Lestrange: Cursed Reflection

Chapter 3: Working with Family

Honora just paced around the room thinking to herself for awhile. What she wanted most was to figure out what Voldemorts weakness was, so she could leave the Death Eaters and finally have that weight off her shoulders. She wished she knew what already. That her mother or Voldemort would tell her something substantial. Honora only feared that it would be something that she needed to stick around with them to get. But what could that possibly be?

The next morning after hardly any sleep, Honora was surprisingly awake before anyone else. Not wanting to go to breakfast, Honora decided to take a trip to the Map Chamber. She hadn't visited in quite a while, and despite Perceval not liking her, she still needed to get a grip on this newfound power she possessed. She hadn't used it since the battle at the ministry, luckily enough for her. Dumbledore told her to hide this talent from Voldemort and while she had been trying her hardest, this magic seemed to come to her unpredictably.

"Hello. .?" She called out to the large frame where Percival Rackham resided. After a few moments the man popped his head into frame and as he laid his eyes on the girl a relieved smile fell on his face. "Ah hello Miss Lestrange. I knew it was summer months but was beginning to miss yours and Albus' presence."

"Well I'm sure he's had much going on. I wouldn't take it personally." Honora sat on the blue marbled floor, picking at a loose chip in her wand. "Hm, well nevertheless it is good to see you well. I've wondered about you since Albus told me about your outburst at the Ministry."

"It was hardly an outburst." She frowned and tossed the chip that she'd scraped off onto the ground. "Well I suppose it was. .I don't know why I can only seem to use ancient magic when I don't know what else to do. It's almost an act of desperation."

"Besides being desperate, what other emotions have you felt?"

"Pardon?" She half wanted to laugh and half wanted to curse at Percival for calling her desperate, though she knew he wasn't talking about her love life. "I mean your other emotions, they must have been pretty strong to have your ability protrude without thought."

"Well I. ." She thought back to the two times she'd used this magic. "Scared for one I suppose, a desire to help either myself or the person that needed it." He nodded along with her words. "The last time, Albus said you used it to save your friend?"

"Yes, my friend Harry." 'Friend' almost made her twitch but what else was she supposed to call him? The guy she kissed thrice Harry? She almost rolled her eyes to herself thinking how stupid that sounded. "Why don't you stand up." Honora followed his order and stood, setting her bag down with a rather loud echo through the large chamber.

"Close your eyes and think back to that night." Honora closed her eyes and thought back to probably what was the worst night of her life. Sirius had just been murdered by her mother, she watched as Harry screamed and tried to fight Lupin to run to him. She had been blasted with the torture curse which she still could feel the shadow of pain in her bones from–Watching as Harry stood practically defenseless against the worst wizard to ever live. She pictured herself a good deal away, one hand broken and feeling defenseless. 

"You want to save him–you want him not to be killed. You know you're the only person that can do it as no one else is around, but you have no wand, you can barely think of a spell to help. ." It was like he was narrating her thoughts from that night all over again. "You need to do something Honora." As he said this Honora almost felt a bit of PTSD, she waved her wand without thinking and opened her eyes to see a streak of blue escape it. Her magic whipped around and struck right into the belly of a knight statue. She turned her head to the side, watching the thing be still, until it tightened its fingers ever so slightly around its sword.

Honora watched as it stood its full height and stepped off the pedestal it had been resting on. The knight seemed to notice her and after a moment began to charge right at her, its sword outstretched ready to strike. She waved her wand once more, another blue streak flying out and hitting the knight square in the chest again. This time however it didn't take time, the statue burst into twinkling blue and silver specs and floated down gently, blending into the marble floor.

Her mouth gaped open a little and she walked over to the once fully solid thing that was now just dust around the room. "An emotion. .a desire to do something for someone you care about, can sometimes be the biggest trigger. I cared about saving the village you once saw in my pensieve, saving its people, I thought about them very much when I wanted to use this magic. Perhaps you should practice thinking about your friend Harry when you want to use it."

"So it's like a Patronus? Thinking about a powerful memory can make it form?"

"I suppose it's a bit like that. Though a Patronus is formed by your fondest memory, I'm sure by what Albus told me that that night isn't your fondest hour. Magic is fickle. Sometimes our worst moments bring about the best things, sometimes the best bring out the worst and sometimes the best bring out the best. Sometimes people need to feel pain for a good outcome to transpire." Percival looked past her distantly for a moment as if he was remembering something from his own past.

"I suppose it's time to share with you. .A long while ago, when I was still alive I tutored a girl named Isadora who had this form of magic within her as well. She and her family had lived in the village that I brought back from its brink. Though I wish I could have done so sooner. .her brother had died from sickness not too long after. I hadn't gotten there in time to save everyone. ." He cleared his throat as if he was about to tear up. "Her father had fallen into a deep depression, his pain from Isadora's brother dying was keeping him from going on. He was going to die from his sadness. She had pleaded with me to remove his pain and while it may seem insensitive, I told her pain is a part of life. However, she did not listen to me, and removed his pain anyway. But even so, he was not the same as before, none of them were. Isadora had removed not just the pain but every emotion from her father and a litany of Hogwarts students. They were the shells of the people they once were."

"What happened to them?" Honora frowned slightly. "Most of them lost their abilities. .lost their drive for anything. .Some took their own lives, some lived as neutral or void versions of their former selves."

"And Isadora?"

"She killed one of my friends. .and one of my other friends killed her. Good people lost their lives due to the desire for the bad to go away. Though sometimes the bad makes the good all worth it, in the end."

"I understand what you're saying sir." Honora shifted on her heels as she thought about the story. She never thought about taking away the pain and heartache from someone's life, and certainly not her own. She couldn't fathom feeling nothing whatsoever. "I wouldn't want to take away the bad in someone's life, certainly not if they couldn't feel joy any longer."

"I'm glad to hear you say that Honora. If you must know, that was the reason I was so hesitant when you first arrived here. Not the fault of your own but it is hard to imagine that happening again. However, since we've met I've had a feeling that you were different. You're not selfish–you're selfless and I know you'll do good things for good people."