Chapter 2 - Guillotine
The secrets you tell me, I'll take to my grave
There's bones in my closet, but you hang stuff anyway
And if you have nightmares, we'll dance on the bed
I know that you love me, love me
Even when I lose my head
Jon Bellion - Guillotine
"Why could you not have just let yourself fade, Black, rather than needing rescuing once again?" Snape sneered, looking from one man to the other.
"Snivellus! Just when I thought I wouldn't see your beautiful face again! Moony, don't you think that, for a gargoyle, Snivellus has always looked fetching!"
The ghostly figure of Remus chuckled, the sound like tinkling bells and nothing like the voice Severus remembered. He looked between the two men once more, his sneer becoming a full blown scowl.
"Well, this catch up has been fantastic but I do have things to be doing with my time. I assume you've seen the old man flitting about?"
"Oh yes," Remus said, his voice barely a whisper, "He was the one who brought us both together here, said we should wait to be brought back, whatever that is supposed to mean?"
Severus rolled his eyes and looked around him once more.
"I have a theory that would be somehow my job to help you both do that. It was the codgers last request…"
Severus left his last comment to hang in the air as the other two men's faces changed to a reverence he was not expecting, even an ethereal tear seemed to be falling from Remus's eye as he absorbed that Albus Dumbledore, for now and all time, had finally crossed to the other side. Snape could not resist feeling slightly smug at being the barer of bad news, but curbed his outward displays in respect of the dead.
"We are not just going to stand here and chit chat all day, I need to get back as soon as possible and survey the damage. So, if you two are ready…"
Severus held out his hands to the gentlemen, making a mental note to scrub his hands once he was back where he belonged. Sirius made a face that conveyed the distaste and disgust he felt, but took Severus's hand regardless. Remus simply took the proffered hand without pause. He needed to get back. He had said goodbye to Tonks, and promised he would care for Teddy with all the love they both possessed. No one was sure how this was meant to work, or what would happen on the way back. Would they return to their bodies? What would happen to Sirius? Would they all simply be ghosts? Severus looked at each man and then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and reciting a silent prayer.
'Dear boy, it's like Apparation. Think of where you wish to be and you will be there. Good luck, you may need it more than the others…'
Severus could not stop the slight chuckle that escaped him, thankful that even in death Albus Dumbledore could not leave them to drown.
"Everyone must think of where they wish to be, where they should be, and let the magic of this place take them to that place. The connection of our three magics should help greatly with this…"
Remus and Sirius simply nodded in response and followed Severus's lead, closing their eyes. Each thought of their bodies, their homes, their loved ones, and the want to really return, no other options would suffice for either man.
Severus felt the burning before any other sensation. It sped through his fingers, down his spine, through each leg, down each arm. He felt the fires of Hell and cried out, but his mouth would not move. He realised this was the first time he had felt anything since the cold of the afterlife. He had not even felt Sirius and Remus's hands, both of which had now gone. All he could feel was pain. The burning began to slowly subside, the indescribable pain of fire being replaced by the cold burn of ice. He felt like his entire body had been encased in ice and his hands could not move, his legs and feet felt bound to ground and his eyes remained nailed shut against the agony. Then there was light…
_.oOo._
Sirius stretched and yawned, rolling on his side to see the photo he kept on the mantelpiece of he and the Marauders during their time in Hogwarts, only to find it missing and replaced with a photograph of himself, closely followed with photographs of the Weasley clan, Hermione, the Order, the DA and a clipping of the Daily Prophet screaming about the end of the War and the death of the Dark Lord. On the table-side to his left was a photograph of Harry and Ginny, still in school uniforms, and to the right there was a photograph of Lily and James dancing around the gardens they one day would say their vows in. Sirius sat up and stretched once more, reconnecting every nerve and sinew in his body, and reached for the photo, fondly smiling at his two friends, remembering the day as clearly as it had been yesterday. The bedroom had changed too. The dark hangings and Slytherin touches had been removed. In their wake, bright walls, clean windows and an overly large four poster bed draped in gold and scarlet complemented the overall décor of the room. The old furniture had either been removed or painted over, and the large mirror that once dominated one was now had been cleaned and sparkled in the mid-day sun. A Weasley clock was above the mirror, signalling that it was 'Lunch-Time', and Sirius could smell the activity from downstairs. It felt like forever since he had smelt freshly cooked food and his mouth became dry, his stomach growling viciously, and his feet began to lead him in the direction of the delicious smells. He wasn't sure what he would find once he reached the bottom of the stairs, but whatever it may be, it would definitely be a surprise…
_.oOo._
In a tomb filled with beautifully arranged wildflowers, scented heavily with the warm burning of beeswax candles and damasked in the subtle yet curiously teasing moon shadows that danced along the walls, a body lay, perfectly preserved in stasis until the day of the final goodbye, the funeral. Covered in a muslin cloth, the appearance of a peaceful sleep exuded the otherwise lifeless shell. And then he breathed…
_.oOo._
Night rolled in heavy with the promise of a downpour as Sam and Sookie waited in the parlour for Eric to finally emerge. As if on cue, just as the whistle of the kettle in the kitchen pierced an otherwise awkward silence that had fallen between the previously happily married couple, now on edge at the situation, Eric sauntered down the stairs, whistling a jaunty tune and buttoning up his beautifully presented, crisp, white shirt. He had tied his hair into a precise plait that seemed to hang perfectly down his back. Sookie could not help but remember how good that back looked without the shirt. Unlike when she was a single, hormonal wreck, she simply enjoyed the memory and sighed, remembering the equally hellish relationship that had whipped her like a hurricane and left her crumpled and broken for so long, it had taken Sam five years to collect up all the little shattered shards of her heart and knit them back together, entwining his own with hers until they were of one heart.
Sam was eyeing Eric with extreme caution and an open intolerance that made the already tense situation that much more intolerable for Sookie. His anger, mistrust and outright dislike for the handsome vampire was rolling off of him in waves. Sookie took some very steady, deep breaths, trying to block out the emotions so that she cold think straight. Clear reads from Sam were rare because of his Were status, but their bonding was so strong she always struggled when he was feeling intensely or passionately about something.
'Makes for some amazing lovemaking...'
The thought popped into Sookie's mind unbidden, and before she knew it she could not control the giggle creeping up her throat and releasing itself into the already tense moment. Sam glared at her with a mixture of confusion and anguish, which made the laugh deeper and tears spring to her eyes as she fought to stop. The sound alerted Eric to the presence of others around him and he turned his eyes to the couple, a devilish grin spreading across his leonine features as he entered the parlour.
"Oh! Hi guys!" he made a hand single not dissimilar to the Queen's wave that Sookie had seen on TV, which made for her to fight with all her might to keep back another cascade of giggles. She looked from Sam to Eric, with Sam a ball of tension and suspicion and Eric aloof, almost care-free, and internally quiet as a mouse. If she was deeply honest, it was the one thing she missed about her time with vamps, it was the deep silence that her mind could wonder around, her only thoughts belonging to herself, as she lay beside them in sated bliss...'or a bloody, mangled mess', she reminded herself, shaking her head.
"Eric, what are you doing in our home, and since when do you say 'hi guys'?" Sookie looked him square in the face, resisting the urge to stand and punch him in his smirking jaw as he casually meandered into the full room and took a seat on her grandma's favourite chair. He knew the importance of that chair, which made Sookie all the more sour. This situation could explode at any moment, as the tension in Sam's jaw was the only thing keeping him from picking Eric up by the scruff of the neck and throwing him out of the house. Sookie hadn't realised how deep seated Sam's detestation of Eric had become, she had always assumed they had reached a mutual level of respected indifference. She was mistaken.
"Listen here, Vamp, you cannot just swan into our marital home and park yourself in a chair like nothing has happened. Where's an apology, or a note, or a warning, or something? You're lucky I haven't turfed out your sorry ass while you were asleep and left you to back in the sun, now spill!" Sam, now perched on the arm of the sofa, was boring holes into Eric's face, which never showed anything aside from mirth at the trouble he was causing. Eric checked over his nails, brushed lint from his shirt and looked up, finally, at Sam.
"Nice to see you too, Merlotte, and Sookie, how are you doing? Sorry I wasn't here for the wedding, couldn't break away from Freya's 'old world' tour. I'm not going to say I'm glad with your decision to mate with...someone...but five years for a human is a long time I supposed. For me, it's barely since a minute since I was nestled comfortably between your legs..."
Sookie didn't have time to stop it from happening, and didn't feel inclined to, as Eric took the full force of Sam's punch. A click in his jaw signified it was possibly broken, but Eric simply pushed it back into place and continued.
"Nice, is that how you treat all your guests?" His eyes flashed, then, and Sookie's brain screamed 'Danger, Danger Sam Merlotte!'. But Eric did no more than let out a laugh and began to speak, unabated by Sam's violent outburst.
"Are we all sitting comfortably? Then I'll fill you in on what's been happening. I thought the States were bad for their politics, but Europe was an utter mess! A lot has been happening over there that could have potentially affected all of us, even you, Fleabag," the cheap shot at Sam was delivered with a bored glance as Eric unfolded his large frame into a languid position, like telling a story of a sexual conquest amongst his male buddies. This irked Sookie, but she stayed silent.
"Of course, I knew about the first Wizarding War, I was in London at the time and it is hard not to be involved when a madman is on the loose killing people and trying to draft strong, capable vampires to fight in his army. I was asked back then for allegiance, but I refused on the basic principle that wizards and their secret world are just too irritating for me to bother with. They do nothing for me. And don't be comparing them to your bijou wannabes, Sookie, these are the real deal. Wands. Robes. The lot. I mean there is a proper wizarding community in the States too, but England and Europe is really their main stage. They've been around for thousands of years, and built an entire world just out of the eyes of, what they call, 'Muggles'. That means non-wizarding people. The problem with wizards is they think they are top of the food chain, and this superiority bled into their society through Voldemort, a wizard so powerful people still cannot bare to say his name."
Sookie noted that the Nord's accent had developed the slightest of Oklahoma twangs, and as recognition dawned she felt oddly disturbed by the story he told. She had heard it before, but right now she just couldn't place where.
"The first war ended when the all powerful Voldemort was bested by a mere infant, a baby smuggled away and hidden until such time as his true magical nature could no longer be ignored. He was whisked away to learn in one of the world's most prestigious wizarding school, Hogwarts, where apparently he got up to all sorts of mischief, preparing himself to once again take on Voldemort. All the while, Voldemort bided his time, amassing a terrible army of evil to take on the Ministry of Magic, their version of the Senate, and overthrow the wizarding world. Last May, it all came to a head, the boy took on the powers of Voldemort again and crushed him once and for all."
"The boy, is he..." Sookie was sucked into the tale, entranced and a little frightened of a whole new world opening up to her. She had been through enough, it didn't surprise her there would be more.
"He survived, and is now revered amongst wizard kind as some sort of Saviour. He seems the good sort, I mean he had a meeting of all magical creatures, not just wizards, and designed an accord between us and them giving us equal rights in their world, one we have never had before. That means your kind too, Mutt. If you knew how wizards treated Weres in Europe, you would probably start barking with rage..." Eric ignored Sam's low growl and continued, flicking a speck on his shirt absent-mindedly, like he told this story every day.
"It was an utter shambles to say the least. Whilst amassing his army of brainless minions, Voldemort came to Freya, asking for fealty and bodies against the powers of good. She refused, it wasn't worth our time considering we were meant to be heading back to the States to organise the Oklahoma infrastructure. Her refusal cost her her life, and I had to flee. I stayed with the Romanian vampires for a time, but their ways are...traditional...to say the least. None of them wished to join in the dark wizard's uprising, but some did join the side of the Light, as they like to call themselves, as the boy spoke of great change and understanding. One of the boy's friends is an advocate for the equal rights of all creatures of magic, a little firecracker that one, definitely a woman who could run the world if she put her mind to it. I met her briefly when I finally came out of hiding and travelled to London with the Romanian vampires to discuss our part in the accord, it helps to be a vampire elder sometimes, I suppose. I know what you're thinking, I was never the sort to shy away from a fight, but can you blame me? With what happened with some half-cocked has beens in Bon Temps, I wasn't prepared to go through that for a second time. Especially not for the likes of wizards."
Eric left a pregnant pause, allowing Sookie to fully take in the situation. The cogs in her mind were turning, and the conversation she had had with Sam on the porch swing that morning awoke in her a realisation so strong she couldn't help but laugh again, this time a short burst of giggles that made both Eric and Sam look at her confused.
"I'm sorry! You mean to tell me the books are true!"
Sookie held her sides at the faces both men were pulling at her, neither having a clue what she was on about.
"Next you'll be telling me Albus Dumbledore really did look like Michael Gambon! Or maybe he always did look like Richard Harris!" Sookie wiped the tears from her eyes as she continued to howl with laughter. Eric picked up on one of the names and laughed himself.
"I don't see what A Man Called Horse has anything to do with this, but no Albus Dumbledore, if I were to describe him in terms of actors you may know, he looked more like Sir Richard Attenborough, from Jurassic Park, though perhaps a little taller...How did you...?"
Sookie looked at Eric then, feeling a slight sadness that Severus Snape may not have looked like Alan Rickman if he did in fact exist, she had always had a soft spot for him in the movies and, even when reading to Hunter the collection she had bought him a couple of Christmases back, she had the image of the sexy, dark and brooding Rickman with his beautiful English drawl in her mind. She couldn't help herself.
"Was Severus Snape real and did he really look and sound like Alan Rickman? I need to know..."
Eric pondered this, his knowledge of the actor limited to his time with Sookie when she had forced him to watch that dreadful Robin Hood film where everyone except the Sheriff (his favourite character by far) had been American running around England. He also recalled Die Hard, a much better choice of film. Eric had always had time for cinema, and Sookie's love of lazy Sunday evenings with films were something he missed greatly, though he would never admit such a thing.
"Actually yes, he did bare a strange resemblance to him, though he looked a little younger than Rickman, and was a tad more sallow and slender. Yes I would say they bared a striking resemblance, although I don't know how he looked in this movie you mentioned?"
"Movies, but don't worry. I'm really confused, this was all supposed to have happened in like the 80s and 90s. It's 2004 now, how can all that have happened last May? The movies have finished, so have the books, and the writer has even had a show out on Broadway..."
Eric was far too confused, and he hated being confused. He pooled his features, hiding this, and spoke once more, his ever present confidence never faltering.
"I assume the writer is some form of magical being, one that can predict the future, or at least part of it, and then wove a story around their predictions. Considering the wizarding community has no knowledge of these occurrences there must be something, some spell she has cast. But I assure you, this all came to a head last May. I doubt her work is accurate, you should never trust a storyteller to give you all the facts." Eric chose, once again, to give a dramatic, pregnant pause, straightening his cufflinks and checking everyone in the room was following his story.
"The boy, his name was Harry Potter, wasn't it?" Sookie said, her eyes wide. Sam was completely lost in the conversation, but the name clicked into place.
"Oh my God, Hunter loves those books and movies! How did I not realise that before?" Sam smiled with the connection, he had built such a good relationship with Hunter since becoming a part of Sookie's family, and she cherished the time all three of them had together, although truthfully she also dreaded it. Sam clearly wanted a family, but after everything that had happened to her, all the wars and fighting, she just wasn't working things out down there. Tara, her best friend, kept telling her it took time, and she and Sam never played safe in the bedroom. She wasn't taking anything, she just wasn't working. The thought played across her face with a sadness and guilt that Sam could recognise, even across a crowded room. They had talked about this before, him offering her constant reassurance and she still holding on to this idea of her being 'less of a woman' because she could not bear his children, which Sam would always say was just plain ridiculous and that she was all woman, and the only one he every needed or would need again. Without a word, he walked over and scooped her up into his arms, sitting in her spot and nestling her on his lap, ignoring the haughty look of the vampire currently sitting opposite them. Sookie laid back against Sam's chest, he always knew what to do. Sometimes, she questioned which one of them was the telepath.
It was at that point the silence was broken by a knock on the door. Sookie sighed heavily at the thought of having to leave her very comfortable spot on her husband, and Eric took his cue to answer it, knowing it would most likely be Pam standing on the other side. Lo and behold, not only was Pam awaiting approved entry, but Bill Compton and Karin, who appeared to all be less than happy. Eric shrugged and looked to Sookie, who simply nodded against Sam's chest. Eric returned to his chosen seat as the three vampires entered, Pam clearly holding herself together for all it was worth.
"Sookie. Sam. Always good to see you both. Wedded life suits you Sook, you've filed out nicely since the last time I saw you!"
Pam, uncharacteristically, walked over to Sookie and Sam and placed a cold kiss on each of their cheeks before finding an available slot in now crowded parlour to perch. Bill stood, looking on Sookie's seat with a slight element of disgruntledness, but not saying a word. He nodded to the both of them and smiled kindly before standing behind a seated Pam. Karin said nothing, something Sookie had grown used to in five years of her guarding her house, but did smile at the couple, which was always a pleasant rarity from the stoic tank of a vampire. Pam was pointedly ignoring Eric's existance, clearly waiting for him to make the first move. Sookie looked on the vampires in her lviing room and sighed.
"Here we go again" she finally said, breaking the silence in the room. They looked at her, and she suddenly felt the usual chill of being placed centre stage. Wordlessly, Eric gracefully stood from his seat and confidently strode to Pam, lifting her from her chair and embracing her. 'Times have changed' Sookie thought, as Pam looked like a child being kissed by a particularly decrepit yet dearly loved grandparent. Eric then embraced Karin and kissed her cheek, offering a hand to Bill, before sitting back in his seat and surveying the group with a cocky grin.
"So none of you are going to ask me how I am after so long? Always good to return home for ones children to be so happy to see you!" Eric smirked, but his voice faltered, betraying a deeper sadness of being away from his progenies for so long. A bond between maker and child was stronger than your average bond, it almost resembled that of a parent, and Eric had been taxed severely because of the decision to leave. He hadn't really acknowledged how much he had loved his children, callous and depraved as they were, and he had to admit, though only to himself, he missed them greatly. Pam smiled, a radiant look for her, and Sookie took in her outfit. Pam always chose pastel colours and mainly wore slacks, opting to look like a Stepford wife. Today she was dressed in a capris pants suit in a pastel baby blue which matched her eyes, a look that suggested what it would be like if Alice had crawled out of the rabbit hole and became a PTA mother from Marin county. Sookie loved how Pam seemed oblivious to how she truly looked, and wore what she liked. It wasn't a look that screamed deadly killer, more a look that suggested cocktails on a yacht. Karin was dressed in black camo, what a surprised, and Bill was replete in a well cut suit, though he had opted for tie-less and was slightly unbuttoned at the neck. It looked as if two parents had returned from their emo daughter's disastrous parents' evening, and Sookie felt that crafty giggle starting to bubble in her stomach once more, though she kept it to herself this time, turning into Sam's neck and sneaking a grin that he mirrored. He was probably thinking exactly the same thing.
"Master, I was under the impression that you would return to the States and come straight home. We were awaiting your return at your house, but Mr Merlotte informed the staff this morning you were...elsewhere..."
Sam raised an eyebrow at Pam's formality, but he kept quiet. He wasn't sure he was ready to rejoin the conversation after his last interjection.
"Well, I thought it best, until the dust had settled, to make sure I keep my movements sporadic, and Sookie's home has been welcome to me for some time. I was surpirsed she had not resinded my invertation after...well sufficed to say I thought it would be prudent to perhaps not return to my home so soon after arrival. The world is still raw after the war. I am sure you all understand."
Eric seemed to almost, without letting to much away, be asking for their understanding and forgiveness. The looks they all shared were of concern and love, although with Bill it was perhaps less love and more distaste. Eric ignored this and continued.
"Although the greater evil is gone, the wizards are still flushing out the worms in the wood, so to speak. I came here as I think all of us can be of service, if Mr and Mrs Merlotte agree to what I have to offer. I barely escaped Freya's company but, as her consul, I have now acquired the state of Oklahoma, and all that the title of King entails. However, I think it would be wise, considering the debt accrued by my safe stay in Europe during the second war, that we consider assisting the wizards in rebuilding their world. It would be a bold gesture, and it is one my progenies will assist me in fulfilling. Pam, Karin, I ask you both, will you agree to coming to Europe with me, to assist this Potter and his band of heroes in rebuilding the magical world?"
Sookie was now beyond the pale confused. Is that all Eric had wanted? Sookie knew him much better than that.
"What is it you really want, Eric? I'm not buying this hogwash of you just wanting to be a helpful hand to a people, only moments ago, you stated were pretty much beneath you."
Eric shifted uncomfortably for a moment in his seat, and Pam stared at him through narrowed eyes. Finally, through the silence, she spoke, her voice like ice.
"Eric, what happened out there, what did you do?"
Everyone in the room was surprised at Pam's forwardness, she only ever stood up to Eric if there really was something deeper going on she honestly did not agree with, and even then she was never as accusatory as she was now. Her hands were folded in her lap as she sat bolt upright, her eyes never blinking as they bore holes into Eric. She knew him too well, too.
"Who are you to ask me such things?"
Eric's voice was stern and commanding, making both Pam and Karin flinch, but Sookie picked up the gauntlet Pam had thrown, she wasn't having Eric suddenly become King of the Mountain in her own damn house!
"Answer her Eric, you forget we all know you here, what have you done to piss the wizard's off"
Sookie was starting to feel mad, really mad, and Sam rubbed her back in slow yet purposeful strokes to try to calm her.
"Oh dear, well that wasn't a very nice way to speak to an old friend, now was it, Sookie?" Eric was neither joking nor jovial any longer, but had taken on a hard and cold exterior, now sitting properly in his seat and exuding the dominance that Sookie knew all to well he pushed onto others.
"Stop alpha-ing in my house and answer the damn ladies!" Sam spat, his arm training around Sookie's waist as the circles became a steady rhythm. He wasn't just rubbing her back to calm her, he was calming himself too.
Eric looked around himself, he wasn't going to bully or intimidate his way out of this and, to be honest, he wasn't sure he honestly had the energy to do so. He hadn't eaten in some time, and he had flown last night to arrive here in Bon Temps. The imperative nature of his business required him to take immediate action, and usual blood-bank airports and flying was not his idea of efficient, given the circumstances. He braced himself and began speaking, not looking at anyone in particular as he recounted his own part in the war.
"As I was telling Sookie and Sam, I met an extraordinary witch whilst in England. She believes that all magical creatures, as they call everyone with ability who is not a wizard, should be equal and free. She is one of the very few of her kind who believes this. I may...or may not...have...well..."
"Eric...what have you done..."
Pam looked at him wide eyed, even the whites of her eyes were shining as she began to realise that the odd feeling she had developed over the last few months, that warm sensation in the pit of her stomach that she and Karin had spoken about yet chosen to ignore, was going to be explained. She wasn't sure she really wanted to hear it.
Eric sat up to his full height and broadened his shoulders, making the armchair seem small in comparison.
"I have imprinted on her...she is mine."
The room fell into a deadly silence. No one dared move or look at one another. Pam, her mouth drawn into a hard line, looked like a Stepford stature rather than a Stepford wife.
"Aww hell!" Sookie slumped against Sam, her mind racing in a flurry of anger, disgust, annoyance and, though she dare admit it aloud, slight amusement at Eric's declaration. She knew what he meant, of course, as she and Sam shared the same connection since their marriage, but this was a whole new kettle of fish. 'And here was me thinking it was only Were's...'