Disclaimer: No I don't own Harry Potter etc. J K Rowling does. Elianne is my own character though. And the poetry is definitely mine, and only mine.
Author's Note: this is the sequel to one of my other Harry Potter fanfics, 'fathers daughter', you are HIGHLY advised to read that before this, otherwise the following wont make one bit of sense. Also apologies for any mistakes in this chapter relating to police procedure, I don't really have a clue about it. A second apology that this has taken so long to get posted - I've had serious computer problems for the last 2 months.
I hope everyone reading enjoys the chapter and as always I appreciate reviews and like to know what you all think of it. Another quick note to say that this is posted on both schnoogle and fanfiction.net, incase you prefer to read one format over the other.
Chapter 5
"To Find Oneself"
~
I went to the camps, left all empty
Ghosts long gone or waiting far beneath
A personal hell forgotten, a new torture renewed
But listless as I felt it was towards those left
They were who I sought and I found them
Mouths and hearts open, not as much as before
All broken and torn; repeating their story
I went on from them dazed over in the rest of the day
A sickly honey glaze of history
The one not in the textbooks nor like on TV
I saw the fear and regret
The scars in the voice, from the brain
The memories that they could not leave behind as simply as those terrored places
I sadly agreed, nodding in a desolate way
So glad it wasn't, hoping it wouldn't ever be again
And crying sometimes, years after
When I see the hope fractured by the news
Happening there and there, and there
Disguised and called differently
Not seen but still ever same in the care
That it's only the hate and no compassion
Fuelling wrongs done in the name of a right
~
Sirens blared out through the misty graveyard. Police and ambulance lights flashed in the not so far distance.
Infront of a nearby headstone lay a teenage boy, his side bleeding.
She found it strange that the authorities had turned up so soon, especially when she'd been thinking a few minutes ago that she really needed help, but it was more likely that it was merely coincidence; that someone in the area, as sparse as it was with housing, had heard the gunshots of the warring gangs of adolescents.
She felt like she needed to help the boy somehow. Yet she wasn't sure what to do, she had power but to use it felt wrong, like she wasn't sure how it would work, if it would heal him or if she was imagining it all.
It could have been luck that got her out of the way as she'd run effortlessly through the rows, missed by all the shots fired in her direction. Or it could have been that the stupid boys didn't know what they were doing and were just as bad shots as there were about commonsense - that they even had a gun in England was odd. And now she was sure she was in England, she'd heard their shouts as they chased each other.
She stood dazed as the police and emergency workers fanned in around her. Half the cars that had shown up had trailed back to find the suspects who'd fled on foot.
She stayed put even as they came up to her. She was surrounded by a blanket and lead away to a car, an officer talking to her as they moved, asking about what had happened.
She smiled a little at this because what she wanted was to ask the questions, to find out who she was. Surely they'd know, they'd return her to her home.
++++
#Elianne#
Elianne skeetered along back to the dorm, she'd been so happy to hear she'd got a new owl. Noone had sent her any for ages despite her prolific writing to family, penfriends and Snape.
And it was Snape who had finally answered her several owls.
The letter was short and blunt, warning her not to talk to anyone about his tuition on her matter and instructing her on a few simple exercises she could do on her own until his return. She was put off only by a slightly snide remark about her fathers talent or lack of in occlumency. Elianne frowned at it but chose to ignore it and move on. It seemed Snape's tolerance of Potters extended solely to her, after three generations it had finally worn off atleast a little.
The last few paragraphs were of much more interest though. She'd become increasingly worried about Cassandra, and Snape after a four letters in a week had got back to her on the issue, telling her what she'd hoped not to hear. "I have as of yet not informed Cassandra of her heritage relating to the Snape family," and here was where it got more interesting "however, it was brought to my attention she visited her great-great-aunt, and her relations in the summer, who happens to be another woman who married out of the Snape name, a sister of Casseral. Therefore it may be right to assume she is aware of Casseral's true position in the family and perhaps more of her family history."
Elianne's heart sank, if Cassie knew about her knowing then she'd be in trouble, this meant she had to keep her mouth shut on the subject until Cassie revealed the facts herself. Harder said than done.
The next part was more promising, Professor Snape's answer to Cassandra's strange behaviour - to check up for signs and ways of possession or encharming.
Her mind automatically thought of Cassie's new ring, it looked old and possibly suspicious and more importantly was new to her. Did it have something to do with the Snape's? Had her relative done something sinister to her?
Elianne intended to find out, which was why she headed straight to the great hall to recruit her partner in the plot - Lucretia.
~
The hall was mostly empty at this late hour in the morning, with the time perilously close to that of first lesson.
Elianne knew Lucretia would be here, she wasn't much of a morning person and a late or leisurely breakfast was her style. Sure enough Lucretia sat alone, as one of only four Ravenclaws on the whole table.
Elianne thanked the fact the other three were first years, sitting in a little hustle at the other end of the table, about as far away as to not be able to hear their conversation.
"El"
"Luce"
They exchanged smooth, cold greetings in an almost business like manner, Lucretia knew something was going on and left the chitchat out of talk.
She simply stated "Cassandra."
To which Elianne nodded mutely as she sat down opposite.
She hunched over towards Lucretia, arms folded resolutely. "I think its the ring. Proffessor Snape said we should look for signs of possession, and I'm sure it has something to do with it. An enchantment, a link - whatever it is its changing her. We need to get it off her, the question is how?"
Lucretia took a thoughtful munch on her piece of toast, her eyes looked upwards into space as she pondered.
After a few quiet seconds she placed the toast back down on the plate. "I think I have a plan".
"You do?" elianne's eyebrow quirked upwards questionningly.
Lucretia looked a tad insulted but quickly answered rather superiorly
"Don't look so surprised, I'm not a Ravenclaw for nothing you know."
###
Leander meandered around the corridor, pretending to read the school notices. He wasn't quite sure why he'd let Flora talk him into doing this. Or why Flora had let Lucretia talk her into it. He had a nagging feeling they, meaning all the girls - cassandra's friends that is,were only doing this out of jealousy; that they were getting nervous over the way cassandra was acting. Personally he didn't see much wrong with it, she was more confident but usually that was good for a person. They only remote reason he could think of as good to do this was to get Flora off his back, he didn't too much like his girlfriend moaning at him constantly.
He heard footsteps and quickly purused the board, looking to be reading a general notice posted by Filch relating to owls in the corridors. The footsteps sounded light and quick and ended abruptly next to him.
He glanced sideways, seeing Cassandra standing there, arms folded behind her back girlishly, her whole body bobbing up and down from tiptoe to feet flat on the floor as she excitedly hummed a sweet melody.
It struck him that he didn't quite know what to do now.
He felt anxious in her prescence, twice as much knowing that he was being watched by the others.
His eyes moved to her ring and she noticed immediately and proudly held her hand out, pouting as she said "Do you like it?"
He stuttered his best answer, "Of course, its really... great"
He tried to smile, weakly, it came out forced and overenthusiatic.
But this didn't put Cassandra off, and he hazarded another question.
"Can I see it? I was just wondering what it's made of."
She smiled rather seductively at him but complied with his request by taking the ring off.
She dropped it in his hand. He studied it a moment, waiting for her hand to drop back to her side, before he siezed his best opportunity and yelled, throwing it in the direction of the tapestry behind him. Where Lucretia and co. popped out, all of their hands scrambling to catch the ring. It was Dido who caught it and subsequently it was Dido who met with a rugby tackle to the ground from a more than unsettled Cassy who'd realised what was going on.
There were a few moments of confusion and screeching from the bundle of Dido and Cassy, before the rest of the group including Leander struggled to remove the infuriated girl from her friend who grasped the ring tightly in her now bleeding hands.
Cassy huffed loudly and blew her ruffled hair from her face as Leander held her back by the arms. "What the hell are you doing? That's my ring, my father gave it to me."
Dido was on the verge of tears and everyone else was stunned into silence.
Cassy glared at them all, waiting for something to be said.
"It was my mothers. Give it back to me now, and maybe I might speak to you in a months time; IF you have a good enough explanation for this...this......incident."
They exchanged looks, all wondering why nothing had changed. She was just as boisterous and demanding as she'd been the last several weeks..
Dido finally opened up her hands and held out the ring towards Cassy, noone else stopped her from doing so.
Cassy walked down the corridors, defiantly striding away in righteous anger.
When she was out of range Lucretia dared to speak.
"So much for that idea. I guess whatever ever it is is in her, not on her."
She looked around at the bewildered group, noone added anything to the conversation so she continued, asking generally rather than to any one of them "Question is what's in her?
#Harry#
Harry fidgeted, he hated waitng, he hated sitting in these bad seventies chairs and he hated having to come to these monthly meetings. The only good thing was that Ron and Ginny were there too, they were all rather unofficial members of the organisation - now part of the ministry - a subdepartment - yet more of an offshoot, independent for the most part. Ron of course actually was an official member, now ranking rather highly in, especially in Snape's absence.
Yet that was why they were here. Snape was back and there was something supposedly urgent that he had to report. Though Harry presumed it couldn't be that urgent if Snape wasn't on time to the report.
He was saying as much to Ron when Snape stalked through the door.
Ron stood up pronouncing a little too loudly, "Speak of the devil"
Snape scowled at this but got down to business immediately.
He stated all too bluntly for everyone's liking "We have a problem"
Ginny was the first to ask, "And? What is it? I thought you went to track down ... Tom Riddle. Why haven't you brought him back, I thought that was meant to be the condition of your return."
Even after years harry still sensed she had somewhat of a problem saying that name, the one that haunted her personally from her first year in the same manner the name Voldemort haunted the whole community.
Snape ignored her. Yet managed to answer her question indirectly. "We have a new problem"
Harry noticed the evident stress on new, which made him rather concerned.
"I followed Riddle to a hideaway, a dark moastery deep in the caves on the French border. There were but a few surviving khaeodrics there, they were keepers of the dark tomes, ancient scrolls that contain the prophecy that very almost came true. They made for interesting if not distrubing reading."
At this snape pulled up a display of the scrolls using his wand. Harry presumed it was from memory as it seemed fuzzy in places. However, the whole thing was lost on everyone except Snape as it was written in some other ancient language.
Snape stared at the room waiting for someone to say something, he seemed to get the point that no one could read it after a few mintuesof silence and rolled his eyes patronisingly at them all before launching into a lecture.
Noone was expecting what he said.
"The scrolls were in Ellyriac, an almost forgotten language. Half of it is lost to the ages, some of the previous keepers obviously not being too careful but what I read showed more than we previously thought existed of the prophecy. In other words it does not end with what happened several months ago."
"What?" Ginny nearly shrieked her question out in an angry fear "What do you mean by that? Is he dead or not, is Khaeos gone?"
Snape shot her an indignant look. "Khaeos never existed by all accounts, he did not merely die, such a thing does not apply to gods. They either are or are not."
"Then why didn't you just say he 'wasn't' instead of scaring us like that." Ginny glared back matching Snape's stare.
Harry shivered at it, she was the only one he'd ever seen who'd managed to do that.
He never remembered Ginny being anywhere remotely near as fierce as this to Snape back at school and wasn't sure what was going on between her and Snape now; why was there was a sudden hatred from her.
She'd been civil when she'd last attended a meeting with Snape, though that had been just before Hermione's death. Ginny didn't blame Snape did she? How could she? Harry didn't blame the man, only himself. Infact they'd been lucky to have Snape's services, not that there had been anything they'd could really do to defend against a god taking over their best friend.
Snape broke off the stare first and finally carried on talking.
"I did not find Riddle there when I arrived, though I am certain he was there and that he too knows what I know."
Ginny's harsh voice cut into Snape's monologue "Which is?"
Snape ignored Ginny's tone and spoke on, "There were two."
"Of what?" Ron asked, bemused.
Everyone turned back to Snape expexctantly, worry etched on their faces.
"The clue was in the scrolls, the word was wrongly translated. It was missing a vital letter, yet they schould have been able to interpret it correctly. It was plural, if they'd paid any attention to inflection of the word they'd have known it was despite the damage to it; however they didn't."
"Why has this only just come up?"
The voice came from the other corner of the room, where Harry noticed a silverhaired pale faced head floating in the fireplace. He'd nearly forgotten Draco Malfoy would be there; he'd been oppointed a place at Hogwarts and had also been covering Snape's Slytherin house duties recently. Since Snape was yet to return to Hogwarts properly, and this had been his first stop, it explained why Malfoy still couldn't attend in person.
"Mr. Malfoy, you should know very well why it has not. You were a spy for us after all. We only knew what you knew and you could only possibly know what the cult knew and clearly they did not realise. Furthermore the scroll describes one as good and one as bad."
Ron appeared quite panicked at the news. "But what does this mean? Who was which and where is the second one? Do they exist?"
Snape's face darkened at this.
"Most definitely. I met her. She arrived rather spectacularly at the cavess shortly after I did. She was there for the same reason I was. To find Riddle. She was a little surprised to meet me but didn't much care for company"
Ginny snorted before adding "Well, not many people do care for your kind of company, if you can call it that."
Harry was getting more and more confused by ginny's peculiar behaviour but focused on the meeting. He knew there was something important to this revelation.
"Why was she looking for Riddle?"
"He was a follower of her 'father', as she liked to refer to him. When I met her I got all the answers I ever needed about the conundrum of the scrolls. I don't really know which is which in reference to the scrolls - it can be interpreted either way. To the khaeodrics hermione would be the bad one, she destroyed them, but for us Victoria is the one we do not want around."
"Victoria?"
"It seems a fitting name, perhaps it is even her given one, she certainly believes she will be victorius. She is more powerful than I expected she might be, she cast a glamour over me, a seduction of a kind. It was as if I could only admire her blindly, her true nature shone through but I was unable to stop her from doing anything, unable to do anything against her. Looking at her was like seeing an angel, albeit a very dark wicked version."
"Like a fallen angel? She entranced you?" Ginny laughed manically, amused greatly by the idea. Noone else in the room was quite as entertained. Ginny noticed this and stifled her giggles, asking something to take her mind off of it. "Why did she let you go?"
Snape rather surprisingly blanched at the question.
"She said she'd be the death of me, just not today. It was my fortune that she didn't feel like killing me on the spot but she made clear that she would enjoy it next time the opportunity presents itself, or rather when she makes it happen. This would be what we have to deal with."
"How can we fight her?" queried Ron. Harry noticed Ron was sweating nervousness. The situation really got to him obviously. Harry didn't blame him though, it was Ron's department that would have to deal with Victoria if necessary.
And Harry no more liked Snape's answer than Ron did.
"We can't. Hermione had the power, now Hermione...is gone." snape seemed to pause and look at him unsurely as he said it.
Harry turned away, he didn't want Severus Snape's pity on the matter. It unsettled him to know that Snape most likely knew exactly why it would hurt him, that Snape had probably seen the inklings of feelings for Hermione before Harry had when he'd probed Harry's mind in the occlumency training in his fifth year. It seemed so long ago but Harry had not forgotten and neither was it likely Snape had.
Fortunately Snape didn't pause for long before he continued "When she destroyed Khaeos she created a power vacuum. Which it turns out in this case is not a good situation, the power was free and there was another vessel for it on earth. Now Victoria has all the power she could want. The only person who could possibly be of help would be Hermione."
Harry sat there, not looking to the others as he spoke "Couldn't she bring hemrione back? Like hermione brought me back."
If harry had been looking he might have seen the look that went across snape's face for an instant, a recognition of pain and hope.
It was Draco who spoke back first "Why would she want to? She'd be an opponent"
Harry didn't really know why he said it, it was stupid. It was all he could think of, though rather appropriate given who he was talking to. "Maybe lifes no fun with competition."
Snape finally had something to say on the matter, "It is very unlikely."
Harry had almost known it was what Snape would say.
It was futile but he had to ask. "Could we trick victoria into doing it?"
At this Snape seemed to lose the little patience he had.
"You tell me Mr. Potter. You are the one grasping at straws."
Harry sank back inot the chair sullenly. Angry that snape was so dismissive of the idea, that he'd refuse the chance. It was possible, it didn't matter that it was what he wanted, it was still possible.
The conversation carried on as harry sat in the chair sulking in his own morbid way. Lingering on thoughts he knew very well he should have abandonned. He had to let go of the hope she was alive. He just wasn't ready to do it yet.
"So what do we do?" asked one of lower down members that Harry recognised as Lucetta.
"I have no idea. Wizards can not compete with this kind of power, of that I am sure. Our danger is that Vicotria is everything we could fear from one who takes the power of Khaeos. She wants it, she embraces it and she will use it. So far the only defense is avoiding her. Though I presume she will come to us, there is no way to stop her." Snape saw their defeated expressions and added "...as of yet"
This didn't do much to improve anyone's spirits, as they started to pack up.
"There is one other thing. The reason I am able to stand here today is because her spell was broken, by her servant. It would have made no difference except that I recognised her, it was Elizabeth Riddle.. She appeared to be in forced servitude and was not in very good health. Life isn't easy where she's been the last few months, though serving a demigod must be a pleasant repreive for her. I have duly informed the authorities of her escape though I do not believe we will be seeing her back in prison whilst she serves Victoria. This is barely of importance, it does however protect those who know her from falling into Victoria's entracement if she is around, which is most likely. It is but a small advantage we have. Dismissed"
#Ginny#
The meeting disbanded, with a dark mood settling over the offices. Ginny stood around waiting for Ron as he discussed strategy. Snape stood still arms braced formally behind his back..
She glared at him for the very fact he was there.
"What are you looking at miss weasley?"
"You." she replied curtly, "Infact I was wondering why you even went to find Riddle?"
"It was necessary to retrieve him and now he is no longer the great Voldemort I believed I was a fair match for him"
She stared at him in an appalled disbelief. "Is that really why? What, think you can tàke him now, as a childish vendetta. It should be about justice, not hate. We've had enough of that already. Or is it that you'll never rid yourself of it because you hate yourself for being taken in by him?"
Snape stormed out, not saying a thing back to her, but definetely infuriated by her words - his breathing ragged and eyes maddened. Not that Ginny cared.
"For once the sarcastic comments elude you, do they professor snape?" she murmered to herself, satisfied. She was glad he was gone, she didn't like to have to see him or to think of him. She wanted him out of her way, out of her thoughts. It was easier to hate him and drive him away, than to have to negotiate with him and tiptoe around hoping he'd be civil to her. Yes, much easier.
+++++
###
Julianne Raymond watched from across the station. Frank was taking the mystery womans fingerprints. Normally he'd take down details too but she claimed she didn't know anything about herself.
Julianne hadn't ever heard of anyone coming in with amnesia before, it was certainly known to be rare. Which was perhaps why some of the guys were rather suspicious of her.
She waited for Frank to finish, knowing that she had to question the woman shortly. As the only female officer on duty in the station her boss had felt she'd be better suited to ask the woman, that having another woman might make her more comfortable presuming she wasn't lying about not remembering.
Julianne sipped her coffee and watched another officer take the woman away.
On cue she slipped away, following after to the cell.
She entered and sat opposite the woman.
I'm Detective Raymond"
The women looked back at her in a friendly manner, not something Julianne was too used to.
She brushed her blonde hair off her face before asking her first question. "For the record, could you tell me who you are."
She pointed toward the microphone, indicating the woman should speak into it.
The woman paused uncertainly before replying rather sheepishly " I don't know"
Julianne found she believe the auburn haired woman, her air gave away an embarassment of not knowing such a simple fact as her own name.
"Do you know how old you are?"
Once again she replied negatively, blushing fiercely as she said "No."
"Do you have any memories prior to the incident at Grange Grove, any indication of who you might be, where you might live?"
Julianne felt for the woman as she replied "No" once more and looked saddened not to be able to help, not to be able to know who she was.
"We've heard strange things about you from the boy we found you with, though you did nothing wrong as far as we can tell. We don't need to keep you here but until we know where you belong we can't send you anywhere. Understand?"
The woman simply nodded, eyes cast down in a despair.
There was a sudden interruption as julianne saw the door open, a head appeared around it.
"Frank wants you for a minute."
She looked at her colleague questioningly.
"There's a problem" he said quietly and urgently.
She apologised to the woman and closed the door behind, making her way to the desk of her workmate.
"What is it Frank?" she asked in a rather tired way. "This had better be important."
"Its her prints, I put them into the system to search for her and the whole system crashed."
Julianne was vaguely annoyed at yet another computer related problem. It seemed to happen nearly every other week. "What do you mean?"
"I mean the WHOLE system" Frank looked a little terrified as he said it.
She looked around seeing for the first time the chaos in the room around her.
"The whole system at the station is down, every computer. And some of them aren't even connected to the network..And get this"
He showed her a piece of paper that looked burnt except it ws clearly printed that way, like a photocopy gone wrong.
"What am I looking at?"
"Your mystery womans prints."
"What? But it's not..."
"But it used to be. I put it in to scan and this is how it came out and I know there's no way the scanner can alter anything that it scans - I don't know what happened to it. It's downright spooky. How the hell will I explain this?"
Julianne got an eery feeling from what Frank had said and felt compelled to return to the cell at once. Julianne was a woman of logic, she didn't much like not knowing the reasons behind what happened in the world. She needed to know more about the woman. About how and why things were going wrong, why they couldn't identify her. . .
She peered thorugh the window in the door, caught off guard by the light inside. She saw another figure in the room, bathed in a golden glow - a hand extended towards the woman she'd been questioning. She rattled the door, but the knob itself wouldn't turn and she jumped back when she felt the shooting pain of the heat from it - it was practically welded stiff from intense heat. She cursed at the incredible pain, and swore when she saw her whole hand was blistered red.
She looked back through the window, the light was greater, almost blinding but if she squinted she could almost make out her mystery woman making to take the hand finally, and she thought too perhaps she could make out a grateful happy expression on the womans face. As the hands of the two inside the cell met there was a shockwave throughout the building and Julianne fell away from the door, her hand protecting her eyes from the burning white flash that accompanied it.
A minute later the tremors had stopped and she'd recovered enough to manage to stand up. She peered through the windows, seeing a sight she'd almost have expected - if anything like what had happened was ever to be expected - the woman was gone. The cell was an empty four grey walls; nothing but two chairs, a table and the recording equipment left.
Her mind was instantly full of thoughts, of questions - most of which sounded alien to her. She was filled with a sense of horror at what had happened. She hadn't seen who'd taken her, she hadn't see their face at all but she was left with an impression of the eyes that had seen her witnessing it. Of eyes that stared back at her in a predatory manner. Of someone who enjoyed seeing her gasp in pain as her flesh had been scorched by the doorknob, who relished the thought they could cause it. Ultimately she couldn't understand why the auburn woman had accepted it, gone with them despite not knowing who they were. They only explanation presenting itself was that she went because whoever it was knew her even if the woman hadn't known them, or anything else for that matter.
She rushed out back to Frank. She scrambled around on the desk, grasping what she wanted. She pressed the paper into his hands.
"This is the drawing of that woman. If she wasn't a missing case before, she certainly is now. And whatever it is that stopped you before I don't care, get someone to handdraw some more copies of this - its the orginal, our only copy so don't even try to photocopy it - incase the equipments faulty of course."
Julianne didn't quite want to have to explain her superstition about the way things had so far gone wrong with trying to find out who the woman was. She hoped Frank didn't see thorugh her weak excuse about a faulty photocopier.
"The point is I want a copy of this drawing in every major police station. I don't know how but we're dealing with a kidnap, by someone who can manage to kidnap her from under our noses and to start with I'd like to know how."
~