Anything that rings a bell belongs to JK Rowling
A/N: Trigger warning: Sexual Assualt; but not graphic. If this is hard for anybody to read (and I am so sorry if it is :( ), you can skip the first half of the chapter - when there is a 'x-x-x-' break in the chapter, there is a scene that covers more or less what happened plot wise without too much detail.
Chapter Thirty Two: Albus Dumbledore's Granddaughter
The first thing Ky processed when her eyes opened was the stench of firewhiskey mixed with mould.
The second thing she processed was that she couldn't move.
Her eyes stung as she swivveled them left and right, trying to get a grasp of her surroundings. Broken-wood sealed windows on her right. Scratched walls on her left.
Ky tried moving again but couldn't. She tried harder, but it just made her head hurt. She was cold and looked down horrified. She had been lying on a dusty old mattress and her hoodie had been removed, so she was clad in just her tiny tank top and shorts.
"The Lambie awakes. You revive quickly. So feisty even in unconsciousness."
Ky tried to crane her neck to get a view of the speaker, but he positioned himself in such a way that that was impossible. Even though she couldn't see him, his unusual choice of word brought her back to the night of the Quidditch World Cup…lamb.
"Want to get a peek at your prince? I'm hurt…I was so sure my mere touch would evoke a memory."
She felt an icy trickle run up her arm and she would squirm if she could.
His dark laugh echoed through the room, "I see you do remember." The cold spread to her face. "You on the other hand are so much more than I remember. The months have been kind to you, you're less girl…more woman. It took my all not to have you right there in the streets. But that wouldn't do would it…unnecessary attention would attract…would interrupt."
The bed shifted and all she could think was, 'Think Ky! Don't let the fear distract you. THINK'.
Everything was a clue; she didn't have her wand, but she didn't use one to beat him the last time. She was obviously somewhere he deemed safe…that meant deserted. Somewhere that he wouldn't get interrupted. She looked at the boarded-up window…so familiar. Then it hit her…the Shrieking Shack.
She was still in Hogsmeade.
"Imagine my…excitement… when I saw you, sneak out of that Herbology shop. It seems fate is in our favour ma chère…what are the chances that you are in Hogsmeade the same time that I am? And at this damnable hour to boot."
Think Ky.
She couldn't see him, but she can hear him, commit it to memory. Was that a French word he just used? His accent didn't sound French though…he sounded English.
Her thoughts were intterupted by the coldness that ghosted across her stomah, smooth hands that ascended higher and higher and then disappeared. More shifting on the bed and the he loomed above her.
He had his mask on… look at everything else. He was tall and thin, broad shoulders. He was wearing a black sweater with black pants. It looked expensive. That tiny emblem on the sweater, she'd seen it on Malfoy and on Zabini. A tiny gold wizard on a broom.
She could hear him breathing heavily, she tried moving again but failed, her head burst with the pain.
He leaned forward and the little light shining from the window passed over his steel disguise, she could see his black orbs swirl with hunger. He lifted his mask a little, exposing well defined lips. She knew what was coming but she refused to close her eyes and cry.
No, that was weakness; this atrocious excuse for a human was weak. She was strong! She would keep her eyes open through all of it and show him how she would not break! She'd remember everything so she'd find him and kill him with her bare hands one day!
Then she felt it, cold fingers on her lower thigh, and it burned like a hot stoker.
Despite her brave words, her face was wet with tears and she knew if she was allowed sound, whimper would be all she would be capable of.
Why was this happening to her again?
Suddenly the man swore and his hand disappeared.
Ky watched as he held his right hand and fell out of view. "Fuck. Shit. You have protective spells on you! Where the fuck are they!"
Even if she were allowed to speak, she would not have known the answer. She had no idea that she had protective charms on her.
She then felt his cold fingers on her chest, she felt him pull at something around her neck.
"I thought you looked sexy with this little locket; I liked the way it shined between your tits. I see it's the hindrance though."
He swore again. "Fucking hell, protective spells on the locket itself!"
He laughed; it didn't sound evil…but to Ky it was the most horrible sound. His voice echoed maliciously, "I won't take it off then."
Suddenly Ky couldn't breathe.
She couldn't hear anything but the sound of the blood pulsing in her ears, she couldn't even gasp due to the spell on her. She felt her cheeks get wetter…and then it was gone.
At least that's what she thought, but he had merely loosened the spell on her locket so it was causing her discomfort rather than harm.
"Let's just loosen it a little bit, we don't want you dying now do we, but it is just so erotic watching you gasp for air. Fuck… look at you."
Ky could barely see from the tears blurring her view. She heard the clink of something that sounded like metal... was that a zip?
No no no no no.
She felt his coldness again, but this time it was at her waist, his fingers on her shorts.
"Fucking Founders more fucking spells!" There was a bolt of pain on her tummy, so sharp and so intense.
Her head was getting heavier with the lack of sufficient air.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
With each swear she felt the pain course through her body.
There was the laugh again, dull though. Like he was far away.
"I like this though, I like it! You're like a puzzle. I love puzzles. Now where's the next piece, oh I see it. Ahhhh it's just as tricky as that prize between your tits. Oh, but this is much easier to solve than that. If I can't get it off your wrist all I'd have to do is…"
He slashed at her wrist and this time she felt blood… her Dragonstone bracelet from Nonno… he must have charmed it for her protection, she felt it being painfully pulled off her!
And then, with a whisper of an unforgivable, her whole body was on fire.
Ky couldn't breathe, and her head was bursting as if someone had taken a grinder to her frontal lobe. She then felt a warmth across her stomach with a pain so intense she didn't know how she was not screaming even with his silencing charm on her.
But this was breaking point, the loss of the Dragonstone at her wrist.
A reminder of what it was.
A reminder of who she was.
Everything went black for a second.
The next she was standing weakly, gasping for breath, tugging at her locket begging it to stop choking her. She coughed up blood and the pressure of it forcing its way through her unaccommodating air passage made her scream in pain as it grated against her oesophagus.
"I see Lambie wants to play."
She turned around quickly but was too late, she seemed to have flung him off, but he still had his wand, and she felt a sharp pain across her left thigh.
"Let's see you fly without wings."
She fell hard to her knees and her face hit the floor with a deafening thud. She felt a hand in her hair turning her around, the silver mask in her line of sight again. If it was possible her head ached more as a searing pain shot from its crown. Everything was so heavy, so black. So… No!
She felt her hands being pushed above her head, and her shorts being pulled lower. "NOOOOOO."
This time the sound wasn't in her head, it burned on its way out, but the strength of her voice seemed to be the fuel she needed.
She was Albus Dumbledore's granddaughter.
She could hear the voices as they whispered, 'that's Dumbledores great great great granddaughter.'
'She's brilliant because she's Dumbledore's granddaughter.'
'You take after your Nonno in transfiguration Bane'. Minnie.
'You have your grandfather's annoying penchant for lost cases'. Sev.
Whistling and humming. Nonno.
She was Kyrianna Thornton. She never needed a wand to perform magic and she can think about breathing later.
She picked her knee up and it connected with something cold and hard. She felt the weight leave her; it was an old but effecticve trick.
Ky concentrated on how it would feel to gouge this man bloody and chanted the worddefodio in her heard him screech knowing that the spell had worked; repeating it again and again in her mind, hoping it would tear his whole body into nothingness.
Unfortunately, it didn't, and she felt shrapnel pierced her back as she hit the opposite wall.
Don't feel Ky. Don't think Ky. Just do.
She flung her wrist forward and thought the words and heard a crash.
She stood up quickly ignoring all the pain and conjured the ropes around his neck and concentrated on holding it there, on making it tighter.
Nonno. Li. Len. Mi. Minnie. Sev. Nonno. Mi. Sev... Len.
Hold it, just like that. Keep it there. Nonno…no….no…everything was getting heavy, dark…and then she felt it.
All the pain.
Her hand fell, and she collapsed.
"Bitch!"
Kick. Her ribs.
Kick. Her back
"Flagrante Grandis!"
And then she heard somebody screaming, a blood curdling scream.
And suddenly…complete silence.
"You made me break my toy!" a soft, disappointed mutter.
"Stop!" She screamed, into the night's emptiness, blood from her mouth splattering to the floor.
And it did.
The fire.
The burning.
It stopped.
But the pain didn't.
She felt it everywhere. Sleep would take it away. One didn't hurt when one slept.
Ky let her eyes close, and she felt him again, on her.
NO! NO! NO!
Her eyes flashed open. She needed her wand, She needed…somebody.
"Bombarda!"
Broken timber fell on Ky but she didn't care, because the masked man was off her.
She scrambled up right, ignoring her ache as a stranger walked into the room. He had dark hair and eyes so haunted as they landed on Ky she wondered just what she must look like.
Ky and he stared at each other, completely frozen for moments, which cost them dearly as they heard a crack echo in the room.
The man with the mask had disapparated.
The stranger stepped forward and Ky scurried back, pulling down her vest, righting her shorts and he raised his hands, "I won't hurt you. You're okay. You're safe."
Her fingers found her locket, she needed to get out of here but she didn't know how to disapparate on purpose, and even if she did she couldn't get to Nonno…the wards had been changed after her arrival on the school grounds all those months ago.
The man inched closer.
"NO!" Her scream came out as a rasp and she doubled over, in agony.
Warmth engulfed her as the man threw his coat over her to cover her up, and he begun muttering spells she hadn't heard before.
Her headache receded, enough for her to stagger to her feet.
"Nonno." She fell foward but there was no impact, just heat. The man was like stepping into a fireplace, and she wished he was just that…she wished she could just floo to him.
"Nonno."
"It's okay, I won't hurt you. You're safe, love."
She swallowed, frustrated that this man couldn't understand her.
"Dumbledore." She rasped, "Grandfather."
"Oh. Of course…" Recognition in his eyes, "Ky." He turned, desperately looking out the door. "You're his girl." He muttered, distracted, "I'm his godfather. You can trust me. I need to get help, just stay here."
"No!" She suddenly clung to the man, desperately, "Don't leave me."
His grey eyes widened, and she felt his arms tighten about her protectively, "You're very badly hurt, Ky."
"You know my name?" She whispered, suddenly more alert…who was this man?
His face softened, "You've come up in conversation."
He was so comfortable and warm. Her eyelids grew heavy.
"Ky!" The man shook her and she felt her body sway heavily back and forth.
She was scooped up in one motion, and she felt her neck slacken and roll back.
"Can't apparate onto the grounds. If I go to the gates…no choice. I have to."
The stranger's muttering was easily ignored as she thought how desperately she wanted Linus. Lenzo. Nonno. Minnie. Sev.
If only she could scream and they could hear her. If only there there was a way of calling someone.
Nonno. Sev. Nonno.
And then it hit her.
There was someone who always came when she called…
"Kinky."
Ky concentrated on breathing, willing her eyes open once more as the man walked her out of the room and then she heard it like the sound of angels.
The sound of a saviour.
A snap.
"Miss Ky Dumbledore's granddaughter Ky miss! MISS KY."
The man let out a gasp, "Elf!"
Ky barely processed another second of sensation as everything finally went black, blank, and blissful.
-x-x-x-
Sirius knew this was incredibly reckless, but he couldn't just send the girl off with the elf. He had just snuck back into England after the latest disturbing bit of news from Harry about Barty Crouch and Snivellus acting oddly, and his very first night back this happened.
He was just planning on spending one night in the Shrieking Shack whilst he waited for advice from Dumbledore about a good hideout spot. He knew that old haunt was too risky long term what with Snivellus knowing of it…
And then he heard that poor girl's screams.
His hands balled into fists, he had been so surprised to see her that he had been distracted and let that bastard get away.
Sirius glanced up at the castle, somewhere in there Harry was asleep…so close, but he couldn't see him. It was much too risky.
"Sirius." He turned, transforming back to his human state when he ascertained it was the Headmaster and quickly conjuring on his clothes, he shivered from the cold, he had sent his only coat with Ky. They were stood in the Forbidden Forest, camouflaged by trees, it was almost dawn. "I cannot thank you enough."
"The Elf did most of the work getting us here. How's the girl?"
Dumbledore remained silent for a few moments.
"Kyrianna is in St Mungo's, thank you for performing what spells you could, it must have helped her."
He walked forward and Sirius watched as his old headmaster neared a fallen tree and leaned against it. He must be exhausted. "She'll be okay?"
More silence.
"They're not sure. Her internal wounds are very severe."
Dumbledore staggered and lowered onto the trunk.
"I've covered the grounds and Hogsmeade twice, the man's scent is not here. He can't have come from the Castle. I don't think he was hiding out at the Shrieking Shack, his scent would have been much stronger." Sirius knew this was a very sensitive topic, but he didn't have much time. He needed to get back into hiding, he couldn't get thrown back into Azkaban where he would be no help at all to Harry.
He looked again at the castle.
"I didn't get a look at his face, he was in a Death Eater's mask. Not one that I could recognise. He was dressed very neatly, as someone who has had to lay low for a while, he doesn't fit the description of 'man on the run'. He had on cologne, I think one of Twilfitt's concoctions, not one I recognise. He did smell of firewhiskey, Ogden's. Might be worth speaking to Aberforth."
"I have, already." Dumbledore said quietly, "He said it was a quiet night, Alastair and Hagrid popped by but left at 2am, which is when he was closing up shop. Kyrianna was still in the castle at that time, Sir Hawthorne spotted her talking to a Slytherin in her year in the Dungeons earlier. Severus will interview him first thing in the morning. Sir Nicholas says that he saw Ky around 2am in the library with Harry, who was asleep. He informed her that Miss Granger had been taken as a hostage for the second task."
Sirius held out the small red hoodie, and the fondina with the wand. "I found this in the Shack. It's hers. It has gillyweed and a parchment with the clue for the second task in the pocket."
The headmaster let out a long breath, "The second task involves surviving long periods underwater." He took the hoodie and held it in his arms gently, his blue eyes watery.
"She's a fighter." Sirius didn't know what he could say to make the man feel better. He didn't even know the girl but seeing her on the floor, broken, bruised and…bile rose in his throat. "Do you think this is related to Harry's situation?"
"It doesn't make sense, but perhaps." Dumbledore scratched at his left temple, thinking, "If someone wished Harry to fail at the second task by stopping Kyrianna from helping him, there were much cleaner ways to do it. I don't know why someone would put Harry's name in when he would be so closely watched. I'd never let anything happen to them, she should know that."
Sirius thought the Headmaster was distracted, and finding it difficult to keep on track…very unlike him. It seemed he was upset that Ky had snuck out for the gillyweed at that time of night, believing danger would actually come to her friends under his watch, "They're kids. It was the middle of the night, she probably wasn't thinking very clearly."
Dumbledore shook his head, but remained silent.
"Will you call off the second task?"
"No. We haven't informed the Ministry as yet."
"Someone attacked a student! Someone's after Harry! Put his name-"
"Sirius." The older man stated weakly, urging him to quieten down. "If there was a way to get Harry out of this Tournament, I'd have done it. And Kyrianna's brothers… they're taking her back to New York once she heals enough. They want nothing to do with the Ministry. With Magic."
Sirius could tell that this was infringing on a family matter, so he remained silent.
"You have my word that no harm will come to Harry in this tournament. I'm keeping a closer eye on him than he is aware."
Sirius begrudgingly nodded, he would still prefer Harry was not made to participate but he understood the contractual obligations.
Dumbledore straightened up, "You should make your way back to Hogsmeade. It's not safe here, it will be light soon. Stay in the caves of the mountain. Stick to your canine form. We've increased protection around the castle, so don't be tempted to wander in for a visit."
Sirius didn't make any promises, if there was a chance that Harry was in danger and he could circumvent it, nothing could keep him away.
"Oh, also, Sirius, because of the nature of the attack, can I please ask you not to share any information with anybody. I think it's best Kyrianna chooses who to share such things with."
"Of course." Sirius answered quickly, he wasn't completely sure if he had managed to stop the man in time… he didn't want to think about it, and he wasn't sure if saying this to Dumbledore would be helpful. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling awful for the girl, her face frozen in his mind's eye.
"Oh." Sirius almost forgot, he pulled out the little dragon bracelet and passed it to Dumbledore, "Found this on the floor in the Shack, figured it was also hers."
The Headmaster took it, as gently as he did the hoodie.
"You know, I do think Ky does know that you'd never let anything happen to her. She couldn't say much when I found her, but all she did was ask for you." Sirius cleared his throat, uncomfortably. Dumbledore didn't look comforted, and he turned to make his way back to the castle.
Sirius opened his mouth to speak and then stopped, hesitating, he knew there was no good way to ask the question he wanted to, and now felt like a terrible time to bring it up, so he remained silent.
He transformed back into his canine state, and ran back to Hogsmeade, the girl's face still stuck in his head, recalling the fright he got when he spotted her.
Sniffing around the shack in this form had him flooded with memories and he became more confused as her familiar smell was potent.
He made quick work of the mountain in this form, and glanced south, in the general direction of London, where Ky was getting help. And then to the east…towards Azkaban, suddenly thinking of someone he hadn't thought of in years.
Amidst the drama of the night, it would seem that the revelation that the girl smelled and looked quite a lot like someone Sirius used to know became very low priority information.
But, Ky Thornton was truly the spitting image of his cousin in their youth.
Bellatrix Lestrange.
A/N: A really intense chapter - I loathed writing it, but it was plot relevant. I tried not to be too graphic, but also not shy away from the severity - hopefully that was conveyed. What did you think of Sirius' arrival into this story? Feedback for this chapter will be much appreciated.