14. SECOND DAY, SECOND CHANCE
Holly woke with a start, not sure what had disturbed her sleep, but very sure that she wasn't where she had fallen asleep. She was back in bed, Voldemort's bed, the black covers wrapped snug around her body, the morning light filtering with some difficulty through the coloured window panes and the black drapes around the four-poster bed. And she was alone.
She sat up slowly and listened intently for a few minutes to determine whether Tom was out there in the living room or maybe in the bathroom. When she heard nothing she swung out of bed, reaching for the bathrobe again and wrapping it tightly around her pyjama-clad form. She inched the door to the living room open, freezing like a deer caught in headlights when she found it not as empty as she had hoped and Tom's red eyes already fixed on her.
"Good morning, Holly," he greeted her, placing down the book he had been reading and getting to his feet. "I hope you're feeling better? Is your scar still hurting?"
She was still hovering uncertainly in the doorframe, wishing there was a way to retreat without making it too obvious. "I'm fine."
"I'm glad to hear that," Tom replied with a smile, solving her dilemma in his own way by taking her by the elbow and drawing her into the room, swiftly manoeuvring her into one of the armchairs and dropping back down on the sofa. "I admit I may have underestimated how much you would be affected by my anger and I didn't consider that discharging that negative energy would cause a backlash as well."
Holly shrugged. "Bellatrix told me that to use the Cruciatus Curse you need to mean it, to want to cause pain and enjoy it. If you're going to put so much dark intent behind your curses, of course I'm going to feel it."
Tom took her hand gently in his. "I will take that into account next time and try to find a… let's say healthier way of working through my anger."
"I like to go flying," Holly offered, a bit surprised that Tom was being so reasonable and accommodating.
"I never really saw the appeal of that to be honest," he admitted with a smile. "Though I look forward to cheering you on next school year. You're on the Gryffindor team, correct?"
"I play Seeker." She nodded a bit hesitantly, trying to imagine what it would be like to have Voldemort in her cheering section. "Won't the Slytherins be bummed out if you're rooting against them, though?"
"Maybe." He smirked at her as if he found the thought amusing. "But who could really fault me for supporting my lovely and talented wife?"
She had nothing to say to that and instead tugged her hand free, hiding it in the pocket of her bathrobe. "I should get dressed."
"Just one more thing: Severus mentioned that you needed a Calming Draught before our wedding night. Why didn't you tell me that you were feeling nervous?"
She looked at him incredulously, wondering if he was truly so ignorant. "What would that have changed? We're married; I'm you're 'little wife' as you're so fond of reminding me, and you made very clear what my marital obligations would be. So I'm trying to be respectful and I don't say anything when you kiss me without my permission or crowd into my personal space as if I waived the right to that as well." She got up with an abrupt movement, darting around him when he also rose to his feet. "But so sorry if my reaction to this forced marriage, this forced everything, isn't suitably enthusiastic for you."
"Holly," he called, but she had already slammed the bathroom door closed between them, leaning her back against it as she fumbled for the key before angrily rubbing her hands over her wet eyes. Damnit, why did he have to keep poking and prodding her as if just waiting for her to snap and lose her composure? So what if she had needed a Calming Draught to get through that night? He kept acting like she was supposed to be okay with all of this, as if everything else was just water under the bridge, as if she should just look at his now handsome face and consider herself lucky that she had landed such a fine husband.
She scoffed, wishing for a moment that she could hurt Voldemort with her anger as much as he could hurt her with his. She startled at the darkness of her own thoughts, shaking her head to clear her mind. It wasn't right. And it wasn't fair, either, because Tom had seemed genuinely contrite about hurting her the day before and on their wedding night he had treated her with more gentleness than she had thought him capable of. Yes, it had hurt, and more than she had expected, but he hadn't been rough with her, not even once, all his touches slow and light as if she was something precious and easily breakable. It had been unwanted, but not completely horrible.
She sighed, pushing away from the door and after checking that it was still firmly locked, shed her clothes and stepped under the shower, hoping the warm water might wash away at least some of her confused feelings. She soaped up, enjoying the smell of vanilla and the foamy texture of the shower gel that Lavender had sent her for her birthday. She hadn't planned to wash her hair again, but the showerhead was fixed too high for her to reach and her hair got wet anyway. And of course there was still no hairdryer to be found so she pulled her damp hair back into another braid, amusing herself for a few minutes with trying to tame the wayward strands around her face, to no avail. On the counter, a fresh set of clothes had appeared, probably thanks to Dobby, and she gratefully slipped into them before brushing her teeth.
She didn't want to go back out there, but that wasn't really an option. She had promised Tom that she would be his wife, had promised Sirius that she would not be resolved to be miserable, had promised herself that she would make this peace work. One day seemed a very weak effort to throw all these promises over board.
Tom got to his feet when she hesitantly opened the door and took a few small steps into the living room. "I'm sorry I snapped."
"You made some good points," he replied, approaching her carefully but stopping much sooner than he had before, a complicated look of frustration on his face. "I want you to speak your mind and I want you to tell me if something is bothering you."
"Really?" Holly asked sceptically. "You might come to regret that."
He grinned at her. "Oh, almost certainly. But you're not my prisoner, Holly, and I don't want you to feel like one. So tell me."
Holly studied him carefully, noting the hint of uncertainty in his deep red eyes, and thought that maybe Tom just wasn't very good with human emotions and had at best a very wonky frame of reference for interpersonal relationships. "You said you would respect it if I closed the bathroom door. And I know I closed it last night."
"I thought you would be more comfortable sleeping in our bed," Tom refuted, raising his hands when she glared at him. "But duly noted. It won't happen again. What about the things you said earlier?"
"I don't like it when you tower over me. It feels threatening," Holly murmured after a short hesitation. "And I don't feel like you're giving me a choice when you kiss me."
"I'm not sure I can do much about my height," Tom replied and she nodded in resignation. "But I will still try to be more respectful about your personal space, Holly, and I will ask your permission before I kiss you."
She must have looked very unconvinced because he started smirking with more of his usual smugness. "On that note, may I kiss you, dear Holly?"
"What if I say no?" she demanded, not overly comfortable with the predatory gleam in his eyes.
"Then I will just have to ask again later, won't I?" he answered with a grin. "So, may I?"
"No?" Holly whispered, though it sounded more like a question, watching him warily.
He sighed theatrically, looking at her with mock-exasperation. "You're not going to make it easy for me, are you?"
"No?" Holly offered again, startling back a little when Tom broke into a loud laugh.
"Good thing I like a challenge," he commented when he had calmed down, offering her his arm. "May I accompany you down for breakfast, my dear? And please, don't say no again."
"I am a bit hungry," Holly admitted, taking a deep breath and then slipping her hand into the crook of his arm.
Tom lightly patted her hand, smiling down at her, and leading her down to the dining hall that was already well packed with Death Eaters, who all rose when they entered, offering bows and inclined heads. Tom acknowledged them with a nod and a general greeting before pulling out her chair for her and sinking into his own chair just as a school of owls swooped in through one of the open windows, dropping rolled up newspapers and letters down in front of the respective recipients.
Holly quickly caught Pig, who was excitedly flapping around her head, freeing him from the letter he had been carrying before helping him to launch back into the air. She then eagerly untied the letter from Hedwig's proffered leg, gently skirting her fingers over the soft white feathers. "Thank you, Hedwig."
Hedwig hooted softly, affectionately nipping at her finger before hopping onto her shoulder to eat the strip of bacon Holly had offered her. Holly meanwhile also accepted the letter from Remus' tawny barn owl, feeding Icarus another piece of bacon, before both owls took off to rest in the owlery.
"Holly, please don't forget your breakfast over your letters," Tom admonished her lightly, his own letters in a neat stack beside his plate and the Daily Prophet and a Muggle newspaper already divided into sections as he ate his cheese sandwiches.
Holly reluctantly put Ron's letter down, on top of the ones from Hermione and Sirius, and turned to her breakfast, snagging some toast from the bread basket and asking Lucius to pass the butter. The entire atmosphere at the breakfast table seemed a little more relaxed today, polite conversation passing back and forth between the Death Eaters and Lucius and Tom actually making a point of including her in their conversation about the deregulations they wanted to push for in regards to Dark magic.
"The restrictions on Dark objects are just ridiculous," Lucius commented and Tom nodded in agreement. "They just mean a lot of unnecessary paperwork and too many galleons spent to soothe the bruised egos of self-important Ministry officials."
"Are there even any restrictions?" Holly asked, nibbling on her toast. "I thought most of the stuff you can buy in Knockturn Alley would be considered Dark."
"And when have you been to Knockturn Alley?" Professor Snape demanded suspiciously. "Hogwarts students are strongly advised to stick to Diagon Alley to do their shopping."
"Floo network – I missed the right fireplace," Holly replied with a shrug. "I landed at Borgin & Burkes and I actually saw Lucius and Draco there."
The blond wizard winced slightly. "Please don't tell Narcissa about that. She always worries too much and Draco is getting old enough to learn about these things."
"It was before Second Year," Holly pointed out. "And you haven't answered my question."
"There are quite a few restrictions, actually, but also – fortunately or unfortunately – quite a few loopholes," Tom replied. "The main problem of course is that it is very difficult to clearly define the boundaries of Dark magic, which leaves any rules subject to interpretation and potential abuse."
Holly furrowed her brow. "But if an object is cursed or if a spell is intended to do harm – doesn't that make them Dark?"
"Not necessarily," Lucius said. "Arthur Weasley deals with a variety of Muggle artefacts that have been tampered with and yet very few of those would be considered Dark objects."
"And I could make the case that many so-called Light spells could be used to do harm, even to torture someone," Tom replied. "Rictusempra to cause an intense tickling sensation, Petrificus Totalus to keep the victim pinned in position, Aguamenti to simulate the Muggle technique of waterboarding."
"This might not be suitable breakfast conversation for a young lady, my Lord," Lucius interjected with a worried glance down at her.
"Yes, of course," Tom answered immediately, also sending her a concerned look. "And I'm sure I'll have ample opportunity to bore you with my thoughts on Dark magic when I'm your teacher."
"You're supposed to teach us Defence against the Dark Arts," Holly pointed out.
"And how can you be expected to defend yourself against something you do not understand?" Tom gave right back, smirking at her.
"I don't know. Never had much of a problem with that," Holly shot back with an insouciant grin and Tom actually laughed, inclining his head in agreement.
"Very true, but maybe not the best approach for the rest of your classmates," he replied. "Are those letters from them?"
Holly nodded. "From Hermione and Ron and from Sirius."
"There're several fireplaces connected to the Floo network in this castle. If you'd like you might call them after breakfast."
Holly snapped her head up so fast that she actually felt a little twinge in her neck, but she still tried to keep her voice even. "I thought you wanted to have a lesson today. It says so on my timetable."
Tom lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Since you're still under the restriction of underage sorcery, I think most of our lessons will be discussing the nature of Light and Dark magic. And we just did that so I don't see why you shouldn't have some free time to talk to your friends."
"Really?" Holly asked, starting to smile and hastily finishing the rest of her toast, grabbing her letters as she sprung to her feet. "Thank you!"
She was already a few steps away when she hesitated, turning around again. §May I kiss you… on the cheek?§ she asked in a soft hiss of Parseltongue, glancing shyly at the Dark Lord.
§You can always kiss me anywhere, Holly,§ he replied, holding out his hand to her and pulling her gently against his side when she slipped her hand into his.
She blushed, not quite sure how to execute her spur of the moment decision, but then quickly leaned down to peck Tom's cheek, her lips barely touching his smooth-shaven skin before she was already moving back, only stopped by Tom's hand still holding onto her. She studied him a little warily, trying to decide what she should do if he asked for a real kiss.
But Tom just smiled at her. "There're several studies on the third floor that are currently not in use and which are all connected to the Floo network. You can ask your house-elf to bring you some Floo powder."
"Okay, I will. Thank you," Holly murmured, trying to wind her hand out of his without it being too obvious.
"You're welcome," Tom said, finally releasing her. "Just don't forget lunch and your lessons this afternoon with Rabastan and Rudolphus."
Holly nodded, giving a small wave to Professor Snape and Lucius before she slipped out of the dining hall, puffing out a slow breath of relief when she was finally alone. She didn't know what to make of Tom's agreeable mood, but she was happy enough to just take advantage of it while it lasted.
§*§*§*§*§
She felt much better after she had the chance to talk to Ron and Sirius for almost three hours, combined, even if things between her and Ron were still kind of weird. He'd offered her a vague, mumbled apology at her wedding and she had forgiven him, but she still didn't really understand what Ron's problem had been and he just got shifty-eyed and evasive when she had tried to demand an answer. The Floo call with him had included some strained silences accordingly, but with the rest of his family flitting in and out of the conversation those had never lasted too long.
And talking with Sirius had just been a balm to her soul. She knew that Remus and Sirius were looking for a house, that they were trying to fix up Remus' old rental place so they would get back the full deposit, but Sirius never made her feel like he was pressed for time or as if she wasn't his number one priority. He listened to her, asking for all the details, but allowing her to skirt over some of them when he noticed that she was feeling self-conscious, growling angrily when she told him about Bellatrix and seeming non-too-happy when she mentioned her scar. But he didn't allow her to drown in a sea of negativity, either, making a point of mentioning some of the positive reactions from other wizards and witches, the easement of tension he had noticed when he had gone to Gringotts to sort out his estate. It had felt good to be reminded of the reason why she had agreed to this in the first place.
She would have liked to talk with Hermione as well, but of course there was no Floo connection to her Muggle home and so Holly had to settle for reading and replying to her lengthy letter, which was kind of nice as well because it gave her the chance to sort through everything that had happened and write it down in a more or less orderly fashion.
Consequently, she was in a pleasantly good mood when she re-entered the dining hall for lunch, a bit surprised to find Tom already there, sitting alone at the head of the table that had not been set for the meal yet.
"Hi," she said softly, halting at the other end of the table. "Am I early? I thought you said lunch was at noon."
"You're a little early, I think, but I'm glad you're here," Tom said, politely raising from his chair when she entered and pulling out her chair for her. "Come sit down. You can help me with this."
"What is it?"
"Well wishes for our marriage," Tom replied, not sounding overly thrilled as he indicated the huge stack of letters that seemed to have quadrupled since breakfast. "Lucius and Narcissa already sorted out the ones that can be dealt with with a generalised thank you note, but these apparently require a more personal touch."
Holly hummed noncommittally, picking a letter at random. "Who is Bellamy Gauthier?"
"The current French Minister of Magic," Tom replied, accepting the letter from her and skimming over it. "Ah, perfect, he's holding out the prospect of a meeting. Good pick, Holly."
"I bet I don't know even half of these people. What do you want me to help you with exactly?" Holly asked, picking out another letter and after a brief glance at another unknown name handed it to Tom.
Tom glanced briefly at the letter, but seemed less enthusiastic about this one, putting it aside and instead handed her a smaller stack of letters from his other side. "Lucius and Narcissa marked these for you. They are from your friends, classmates, some Order members, people you know at the very least."
"You want me to reply to all of these?" Holly asked sceptically, startling when the big double doors of the hall swung open and the first Death Eaters started to trickle in for the meal.
"No, just look through them to see if you want to reply. If not, just give them back to me and I'll deal with it," Tom replied, sending her a smirk. "You can help me unpack our wedding presents, though."
"Wedding presents?" Holly asked a little faintly.
"We're checking them for curses and poisons right now," Dolohov said gruffly and Holly had to steel herself against wincing or shying away, remembering the vicious curse he had used against them in the Battle at the Department of Mysteries, the one that had felt like a blunt knife across her face and that might have killed Hermione if he had been able to speak the incantation aloud.
"Great, you can keep them," Holly muttered, actually glad when Tom distracted her from her memories by reaching into her line of sight to gather up the letters so that the house-elves could magick up the food.
"You should take a look first – you might change your mind," Tom said as plates and cutlery, glasses and serviettes and a full banquet of food appeared on the table.
"No, I won't," Holly replied stubbornly. "I've had enough shitty presents to last me a lifetime, thank you very much."
"'Shitty' presents like a brand new Firebolt?" Snape asked with a sneer.
"I'm not saying I never got any great presents, Professor," Holly replied softly, determined to be nice and polite to the Potions Master even when he was being his usual acerbic self. "I love the pictures I have of my parents and of course, the Firebolt was a great present. But I can do without any more toothpicks or hand-me-down underwear or Valentine's candies that may or may not be poisoned."
"That was you!" Snape startled up, throwing her an angry glare.
Holly shrugged her shoulders, sipping on her pumpkin juice.
"Would you care to fill us in, Severus?" Lucius asked. "What did Holly do?"
"For the last few years the teachers have been receiving boxes of chocolate and candies for Valentine's Day, all with the note 'Might be poisoned'," Snape groused. "Filius and Minerva started a betting pool on who might be my secret admirer."
"Why did they assume that it was your secret admirer when all the teachers received candy?" Tom asked and Holly really didn't like the flash of jealousy she could feel from him.
"I always got the largest box," Snape replied, throwing her a suspicious look.
"I figured you would have the most work with that so it only seemed fair," Holly defended herself. "I'm sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to make your life more complicated. I just thought it wouldn't be a good idea to leave those boxes lying around where anyone might find them."
"A castle full of hormone-addled teenagers and candies dosed with incorrectly brewed love potions would not have been a good combination," Snape admitted grudgingly and she gave him her brightest smile.
"Remus mentioned that you were working on an improved version of the Wolfsbane Potion, sir? One that would ease the pain of the transformation?" she asked a little later when Tom was immersed in his conversation with Rudolphus Lestrange and Lucius was chatting with Nott. She was glad that Snape was sitting closer to the head of the table now, in the chair that had previously been assigned to Bellatrix, though she wasn't sure if he was happy about this change.
"I was under the impression that Lupin had not yet made up his mind whether he would be willing to serve as my test subject," Snape said, arching an eyebrow.
"He's afraid that the new formula might not be as effective, but with Sirius and me there that shouldn't be a problem," Holly said easily.
"And why would you be there?" Tom demanded dangerously. "You will stay well away from all werewolves on the full moon!"
"The full moon is the weekend after next and I'm allowed to visit my family then," Holly retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Not on the full moon!" Tom insisted again, his red eyes narrowing in anger. "You can visit them another weekend."
"You do not get to decide that!" Holly snapped back. "I have complete faith in Remus and in Professor Snape's potion skills and even if something should go wrong, Sirius and I can turn into our Animagus forms and be absolutely safe."
"You have no actual notion of what safety means!" he replied in a hiss and some of the Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably.
Holly didn't care, though. She wasn't backing down from this. "I will be much safer with Remus than surrounded by a bunch of people who've all tried to kill me or my friends in the past!"
"This is not a negotiation, Holly," Tom bit back and she interrupted him before he could lay down the law – his law.
"You're right, it's not!" She glared at him. §I have a right to visit my family and if this is not a prison, you do not get to play gatekeeper!§
Tom studied her in silence for a long moment before he abruptly turned to Snape. "What side-effects are you foreseeing for this new recipe?"
"There're always incalculables, of course, but I do not expect to see a decrease in the general effectiveness, my Lord," the Potions Master replied immediately. "The werewolf should still be able to hold onto their mental faculties while I'm hopeful that some of the physical discomfort might also be eased."
"I don't know why you bother," McNair commented, sawing a huge chunk of meat from his steak. "Would be better to just put them all down. Filthy beasts."
Next to his plate, a carafe exploded, a red lake of wine spreading out over the pristine white table cloth and threatening to soak all those at that part of the table before Travers vanished the spilled wine and the shards of glass with an angry swish of his wand. Holly could feel their annoyance, disgust, anger even before they fixed her with their glares. She rolled her shoulders back, pressing them against the hard wood of her chair and tilting her chin up defiantly.
"I don't think werewolves are the beasts you should be worried about, Mr. McNair," she said conversationally, curling her fingers and making a show of inspecting her blunt human fingernails. "You see, we weren't sure at first if my Animagus form was a jaguar or a leopard, but their hunting techniques are really quite different. Jaguars go for the skull, cracking it with their powerful bite, quick and easy. But leopards like to use these to secure their prey." She flexed her fingers again, scratching them lightly over the table cloth. "Before suffocating their victims with a bite to the throat."
There was an awkward silence, which Tom ruined with a soft chuff of laughter. "Holly, please stop threatening my Death Eaters. And Walden, do stop provoking my wife. That goes for the rest of you as well."
"You might try leading by example," she muttered, poking at the food on her plate, at the cauliflower florets in a creamy sauce next to a molehill of mashed potatoes.
"I might," he agreed with another one of his annoying smirks. "On that note, yes, you may visit your godfathers the weekend after next."
Holly scoffed. "Well, that's a relief, seeing as I wasn't asking for your permission."
His smirk only got wider, though. "You can either say 'thank you' and sheath your claws, Holly, or we can keep arguing about this if you feel the need to entertain me with more of your snappy comments."
She glared at him, for a brief moment everything in her straining to retort something sharp and angry, just to be contrary. But sometimes it was better to bend than to break and Remus in particular wouldn't want her to start another fight and use him as an excuse. So she muttered an insincere thank you and focused back on her meal.
"You're welcome," Tom replied easily, his own mood seeming to lift at her annoyance. "I will discuss the necessary safety measures with Severus and let you know in due time."
"Oh goody," Holly mumbled, rolling her eyes but not looking up so that it wouldn't be too obvious.
She mostly ignored Tom's and Snape's discussion, the disgruntled stares she could still feel from the other end of the table, eating a bit more of her main course before deciding that she really deserved some dessert and reached for the treacle tart and ice cream that had appeared on the table as soon as the first Death Eaters had finished their main courses.
"Was there a reason why you started this conversation or is this your idea of small talk, Holly?" Snape suddenly asked, startling her out of the pleasant, sugar-induced lull she had drifted into. He said her name as if he was consciously forcing out each syllable, but she still preferred it to when he called her by her last name, always managing to imbue the name Potter with a lifetime of old hate and bitterness.
"Oh, I was wondering how you balanced the cross-reactions of the aconite? That's one of the most volatile ingredients to work with, isn't it, and all the recipes for healing and pain-relieving potions I found used ingredients that would either mute the effects or cause an adverse reaction," Holly said, smiling a little at Snape's surprised look. "You told me not to forget everything about potions just yet and you are a good teacher, sir."
Snape gave her an unconvinced look before deigning to answer her question, "I didn't. I used a homoeopathic approach."
"So you're using more aconite to kick-start the drinker's self-healing abilities?" Holly clarified, knowing she was right when Snape's eyes widened for a fraction of second. "Wouldn't that be dangerous for Remus, though? It's not called wolfsbane without a reason!"
"I added such a minute amount of aconite that it would not be enough to trigger an allergic reaction even from a werewolf," Snape answered, a little defensively. "And I'm certain that the further steps and changes to the recipe and preparation process would be well beyond your comprehension."
"I don't doubt that, Professor," she gave back lightly. "But thank you for answering my question. I'm just worried about Remus and I don't want him to get hurt."
Snape sneered, but with slightly less rancour than usual, and Holly smiled back.
"Holly," Tom demanded her attention and she reluctantly turned towards him. "You will have your first Martial Arts class with Rudolphus and Rabastan this afternoon."
She hummed an agreement, glancing briefly at the two brown-haired wizards. They were both tall and broad-shouldered, hard muscles visible even under the loose fit of their robes, with cropped brown hair and wide-set eyes to accommodate the broad bridges of their noses and nearly identical, angular features.
"If you've finished your lunch, Mrs. Potter?" the older Lestrange questioned in his deep voice.
"I'm finished, sir," she agreed, nudging her cutlery into parallel lines and folding her serviette neatly beside her plate.
"Holly will join you shortly," Tom said, and she didn't know how to interpret the feelings she was receiving from him. "I'd like to have another quick word with her before your lessons."
The two Lestranges inclined their heads respectfully, the other Death Eaters taking this as their cue that lunch was over, chairs scraping and murmured "my Lord"s accompanying their departure from the hall. Holly remained behind, trying to mask her nervousness and avoid Tom's gaze.
"Holly, look at me," he said softly when they were alone.
She turned to stare at him, crossing her arms over her chest as if to shield herself; he just smiled at her. "What?"
"I was just thinking how much I would like to kiss that pout from your lips," he replied easily, laughing at her glare.
"I'm not pouting," she argued. "And you most certainly may not kiss me."
He sighed good-naturedly, getting to his feet and expectantly holding out his hand to her. She reluctantly slid her hand into his, more because he was standing so close to her that she was afraid to bump into him and lose her balance than because she wanted to, and let him draw her to her feet. He pulled her flush against his body and she gave a squeak of surprise, pressing her hand against his chest.
"Tom…"
"I enjoyed your little presentation about jaguars and leopards," he murmured, tracing her fingers with his own while keeping her firmly anchored against his chest. "From what I know, leopards are tough and resilient, resourceful and ruthless when they have to be, and unlike most animals they do not run and hide when they are wounded, but only get more aggressive and dangerous. I think it's the perfect Animagus form for you, little kitten."
Holly rolled her eyes, not sure how to react to Tom's words and not really comfortable with their forced proximity. "Are you going to let go of me now?"
"In a minute," Tom replied easily, ignoring her unhappy huff. "I think you'll like your Martial Arts classes with the Lestranges, but if there's anything that makes you uncomfortable or if you have any concerns I want you to tell me right away. I'll be in my study and you can always send your house-elf to come and get me."
"You didn't feel the need to tell me that before my Occlumency lesson with Professor Snape," Holly pointed out suspiciously, Tom's supposedly reassuring words having the opposite effect on her fraught nerves.
"Severus has been your teacher for five years and I was under the impression that you felt quite safe with him – you have certainly afforded him more respect and courtesy than anyone else in this castle," Tom replied with a suspicious look of his own.
Holly shrugged. "He never tried to kill me and he never treated me as though there was a different set of rules that applied to me versus everyone else. So yes, I feel safe with him."
Tom lightly smoothed his thumb over her cheekbone. "And that's why I didn't say anything then, though of course the same rules apply. I want you to enjoy these lessons and I want you to be happy here."
Holly snorted. "Well, so far I'm having a blast."
Tom grinned at her, leaning down to breathe a small kiss against her cheekbone, where his thumb had just been, before finally releasing her. "And when you can say that without sarcasm I'll be satisfied."
Holly stepped away from him, but a moment later he placed his large hand lightly against the small of her back to guide her towards the door. Rabastan Lestrange was waiting for her just outside, casually leaning against one of the stone walls. He pushed away from the wall and straightened up when he saw them.
"My Lord. Mrs. Potter."
"Rabastan, I expect you to take good care of my wife. You'll see to it that she does not come to any harm," Tom stated, moving his hand up to lightly squeeze her shoulder. "I'll see you at dinner."
"Yes, my Lord," the other wizard replied respectfully. "If you would like to follow me, Mrs. Potter?"
She nodded, moving away from Tom's touch. "Bye, Tom."
§Have fun, kitten,§ Tom hissed back, his eyes lighting up with amusement. §Remember what I told you.§
She waved her hand dismissively at the Dark Lord before falling into step with the younger Lestrange brother and following him obediently, down several flights of stairs and into what she assumed were the dungeons under the east wing.
"Do you have any experience with martial arts? Other than being able to duck curses?" he interrupted the silence they had fallen into.
"My cousin boxes and he showed me some of his moves, but he isn't very patient and I'm not really in his weight class so we didn't get very far," Holly replied with a shrug.
"It's still something we can work with," the brown-eyed man said. "We are almost there now, just down the stairs."
She reluctantly stepped in front of him when he motioned her ahead, hesitantly taking the narrow, dimly illuminated steps. She had to blink furiously when the door at the end of the steps was pulled open, bright light flooding out and almost blinding her. She twisted to the side, trying to at least make herself a harder target, and was about ready to slip into her Animagus form when she heard a quiet hiss.
§Little snake-speaker, greetings,§ she blinked her eyes a few times to adjust them to the sudden increase of light, peering behind her to meet Nagini's slitted eyes.
§Hello, Nagini,§ she said softly, kneeling down to be on her level. §What are you doing here?§
§Watching, waiting, observing,§ Nagini replied, her body swaying hypnotically from left to right, her scales shimmering like an underwater treasure.
§He told you to keep an eye on me, didn't he?§ Holly asked with a sigh. §You don't have to. I'm fine here and I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself.§
§Master disagrees, little snake-speaker,§ Nagini gave back with what might have been amusement in her voice as she withdrew back into the shadows, disappearing between two tree trunks and behind a bush.
Someone behind her cleared their throat and she hastily got to her feet, trying to brush the grass stains from her knees.
"Mrs. Potter, I hope you approve of our training rooms," the older Lestrange brother said from her left while the younger brother drew the door closed, completing the impression of them being outside, in a small glade with soft green grass and tall trees of different species lining the sides.
"Are we still inside?" Holly asked, slowly rotating on the spot to get a good look at everything.
"Yes," Rabastan replied with a smirk. "Most of what you see is an illusion, though the grass under your feet is real as is one of the trees and the rock you can see over there."
"It looks great, but why go to all this trouble when we could just go outside?" Holly asked. "Tom said there were gardens."
"That's true, but the castle has been uninhabited for more than a decade so the gardens have the semblance of a jungle," the older Lestrange replied. "They would not be safe for our training – nor for a casual stroll."
Holly hummed, thinking to herself that a jungle sounded rather interesting and that she would definitely have to check it out in her panther form one of these days.
"Shall we begin?" Rabastan asked and she nodded obediently.
"We'll first show you some of the basic techniques. If you would remove your shoes and socks, Mrs. Potter?" Rudolphus asked.
"You can call me Holly, sir. I'd prefer that," she said as she toed off her shoes and slipped off her socks to put them in a neat row with the two larger pairs already sitting next to the rock.
Neither of the two brothers replied, but they exchanged a look that Holly wasn't sure she interpreted correctly before ordering her, albeit politely, to watch them closely as they demonstrated the first techniques.
She couldn't say that she particularly enjoyed the first two hours or so, with the brothers correcting everything she did, from the way she formed her fists to the positioning of her feet, giving increasingly detailed instructions and adjusting her stance and her movements with too many unannounced touches. And in all honesty, the few moves and stances they asked her to repeat over and over again weren't very captivating and didn't seem to come together in any meaningful way.
But she told herself that all beginnings were rough and finally the two Lestranges declared themselves satisfied with her progress and decided that Holly should try out some of the newly learned kicks and punches on a partner.
"You want me to hit you?" Holly asked sceptically as the older brother got into position opposite of her.
"Full contact," Rabastan agreed, exchanging a smirk with his brother, which only made her more wary. In her experience, most men did not react well to having a girl deal out some of their own medicine. She had seen it often enough with Dudley when they were younger or with Draco at school.
"I already threw up some shields, Mrs. Potter," Rudolphus informed her. "So this is perfectly safe. Now let's begin."
She wasn't convinced, but Rabastan was already moving closer to her again as if he was planning to forcefully move her into position and she really didn't want that. So with a sigh she adjusted her own stance and started with some easy punches directed at the older brother's middle, stopping short before her knuckles could do more than graze his t-shirt. That worked for about one minute before Rabastan made a sound of disapproval and firmly hustled her a half-step closer, his large hands pressing into her hipbones.
"Hey!" Holly protested, trying to find her footing.
"Full contact means full contact, Mrs. Potter," Rudolphus corrected, his hands hanging loosely at his side and not in the defensive position they had shown her earlier. "Again."
She eyed the distance between them wearily before she hesitantly aimed another punch at his hard stomach, feeling her fist connect with taught, rock-hard muscles but not feeling any magical shields. She looked up fearfully, feeling her own muscles tense, but the brown-haired wizard merely nodded and Rabastan urged her to continue. So they carried on with practising the punches, both brothers pointing out when there was room for improvement and Rabastan sometimes reaching out to adjust her movements, before they decided to move on to the kicks they had shown her earlier.
It all went reasonably well until the brothers demanded that she should direct her last few kicks to Rudolphus' chin before they would call it a day. Considering that he stood a good head and a half taller than her and that she had already struggled to keep her balance when directing her kicks to his middle, Holly was not very confident that that would even be possible. But she still took a deep breath, adjusted her stance before Rabastan could correct her again, shifted her weight onto her front leg, pulled the back leg up before snapping it out as high as it would go. To her immense surprise, and apparently also to that of the Lestranges', her bare foot actually connected with a resounding thwack. In her shock, Holly overbalanced and lost her footing, tumbling down into the grass before Rabastan could try to stabilise her.
"I'm sorry." She scooted back hastily, trying to get some distance between her and the two Lestrange brothers, and watched them warily.
Rudolphus massaged his yaw, wiping away the few droplets of blood that welled from the split in his lip.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Potter. You have quite a kick," he said with a grin. "Are you okay?"
"You're bleeding," Holly felt the need to point out, ignoring his question and instead softly calling for Dobby.
The house-elf appeared with a deep bow and a wide grin. "Mistress Holly! How can Dobby be helping today?"
"Could you bring Mr. Lestrange something to cool his lip please?" she asked and with a snap of Dobby's long spindly fingers an icepack appeared in the older Lestrange's hand. "Thank you, Dobby. You're the best. And please say hi to Winky for me."
"Dobby will! Dobby is always happy to help Mistress Holly," Dobby declared proudly, departing with another deep bow.
"Mrs. Potter, this really is unnecessary," Rudolphus said, shifting the ice pack from one hand to the other without putting it against his lip. "Would you please answer our question? Are you hurt?"
"You should put that on your lip, sir," she said, ignoring his questions once again and returning their scowls with an unimpressed glare. "And you were supposed to have cast a shield."
"We didn't expect you to reach that high," Rabastan said.
"You told me to aim for the chin!" she protested, scrambling back further when Rabastan made to approach her. "Don't touch me."
Rabastan raised his hands in surrender, exchanging another look with his brother.
"We apologise, that was an error on our part. Now will you please tell us if you're hurt, Holly?" Rudolphus said placatingly, for the first time using her given name.
"I think I might have twisted my ankle," Holly finally admitted, sighing when Nagini slithered from her resting spot and disappeared through one of the secret tunnels.
"May we have a look at it?" Rabastan asked, both brothers settling down on the grass next to her at her nod. "Which one?"
Holly silently indicated her left ankle that had given way under her when she had landed and which was beginning to swell. The older Death Eater rolled up her trouser leg and placed her foot on his leg to inspect the damage, carefully moving her foot but stopping when she couldn't suppress her wince.
"Definitely sprained," Rudolphus commented. "We'll bandage your ankle to stabilise it, but I think Severus should take a look at it as well to make sure nothing's broken."
"I'll get him," Rabastan said, already getting to his feet when Holly stopped him.
"Nagini already left to tell Tom about this and he's probably going to bring Professor Snape with him," she said. "We might as well wait for them here."
She didn't miss the worried look the two brothers exchanged and felt bad for putting them in a position where they might have to deal with Tom's wrath. "You don't have to stay. It barely hurts and I really like this room. It might be nice to just lie in the grass for a couple of minutes."
"We're not leaving you when you're hurt!" Rudolphus protested and Rabastan nodded his agreement.
"I don't need a babysitter – let alone two," Holly groused. "And you sitting there and staring at me will just be awkward."
"Be that as it may, we're not leaving," Rabastan said.
"Great," Holly commented sarcastically, pulling her leg back against herself.
The brothers exchanged another speaking look, which didn't help improve her mood. "It's not our intention to make you uncomfortable, Holly. Perhaps you'd like to ask us some questions while we wait? To get to know us a bit better?"
"And you'll answer honestly?" Holly demanded with a bit of scepticism, receiving two simultaneous, almost identical nods. "Okay. How old are you?"
She decided to start with a fairly easy question, but the two men answered immediately and at the same time so all she understood was a jumbled mess.
"Beg your pardon?" Holly asked in amusement. "Could you repeat that, just maybe one at a time?"
They exchanged looks again. "Call us by our first names, otherwise it'll get too confusing," Rabastan finally offered and she ducked her head to hide her smile. "My brother is 34 and I'm 32."
Holly hummed, plucking at a blade of grass and stretching out her hurt foot again because her curled-up position was putting too much pressure on the injury. "So, you're the two youngest Death Eaters in the inner circle, right?"
They nodded mutely, Rudolphus summoning the icepack Dobby had brought earlier and silently handing it to her.
"Thank you. How come you know all this martial arts stuff? It's not exactly a Wizarding thing, is it?" She looked at Rudolphus expectantly knowing it was his turn to answer.
"One of our ancestors lost his magic in a duel to defend the family honour – another wizard had taken liberties with his sister and then refused to marry her. At first our family was hopeful that he would regain his magic in time and he did regain some of it, but he never again came past Second Year level. Since the other wizard had been killed in the duel, his family swore revenge on our ancestor and he couldn't afford to have such a weakness. Thus he decided to explore other means of defence. He went abroad, learnt from masters of the art and when he returned and they tried to attack him, he caught them unprepared for his new skills and won easily."
"They thought he had delved deeper into the Dark Arts than anyone before him, that he no longer required a wand or words to weave his spells, that his magic had returned, stronger and deadlier," Rabastan took up the explanation. "They begged for a cease-fire and our ancestor granted it to them. But he also saw the advantage of these acquired skills and so they have been passed down from one generation to the next."
"How long have you been training?" she asked.
"Since we were kids," Rudolphus answered shortly, leaving it at that and she didn't want to press and make them feel uncomfortable.
"Do you always do that?" she asked instead, quirking a smile.
"What?" they both said, exchanging looks of confusion.
"Take turns in talking – or talk at the same time," Holly clarified, laughing again when they threw each other surprised looks. "You hadn't even noticed, had you?"
"No," they confessed before Rabastan elaborated on their answer, "I guess it's one of the ticks we developed in Azkaban."
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to bring back any bad memories," Holly apologised. "I just struck me. And it's kind of cute."
She immediately wished she could unsay those last few words and flushed, which made it their turn to laugh. "Why thank you, Holly," the older brother said. "And it's okay. We did say you could ask questions."
"Then may I ask… how did you stay sane there?" she asked shyly.
The two wizards seemed to think about it for a while before Rabastan actually answered. "We had cells next to each other so we could talk and keep each other sane and because of our age they didn't put us in the high-security tract, where your godfather was, but somewhere where the Dementors patrolled only once a day. Apparently torturing two people into insanity didn't warrant a more severe punishment."
"Do you regret it?" Holly whispered her next question, staring down at her hands. From the bitterness of Rabastan's tone, she could guess the answer, but she needed to hear them say it because she didn't know if she could stomach being around them if they didn't feel at least some remorse for their crimes.
"Yes," they answered without hesitation, unisono. "We were desperate to find the Dark Lord and my wife was convinced that the Longbottoms knew something about his whereabouts. But that is no excuse for what we did. We deserved to go to Azkaban."
Holly hummed thoughtfully, not sure if anyone really deserved to go to Azkaban, to be at the mercy of the Dementors with their soul-sucking presence. "Thank you for your honesty."
She was thinking of another question when the door suddenly burst open, Tom bursting in like an angel of wrath, his robes billowing around him and his face twisted in anger. "What the hell happened?"
Holly shied back instinctively, scrambling away from his looming form and doing her best to suppress her whimper.
Tom stopped abruptly, sighing and running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Holly… Nagini said you were hurt. What happened?" he softened his voice and his stance, approaching her with slow steps and crouching down at her side.
"I'm fine. I just lost my balance and twisted my ankle. You didn't have to come," Holly pressed out.
"I beg to differ," Tom said, motioning for the Potions Master, who had come in with him and who now also kneeled down in the grass. "How bad is it, Severus?"
"I told you, it's fine," Holly protested, but allowed Snape to examine her swollen ankle with careful fingers and a few muttered diagnostics spell.
"It doesn't appear to be broken," Snape replied when Tom didn't seem inclined to accept her judgement. "I have a cooling salve that will speed the healing process and I can bandage it for stability, but I don't think Holly managed to do any lasting damage to herself."
"See!" Holly said triumphantly to Tom before focusing on the Potions Master. "Thanks, Professor. I'm sorry that Tom interrupted your afternoon for this."
"It's always best to treat any injuries in a timely manner, Holly," Snape informed her, taking a small jar with a light-blue salve from his potion's bag and smoothing it over her foot and ankle. "Or not to sustain them in the first place, but that might be too much to ask of you."
She sighed as a pleasant coolness spread, numbing some of the pain, and closed her eyes for a moment. "I don't get hurt on purpose, sir. And it's already starting to feel much better."
"I'm glad to hear that, but you shouldn't have been hurt at all," Tom said, shifting slightly so that he could pull her against his chest. "Rabastan, Rudolphus, did I not make myself clear?"
"Tom, it's really not their fault. They were very careful – I think I might not even have any bruises from our training," Holly interjected, trying to get comfortable again.
"You expected to receive bruises?" Rabastan asked in shock.
"It's a contact sport, right?" Holly asked. "The few times I tried boxing with my cousin I always ended up black and blue."
"That's not what will happen in our training," Rudolphus insisted and his brother nodded emphatically. "That is if our Lord will pardon us for this misstep."
"It wasn't your misstep, though," Holly replied before Tom could say anything. "It was mine. Can we please just move on? Please, Tom?"
Tom sighed, carefully brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "This is only your second day here and already your third injury. Severus will have to stock up his potion's store if you keep on like this, Holly."
"I made a point of refreshing my stores as soon as I heard that Holly would be staying with us, my Lord," Snape commented, tapping his wand lightly against her foot, white bandages spooling around her limb and stabilising her ankle.
"Commendable forethought," Tom agreed, ignoring her affronted huff and addressing the Lestranges instead. "I expect the same level of care from the two of you."
"Yes, my Lord," they agreed, inclining their heads respectfully.
"Good," Tom said, accepting their deference as his due and easily scooping her up as he got to his feet.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Holly demanded angrily, slapping at his hard chest. "I can walk!"
"You need to rest your ankle," Tom replied easily, smirking at her. "And it's time for dinner."
Holly huffed, tucking her arms against her chest, but resigning to her fate as Tom lifted her a little higher and then moved her sideways through the door so that her hurt foot wouldn't brush against the doorframe.