⚠!Warning! ⚠ : Violence, death, abuse, torture, self harm, anxiety, murder, mental health issues, pain, ect.
~
So this person was famous. For what exactly?
He was the first and only to survive the killing-curse.
Harry Potter. That's what Finn had said.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
The sardonic voice rang through her head and echoed.
She looked down at her hands. She screamed and tears ran down her pale skin. No sound came out.
A black-haired man desperately embraced the dead body of a red-haired woman. He sobbed and cried, cradling her in his arms.
"CRUCIO!"
"You're killing me, Mr. - ." Eirian stated emotionlessly as she lay in pain.
"HOW DARE YOU KILL THE BOY?! WHERE WILL WE GET THE INFORMATION NOW?!"
"I apologize, Miss - . He wanted me to do it."
"KILL HER! WE DON'T NEED HER!"
"No, she is still of use.
"She can still entertain us. "
The red-haired woman was unmoving, her eyes staring into nothing.
The black-haired man looked down at the face of the woman he loved. The woman he will always love.
Always.
A pair of black, polished shoes stopped in front of Eirian in the dark hall where she lay.
He looked down at her face.
She had been staring into nothing, thinking back to things which she hadn't known she had memories of.
She didn't try to move or to look up to see who this person was. Her will to live had gone.
"Miss Onyx."
A monotone voice said and then waited for a response.
When one didn't come, he spoke on, "It has come to my knowledge that you have assaulted one of the staff. To my office. Immediately."
She didn't move an inch and stayed silent. Not even her gaze moved.
"Miss Onyx, do not make me repeat myself. You will do as I say this instant."
Still no response.
"Do you have any idea how serious this is?! Do you have any idea what you have done?!"
His voice dispersed into the looming stillness.
And now his patience had gone. He took hold of the back of her collar and dragged her down the hall towards their destination.
Eirian was propelled into a chair and Professor Snape leaned forward, holding the armrests.
"Do you know the state Filch is in?! Do you realise in just how much trouble you find yourself in?!"
He stared down at her for a moment with a pained frown on his face.
"Not only have you nearly committed murder and broken at least a dozen school rules, but you have broken the most serious of decrees!"
It was completely silent and the anxious and heavy atmosphere hung over them in suspense.
Eirian's reticence suddenly broke as tears streamed down her face. Her eyes and nose were red and she was extremely pale and mortally anxious and distressed.
Her gaze stayed fixed at nothing as she murmured shakily,
" I-I killed him..."
She broke out in sobs and trembled horribly.
Professor Snape was taken slightly aback. The girl was unstable. She looked horrible, traumatized.
" He wanted m-me to do it..."
Snape stayed silent and listened, a hint of a worried expression on his face. The girl was in her own world. She wasn't talking about Filch.
"And - and then he wanted me to follow him."
"He - he wanted me to kill myself along with him..." she choked, pain in her whole being.
"He was in so much pain!" she let out a loud sob and held her face in her hands. Her body rattled without end as she cried.
"I killed him..."
Eirian stopped crying and was quiet.
She had calmed down.
But then the storm came,
"NO! NO!" she screamed and grabbed her hair.
"NO! AGGGHH! NO!"
Professor Snape grabbed her to try to keep her still.
"NATHAN!" she sobbed, looking down.
"Nathan...!"
Clenching his teeth, Professor Snape entered her mind, for, at that moment, she was vulnerable and her mind was weak.
" Legilimens!"
"---, let's leave together." the boy said once their torturers had left the room .
" You know there's no way to escape, Nathan. Do you want to be tortured like the last time we tried?" Eirian sighed as she lay next to him on the ground.
"No, there is a way to escape, ---. I've found a way." he said in his hallow voice as he stared at the ceiling.
Eirian turned her head painfully to face him. Her eyes were hallow and dark. She was emaciated and dying.
"How?" she asked.
There was a peaceful silence before he answered.
" Kill me, ---."
She merely looked at him with no emotion and waited for him to explain, although she knew he wanted to keep it short and simple.
"I can't take it anymore. I'm losing it."
He turned his head to face her, his eyes desperate, " You can't allow me to tell them where my brothers and parents are! If this goes on any longer, I might sell them out, ---."
His eyes glossed over slightly.
" You can't allow me to do that, so please...! Let's leave together!"
There was a short silence as she contemplated.
"... Alright, Nathan. Let's leave together."
She sat up with difficulty.
" Use this. " he said relieved and handed her a broken, but repaired wand.
As she took it and glanced over to him, she could see he was at peace.
She wasn't going to question his decision.
" I can't use magic. " she stated bluntly.
"Try it. Say : Avada Kedavra."
She pointed the wand to him.
"I'll see you at the other side, ---."
She looked at him for a moment and he at her.
"Avada Kedavra."
A green light shot towards him and he jolted and spun viciously through the room, before coming to a stop in the middle.
Her heart raced as she went over to him. She hadn't expected it to work.
She bent down and whispered to him, "Nathan? ", but there was no answer.
She didn't bother to feel his pulse as she looked at his pale grey face and staring eyes.
She lay down next to him and stared at the ceiling. She was all alone now.
"Nathan, I'm sorry. I didn't plan on following you."
She faced his staring eyes, which had become black-brownish over the passed few hours. Tache noire eyes.
"I still have something to live for."
The scene changed to where two black figures were looming over her, arguing about her actions.
They screamed "crucio" into the night.
It was only after the night's nightmare that she realised that Nathan was no longer with her. Guilt filled her whole being and savored on her pain.
She looked down at her hands. She screamed and tears ran down her pale skin. No sound came out.
Eirian was unmoving like she had been when Professor Snape had found her.
He felt something like a heartache pinch his heart.
Her hallow, cold eyes moved slowly onto his,"I trust this will stay confidential, Professor?" she asked calmly.
He stared at her with a frown for a moment, before answering, " Yes. That will be best. But do not seek my assistance when you are caught for this action in the future. Professor Dumbledore has requested you in his office. I trust you know where that is by now."
Eirian got up to leave, but caught Professor Snape's glance at the ring on her deformed and injured finger.
She quickly hid her hand and they looked each other in the eyes for a brief moment.
She departed.
He was left with a confused expression on his face. The ring definitely held dark magic.
And her green eyes... They were green like hers.
~
Eirian sat in front of Dumbledore, looking down at her lap. She was extremely ashamed.
"Eirian," he finally broke the uncomfortable silence."I think it best that you start attending your classes next week."
He grabbed a candy from a plate and offered her some. She shook her head.
"You know what they say : If you look for trouble, it will come to you."
He looked at her earnestly, "Don't trust just anyone, Eirian. You should know that better than most."
She looked up at him, "Yes, Professor, I do."
He paused and nodded and then continued, " Professor Snape has informed me via owl that you seem to be wearing quite a peculiar ring. If I am not mistaken, it seems a ring box has been found at the scene of Argus's assault."
He held out his hand," May I have a look?"
She reluctantly put her hand on the table.
" It doesn't want to come off. "
Dumbledore looked troubled as he examined the ring and her finger.
The area surrounding the rose-gold ring was bloody red, purple and even white. It looked horrible, but the girl didn't even seem to care about the wound.
Dumbledore frowned as he read the inscriptions on the ring. It was very old magic, he was sure. But even he didn't know of the inscribed spell.
He sighed, " Where did you acquire this ring?"
She looked down without replying.
"Eirian, you must tell me. This artefact could pose a worse threat to you in the future. And not only you, but to those around you as well."
"It's..." she sighed, "from a store in Knockturn Alley."
"Borgin and Burkes." Dumbledore muttered. "I'll speak to Professor Snape about this matter. You should get treated and rest in the meantime."
As she got up to leave and neared the door, she turned around, "I'm really sorry for what I've done, Professor."
"Ah, Eirian, it not to me that you should apologize. Rather..."
"Am I in trouble..., Professor?" she asked anxiously.
"I cannot say you are not. You do realise you have wronged, however, your actions cannot go unpunished."
his spectacles glinted in the moonlight coming from the windows.
"Right...Goodnight, Professor."
"Goodnight, Eirian. And remember, we are here if you need someone to consult. You are not alone."
She turned as she felt tears stinging her eyes and a knot forming in her throat and she held her breath as she left the room and went down the spiral of stairs.
The truth was, she was so used to being punished with pain that she would lose weight stressing about getting in trouble.
She needed time to get used to the new environment.
~
Attending class for the first time, she wore plain black robes and hugged her potion books to her chest.
It made her feel like an outsider, the fact that she hadn't been sorted yet.
The students stared at her as she stood in the front of the class, looking for an open bench, but finding none.
No one knew of anything she had done wrong yet, so why were they looking at her like that?
"Miss Onyx," a voice behind her drawled, " take, your, seat."
She glanced behind her to see Professor Snape staring at her with cold, dark and intimidating eyes. Seems like he had forgotten all about her whole tantrum the other day.
She felt a chill go down her spine as she quickly scanned the classroom for an empty bench.
When she saw one, she quickly made her way to it and sat down.
It was only now that she realised that there was a familiar Gryffindor sitting next to her.
It was Harry Potter. He glanced at her in a strange knowing matter, before facing the front of the class.
" Today you will be working in pairs of two to brew the Wiggenweld Potion. Open your textbooks on page 32. The precise instructions are on the board. You have until the end of class."
Eirian turned to Potter, "I'll get all the ingredients, you can get the cauldron."
"Right." he nodded and they both set off along with the other students.
As she returned and placed the hoards of ingredients on the bench, Potter, who had already placed the cauldron on the flame, turned to her, "Have you got them all? You didn't check the ingredient list."
" Don't worry, I have made a similar potion before and I have already gone through the textbook. And, besides, you have made this potion in your first year, haven't you?"
" Well, yes... I'm Harry Potter, by the way. We have met before, can you remember?"
" Yes, in the courtyard. I'm Eirian Onyx. It's nice to meet you. "
They briefly shook hands.
" We should get started now. We don't have much time left. " Eirian encouraged and they began.
They were a great team. As she stirred and managed the heat, Potter added the needed ingredients and then she would add the ingredients on her side and they would switch posts. It all happened naturally and she felt they got along pretty well. They even joked now and then, making Professor Snape glance in their direction with an intimidating stare.
The only problem was that Potter was prone to mistakes and she had to correct him many times. He had almost ruined the potion - twice!
As the students all started finishing, Professor Snape got up from his desk and strolled down the rows with his hands behind his back in a serious manner.
"Miss Brown, if you were to drink this abominable mess of squandered ingredients, you will surely not live long enough to see the outcome. Twenty points from Gryffindor." he said with irritation.
The girl squeaked nervously and shrunk into herself, tears lining her chubby cheeks.
A repulsive look came over his face as he stopped at his next victim," Mr. Finnigan, I advise you not to show up for class if you are going to aimlessly struggle following instructions like some feebleminded toddler. Twenty points from Gryffindor."
Seamus Finnigan turned to his friends behind him as Snape walked on, "Bloody hell, what's his problem?"
"SILENCE!" Snape snapped.
"Detention. My office."
No one dared to make a single noise as he continued to make his way down the rows.
He finally stopped in front of the bench where Potter and Eirian sat. He glanced between them, examining them, as if searching for something.
"Mr. Potter..." he spat.
"I see, unlike yourself, you have managed to spare your potion from blemishes and refrained yourself from blowing the whole class to shreds. Must, be, luck."
he snarled and turned to Eirian.
" Miss Onyx..."
But he turned and returned to his desk before criticizing her and dismissed the class.
"Onyx, to my desk." he said simply, not even looking up from his work.
Harry and Eirian greeted as the students all left the room. Eirian stood waiting in front of Snape's desk.
After the classroom was completely empty, Professor Snape still didn't look up from his work and ignored her as if she wasn't there.
A few minutes passed like that.
"Uhm... Professor?" she finally broke the silence.
She had been contemplating about the matter for quite a while now and a nervous pit filled her stomach as she finally did something.
He placed his quill down and folded his hands together.
He was serious.
" Not only did you duel before even arriving at Hogwarts, but you have also hospitalized one of the staff only a few weeks into the school year."
His stare was intense and dark , as if it could penetrate your very soul. As if he could see right through you.
But how and when on earth did they find out about the duel on the train?
" Do you have anything to say for yourself?!" he snapped.
"I assure you, that if your punishment were up to me, I would have you out of this school." he said harshly, "Immediately."
" But, as Headmaster will have it, you will be serving detention with chosen Professors for the next month."
Eirian's face paled. A MONTH?! Well... It was understandable, but they still had no right to do with her as they pleased. They have never done anything for her to have that right.
But she stayed silent. This was Professor Snape she was talking to...
"Sit." he ordered her, gesturing to a chair next to him at the side of the desk.
She did so and he ordered her to show him the ring that had burned into her bone. It was a part of her now. Ancient magic had done that.
He held her wrist firmly and examined the ring with a frown.
"Are you aware of the punishment if you were to be found with a dark artefact, no less than wearing one, Onyx?"
" No, Professor..."
"I wouldn't have expected you to. Did you buy this from the said store, or was it given to you?"
"It was given to me... Why?"
He dismissed her question and continued on, "How feebleminded can one be...?"
She felt something rising in her as the insult hit her, but she stayed silent.
"We will further the matter with this ring this following month. You may remove yourself from my class."
Just as she was about to stand up, however, the Professor stopped her by her wrist.
" What is your prescription for this wound?" he asked, seeing that the burn marks on her finger had almost healed.
" Madam Pomfrey didn't prescribe me anything. She doesn't know of this injury."
"Then...?"
" I made an Advanced Healing Potion. She taught me how to make it."
Snape simply looked at her, a glint of surprise in his eyes, before turning back to his work and dismissing her.
_______________________________________
Did you know?
Torture survivors
are more likely to suffer
from depression, anxiety,
insomnia, PTSD and many
other mental illnesses.
Auther's note :
Hello, Readers!
I just want to make it known
that I DO NOT want to promote
torture or abuse with this or
any of my other chapters.
Stay safe, everyone!