Ascension of Blood - Blood and Bone Saga Part 4
Chapter 1
The Star and the Shadow
The warm glow of a bedside lamp cast a nostalgic hue over a very ninety's bedroom, where posters of bands and actors adorned the walls, remnants of a girl's teenage years growing in time. A large poster marked with 'Backstreet Boys', hung proudly above the bed, with another of 'Take That', on the opposite wall. Scattered among the boybands were posters of female artists like Madonna and Alanis Morissette, icons of the era, pinned up in contrast to the moving images of the Weird sisters and the Enchanted Elixirs. The bed, covered in a patchwork quilt, held the intertwined forms of Tracey and Ginny, their laughter mingling with the soft hum of a distant radio playing a tune from her collection of tapes.
Tracey's blonde hair contrasted against the floral pillows, while Ginny's spread like flames across the faded quilt. Their playful kisses turned more passionate, hands exploring over the fabric of their clothes. Tracey's fingers slipped under the hem of Ginny's shirt, the touch sending shivers down her spine.
"Were supposed to be behaving", Ginny warned. Trying to occupy them quickly she scooted to sit up, looking round. She smiled at the pissy look on Tracey's face for halting them. Her eyes landed on the poster over her shoulder. "And who are these guys supposed to be, anyway? Their no wizarding boyband!"
Tracey chuckled softly, the absurdity of the situation mingling with the frustration of her hormones. "Backstreet Boys," she corrected with a grin. "They're pretty big in the States. And that's Take That over there, muggle groups," she added, nodding towards another poster.
Ginny raised an eyebrow, bemused. "I'll never understand Muggle pop culture," she said with a smile. "And 'Backstreet Boys'? That sounds like a double entendre if ever I've heard one," she added with a laugh.
Tracey laughed along with her. "Yeah, I guess it does. But I have some from our world too," she pointed.
"She's cute", Ginny pointed at a poster on the ceiling as she allowed herself to be pulled back down. "No Doubt? Weird names this lot".
"Gwen Stefani, I crushed on her hard when I first saw her", smirking as she captured her lips again, she entangled herself with the girl. "She's nothing on you though".
"Cheese!" Ginny said giggling as she pulled away again, this time turning her back just to annoy. "I told you, were supposed to be behaving.
Tracey chuckled softly, her fingers trailing down Ginny's back. "I promised your mum and dad we would behave while at You-Know-Where. Did mum make you promise the same?" she asked with a smirk, her lips brushing against Ginny's neck.
Ginny tried to remain stern, but Tracey's touch was too intoxicating. "An oversight I'm sure she'd have rectified if she could have got a word in while you prattled on," she replied, her resolve weakening. "Either way, I don't want to disrespect your mother's hospitality."
Tracey laughed with incredulity, "That's rich, you were the devil on my shoulder at your place. And now were here I'm the bad one?"
Ginny pouted, turning to her. "I was, wasn't I. I usually am the tormenting one, I guess. But it's so hard not to, I do love it so when you blush". Ginny's smirk was a cuteness too far for Tracey and she jumped back into step, lunging for her lips with her own. Ginny was faster as she took her face in her hands and pressed her lips hard into Tracey's. It was passionate yet apologetic as she felt bad for always being the source of her girlfriends' frustrations. But again, infuriatingly for Tracey, Ginny frustrated her once more as she pulled away and placed a hand up to stop her.
"What now!" Tracey whined.
"I meant what I said," Ginny leaned into her, but was careful to keep her lips a safe distance away. "I want your mum to like me…"
"… She does! …"
"And! … Maybe I've been a bit much with you. You know, playing around like were not just teenagers".
Tracey spluttered; it was very cute to Ginny's eyes. "I've never wanted to do anything you didn't want…"
"… No of course not". Ginny kissed her cheek reassuringly. "But honestly, I manipulate the hell out of you and I'm starting to think that's not fair".
Ginny melted into the kisses as Tracey forced it back between them now. Her own way of showing that she too pressed them into such things. "We're only kissing Gin," she breathed smiling into her mouth. "I'll happily take moments like this than pushing us into anything more."
Ginny believed in that statement, but on hearing it, it did nothing but break her defences down further. Tracey was a true romantic at heart and Ginny loved that behind closed doors. But paradoxically her attempt to appease Ginny into nothing more than heated kissing only poured fuel on the fire. Ginny's hands moved to Tracey's tee-shirt. She bit at her lip as she looked up into Tracey's face for what felt like long moments, until what she noticed froze her.
Tracey's hands, cupping Ginny's body to her own, began to tremble.
"Well… she looked like she was shaking. But it was her face, you know! Like she could feel me there, like she saw me, but she said nothing. She just scrunched her eye's closed and kept kissing Ginny, with tears strolling down her face".
Pansy opened her eyes to find herself sitting at a small, ornate table set with delicate fine bone China. The room around her was both opulent and timeless, with an otherworldly glow casting soft shadows on the walls. The space seemed to exist beyond the confines of reality, a unique blend of cosmic brilliance and homely warmth.
"And… what was it you think caused the sudden shift in your friend?" a voice reverberated through the air.
The voice trailed off and Pansy found her mind go blank in response as she noticed her surroundings. Blinking, she watched as the memory faded and was replaced with a room of opulence as Death came into focus.
The walls of the room shimmered with a celestial light, creating an ever-changing tapestry of the night sky. Overhead, the walls flexed, twisting as though warped as they stretched upwards endlessly. Of what ceiling could be made out, only a swirling vortex of galaxies was visible from a far, it gave the impression of an endless expanse above them. Yet, there was a sense of intimacy and comfort, this towering expanse was also small and familiar. It was something akin to a small cottage room by fireside, filled with the air of ancient wisdom and nostalgia.
"I… I don't …", the girl stopped, looking around as though lost. "When did we… when did I, where… what!"
Death looked down at her, her eyes glinting with a mix of curiosity and mild amusement. "Do you take sugar, Pensèe?"
Pansy nodded, still trying to grasp the surreal nature of the situation. "Yes, please."
Death, in all her ethereal glory, sat across from Pansy, her presence both awe-inspiring and oddly comforting. A cloak of infinite darkness hemmed with the cosmos itself hung on the coat rack nearby. Her mask of bone was gone, and her black garment shimmered with the light of distant stars, a dress that weaved a moving tapestry of the celestial expanse.
Death handed her the teacup, as she did, her enormous frame shrank to a size that was more fitting between the two of them rather than her usual godly presence. Pansy took a sip, savouring the warmth and comfort it brought. The tea had a delicate, floral aroma, reminiscent of an elegant and expensive blend of leaf, yet tinged with a hint of something otherworldly.
The room held no traditional familiarity to anything Pansy could refer to as a home. And yet this was what this place felt like. a home. This was Death's home. What one might see as being family photographs or keepsakes, in the very human sense of the concept at least, seemed absent from the room. Instead, ethereal projections floated around them, images of moments captured in time, like the moving paintings of the Wizarding world, yet these captured the aura and essence of the moments themselves, with a depth and presence that surpassed mere visual representation. Pansy felt an emotional resonance that flowed from them, intuitively understanding that in a reality like this, images were meant to be felt and not simply viewed.
One particularly striking projection showed Death surrounded by three smaller female figures, all holding scythes. The figures appeared to be in a moment of serene unity, their cosmic cloaks blending into the starry backdrop. It was a hauntingly beautiful image, reminiscent of what Pansy could only feel as being a family, or whatever counted as family when speaking of a Deity. Either way it held an intimate memory that carried a hint of sadness and longing.
"I don't understand how I'm here," Pansy admitted. "Or how you're here, or where here is!"
Death's lips curved into a faint smile. "I wish to hear more of these 'doorways' you mentioned. But first, more tea I think"
"Doorways?" But oddly the confusion was fleeting as she understood what Death meant. Pansy took a deep breath, recounting her experiences. "It started a few weeks ago, Christmas day. I had written to… well I was in my room drifting off and then…I was no longer at the manor… at Malfoy Manor I mean. Suddenly I found myself... somewhere else."
The room seemed to respond to her words, shifting slightly as if acknowledging the strangeness of her experiences. The walls pulsed with a soft, rhythmic glow, the result gave her a feeling of calm and contemplation. Yet, she noticed that the walls creaked and vibrated as they flexed, twisting further, creating an ambiance of darkening anticipation awaiting Death's response.
Death listened intently; her expression thoughtful. Her eyes, visible only as glimmers of distant galaxies, pierced through the darkness with an intensity that could see into the very essence of a being. "These 'doorways' are a manifestation of your latent powers. They are your way of reaching out, seeking connection. Your bonds with those you care about are stronger than time and space. And yet… tea?"
Something of the room she found herself in whisked her away further. The scents of the tea and movement of light were enough to put her in mind of a state of tranquil contentment. She could sit here for hours, days maybe.
"Is time even a thing here", she thought. Too languid within herself to notice her internal thoughts on external lips.
Pansy's eye's closed to the warmth of the place, feeling the ripple of contentment turn to a wave of tiredness. Her mind wandered as she saw the soft focus of the twisting walls above. She could be looking up at the Grand Staircase of school from where she sat. A flash of five years went through her mind in a heartbeat, the collective memories of travelling up and down to classes. The classes brought her peers, the faces of the many she grew up with.
A rolodex of faces flickered past, just as she was close to noticing the one that mattered most she stamped on the breaks of this fogged mind. Tracey came to the forefront, with her appeared Harrier, Liza and Farah. As she thought of her friends, her sisters, the memories of the Gal's hit at her. It was the oddity of the Cascade that resonated so similarly to this place that it brought her out of the stupor.
"Tea? … What the fuck am I doing here!" Pansy demanded as she broke the lethargy.
"Where is the here you refer to?" Death spoke, putting her cup down and joining the tips of her fingers.
"Oh, don't give me that shite," only a second passed before the venom of her words faded as she remembered who she was speaking to. Pansy shook her head, "that's just it, I haven't realised who I'm speaking to…". She froze, her conscious mind only just seeing the vision before her, "No!"
"Fully accompanying me now, are we?"
"No!"
"No?" Death prompted.
"Death?" Finally, Pansy took in the flawless nightmare that sat pleasantly by a laid-out tea tray.
"And?"
"The words, my thoughts I mean, I'm speaking them aloud again. I'm in… that means that this is… the Night Realm?"
"Close but not quite", Death's gaze, her entire being for that matter didn't change at all as she sat staring at Pansy. Statuesque the only movement was the galactic swirl of the stars within her cold black eyes.
"But this is one of your Realms, yes? How long have I been here and why do I only just feel self-aware now?"
"You are only of Human and Wizard kind, and most can only see what is before their eyes and not beyond. But your mind is different. You can handle the expansions of knowledge like those which The Truth and The Beyond, can press upon you…"
"What Truth?" Pansy's defiance remained but her frame shrank as she interrupted.
Death remained as she had, but a spark in her eye's betrayed her resolve as the girl spoke over her. "The Truth and The Beyond are not concepts I can speak of; they are constructs that one finds for themselves. However, that said, being brought across space as something more than an astral projection opens the mind in the same way."
"Huh?" Pansy gave her an odd look as her head tilted and finally something more familiar to the girl's eye, like frustration, flashed across Death's face.
"Seald mē strengþe!" Death huffed. "It means… you can handle being here without losing your mind". Death waited, picking up her cup and Pansy finally took the hint, sitting back down.
She picked up her own, "so the tea?"
"The tea acts as a soporific, it calms the mind, allowing you to come to an anchoring point yourself". Death took a sip, "your anchor is whatever brought you out of your stupor. It gave you something your mind could relate to in this place, in this moment and the life your mind accepts as the truth. What was it if you would allow me to ask?"
"Erm … that feels like it makes sense." Pansy intended to think, before again speaking aloud. "So I've been sat, mind warping as though stuck in Trelawney's class, until I could find some common ground. So now I'm what… awake?" She paused when Death didn't respond. "I'm not a fan of this!" Pansy said a touch prissy when she realised her private thoughts hadn't remained so. "Ronald spoke as though it were so easy to deal with." Pansy paused; she was sure she'd seen a flicker of something different on her face when she mentioned his name.
"So, your anchor?" Death returned to her cup.
"Oh, erm, the Gal's. My friend's I mean." She paused again taking in the place. "Actually, it's this!" Pansy leaned forwards in her chair and gestured around them. "Why is this so familiar to me? I feel like it's the Cascade. The secret meetings, the floating tea trays and trippy atmosphere, but that's not it."
"Gal's?" Death quizzed, "I know of this."
"You do? You mean you know of us, or do you mean you…" Pansy swallowed, "it's an old institute, I imagine you've guided many of my sisters to the next… the next place."
"A relative assessment, as I told the heart of your affections. I am not bound to any earthly concepts, least of all time. What you will expect through your grasp of your reality, is that I will have crossed your sorority's founder on. And while this is certainly true, I am also yet to do so and are doing as we speak. I exist amongst all of what you know as Time." Pansy's mouth made to open, but Death was quicker. "To press that point further I will add that I do not wish to speak on the impulsive topic you now wish to focus on. Though owing to our immediate future it seems you are heaven bent, so I intend to continue regardless".
Pansy stood abruptly, shaking her head at Death's abrasive and confusing words. "You've seen Ron!"
"What is the purpose of this Cascade?" Death went on, uninterested.
"Is he ok? Is he alive!"
"I presume it is your secret place in meeting, but I confess it is an area I appear blind to…".
"Damn you!" Pansy slammed her hands down on the table between them. She jumped as a sound like a thundercrack sounded. It was somewhere off in the distance, somewhere she might have described as 'outside', if she knew this place had one. It startled her all the same. The startling turned to yet more freezing when she stopped looking round after the din and looked back to Death. The ancient one's face had morphed again, her eyes now tempestuous.
As Pansy continued to hold her gaze, a calm slowly came over her as Pansy felt a strange acceptance settle between them. Something of Death's actions was a snarl in warning, but it wasn't dismissive. It settled her back into step, and she sat back down and accepted her cup. Whatever it was, she accepted the path Death clearly wished for them to take. She didn't like this, she had many questions of Ron to ask, but something told her to wait. It went hand in hand with the troublesome feelings that Death was holding something back and it irked her. So for now, she would play her game.
"My anchor, I think was the girls and the Cascade because it was our meeting place where we did this often. A place of safety where we learnt, took tea," she snorted, "sometimes something stronger and give thanks to the Moon."
"The moon?" Death's head tilted in a very genuine look of surprised interest. "You refer to the Celestial Lunar Body."
"Err… yes, why?"
Death's eye's narrowed but it was fleeting and Pansy only caught it before her face reverted to stoicism. "Time and space are merely constructs Pansy. You are here because you need to be. I am here as I have not taken time out from my charges in what for you would be the passing of centuries. But other than that, much more in fact, I wanted someone to converse with".
The change in pace, Death's honesty and the factual drop of how they were meeting all worked to widen Pansy's eyes. Death seemed very proficient in turning the subject to where she wanted in order to avoid what she wished. "I guess I can understand that", Pansy started slowly, "It's not been centuries but, being locked away and held prisoner certainly gives me a craving for this sort of thing with those I miss."
Surprisingly to Pansy, whatever there was here in relation to the concept of time, seemed to pass in silence. She hadn't expected its sudden arrival and soon she began thinking she'd said something wrong. Then as she looked more searchingly at her host, she saw her head tilt, like she was peering more intently at Pansy. "You're reading me aren't you, waiting for me to join the dots or something."
"My daughters!" Death raised one of her delicate hands, her talonlike nails glinting as she pointed to the wall.
"What!" Pansy's brow furrowed as yet again the being toyed with her. "Your…daughters?"
"Yes, the fairer of my offspring". Her hand remained raised pointing to the image she had noticed earlier. "You were admiring it. That is Keres, Nemesis and Apate with me. We should be five, but Philotes was lost to us by the time this was created. You see the sadness of Apate, it was her fate from that point on, after Philotes' passing. They had entered into a fight over one of Apate's endless pranks and her last words to her sister were ones of anger. She never forgave herself".
Pansy's face reflected her stunned mind as she heard this. The concept of Death having children was something she'd heard from what Ron had said in his tails of him and Corvus. This however was a bizarreness she hadn't banked on. Quite apart from the fact that Death sounded so indifferent to her own words. Pansy had never put much thought to the idea, and if she had it was more like faceless forces of nature and not living entities.
"I lost my baby brother", Pansy said with little thought. "And my parents. I can't imagine it's the same loss you and my mother felt but… I am sorry."
"I understand the kindness of your kind, your words are appreciated", Death bowed her head. "So, joining the dots…".
"… How many children did you have?"
The interruption again had a physical effect, but this time death didn't narrow her eyes, if anything they seemed to soften. "Erebus and I had eight children in total. Philotes, Keres, Nemesis and Apate of course. Then our boys, Thanatos, Hypnos, Moros and my dear Aether. All gone from this plane now, from every plane. I am the only remnant of the family we once had".
"Why me?" Pansy jolted Death, choosing to mimic her tactic again with another jarring change in conversational direction. "If I were to join any dots then I would ask why you chose to spend your first break in centuries with a child of wizard kind. I'd also go further and ask what you meant by doorways and latent powers. And just when exactly did I start telling you about my memory of seeing Tracey and Ginny on Christmas Day evening?"
"I would not willingly fill your head with grandiose ideas that you are somehow unique. Yes, the powers you used in creating these doorways are curious, but that does not make you special. In this universe, every being is unique. Yet there is something about you that even the cosmos itself does not yet fully understand."
Death's tone was harsh, but Pansy sensed an underlying resonance, a flicker of something beyond simple malice. It was as if Death's stern words masked a deeper truth.
"The doorways are simpler to explain. They represent the folding of reality, akin to how I traverse the universe. Your deep longing connects you to those you miss most, what power within there appears to be within you, then allowing you to cause space to fold. It is a unique gift, but one that your conscious mind could not comprehend without seeing it for yourself, even if you already have the answers... But we'll argue of that later", Pansy frowned again, and Death's mask slipped again as she rolled her eyes. "Please do not have me repeat my unique none-relationship with time, it is tiresome. I am not a linier being."
"I'm moving through space… like you?" It felt like there was so much more to unpack inside her words, too much to focus on. "And that means that these are real, right? There not dreams or figments. I'm visiting them in these moments, for real. Tracey was crying because this hasn't been in my head?"
"Why don't you take us both back, back to the moment you became aware of what you were encroaching on", Death suggested. "Then we can have that argument I just had with you then, now."
"How?"
"You had no issues before, you simply told me the story of what you witnessed." Death sidelined her tea and crossed her hands in her lap expectantly. "Begin."
Pansy frowned, thinking back. Focusing she closed her eyes. Unseen by the figures in the memory, Pansy continued her narration, guiding Death through the events she had witnessed. "Tracey was laughing quietly; she stroked her fingers down Ginny's back. It certainly looked like it had the desired effect. Then she said 'I promised your mum and dad we would behave while at You-Know-Where. Did mum make you promise the same?' Then they went back and forth with more teasing, though when Ginny said she 'didn't want to disrespect Tracey's mother's hospitality', I felt like she meant it".
"What makes you say that?"
Pansy turned hearing the voice at her shoulder. Opening her eyes she was startled to find them both, Pansy and Death, stood at the edge of the memory. Within the memory, exactly as she saw it in her mind's eye, made real by her words. They stood watching as the past unfolded before them as dictated and narrated by the girl.
"Well," Pansy said in answer, "you have to understand that Ginny has Tracey wrapped around her little finger, all power too her I suppose. But she also plays on her a lot, likes to be the devil on her shoulder as Tracey said. But she does seem to care for her deeply and at her core she's been raised on respect. I imagine she'd fear Molly would find out if she'd been rude in their home and reprimand her something rotten."
"And," Pansy went on. "As Ginny said, she loves it when Tracey blushes. I get that. She's my best friend and I love knocking her speechless so I can only imagine the fun Ginny has with her. But it's a bit like me and Ron, were kids playing grownups really and I feel like Ginny would see that and want to slow things down when she's not in her rebellious moods."
Death held the air of a woman who'd gotten much more than she really wanted when asking. "So…"
"What now!" Tracey pouted.
"I meant what I said," Ginny leaned into her, but was careful to keep her lips a safe distance away. "I want your mum to like me…"
"… She really does! …"
"And! … Maybe I've been a bit much with you. You know, playing around like were not just teenagers".
"… She does have something there," Death spoke up, jolting Pansy as she often did when she spoke. "There is something to be said of you children acting in such a manor."
"That's what I just said!"
"You did, but you clearly do not take your own advice," A long white finger lingered pointing at Pansy's stomach. Pansy's intake was sharp with annoyance and shock, her hand resting over where her peanut sized world lay growing. She spluttered and eyed death with angry eye's but Death simply looked on at the scene they stood within, the feintest flicker of a smirk across her black lips.
Pansy stuttered as she described how Tracey spluttered; it was very cute to Ginny's eyes. "I've never wanted to do anything you didn't want…"
"… No of course not". Ginny kissed her cheek reassuringly. "But honestly, I manipulate the hell out of you and I'm starting to think that's not fair".
Ginny melted into the kisses as Tracey forced it back between them now. Her own way of showing that she too pressed them into such things. "We're only kissing Gin," she breathed smiling into her mouth. "I'll happily take moments like this than pushing us into anything more."
Tracey's hands, cupping Ginny's body to her own began to tremble.
"This is where we left it last time isn't it," Pansy said. "I think I told you it looked like she was shaking. But it was her face, you know! …"
"You believe she saw you, as though she witnessed you as you witnessed her."
"You already know the answer, don't you?" Pansy turned to Death.
"I do, as I said, an argument."
"I'm not arguing!" Pansy immediately went on the defensive. "Why are you determined we argue".
"Because we already have, that was this, this was then."
Pansy groaned audibly, "your impossible! If you know all this and we've already done this then why ask me anything?"
"You already know she saw you as you have already conversed with her. Not in this memory but I suspected in another. But nothing about this is for my benefit, I get nothing from this." Pansy's mouth fell open and when she turned to Death to argue she was reminded of how tall and intimidating she truly was, even when reduced in height from her Godly stature. "The question you wished answered is 'has what I've seen been real". Growing impatient with what she saw as needless back and forth Death continued. "The answer is yes, whatever you have seen and heard has occurred. Why have I had you show me if I already know?"
Pansy recoiled as Death took to speaking for her like this, an odd chill trickling her spine as she did. As though the being was showing her a truth, that she was so many steps ahead of her while Pansy didn't even know where to look. "Ok… so tell me."
"I could sit and tell you all you need to know in the time it takes you to finish your tea. In doing so I breach the universal truths that bind, offsetting the balance and overstepping my charge. That said…", Death's faced hardened, appearing to struggle with the idea of saying less, "With you Pensèe, you may know it, but you do not see it".
Pansy felt her heart racing, more of that same feeling was returning. A sense of something bigger, something that stopped Death from allowing Pansy to ask of Ron, but in a way that was best for them all. "I don't know what that means," Pansy said quietly.
There was a snap of fingers, like a crack of thunder and the world went black. Black smoke billowed, engulfing all until it cleared from Pansy's view where she saw that they had left the memory and were now in a lightless void.
"In the heart of the cosmos, long before time was counted, there was a Star." Death's voice was deep and powerful as she spoke. Her arm waved in front of Pansy in the darkness, illuminating her eyes to light as a star was born in the distance just as her words narrated.
"That star shone brighter than any other. Its light, so radiant that it touched every corner of the universe," the light of the star intensified as Death continued. "Bringing warmth and life to all it graced. The Star was beloved by the Celestial Beings, for its light gave them strength and hope".
"But there was also a Shadow," now she waved her other arm and as she did, in contrast to the light, a large shadow became visible, like a living entity. "The shadow was a creature of darkness that lived in the vast expanse. Unlike the Star, the Shadow was unseen and unknown, moving silently through the cosmos, alone. The Shadow envied the Star's brilliance and longed to have a light of its own. But the shadow knew not malice or hatred and was no less benevolent than the Star beloved by all."
Death took Pansy's shoulder in her hands and led her forwards, bringing the visions of her story closer. "One day, the Shadow approached the Star and asked, "How can I shine like you? How can I bring light to the darkness?"
The Star, with a gentle smile, replied, "You do not need to shine, dear Shadow, for your purpose is different. You are the balance to my light, the calm to my fire. Embrace your nature, and you will find your true strength."
Pansy listened in utter bewilderment, the sublime beauty in Death's power to bring the story to life. She realised she was being shown the same format of telling her story like Pansy had, with it being there around them to be seen.
The Shadow was confused and saddened by this answer, for it did not understand how it could be of value without light. It wandered the cosmos, pondering the Star's words, but the answer remained elusive.
"As it so often does, eons passed", Now another great wave of Death's arms showed a colourful celestial space above them, racing past as though played at speed. Slowing to a halt she continued. "The Shadow began to notice the beauty in its own existence. It saw how its presence created contrast, allowing the Star's light to be seen more clearly. It realized that without the darkness, there could be no dawn, no day, and no understanding of the light's true brilliance.
One day, as the Shadow watched the Star from afar, it finally understood. It approached the Star once more and said, "I see now that my place is not to shine like you, but to provide the space in which your light can be known. In my darkness, your brilliance is revealed."
The Star, with a knowing smile, replied, "And in your acceptance, you have found your own light. For it is in our differences that we create harmony."
From that moment on, the Shadow embraced its nature, no longer seeking to change but to understand. It moved through the cosmos with a newfound purpose, knowing that its role was just as vital as the Star's."
When she finished, Pansy allowed herself to turn slowly on the spot, taking in the fables beauty before it was taken from her. "That was beautiful… thank you." Something of the tale hit at her and once again she realised that Death was telling her something without saying it.
Death nodded, "A story close to my heart, I have not told it for an age." She looked away and Pansy saw the longing. "My dearest Philotes' favourite from her youth". Without a second to think on the sadness of this, Pansy saw her spin on her heals and with another thunder crack of the snap of her fingers, she returned them to the room where they had sat and took tea.
"How much freedom do I have to speak openly here?" Pansy asked
"This place exists separate from all other realities," Death inclined her head, urging Pansy on, the movement graceful, yet carrying a weight that pressed the air down around them. "Speak without fear but choose your words with reverence."
Pansy took a steadying breath, her gaze momentarily flickering to the ethereal teapot still steaming faintly between them. Her hands clenched on her lap as she summoned the courage to continue. "The story," she began, her tone careful. "It wasn't just a fable, was it? You're showing me a fact, that you can't speak freely with me. Even in this place, existing separate from the universe, you dare not speak it. I'm not sure if that in its own right scares me more."
Death's lips quirked into the faintest semblance of a smile, but her eyes gave nothing away. "It would be wondrously coincidental if I was to tell you a story that also revealed some form of deeper truth. That said, if I had intentionally acted in such a way, then I would note that you are astute in seeing through the veils, but tell me, Pansy... what do you think this truth is?"
Pansy frowned, more games. Her mind sifting through fragments of the story, their conversation and her memories. Pansy's growing doubts and the puzzle pieces Death was leaving , they were all purposely scattered, it was confirmation she was right. "Nothing of our meeting is chance… The Shadow is me… the Star, you. You're showing me that I have to figure this out myself, something which you can't openly speak of. Like the Shadow, I have to find this for myself. And you're saying... they aren't just symbols at all. The universe is a web. And somehow, I'm tangled in all of it."
Death leaned back, her black garment shifting like the surface of an endless sea. "Tangled? No child. 'Tangled' implies a chaos. But Chaos is not a force, she is a Primordial void from which all things originated. Before creation itself, a formless being and the very eldest of us. Chaos is my mother, and she does not weave the tapestry of the universe with such haphazardness. You Pansy, were woven, deliberately and with purpose, into the fabric of something far older than this reality."
The weight of the words hit Pansy like a physical blow. She wanted to demand answers, to yell that she deserved the truth spelled out plainly, but something deep within her, an almost primal instinct, told her that she wasn't yet ready to face it all. "So why tell me any of this? Why now?"
"Because," Death said, her voice dropping to a softer tone, "as much as I am tired of repeating myself in reminding that I live outside of time, time and choice are indeed converging. The story of the Shadow and the Star is just that, a story…but were it to mean anything," Death smiled, "again, coincidently of course. You have heard it at a pivotal moment in your timeline and if I were you, I would look out for any other such stories of value. Their purpose… like your purpose in the wider scope of things… is not something I can dictate or comment on. It is your choices in life that you choose to live by."
Pansy swallowed; her throat dry. "And if I choose wrong?"
Death reached out a hand, and for a fleeting moment, Pansy thought she might actually touch her. But her hand stopped mid-air, fingers hovering with deliberate control. "There is no right or wrong in this path Pansy. There is only what must be. The rest is up to you…" Death paused, as though contemplating whether she should say more. "It is up to you Pansy, but not you alone."
Pansy exhaled a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Her thoughts churned with more questions than answers, but something in Death's words gave her the smallest flicker of clarity amidst the storm. Her last resonated though, and she understood the implication was that she would have a choice to make with Ronald. What that could be, made little sense to her. She scoffed, "I thought I wasn't universally special?"
"No more than any other person of uniqueness", Death confirmed.
"Brilliant," Pansy's eyebrows hinted at her sarcasm. "So, I'm someone of average uniqueness, who's latent powers I understand not. Who is of no great firmness within the universe, but! I also should listen to bedtime children's Bards, looking out for hidden lesson's that may or may not point to some great choices yet to appear in my life? Anything else I need to see next?" she asked with a mild incredulity.
Death rose smoothly to her feet, "Quite frankly I think you're overthinking it!" Pansy's eye's bulged in disbelief until she saw another flicker of self-indulged amusement on Death's face. "I believe you have something to show me. Something else that is close to your heart. Something you already know but have still yet to see and therefore come to understand. Come, daughter of shadow" Her tone was light, but the endearment hit Pansy with an unexpected jolt, sending shivers down her spine.
An ancient bed groaned softly as the sheets billowed above the entwined forms beneath them. The heavy drapes of the four-poster bed fluttered gently, casting flickering shadows that danced upon the stone walls of the gothic chamber. Tracey's blonde hair splayed out like a halo against the crimson of Ginny's fire-red hair as it cascaded over her shoulders. It glowed in Tracey's eyes like embers in the dim light. Tracey's delicate fingers traced patterns on the smooth, pale skin of her lover's back. Their breaths mingled, the room thick with the scent of candle wax and a warmth from the hearth.
Pansy and Death stood at the edge of the memory, watching as the past unfolded before them...
In the dim light, an ornate mirror reflected the passionate tableau, hinting at the secret activities hidden within the silken folds. The carved eagles perched on the bedposts seemed to leer knowingly, guardians of the intimate moment. Outside, the moonlight filtered through in the white, blue hues of moon lit night sky. A contrast from the green Tracey was used to in her old dormitory under the lake. Now seen through the high arched window, casting a spectral glow that caressed the contours of their shared sanctuary.
"What?" Pansy asked tartly.
"Nothing", Death said with a casual wave of her hand, "just… a little over descriptive don't you think."
Ignoring her, Pansy went on describing what she saw. Beneath the covers, a world of whispered confessions and unspoken promises unfolded, each movement and murmur a testament to the depth of their bond. The gothic room, borrowed by the Slytherin girl and shared during stolen nights by the Gryffindor, steeped in history and the mysteries of the house of Ravenclaw, became a silent witness to their defiance for the rules.
Pansy stopped as a wry cough sounded and eyed Death with daggers. "I swear by all that is Holy, what now!"
"Laying it on a little thick aren't we."
Suddenly, Tracey stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. Her eyes widened as she saw a shimmering, otherworldly image as it hovered at the foot of the bed, a tear in the fabric of reality, a window that shouldn't be that made her heart ache. Tracey's eyes closed in pain as she bit down the urge to cry, halting her assault on the back of her lover's neck.
"So, this is where I was," Pansy said, speaking to Death, eye's fixed on the bed. "Watching them with a mix of sorrow and longing. I saw her again as though she was seeing a ghostly visage that was probably as impossible and heart-wrenching to her as it was for me. Knowing I was hundreds of miles away, trapped in the Manor, forcibly betrothed to Draco."
"Again Pansy… really!" Tracey thought. But repeated by Death's own voice.
"What?" Pansy turned, confused.
"'Again Pansy… really!' … That is what Tracey thought as she saw you. Before you ask how I could possibly know this, and from a picture of a memory you narrate, remember to accept that my existence is fact, I am. This is a fact amongst all of reality, even a reality of your very own making, I am present, no life without…"
"Death…" Pansy slowly shook her head, mouth still agape. "Fuck your impossible," she smiled, "but… I guess that makes some sort of sense in a way that my brain wishes didn't. Life can't exist without you, I presume you can't exist without life." She received a nod. "Well!" Pansy turned back to the scene, "her saying that makes a lot of sense with what came next I suppose".
"Honestly, these occurrences are really ruining our sex life," Ginny muttered with a wry smile, though her eyes showed an equal sadness to Tracey.
"Wait, what!" Tracey turned to her, mouth agape. "You see her too?"
"Of course I do, every time you and I... well, you know," Ginny replied, her tone both amused and resigned.
"How come you never said anything?" Tracey asked, her voice tinged with confusion and curiosity.
"How come you never!" Ginny bit back, raising an eyebrow. "How long?"
"Since Christmas evening at mums," Tracey said. A cough brought them both back into the room.
"How many times?" Death asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Huh?... Oh! Erm this was maybe the fifth", Pansy admitted.
"Do none of you have other pressing things to do at this age, studies or pastimes or whatever it is teenagers do with their lives rather than all this… fornication!" Pansy had to stifle a snigger as Death gave her a look.
"... you see me! Both of you?" Pansy's voice echoed softly. Pansy and Death both turned to see, the girl. Pansy, or a projection that was Pansy stood between Death and Pansy now.
"That would be me then," Pansy's eyebrows raised as she eyed herself.
Tracey sat up, eyes wide. "Ginny she's talking!"
"She!" Pansy snapped, "I have a name you hussy. One of you could have said something. I've been shitting myself for weeks!"
"This is just you three bickering for a time is it not?" Death asked dryly.
"It is."
"Then we can leave it there."
"You're kidding me, that's it! That's all you wanted me to see? What does that tell me, you've already said it was real and not a dream. Which is just peachy because that means the Gal's probably know because Merlin know's Tracey won't have kept her trap shut if none of that was in my head."
"Are you finished?" Death seemed neither moved nor annoyed by her griping, "You have seen all you need to, what you choose to understand about that is down to you."
"There's nothing new for me here that I didn't already know that you haven't already confirmed for me. They keep going at it and I keep turning up. Other than that, it seems I really am just ruining their sex … life." Pansy stalled, looking between herself, Ginny and Tracey. "Hang on… she's sneaking Ginny into her new dorm room in Ravenclaw tower and every time they do I turn up, why!" Pansy turned back to Death, "I didn't pay any attention to it because they were just dreams that felt real, but if there not then… Why would I be visiting them during those times?"
Another snap and crack of fingers and thunder later and Pansy was falling back into her chair opposite from Death. "You're going to leave this place now Pansy", her hand lifted, halting the girl. "You don't have the luxury of time to argue with me, the universe wakes and waits. I must go and so must you."
"I can't, I've so many questions!"
"Yes, but no time to ask them." Death stood and rounded the table, offering her hand she guided Pansy to standing and took her hand, staring hard into her eyes. "You certainly don't have time to ask me anything more, which you certainly won't do now".
Pansy waited a moment then the confusion waned. "Death, I need to know... Ron. Is he okay? I miss him so much. I can't see him, I don't visit him or dream of him and knowing I'm carrying his child I..."
Death's eyes, galaxies swirling within, softened. "He was with me during what you know as Christmas," she began. "His presence causes ripples in the fabric of reality, as yours also does, but he is alive. His existence, however, brings chaos beyond your understanding..." Death nodded, "I know you don't understand… but he is safe." Death's eyes closed and for the first time she seemed truly pained, "he fight's for you daily." She bit her lip, "I say too much."
Pansy's heart ached, but Death's words provided a sliver of solace. She nodded, understanding the complexity of the situation. "Thank you," she whispered, giving her hands a squeeze.
"Now you must leave!" Death's words made Pansy frown, they were odd and unfitting, stage like.
When nothing happened, Pansy saw a flicker of frustration and a squeeze back through her own fingertips. Feeling again on the spot she searched her head for what was left at the forefront as quick as she could. Feeling a very real chill run down her spine as it came to her she spoke. "The Foretold ... it's real, isn't it?"
Death nodded. "It is real. And I can say no more. I certainly will not comment further, nor would I. It certainly carries no great significance… for you both."
Death's words overflowed with more of that same strange theatrical. But as Pansy heard it her breath caught, the hairs on her neck prickled and the shiver returned. The room groaned, it seemed to pulsate with life, the cosmic light blurring to Pansy's eyes with force that made her squint.
"Bring me to you again… when you can!"
"Goodbye, little Pensèe."
A/N
I can't go into reasons why this has taken as long as it has without sounding like empty excuses. Just like apologising for it doesn't take from the fact I've been here before saying sorry and promising better. I will say my passion for both writing and this project hasn't left me, but my ability to balance did and I've found some more of that balance and drive to get myself time again. This chapter, and the one coming in a half hour after a second proof read have taken me the lonest to write, in fact I want to say maybe Torn Apart was completed in the time since ending Defiant Blood and now. But while I wanted three chapters to post, I think writing another first would have been, fairly easy given where the story is, but an easy crutch to take my time. That said, posting now gives me a fear to not procrastinate and purpose to continue in better time and not let the story stagnate.
As for the chapters and story, I'm very pleased with how this turned out. I had things that I wanted to add and say about what's happened since the end of Defiant Blood and I didn't like the idea of simply telling a story of flashbacks or memories. Instead I wanted to find an exciting way to look back, I also wanted to really get into the fantastical side of where this story's been headed and I think this chapter has both.
I'm eternally grateful for every person that takes the time to read my story and this series. I'm happily back and back to reading again as that too has stopped. So, while I carry on with this and catch up with what I've fallen behind with, if anyone takes the time to leave a comment, you have my thanks in abundance.
Stealing it again,
Love and Light,
Venom