Okay here's the next chapter, polls up so go ahead and vote, can't wait to see what's going to happen and also in case any of you are wondering why I never mention Riley's birthday... well the answer should be obvious, she doesn't celebrate it. The reasoning behind that should be quite obvious, given what occurred on her birthday, and then continued to occur over the years, (ie: fox hunts)
Broken Angel
Chapter 17: A Year of Crap
"So... are you ready for your third year?" Remus asked as he and Riley entered the platform.
"Yeah, I just wish it didn't have to start with a murderer getting loose." Riley replied.
"Yes... Sirius escaping is quite troubling. But it isn't our concern. The ministry will find him. You just need to focus on getting through this year without trouble." Remus replied.
"Haha... you're dreaming Remus." Riley replied with a grin, earning an eye roll from Remus.
"So... who do you think you'll be getting as a DADA instructor this year?" Remus asked.
"No clue, but if they suck, I swear to all the gods, I'm going to, quite literally erase the position from Hogwarts." Riley replied with a fire in her eyes.
"Well I don't think you'll have that problem. From what I've heard he's quite skilled at DADA." Remus offered with an amused look in his eyes.
"So you know who it is? Who are they?" Riley asked.
"You'll just have to wait and see." Remus replied as they reached the train.
"Oh come on Remus, tell me." Riley stated.
"Hm... well, in my humble opinion he's quite a skilled and charming individual. If you can get past his furry little problem." Remus replied with a chuckle at his own wit.
"Wait! You? You're teaching DADA this year? Remus, that's awesome!" Riley replied happily.
"Now... don't think I'll go easy on you just because we're friends. I expect the same level of work you put into your other classes, and I expect you to help your fellow students when they need it." Remus replied sternly.
"Sure... no problem Remus. Man, this year's gonna rock!" Riley stated happily as the two boarded the train and found a quiet cabin.
From there, Riley's friends filtered in and out. They all got to meet Remus, and show off their new ninja skills. The train ride went pretty quickly until the train came to a screeching halt.
Riley was sitting with Remus, Daphne, Draco, Hermione, Blaise and Pansy when all of the lights on the train went out.
"What's happening?" Hermione asked.
"Something evil is on the train." Riley muttered as she activated her Sharingan. A few moments of silence passed before they all felt a chill enter the cabin. Suddenly, they all saw a dark figure appear outside of the cabin door.
The door slowly began to open and a dark hooded figure poked it's head in.
The dreadful creature stared into the room as all of the warmth fled.
"Whoever you're looking for is not here." Riley stated to the creature, as the rest of her friends cowered in it's presence. Riley felt the cold tendrils of despair grip at her heart and for only the briefest moment she felt a tremble pass through her.
The cold terror that flooded the room could only come from a being such as this. It's pitch black, tattered cloak, revealed it for what it was, a Dementor.
The creature seemed to look at Riley before reaching forward.
"Get out!" Riley snapped as the creature advanced further. The being seemed fixated on Riley and continued forward even as she stared it down, suppressing her own fear. Remus was ready to shoot to his feet, the Patronus Charm, ready on his lips. He knew Riley could handle it, but it never hurt to be ready.
Suddenly Riley raised her wand, and without speaking, a white fox shot out of her wand, filling the cabin with light. The ethereal fox rushed forward and slammed into the dark creature. The Dementor was pushed back out of the cabin, it's body slamming hard against the glass of the windows lining the hall, cracking one of them. For several long moments the Dementor hovered in place staring in at them before it finally gave up and began gliding off to continue it's search.
"Everyone alright?" Riley asked after a few tense moments.
"Yeah... bloody hell, what was that thing?" Blaise replied.
"A Dementor. A guardian of Azkaban. It must have been searching the train for Sirius Black. Good work Riley, your Patronus was as strong as ever. Keep watch over your friends, I need to speak with the conductor. And if any of you need some, I have some chocolate in my bag, it helps, believe me." Remus told all of them as he hurried out of the cabin.
"Those things are guarding Azkaban? I had heard that place was hell on earth, but I never imagined it could house something as terrifying as that thing." Draco stated with a shake of his head.
Riley fished out the chocolate from Remus' bag and handed them all a piece, taking one for herself too. Riley let out a quiet sigh as she pressed the chocolate to her lips but didn't immediately partake in it.
"Such an atrocious creature. They truly are despair incarnate." Madara noted.
"Yeah. That wasn't overly pleasant." Riley agreed. She began to eat the chocolate she held when she felt a presence above her, something atop the train car.
"You guys wait here... I need to go check something." Riley told them as she Shunshined onto the roof of the train.
On the roof, she didn't immediately see the unknown presence though she did spot a few dementors floating away from the train in the distance, but other than that it was barren. She extended her senses along the train's exterior and found what she was looking for.
She took a few steps along the edge of the train, stopping a few feet from the end of the car.
"I know you're there. Come out." Riley hissed.
A second or two passed when suddenly four figures jumped out of the space between the train cars.
The four figures turned out to be Leaf ANBU black ops.
"Wow... to be able to sense us that easily. You truly are as skilled as they say." The Anbu captain stated. He was wearing a hawk mask and there was a brisk tone to his voice, an excitement that couldn't immediately be placed.
For a moment, Riley tensed, the sight of a Hidden Leaf Shinobi so far from Konoha nearly made her blood freeze in her veins. An almost imperceptible twitch passed through her right arm as she prepared to make a hand sign, an attack plan already forming in her mind. The near unnoticeable movement was indeed spotted by the keen eyes of the ANBU members, three of the four of them reacted, their muscles tensing, ready to leap into action the moment she tried to move. The only one who didn't react was the captain who seemed content, if a bit excited.
"What are you doing here?" Riley demanded, venom filling her words as she openly glared at the Leaf ninja.
"Hunting down Sirius Black." Came a reply from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted six other Anbu had gathered there, the one leading the pack though was who drew most of her attention.
"Dog? What are you doing here?" Riley asked as she began to relax, feeling the tension flee from her body. Kakashi was one of the few people in the world she trusted with her life, if he was here, then she knew she was most likely safe.
"Like I said, hunting Sirius Black. The Hokage wants him dead." Dog replied shrugging as she fully turned to face him.
"Yeah... I'm sure he does. So is this all cloak and dagger or are you supposed to be here?" Riley questioned them, her gaze hard and filled with suspicion.
"No need to worry. We're here on official business. We've been tasked with guarding the school, in case Black shows up there." Dog told her.
"What makes you think he'll show up here?" Riley asked giving Dog a curious look.
"Well... one of his old friends happens to be here. Not to mention the daughter of the man he betrayed..." Dog replied with a shrug.
"Well shit. I see... Well if Black want's to show his face at Hogwarts I'll be sure to tear it off. Good hunting boys." Riley stated with a sigh and a shake of her head. "Oh and Dog... do drop by for a chat whenever you're able, it has been too long since we've seen each other."
With that she Shunshined back into the train.
"What were you able to get?" The hawk masked captain asked one of his subordinates as soon as she vanished.
"Wow! That girl has as much chakra as a kage, and her control over it is phenomenal. I guess the stories about her are true." The squad's sensor replied.
"Only as much as a kage? That's odd." Dog mused.
"Why?" The hawk masked captain asked.
"I knew her when she was little. She was eight the last time I saw her, and she had far more chakra than even master Jiraiya. To think that she's downgraded to just Kage level. She must have some of her chakra sealed up." Dog explained.
"Holy hell! Are we sure she isn't a Jinchuriki?" One of the ANBU asked.
"She is actually. You must be new, otherwise I'm surprised you've forgotten." Dog replied with a chuckle.
"What? How the hell did a Jinchuriki slip so far off the grid?" Another of the Anbu asked.
"She left. Simple as that." Dog replied with a shrug.
"That isn't right. Jinchuriki are far to powerful to just roam around the world. Just because she's the Hokage's daughter doesn't mean she get's to be off gallivanting in some school for little witches and wizards." The hawk masked captain stated with a shake of his head.
"Some people might agree with you, but at the end of the day, it isn't up to you Hawk. She's the head of three Most Ancient and Most Noble houses. Which in these lands makes her akin to royalty. Make a move against her, and you'll find yourself locked in Azkaban. You saw what the jailors are like, I wouldn't recommend it." Dog replied.
"Why the hell would these fools place something that dangerous, in such a high up position? Don't they know how dangerous Jinchuriki are? Take one look at Kiri and you'll see what happens." Another Anbu asked.
"They have no clue. But they'll learn. Jinchuriki always cause chaos and carnage, wherever they go. She'll show her true colors, and when she does, I pray there's someone around who can stop her and drag her back to where she belongs." Hawk replied, letting out a sigh and shaking his head.
"Well Hawk... I wish you or whoever else the best of luck in trying to drag her anywhere. After all, six years ago she got the jump on and nearly killed one of the Sannin using only one technique, and managed to nearly kill Weasel after he took out the traitorous Uchiha. And she did all of that, without needing her Bijuu. All of that power you felt is her own. She's the twin that only has the demon's soul inside of her... nothing else. So, go ahead and try antagonizing her... it hasn't worked out for other people and I doubt it will for you either." Dog replied with condescension towards his foolish co-captain, as he walked away.
"Don't worry guys... we wont allow a violent rogue Jinchuriki to remain free. If it causes trouble, or brings any harm to these children, we'll drag it back to Konoha, in chains if we have too." Hawk said to his fellow Anbu, earning nods from most of them.
"Not to mention, if we take her back... maybe the Hokage wont be so depressed anymore." One of the Anbu noted, earning more nods.
None of the Anbu noticed or felt the presence of Riley directly below them in the train car. With her enhanced hearing she could easily make out the low whispers of the ANBU team, a hellish smirk touched at her lips as she heard what they thought of her and what they intended to do if she acted out.
"I'm not going anywhere shitheads. You wanna mess with me, I'll put you in the ground." Riley thought with a viscous glint in her eyes.
The rest of the train ride was uneventful, all anyone wanted to talk about was the Dementor that slipped aboard, eventually they ended up at Hogwarts. Where they began the opening feast.
Dumbledore announced the presence of Dementors on Hogwarts grounds, until Sirius Black was captured. He also introduced Remus as the new DADA instructor which earned some cheers from the Slytherins. He also announced that special guards had been placed within the school, and even though they probably wouldn't be seen, they were there.
From then on, the school year began quite simply. Things went along as usual. Classes began, Riley began to train her gang in the Chamber of Secrets, and all of this was observed by spying ANBU.
Riley could feel them watching her and on more than a few occasions wanted to turn and look right at them to show them that she wasn't stupid and she knew they were there. She refrained from doing so, as a calm warning from Madara noted that it could be in her interest to let them think she didn't notice them, that way if they made a move they'd think she was unprepared.
Deception was a shinobi's greatest tool, so Riley kept her head down and ignored the Leaf ninja.
Her training with her friends began to actually become exciting as Riley would engage in Taijutsu bouts with a handful of them at a time. They were becoming more and more coordinated, their speed, strength, and agility increased after each bout. Healing their injuries helped to improve Riley's skill with Medical Ninjutsu and Healing Magic as well. And it also helped to toughen up her friends who were quickly learning how to take a hit.
Riley was really starting to take an interest in teaching, she liked watching her friends grow and as they became more skilled, she found she actually had people to talk shop with more and more. As they grew in ability, she began to engage in talks about new fighting styles, new skills, new magical abilities, new ways of utilizing other magical abilities, it was quickly becoming a productive year for Riley and her gang and it had only just begun.
Of course Riley continued her weekend visits to the island where she would meet with Fleur. There the two would spend time together, work on homework, or even training in the shinobi arts. And it was on that last bit that Riley had a bit of difficulty keeping her growing attraction to her girlfriend a secret. Watching as Fleur ran through whatever exercise regimen that Riley had come up with that weekend, was becoming entrancing for Riley. Watching Fleur actually break a sweat and keep powering through it, without collapsing from exhaustion was becoming a major turn on and Riley had difficulties keeping the dumb look off her face whenever she caught sight of her girlfriend drenched in sweat, breathing heavily but standing proudly at the end of a workout.
Fleur definitely took notice of Riley's attentive gaze, and it encouraged her to keep at it, wanting to keep earning those entranced looks. Normally Fleur hated when people looked at her like that, but when it had absolutely nothing to do with her allure, and it was coming from Riley, she actually found that she enjoyed it.
The two were growing closer, bonding as they spent more and more time together. This year was definitely starting to look up from Riley's perspective, unfortunately, all good things must eventually come to an end. And in this case, that end was rather unpleasant for all involved.
It was one of the DADA classes with Remus that triggered the year's decline. It was between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Remus had brought a Boggart into the class. He asked a few questions about it, and then showed everyone the spell to defeat it, Riddikulus.
Once everyone got it down he had them all line up and let them all have a go at the Boggart one at a time. The creature took the form of their worst fear, so it was quite interesting to see people's greatest fears brought to life. Turns out Ron's was Snape, which made Draco laugh. Turns out Draco's was a pissed off Hermione, which made everyone laugh, though it made the Slytherins laugh especially hard as they watched Draco get chewed out by Boggart Hermione for a good thirty seconds before he murmured the spell, which then caused Boggart Hermione to break into an Irish gig.
And more then a few of her friends greatest fears were in regards to her. Which wasn't all that surprising considering she had made a few of them pee themselves with just a glare. Finally it was Riley's turn and everyone watched with great intensity. Most of the Gryffindor's were also taking mental notes, as this was their chance to finally have some ammunition on the Slytherin queen.
Remus gave her a slightly worried look before opening the cabinet, and letting the boggart out. Everyone's breath hitched in anticipation, but none of them could be prepared for what came out of that cabinet. Not the Gryffindors, not Riley's friends, not Remus, not even the dog masked ANBU hiding in the ceiling rafters.
Gasps of terror were heard as blood splashed out of the cabinet along with body parts. Remus' eyes widened in horror, at the sight before him, but nothing could compare to what was to come. What came stalking out of the cabinet was a shadowed form of Riley. Her features were darkened to near black, and her eyes glowed a hellish red. She wore the uniform of a Leaf Shinobi, and bore a Leaf headband, which glimmered, allowing it's symbol to hold prominence over Riley's shadowed form. Corpses, surrounded the hellish shape, people that Riley knew, mostly her friends.
The nightmarish sight held in one hand a short curved blade, and in the other, the severed head of Riley's beloved girlfriend.
It was an absolutely monstrous sight, devoid of hope. The Boggart truly had taken on the reflection of Riley's greatest fear.
Before her stood an image that terrified her to her very core. She was a faceless entity, with only the gleaming sigil of the Hidden Leaf to identify her. She was alone, having slaughtered all those she held dear. Alone, as nothing more than a tool for the Leaf. Nothing more than a weapon. That was Riley's greatest fear, being reduced to nothing, no friends, no identity, no love or care. She stood as nothing more than a monster, a monster owned and controlled by her childhood home.
All of the kids stared in stunned horror, none of them could move, the sight before them was too gruesome... too horrible.
Remus was able to recover quicker and shot a look at Riley, he was surprised to see tears streaming down the girl's face. He quickly raised his wand to banish the boggart, but Riley was faster. With a viscous snarl she fired a bolt of pure magic out of her wand, that punched right through the boggart, killing the creature and causing the scene to fade.
Riley then fell to her knees and started crying.
Remus was by her side in a flash.
Riley was dry heaving as tears streamed down her face. The image of her dead friends kept flashing in her mind, and more than that, the severed head of her beloved. It made her heart twist painfully, it physically hurt to imagine it, and yet the image would not go away.
"I wont hurt her... I wont hurt any of them... They'll never make me their slave... It'll never happen! I wont hurt her!" Remus could hear Riley muttering to herself as she hyperventilated. Horror etched into her features in a way that shook him to his core. Never before had he seen her so broken, it was an awful sight, one that he wouldn't soon forget.
"Class dismissed." Remus told the students, as he tried to break Riley out of her stupor.
A handful of students quickly scampered out of the room, eager to retreat from the grisly sight they were just exposed to. Others hung back, too shocked by what was happening or too entranced, to leave. Riley's friends were among those that hung around, a few approached Riley, intent on trying to calm her down.
"Riley... it's okay... it's gone... Fleur's fine. They're all fine." Remus whispered into Riley's ear as the girl let out another pained sob.
"I wont hurt her." Riley repeated to herself, her eyes wide in horror.
"I know you wont Riley... Fleur's fine... she's fine... I'm so sorry that happened." Remus whispered as he held the young girl in his arms. He could see most of Riley's friends gathered around the two of them. Draco was knelt next to them his hand on Riley's shoulder. Tracy was also knelt next to them, reassuringly rubbing Riley's back.
"What was that, Professor?" Goyle asked.
"That was something you best hope you never have to understand." Came a reply from Dog, whom hopped down next to Riley and Remus.
"What? Who are you?" Pansy asked.
"Just someone concerned for his little sister, that's all." Was Dog's reply as he knelt next to Remus and the crying Riley.
"I often forget... you aren't like other children. Where kids your age are afraid of the dark, or spiders, or professor Snape... you fear what you may become, or what may happen to you day. I didn't realize just how deep your feelings towards the Leaf ran, I made a mistake. I should have known better. I'm so sorry Riley. I would have never had you face the boggart had I known." Remus stated with a curse, angry at himself for allowing someone who had endured what she had, to face a Boggart, especially with no time to prepare. For children it was easy, simple things that scared them, but for adults, a Boggart was far more terrifying, and for those that had endured trauma, the physical manifestation of their fears could become absolutely monstrous.
"It's okay Remus... I'm okay." Riley stated as she finally stopped crying, though she still trembled, unable to calm herself.
"It's okay Riley... Everything is gonna be alright. How's about we go and have a chat with the headmaster and see if he'll let you leave to go and see Fleur, would that make you feel better?" Remus offered.
"Yeah... I... yeah... I think... I wanna see her..." Riley said with a nod as she wiped the tears from her eyes and got to her feet.
"You gonna be alright?" Draco asked as he helped her up.
"I will... that just... hit a little too close to home... I'm sorry you guys had to see that." Riley muttered.
"Hey... no worries... nothin' a quick trip to the mind healer cant fix." Theo tried to joke, earning a dark chuckle from Riley who managed a small smile.
"You still owe me that talk Dog." Riley muttered as she walked past him.
"Later... go see your friend." Dog replied as he patted her shoulder. Earning a nod, Riley continued to allow herself to be escorted out of the room and up to Dumbledore's office.
Most of the children departed to either go find their friends, head to madam Pomfrey, or go throw up some more. Soon there was just Riley's friends left in the room, with Dog.
"What did you mean when you said that what we saw was something we don't want to understand?" Daphne asked the Dog masked Anbu.
Dog was silent for a moment as he thought about how to answer. After several long seconds he let out a sigh and spoke. "You have it good here at Hogwarts. You have a life that is, for the most part, safe and filled with love and comfort. Riley knows what it's like to endure without those things. She's lived a life filled with sadness, loneliness, and heartbreak. I don't expect kids to understand what you just saw, most adults probably wouldn't get it either. There's something about knowing how truly awful the world can be, that breaks a person. Not thinking about it, is the best way to deal with it. I for one hope none of you truly understand what you just saw. I know she feels the same. It's best to live in ignorance of such things, it makes it easier to be happy." Dog's response was a chilling one. None of them truly understood what he meant, but a few, like Draco, and Daphne, had their own guesses and their answers were not comforting.
The rest of Riley's gang could only shake their heads in reply. It was hard to know a friend held such pain... for some reason... all of them felt the need to do better, to try and help Riley. To become greater than they were so that they never succumb to that fear.
"So... anyone recognize the head she was carrying?" Dog asked, curious due to it's prominent effect on Riley, as she seemed to focus on it, more than the other corpses involved in the gruesome sight.
"Yeah, that was her girlfriend Fleur... must have been why it hurt so much." Tracy replied.
"Girlfriend? Really? Now that is interesting." Dog mused to himself as he turned and vanished in a Shunshine, not noticing who else had been watching.
After a quick explanation to Dumbledore, he agreed to let Riley leave to see Fleur. It saddened him to see the flickering agitated look in Riley's eyes... he could tell she was worried, and needed to see her girlfriend, to ensure that the things she witnessed, weren't really real. Remus used Riley's custom portkey to jump right to Fleur's location.
Fleur was right in the middle of her Transfiguration class, when there was a loud crack, right next to her. Her eyes shot over and she was immediately wrapped in a tight embrace. She recognized the smell of her girlfriend's shampoo instantly.
"Riley... what is wrong?" She asked as the younger girl held her tightly.
Riley didn't respond she just held Fleur tighter and let out a pained sob.
"What is the meaning of this?" Fleur's teacher asked as she approached. Remus was standing off to the side, and immediately approached the woman. He introduced himself and told her in a very low voice, the reason for the interruption. The woman looked appalled at what she heard, and shot Riley a look of sympathy.
The rest of the class watched with curiosity at the strange sight. The normally icy and quiet Veela, was now holding and comforting a younger girl, whispering to her and trying to calm her down.
Nearby, Fleur's resident bully Diana, and one of her friends were whispering to one another, trying to make heads or tails of what was happening.
"Fleur, please take your friend out into the hall, so that you two may have some privacy." Her teacher told her.
Fleur nodded and struggled to her feet. It was a little difficult with Riley hanging off of her, but she managed. As soon as she made it to her feet she began to walk Riley out of the classroom.
Remus and the teacher followed, though they stood at a distance as Fleur escorted Riley a bit down the hall. Several of the students stood near the open door attempting to ease drop on the conversations, both between Remus and the teacher, as well as Fleur and Riley.
"Okay... what happened?" Fleur asked, once they were in the hall.
"I'm sorry... just dealt with a Boggart, and the bloody thing showed you dead..." Riley replied as she held onto Fleur. Every part of her thanking the gods that she wasn't hurt. The logical part of Riley's mind knew that it was just a boggart, that what it showed her was all fake... but... that didn't change how much it hurt to see. Ever since the whole debacle on the beach, Riley had always kept her powers reined in. She always kept her youki under control, and all because of this... because she didn't want to hurt the people she loved.
Seeing Fleur's severed head, seeing that it was her, who had committed the terrible act... it was too much for the thirteen, soon to be fourteen year old girl to handle.
"Oh Riley..." Fleur cooed, as she cupped Riley's cheeks and kissed her. The kiss earned a bit of surprise from the teacher who shared a glance with Remus who merely shrugged.
"I was the one that killed you, that's what made it hurt so bad. I just had to come see you... make sure you were okay..." Riley muttered with obvious shame carved into her features.
"Riley... I love you, and I trust you. You would never do anything to intentionally harm me. You are always so gentle, and loving. You are kind in everything you do... you know... you're more angel then demon, I think." Fleur stated with a warm loving smile, whispering that last part as she rested her forehead to Riley's.
"But..." Riley began, but was cut off by a kiss from Fleur.
"I am fine. You have never hurt me... and you never will. You have better control over yourself then anyone I know. Think about it? You had a naked veela, begging you to have sex with her, and you refused because you did not want to hurt me. That is an incredible feat of control." Fleur told her with a smile.
"It wasn't easy." Was Riley's response.
"I would hope not." Fleur added with a giggle.
The two stared at each other for a few moments. Staring lovingly into each others eyes when Fleur finally leaned in and kissed her passionately on the lips.
"Feel better now?" Fleur asked.
"Yeah." Riley replied with a shy smile.
"Good... now, run along, I have to get back to my lessons." Fleur stated with a smile.
Riley nodded and turned to find Remus, she made it a few feet, when she felt the need to say something.
"Fleur..." Riley stated looking back at her beautiful girlfriend.
"Yes?" Fleur asked in reply.
"I love you... I love you so much." Was Riley's response.
"And I love you, with all my heart." Fleur replied with a happy smile as she turned and headed back to her class.
Riley simply smiled in return and tracked down Remus. The two quickly departed using Riley's portkey to travel back to Hogwarts. It dumped them just outside the grounds, due to the anti apparition and portkey wards around Hogwarts.
Meanwhile Fleur stepped back into the classroom while the teacher remained in the hall to speak with the school's headmistress, Madame Maxime, who had come to investigate the use of a portkey within the school.
"So that was her?" Questioned one of Fleur's friends as she sat down.
"Yes, that was my Riley." Fleur replied thoughtfully, an uneasy feeling welling up in the pit of her stomach. Despite helping Riley to calm down, seeing her mate so distressed did nothing good for the Veela's own mental state. She was feeling a sense of a overprotectiveness, and a desire to find Riley and keep her calm. She wanted to do whatever she could to make her mate happy again. It left Fleur feeling agitated, especially as she caught the whispers of Diana and her cronies. Whispers which soon turned to giggles.
"What was that all about?" Her friend inquired, and almost immediately Fleur felt the need to snap that it was none of her business, but she held back. Despite not being the best of friends, Fleur's gal-pal wasn't being malicious and was probably just genuinely curious.
"She encountered a boggart and it showed her some truly awful things. She came to see me to make sure I was alright and to put her mind at ease." Fleur replied quietly, her friend offering a nod, and giving her a sympathetic look. At the very least she knew that with maturity came an increase in the power a boggart held over others. It was one of the reasons why kids were taught to deal with boggarts at a young age because as children their fears were basic, simple, and often times, dumb. As adults, their fears were far more terrifying, and a boggart could easily drive a person into a catatonic state. They were dangerous and dark creatures, so they weren't to be underestimated.
Those that had been eavesdropping could only shake their heads and move on, boggarts were nasty business, and it wasn't uncommon to hear about people left in near paralyzed states from the fear of encountering a boggart in the wild.
Fleur took solace in the silence, though the whispering of Diana and her pal, seemed to grow louder as Fleur heard the word 'pathetic' shared between them.
The Veela's response was immediate and drew the attention of the entire room. Fleur turned in her seat, her eyes alight with visible hatred as she openly glared at her longtime tormentor. Diana stopped her giggling and whispers as soon as Fleur turned to her. Surprise flashed across her face, and then an immense amount of unease settled into her. Fleur's glare was skin-peeling, and her jaw clenched tightly.
The glare was like nothing any of them had ever seen before. Real hatred and fury boiled in Fleur's eyes, but the most unsettling thing was the way Fleur held her wand. The hand she held it in was sitting on the desk, but Fleur held it in a vice-like grip, her knuckles white. In all truth, it didn't look like she was about to cast a spell, it looked like Fleur was about to leap out of her seat and stab Diana with her wand. That's what most of them thought, and it seemed like Diana felt that too because she leaned back in her seat, and her whole body tensed, like she was ready to leap away the moment Fleur moved.
Along Fleur's arms and legs, small white pins were starting to emerge. If allowed to continue, these pins would bloom into feathers, as Fleur's body began to transform. The other students saw the blooming feathers and felt themselves grow fearful. As much as people like to look down on Veela, and make fun of them, they were known as powerful magical creatures for a reason. A fully transformed Veela was larger than a man, capable of projecting fireballs at their enemies, and armed with razor sharp talons, and sharp teeth. Just because they looked like giant swans when transformed, didn't mean they were giant swans. A pissed off Veela was far more dangerous.
The tension held for several long moments before the teacher stepped in along with Madame Maxime, and both of them took notice of what appeared to be a standoff.
"Fleur." The headmistress called out to her as she took notice of the beginnings of the Veela transformation.
Fleur's response was as intentional as it was intimidating. Slowly she turned her body towards the headmistress, but she kept her gaze locked on Diana until she no longer could. Once eye-contact was broken she fully turned her gaze towards Madame Maxime, and the slowly growing feathers along her limbs almost instantly retracted.
The half-giant seemed to recognize what was occurring and quickly whispered something to the teacher before gesturing to Fleur.
"Come dear, there is something we need to speak about." Madame Maxime instructed. Fleur quickly rose from her seat and headed over to the headmistress who guided her out of the classroom.
The teacher closed the door behind them and turned to face the class her gaze settling on Diana who was again quietly whispering to her friend.
"Diana... are you fireproof?" The teacher asked, earning everyone's attention and a surprised look from the girl.
"What?" She asked in reply.
"Are you fireproof?" The teacher asked again.
"No." Diana answered.
"Then never insult a Veela's bonded mate. Never do it, or they will burn you." The teacher warned, Diana looked like she was about to argue but the teacher held up a hand and shook her head. She then immediately returned to the lesson, leaving no room for argument. Diana was left fuming but could only sit there and listen.
Elsewhere, in the headmistress's office, Madame Maxime was taking a seat as Fleur let out a sigh, guessing she knew what this was about.
"Your temper was flaring my dear. I know you have good control over yourself but that was far more intense than I've ever seen you." Maxime stated.
"I know. I am sorry for my reaction. The girl who came to see me was Riley, she is my bonded mate, and I don't like seeing her in distress. She encountered a boggart and it showed her terrible things. That put me on edge and then I heard Diana say some cruel things about her and I just... I am sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so aggressive. It will not happen again." Fleur apologized, letting out another sigh.
"See to it that it doesn't. I cannot have my children burning each other for a bit of bad-mouthing. I know the two of you don't like each other, but you only have this year and the next to have to put up with one another. Make it through and go your separate ways." Maxime instructed, earning a nod from Fleur.
"Now, take the rest of the day to relax and calm down. I will have a note delivered to your teachers and they will provide you with your schoolwork for the day. Try and settle down, alright?" Maxime told her.
"Yes madam. I will do as you say." Fleur replied, turning and exiting the office. As she walked, she reflected on how quickly anger had come to her. Her mate was being ridiculed and she immediately went into fight mode. It was so sudden and overpowering, that it was almost like someone else was in control. In fact, the only reason Fleur hadn't attacked Diana for her insult was because she had frozen. Fleur had been waiting for it. A movement, a snide comment, anything to set her off. If Madame Maxine hadn't intervened and directed Fleur's attention away from Diana, she would have hurt her. She had nearly transformed as well. A Veela's transformation was a very private thing in their culture. So private that the only people they often shared their true forms with were their children, and occasionally their partners. None of Fleur's family members had seen her true form, so the fact that she had nearly begun transforming due to her anger was truly something to reflect upon.
It was frightening to say the least, to know that she had something like that inside of her. She definitely needed to contact her mother and tell her what happened. Such a reaction opened the doors to an entirely new set of problems that Fleur hadn't been trained to deal with, and in all reality, her recent training with Riley had only worsened the possibilities of what could happen should Fleur lose control.
Yes, she definitely needed to unwind and contact her mother.
-Back at Hogwarts-
"So... are you gonna be alright?" Remus asked as the two slowly walked towards the school, taking some quiet time to unwind and let the tension fade away.
"I'll be fine... it's alright. I'm not mad at you Remus. I never should have taken part in that exercise. I've seen and done things these kids couldn't even imagine. It was stupid of me to take part. The boggart could have taken the form of anything... I guess I'm just glad it wasn't anything worse." Riley replied.
"You are probably the only person who could say something like that with a straight face. You see yourself carrying your girlfriend's severed head, and your reply is, 'well it could've been worse.' That's... that'd be almost funny if it wasn't so sad." Remus replied with a chuckle.
"Heh... I guess you're right. That is kinda sad, isn't it?" Riley said with a chuckle of her own.
"So, you're sure you'll be alright?" Remus asked again.
"Yeah, Remus... I'll be fine. Thanks for your concern though." Riley replied with a warm smile.
All Remus could do was smile at her tough-girl attitude. She was strong, and she would move past her fear, she just needed time, and he knew that. He just hoped it didn't take too long.
The next couple of days were very interesting as the school quickly descended into anarchy. Upon returning, Riley's friends offered up three different reactions to the whole situation. Some like Daphne pretended it never happened. Some like Tracy offered their support. While others like Draco, Crabbe, or Goyle, became very protective of Riley. Tearing down anyone who attempted to use what they saw as an excuse to get back at her.
Of course, some of the idiot Gryffindor's decided to use this info to their advantage. And rumors quickly began spreading that Riley was really a monster in disguise or that she was crazy. To many of the kids, no sane person could ever think up something like what had been seen in that classroom. If Riley's greatest fear was turning into a deranged murderous psychopath and cutting people's heads off, then what the fuck else was wrong with her? Some who recognized the uniform she wore, or the Leaf insignia on her headband, started to come up with rumors that she thought the Leaf was evil. This earned a reaction from a lot of people, as the Leaf was where the famous Girl-Who-Lived, resided. She was the savior who defeated You-Know-Who, and the Fourth Hokage had aided Britain against the Death Eaters during the war. These people 'knew' that the Leaf wasn't evil, it couldn't be.
All of these varying mindsets combined into a storm of anger, confusion, and misinformation, and it riled up plenty of people.
Riley quickly noticed that she was starting to get those looks again, the same looks that she used to get from the people of the Hidden Leaf. This of course pissed her off and made her feel like shit at the same time, but there wasn't really anything she could do about it.
Only a few of the truly suicidal decided to actively attack her. There were more than a few instances where fights broke out. The first was two days after the whole boggart, incident and Riley was walking down the hall, with Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Luna, and Hermione, they were all on their way to charms and about to part with Luna, when they passed a group of fourth year Gryffindors.
As they passed, they all heard one of the Gryffindors say, "There goes the psycho and her caretakers."
Riley grit her teeth in anger at hearing that and would've spun around and kicked the shit out of the four idiots, but Luna grabbed her arm, and laid her head on Riley's shoulder and guided her away from the group. While Luna walked Riley away, Hermione was busy stopping Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle from beating the ever-loving hell out of the four idiots.
The Gryffindors, being morons, started to taunt the Slytherins to the point where it drew the attention of a teacher... that teacher ended up being Professor Snape. Who walked up, just as the Gryffindor's started shouting about evil Slytherins. This caused Snape to sneer and give each one of the Gryffindors a week's detention for bullying younger students. Gryffindor also lost twenty points for bullying.
The next day wasn't much better. Ginny got into a fight with Ron, when he walked up and tried to drag her away from Riley and the gang. This caused a shouting match which ended in both Ginny and Ron drawing their wands on each other. This in turn caused Riley's gang to draw their wands on the poor idiot, which in turn caused all of the surrounding Gryffindors to draw their wands and point them at the nearest Slytherin.
The fight was averted when the Weasley twins both walked up to Ron and slapped him upside the head. Calling him an idiot and reminding him, something about how their mother had told him not to bully Ginny about being a Slytherin, as it just meant she was more cunning and wise rather than noble and brave. They then shoved Ron away, while both muttering 'dumbass' under their breaths as they did. They both offered their apologies to Ginny, which in turn ended the fight.
One of the hardest hit by this whole debacle, was Katie, as she was taking some major flak from her own house, as she supported Riley, and would often snap at any whom attempted to harm her or belittle her in any way. She thankfully had the Weasley twins to confide in as the two were receiving quite a few demands/offers from their housemates to torment Riley and her gang, but the twins were quick to refuse as the Slytherins were far better customers, as well, the twins actually liked Riley.
So, at the very least, Katie had some people she could turn to, but it wasn't a lot.
Many people who had seen the boggart, either knew that Riley was a much more mature individual and thus her greatest fear was not something childish like a spider or Snape but was in fact becoming a monster and hurting the ones she loved. Or they saw it as, she was a monster or seriously fucked up in the head, and the boggart was basically acting like a mirror, reflecting on what she really was or how twisted her mind must be. Some even believed that Riley was really the monster they saw in the boggart, and her 'greatest fear' was killing whomever the severed head belonged too. Most theories seemed to contradict each other, as any that seemed halfway reasonable didn't account for another part of what was seen. If Riley was afraid of being a monster, then why did she appear in Leaf Shinobi garbs, the Leaf were the good guys, as far as most people in Britain were concerned. It was things like that, that led to infighting even amongst the anti-Slytherin groups as they couldn't agree on exactly what they were up in arms about.
This in turn caused most people to either A, become afraid of her, like most of the Puffs, or B, turn hostile towards her, like the Gryffindors and some of the Claws.
In Katie's case it got so bad, that she actually got into a screaming match with a fifth year Gryffindor, to the point where she hexed him with a very unique spell, that caused his balls to contract tightly and painfully, though the spell only lasted an hour.
The next day the boy walked up to her in the great hall, right in front of all the teachers and punched her hard across the face. Riley was about to dive out of her seat, to stop the second hit the boy prepared, but that one was caught by Katie herself, who furiously kneed the boy, in the nuts, repeatedly, like six times and then grabbed the back of his head, while he was doubled over, and drilled him in the face with her knee, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious.
Needless to say, Katie got detention, for hexing his balls, and so did the stupid fifth year, for attacking someone like that, thankfully Katie wasn't punished for defending herself, which she did so with incredible ease, taking from her training with Riley.
Riley was able to easily heal the red mark on Katie's face, sadly the boy was huge for a fifth year, so he had a lot of strength, though with her ninja training, it hadn't hurt that bad, more surprising than anything else.
Of course, the Gryffindors were not happy about Katie's attitude, and they secretly tried to kick her out. Riley of course allowed her to stay in the Chamber of Secrets, which is where the group had been training for most of the year so far.
About two days after being kicked out of Gryffindor house, Hermione went to Flitwick and told him what had happened. In turn he went to McGonagall who was furious with her house for what they had done. Gryffindor then lost about fifty points, and Katie was asked to return. She refused since she knew she would just be bullied more in the house. McGonagall understood her decision and had now been watching her Lions like a hawk, anytime they stepped out of line she pounced on them. Needless to say, for the first time since their arrival the Weasley twins were actually earning the house points for standing up for Katie, Ginny, and Riley, rather than losing them for their pranks.
Hell, Hermione, Luna and Neville were also facing a ton of backlash for standing up for Riley. Hermione got into a fight with a boy in Ravenclaw house who called her a complete fool for allowing a monster like Riley to control her. This fight ended when she tried to storm off, only for him to grab her to stop her and continue the argument. She responded with a knee to the boy's gut, before continuing on her way. The next day he showed up to continue their argument, though by this time Draco had heard what had happened and pounced on the fool the second he started picking a fight with Hermione.
Challenging the moron to a dual between their two houses, just as Riley had done on their first day, he quickly kicked the guy's ass by disorienting him with the clone jutsu and hitting him with a stunner. Needless to say, he had the stupid claw apologize to Hermione and then swear to never speak to her again.
Neville had been constantly badgered by his fellow puffs, as to why he was willing to spend so much time around Riley and the other Slytherins. Needless to say, Neville was getting fed up with their pestering, and he probably would have done something stupid if one of the older puffs hadn't stepped in. This helpful puff was a sixth year named Cedric Diggory, whom was basically the prince of Hufflepuff house. He said that Neville knew Riley and the other Slytherins better than they did, and if he trusted them, then they probably weren't that bad. All of the puffs looked up to Diggory, as he was quite charismatic and was basically the epitome of what it meant to be a Hufflepuff.
The Claws had also started to bully Luna some more, stealing her stuff, and locking her out of her room, when she left to shower. Luna being one to generally avoid conflict, did not tell Riley, and instead secretly moved into the chamber with Katie. Of course, Riley not being oblivious, quickly figured out that more than one person was now sleeping in the chamber and pieced it together. She then went to Flitwick, though not before stealing some of the stuff from the Claws who had stolen from Luna and hiding their stuff in the professor's offices so the students would never find them.
Flitwick was naturally upset, and immediately took points from his house and assigned detentions. He told Luna she could return if she wanted too, but she refused stating that the Nargles had infested Ravenclaw house and it would be difficult to survive, with so many of the mischievous little devils around.
Things were quickly spiraling downward, the speed at which tension was building up, was completely unnatural. It almost felt like there was an unseen force guiding all of the craziness forward, though the fights and everything quickly came to a halt, when word spread to the students that Sirius Black had been spotted in Hogsmeade. This put the whole school on edge, and everyone was suddenly terrified of their own shadows.
A few days later, and things got even more tense when the Gryffindors reported that Sirius Black had attacked the painting that guarded their dorm.
The school was quickly spiraling into chaos, and if Riley had known just how bad things would soon get, she probably would have killed the Leaf Anbu, all except Dog, but she didn't know... and things were only now truly beginning to spiral into chaos...
TO BE CONTINUED...
Alright hope you enjoyed. I liked using the boggart incident as a catalyst to show the others a bit more of who Riley is. Plus it was a great way to launch the houses into conflict with each other. Remember, Riley is still young, and though she's tough, her loved ones are all she has, and Fleur is her girlfriend, imagine seeing yourself killing your girlfriend and then think about how you would react. Anyway keep voting poll will stay up for at least two more chapters, maybe more. I wonder what kind of trouble the leaf Anbu will be causing... and I wonder what will happen when the houses reach their breaking points. We'll see.
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