"Today, we will be practicing Occlumency," Voldemort said. It had been four weeks since the fight, and I'd already learned a lot. Better Transfiguration, better curses, and just doing straight-up better than I had been in the whole casting-spells realm.
This made my heart pound at the idea. My thoughts, my feelings...
"Legillimens!" I was taken by surprise, as my moments with Wesley came to the surface- something I'd wanted to forget but couldn't entirely. The only reason I hadn't chucked the ring into the rubbish bin was because I knew it had to be the place making me feel this way about him, or Voldemort himself.
"Interesting... Tell me, Alice, why hasn't this Hufflepuff come for you?" Voldemort sneered, after pulling out. "You know the punishment for doing poorly. Crucio."
I was starting to wish I'd had an immunity to it, but no. I got back to my feet and looked up in defiance and rage. "Try that again, I dare you."
I was prepared that time. I focused my rage into a mental fist that would knock out any intruder to my mind.
He started towards my Harry memories, and I imagined the mental fist knocking him out, and focused on this, not even paying attention to the memories. I opened my eyes, and Voldemort was falling to the ground.
My eyes widened fearfully. I'd knocked him away physically as well as mentally. I reached for my wand to defend myself, if that time had already come. The time to escape.
He rose to his feet. "That was an interesting method," he remarked, grinning slyly. "Using passion to keep people out. Then again, that's how you've lived your entire life, isn't it?"
I kept my mouth shut. I live the way I want to. Because I want to.
Voldemort then turned to Ky. "It's your turn."
He nodded passively, his expression unreadable. He closed his eyes as Voldemort attempted Legillimency.
"You can do better, Ky. Do better for your siblings," Voldemort sneered, when he pulled out.
Ky nodded, and waited for the punishment.
"Crucio." Voldemort casted.
It was still unnerving to see a boy about six inches taller than me crash to the ground screaming. Sometimes, the fact that I found it disturbing still was comforting.
You're still a good person, if you find that wrong. You're not like Voldemort, who finds pain amusing.
He got to his feet without much shaking, and the attempt was repeated.
"I have a job for both of you," Voldemort said, once training was done for the day. "Tomorrow, we are planning an attack on a certain press conference. One your brother will be at," he said to me. "Your chance for revenge has started."
Overwhelming anger and sadistic pleasure at the idea of making my parents slowly pay for what they did coursed through my body, burned at my core-
Oh no. What am I feeling? This is just too real...
"I will leave you with your wands tonight," Voldemort continued. "Be ready as soon as possible."
"Yes, master," Ky and I chorused in obedient, passive tones.
"Good. Take the rest of the day off," Voldemort said. We nodded, and were escorted back to our hallway.
I sat down in the library, and opened the window, letting the sunshine caress my face, one of the few things that made me smile anymore. But the seriousness of all of it had caught up to me, particularly with the influence of this place.
I can't stay here. I can't, or I'm going to get manipulated into being a monster. I've got to get out. I twirled my wand in my fingers nervously.
"Looking forward to the raid?" Ky asked.
I looked up. "Absolutely," I lied.
"I mean, we're finally getting the chance to use what we've learned," he said as he sat down.
"Yeah," I said, making a half-hearted attempt to sound excited.
"What's wrong, princess?" He asked, now becoming serious. "And don't lie or say 'nothing.' You can trust me."
No, I can't. Not with something as important as escape.
I considered what to say. "Do you ever have a problem with what you're doing?"
"What do you mean?" Ky frowned.
"This. Don't you have a problem, with acting like you hate muggles when you know damn well that you're one, and the fact that you, your twin, and your brother only happened to be talented through a happy accident?" I said.
"Look," he said, looking around with paranoia. "I don't want to do a lot of this. But it's what I've got to do to keep my family safe. Part of you can understand that, right?"
"This is an attack on my own brother. I've got no one, so nope," I said.
"Come on, there's got to be someone you genuinely care about," Ky said.
"I genuinely care about Wesley, Hayden, Uncle Remus, and Tonks, oh, and my godfather. That's it, they're the only people I care about, and sometimes, I'm not sure that any of them feel the same way," I said.
"What about Draco Malfoy and the rest? I saw you hang around their gang at school," Ky pointed out.
I looked down at the apple-shaped handle of my wand. "Things have changed. And I guess I've changed too much to ever be close again with me."
"I know how that feels," he said.
I raised an eyebrow.
"It's not exactly like you get dibs on the worst childhood, princess," he said.
I didn't lower them.
"Look, as the oldest boy in the household, I had to grow up a bit faster than the others, and that meant some changes," he said. "A lot of my friends saw the changes and got scared by what they saw."
"If what they saw was scaring them, why didn't you take a look at yourself and see if you're the thing you should be scared of?" I said.
He chuckled. "You think too much sometimes, princess, you know that?"
"Someone's got to hit the walls and think where others are scared to," I said with a shrug. "I'm afraid of what I might find, but I don't let that stop me. I want to know if I've become the monster, since that's what scares me the most."
"Sounds like the thoughts of someone who's in too deep," Ky acknowledged.
Crap. I let too much slip. Might be onto me. Time to make an exit.
"Well, excuse me, but I've got to do some research, if you don't mind," I said.
He gestured for me to go ahead.
I got to my feet and went into the section of the library that I wanted. Magical books. I pulled one off of the shelf called The Wanderer's Map. I opened it, and I spoke clearly to the book.
"Show me the Potter cottage." I said. On the pages popped camera angles of the house, and a map to it. I closed it, and walked out, into my room, and locked the door behind me. It was time to make preparations.
At dinner, I slipped some of the stuff like apples, and sandwiches into my cargo pockets, and some rolls, for that matter. In my room, I summoned Ziploc bags, and started stuffing the foot into them, so that it didn't get all over the inside of my backpack. I then started folding some robes and took some of the clothing, since it could prove to be useful. I also slid my backpack in, and waited for nightfall to come as I put on the leather jacket I found in the back of the closet, and laced up my combat boots.
YOU ARE READING
Apples and Snakes
FanfictionIn another world, Alice Potter was Harry's older twin sister. Also present at the attack on the Potter House, she and the family survived due to a new set of circumstances. Growing up, however, she began developing strange and shadowy powers that he...