Life went on as smoothly as it could- with it being her life.
Ginny made seeker, much to Lena's relief (so she didn't have to try out), and she kept her normal schedule for the next week, spending her nights either in Marvolo and Riddle's arms or helping students with their homework.
Except, with every detention, her forearm got worse, the cuts deeper, and Umbridge didn't stop because of a bit of blood- just putting a tray under her arm so she wouldn't get it on the lace. Lena was meticulous about using cleaning charms at the end of detentions, knowing that so much fresh blood was just asking to be taken advantage of by some potion or dark ritual.
The students were slowly driving Umbridge crazy, the Slytherins starting with drawing crude things on her kitten plates and changing the color of her pink robes whenever they could, and the other houses quickly caught on and joined in on the fun.
The other teachers looked the other way, obviously not fans of Umbridge, and Severus especially had no problem crucifying her for her slips of the tongue when she got irritated.
And yet... the woman, as she heard, didn't do anything but lecture the students in detention and give them normal (if not tedious) detentions.
Nicolas and Perenelle,
I have a minor problem, but I swear I have good reasoning behind it and ask you to please not try to meddle or tell anyone- as that would cause problems in my plan.
Do you know of a good healing spell or two that would maybe help with curse wounds? Even a book title or a suggestion of an author would be nice.
I do have access to the restricted section, after all, and might need it.
Thanks,
Lena.
Lena, dear,
Nick and I both think you should go to Severus or Dumbledore, but will not interfere without knowing the whole story.
As for the book, I included a few old healing spells but it depends on what type of curse magic you're dealing with.
For the more touchy magics that won't heal with any of the spells, I would use murtlap essence.
Hope you're doing well,
Perenelle
Lena found herself in the Chamber of Secrets, the locket and ring (formerly cup) laying on the sofa as she floated in the clear pool of water and tried to forget about how her arm was stinging. She'd tried six different spells before finally just soaking her arm in murtlap essence and she felt like her whole arm was throbbing in protest.
But that was okay because she deserved this for being a monster- wasn't that what the Matron used to say?
And anyone who had even the slightest blood on their hands was a monster- a sinner.
Lena had long been so very stained with the blood dripping from her hands.
A catfish moved to nibble at her toes and she closed her eyes, sinking into the water, letting out the air from her lungs until her mind cleared and she couldn't hear a single thing. Staying under as long as she could by weighing herself down with her magic like a rock on her chest, she would break the surface and float until she got her breath back, then sink back to the dark watery abyss.
Sometimes her lungs would hurt, but it was something to keep her mind off where her arm was still bleeding sluggishly.
Her eyes stared up at the chalky white stone of the Chamber's ceiling.
How had she gotten here, protecting a whole school of students- half of which were older than her- from something she still had to suffer.
Not that she had a problem with suffering a bit, but this was wholly past staying up late to comfort her snakes... this was more than 'a bit'.
Who was she anymore?
A few years ago and she wouldn't have lifted a finger to go this far out of her way to protect those not of her court, much less of another house... so when had she changed?
It must have been around the same time that the Hufflepuffs stayed with them and she'd talked them through nightmares too, seeing the other house as something closer to her own snakes instead of rivals must have helped this strange transition.
Closing her eyes, she could hear Miss Stacy's words in her head from the beginning of her third year: "Does everyone have to like you, Lena? Is that mandatory now? Can't you focus on your friends and just ignore the others?"
And...
And she had listened.
She'd started to ignore all those who didn't like her, only going out of her way to be spiteful when they directly came at her or her own. Maybe that was where this came from. She'd stopped seeing everyone around her as enemies, instead just seeing them as blank slates until they either got on her good or bad side. And with that, had come this tentative acceptance of the other houses.
Because kids were all worth the extra effort, not just the broken ones.
:Heiress is hurt and bleeding into the pond... why?:
Lena's eyes fell open, smiling at the basilisk that curled into the water, scales brushing over her bare skin. :I'm protecting the school from an evil witch, Delphi. And no, you can't help or I'm afraid that this time the fools won't leave you in peace:
Head resting on the ledge of the pool, watching her, the snake blinked slowly. :Heiress has until Ostara, or Delphi will kill the witch in revenge for hurting you.:
:Very well. I do not think my plan will take that long.:
:Who is the witch that hurt Heiress?:
She sighed, wondering how to describe the woman to the Basilisk, knowing a name wouldn't help the snake. :She wears all bright pink, has a face like a toad, and I imagine she would probably smell a bit like poisoned sugar.:
:Delphi will keep watch for the poisonous toad.:
Swimming a bit longer, she finally got out and spelled herself dry, dressing quickly before putting back on the locket and ring.
Laying down, she fell back into her mindscape.
They were in her room back at Severus' house, Marvolo laying out across the bed and Riddle sitting in a chair by the corner. The elder of the two looked up from where he was sprawled out, pouting. "What was that for? You woke up and just decided to take us off?"
"I was swimming."
Amusement and understanding flashed across Riddle's face but he stayed silent as Marvolo frowned. "So?"
Lena smirked and moved to lay down in the sliver of space on the bed. "So I don't have a swimsuit and the only one in the Chamber is Delphi."
"You-" Marvolo blinked, brain seeming to short-circuit, and she heard Riddle laugh softly from behind her. "When you want to swim you just... swim nude?"
"Well, it's not like Delphi ever complains, though sometimes it's a bit strange when she tries to wrap me in her scales." Chuckling softly at the boy's wide eyes, she nudged his side. "Stop being so weirded out- It is a new era- plus, I wouldn't do it if I knew someone could walk in on me. The only other parseltongue I know is Voldemort and he wouldn't dare come to Hogwarts with Severus on a war-path."
Marvolo rolled his eyes, moving onto his side and putting his head up to rest on his palm. "You never know..."
"Scoot over." Riddle poked at her back and then sat near the headboard when she rolled over into Marvolo, closing his eyes as if he was tired even if he still had one of the book-memories in hand. "Are you going to tell anyone about the blood quill anytime soon?"
She wiggled back so she was closer to him, pressing her forehead against his leg and closing her eyes, voice soft as he brought a hand up to play with her hair. "Not yet, dear, but I am sure that the toad will slip up soon enough... don't worry about me, I've had worse."
Marvolo sighed and put an arm around her waist. "That shouldn't matter... You shouldn't have to deal with this at all."
Humming softly, she didn't say anything else, basking in the warmth surrounding her.
It was with what looked like great pain that Blaise put down a newspaper in front of her when she got to lunch. "We might have a problem."
Lena took on look at the title- MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER "HIGH INQUISITOR" - and started to read, her scowl growing deeper as she did. When she was done with the paper she cast a glance to the Head Table, locking eyes with Dumbledore himself.
Tilting her head to the doors of the Great Hall, the man nodded and stood, walking out of the hall at a slow pace. She then stood a moment later, squeezing Blaise's shoulder lightly, and started after the Headmaster.
She caught up to him on the stairs. "She's going to try to oust you, isn't she?"
"I am afraid so, my dear girl." The old man sighed, waving her up to his office after him, the twinkle fading fully from his eyes when the door was shut behind them and he sat down heavily in his chair. "I fear there is little I can do in this position, as Fudge is watching me closely, but will you do me one favor?"
Lena nodded silently, not liking the tiredness in the blue eyes.
"Will you come to me if any of the students are injured or in trouble?"
"Of course I will."
There was no pause, no hesitation.
Riddle took a cajoling tone to his voice. "Now would be a good time to tell him, dear..."
I said student, didn't I? And technically, I am part of the staff.
She ignored the identical huffs that got, smiling at Dumbledore mischievously. "No pain lasts forever, my friend. And as I am sure you understand, all pawns have their flaws, and sometimes if played upon, one can get straight to the king for a quick and effortless beheading."
"Hence why I don't play chess with you." But the old Headmaster was smiling. "Very well then, go plot your trouble out of my sight so I do not know about it. Plausible deniability and all the other things the children say these days."
"For your trust and patience." Setting down a peppermint before the man, she went to rejoin her snakes for lunch.
She was bombarded with whispered questions from her court as soon as she retook her seat- everything from 'are we going to let Umbridge get away with this' to 'what did Dumbledore say' fired at her until she held up a hand.
"Please, calm down. Breathe for a moment and let me explain myself. Dumbledore is under scrutiny from Fudge, who thinks him trying to stage a coup of some kind, so he is limited to his action while Umbridge is abusing her power at the Ministry. However, I do have a plan already set up and the noose just has yet to tighten around the toad's neck. The most important thing here though is that everyone trying to drive her crazy does so very covertly."
Even if her plan was in motion, she still didn't want anyone getting hurt.
Theodore and Daphne looked at each other, before looking back at her. "But we're still allowed to prank her?"
Lena grinned slightly. "Of course. I would not dare spoil your sabotage date-nights."
Both of them flushed slightly and looked away, Draco and Blaise making faces as Ginny giggled and elbowed Daphne playfully.
"Speaking of dates... How is Charles, Draco?" She enjoyed the flush on the boy's face as he shrugged, munching on a bagel while she smirked slightly.
"Both our parents don't approve- or, well, Black doesn't but the other two seem alright with it... My mother is surprisingly supportive, but father thinks I'm a disgrace to the Malfoy name, having feelings for-..." He drifted off, not meeting her eyes.
"What an ugly man, keeping his son from love..."
Riddle snorted softly. "Since when did you care about that? I distinctly remember us telling Walburga and Orion not to come within six feet of us because they 'would infect us with such disgusting feelings.'"
Marvolo huffed. "First of all, they were cousins and it disgusted us, as I am sure you remember. Second... that was before Lena."
"How hypocritical nonetheless."
"Yeah well, you seem quite attached too, git."
"Buffoon."
"Moron."
Ignoring the two consciousness parts bickering, she held out her hand, she took Draco's wrist and gently turned it so she could see his bracelet.
Love is strongest in times of need, you will get through this.
Her smile was soft. "It's not wrong. A good friend and wise man told me recently that nothing is black or white and if Fate has a plan, it will happen... Just try not to hurt him, or I will skin you, friend or not."
Draco nodded hastily, but something in his eyes seemed to have been put at ease. "I don't- I won't hurt Charlie."
"Good. Even if not my family, he is still my blood... and a sweet kid at that."
The next day Lena's arm was once again laid flat over a tray, sleeves rolled up past her elbow, and rivulets of blood rolled down her skin the more she wrote.
Umbridge, seeing as last Friday she'd had to provide a blood-replenishing potion when Lena had gotten quite dizzy and almost sick, had decided in all her 'goodwill' only to make her write a hundred lines.
And write she did.
Without much pause between lines, she wrote until her right hand cramped and her left arm stung as if the words were being carved into her very soul.
But she could multitask, hence why she spoke up softly. "You must've thought of being a Death Eater, all your sadism and cruelty wrapped up in a nice little bow... after all, you were a student when the Dark Lord was rising into power... so why not?"
"Not that a pretty little girl like you would know anything about this, but I wasn't 'Queen of Slytherin'. I didn't have a court or such a pretty little face like you do to ease my way in school. I had to work hard without cheating or bribing people with my fame." Umbridge gave her a sickly sweet smile. "So I took power for myself instead of power under someone else... but I bet you would have been like that pretty bitch- Bellatrix- hanging off You-Know-Who like some cheap bint."
Something dark twisted in her stomach at that thought.
"I doubt that he even noticed her, in the state he was in by the time all his positive emotions were removed. Plus if there's anything we all knew, it was that Blacks are good for nothing but trouble." Marvolo mused.
"Indeed."
Feeling comforted by that, if for a reason she wouldn't touch anytime soon, she looked blankly at Umbridge. "Oh, no, I wouldn't have been a Death Eater. No, I think I would have been much like you in a way, just without the torture of minors... and the ugly squished face you have."
"Keep writing, Farland." Umbridge snarled, turning back to her papers.
Bounding down the streets of Hogsmeade with Draco and Daphne chasing her, she laughed brightly, having found a spell that would switch two people's hair and thoroughly annoyed the two hair-snobs. Skidding into the Hogs Head, she turned and reversed the spell, casting a thick shield to absorb the hexes sent her way. "See? Good exercise and spell practice, though your stunning spells could use some better aim, Daph."
Reaching up to huff and fix her hair, the girl sneered at her in a way that she knew wasn't actually real. "Menace."
"'Course she is. Little Lena's been a damn menace from before she first set foot in my bar." Aberforth clapped her shoulder as he passed by, moving behind the bar "Now if you troublemakers 're done trying to curse the socks off each other, you wanna sit down?"
Grinning and tossing three galleons on the scratched-up bar, Lena took a seat on one of the spinny bar-stools. "Six Butterbeers, good sir."
Abe snorted at her but moved to get the drinks ready, the other three walking into the pub and sitting down in a nearby booth.
Blaise eyed them. "Looks like there was no rush after all. Theo was worried you'd mess up and get hit with something, accidentally killing someone in your rage at having not been perfect for once." Theo snorted and then Blaise grinned. "Oh- sorry, no- it was I that was worried."
"How little you think of me." She pouted slightly. "I would never mess up like that in such a mundane setting, nor would I kill someone accidentally- for me to kill someone I would have to want to do such a thing."
Ginny furrowed her eyebrows. "But you said that one time with the guy in the alley was-..." Then a flash of realization passed over her face, glancing at Theo. "And with..."
Theo nodded, as he knew already that his grandfather's death had been no accident.
"Kid." She spun on her seat to look to where Abe was leaning on the bar, six mugs of Butterbeer in front of him. The man raised an eyebrow. "How's my brother? I hear Fudge is going after him pretty hard and I know he's been tired for a long while."
"Oh, he's positively colorblind and slightly delusional as usual... but not to worry, as I have no intention of losing Gramps to some stupid bowling ball with the mental capacity of a walnut."
Wheezing, Abeforth patted her head. "You're a good kid Farland, but get off my barstool- you're scaring off the partons."
Rolling her eyes, because she had it on good authority that half the patrons thought she was 'adorable', she flicked her wrist to levitate the Butterbeers over to the table.
An arm caught her around the waist as she slid off the barstool, spinning her around and a hand caught her left wrist, Vivaldi grinning toothily at her. "Injured are we?" The pupils of the vampires' eyes expanding until there was no white left in the black, his grip tightened on her wrist, stretching her arm out so he could run his nose along the inside of her forearm. "You smell... divine."
"Kill him."
"I agree. Behead him- he doesn't deserve to touch you."
Lena looked up at the vampire, eyes cold. "I will give you ten seconds to release me and walk away or you'll regret it, Vivaldi."
"Now why... would I do that?" Pitch black eyes stared at her, pointed fangs moving to graze her wrist. "You're the one who came in here, bleeding so sweetly- you were practically asking for it."
"Lena. Stop playing and get away from him."
Yes, alright.
Pushing the vampire away with a wave of magic, ignoring the cut on her wrist his teeth made, she kicked him in the crotch and then dug her wand into his throat when he bent over. Watching him freeze, she pushed him up slightly with her wand tip, leaning forward to whisper in his ear icily. "All that time concealing my injury, being meticulous about wrapping it and making sure not to show any tells that it hurt... and then you ruin that for me... how lenient do you think I am feeling?" She let her voice drop into a sibilant hiss, knowing that he couldn't understand her but that it would make her point. :My dears think I should kill you... What do you think?:
"I-" The man was frozen, voice strangled with something close to awe but not far from terror. "I'm sorry... please..."
Pulling away, she looked into his wide eyes that were human once more, pushing her magic into her own eyes until they glowed a bright cruel red color and the man flinched. "You are lucky I am forgiving, but you should remember who I am before you try to put your hands on me again."
"Y-yes, my lady..."
Moving to collect a small bead of her blood that was on his lip, she pulled away, licking the drop of blood off her finger and sending a pulse of magic to the cut on her arm so it healed. She stowed her wand away. "Get out of my sight now and maybe I will find the leniency in my heart to one day talk to you again."
Within one second and the next, he was gone.
"I'm going to marry you." Marvolo sounded as if he had stars in his eyes. "Lena Farland, will you marry me?"
I don't think I can marry someone without a body.
"She has a good point." She knew Riddle was grinning.
"Shut up, you."
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, she looked out across the still pub that was watching her and narrowed her eyes, everyone immediately going back to doing their own thing. Turning after a long second, she sat down heavily next to Theo. "Stupid vampires. One scratch and they decide to attack you."
Theo and Blaise traded looks, Draco and Daphne frowning- as they probably all knew that bloodlust like that was only activated if the target was badly injured- but Ginny just cleared her throat and looked her over levelly. "You're okay then?"
"Yes. I am fine."
"Liar." Both the voices in her head said at the same time, in the same mocking tone.
Quiet loves, I am playing a game of patience. A long game.
Nodding, Ginny took a drink of her Butterbeer and then started to talk about going to the small chocolate shop down the road after they finished their drinks, the others slowly taking the hint and joining in on the other conversation.
But she still felt their eyes following her all day, knowing they noticed now how she didn't use her left arm as much.
And she knew that she would have to deal with the situation when it came up or risk her own life and magic.
~~~
A/N: Hey 😊 I hope you're all having happy holidays? Merry winter? Cheerful time-where-the-sun-has-left-the-northern-hemisphere-in-darkness-and-snow? That's good, you deserve a good end to this year.
I know that some might not agree with the way I'm taking this story, trust me, I've heard it ad nauseam- so I'm here to politely remind whoever needs to hear it that though I greatly appreciate all the comments I get, I'm not going to rewrite my story because a few people don't like what I chose to do with it. 💕 Please drink water, un-clench your jaw... and I'll see you around! 💖