Spread the Word
Chapter 20 of 40
AuretteA surprising defence leads to an even more surprising conversation.
ReviewedMany thanks to Astopperindeath for her wonderful beta work!
Monday morning, after I sent Severus on his way with a full night's rest, I threw myself into the job of weakening his opponents. The other women responded to my enthusiasm, and over the next few days we invested heavily in rumors that spread insecurity and fear amongst the average population, and it paid dividends in the form of a rather explosive atmosphere at the house. The Elder Death Eaters were impotent with rage, and the younger men became more bitter and restless.
On Severus' council, we started to separate out the younger Death Eaters that could not be trusted by the simple expedient of spreading poison in the form of half-truths. He had been explicit in his belief that Crabbe was too loyal and not to be trusted, but that Goyle was close to a turning point. It gave us little satisfaction to watch the two childhood friends withdraw from each other because of us, but no one lost any sleep over it either.
Thursday evening Macnair came back. He swept into the room usually reserved by the younger men. He spied me refilling wine glasses and came over and wrenched me to his side by my arm. I was almost overcome with panic and barely heard his words because of the blood rushing in my ears. Another arm reached out and grabbed his wrist, and I could see the fingertips pressed white.
"She is with me for the evening."
I looked up, startled, to see Nott narrow his eyes in challenge.
Macnair's face was a mask of fury, but he let go. He turned towards Peaches, but Vaisey reached out and pulled her into his lap possessively. Around the room, each young man grabbed a woman and held them close until there were none left free in this room.
Macnair struggled to regain his composure. He looked around the room and only hostile eyes looked back. Without a word, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.
We all remained still as we listened to the startled cry from another lounge. Ma's voice could be heard in the foyer beseeching Macnair to leave and come back when he was 'in a better mood.' The pounding of feet up the stairs and the receding whimpers from whichever young woman he had grabbed were the only reply. We listened as Ma let out a stream of invective and called for a house-elf and hurried away from the foyer.
Tears filled my eyes. I was overcome by my sudden rescue and overwhelmed with guilt that it meant injury to another. I felt Nott's arm sweep around me, and his voice spoke quietly into my ear.
"We need to talk." I froze, and he had to nudge me to get me to move. I looked around the room until I met Peaches' eyes. She blinked back, her face immobile.
We made it up the stairs and into the first guestroom available. I walked over to the tray of refreshments that appeared as he closed and locked the door. I felt his wards go up, and the part of me that could still respond instinctively to magic knew they were poorly set.
"Would you like some wine, sir?" I asked, struggling to form my plastic smile.
"No, just sit down, Granger." My face whipped up in shock. I had not been called that since Hogwarts. I sat down. Hard.
My hands knotted up in my lap as I watched him pace back and forth locked in some inner struggle.
"Tell me, Granger. If you could have your wand back right now, what would you do with it?"
The question was so unexpected that I gave the first answer that popped into my head.
"Conjure myself some decent clothes."
His bark of a laugh made me flinch.
"Okay, I can imagine I would do the same." He scrubbed his hair with his hand. "What I am asking is would you hex me? Curse me?" He frowned at his own awkwardness. "This is all wrong. I want to know if there is a chance you and I could talk without..." He waved his hand back and forth between us, and then swept it out around the room. A muscle in his jaw clenched repeatedly.
I could see where he was trying to go, but my brain was urging me towards caution. True, he had protected me from Macnair, but he was who he was, and I would not risk Severus's life by showing my hand.
"Just say what you want to say, Nott."
"How can I trust you?" His face was full of anguish.
"Why do you need to?" I asked quietly.
"I need to... I just need to."
"Then speak."
"Granger..."
We were at an impasse. I took a small gamble, nothing that couldn't be attributed to the gossip of whores.
"Don't trust Crabbe with anything you wouldn't say directly to your Lord." I bit my lip and watched him. He stared into my eyes, but I dropped mine to my lap.
"Granger, I want this to end. I want you to know I want this to end." He flinched at his own words. I could see from his expression that he was wondering if he had gone too far.
"Why? Isn't this what you wanted?" I allowed some truth to slip through. "You rule the wizarding world, you pure-bloods have achieved your superiority. My kind has been put in its place. It is only a matter of time before your Dark Lord stretches out his hand and grabs the Muggle world. Think of all those helpless men, women and children you could crush under your boots. I do not understand, Theodore Nott, why would you want this to end?" My voice was steady, not loud or accusatory, but I watched him react as if from blows.
"I don't want that!" he shouted and stormed across the room until he was looking right in my face. I slid my eyes to his ear.
"Granger, I was wrong! All that pure-blood ideology was fed to me from childhood! But the reality... oh, gods." He sagged and spun around to sit on the couch next to me and dropped his head into his hands. "He's crazy. They are all crazy, but the Dark Lord is truly insane. He killed my father," he whispered.
I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.
"I know. I am sorry for your loss." I meant my words. I wasn't sorry Nott senior was dead, but I was sorry this young man lost a father he'd obviously had such a difficult relationship with.
"No, I am sorry for your loss. You have lost everything. I just lost an overbearing fanatic that I could never please. Caroline told me of how most of you have lost your whole families." My face reflected my confusion.
"Peaches. Didn't you know her real name?" I blushed at my ignorance.
"They took everything away from us, Theo, our families, our magic, our identities. I don't know anyone's name. Mine is known because I was famous. Peaches gave you a gift by telling you her name. She told me once, years ago, but I am too damaged to even remember." He bowed his head and nodded.
"You were better than most of us, Granger. We hated you for that."
"I understand. I wanted to fit into your world so badly that threw myself into learning everything I could. I didn't want to be seen as different." I laughed harshly. "I didn't realize I shouldn't have bothered. I should have known I would never be allowed to join your world. All that time in the library looks pretty stupid when I think of how I earn my food, doesn't it?"
He had the grace to look ashamed.
"We all were gifted, Theo. All the girls here are bright and intelligent. Peaches came here from America to study spell damage at St Mungo's. Angel was an assistant for the Ministry specializing in Arithmancy. Now we are just so many warm bodies to slap or grab, whatever takes your fancy."
"I want that to change," he rasped.
"How?"
"It's not just me; there are others. Most of us are done with this life. We have no freedom either. Sure, we live much better than you and have more freedoms, but we are not free. There is no leaving; we cannot chose our own wives. Our wealth is dependent on where we are in the pecking order and only the whim of a madman will change that. Like Caroline, I once dreamed of being a healer. Now, I am just a petty thug. I intimidate shopkeepers for tax payments. I think you're right about Crabbe; he likes that part and is too stupid to see he has already climbed as high as he can go. He can seem easy going, but he has a mean streak."
"Theo, if you could change things, what would you do?"
"I would free you all; I would give you all wands and then together we could storm the Ministry!" I sighed. He was so earnest and so childish.
"No, Theo." He looked at me, and his fierce expression fell. "How long do you think a couple of dozen women who have not handled a wand in over five years could hold out against Death Eaters, or the Dark Lord himself? You need better allies."
"But who? Who else is left alive that would stand up to the Dark Lord?"
"That is your next step. I would start with seeing who else is unhappy. I would look to your shopkeepers, crushed under the weight of your taxes. Look at the society that has been created and see who lost the most. You will find the seeds of your revolution there. But, Theo, you must use caution. Right now, you think to march to a glorious battle, but it would only be an ignominious death. You must move from a position of strength, not emotion. You need to look beyond the disgruntled Death Eaters; if you are to truly be free, you must create something new."
I could see his thoughts whirl behind his eyes.
"Have you spoken to your former Headmaster?" I asked. I struggled to keep my expression neutral. "I remember you were all so happy he was back."
"No, Caroline thought I should. But he is high up in power, now. You said yourself, being a Death Eater is not the way to go, and Snape is the ultimate Death Eater. I wanted to speak with him; he is good to us, but I no longer trust him. I wish I could." Damn. I flailed around in my head, desperate for what to say.
"Theo, you will have to decide for yourself whom to trust." I put my hand on his arm. "All we can provide is refuge and a whole house full of rooms to go to for quiet advice.
"As for Snape, I remember a man that was protective of his Slytherins. He was a nasty bastard to us, but he was loyal to his house. Try to take his measure. The next time you are alone with him, search his eyes. If you do not see what you are searching for, hold your peace."
He nodded and made towards the door, stopping to press a few coins into my hand.
"I will think on what you said. I will let you know." He stopped with a hand on the knob. "Granger, I will find a way to get you all out of here. I promise."
He left, and as I rose to exit the room myself, I heard Severus's angry voice in my mind: "Promises are meaningless... It's the vows that work."
I headed back down stairs deep in thought. Back in the Emerald Lounge, I sauntered over to where Angel sat.
"Do we know who is with Macnair yet?" I asked quietly.
She smiled at something someone said to her left. The same smile was stuck on her face as she turned to me with dead eyes.
"Dusty." she mouthed and turned back.
I shuddered, thinking of her at the mercy of that sadist. A few months ago, I was incapable of thinking of these women as my friends. I was not able to feel enough to be empathetic towards another's plight. I thought of what Severus had said about Voldemort and how by chipping away at his own soul he had left himself unable to feel, and I grew enraged. How close had I come to losing my own soul? Severus had returned to me the ability to feel, to worry and to hope. Precious gifts, indeed.
"Meeting after work in the first dorm. Spread the word," I whispered in her ear.
She nodded without ever turning to face me. I moved off to another lounge to repeat my message and saw her get up and stroll about the room.
Story Actions
To follow, favorite, like, and more either log in or create an account.
Leave a Review
Log in to leave a review.
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...