I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised at the praise this story got. I have to admit, I am very much a neophyte when it comes to the Forgotten Realms part of Dungeons and Dragons, let alone D&D in general. Most of what I know comes from the first four Legend of Drizzt books, plus trawling through wikis. But I felt Vierna Do'urden was one of those characters who had a lot of potential, and could have had a heel-face turn under the right circumstances. Plus, sexy Drow? Hello? Of course, finding a female Drow who isn't a rabid misandrist and capable of actual decency would admittedly be hard, but that's the joy of doing pairings like this: finding the right angle and the right way for character development, without fucking things up. Sometimes, the effort really pays off. And I'd rather work with a pre-existing character than use an OC unless I had to.
That being said, I did decide to change the setting for the story from Year 2 to Year 4, so there'll be some confusing changes between the two chapters published here. The first chapter wasn't changed all that much, so I haven't posted a revised version.
Also, I should point out that Lily in this chapter is telling more than a few half-truths to Harry here, for reasons that will be revealed in the full story, should it ever get published. I'm hoping it does...it will be nice to do a WBWL fic with little bashing for a change...well, save for deserving targets. Dumbledore, James and the WBWL won't be bashed. No, really. Each chapter will be prefaced with either thoughts from Vierna or another character, or in-story documents. The third chapter, for example, starts with a registration form for interdimensional and time travellers that the Unspeakables use. Given their esoteric work, would that be at all surprising?
Oh, and as a little addendum, while writing this story, I've been listening to A New Saga Begins by Rhapsody of Fire. I blame Grimmjack for using it for Goblin Slayer Abridged.
Oh, and if you didn't know, I've published my Resident Evil: Village crossover Mycoreincarnation as its own story. Take a look if that tickles your fancy.
XENIZATION OF A DROW
CHAPTER 2:
CHALLENGING PRECONCEPTIONS
What was I to make of my first impressions of Harry Potter? He was the first person I had encountered outside of the Department of Mysteries. True, he was the child of my erstwhile gaoler, but I felt it best to bide my time until I could find a means of going home. If the Unspeakables could find a way to send me back themselves, all the better, for I had lost favour with Lolth, and as much as I despised being beholden to mere humans, I had little choice in the matter.
I will admit, something of our first impressions were tainted by my inborn misandry. I restrained myself on the request of his mother, but I couldn't help but consider him just another man, and a human at that. Still, I had to concede that he was polite and, if not giving due deference, then showing respect for another being, even if I saw embers of desire in his eyes.
And to be honest, I was also surprised. A human, upon first meeting me, does not judge me for being a Drow. He treated me cautiously, warily, but not with the fear and hatred our people have earned through our actions.
And yet…there was something in him that drew me to him. It was only later that I realised that he was so similar to my younger brother Drizzt. Drizzt had qualities that should have repulsed me, and yet, I realised they attracted me. Virtues I would have sneered at somehow touched by heart and soul.
I have to wonder, if Drizzt somehow ended up in human society while but a babe, and was accepted in spite of his heritage, would he have felt more at home? Perhaps he would, or perhaps he wouldn't. All I can say is, Harry's virtues were striking, when they should have revolted me…
As they bustled around the kitchen, preparing dinner, Harry asked his mother, "So…what's the story behind our new guest?"
"It's a long one. Short version is, she's from another world, Abeir-Toril. She is a dark elf, or a Drow. I've had to put a lot of spells on her, as she's very sensitive to light."
Harry nodded idly, before frowning as his brain caught up with what she said. "…Another world? I know you said that over the phone, but…"
"Yes. Not an alien world as we know it, but another universe entirely, one where technology is more or less at a medieval or Renaissance level, as is society," Lily said. "Magic, conversely, is more common. We've had people travel there before, actually. So, basically like something out of a fantasy novel."
"Yeah, given her armour…so…what's the go with her?"
"It's a long story. I have some knowledge about the Drow, and little of it's good. Most of it, I gleaned by using Legilimency on her," Lily said. "Most Drow are rabid xenophobes, partly thanks to the deity they worship, Lolth. Huge superiority complex. Now, I know what you're thinking: what the hell am I doing bringing her into our house?"
"The thought crossed my mind," Harry said dryly.
Lily chuckled. "Well, the majority of Drow women become clerics of Lolth. Clerics are basically wizards and witches who rely on the favour of a deity to power their spells. Vierna, however, has lost the favour of Lolth. Which is a good thing, in the end. Lolth is one hell of a capricious bitch who loves sowing discord. And to be honest…I think there is something good left in her. She only believes in her people's superiority because she doesn't know any better, not unlike too many Purebloods I could mention. Truth be told…she's actually despairing because Lolth basically told her she's on her own. Didn't even do it herself. Vierna summoned up one of Lolth's demons, who basically told her she was on her own."
"I'm still not seeing it."
Lily sighed quietly. "…Because believe it or not…being rejected by her goddess broke her. Oh, she's still sane, but…she's despairing. Don't get me wrong, she has performed some nasty deeds, and been complicit in some…and yet, there's an ember of decency within her that refuses to be extinguished. Much of her malice is due to nurture, not nature. That, and the fact that her mother is actually called Malice."
"…You're kidding me," Harry said flatly.
"No, really. Malice Do'urden. And she has a little brother called Drizzt." The name was pronounced 'drizzed', all one syllable, but instead of a soft 'D', it was hard at the end with a 'T'. Lily sighed. "Their society is a matriarchal one, and very misandristic at that, but it's also a near-anarchic mess. A bunch of noble families backstabbing each other, all under a thin veneer of civility. Men are treated as second class citizens, and indeed, if more than two males are born to the family, the extras get sacrificed. She nearly witnessed Drizzt getting sacrificed to Lolth, but they found out that one of his brothers stabbed the other in the back."
"…Okay, that's fucked up, and you're still not selling me on the fact that she's safe to be around."
"Mind your language, Harry," Lily chided, albeit gently. "And like I said, she's broken. And I'm pretty much her only chance of getting back home. So, she would be safe to be with on a practical standpoint. I also made it very clear that if she harmed you, or anyone I gave a damn about, I would end her life painfully."
"…Well, I hope she pays attention, then," Harry said.
Vierna Do'urden poked around the house she had been brought to. Part of her sneered at the architecture, so unlike the hallowed halls of House Do'urden's manors, to say little of the rest of Menzoberranzan. But another part of her was curious, despite herself, despite her heritage, despite her innate superiority.
She was grateful that the woman had shielded her from the worst effects of the light. She could see without it being painful. True, she would never admit it to Lily Evans, but then again, she was surprised she was capable of something like gratitude to a human, even one that, somehow, managed to be able to speak her tongue as fluently as any native of Menzoberranzan.
Lily's assessment of Vierna was spot-on: Lolth's rejection, delivered with glee by one of the Spider Queen's yochlol, had hit her hard. She no longer had Lolth's favour, she could only cast certain spells and cantrips that did not rely on said favour, and she had relied on the spells Lolth empowered for too long. In addition, she was stranded in another world.
So, in spite of her people's xenophobia and superiority complex, she indulged her curiosity, while staying her hand. Treachery may be as natural to the average Drow as breathing, but it was also tempered by pragmatism. That, and there was something to her that was softer than her parents or her siblings (barring Drizzt, of course), not that she would ever admit it to anyone.
Her nose twitched at the scents from the kitchen, and she had to admit, they were appetising. Alien to her nostrils for the most part, and yet, she found herself anticipating the meal. She would check for poisons with one of the few spells remaining to her, but she doubted Lily Evans would be devious enough to do such a thing. The poison the human wished to drip into her was a more insidious mental one: goodwill.
She looked at the box with the images displayed on it, something they called a television. She could hear the human on it speaking. "…Peter Pettigrew, kept in covert custody until his escape, is still on the run, despite the best efforts of…"
At this point, Lily and her son emerged with plates. "Don't you have news of any kind back where you live?" Harry asked.
Vierna scoffed. "If we needed news, we would consult the Spider Queen, or kept an ear out for rumour. Distorted though it may be, rumour can reflect truth. Why discuss the disappearance of a single fugitive human?"
"Probably a slow news day," Lily remarked, before she scowled. "And Pettigrew…ugh, he was someone I knew. Someone who betrayed us. Anyway, never underestimate the value of news. Modern society is filled with many things we could do without, but fast communication of news and information is a good thing."
"I suppose," Vierna conceded grudgingly. "Though I confess myself surprised that the more mundane humans you hide from have not caught on."
Lily ran a hand through her hair after putting her plate, and that of Vierna, down. "Believe me, I'm as astonished as you are. Our Obliviators, those who edit the memories of Muggles who've seen too much, have a full-time job, but I'm still surprised there hasn't been a major breach of the Statute of Secrecy. I used spells to deter Muggles from looking too close to you, and anyone who did, I would have told them you're in costume. You'd be surprised at what some people would believe."
"Actually, I would not," Vierna said as she moved to the table. She was surprised a little when Harry gently pulled out her chair for her, and she sat down. "Even amongst my own people, stupidity and credulousness were all too-common maladies." She used her spell, nodded at the results, and began eating. She had to admit, it was pretty good for non-Drow fare.
After she had finished, she peered at them both. She had to admit, for humans, they were at least accommodating hosts. It didn't stop her from looking down on them, but if nothing else, they viewed her, even tainted with wariness, then without the same fear and loathing others did.
She grimaced as she thought of her home. She was sure that both her mother Malice and her eldest sister Briza would be sneering in contempt at her, no doubt notified by a yochlol. To them, the simple fact that Vierna had lost favour with Lolth would be reason enough to discard her. Her father, her eldest brother Dinin, and her younger sister Maya…they would follow the others.
What, then, of Zaknafein? Would the man she considered an uncle worry? He had made his contempt towards priestesses of Lolth clear, or at least as clear as he could without fear of punishment. The Weaponmaster of House Do'urden had perhaps too much morality for a Drow. Would he think her plight a curse, or a blessing?
And would Drizzt worry about her? She had treated him harshly in training, but, unlike what Briza desired, she only punished him when punishment was due, not when he offended her. Vierna held embers of affection for her lavender-eyed sibling. She wondered if it was simple sisterly love, a laughable concept amongst her people, or whether her mother was right in considering her affection a sign of incestuous desire.
Inwardly, she chuckled bitterly. The only person in her family who was guaranteed to worry about her would probably be Drizzt. Such a thought both depressed her, and yet heartened her.
In truth, Drizzt would probably be the only one worth going back for. A perverse irony, considering he was a bad excuse for a Drow. But he'd still show her some concern, a weakness that she only now was beginning to consider a virtue, albeit a perverse one.
Always assuming he made it out of Melee-Magthere with his hide intact, anyway.
On a whim, she looked at her hosts' eyes. Once more, she was struck by their emerald colour. Such a deep green colour, while not unheard of, was extraordinarily rare. And yet, she was struck by the beauty of that colour. For all that she was used to seeing the world in shades of heat, rarely lit by phosphorescence or candles, the light revealed striking beauty in odd places.
No. She couldn't let herself be seduced by this. She could not. She must not…
After dinner, and after Harry had gone to bed, Lily stayed up to speak with her guest. "He reminds me a little of my youngest brother," Vierna said, in her own tongue.
"Oh?"
"Drizzt," Vierna said, her features softening despite her harsh words, her ruby eyes glinting softly in the now dimmed lights of the living room. "A fool of a boy. He'd be better off amongst humans. If it weren't for the fact that being so soft is a death sentence amongst us, I would find it amusing and quaint. Yet for all his softness, he is a most promising warrior. Our Weaponmaster trained him well. I hope his skill will make up for his soft nature."
Lily was tempted to rebuke her, but Vierna was clearly worried about her brother, even if she wouldn't admit it fully. She had seen through the Drow's memories, she knew what Vierna felt for her brother, confused though those feelings were. It was those embers of humanity within Vierna's memories, her reluctance to punish Drizzt save for when it was necessary, the softness she tried to deny she possessed, that's what had Lily giving her a chance.
Lily hated Dumbledore's overly forgiving nature. But that didn't mean forgiveness didn't have its place. For all Vierna's attitude, she lacked perspective. And her time here would give it to her.
"I'm sure your brother will survive," Lily said. "Compassion, like many virtues, is a double-edged sword. It can be a weakness, but it can also be a strength. I'm sure you disagree with me, but for now, as long as you refrain from summoning anymore yochlol, particularly in my house, we can agree to disagree for now."
Despite herself, Vierna scoffed, disguising a bitter laugh. "There's little point. I'm sure the next time I try, it will be my doom."
"And yet, you still wish to go home?"
"…It's all I have known," the Drow admitted. "And perhaps I may find Lolth's expiation in person."
Lily shook her head. "…The Spider Queen strikes me as an unforgiving sort, Vierna Do'urden. Such expiation may mean your death."
"So be it."
"So be it? Are you listening to yourself, Drow?!" Lily snapped. "What purpose does your death serve?"
"The same as my life: serving Lolth!"
"Lolth's favour is clearly fickle," Lily retorted. "Your life is your own, not Lolth's. Don't spend such precious currency so frivolously."
Vierna's mouth worked up and down in a rage, and Lily realised she had pushed the Drow too far. The redhead shook her head. "Never mind. We should avoid this topic, at least until tempers have cooled. But Vierna…I have seen through your memories. I know who you are, what you are…and yet, I also see what you could become. Do not squander that potential by effectively committing suicide."
She didn't think her words were getting through to the Drow…but she hoped they would, some day. Still, it was dangerous having her here. But Lily thought that said stay could pay off dividends. Still, perhaps it was time to call on an old friend...
CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:
Vierna's settling in in the Evans household…but will she be a danger to them?
No numbered annotations this time.
