A/N I guess this is the chapter when everything starts to become grey:/ But this is also the chapter that leads this fic past 100,000 words. There's a good and a bad side to it I suppose.
Chapter 41
The day of the final task had arrived quickly – and no one would shut up about it. Reece couldn't escape the constant talk about the champions, the upcoming event and the points so far. The talk was everywhere and people only seemed to become even more excited as the day continued. Reece would be lying if he said he didn't care about the last task of the tournament, but in honesty he wasn't exactly buzzing like most of his fellow students were. Most was the key word; because Granger definitely wasn't excited about letting Potter compete in what was probably the most dangerous task yet, and even Danielle and Juliette had appeared worried when Reece bumped into them after breakfast. The reason Reece himself wasn't excited was because he had just been having this bad feeling over the past week or so. It wasn't one he could put a name to, but it was just this feeling that something was wrong in his mind. Something was going to go wrong, Reece had concluded to himself. But what? There was no way in knowing, and he'd just have to wait and see if his suspicion was correct.
And so he waited. He waited apprehensively as the champions appeared in front of the crowd and Dumbledore gave his small speech and the point standings. He waited along with the rest of the students as Fleur was discovered after the first set of red sparks appeared in the sky. He waited as Krum was rescued, looking very pale and unlike himself. It was only until only Potter and Diggory were left when Reece felt something. It was in his head – nearly unnoticeable. Hissing. A tiny hiss that he couldn't understand even with his parseltongue abilities. The hiss just kept going, constantly repeating itself as Potter appeared with the cup and a dead Diggory.
Reece joined the shocked crowd as they made their way back up to the castle. He couldn't mourn Diggory like the Hufflepuffs in front of himself and Theodore though, because Reece had a more important thing on – in – his mind. The hissing was still going and was beginning to become incredibly irritating. It wouldn't shut up; even when Reece tried Occlumency techniques the hissing continued.
"Do you think he's back – the Dark Lord?" Theo asked tensely as the two entered the dungeons and neared the Slytherin common room.
"Yeah." Reece muttered, still hearing the quiet hissing echoing in his mind. "I'm sure he is, Theo." The hissing was distracting Reece from most of his thoughts but he still knew that Potter wouldn't lie about something like that. Lord Voldemort was most likely at full strength again and ready to wreak havoc on people's lives just like last time, and Reece was sure that he'd meet the Dark Lord once again in the future. How could he not? Being under the guardianship of Yaxley, the son of Rabastan Lestrange and probably being mentioned by Wormtail if the rat was still alive.
"Think he'll, you know, break your father out? And your aunt and uncle?" Nott asked awkwardly as the approached the portrait.
"I don't even want to think about that yet." Reece forced a laugh, putting his hands in his pockets as they entered the common room and made a beeline for their dorm. The hissing was still going and Reece was almost sure it was getting louder as he took off his shirt and climbed into his bed. In fact, the bloody sound in his head was now annoying him more than Weasley. And that was saying something.
He drifted off rather quickly, ignoring Goyle's monstrous snores from across the room as he attempted to find a silent tranquillity that he hadn't had for at least an hour now.
Reece managed to get a bit of quiet before the hissing got even louder, waking him up abruptly and keeping him awake for what was at least half an hour before he finally snapped, hitting the left side of his forehead with the palm of his right hand. The torturous hissing wouldn't relent; even when Reece hit the top of his skull repeatedly with closed fists in attempt to knock the sounds out of his head. The hissing only got louder though, echoing persistently in his ears until Reece finally gave in to his rather insane urges. All he wanted to do was smash his head against the wall until the sound finally disappeared but alas, he settled for one of his four bedposts instead. Reece sat with both hands on the bedpost, hitting the front of his head softly against it at first. No difference. The hissing kept going, and he hit his head on it a little harder this time. When it didn't stop that was when Reece completely cracked, smashing his forehead into it countless times, not noticing that he'd managed to wake up both Theo and Blaise with the increased amount of noise he was making.
"Mate, what are you doing?" Blaise asked groggily, looking over at Theo. Reece heard him speak but had no clue what Blaise had said. All he could hear was the echoes of the hissing. "Reece?" He asked, getting out of his bed and squinting to see Reece hitting his head against a bedpost, blood smudged all over his forehead, colouring his dark hairline red.
"Fucking hell what's he doing?" Theodore cursed, noticing the blood drying on the bedpost as he and Blaise nodded to one another. They both made their way over to Reece, grabbing one of his arms and dragging him off of the bed.
"Should we take him to Madam Pomfrey or Professor Snape?" Blaise asked Theo as the two pushed open the door as quietly as possible, trying not to wake up Draco, Crabbe or Goyle. Reece barely processed the cold air hitting his shirtless upper body as he was dragged through the common room by the tops of his arms. The hissing was still there, as loud as it had been, and Reece could feel the blood on his forehead running down over his eyebrows.
"Pomfrey – look at his head – this isn't something Snape would want to handle." Theo stated reasonably, trying to not sound as worried as he was feeling. "Lestrange? Mate?" He said quietly as he and Blaise made their way towards the flights of moving stairs. Reece shut his eyes, blocking out everything possible only to be left with the hissing. It was a nightmare. One that he hoped he'd wake up from. When they entered, both Blaise and Theo noticed the small audience that all looked shocked upon seeing the state of Reece. There was Molly Weasley, Ron and Hermione all sat around the bed of a sleeping Harry Potter.
"What happened here?" Madam Pomfrey said with a serious frown as she approached them.
Blaise stuttered. "He, um-"
"Fell." Theo finished, looking cautiously at the two Gryffindors and Molly.
"Do not lie to me boys!" Madam Pomfrey snapped forcefully, guiding them over to a bed so that they could help Reece sit down. "Now," She said, closing the curtains so that they were out of view. "What happened?"
"We just, woke up and found him like this." Blaise said honestly. Reece looked at the three of them, narrowing his eyes and trying to push out the hissing so that he could solely focus on the conversation. He could feel the blood beginning to dry on his hairline and on his eyebrows, but that was still the least of his troubles. "He was hitting his head, on a bedpost," Reece didn't hear that either, instead going back to a previous method of trying to knock the hisses out. He started hitting the top of his head again; over and over until Madam Pomfrey finally took out her wand worriedly and bound him to the bed so that his arms were by his sides. "He's not going insane, is he?"
"Certainly looks it." Pomfrey said with a small huff, observing the damage he'd inflicted on his head. She moved over to Reece and began healing his self-inflicted wound as Theo and Blaise stood awkwardly, waiting to see if Reece was okay. "But I'm not sure. Would you boys go and wait for Professor Dumbledore for me? He's speaking to the minister at the moment, but once he's done, tell him that I'm in need of his assistance." The two nodded in agreement, leaving as Madam Pomfrey summoned a small towel and began dabbing at his bloody forehead with it. "Mister Lestrange I'm going to get you a few different potions to try – I'll be right back." She said rather calmly. Reece watched as she moved out of view, sighing through his nose when he looked down at the magical bounds that were over his arms. They looked slightly like belts and he couldn't believe what was happening. They all probably thought he was insane. It wouldn't be a shock – him being a Lestrange and all – but in his mind he wasn't. It was just this stupid, loud, annoying hissing.
"I'm not crazy." Reece muttered to himself, wriggling against the magical bounds and glaring at Madam Pomfrey as she placed around five different potions next to him. "I'm not crazy." He said to her clearly.
"I was hoping that you were still sane." Madam Pomfrey said in relief. "There's all sorts for you here – depending on what you need to take. Dreamless sleep, a potion for anxiety…" She explained, listing off all the different cups and bottles as Reece began to writhe once again, pushing himself up against the bounds and smacking his head back down as forcefully as possible into the pillow.
"Poppy." All of a sudden Dumbledore's voice echoed through the hospital wing for what seemed to be at least the third time in one night. "Mr Nott and Mr Zabini informed me you were in need of assistance. I hope you don't mind but I sent them back to bed." He said, closing the curtains he'd walked through before frowning upon seeing the state of Reece.
"Those two boys brought him up here." Pomfrey said as Reece's wriggling continued. "They said they'd found him hitting his head against a bedpost – a bedpost! I'm not sure what to do without answers."
"Mister Lestrange." Dumbledore said calmly, taking a sear beside his bed and looking him over a few times. "You're going to have to tell us what is going on, so that we can help you."
"I don't know sir." Reece said quietly as his voice caught in his throat. "It started when Potter and Diggory got back and it was quite quiet, and when I went to bed it seemed a little louder but then it woke me up and it won't shut up – I can't get any peace sir, the hissing won't stop."
"What hissing?" Dumbledore questioned, shifting his eyes to Madam Pomfrey for a moment before focusing back on Reece.
"I don't know – like I don't know what its saying it's just hissing." Reece said as he curled his fists in frustration. "It just won't get out of my head. I don't want to go crazy sir. I can't be like my family – I don't just want to be another insane Lestrange."
"Okay, Reece." Dumbledore said sympathetically, putting his hand on Reece's shoulder in understanding. "Would you mind if I had a look?"
"Be my guest." He replied. Dumbledore appeared to try to enter his mind, only to be repelled forcefully by what seemed to be the hissing of a thousand snakes.
"It seems I cannot get in." The headmaster stated thoughtfully, turning to address a tentative Madam Pomfrey. "Poppy, please fetch Severus – perhaps he'll have some ideas." With an irritated expression Madam Pomfrey left without a word, leaving Reece with Dumbledore. "The sound I heard when I tried to enter – is that what you've been constantly hearing?" Reece nodded. He could still hear them and it was starting to become incredibly tiring. "I see what lead you to, trying to knock them out." Dumbledore said. "Now, we can try any potion that Madam Pomfrey recommends you try, but if none work and Severus has no ideas, I suggest we move to possible muggle solutions – if you are comfortable with that."
"I'm comfortable with anything that gets them to stop." Reece said bluntly, watching as the curtain flew open. Both Snape and Madam Pomfrey entered looking at Reece and Dumbledore.
"Ah Severus. I presume Poppy has filled you in." Dumbledore said, getting a nod from the potions master. "Do you have any suggestions on how to help Mister Lestrange here cope with the situation?"
"A few potions come to mind." Snape said shortly. "And I'm sure Madam Pomfrey has them in her stores. I must admit." He drawled. "This is a rather, strange, occurrence."
"Indeed it is." Madam Pomfrey said in agreement. "I'll get everything now." She stated before sweeping off without another glance.
"I think it's because he's back." Reece said plainly to Dumbledore and Snape. "I knew there was something off and this has never happened before – and now he's back it makes sense."
"But why?" Dumbledore muttered openly in thought. "That is the question that's on all our minds. If this is to do with your Slytherin connection – is it happening to him as well?"
"I could try mentioning it to the Dark Lord." Snape said to Dumbledore. "But if I do, he will most likely want to see and question the boy."
"Right here." Reece mumbled, gripping at what was left of his sanity to listen to the two men as the hissing continued. "And I don't care if he wants to see me." He said bluntly. "I'll have to see him again at some point – with my dad and all that."
"He's right Severus." Dumbledore said in a tone that seemed almost reluctant. "If Voldemort asks about Mister Lestrange, tell him about the hissing. And if he wants to see Reece, take him to see him." At that moment Madam Pomfrey returned, carrying a pile of different potions and almost dropping a few when she began placing them all on the stand beside Reece's bed.
The three adults stayed there for at least half an hour, watching as Reece tried every potion and said whether they had an impact or not. None of them did, and finally after around twenty potions Dumbledore came to a verdict.
"Poppy we should start to try muggle methods – what do they call them? Drugs?" Albus said, watching Reece continue to grind his teeth. The hissing was still going and he couldn't imagine the frustration that Reece was feeling.
"Yes." Madam Pomfrey said. "We can try any legal muggle prescription drugs that might help. If they don't work there is always the illegal drugs and methods but-"
"We'll stick with legal methods for now, Poppy." Dumbledore said as the healer left again. "Severus you may leave if you want." He said to the potions professor. "I'm certain Reece will hear from you over the summer holidays." With a polite nod, Snape turned to leave, eyeing Reece one last time before heading back to his living quarters. "Now, Reece, I cannot guarantee that any of these methods will work – and if they don't – I ask you not to resort to hurting yourself again. No matter how tempting it may be to try and hit the hissing out, it will not work and you'll only end up injured."
"Albus, I've got all sorts of muggle stuff here – we'll just have to try it all." Madam Pomfrey said as she started faffing with boxes of medication. They began trying everything muggle that Madam Pomfrey had on hand but none of it worked. Reece was in fact beginning to feel ill and it was probably due to the amount of potions and medication that he had consumed. "I've only got one more suggestion Albus," She said sullenly. "Perhaps we could see if nicotine would work – because it could at least calm the sound so that it isn't so intense-"
"Nicotine? That will kill him!" That voice didn't sound like Madam Pomfrey's or Professor Dumbledore's. In fact, that voice was comfortingly familiar. It appeared that Granger had been listening in on the conversation from behind the curtain and most certainly disliked Madam Pomfrey's final suggestion. As a muggleborn witch, Hermione knew all about the effects of nicotine and what it was used in, and it was clear that she was going to put up a fight. "Muggles have scientifically proven that nicotine is addictive and that it can help kill." She said, entering the covered space and failing to cover her shock when she noticed that Reece was bound to the bed.
"But if we do not try it, Miss Granger, I am afraid that he could die due to sheer mental exhaustion and agitation." Dumbledore argued reasonably. "Poppy if you could get some for us to try…" She nodded, leaving for what was probably the fourth or fifth time. After a small discussion about muggle science between Dumbledore and Granger, Madam Pomfrey reappeared with a box in hand.
"Right," She sighed, opening the box and taking out a single muggle cigarette. "Put this between your, erm, teeth, Mister Lestrange and then when I light it with my wand you're supposed to, inhale. Now you might cough, but just have another go." Reece did as she instructed, ignoring Hermione's disapproving scowl as Madam Pomfrey used a small flame at the end of her wand to light the end of the cigarette. He attempted to inhale it, coughing it back up when smoke began to travel down into his lungs. It tasted rancid, but he gave it another go, this time inhaling without choking. It took a few moments, but Reece began to feel the tension in his shoulders ease substantially. Madam Pomfrey took the rest of it out of his mouth as he was still bound to the bed, and Reece couldn't help but relax when the thousands of snakes reduced to around a hundred. They were quieter – almost quiet enough to let Reece think in peace.
"That one worked a bit." Reece said to the three. "Like, they're not gone but they're not as loud."
"Professor," Hermione said, aiming her statement at Dumbledore. "You can't just supply him with this – it'll turn his lungs black."
"Better than me busting my forehead open again." Reece cut in. "Could you get me more of these, please? Until I find out how to stop it completely."
"I suppose this is a temporary solution." Dumbledore concluded earnestly. "We'll see to it that you will be supplied with these – I suggest you take that box from Poppy now, and if you do not already know one, learn a spell that will conjure a small flame." Madam Pomfrey set the box down on the table and Reece turned his attention to a sulking Hermione. She had her arms crossed across her chest and her brow was furrowed in deep thought. "Well, goodnight mister Lestrange, I'm sure you'll be free to leave tomorrow." He said, hinting to Madam Pomfrey that the two of them should leave. Poppy understood, exiting the room for the final time with Professor Dumbledore and leaving Reece with Hermione.
"Come on Granger, it isn't that bad of a solution." Reece said, provoking a small glare. "You don't know what it's like – having them in your head."
"Argue with me about this and I will tell Mrs Weasley exactly what you are smoking and what it will do to your body." Hermione said in a no-nonsense tone. "Smoking is really bad for you Reece – you're going to be cutting days off of your life every time you light one."
"Look, I won't do it often. Only when it gets really bad." He told her calmly, looking down at the bounds Madam Pomfrey had not removed. "These bounds aren't flattering." Reece laughed humourlessly. "It's as if they all expected it – me, tied up like I'm insane. Feels like everyone's just been waiting for something like this to happen – to prove that I'm just like my family."
"You're definitely not like any of those people." Hermione argued, making her way over to his bed and inspecting the belt buckles that had bound him to it.
"I bet they hear things in their heads too." Reece muttered. "Bet Bellatrix is sitting in Azkaban right now banging her head against the walls while she kisses her fucking mark." Hermione ignored him, undoing the buckles and throwing the sides of the belt to either side of the bed. "What are you doing?" He asked as he moved his arms freely.
"Showing you that I trust you when you're not restrained, because you are not like any of those death eaters that are locked up in Azkaban." She said determinedly. Reece sat up properly, rubbing his forehead to see if there was still a wound there. There wasn't – Madam Pomfrey was literally a miracle worker.
"You trust me, how cute." He hummed, following Hermione's eyesight and noticing that she was looking at his chest. He'd completely forgotten that Theo and Blaise had dragged him up here without a shirt. "I'm gonna hold you to that you know."
"I know you will." She replied, looking into his eyes and searching for the same playful glint she had seen in potions when Snape had moved her. It wasn't there. The glint was non-existent, and it was that moment when Hermione realised that everything was going to be different.
"Do me a favour, would you?"
"What favour?" Hermione asked.
"Meet me in the holidays." He said simply. "One of the first days we have off – meet me and take me out into muggle London so we don't see anyone we know. I just, need to take advantage of my freedom – while I still have it."
"Are you sure?" She asked sceptically. "London's one thing but muggle-"
"I literally don't give a shit that we'll be with muggles." Reece said, cutting her off. "I'd go anywhere and be around anyone just to be with you."