Raven (Fred x oc)

102. Bondage

I sat deep in thought, not noticing as Fred set a plate in front of me. Sitting across from me with his own plate, he asked, "Valerie, what is it?"

"What?" I replied, suddenly breaking from my daze. 

"Babe, what is it?" he asked, brows furrowed. 

"I just...I'm trying to think of what to do," I admitted. "There's too much of a risk that they will find me. If they had to torture me to get me to remove the ring I would be less worried but...with a single curse it will be theirs." 

"Is there no way to change that?" Fred asked with a frown. 

"Not that I know of," I replied. "But the only thing I could think of is-" I broke off, an idea glimmering in the back of my head. 

"Wha-" I held up my hand to silence him, slipping out of my chair and beginning to pace back and forth. 

"It's never been done before," I muttered. "Could be quite dangerous." After a few more mutterings, I turned to face Fred's confused face. 

"What are you thinking?" 

"If I could somehow bind together the ring and myself," I explained. "Then, even in death, its powers could not pass on to anyone even after my death." 

"Is that even possible?" he asked. 

"I don't know," I admitted, beginning to chew on my thumbnail in thought. "But it is worth a shot, isn't it? They wouldn't kill me." 

.................................................................................

Months Later

"Obligamus nos in unum virtutem combinioustantos," I said, wand raised, pointed at the table in front of me. The purple gemstone ring lay with my wooden and stone ring on the table. I cried out in surprise as the rings began to glow, seeming to melt into one pool. It floated into the air in one continuous stream, rising like a serpent readying to pounce. 

It stayed suspended in the air for a moment, completely still before it lunged straight for my heart. I screamed. It burned as it entered into me. 

"Valerie!" Fred shouted, rushing into the room just in time to catch me as I collapsed to the ground. Holding me in his arms, he moved me to lay on our bed. "Valerie," he said quietly, cupping my cheeks and anxiously shaking me. 

"You have messed with something far beyond your control," a booming voice said. I opened my eyes with a gasp of shock. I was in what once was the place with the cylinder surrounded in smoke from my fights. Before me was a tall man with purple hair and eyes dressed in a dark purple robe. 

"There are people trying to use the ring's power for their own greed and to kill thousands of people," I defended. "I need to keep the ring from them. This is the only way!" 

"And have you thought about when you die?" the man countered. "Where will the power go then?" 

"To my children, I suppose," I replied. 

"And if you have none?" he countered. 

"What do you mean?" I countered, my voice shaking. 

"You are fighting a war," he replied with a shrug. 

"A war we can only win with this ring and its power on our side!" I shouted. 

"Then if I am to allow you to continue on back to the living world, bound to that ring, then you must make a vow to me," he said in a low deep voice. "A sacred vow." 

"What is it?" I asked. 

"The power of the ring will become a part of your genetics," he said. "It will be passed on to your children. Yow must vow to me that you will make sure to pass them on." 

"What if the choice is taken out of my hands?" I asked nervously. 

"Then it will pass to your closest relative and on to their children," he replied. "But that is not what I want to see happen. If you fail, your spirit will be bound to the earth, never allowed to pass on."  I swallowed, drawing in an anxious breath. "You have seen the desperation from those you have allowed the pass on." 

"Y-Yes," I replied shakily. "Very well then." 

"Good," he replied. "One more thing. They need your help. As soon as you can." 

With a startled gasp, I shot up into Fred's arms, hyperventilating. I heard his voice in my ear but could not register what he was saying. He held me in his arms, allowing me to calm down. Once I had calmed enough, I said breathlessly, "It worked. Fred, it worked." 

"What?" he replied, staring at me with wide eyes. 

"It's a part of me now," I explained desperately. He opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn't. He was staring at me in such shock and awe that I frowned. Getting up, I moved to the mirror. Instantly, I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands. I turned, sharing a startled expression with Fred. 

My hair, once a dull purple, now flared multiple shades of the same colour. It had turned a brilliant dark purple at the top before growing paler and paler as it came closer to the long ends to where it was white where it hung at my waist. My eyes had turned a charcoal grey, like the stone ring with a golden centre the same shade as the wooden ring. 

"It worked," I said again, staring at Fred. "And if I die, this power goes to my closest blood relative." 

"Who would that be?" Fred asked. 

"I'm not sure," I admitted, sitting down next to him. "Petra, perhaps?" 

"And if not her?" 

"Draco," I said thoughtfully. After a pause, I remembered the last thing the man had said. "Fred, I have to go. I have to go find Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I was told that they need me, Fred." 

After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Then go." Gently, he kissed me before adding, "Protect them. I know you will come back to me." 

"Always," I replied with a warm smile.