The Game
Chapter 11 of 40
AuretteHermione, and the other girls at the house, indulge in a little exploitation of their own, before realising the consequences of playing with fire.
ReviewedThank you to Astopperindeath, for her brave beta work. Also, a special thank you to Whitehound for her hard work on my original story idea.
The atmosphere at Ma's was a mixture of tension you could cut with a knife, offset by high spirits of equal intensity. The tension was, of course, from the men, who came and tried to lose themselves in the pleasures of the flesh. The Death Eaters were on edge of course, but even those customers not part of our illustrious government showed the effects of the unease brought on by instability. It was the girls who were in high spirits from watching the unfolding drama and telling the sordid tidbits they had gleaned from the evening's work. They vied against each other for the most dramatic bit of news while unwinding around the kitchen table at the end of the night. I soaked up everything I heard.
Discipline had broken down amongst the brethren, and information poured into the ears of the delighted whores they mistakenly turned to for comfort. Names were bandied about as replacements for the dead Lestranges, with Dolohov being the most frequently mentioned and even Macnair seeming a possibility. One name was never brought up. It would seem Severus Snape didn't factor into anyone's gossip anymore. They were so blind.
All of the girls were darkly amused at these events. Peaches and Angel were particularly vicious in their glee. Peaches had a good thing with Macnair; he was a possessive regular and didn't like when she was with another man, so it was always less work for her on nights he was there. But he would be more of a fool than even I thought if he assumed she felt any loyalty. After all, none of us would have been here if we weren't filthy Mudbloods good for nothing else. It took no work at all to get her on board with sowing doubt and fueling insecurities. Indeed, she was the one who started what became known as 'the game'.
'The game' was easy to play and fun for everyone, if you were one of us whores. It was simple: pick a Death Eater at random and try to cause them some trouble. Points were scored by how many things another Death Eater would say about them behind their back. A whispered word here, an innocent, but untrue, statement there and the fools were off and running, chasing their tails trying to discover who had said what about them. It gave us a sense of power that was heady stuff for most of us. The only problem was trying to keep twenty-four women from slipping up and giving it all away. I had little control over that, but was fairly secure in the knowledge that this need to use what little we had to tear them down couldn't be directly traced back as my idea. I just fanned the flames a little and watched it consume them all.
Mistrust now coiled around the entire corrupt government, like a miasma, and the shifting alliances and factions were becoming obvious and easy to exploit.
On one side fell those Elders that had gotten fat and complacent in their own power, formerly vicious Death Eaters from the Dark Lord's first rise to power that no longer had their killer instinct. You could almost smell their fear. This group belonged to Macnair and Rookwood and the others in it followed where those two led.
The second group was comprised of well-known but less secure Elders, like Carrow, Crabbe and Goyle and the younger men that had come of age almost too late to make an impression, such as the younger Crabbe and Goyle. This group didn't seem to have as much cohesion, just a seething discontent and greed.
In some cases, fathers and sons fell on different sides; such was the case with Theo Nott and his father. Mercy and Ruby played the game well with those two: the girls had them at each other's throats. Their confrontation happened elsewhere; but we all heard about it afterwards and Nott Senior had not returned since.
It was a girl named Dusty that decided to see if we could expand the game outside of the house. There was another group of Elders that did not frequent our house of ill repute, Death Eaters who were more concerned with the power shifts and politics than in petty debauchery, among them Mulciber and my old nemesis Dolohov. Targeting Death Eaters who didn't fall under our direct influence was a greater challenge. Higher points would be scored if you picked a target and that person's name was on everyone's lips within the week. Whoever had the most points by Sunday morning would get out of chores as much as possible without incurring Ma's curiosity.
The game wasn't without its price. Frustrated men, especially those already at peace with violence, weren't well-known for their restraint. Many of our number sported an injury or two as a result of the toll malicious gossip took. Myself included, that last living symbol of the vanquished was an especially obvious target. Macnair took a fierce enjoyment out of the sudden backhand across my face when I chanced to get too close on a bad day. However, for the most part, we wore our bruises with pride around the huge table in the kitchen.
Things settled into a routine of sorts; having the game to look forward to became the focus for almost all the women. I think several almost became convinced that we, alone, were the cause of all the Death Eaters' problems. It wasn't until one particular Saturday night that proof another source was chafing away finally came.
It was a busy night; the Death Eaters had booked two lounges and eighteen rooms. The two factions were studiously avoiding each other, and it was the girls swinging through both rooms who were racking up the most points. Angel had scored a minor rush of points by coming into the room of younger men still giggling about the 'very funny thing that she overheard someone say about some bint named Alecto.' Of course, she couldn't remember who had said it, she had only been passing through. No, she had no idea who they were talking about, for goodness sake. Of course, it might not have even been true, her apologies; she didn't mean to offend. Would the gentleman care for a drink to soothe his nerves? Surely, Mr. Rookwood was only having them on, or maybe it was Macnair; they were standing so very close together, after all... She was marvelous.
We were mingling, slowly being paired off with our designated partner or partners as the case may be, when the room filled with a collective hiss, as if we were suddenly surrounded by dozens of snakes. It took me a minute to catch on to what was going on, and then I had to look to the other girls to see when they did. I didn't want to show I understood before they did and single myself out.
As of one body, all the men all started to file out of the room, heading for the door with their arms clutched tightly to their bodies. Doors banged open upstairs, and men came thrashing down the stairs holding their arms. Grudge matches that had been full blown earlier were set aside as the Death Eaters headed out the door to the Apparition site.
Ma's voice could be heard floating in the hallway and got louder as she came into the Rose Lounge.
"What was all that? What in Merlin's name was all that?"
"I know," called a girl from the other room. "It was the Summons, that's what that was alright." Maisy came in with her arms crossed across her chest. "I heard tell that's how he used to call his faithful in the days before the inglorious revolution." Done speaking, she leaned over and spat into a potted plant.
"Aye, I heard the same. Never seen it done before tonight, though," said Ruby.
"Well then," replied a still perplexed Ma. "Well then." She turned a critical eye on us and started clapping her hands. "The evening is still young; you lot tidy up the rooms and freshen up. You're not off the clock yet. Get moving." She started to shoo at us, and we broke up and started to drift away.
Peaches slid up along side of me as I was plumping up cushions.
"So, the Dark Lord has summoned his minions."
"So it would seem."
"Do you think this means anything for us?"
"In what way?"
"Only that he has no need to summon them through the Mark anymore; they have regular business meetings and the like now. I'm just saying that it seems a mite suspicious that he cleared out the whole place of Death Eaters, and here we've been making a lark out of playing with their brains, haven't we?" That said she punched a pillow viciously and dropped it onto a couch.
"Hold those thoughts. There's no use panicking when we don't have enough information." I tried to sound reassuring, but her words had struck home. As I looked at the faces of the other women in the room, I saw the same fear reflected in them as well.
We sat around in dread for two hours. The women not engaged upstairs were all crowded into the Lilac lounge as if to be alone was bad luck. Even Ma kept circling back into the room in an excess of nervous energy. We all knew something big was going down, but there was no telling what it meant for us.
A crack of Apparition outside sent Ma back to her foyer shouting, "Someone turn the blasted radio on and stop looking like you are all at a funeral parlor!" The bell chimed to signal someone's entry, and I saw Angel clutch her belly as if she was going to be sick. I walked over and sat next to her. I wrapped my arms around her elbow, and she sagged slightly against me. More Apparitions sounded, and soon the door opened to emit a loud, boisterous group all calling for wine, women and song. Angel and I collapsed together, and there was a thud as Dusty knocked against an end table in her relief and sent a lamp onto the sofa. Nervous smiles flew around the room until the party of young Death Eaters came barreling into the room, voices raised in triumph.
AN: My sincere apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out, and also, for the delay in review responses. all I can say in my defense is: It's not good when it snows in Georgia...
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Latest 25 Reviews for The Princess of Gryffindor
597 Reviews | 6.94/10 Average
I agree with Mick42 in the sense that I don't like the Voldemort won/everyone's dead/Hermione's a whore stories. I avoid them like the plague. I decided to give this one a go based on the reviews. I was very, very skeptical. There were aspects to the writing that I didn't like, such as it being written in first person, but the memorial scene alone made it well worth the read. I may have shed a tear (or 10).
Wow...just wow. Now I know why all of these other reviewers have shed a tear. I am a mess. Still smiling tho'! Captivating read. Kudos!
Yay, all finished. It's been a while since I've read this, so I had forgotten a lot of the details in the ending chapters, but I still love it as much as I did the first time I read it. You have my in tears reading the end couple of chapters now, but that's terribly easy to do to a pregnant woman, so don't worry too much lol.
I just love Snape, have I ever mentioned that? I do. And it's stuff like this in stories- him vowing to protect Hermione- that make me love him even more..
This is one I've read before, on ffnet I think, but I have to read it here too, it just seems impossible not to reread your favorite stories when you come across them somewhere. The bonus is that you already know you love the story, even if you can't remember all the details between point A and A.D.
My dear Aurette,I have spent half of yesterday and all of today re-reading this unbelievable story. Half of the time, I've been a sobbing, sopping mess - when S&H were gathering forces and found people who were still alive, the whole Harry and Ron speaking to Hermione from the great beyond, the memorial scene (holy crap, talk about sobbing!), reuniting with Minerva's ghost, and the list goes on. I love the plot of the story. I love your numerous OCs. I love how the young DEs revolt. I love how forces from all sides join together to fight the Dark Lord. I love the romance between S&H. I love how utterly vulnerable he is to her, and she to him. I love how wizarding society hero-worships Snape in the end. I love So Many Things about this story. If my heart could take it, I'd start it all over again, but I really wasn't exaggerating when I said I was sobbing half the time I was reading. This might sound odd, but reading this today, US Memorial Day, just makes it seem even more poignant. But I do think it's honoring to RL sacrifices by reading about fictional ones. Thank you so much for this absolutely wonderful story, and for giving me such an enjoyable (if teary and snotty) way to spend my day off.Love,Christev
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
{{{hugs}}}What a beautiful thing to say. I am deeply touched and honored. Thank you, Christev.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
{{{hugs}}}What a beautiful thing to say. I am deeply touched and honored. Thank you, Christev.
Heartbreaking and wonderful and worth rereading. Thank you for sharing this.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
I'm so glad you enjoyed. ;-)
Just re-read this and had to mention: Best Epilogue Ever. Why couldn't you have given JK a few pointers? ;-p
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
LOL! She never asked... Thank you!
I've just flown through the last several chapters, held in thrall to this story! This is just genius, you know, starting at a place of total desolation - this terrible post-war dystopia - and taking all the elements from DH (the prophecy from Severus, the Hallows, even walking beside the dead and moving with them before returning to earth - thanks particularly for including Draco with the others), using them as they were meant to be used, finding another way of stopping Voldemort and reenvisioning a new world in the aftermath.
And I love seeing Snape marked as the Man Who Lived! And a father! And the Minister! (And that proposal? Mmm-hmm... clearly, he has caught on to everything Hermione's been teaching him!)
You strike such a great balance between comedy and high drama. It's such a pleasure to read.
Oh, Goyle. Goyles will be Goyles, I suppose!"I think you have just been metaphorically peed on." Oh, I love this line... particularly since Severus' possessiveness towards Hermione is such a strong part of his character (which is why his reluctant willingness to 'share' Hermione rather than lose her was SO terribly shocking).
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
Thank you! And I think, by his behavior in this chapter, you can see he tacitly took those words... back.
Response from ofankoma (Reviewer)
Oh, absolutely! That's what's so marvelous to see in this Snape. He acts impulsively so often, and then immediately knows that it's not what he really wanted, and is slowly learning to keep it all in check as he accepts the fact that she really loves him and that he's truly safe with her.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
Hannah and Neville! Woo-hoo! (You can just feel the little triumphs along the way - things are getting brighter all the time!) And the lack of trust between all parties involved... yes, that feels completely, completely believable.(Also,I don't know that I've ever met an original character that I've liked, but Peaches is fantastic. Just fantastic. You make me change my mind on a lot of things, I think...)
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
I intentionally started this tale as dark as I could make it, and then slowly let the light in. Neville and Hannah were such a beacon of hope...
Ah, the trust between the two as they examine the girls! And her red robes... yes, I imagine Severus doesn't want Hermione in anything less than a high-necked robe in front of her old beau.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
Trust is something they thought they had, but as you can see, they are both too emotionally unsophisticated to not end up with issues.
Whoa, whoa, whoa... Elder Goyle and Ma are two revelations here, aren't they? As for the former, it really makes me wonder (again and again) what Voldemort's plan was 'when' he won. Why cheat Death if you have nothing to live for? For someone as hypothetically long-sighted as he was (looking to an eternity of power and control over the wizarding world), he's remarkably short-sighted here (what do you do now that you've won?). You raise all sorts of fascinating questions here. And Ma, with the Veritaserum? Grand.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
Ma was intended to just be a stock vilain, but she elbowed her way toward three dimentional. I was very happy with the way she worked out.
The robes! Wonderful, wonderful, all around, from Hermione's comfort in them and the note exchange.Charlie and Viktor? You're really getting things moving here, aren't you? Momentum. You're really a master with creating a momentum that just pulls a reader through the story. I don't mean just here, but everything I've read up til now - it's so well paced and unfolds so naturally. In case I haven't said this in a chapter or two, thanks so much for sharing this.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
I was very attuned to the pacing of this tale. It was my very first mult-chaptered fic and getting the pacing down right was one of my primary concerns. Thank you so much for reviewing it!
Hooray! I love what you've done with Theo Nott. The second guessing and the regret shows how easy it was for misguided, then-ambivalent people to latch on to Voldemort's coat tails. (Cloak tails?) Very like Severus at that age, no?You're also hilarious, but I suspect you know that. "Conjure myself some decent clothes?" FABULOUS.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
Exactly! I saw Theo as not being wildly different from young Snape, just perhaps a bit more entitled. I am so glad you liked this.
Wow. There are so many things I love, love, love in this chapter. First off, the relationship between Severus and the Malfoys. (Ach, and the horror of their deaths!) Next, Dumbledore's attitude. I, for one, have a tendency to vilify the man. Reading the repentance he shows here makes me rethink a lot of things about him. (So thank you for challenging me!) But you're right - we have a lot of evidence in DH that there are many unspoken things in his past that explain his present actions. And, of course, it's just a relief to see that he finally has someone to tell all this to, someone who will care for him and stand by him through it all. This is just wonderful, and I'm completely loving your writing and this story!
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
I also have a tendancy to vilify Dumbledore, but I know that was never JKR's intention, so every so often I try and reset my thinking. Then I backslide. lol.
There are so many reasons I love this story... wonderful narrative flow, seamless incorporation of canon devices (Hallows! Can't wait to see them in action!), a fresh perspective on the nature of evil in the Voldemort regime, a place to see regrets worked out and atoned for.But the single greatest reason why this is so fabulous is your clear vision of your characters. What we know of them from JKR is fleshed out so beautifully here, and it's not a happy-go-lucky, cleaned up and sanitized version of the very broken people we know (and love), but a hard look at the mistakes they make and how they learn together to move on and forgive one another in a much deeper understanding of who the other really is.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
This chapter was my impetus for writing the whole fic. I wanted to get to this scene. Of course, once I did, I then had a Ministry to over throw... lol.
Oh, now that's interesting... incorporating the Hallows? I think this means we'll get to see some action from the Elder Wand (killing Voldemort?), the Resurrection Stone (Harry and Ron?), and the Invisibility Cloak (I have no idea on this one... it's useful in so many ways). I can't wait to see where they lead!
Severus' thoughts on the ambition of Voldemort five years out are interesting... it certainly does make you wonder - what would Tom have done had he won? Did he have a plan in place? I mean, the fear of ignominious death aside, what was really motivating his actions? What did he envision for the Wizarding world?
There's much that I enjoy in this chapter... the way they recognize each other as being, really, the only people left on earth (that we know of so far) who can really see one another is fantastic. Antarctica banter with penguins! 'Whoever had broken this man deserved to burn in hell.'What I found myself wishing I had here was Hermione's musings on her own sexual history. Was she a virgin before she was enslaved here? I found I wanted this when she first talked about her position as a whore with Snape as well... I just want it sometime. (Maybe it's coming up later? We'll see!) There seems to be space for her to say that she's still a virgin (so to speak) with a great deal of this as well. And defend her innocence. Since she never kissed Ron in the final battle (AU breaks off earlier here, right?), has she even been kissed?
Response from ofankoma (Reviewer)
(Because Severus very well may be right in trying to stop her... for her own peace of mind, certainly, and for the fact that she's been traumatised for years there. Another sexual experience now may not be helpful on the road to recovery, and he'd certainly be remiss if he didn't know the situation before letting her have her way with him...)
The harpsichord? That's hilarious. Does she tune it herself, as well? All the descriptions of this place add up to a bizarre, depressing, garish nightmare. It's like everyone tossed in their leftovers and out popped a brother, or several people's lives just vomited out all their extras on the (Voldemort-run) street.
Ah, Draco. I'm sad to hear he's lost. I have a soft spot for him as one of the people who gave Severus a will to go on in HBP and DH. I would have liked seeing your Snape deal with him.
That last long paragraph on the enigma of Snape? Spot on. It sums up why he's such a fascinating character in canon: powerful and powerless, beautiful and ugly, lauded and humiliated. The ambiguity of him is so rich, and not in the Dumbledore 'we sort too soon' sort of way, claiming that he's truly a Gryffindor at heart merely because he's on the side of good.
As to protection, well, that's another one of the strongest themes attached to him in canon, isn't it? He's constantly fighting to protect people - even people he despises -and he prepares them all to do the same. Your Hermione's a lucky girl...
Well done, you.
Hmm... "I, too, practice self-denial?" I think he might practice a few kinds of denial here, since he did just move to kiss her. (Of course, perhaps poor Severus doesn't know any better. He missed out on the 'What not to do whilst visiting a whorehouse' lesson in finishing school.) I greatly appreciate a post-DH Snape who doesn't know what to do with a woman... after all, when you poke around in canon, it seems fairly obvious that his social calendar was empty.
I also enjoy the dynamic you're setting up between Hermione and Peaches, the latter of whom is clearly in control of her own destiny in a way that Hermione just isn't... yet.
And...Harry and Ron? What?!?
Oh, gravy! Lime-green peignoirs and silver mules? This is a high class establishment poor Hermione's stuck in. (Although the lime-green clothing is oddly reminiscent of St. Mungo's...)
I love a phrase like "She floated in like a frigate in full sail." Really, the oppressing shabbiness of the place is overwhelming. I'm so very wary of new characters, so I'm really hoping I will like yours... Peaches, maybe yes? Ma, maybe no. Unless we do know Ma or Angel already and they're just under aliases like the Princess?
Drinking Cocoa enticed me back here to revisit this wonderful, deep, rich tale once again, when I should be doing my own writing and in other ways getting the heap of papers on my desk cleared and sorted (not to mention getting to bed at a decent hour). But, no, I had to swallow this beautiful work whole once again, rediscovering all its complexities and marvels, emotions and heatbreak, fascinations and intricacies. And it is now nearly 2am, and I can at last climb into my solitary little bed, wrapped in the warmth of some quite satisfying and delicious writing. Thank you.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
I thank you, truly, for your revisiting this story. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing it is apreciated on a second reading as well. :-)
I give it five years before Brilliant figures out how to spell that journal open and gets the shock of her young life hahahaha.
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
LOL! Oh, that would be Brilliant! You need to write that fic!
Response from StarryEyedNoOne (Reviewer)
I haven't wrote HP fanfic since I was the age of a first year lol. I pray to any diety that's listening that NONE of it is still floating aroung out there. :-\
Response from Aurette (Author of The Princess of Gryffindor)
LOL! I understand. I once read that if you aren't embarrased by something you wrote a year ago, you are no longer growing as a writer. Hell, I get embarrassed over things I wrote last week...