The Butler: Mourning
This is a work of fanfiction, I own nothing.
Enjoy- RR13
Greengrass Manor, Lake District, August 18th, 20:17
The Greengrass sisters were sat at the dinner table chatting happily about everything, and nothing. Sebastian would never admit it, but he enjoyed this part of the day the most. Miss Astoria had a way of bringing out a side of his young mistress that no-one else got to see. No-one else could see it, because only Astoria could make Daphne smile in that particular way. Only Astoria could undo the stress that Daphne seemed to carry. Only Astoria could melt the Ice Queen persona, and see the true Daphne that resided within. He also knew that Daphne would never admit it, but she needed Astoria, as much as she needed him. He was the one that prepared all her meals, her tea, her outfits, bathed her, protected her, advised her, and had quite literally died for her, but it was Astoria that made her Daphne. The teenage girl, not the young woman who now had a school to run, and a war to wage. Daphne held out her glass, for Sebastian to refill. The butler refilled the glass, and Daphne smiled her thanks at him. Astoria noticed her sisters smile, and giggled to herself. She couldn't help but wonder if her sister had any idea of her true feelings for the butler. Or vice versa. Deciding to give the two some privacy, Astoria stood up. "Well, I'm feeling pretty tired. I think I'll head to bed now. Goodnight, Daphne. Goodnight, Sebastian."
"Going to bed so soon, sis?" asked Daphne. "Alright, sleep well, Tori."
"Goodnight, Miss Astoria." Sebastian said with a bow. Astoria kissed her sister on the cheek, waved to Sebastian and quickly headed upstairs to her room. Astoria's room was very similar to Daphne's, only she preferred to have the bed next to the window, so she could wake up with the sun, and the birds… Not Sebastian telling her the stock prices as Daphne preferred. She giggled to herself as she thought about the two of them. What an unlikely duo. But, a fitting one. She quickly changed into her nightdress, and collapsed on her bed. Today had been a long day. Gardening was one of her hobbies, so she had volunteered to help Neville in the garden. Though she loved it, gardening was exhausting. She closed her eyes, and relaxed into her pillow. She was so tired, she felt as if she never wanted to wake up.
Greengrass Manor, Lake District, August 18th, 02:14
Astoria awoke with a start. She couldn't breathe. A hand was clasped firmly over her mouth, pinching her nostrils. The Nightmare Queen was straddling her, and had something cold and sharp to her throat.
"Hey, hey, hey. Shhh, it's okay." the girl whispered. "I'm sorry it has to be this way. I usually like to spend more time with my victims, really get to know them before I start cutting them up, but I don't fancy hanging around and spending too much time with that butler of yours, so I'm gonna have to make this short and sweet.". With that, the figure raised the arm holding the cold, sharp object. Away from her throat, Astoria realised it was a knife, and in the pale moonlight, she could really see the size of the knife. The blade was a menacing shape, jagged and pointy in all directions. However, there was really very little time to admire the knife, before it was being plunged into her chest. Astoria screamed in agony, as the knife pierced her heart. The figure released her hand from her mouth, and the let the screams echo. "That's it dear, let it all out. Let Daphne hear you." she whispered, and pulled the knife out. Astoria gave a shuddering gasp, and fell still. The figure smirked, and then disapparated on the spot. The door to the room burst open, and Daphne, Sebastian, Tracey, Bellatrix and Neville charged through the doors.
"Tori, what's wrong?!" asked Daphne, panicked. Astoria didn't answer. "Tori?". Daphne approached the bed. Astoria wasn't breathing. The bedsheets were stained a dark red. The darkest spot of all, came from Astoria's chest. Daphne stopped in her tracks. "No… No…. No!" she cried, dropping to her knees, her hand covering her mouth. "Th-This c-c-can't be r-real.". She turned to Sebastian. "Sebastian. Help her."
"There's nothing I can do, young mistress." Sebastian replied, sadly. "I'm afraid Miss Astoria is gone."
"I d-d-d-don't u-understand." Daphne sobbed. "Why?"
"It must have been the Dark Lord." said Bellatrix. "Or more likely, the Nightmare Queen. She acts as his personal assassin. He know's you're coming after him. He know's who your butler used to be."
"He fears that only I can defeat him." Sebastian murmured. "Very well. Young mistress?". Daphne pulled herself to her full height, wiping her eyes. "No. First we find Undertaker. Get him to fix Neville's parents. Then, we get them to tell us how to defeat Voldemort and the Nightmare Queen. Then, we kill them both. As painfully as possible."
Greengrass Manor, Lake District, August 18th, 02:27
"How did she know?" asked Daphne. She had moved into the drawing room, along with Bellatrix and Neville. Sebastian and Tracey had been left to tend to Astoria's body. Daphne was pacing the room, her mind too troubled to sleep anymore. Bella poured her another glass of firewhiskey, and handed it to the blonde girl. "How did she know where we were? And for that matter, how did she get in here? She's not keyed into the wards. They're Blood Wards at that! They're supposed to be the strongest kind!"
"The only way is if she had some of our blood." Sebastian mused, entering the room, followed by Tracey.
"Or anyone who's keyed into the wards." Tracey added. There was silence for a moment whilst they all thought about the matter. It was Tracey who broke the silence. "Wait! Colin Creevey! Did Miss Astoria key him into the wards?"
"Perhaps, but we're still under the Fidelius Charm, how would she know where we were?" said Daphne.
"Unless she used a blood replacement potion." Bellatrix piped up.
"A what?" asked Daphne.
"A blood replacement potion. It takes all the blood out of a body, and replaces it with a new type. It was used by muggleborns to hide their true blood status during Grindelwald's reign. It's rather like an internal version of the Polyjuice potion."
"There's no way the Nightmare Queen would do that though." said Tracey. "She'd never replace her pure blood with a muggleborns. Not even for an hour."
"So, it was someone under both polyjuice and blood replacement?"
"What for though?" Daphne sighed, collapsing in her chair. "Why go to all that trouble? And that's got to do some damage to the system, right?"
"Yes, young mistress." Bellatrix nodded. "Essentially, it makes them a whole other person."
"It's obvious isn't it?" asked Neville quietly. "To get to you, young mistress. Voldemort obviously knows that you're waging war with him, and he's decided to hit you where it hurts."
"We'll pick this up in the morning. I just want to be alone right now." said Daphne, quietly. Neville, Tracey and Bellatrix filed out. "Sebastian, come here." Daphne whispered. Sebastian stepped forward. Daphne wrapped an arm around his neck. Taking the hint, Sebastian picked her up and carried her back to her room. Sebastian lay her down, and covered her with the blankets. As he made to leave, Daphne reached out and grabbed the end of his tailcoat. "Sebastian… Please. Stay with me tonight."
"Of course, young mistress." he nodded, and made to step back into the shadows. "No… Get into bed with me."
"Young mistress?"
"I need… Uh... I don't know what I need. I just want you near me, Sebastian. That's an order."
"Very well, my fair lady." Sebastian nodded, and joined her in bed. She nuzzled up close to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and holding close to him. Sebastian put an arm around her back, and held her, as she gently sobbed onto his shoulder.
"Sebastian, you'll help me find them won't you? Find the people who kill Tori?"
"Of course I will, young mistress. I'll help you find them, and I'll help you kill them, if that is your wish."
"Yes. The Nightmare Queen will pay. Voldemort will pay. And the bastard who killed Astoria will pay. Dearly."
Greengrass Manor, Lake District, August 18th, 08:14
The next morning, Daphne wasn't awoken by Sebastian pouring her tea. She opened her eyes, feeling as if she hadn't slept at all. She noticed she wasn't lying on her mattress. Looking up, she saw Sebastian was lying perfectly still beneath her. "Sebastian… What time is it?"
"Eight-Fourteen, young mistress."
"Sebastian, was last night real… Or was it all just a bad dream?"
"I'm afraid it was very real, young mistress." he replied.
"We need to find Undertaker. The quicker this is all over with, the less people will die." she sighed. The two lay in silence for a moment. "Sebastian?"
"Yes, young mistress?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For staying with me." Daphne whispered, and gingerly pressed her lips to his. "Always."
"Yes… Always." the butler replied.
Hogwarts, Scotland, August 19th, 10:43
Daphne and Sebastian strolled through the corridor's of Hogwarts. Since only Sebastian could travel through the wards, they had floo'd in, and were now marching down from the Headmaster's office. Several staff members tried to stop them to ask questions about the upcoming term, but Daphne merely waved them off, with a vague "Ask me later.". Eventually, they found themselves in the Dungeon's. They approached the door marked, "Potions Master" and knocked.
"Come in" called a voice from inside. The two looked at one another. Sebastian opened the door, and allowed his mistress to enter. The occupant glanced up from the parchment he had been scribbling on, and smirked at the blonde and her butler. "Good morning, Headmistress. Mr. Butler." he said, and returned to the parchment.
"Good Morning, Undertaker." Daphne smiled. The man looked up, and something graced his face. Something Daphne never expected to see. A grin. Severus Snape started to laugh. maniacal laughter was definitely a trait shared by all Soul Collectors. Snape's hair began to lengthen, and became less greasy, becoming a light shade of grey. His laughter slowly subsided, as he stood up, and moved to stand in front of his desk. Clapping his hands, he grinned at Daphne.
"Well done, my young lady. Well done." he giggled. His voice had become noticeably different. Almost as if he was constantly holding back a constant onslaught of laughter. There was also a twinge of madness to it, much like Tracey's. Madness, Daphne decided, was also a trait they all had in common. "I wasn't expecting you to come this far!". Daphne frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I know what you want of course. I just didn't think you'd come this far to get it."
"You know what I want?"
"You want your sister's soul, of course." Undertaker grinned. Daphne stared at him in shock. 'Was he being serious? Could he return Astoria to life?'
"Can you do that?"
"No. Only the one who collected the soul can do that."
"And who collected it?"
"No idea. As you can tell, I'm retired now." he giggled.
"Well, either way, you're wrong. I want the Longbottom's souls." said Daphne. Undertaker merely looked at her, as if he were regarding a fascinating piece of art. He began to chuckle to himself.
"That is funny. Why would you be after two souls as old as them?"
"I believe they may be able to tell me how to defeat Voldemort."
"Ah, yes. I do recall them being rather gifted magical theorists. But I'm afraid I can't help you, my young lady. Their souls are far too old."
"What?!"
"They're past their expiration date." Undertaker chuckled. "Returning these souls to their bodies now would be a disaster. They'd probably just reject them, and the bodies would crumble into ash."
"Why?" asked Daphne. "Why would they reject them?"
"They've been without a soul for so long, they know of nothing else now." Undertaker said, with false sorrow. "It'd be like transfiguring a table into a person, and telling them to go about their life. They'd have no way of knowing what to do."
"So, you're useless. Is that what you're telling me?" asked Daphne, glaring at the man.
"No, I know of all the underworld dealings. I know where the Nightmare Queen will be tomorrow night."
"Probably sat next to Voldemort, worshipping the ground he walks on." spat Daphne.
"No, no, no, my young lady." Undertaker chuckled. "The Nightmare Queen will be on a cruise liner departing from the Royal Albert Dock."
"A cruise liner? What on Earth for?" asked Daphne, incredulously.
"The Nightmare Queen has commissioned a personal army, to fight for her in the upcoming war. An army of advanced Inferi. She plans to test them out on the muggles."
"But why on a cruise liner?"
"It looks like Mr. Butler's figured out the answer." Undertaker grinned. 'Three things. That's three things Soul Collector's have in common. Laughter, Madness, and calling Sebastian "Mr. Butler"' Daphne thought to herself.
"It's rather simple really, young mistress." Sebastian smirked. "No escape."
