked as his blue eyes bore into hers.
"What?" Taylor asked a little startled by his question.
"What was the spell?" His eyes were intense as he stared into hers.
Taylor looked away as her heart started to hammer. She couldn't tell him she had used a Dark Magic spell. "I, ah, it was… a transfiguration spell. It backfired, horribly."
"Transfiguration? What were you trying to transfigure?" His voice, while quiet, was serious. "I've never seen a transfiguration spell drain someone's magic like that."
Taylor felt her face drain of color. If Greg had performed a simple revealing spell he would have easily seen the Dark Magic traces on all of them. "W-What do you mean?"
Greg studied the girl in front of him. He had seen the color leave her face and her eyes grow round in fear, behind her glasses. This, more then anything, told him that she had probably been doing some sort of spell she wasn't supposed to be doing. She had already told him that she was committed to helping Potter however she could. He wondered if Potter had asked her to do something dangerous. A surge of anger pounded through his veins as the desire to protect the red-haired witch in front of him gripped his insides.
"Taylor, I can respect your loyalty to Potter. I will… try… to never ask you to tell me… anything you can't. But if he is asking you to do dangerous spells, or putting you at risk, unnecessarily…" The intensity in Greg's voice surprised Taylor and she looked up to see that same intensity in his eyes.
Taylor shook her head. "Oh no. It was nothing like that. I really don't know what happened. The spell just went… wrong."
Greg continued to stare at her for a long moment before he said. "You're not going to tell me what spell are you?"
Taylor tried to smile, to lighten the intensity in the air around them, but she didn't quite manage it. "I… can't." For a long moment Taylor thought he wasn't going to accept her answer, then slowly he let out a long breath.
"Alright, Taylor. But can you promise me, you will be more careful in the future?"
Taylor was just about to answer when Hermione appeared at the end of their aisle. "Oh, there you are. We are going back to the common room, Ron and I need to drop our books off before patrol. Are you coming?"
Taylor was about to answer when Greg beat her to it.
"You guys can go on ahead. I'll make sure Taylor gets back to Gryffindor Tower safely. I'm patrolling with Patrick anyway. You can tell him to wait for me in your common room."
Hermione met Taylor's eyes for a second then she smiled smugly. "Sure, no problem Greg. See you on patrol. Bye Taylor."
"Bye Hermione," Taylor put the book she had been flipping through back in its place and followed Greg back to the table they had been using to gather their books. Hermione and the others were just going out the library door. Taylor saw her brother glance back at her once before he disappeared down the hall.
"You doubt that I can safely escort you to Gryffindor Tower?"
Taylor glanced over at the tall Hufflepuff, noting his broad shoulders and strong hands. "I don't have any such doubt. Between my skill and your brawn we should be able to handle anything the Slytherins can throw at us."
Greg laughed and Madame Pince glared at them as they walked out of the library.
Taylor followed Greg as he took the long route up to Gryffindor Tower.
After they had walked for a few minutes in silence, Greg pulled out his wand and with a wave Taylor recognized well as a silencing charm, asked, "How do you know You-Know-Who killed your parents?"
Taylor was a little startled by the question, and wondered if he had been thinking about asking her for some time now. His straightforward manner took a bit of getting used to. "Dumbledore told me about it last year."
"But they were muggles weren't they?"
Taylor stared straight ahead. She had never lied about her parents, not really. She had always just suggested a scenario and let people draw their own conclusions. With a tightness in her throat, and a prayer that someday she could speak the truth, she said. "Voldemort enjoys killing muggles too."
"I'm sorry Taylor. I shouldn't have asked. Sometimes I let my mouth run away with me." The Head Boy's voice was full of regret.
"It's alright. It's not like I ever knew them." Taylor said quietly. His arm came hesitantly around her shoulders and after a few seconds he tightened it and pulled her close to his side.
"I am sorry."
They walked for another few minutes in silence.
"Taylor, I was wondering… my parents said it was alright, if you would like to come to my house over the holidays, maybe for supper some night. I'd like you to meet my Mum and Dad."
Taylor looked up at Greg and stared at him shocked. "You've got to be kidding! Do you ask every girl you've only known for two days over to your house?"
The Hufflepuff laughed and shook his head. "No. Just you."
"Well isn't this just cozy?" a voice smirked from behind them.
Taylor wheeled to see a group of Slytherin's come out from behind a stone statue that hid a stairway.
"I'd have thought a half blood like you, Hunter, would have had more sense then to get mixed up with a piece of Mudblood trash like that!" purred the tall girl, in a poisonous voice.
"And I'd have thought you learned your lesson last time Parkinson. Don't mess with what you can't handle!" Taylor said in a soft dangerous voice, as she stepped in front of Greg.
Parkinson looked around at the other five Slytherins with her before she said. "I'm not really surprised you can't count Mudblood, but you are out numbered."
"Ten points from Slytherin! Watch your mouth Parkinson. And if you don't move along, I'll make it detention!" Greg growled as he stepped out from behind Taylor.
Parkinson and the other Slytherins laughed. "Detention? Points? As if I care! I've waited a long time to get my pay back on you Mudblood."
"Pay back? Well you should have brought more help if you think those five are going to make the difference in who wins here!"
"Oh, I did!" Parkinson smirked and Taylor's hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
"Stupefy!" The spell was yelled behind Taylor. Two more Slytherins had come up behind her and Greg.
Taylor flicked her wrist and grabbed her wand as she dove for the wall, the spell smashing into the floor where she had been standing. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Greg diving for the opposite wall, as Parkinson and the other Slytherins started throwing curses.
Taylor scrambled to her feet, stunning one of the Slytherins who had snuck up behind her with a silent spell. She noted that the other one was beating a hasty retreat as she swung back to the others. Greg was holding his own against a sixth year boy so Taylor concentrated on the others. Her wand was a blur as she silently blocked and sent spells almost in the same motion. Her months of practice in Shacklebolt's office making the difference as the Slytherin's started to drop.
A stunner, block, a freezing charm, block, block, another stunner, block, a disarming spell, block, only two were still standing. She could see Greg finally stun his opponent. When she heard Parkinson's frustrated shriek, then…
"Sectum…"
Taylor knew the spell, Snape's cutting spell.
"Protego!" Taylor bellowed out the shield charm as she dove in front of Greg. The cutting spell ricocheted off her shield and smashed into the ceiling raining rock chips down on them. Taylor scrambled to her feet without dropping her shield.
Parkinson laughed as she advanced on Taylor.
"How long do you think you can hold that shield, Mudblood?"
"Long enough!" Bit back Taylor. She had been able to hold her shield charms for almost five minutes when she had been practicing in the Room of Requirement. However after her wonky spell that afternoon she knew she'd never last that long. She could already start to feel the strain.
Greg was breathing hard, but was unharmed thanks to Taylor's shield charm. He wasn't sure how long she would be able to hold it, but other questions were exploding in his mind. Like why hadn't a teacher or auror come to investigate the noise? Why were the Slytherins so brazen? What were they going to do now?
"If you are waiting for someone to come rescue you Mudblood you can forget it. A nice silencing and sealing charm, will make sure we are not disturbed." Parkinson laughed. The other Slytherin was reviving a couple of the ones Taylor had stunned.
"You know, you are going to be in big trouble when we get out of here." Greg growled.
"Who says you are going to get out of here?" Parkinson laughed.
Taylor met Greg's sideways look. They needed to act now.
Taylor dropped her wand arm and shield at the same time, surprising the Slytherin's for a moment. Four against two still weren't great odds, but Taylor dropped one Slytherin with her first stunning spell. Greg was once again fighting one and Taylor concentrated on the other two.
"Expelliarmus"
Taylor saw Greg's wand fly out of his hand from the corner of her eye, he was defenseless now. This time though Parkinson and the other Slytherin were working together. One blocking as the other sent hexes. Taylor had her hands full, but she backed up towards Greg. He had jumped at the Slytherin and was now wrestling with the large sixth year, trying to get control of the wand.
The Slytherins weren't as good at soundless spells and they still needed to say most of them out loud. This gave Taylor a slight advantage. Another blocking spell and Taylor dropped Parkinson with a stunner.
It was just Taylor and the Slytherin now, but the spells he was using were becoming darker and darker. Nasty spells that Taylor would never use. She was able to block them and get in a few near misses of her own. A new voice joining the fray sent a shiver of fear up her spine.
The Slytherin that Taylor had thought had run off was now back, and before Taylor could get her shield up again he had hit Greg with a nasty stunner that would leave welts where it hit. The sixth year that Greg had been wrestling with got up to join his buddies.
Taylor backed up until she was standing right in front of the Head Boy's prone body.
"What are you going to do now Mudblood? Are you going to run like a coward or are you going to stay and grovel at our feet?"
"I pick option three. I kick your ass!" Taylor snarled and she let loose with everything she had. She didn't think, her wand flicking back and forth, a calm settling over her, the darker the Slytherin's spells became the more dangerous they were. Taylor's pendant began to burn against her neck. If she went down there was no telling what these Slytherins would do to Greg, or to her.
One by one the Slytherin's fell, sweat was pouring off Taylor by the time she watched the last one fall.
Not knowing how long before some of the others might start coming around, Taylor conjured her Patronus and sent it off after help and summoned all the wands to her and stuffed them inside her robes.
"Greg?" Taylor whispered as she dropped down beside the Head Boy. He looked very pale. She pointed her wand at him, "Finite Incantatem", nothing happened. With a trembling hand she reached out and gently brushed the hair off his forehead. She was tempted to try and use Dark Magic to revive him when she heard something and looked up.
At the end of the corridor she could see Lupin and Moody, but even though she could tell they were yelling she could barely hear them. Then she remembered what Parkinson had said. Instinctively Taylor knew it was a Dark Arts spell that was shielding the corridor. Taking a deep calming breath, she closed her eyes, "Silencio Impentitio Infinitio!" her pendant burnt as Lupin's and Moody's voices reached her ears.
"Taylor! Are you alright?" Lupin called as he hurried towards her.
"Miss Porter! What is going on?" Moody growled as he clumped down the corridor looking at all the unconscious students.
"Good Heavens! What in the name of Merlin has happened here!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed as she appeared at the end of the corridor accompanied by Shacklebolt and an auror.
Taylor looked up at Lupin ignoring the others for a moment. "He was hit with a Dark Arts spell, I couldn't revive him."
Lupin looked down at the boy lying on the floor as he reached Taylor and was a little surprised and relieved to see it wasn't Harry. "What happened? Do you know what spell was used?"
Taylor told Lupin the spell and he looked at her surprised. "Are you sure?" He asked, and when Taylor said she was, he looked over at Moody who grunted his disapproval.
Twenty minutes later Taylor found herself once again in the headmistress' office. Greg and the Slytherins had all been taken to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey was tending to and reviving them. Taylor had told Moody the spells she had used on which Slytherin, even the three Dark Magic spells she had used.
Taylor couldn't sit down, she was too worried, so she paced back and forth, waiting for Professor McGonagall to come tell her what kind of trouble she was in this time.
Taylor conjured her Patronus again and sent it to Harry letting him know she was all right and in the headmistress' office.
"Young lady! Do you really think that was necessary?" one of the portraits of the past Headmasters asked.
Taylor ignored it and kept on pacing only glancing up once at Dumbledore's portrait.
The oak door opened five minutes later and in walked Professor McGonagall, Shacklebolt, Moody and Lupin.
Taylor paused in her pacing to take note of their somber expressions and then she began pacing again.
"Miss Porter, please have a seat." McGonagall said as she sat down behind the large desk.
Taylor sat in a chair but her foot began jiggling, it was her body's way of siphoning off some of her nervous energy.
"I want you to please tell me exactly what happened down in that corridor." Professor McGonagall demanded in a firm voice.
Taylor related everything that had happened and as she talked she caught uneasy looks between the four adults.
"You knowingly used Dark Magic. Even after you were told not to? On students in this school."
Taylor looked up at McGonagall. She didn't feel guilty for what she did. "Professor, I had no choice! They were using Dark Art spells. They had already used a nasty one on Greg Hunter and stunned him. I didn't use anything really dangerous, just enough to stun them."
"That is not the point Miss Porter! You purposely disobeyed me and my order to not use Dark Magic again."
"Professor, Moody asked me to use Dark Magic on Snape! I was only defending myself, and protecting the Head Boy!"
McGonagall's lips were a firm line as she glared at Taylor.
"Miss Porter, please go wait outside for a moment." Professor McGonagall ordered.
Taylor wondered if they were going to decide where they were going to send her after they expelled her from Hogwarts. She might get the chance to finally speak with Snape, Taylor thought miserably.
She wasn't sure how long she stood outside the door waiting, maybe ten minutes, when Lupin opened the door to admit her back in. She tried to read Lupin's face but it was expressionless.
"Please sit, Miss Porter." Professor McGonagall ordered.
Taylor sat back down, a thought occurred to her. If she was expelled, would they break her wand? Like they did Hagrid's? Fear flooded her. She'd be completely defenseless in the outside world, easy pickings for any Death Eater.
"Miss Porter, you have put me in a very uncomfortable position. On the one hand you have broken not only school rules, but Ministry laws also. It is forbidden to use the Dark Arts." McGonagall held up her hand to stop Taylor from interrupting her. "I know you used Dark Magic and not Dark Arts but as it stands right now, our laws do not differentiate between the two. That you say you had no choice is not valid. We always have a choice, Miss Porter. We can either choose the light or the dark."
"Professor. I am not a dark witch!" Taylor exclaimed.
"That may be so. However people are going to start believing the worst about you if you continue the way you have been. By using Dark Magic. Therefore I am afraid I am going to have to punish you. Starting tomorrow you will no longer have any free study periods, and you will have detention every night and weekend with either Professor Shacklebolt or Moody. Here is your schedule for your detentions."
Taylor reached out and took the slip of paper.
"Professor Shacklebolt will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower."
Taylor stood, "Professor? Is Greg going to be alright?"
McGonagall's eyes softened just slightly. "Yes, Miss Porter, he will be fine."
Taylor nodded, turned and walked out of the Headmistress' office with Professor Shacklebolt. The long walk back to her common room was silent. Shacklebolt waited until she went in through the portrait hole before he left her.
Taylor was just straightening up when, "What the hell happened?"
Taylor looked up to see her brother's angry face. She sighed, looked at the empty common room and launched into the story. When she was finished Harry and Ginny stared at her. Hermione and Ron were still out on patrol.
"Those slimy dirty bastards! Did McGonagall give them detention too?" Harry demanded.
"I don't know," Taylor said tiredly. It had been a rough day.
"Oi Harry!" Ron's voice called.
Taylor looked over at her brother in surprise, until she saw him pull a silver mirror out of his robes.
"Hi Ron." Harry said to the redhead.
"Did you hear from Taylor yet?"
"Yeah, she's back. How is it going? Everything quiet?" Harry asked.
"Haven't seen anyone all patrol."
"That is probably a good thing. How long until you guys are done your rounds?" Harry asked, as he could hear Hermione asking if Taylor was all right. "Taylor's fine, Hermione."
"We should be back to the common room in fifteen or twenty minutes." Ron answered.
"Okay, we'll see you then mate." Harry replied and he put the mirror back in his robes.
Taylor stood up, "I'm going up to have a shower. I should be done by the time Hermione and Ron get back.
Harry and Ginny nodded.
Eighteen minutes later Taylor stood in the steamy bathroom looking at the bruises and welts on her body. Some, in all fairness, were from last night's training session with Moody and Shacklebolt, but there were a lot of new ones that were just starting to turn color plus several welts and a quite a few small cuts. The cuts on her knees however, were just thin scars now thanks to Hermione's healing potion.
With a critical eye Taylor took note of her wet dark red hair, longer right now than it had been in a long while. She'd be able to start using some barrettes very soon to keep it out of the way. Her face, while symmetrical, wasn't pretty like her mother's. Her glasses changing her look even more still from that of Lily. Her neck was thin, her shoulders too broad and her chest too flat. With a snort of disgust at her uncharacteristic preoccupation about her looks, Taylor grabbed her wand off the sink and with a flick, sheared off her hair. Running a hand up thru her hair Taylor noted that it was now so short that it was barely long enough to cover her fingers. Almost a crew cut. Satisfied Taylor pulled on her old, worn bathrobe and slipped out of the steamy bathroom and up to her room.
Pulling on an old pair of sweatpants and a hand-me-down sweat shirt from one of Mrs. Briggs nephews, Taylor slipped her feet into a pair of slippers that she had knit when Hermione had been on her knitting spree to knit hats for the house-elves. Pulling up her sleeve Taylor quickly attached the wand holder that Shacklebolt had showed Harry and her. The holder held the wand on the inside of the forearm, so that with just a slight flick of the wrist a witch or a wizard had their wand in hand. It was a device most auror's used. The holder had an anti-disarming charm on it so that no one could take the wand while it was still in the holder. Sliding her wand into it, she pulled her sleeve down and headed back down to the common room.
Hermione and Ron were already there when Taylor came down the steps and went to join her friends by the fire. After she had recounted the Slytherin's attack and what had transpired in the Headmistress' office, Hermione had several questions that Taylor answered as best as she could.
"So Professor McGonagall didn't say if the Ministry was going to step in did she?" Taylor shook her head. "If the Slytherins were using Dark spells, you'd think that McGonagall would have to report it. Especially with all the aurors that are here guarding the school."
"Unless…" Ginny began slowly, "she thinks they were somehow cursed, like Jeanie and Clare, the two fourth years who attacked one another here a couple of weeks ago."
Taylor snorted, her voice full of contempt. "Parkinson definitely wasn't cursed! She was completely aware of what she was doing! She even said that she'd been waiting for a long while to get her payback."
"I knew I should never have let you come back alone with Hunter!" Harry growled.
"Oh hell, Harry! I'm not scared of Parkinson! The bitch would need a few more friends then she had tonight before I'd be too worried!" Taylor snarled, as anger heated her blood.
"Taylor, from what I heard you were almost…" Hermione began.
"Like hell I was! If I hadn't been trying to toe the line and use only stunners when the slimy gits had started to use Dark Arts spells, I'd have dropped the three of them a hell of a lot sooner!" Taylor bit out as she came to her feet and began to pace.
"You shouldn't be using Dark Magic at all!" Hermione cried.
Taylor wheeled and was about to explain that she hadn't been left with much of a choice, when Harry cut her off.
"Taylor, sit down and calm down. Hermione, I trust Taylor's dueling skills and if she felt that she needed to resort to Dark Magic then I expect she did. However, she should never have been put in that vulnerable a position to be that outnumbered in the first place."
"I wasn't alone Harry!" Taylor growled hotly.
Hermione quickly jumped in to diffuse the coming argument by asking about the Dark Arts spells that the Slytherins had been using for sometime.
After awhile, Taylor could feel the exhaustion setting in. "I'm heading up to bed. Tomorrow is likely to be a long day with classes and detention." Taylor grumbled.
The five friends said their goodnights and headed off to bed.
Lying comfortably in her four-poster Taylor was almost asleep when Hermione asked softly. "How is Greg?"
"McGonagall said he was going to be fine."
"How was it going, before those Slytherins attacked?" Hermione asked curiously with a smile in her voice.
Taylor was silent for a moment thinking about her walk with the Head Boy. How nice it was, so normal feeling. "It was… just walking, Hermione."
Hermione sighed, "I think he likes you Taylor."
"Yeah well, after he finds out what happened, I doubt he'll want anything to do with me. It will be for the best." Taylor said quietly and added even softer. "It will be better for him."
A/N So what did you think? The spell Taylor used to take the silencing and sealing charms down from the hallway were just ones I made up. I do try as often as I can to use actual spells but as Taylor was using Dark Magic to take those spells down I just made it up... more to come on that in later chapters! :)
I want to thank all of you of you who left a review(I will reply to you as soon as I get the time! I thought a new chapter would be almost as nice as a reply to your reviews!) Thank you to those of you who have alerted and favorited this story as welll! You all make my day!
Thank you to barbc who has been absolutely terrific and bataed several more chapters even though she is busy this Christmas season! So until next time, cytpotter