Chapter One
Chapter 2 of 5
WickedlyWanton**HBP Spoilers**-Questions arise, but little information is gained for the light, yet. HG/SS, RL/NT, RL/OC.
ReviewedChapter One
Hermione's tea had gone cold as she sat thinking about all that had happened the past week. It seemed as though Voldemort and his supporters had become even more blatant in their quest for world domination. A swarm of locusts and rivers running red were causing Muggle religious leaders to preach of the end of days. Fire and brimstone raining down on cities deemed "dens of iniquity" only helped to perpetuate that view. Muggles and magic folk alike were putting their personal effects in order. Muggles swarmed to churches, cathedrals and temples. Witches and wizards went into hiding, either in mountains or jungles.
Sitting in front of the fireplace in the library, Hermione hypothesised that they just might be right. It was certainly going to be the end of the world as they knew it, one way or another. No one was safe, not that they ever had been, and the fact that she was one of those hiding out was not sitting well with her. Sure, she wasn't freezing to death in an igloo in Alaska, but neither did she feel as though she was doing anything to help with the war effort. She had exhausted her references in the library at Grimmauld Place, Hogwarts' library would not be opened for her again for a long time, and there were no magical libraries that she could gain entrance to for fear they would be monitored by Voldemort's minions.
All in all, it was very frustrating. She couldn't even commiserate with her friends. Harry, as promised, had gone back to the Dursleys' for a week. The Weasleys had taken off, splitting up to try to gain support for the Order in five different countries. Mr. Weasley had stayed, his job at the Ministry not allowing him to be away for any major length of time. Besides, had he gone missing, it would have looked suspicious. Not only that, but there were still those in the Ministry who were, as of yet, straddling the fence. There was also the extra bonus of being able to keep up with exactly what the Minister for Magic was doing.
Day after day, Hermione sat in her favourite chair, mulling over what seemed a hopeless cause. The Order was still in quiet chaos, no leader having been elected yet. It seemed that the Order was not to be trusted, to many people, because of this one contingency. They needed to find someone who could make decisions, to strategise, and to unite them. But who could do this? Who had the strength of character to replace Dumbledore? Hermione was afraid of the answer: No one.
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In the middle of the next week, Hermione walked in on a discussion between Remus and Tonks that greatly disturbed her. Tonks had come to the house to speak with Remus, pulling him out from the library where he and Hermione had been trying to bounce theories off each other. She had excused them by saying to Hermione that she couldn't stay long, but there was some private business that she had to discuss with Remus. She had followed them after a few minutes, knowing Tonks had to have been there for an important reason and guessing that it wasn't about their love life. They had been speaking quietly in the front hall, but not so quietly that she couldn't hear them from the stairs.
"Don't worry about what Severus will do," Remus had said. "I don't think that he will be in any condition to cause any problems."
"But Remus, you and I both know how he felt about her. When he finds out..."
Remus had cut Tonks off with a kiss. When he lifted his head, she breathed in deeply, then sighed.
"You are right, of course. It's not that he would have been able to expect anything different, really. I don't know if whoever has him has told him of Narcissa's death, but we can always hope. If she has, then she would have to deal with it, not us."
Hermione had been horrified. No one had said anything about Narcissa dying, not to her at least. It had probably been brought up in a secret Order meeting that only a few of the original members had been privy to. That being Professor McGonagall, Remus, Mad-Eye Moody, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, just to name a few. She knew that not everyone was getting all the information, but this was something that she thought everyone should know. If Voldemort was killing off the Malfoys, he was taking the risk of alienating many pureblood families. The Malfoys may not be the most ethical of people, but they were very well-respected. And what was this about how Snape felt about Narcissa? She knew of the Vow that he had made to her, but was it because he had had feelings for her, or some other reason entirely? The thought that he might have loved Narcissa gave her a nauseous feeling in her stomach.
She was about to go back upstairs when something else they were saying caught her attention. They had continued their little make-out session in front of the doors, but pulled away quite suddenly.
"Oh!" Tonks had gasped.
"What is it?" asked Remus.
"I just remembered! The school governors have sold Hogwarts! I came here specifically to tell you that. I forgot."
Remus had backed away from her, a look of shock on his face. "Why did they sell it? Who to? And how in the hell did you forget something that important?"
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Severus slowly recovered over the next week. His age, combined with the fatigue of running for so long and the stress on it from being captured, had caused his body to nearly shut down. The potions that had been given to him helped, but rest and good food had gone a long way to speed up his recovery.
Today he was able to get out of bed for more than a couple of hours. It was near nightfall, and he had seen neither his ward nor his elusive hostess all day. House-elves had brought him his breakfast and lunch, but they had not been forthcoming with information as to their whereabouts.
As darkness began to engulf the small cabin and surrounding forest, he walked out of the back door and into a small vegetable garden, a cup of tea in his hand. A small path wound around the side of the garden, and he could see it disappearing through the trees. He did not remember this path, and he had spent many summers at the cabin. His parents used to bring him here before he had started Hogwarts. That was when everything was good. Back before his father knew his mother was a witch, before his father started drinking.
Severus sighed and began a slow walk down the path. His memories of this place were all good memories. No one had known of this place, except for Dumbledore, and even he had not known exactly where it was. It was Severus' haven, a place for him to be when he was troubled, where he came to think and be at peace. It was a Muggle house, with no electricity but plenty of running water in a well. After his parents died, he had warded the place so well that no one, Muggle or wizard, could come near the place without him or his Secret Keeper. Along with the wards, he had also charmed the place to appear as though it ran off electricity, just in case his wards failed and someone came around. It had been many years since he had come to this place, twenty, in fact, and he was glad that his friend had kept it up for him.
Before walking into the woods, Severus turned and looked at the house that had sheltered him from his sorrow and fear. Although it was magically enhanced with several rooms on the inside, it appeared to be a one-room log cabin that belonged in America during the pioneer days. Rustic in appearance, the rough-hewn logs had greyed, the mortar between them yellowed with age. Vines had grown up on three sides, honeysuckle, so that every breath of air that flowed inside from the open windows was sweet and intoxicating. He remembered lying in bed late at night, the breeze blowing in through the window next to him. He remembered watching the summer storms beginning, lightning flashing in the distance above the treetops, thunder echoing off the hills. His favorite had been when the wind picked up and the trees swayed and bent, the sound of the leaves rustling loud in his ears. It appeared that something was moving, some big invisible something was walking through the trees, entire herds of magical beasts, giant warriors, or ghosts who had come to tell him stories of their lives.
Severus shook his head at his reminiscing. The wonder of childhood had disappeared the day he had gotten his Hogwarts letter. That was the day that his world had fallen apart. He had been at home with his mother, here at the cabin, readying it for the rest of the summer. His mother had wanted his help in tending the herbs she had planted outside of her and his father's bedroom window. It had been a happy time; he, filled with wonder that he would be able to do all the things that his imagination told him was a right that he had. His mother had smiled, then told him her secret. She was a witch! Born of an entire family of magical people! He was so excited that he never even questioned why he had never met any of her family.
They had had a celebratory lunch. Afterwards they had decided that they would surprise his father with the letter along with his favorite meal. The market had been busy, and they very nearly did not make it back to their house in the city in time to cook it. Severus was so eager, however, that they got the meal prepared in record time. When his father came home from work, it was one of the best times that the family had ever had, laughing, joking and having a generally spirited time.
It was afterwards, when his father and mother were having their last glass of wine, that things went to hell.
"Severus has something for you," his mother had said.
Excitedly, Severus had handed his father the envelope. Smiling, his father had taken it, and after looking at the seal then reading the letter twice, he had gotten up and walked into his bedroom. Severus and his mother had looked at each other, confused, then she had gotten up and followed him.
It had been obvious from the fight that they had had that night that his father had not known that his mother was a witch. The fact that she had kept that from him, along with the knowledge that his son would be forever different from him, drove the man to drink.
Severus sighed. He always thought of that night when he came to the cabin. It was the beginning of the end for him. His father had gone on to yell at his mother that if Severus went to Hogwarts, then he would disown him and divorce his mother. Although his father had calmed somewhat the next day, he had soon begun to stay out longer and come home drunk. His mother was never truly happy, afterward. The night before he left for Hogwarts was the first time his father had hit his mother.
Severus had been so angry that he would do that to her, he had run in to protect her. His father, surprised by what he had done, yet angered that Severus had had the audacity to come in and try to rescue his mother, did the only thing that he could do at the time.
"You will never amount to anything, you little shit," his father had whispered at him furiously. "You will get to your precious little wizarding school, yet you will learn nothing! You are not good enough to go there, and everyone will see you for what you are: an insignificant little monstrosity!"
Severus turned away from the cabin, lost in his memories, and wandered down the path. That was the day he decided he would prove his father wrong. That was what sent him down to the darkness, to Slytherin House.
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He was still thinking when he came upon the paddock. It was the first time he had been able to come out here to see what his guest had done to the surrounding land. He gazed upon the small house, barn, and huge stables. She had not lived in the main cabin, but had built herself her own space and oversaw the maintenance on the house. Seeing all that she had done, he found himself deep in thought, again.
He had not recognised her. She had been sixteen when he last saw her, and now, nearly twenty years later, he had noticed that she had grown up. No longer was she the fearful yet confident child he had saved from certain death. No, Andromeda Danae Riddle-Black was an extremely powerful, courageous, and confident witch. The fact that she had a herd of winged unicorns, the only winged unicorns on the earth, that she had bred herself was testament to her power. The control she had over them spoke of her confidence, and her courageousness was made obvious by the sight of Draco Malfoy mucking out stalls. Had she been anyone less brave, he was sure Draco would have bitten her head off, literally.
Severus laughed when he saw Draco covered in sweat and dung. He had taken his shirt off, and the pants he wore were the kind that Severus' father used to wear when he had gone fly fishing, held up by bright orange suspenders. Draco glared at him. "What is so funny? Haven't you ever seen someone work before?" He leaned against the pitchfork he had been using.
Severus got control of himself and smirked. This was going to be fun.
"I have never seen a Malfoy work a day in his life. At least, not at manual labor. And in such natty attire. So, tell me Draco, how are the blisters going?"
Draco just turned away, grumbling. Both he and Severus had talked quite a bit during their recovery times, and the new respect he had found for his ex-professor kept him from saying anything that might possibly be construed as derogatory. He also had to thank Severus, as he had been asked to call him, for saving his life. It didn't help much that he had probably sentenced his father and mother both to death, but he felt that no matter what, he would still have family. He had the feeling that his parents were already lost to him, and he had, in some ways, adopted Severus and Danae as surrogates.
Severus, not knowing the extent of Draco's feelings, continued to smirk until he felt hot, steamy breath on the back of his neck.
Turning quickly, he came eye to eye with one of the most beautiful unicorns he had ever seen. It was white, with gold horn, mane, tail, and wings. Its eyes glowed, as if a thousand sunbeams radiated from them. As close as he was, he could see threads of golden hair spread throughout its coat. On its back sat Danae, seated in a saddle of gold fibers weaved together that gave the appearance of silk. She jumped down, swooping to him, and gave him a hug so tight that he thought he would suffocate.
When Danae released him, she smiled and winked. "Severus, it's really not nice to tease the help that way! Make him mad and he might sit down to supper without taking a bath first."
"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny," Draco said, sarcastically. "In case you haven't noticed, I have worked like a slave here, cleaning out the stalls, oiling the tack, making sure all the thousands of unicorns you have here are fed and watered. How do you repay me? By making wisecracks about my smell and insulting my family." He sniffed, once. "Just so you know, I have kind of gotten used to it."
Danae and Severus laughed at the lack of humility that Draco showed. Severus knew that that night at the top of the Astronomy tower had changed Draco, along with the short time here with Danae, but he had not realized how much. He was proud of him and made a subconscious note to himself to find a way to show him that.
But before that, Danae was looking at him as though there was something that she needed to say. She jerked her head to one of the clean stalls some distance away from Draco and motioned for him to follow her. Leading the unicorn inside, she took off the saddle and began brushing it down.
"We are going to have to leave here soon," she said quietly.
Severus frowned at her. "Why would we leave here? We are safe here. You know what has happened. Either side would find us in a matter of minutes were we to leave."
"Both sides have already found you. I spoke with Minerva the day I knew it was you that had been caught by the house-elves. Had I not been so quick in moving you, I am afraid your wards would not have been able to stop my father from feeling you out and getting to you. He knows the general vicinity you are in, and it is just a matter of time before he finds you. Here, you have my protection, but if we remain too far away from others, I won't have the strength to continue that protection."
Severus slumped against the door of the stall. "But where are we to go?" he whispered.
"Minerva knows what happened, Severus, and she knows why." Danae put aside the brush and moved closer to him. "She understands, and she has offered you safety from anyone who would do you harm. When we leave here, we will be going somewhere safe for both you and Draco."
Danae ran her hand up his arm, resting it against his cheek. "You saved my life once, kept me away from father, and gave me a place to stay. You, my best friend, my true friend, will have the understanding and loyalty that you deserve. In three days, when you are completely well enough to travel, we leave for Hogwarts."
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A/N: I know! Such cliffies here, and really no explanations! I truly am a horrible, terrible author. Next chapter will have MUCH more information for you, I promise. I kind of wanted this to be a teaser, though. Yep, I did it on purpose. Don't hate me! Also, Danae's full name will seem familiar to you. The reason for this will be explained in future chapters.
Great big thanks should go out to my beta, Vaughn. I could not have posted this withour her input.
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Latest 25 Reviews for The Warriors' Plague
4 Reviews | 7.5/10 Average
I love it. A tantalising story - it is the perspective that makes the story so exciting. The reader always knows something has happened or is going to happen but remains in the dark for a while. AND: Riddle's own daughter his arch enemy. Chuckle. And poor Tonks. Please please please update the story soon - I have added it to my favourites.
Response from WickedlyWanton (Author of The Warriors' Plague)
Oh, thank you. It's not a story that is good for everyone, you have to be willing to put up with my OC. I have been accused of creating a Mary Sue, but I think that anyone who would WANT to be a child of the Dark Lord is crazy. Something that everyone must understand is that perceptions are colored by time and that things will never be what they seem in this story. I hope that gives you a hint into what will eventually happen.
WW, I have assiduously avoided all post-HBP stories because I've been working on one (I couldn't help it, for obvious reasons) but because it's you, I just had to read. Very intriguing premise you have going for you. I like it very much... especially the idea of Tom Riddle having a child (makes a lot of sense). I will keep following your story and I'm eager to see where you take it.
Response from WickedlyWanton (Author of The Warriors' Plague)
Thank you so much for reviewing! You have made my day. I am sorry that I didn't get to reply until now, I didn't check the reviews until today. I know what you mean about not reading any post-HBP stories, I have tried not to myself for the same reason. Plus, I read my copy so fast, I didn't want to get canon confused with any story that was currently being written about the actions in it, lol. I wanted to be original, and explain her parentage so that there will not be any confusion. I did the math a while back so there wouldn't be any. I am glad that you like it. It means a lot to me to know that my story has your interest, especially. By the way, any hope for an update on "The Summoning"? You know I love it!
Bambu's response: I completely agree with you reasoning process about the HBP stories. As to 'The Summoning,' I have some of the next chapter written and I plan on posting by the end of the month. (I've been re-reading and editing the story for the past month, I simply couldn't remember what I'd written). Thanks for asking.
I have to say ... wow. I am really enjoying the post-HBP stories. I think it has given a new life to fanfiction. I really love the direction you have taken it in, and the way you write is absolutely mesmerizing.
Response from WickedlyWanton (Author of The Warriors' Plague)
Such praise! Thank you so much for allowing me to post this here. I have not read too many of the post-HBP stories myself as I don't want anything influencing me on this. I hope that I can live up to the "absolutely mesmerizing" writing with the rest of my story. That, by the way, will have me preening for days!