The Fire Wand

The Fire Wand

Chapter 7: The Truth in Trust

'I went to places where
I can forget your name...
I can't find anything
Except a void inside
Show me the places where...
I can forget your name.'
VAST - I Don't Have Anything

Siana woke from her dreamless sleep, her thoughts immediately troubled. As her head slid across the desk, her thoughts became more troubled.

This isn't my bed. She thought sleepily. Her eyes opened and she blinked whilst yawning. It was still too early for students, it seemed she had only dozed off for a few moments. So go up and get dressed, and take this day as it comes. I have a feeling it's not going to be as good as some of your others. Not that a lot of them have been good recently.

Half an hour later Siana was showered and dressed in one of her new black robes, her dark black cloak with the lilac trim sitting over it, her black hair had been scraped back into an unforgiving braid, which hurt her scalp if she moved her head too far forward. She was sitting behind the library counter, and in front of her sat the offending book.

Siana opened up the book again and swallowed. There were horrors within these pages. It was hard to believe those horrors could ever be connected to her, or her family. It was hard to believe that her father had been so intertwined with them. Curse Dad, he was never supposed to be an Auror anyway, he was only supposed to Archive!

However work as an Auror had taken the edge off his temper - and all benefited from that. Siana had felt the relief those most, she had been attacked the most - and was considered useless and weak, and therefore an easy target. She had often been the focus of an argument, or a convenient outlet for her father's anger. It was true, she had sported bruises and cuts almost constantly from her father. Malfoy's insult had been so cutting because it was so true.

The pages flickered, musty memories, before her eyes.

'Am I allowed entry into your library yet?' A smooth voice sailed into her thoughts and Siana jumped, the book fell with a thump onto the table. She looked up slowly and saw Snape standing uncomfortably close. Uncomfortably close? There's a whole bench between us! A whole freakin' bench! He's looking quite good today...oh crap...thanks brain, here we go again.

'Oh. I haven't flustered you have I?' He said succinctly, showing no signs of remorse for deliberately unsettling her. Siana glowered. 'Anyone would think you do it on purpose. Trying to cement my fear of you huh?' 'Why would I want you to fear me? You only need to be afraid of me if you've got something to hide.'

Oh I've got something to hide, but not what you're thinking anyway. Hah. Wonder what you'd say if I told you you're looking nice today. Yeah. Bet you wouldn't expect that.

'So what brings you to my library? Aside from the preliminary banter that always seems to draw us so very close.' She said breathily, batting her eyelashes at him. When Snape's expression didn't change she chuckled.

'I keep wanting to say to you, that we've started off on the wrong foot. And then the more I think about it, the more I realise that we haven't really. This is pretty much the way it is. You're a Death Eater, and you know, maybe you aren't now. And I'm apparently capable of very awful things, and maybe I've changed too. Either way, there's a whole issue of trust between us.'

'I like to think of it more as a situation where I don't really give a damn how we get along, because I don't really care much about a Basilica. I'd just like to know if I'm allowed to use the library again. Or do you have to consult your handbook?' His words were well formed, caressing her ears. But meaning behind them, the hurt intended, made her chest clench.

'No. I don't. Go ahead.' She said shortly and turned away to grab the logbook. As she scratched in his name and the time that he'd entered, he walked smoothly away, his robes fluttering behind him.

Damn him. Is he just like that because he's defensive? That's not fair, I'm defensive too! No wonder we don't get along. But who would want to lower their defences to someone like him? Yeah that's what I think, no one. And now I -

The logbook fell out of her hands.

A sharp pain pierced the back of her head and she gasped hoarsely, squinting against the sudden stars that had exploded in front of her eyes. What the hell? She turned dizzily, disoriented, aware of a dim sound of screaming...and as she opened her eyes she saw Uncle Frederick standing in front of her, a sick grin plastered onto his intoxicating face.

No. You're dead.

It was then that she vaguely realised the screaming wasn't screaming at all, but hysterical laughter. Laughter? Fuck me, that's a boggart! She screwed her face up with anger and denial. Out of all the people I have to see! It's not even Macnair. The stars continued to twinkle around her eyes as she pulled her wand out, and flared briefly as she concentrated her imagination and shouted;

'Riddikulus!'

There was a boom. A loud boom. It reverberated through the library and several of the books fell off their shelves. Crackling energy spun through the air like electricity and Siana was thrown backwards by the force of her own spell.

The base of her spine crunched into the bench and she cried out as she lost the feeling in her legs. Stupid nerve damage. Already she was starting to stand, trying to clear her mind, force herself to think logically. And then she heard it, the running footsteps. Someone was running away from her.

' Hey! HEY!' She shouted angrily, pulling herself upright in time to see a full grown figure sprinting away. Her hand went to the back of her head and she realised it was bleeding again, in fact judging from the way her head felt, some of the hair had been pulled so violently out of its braid, that was the reason it was bleeding. Wouldn't surprise me, Uncle Derrick always did have a thing for pulling my hair.

The area of the library around her was damaged. Small curls of smoke rose from some parts and books lay open, some ripped apart. Her breathing sounded harshly in the silence, and it was in that silence that she felt someone looking at her. She turned fearfully, angrily, ready to cast another spell, and saw Snape pointing a wand in the direction of the library entrance, but looking at her.

'Are you alright?' He asked curtly, not looking at her, but sensing that she had turned to look at him. Siana made a noise of assent in the back of her throat. 'Then come along, the perpetrator might not be that far away.'

They both moved forwards, Siana shakily, ignoring the way blood trickled down the back of her neck.

Suddenly a wand tip poked out of the entrance they were moving towards and voice shouted; ' Crucio!'

The jet of light streaked forwards and both Snape and Siana had to leap in opposite directions to dodge it. Both of them hit the floor gasping and Siana heard Snape's voice bark something sharply in the direction of the offending wand.

There was the sound of a blast of light hitting the wall, the sound of stone chips hitting the floor. The Cruciatus curse was announced again from the attacker and Snape suddenly grunted.

Siana looked up from her hiding place and waved her wand in panic.

'Finite Incantatem!' She cried, and Snape immediately went limp, the curse no longer shooting up and down his body. He was lying on the ground, and it was evident, from his expression - that the curse had been quite a strong one. No one but a Death Eater is able to curse like that. What the hell is going on? Macnair's been taken into custody! Who else could get here?

'Show yourself! Or face the consequences!' Siana shouted furiously and heard the sound of running footsteps.

'Oh no you don't.' Siana muttered under her breath and was off in an instant, the wand held out in front of her.

'Siana no!' Snape shouted, and she heard him struggle to rise off the littered floor behind her. Wait? You've got no chance at all Mister. Like I'm going to let someone go for something like that. She sprinted as fast as she possibly could, ignoring the jolting pains rushing through her, telling herself that it probably wasn't half as bad as what Snape was feeling. Blood trickled like warm water down the back of her neck.

She raced up some stairs blindly, hearing the footsteps closer now, and rounded a corner when the sound of the other persons running stopped. Siana froze herself, her heart was hammering in her chest.

'I mean it. Show yourself.' She snarled angrily. I am so sick of running! Either towards or away from people! Dammit.

There was the sound of laughter, quiet laughter, manic laughter. The voice was so familiar that Siana's throat went suddenly stone dry. Her hand clenched spasmodically around her wand, and fear fluttered through her. It can't be, it can't be...but I didn't see him get killed, but it can't be him. I saw his body. I saw it. It can't be him.

'Siana. Dear. I just wanted to say hello.' Said a man quietly. 'We're trying awfully hard to get you at the moment sweetheart. The least you can do is comply.'

'Uncle, Frederick?' Siana gasped as she saw him poke his head out from behind a corner. He also had his wand out, and she knew that he'd have her cursed before she could even mutter the words. Behind her, she heard Snape running up, panting.

He looks younger, different. Angrier, more insane than usual if that's possible.

'Did you help him? Did you help Macnair kill us all? Doesn't the name mean anything to you?'

'Aren't you concerned for me? I'm on the same side as you Siana.'

'You just tried to Cruciatus curse us!' Siana shrieked angrily. Memories were flashing past her eyes like cold lightning, making her feel more nauseous with each reminder of just how torturous Frederick had made her childhood.

'Okay. No point in lying. I've been looking for you for a while, staged my own death y'see. It's been good, hard trying to get to you. Anyway, I should probably go. Probably best considering the way you're both looking at me. Siana go check on that damned owl for me. She wouldn't tell me where you were, I had to ask most most politely.'

'No.' Siana mouthed, her throat suddenly so dry she couldn't get any sound of her throat. 'What did you do.' Her whisper was so dry that she was almost choking on her own words.

'Stupefy!' Shouted Snape behind her, and Frederick fell the ground, a look of shock on his face.

Siana didn't even wait, she turned around and sprinted back towards the library, up towards her room. Athena, what's he done to you? Athena. Oh Gods. She heard Snape yell for her to wait behind her, but couldn't bring herself to stop moving. She had to find out. I have to know, I have to know, nothing could happen to Athena, surely, she's too smart. She's gotten away from Frederick so many times. So many times. No no, this can't be happening. This isn't happening!

Up the stone stairs, so fast that she almost tripped up them.

And then through the trapdoor so violently that it bounced off the polished floors. Siana retched as the smell of blood assailed her nostrils.

'Athena!' Siana shouted, panicked, and could see only a few scattered feathers, a few drips of blood. Ornaments, candle holders, books had been scattered off the shelves, the table. A crystal decanter of water lay shattered in front of the window sill, reflecting the still morning light. 'Athena! Where are you girl? Where are you. Come on girl talk to me. Come on Athena, come on talk to me.' Siana said brokenly, trying to be brave. Trying so hard.

She moved quietly into her bedroom, her breaths shallow, fear filled. There was more blood here, speckled onto her bed, the floors, the ceiling, the window pane that had been shattered. Shattered, I'd heard nothing.

And then what Siana saw stunned her enough to make her drop her wand.

'Oh please no.' Siana breathed as she saw the outstretched wing from inside the bathroom. The rest of the form hidden by the door. Siana sped forwards, her wand forgotten, everything forgotten except for the anticipated grief of knowing she'd probably just lost the last living thing in the world that mattered to her, that loved her as much as she had loved it.

Siana was crumpling to the ground even as she saw the irreparable damage. The feathers all over the bathroom, the blood, the pock marks of missed curses. No. No. This isn't happening. Not now. Not Athena, my smart Athena. Her hand shook violently as she reached out to move a limp wing back from the owl's regal face.

Blank eyes stared up into space, the beak was stretched open into a silent hoot, blood still poured from a wound in its sternum.

A sob escaped her throat before she even realised that tears were streaming down her face. And blindly, angrily she fought to quell the grief that even now threatened to overwhelm all of her senses. The grief that threatened to drown out the smell of blood, wash away the sight of death, destroy the taste of unending bitterness.

When she felt the hand on her shoulder, consoling, firm, her whole world threatened to fall apart. But she held on, somehow, the hard years of her life had taught her how to hold on when it all threatened to fall apart. Forcing herself to breathe deeply, to concentrate She wiped the tears away from her face with stiff arms and stood shakily. She noticed with some surprise that the hand, his hand, had stayed on her shoulder.

'You can't stay here now. If it wasn't safe before, then it's a death trap now.' Snape said softly, his voice rumbling through her, clearing the fog in her mind.

'I can't believe he killed Athena.'

'Can't you?' Snape said so quietly now, that Siana's ears seemed to turn backwards to listen to him.

'Well no. Athena, she was so smart. He'd hated her for so long but never tried to kill her. By Artemis it looked like she fought something cruel.' Siana said, slipping back into her casual way of speaking. The casual speech that he father had always hit her for. Siana winced as an image of Athena blindly looking to escape, bleeding and terrified, forced its way into her head. Anxiously she cast around for something else to talk about.

'Are you okay?' She inquired.

'I'm fine. It's not the first time I've been attacked with the Cruciatus curse.'

'No. I guess not.'

'Come on, we need to get you up to Dumbledore now. He'll best decide what to do with this whole situation.'

Siana nodded painfully, and found herself being escorted out of her blood spattered quarters which now, would always hold the memory of Athena, her last surviving family member, who had loved her without question.