Gypsy

Chapter Thirty

I immediately tried to dart around Malfoy, typically the arrogant bastard caught me though. A quick spin and I was facing Riddle, who still looked like he could be about to make a speech, not torture me into a new world of pain. No fear. I held my chin up, refusing to be cowed.

"I take it back," he walked towards me, "you are stupid. Stupid and apparently unfamiliar with the idea of simply doing what you are told." He pressed up against me and gripped my throat in his hand, tightly. For a moment I couldn't breath, and my eyes bugged, he loosened his hold. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and opened them again. "You want to look like a teenage boy, fine." He took a step back and nodded at Malfoy, who released me. I nearly collapsed at their feet before catching myself.

My eyes darting between them both, I slowly edged towards the bedroom door. When neither one stopped me I practically ran to it and darted through, the door slammed shut behind me and I could hear the distinctive and familiar sound of Riddle destroying another room. Shaky, but triumphant in my success, I sped down the hall towards the library. Along the way I got some strange look from some of the staff, I simply smiled and nodded. Several of the women I past let out small laughs, it wasn't at me though, they could clearly hear Riddle having a tantrum and took one look at my hair to guess the reason.

When I entered the library I knew immediately that I wasn't alone, Vanessa was seated in a very 'ladylike' manner on one of the chairs. She took one look at me and burst out laughing, I laughed along with her as I took the chair opposite. "I have to hear this story."

I smirked and relayed the afternoon to her, at the mention of Riddle moving into the mansion she paled a little but didn't flinch.

"Goodness, you do make this place more interesting." She smiled fondly and began playing with her hair, "would you like me to fix that mess you made? It is rather uneven."

I tugged on my short locks, "I suppose so." My point had been made to both Wizards, hopefully they wouldn't crowd me again like they had.

Smirking, Vanessa stood and rang a bell to her left. Iron appeared and bowed to us both. "Yes nasty Veela, what is you requiring?"

She scoffed at his words, I laughed. "Some scissors please, I'm afraid Creature 1403 made a mess of her hair."

Iron looked at me and his little eyes got even wider, "What has happened?" Scissors appeared in his hand and he waved Vanessa off when she made to take them. "I's fix it, filthy Mudblood Nymph requires more help than you."

The little elf clicked his fingers and a chair appeared, I moved from the arm chair to this new one and he made a little stack of boxes appear behind the chair so he could reach my hair.

"You're masters needed to learn a lesson, that's what happened Iron." He tisked as I spoke, and began cutting. He was remarkably fast at it, hair fell around me and onto my shoulders. "Do you suppose I went too far?" I asked Vanessa, she shrugged and poured herself a drink.

"What did they do when you cut it?" She looked worriedly at me, obviously expecting some kind of horrible curse to be inflicted.

I frowned, "not much actually."

Her brows rose nearly into her hairline, "a quiet response is one I would be more concerned about."

The thought hadn't really occurred to me, "do you suppose they are plotting some horrible punishment."

From behind me Iron scoffed, "silly Nymph." A few more snips and he vanished the hair he had cut, I heard him hop down from the boxes. "Master's will not torture you, what use is a broken Mate?"

I was slightly curious at what he thought. "What do you think they will do Iron?"

Big brown eyes looked up at me, they seemed thoughtful and I realised that this elf was far older than I had assumed. "If not be punishing you, they will punish others for you." I thought of my mother and felt guilt.

"Surly not for something such as cutting my hair?" Iron's smirked, it wasn't unkind, just knowing.

"You is there's. And you cut what they consider their hair. Foolish Nymph." He tisked again and shook his head, fingers clicked once and he was gone.

I sat for a moment in the chair before standing, it disappeared when I was up. I plopped down on the chair by the fire again and stared into it, Vanessa sat across from me and I could feel her pity.

"Have you ever heard of the Gastapo?" She shook her head and took a sip of her drink. "They are what was referred to as the 'Secret Police', I am assuming you know of the Great War that plagued the Muggles?" She nodded. "I am what the Gustapo liked to call 'gypsy filth'. They rounded myself and my family up, when I was very young, and put us in a camp. They branded us too, little numbers to identify us." My finger rubbed where my tattoo was, "now this covers that mark. My Grand'Mere died in that camp, wasted away until she was a shell. She choked on her own blood, and I couldn't help." Vanessa flinched, she passed me her drink and I took a large gulp. A broken laugh left me. "I've been through all of this before you see, the hatred of particular kinds of people and the dark side that brings out in communities. Even when we were liberated by the Allies, freed from that camp, people still sneered and hated us. So we came to England, and low and behold I was discovered as a Witch." I took another gulp and handed the empty glass back, Vanessa stood and filled two glasses, handing one to me and keeping the other. "I was so excited to go to Hogwarts, a new beginning. But all I find is more hatred for me, because I am 'dirty'." I sipped again, and looked at my companion. She looked stricken, the pain in her eyes mirroring mine. "We aren't dirty Vanessa, or strange, or in need of fucking branding." I glared down at my jagged 'N'.

"What are you going to do?" She whispered, and I let out a broken laugh.

"I am going to get out of here, all I need to do is make it to that forest." I pointed out the window at the oh-so-close trees.

"What will that do?" I smiled bitterly at the question.

Short answer? "If I can get there, I can syphon enough raw magic from Nature, and blast this whole bloody Manor to pieces. Hopefully with Riddle and Malfoy inside, and if that doesn't work... I'll die, and take them with me."