Chapter 43 Rachel Butler
Waking was more difficult for her this morning. Her limbs didn't move and ignored her mental commands to get up. But eventually, she managed to claw her way to her desk where the potions Snape made for her resided.
She suddenly realized she was alone. The spot that Clyde laid the night before was empty and there was no trace of him ever being there. Senna wondered at what time he had decided to leave her room.
Senna took a look at her pocket watch. It was too early for breakfast–which meant this was an opportunity to follow Clyde's advice.
Senna quickly showered and headed towards the dungeons. Luckily, the halls were devoid of students and teachers. But she wondered if someone was lurking behind her, invisible to the eye.
She paced in front of the Slytherin dorm, nervous. What was she going to say to her?
The door was lazily pushed open by two chatting Slytherin boys. They stopped like deer in headlights when they saw her. But Senna ignored them and pushed past the surprised boys.
Senna bulldozed past the students in the dimly lit lobby, and headed towards the female dorm. When she popped into the dorm, a sallow-looking girl who was brushing her thin hair looked up at her without surprise.
"She's in the bathroom." That was all she said.
Senna nodded at the girl and crossed the narrow hallway to the bathroom. Senna peered in. A handful of girls were getting ready for the day, all of whom stopped and stared as she intruded into the space.
Viola was on the far side of the bathroom, leaning over the sink, her eyes locking on Senna's in the reflection. But she turned away quickly.
"I thought you didn't want my help. So go away." She said without looking at her.
Senna strode towards her, but Viola got up to meet her. Viola then took her wrist, none too gently, and dragged her out of the bathroom, ignoring all the girls who stopped and stared at them.
She led them to the corner of the dorm room which was empty of people. Viola looked around, making sure the coast was clear.
"If you're looking for privacy, I cannot guarantee that my stalker isn't watching us." Senna told her in a whisper.
"Guess I'll take my chances." Viola sighed.
Senna noticed her eyes seemed a bit red. Had she been crying? Senna couldn't help but feel a surge of pity.
"Look," Viola started before Senna could speak, "Perhaps moving the curse to your brother was a stupid idea."
Senna chuckled. "Depends on which brother you're talking about. If it's the evil one, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Senna paused and took in Viola's red cheeks and defiant eyes. Her jaw was tense. If she didn't relax soon, Senna was worried Viola would crack her teeth. It must have taken a lot for Viola to admit one of her ideas was not the best after all. "But yeah, kind of a dumb idea." She agreed.
A warmth for Viola rose up in her chest. It was both easy and hard to hate this girl. She was a mixed bag.
Viola looked away from her, her cheeks still red.
Senna couldn't think of what to say. Perhaps Clyde was right, she needed to lighten up on Viola. Maybe she overreacted. But she couldn't seem to form an apology in her throat. Maybe her pride was to blame.
"My parents…" Viola started in a soft voice. Senna shut off her meandering thoughts to listen to what Viola had to say. "They taught me to only look after myself. Because, you know, most people are just a waste of time."
"Your parents sound like warm and fuzzy people." Senna joked.
Viola ignored her and continued. "Maybe that's why I'm not great at looking out for others. I don't have much practice."
Senna's heart did an uncomfortable flip in her chest. It wasn't quite an apology… but she was actually admitting she wasn't good at everything, and that takes a lot–for people like Viola at least. Senna swallowed, unsure of what to say. But her fingers itched to reach out and touch her.
She gave in then, putting her arms around Viola. When she didn't push her away, she pulled her close. Senna almost groaned when their bodies made contact. It had been a while since they were close. They had either been fighting for their lives–or each other—for the last week or so. It was nice, however brief, to be close to someone again.
Viola seemed to feel the same way. She melted into Senna and pressed her face into her chest. Senna tried to push down the feeling of arousal when she felt Viola's hot breath on her collarbone. This was not the right moment to feel this.
"Oh good, you two have made up." Someone interjected.
Senna jumped. She looked over her shoulder to see the small, sallow-looking girl from earlier. But this time, she had a clone next to her. This girl had a twin. Like Senna did. But she was grateful that she and Struan were not identical twins. She would be even more mortified to have the same face as the true spawn of evil.
"Come on," Viola said, sounding disappointed to have to pull away, "Let's get to breakfast."
Viola couldn't spend the Sunday with Senna and her problems. Viola had an Arithmancy test the next day and was glued to the book starting after breakfast.
Viola studied in Senna's dorm, taking her desk, while Senna lay on her bed with her notes sprawled in front of her.
Senna watched her study for a bit, knowing she should be studying the notes Viola took for her, but her brain shut off every time she tried to become absorbed in the content. It'll all seemed so trivial compared to the problems they were facing now.
Watching Viola's curly red hair bounce when her head jerked between her book and notes seemed to be far more interesting than school-work. As she worked, probably a particularly difficult problem, Viola swiped her hand through her hair several times, then she tucked it over one shoulder, exposing the white skin of her neck.
She was very beautiful.
The sound of approaching footsteps broke Senna out of her reverence. Knocking followed.
Viola, who was absorbed in her studies, startled at the sound.
"Come in…" Senna said warily.
The door swung open with Headmaster Robert's on the other side. He let himself in, and was followed by a mousey girl with olive-toned skin and curly black hair. Senna noticed that she was able to walk through on her own accord, without Roberts having to physically lead her through the shield. That observation was not promising.
"Senna, this is Rachel Butler." Roberts used his meaty hands to gesture between them, "And Ms. Butler, this is Senna Snape, our school champion."
Rachel regarded Senna rather nervously, looking down to avoid eye contact when Senna tried to give her a friendly smile.
"Nice to meet you. Thank you for coming all this way to help." Senna tried to sound appreciative, but it sounded mechanical.
"Oh—I don't know how much help I'll be." She stammered. Then she threw a nervous glance at Roberts, "B-But I'll look, like we agreed."
Senna stood up from the bed, and waited, unsure of what to expect.
There was a moment of awkward silence. Rachel stared at her feet for a long time, her fingers twisted and untwisted themselves. She was thin, short, with a petite frame. She was in no way, an impressive witch. Her anxious demeanor was even more diminishing to her already small presence.
"Well?" Roberts asked impatiently.
This seemed to shake her out of some sort of thought process. She looked at Senna reluctantly, and broke eye contact as soon as she met Senna's eyes. But she took two small steps forward.
Senna figured this was as far as this small woman was going to go, so Senna stepped forward to close the gap.
The woman squeaked in surprise at the sudden movement and stumbled backward.
"For the love of Merlin!" Viola spat in exasperation. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
Senna was momentarily stunned—she had forgotten Viola was in the room. From the look on her Headmaster's face, he had too.
"It's not contagious. You're not going to get cursed. And Senna doesn't bite—" She clenched her jaw shut, stopping herself from saying something she may regret. Senna guessed it was an insult of some kind.
Senna looked between the irate Viola and the impatient Roberts and sighed. "Can we get some privacy, perhaps?" Senna gestured to Rachel and herself.
Viola looked at her as though betrayed. Of course, she would want to be involved with anything involving Senna.
"Just for a bit." Senna assured her.
Viola's eyes narrowed, but she let herself out.
Roberts shifted his weight, "Alright then, I'll be in my office when you two are done." And then he followed Viola out.
Senna let out a breath and then sat on the bed while Rachel fidgeted nervously.
"Why don't you take a seat?" Senna offered.
"Can you really speak it?" Rachel said to her, but her voice had a hissing undertone, and the tone was different as well. It vibrated differently. Deeper, somehow.
Senna blinked, trying to remember how to speak Parseltongue. Each time she's spoken it, it had been unintentional.
"Yes." She said, but it sounded like English. Senna suspected she might be trying too hard, so she relaxed, and tried again. "Of course I can." And this time, her own voice had that same undertone and feeling of deep vibration.
"I see…" Rachel whispered back. She placed her hand on the side of her face and began to pace back and forth, deep in thought.
Senna followed her movement with her eyes, observing her slight and petite build, awkward gait, and poofy black hair.
"Julian gave me some information…" She mumbled, more to herself than to Senna. "He said this curse bonded you with a creature, a creature that isn't of this world, right?"
"Yes." Senna responded. She was surprised Roberts told her this, it all sounded like a make-believe horror story, but she figured he wanted all the help he could get regarding her condition, and being transparent would give them the advantage. "Its name is Malos, and it is constantly draining me of magic and energy."
"And you've spoken to it, in Parseltongue?"
"Yes. In my sleep." Senna thought for a moment. "All it does is moans and groans about wanting more."
"More what?" Rachel asked.
"Magic perhaps? This thing is insatiable."
Rachel stopped pacing. She clasped her hands together until her knuckles turned white. "Look, I don't know much about Parseltongue magic. I told Julian this, but he–he insisted I try and help."
Senna sighed. "I know. I'm sorry you had to come here. I figured it was a lost cause." She looked up to see that Rachel was still fidgeting with her tightly clasped hands.
"But I do know that the ancients dealt with the unseen world on a daily basis, whereas those of us in modern times don't interact with it at all." She said in a shaking voice.
"The unseen world?"
"Yes." She paused, deliberating. "My parents were muggles, or no-mages as we call them." She admitted, "I thought I was an ordinary muggle-born witch until I got into contact with someone who told me about my lineage. I was a descendant of Isolt Sayre, she was my great-great-grandmother or something. One of Isolt Sayre's daughters was a squib, and assimilated into no-maj society, and my family's relation to the magical world was forgotten through the generations."
"Until it came upon you."
"Yes, well, I suppose that is true." She murmured nervously. "There is a lot of debate on if muggle-borns are spontaneous instances of witches of wizards among muggles, or if we are descendants of squibs, who still carry the magic in our genes and continue to pass it on."
"Yeah." Senna agreed. She was hoping the small talk would make Rachel more comfortable. "Who knows?"
"B–but what I was saying before, my grandmother was the last elder of the Pocomtuc tribe. She would tell us stories of the unseen world," She shifted her weight between her two legs, nervous. "Faires, earth-spirits, trolls…"
"All of which are real." Senna added.
"Ye–yes, but to the no-mages, it is the unseen world. Those of us who are magical have our own unseen world. But the theme stays the same." She continued to fidget.
"Yes?" Senna couldn't help but prod her.
"Creatures of the unseen worlds fall into one of three categories, they want to help us, hurt us, or mind their own business and don't interact with us at all."
"I'm guessing Malos falls into that second category."
"Y-yes." She stammered. "He is hurting you."
"Okay…" Senna said after a moment of awkward silence.
"And these creatures have another thing in common with the no-maj legends." She paused. "They interact with our world through contracts."
"Contracts?" Senna couldn't help but visualize a parchment and pen.
"Yes," She said, "Binding agreements."
This made Senna think of the goblet of fire. All she knew was she was in a binding contract to participate in the games. She did not know what would happen if she broke this contract.
"So Malos and I are in a contract?"
"Y–yes." She nodded. "You, the creature, and the boy who cursed you."
"Got it." Senna paused, and silence ensued between them. Rachel looked uncomfortable.
"So… does knowing this help me?"
"I–I think, well, maybe…"
Senna sighed. This was not going anywhere.
"Alright, then." Senna grew tired of their very awkward conversation. She started inching towards the door.
"Well, maybe you can use that contract to pull things into your favor." She added quickly. "Find out what his wants and fears are, then use that against him." She added quickly.
Senna stopped in her tracks, trying to conceive of how she might do that. "He fears death…" She thought out loud. "He backed off a bit when he learned he was draining so much he would kill me."
"T–That's a start." She coughed to clear her throat and then continued to talk quickly. "Does he know that you're having to face danger without the help of magic? What does he think will happen in a life-or-death situation? Maybe he'll reconsider."
Senna scoffed. "I don't think he's something that can be reasoned with." But the gears were already turning in her head. She always assumed Malos couldn't hear her, but last night proved this wrong. It did hear her to some extent… What would Malos think of her facing a dragon without magic? He would be burned to a crisp along with her.
"Let's see if we can talk to him now."
This caught Senna by surprise. "Now?"
"Yes." Rachel's voice trembled. It was obvious that she found her very own idea to be terrifying. But Headmaster Roberts was going to pay her a great deal for her efforts—she had to produce some results.
Senna was a bit skeptical at first, but decided to give it a try.
Rachel led her to Senna's bed, and had her sit down with her legs crossed.
Rachel then instructed Senna to close her eyes and focus on her breathing.
At first, Senna found it difficult to quiet her racing thoughts, but with Rachel's guidance, she slowly began to relax. Rachel instructed her to imagine an empty scene, like deep space or an empty room.
"Focus on the space. On whom we are trying to speak to." Rachel instructed.
As she meditated, Senna felt her body start to unwind and her mind becoming more clear. She felt a sense of calm wash over her, despite Rachel's shaking voice, and for the first time in a while, she didn't feel overwhelmed by the events of the past few weeks.
It was just her, and the deep emptiness of space.
Senna's space was suddenly invaded by a massive, terrifying basilisk. Its eyes glowed like molten gold and its scales shimmered in the dim light. As it slithered closer, Senna could feel her heart racing with fear and her body frozen with dread. The basilisk's breath was hot and foul, and its hiss echoed through the dream like a warning of impending danger.
Senna tried to run, but her legs wouldn't move, as they were made of stone. The basilisk's jaws opened wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and Senna could feel its hot breath on her face as it prepared to strike...
"Talk to him. Tell him of his fate." Rachel's voice permeated through her vision, breaking through her panic.
Remembering that this was a dream, Senna leaned forward, ignoring his fangs. "Listen, Malos. When the tournament comes, it's time for you to take a break from your siphoning. We'll need you to step out for a bit."
A long silence ensued. Senna was sure nothing would come of this. But a low hissing caught her attention.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because at this rate, I'll be so weak, I can't guarantee I'll survive the tournament. And you don't want to return to the void, do you?"
Malos didn't seem convinced. He hissed, bathing her in his putrid breath.
"I'm here to make sure you know your presence is going to doom us both."
Finally, his snake head nodded infinitesimally. "We'll see..."
Senna watched him squirm, feeling satisfied that she had asserted her authority over this creature.
She found herself awake, drenched in sweat, and safe in her bed.