Child Of Grace: Chapter 52 - Dance With The Devil
ZeldaQueen: Well folks, I'm not looking forward to this. Not at all. But there's no point in putting it off. We're going to see Holly Potter, one of the most spineless wusses I've ever had the misfortune of reading, face off against Voldemort. *shudders* There is good news, though. Just two more chapters after this one. Three I guess, if you count that the start of the fifth arc will most likely be in two parts. Ah well. Let us procrastinate no longer
Projection Room Voices: What a grand idea
ZeldaQueen: Shut up
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 52: Dance with the Devil
ZeldaQueen: Okay, we're at the day of the Third Task, and Holly is really nervous. Normally I'd have no problem with this, but you all know how the Suethor is under the impression that fragments are "exciting" and "suspenseful", so instead I just get really pissed off. When she goes to breakfast, all of her friends pretty much force-feed her until she thinks she's going to throw up. I'm sure this is supposed to show how much they care about her but instead it's just really fucking creepy.
The Champions are herded off into the side room, and for some reason Holly doesn't want to do this and has to be forced in. Um, hon? Did it not occur to you that this was related to the Third Task? Anyway, it's them meeting with their family members, and the Suethor acts like it's some huge surprise that Sirius and Eren showed up. I have no idea why. In canon, the Weasleys weren't Harry's family by blood or adoption, hence his surprise that they would be kind enough to show up as his family anyway. Sirius and Eren are both more or less Holly's guardians, so why wouldn't they show up?
So yeah, there's sappy reunions all around, and Eren gives Holly "a hug that'd leave Molly Weasley green with envy". Oh look, I'm chewing off my knuckles and we're not even a quarter of the way through the chapter. That can't be good.
Oh, and we get it beaten into our heads that the Ministry is PREJUDICE against the Zabinis, as Amos Diggory grimaces at Eren. I don't care.
They take the canon tour of the castle, which gets a very short paragraph of description, and they are joined for dinner by Holly's friends as well as Tonks and her family. *rubs head* The champions are then called out to the maze and we keep being reminded how Bagman keeps trying to catch Holly's eye and how she keeps ignoring him. Little bitch, that one.
Holly enters first and alone, because she's in the lead and not tied with Cedric. *snarls and gnashes teeth* She also can cheat because she can burn holes in the hedge that she alone is small enough to fit through. She smirks at this (bet you missed those smirks, didn't you?) and continues on until she comes to the golden mist. Unlike that idiot Harry, she knows something's up with it and figures out that it causes gravity to reverse. She responds by burning more holes to go around it, the little cheater. I'd like to remind you all that in canon, this was where Harry heard Fleur scream somewhere up ahead as she was attacked. That, dear Suethor, was why he took the chance with the mist - he wanted to try to go to Fleur's aide and didn't have the luxury of dicking around.
She comes across a trio of stone golems, not long after. I have no idea how those fit in a hedge maze and why the fake Moody didn't get them out of the way, but whatever. It's not like she spends more than four sentences on defeating them. Incidentally, the way to KO them is apparently to hit a jewel on their heads. I'm not entirely certain, but I suspect that the Suethor stole that from some video game appearance or something. I don't know. I've never heard of golems in mythology having that weakness.
Now is when we hear Fleur screaming, except that it's never specified that she's the one who screamed and Holly spends less than one sentence thinking about it. Instead, we get her fighting a Basted-End Shrewt, which would be a lot more impressive if we had been shown its growth over the series of chapters, like in canon. Instead, Holly instantly fires a Blasting Hex into its mouth and blows it into little bits. The heavily armored monster, which took Harry and Cedric both to just knock out, was single-handedly destroyed by this spineless glob of jelly. And her reaction is a thing of beauty.
"Hagrid might object to her actions, and he certainly wouldn't be happy when he learned. But the damn thing was over twelve feet long, and Holly very much liked living. Besides, she - like everyone in that class - knew the things were a menace and better killed off before they took over"
ZeldaQueen: I bet you missed the sociopathic tendencies, didn't you? Because she has got to be a sociopath. There is no way a healthy, sane person could continue to not get why people would not be happy about you killing their pets.
And no, don't try to tell me that killing it was the only option. Like I said, Harry and Cedric stunned them. Or Holly could always have swallowed her pride and thrown up the sparks for forfeiting. Actually, that would have been the smart thing to do. She knows that there's a trap set by Voldemort somewhere in the maze! Quitting while she's ahead would be the best option, I'd say!
Also, I know Hermione said in canon that they out to "stamp on the lot of them" before the Shrewts killed them, but we never saw any of the build-up about how dangerous they are, so it just sounds like Holly's saying "Yeah, well, who cares if I kill them? They're a menace and all". Incidentally, before they took over what? The world? This isn't "Earth vs. the Blast-End Shrewts".
After that charming display, Holly comes across Krum attacking Cedric. Of course, with her super spesheal mind powers, she instantly recognizes the mind control and Stuns him. She tells Cedric what's going on and he immediately tells her that he doesn't care if he wins. She, of course, doesn't protest this at all and thus they set off together. They do come across the sphinx, but we don't hear the riddle at all, nor do we get the character development it had provided in the book.
They set off and run into the spider. When Holly's Impediment jinx doesn't work, she uses magic to set it on fire. Really. As does Cedric, seeing how well arson works for her. I feel sorry for that spider, now. Not to mention she doesn't even get her robes dirty. Heaven forbid the little princess get sullied at all. *spits*
So now they're at the Triwizard Cup and both take it, Holly smirking the entire time. They wind up in the graveyard and Holly has her mental attack, but not as bad as Harry because he doesn't have mental shielding, the loser. And now, we must spork the return of Voldemort. To not spork it would be a great injustice
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But a tingle of foreboding shot down her spine then. Just as someone - a man - came within ten feet of them and a high, cold voice called from far away.
ZeldaQueen: Kill the Sue!
"Kill the spare."
ZeldaQueen: Close enough
She reacted on pure instinct. Holly dove for the ground at the same instant that she mentally shoved Cedric to the dirt. They both hit hard, and a flash of green light crashed into the angel statue next to them. It exploded outward to pelt them with fingernail-sized rocks. Holly rolled to her feet with Cedric a second behind, and they ducked behind a marker. More spells flew their way, and as best Holly could tell, there was only one source. She just couldn't pinpoint where they were. Somewhere towards the west, but the exact location was unknown as even more curses rained down. Sparks of blue and red and the occasional burst of sickly green.
ZeldaQueen: *bored* Oh, look at how impressive you are. Guess what? I bet that if Harry was telepathic and not on the ground in pain at that point in the book, he'd have been able to save Cedric as well. Also, ten bucks says that she decides to fuck around here instead of just getting the Hell out of Dodge, and thus nullifying her attempt to look smart
The last was only directed at Cedric as they dodged through the cemetery. And Holly knew in that instant that she was the real target here. Not for death. For something else entirely. But their attacker wouldn't stop trying to kill Cedric. He was only extraneous.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, extraneous. Only the Sue matters. True for Voldemort and for this fic
"Stay here. I think they only want me," Holly hissed as they commando crawled around another gravestone. "Play dead. Hide."
ZeldaQUeen: *sourly* Oh, that's nice. "You're useless, just crouch down here and pretend to be dead". And just what do you plan on doing, princess? Just let them kidnap you? Why don't you Summon the trophy back? Or are you so braindead that you don't know it's a Portkey?
"What?" he whispered back heatedly. "You're crazy if you think I'm letting them take you. Much less if you think I'll just hide."
ZeldaQueen: Sorry Cedric, the Suethor doesn't like you much so you don't get to show off your awesome bravery
"They only want me. Play dead," she insisted. "Do it."
ZeldaQueen: (Holly) "As the Mary Sue, I COMMAND YOU!"
"No, I won't-"
But Holly jabbed her wand and cast a stunner at point-blank range. Cedric was out before he even knew what hit him.
ZeldaQueen: *sputters* Oh, that's really nice! He insists on helping out and you knock the poor guy out! I don't suppose you've thought of how you just made things even more complicated for yourself? After all, how are you going to have his cooperation during your escape? You are planning on escaping, aren't you? I know you're insisting on running around the graveyard like a dumbass instead of grabbing the Portkey, and you don't seem to have a reason or plan for this, but I would hope you'd have enough brains to plan for an escape at some point or another
Holly recovered in just enough time to catch a glimpse of an enormous snake. Then, a large tail smacked her full in the face. Knocking her backwards into the marker to her right.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, how large is that snack, that it can back-tail her like that? And am I the only one who thinks that must have looked utterly ridiculous? Oh no, Stunning Holly is too much trouble. Let's just use slapstick
Her head connected with the grey stone, and Holly blacked out for a minute. Only to waken to a man carrying her forwards. Hands bound behind her back. Wand nowhere in sight. And brain swimming in her skull.
ZeldaQueen: Yeah, your plan to sneak around worked really well there. What a great idea that was. Good God, why do Mary Sues keep insisting on hanging around in evil graveyards? You'd think anyone with an ounce of sense would want to get the fuck out
She struggled with her bonds. Straining and twisting.
ZeldaQueen: Is she trying to untie herself or open a jar of peanut butter?
And catching the name on the headstone behind her when she was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.
ZeldaQueen: "Here lies Harry Potter canon"
Tom Riddle.
And Holly froze. Full of complete and utter horror. Mouth now dry and near-scream caught in her throat.
ZeldaQueen: Why is this so terrifying for her? She knows Voldemort was going to try to capture her. She knew the Third Task would be a trap of some sort. Did she honestly not figure out that the guy attacking her WAS THE SAME GUY WHO'S BEEN AFTER HER ASS SINCE CHAPTER ONE?
All she could do was watch as the traitor Peter Pettigrew approached, most certainly the person who'd attacked earlier. He sliced her arm with a knife. Taking that to a huge cauldron set off to the side. Dropping her blood inside as he recited words she very much didn't want to hear.
ZeldaQueen: "Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits". I can only assume that's what it is, since the Suethor is too lazy to tell us.
Honestly, it sounds like Wormtail's just saying something vaguely offensive and rude and not, you know, an evil and dark ritual
She cringed as he cut off his own arm. And then again when he dropped in a bundle that most certainly didn't contain a baby.
ZeldaQueen: Why bring up the baby thing? In the book, Harry thought there was a baby in there because he saw something small and vaguely humanoid moving around in a bundle. Here, it just...comes out of left field
A few tense seconds. Her mental shields straining under the building pressure but holding and shoving back. Magic filling the entire graveyard. Powerful and burning and licking at her body. Until a man stepped out of the cauldron. Pale skin. Blood red eyes. Serpentine features.
ZeldaQueen: You know, we never were told what the pre-revived Voldemort looked like. It's just look "Well it's not a baby". Ooookay, so what is it? A ferret? A rock? What?
Attention fixed on Holly and merely flicking to Pettigrew as his servant robed him. Stepping out with bare feet to stand in the centre of an open area in the graveyard. Inhaling deeply and tilting his head up to study the stars. He was smiling when he looked down.
ZeldaQueen: (Voldemort) "It's always so easy to return to power. Mary Sues never have the common sense to escape"
Lord Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, was reborn.
ZeldaQueen: And it's all your fault, you little tart. Who wants to bet she's a delicate little flower the entire time?
And within minutes, his followers were gathering before him once more. Grovelling on the grassy ground and begging his forgiveness. Crawling on their bellies like some animal. Like the lowliest beasts.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, get over it! Even when she's tied to a gravestone, she's horribly arrogant
Voldemort barely paid any mind to them at all. Merely telling them of his downfall and recovery, tone rich and full like the most sinful dessert.
ZeldaQueen: That's...that's it? That's all we get for the backstory he gives?
*rubs head*
Suethor? You do realize that this was supposed to be some foreshadowing about him having horcruxes, don't you? Just because you introduced horcruxes earlier (and rather shittily) doesn't mean you can ignore the foreshadowing
Striding around the circle of his servants.
ZeldaQueen: Doing the Hokey-Pokey.
Oh, and notice something? The Suethor is taking care to avoid naming names. I know that it could be her tendency to skip important stuff, but something tells me she just doesn't want to admit that her precious Malfoys and Crabbe and Goyle returned to work for Voldemort
Eyes smouldering as they fixed on Holly.
ZeldaQueen: Great, now he's Edward Cullen
He stopped just in front of her. "And the guest of honour. Miss Holly Potter. So kind of you to join us tonight. And perhaps you'd care to do so on a more permanent basis."
ZeldaQueen: What, turn her into a statue?
He crouched down then, knees nearly touching hers. Invading her personal space so thoroughly that she'd have scuttled away if she weren't tied down.
ZeldaQueen: Oh no! Forget the fact that he's a murderous maniac, he's invading her personal space!
"May I call you Holly?" Voldemort inquired but went on before she could answer. "Of course, I can. You don't mind at all, do you? We're all such good friends here. You and all of my dear followers." He waved a hand behind him. "All so happy to be here. To welcome me back to the land of the living. To see the first step, the beginning of my new reign." He tilted his head and leaned closer. "You could have it all, you know. By my side. Anything and everything you want." A finger trailed up her cheek to brush hair from her face. "All of your dreams. Your inner most desires."
ZeldaQueen: Okay, let's pause so I can rant.
No, Suethor, Voldemort would not give the "we can rule together" offer here. There's a very good reason why he wouldn't. He has Holly at his mercy right now. Holly is the only person who ever bested him. By killing her, he would prove that his only weak point (or at least, what he thinks his only weak point is) will be destroyed forever. That's why he forces Harry into the duel in canon. He wants to make a spectacle out of him and toy with Harry before killing him.
And yes, I am well aware that Voldemort offered Harry power and riches and all that good stuff in Sorcerer's Stone. The difference? Voldemort was at the disadvantage there. He was weak, he was bodiless, he was dependent on Quirrell, and he really needed the stone. Harry was a kid, and Voldemort no doubt figured he could easily tempt him and then screw him over when he had the stone. Here? Voldemort is at full power, with his most faithful followers around him. Holly is woozy and tied to a grave stone with no wand. Voldemort has everything he wants from here. There is no reason to keep her around. None at all
His voice was familiar. Achingly so. The same lilt as Tom. The same diction and word choice. But the emotion was different. Whatever warmth present was utterly false. Had to be. None of it was genuine. Just for show. Meant to intrigue and entice.
ZeldaQueen: Yeah, that was Tom Riddle. A Grade-A sociopath who was very good at playing people
This wasn't Tom. Not really and not at all. Not him. And Holly honestly wondered if they'd ever been the same person.
ZeldaQueen: Sure Suethor, just hop up on your soapbox. "That sweet woobie Tom certainly isn't that meanie Voldemort!" Just keep telling yourself that, dear
But Voldemort grabbed her focus again. Face filling her view as he leaned forward until less than an inch separated them. His back and the darkness blocked them from sight of his followers. And she felt something like foreboding tickle at her stomach.
ZeldaQueen: And then she vomited all over him. It was hilarious
"Anything, Holly. Your parents. Others." His breath ghosted over her skin and sent a shudder down her spine. "All within your grasp. Within my power. All you have to do is take my hand."
ZeldaQueen: Yep, she's cribbing from the first book. Could be the first movie, I can't remember if he offered to bring back Harry's parents in the book or just the movie. Like I said, it doesn't work. It's totally different circumstances
His mouth pressed to hers then. Firm but oddly soft. Tasting and then pulling back. Red eyes gazing into her shocked green ones.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, isn't that cliched. The evil, mustached villain stealing the virtue of the sweet, delicate, innocent girl. Gag me
Then, he moved away. Smirking all the while.
ZeldaQueen: If I see the word "smirk" one more time...
"Come now, Holly," Voldemort called over his shoulder. "Do join us in the middle."
ZeldaQueen: (Voldemort) "Do join in our orgy!"
Her misfiring brain belatedly noticed that her bonds had been loosened. She rose shakily to her feet, completely numb inside, and rubbed at her wrists. She could feel the pulse of her wand nearby, but Holly had no idea where it was or even who had it anymore. Still, she slowly stepped forward and into the circle of Death Eaters. It closed behind her.
ZeldaQueen: This chick is even less aware of her surroundings than Bella Swan is
Voldemort continued to smirk as she came closer. "Very good, Holly. It seems like you can listen and obey both.
ZeldaQueen: Both what? See, this is why commas are important
That is far more than most can do." He cast a glance to his followers, who universally shivered.
ZeldaQueen: Jesus Christ, even Voldemort is praising her!
Holly merely shifted to relieve the cramp in one leg. Eyes glancing over those gathered as she mentally measured them. As she'd suspected, the girl knew some of these people. Some better than others to be sure. Some rather well.
ZeldaQueen: All while the Suethor carefully doesn't name names
But there wasn't anything she could do about that. Time to focus on the matter at hand.
ZeldaQueen: As usual, the Suethor just ignores inconvenient stuff like canon
"What do you want?" Holly questioned, daring another step forward. "What's your game, Voldemort?"
ZeldaQueen: Parcheesi. What do you think, you idiot? He's going to kill you!
"Lord Voldemort," he corrected almost idly. Still indulging in that not-quite smile. "Let us be civil, my dear."
ZeldaQueen: Good luck with that. Holly isn't civil with you unless you kiss her ass
"You aren't a lord of anything," the Slytherin retorted with her head held high. "And certainly not mine."
ZeldaQueen: Now's not the time to get high and mighty, dear. You honestly can't expect me to take that seriously when you've spent most of this fic sobbing over one thing or another
His wand whipped out so fast that she couldn't even dodge.
ZeldaQueen: Great, he's going to rape her
Could only take it as the blue-black curse struck her full in the chest. Pure agony boiled over her body. Rolled over her skin and sunk hot knives into her muscles. Holly shrieked and shrieked until she thought her throat would give out. That she'd haemorrhage inside and explode outward from agony. Jerking and twitching like a seizure gone horribly wrong.
ZeldaQueen: Woot! Go Voldemort! *munches popcorn*
And then, it ended. Just as suddenly as it had begun.
"I will take much, Holly," Voldemort said through the haze of lingering aches. "But I don't abide by disrespect. We must observe the niceties, after all."
ZeldaQueen: (Suethor) "I'll just hack together random canon lines and hope no one notices"
He watched as she slowly stood. Rubbing blood from her nose before it could trickle down her chin. Voldemort's eyes were watchful but full of something she couldn't quite name. Something that made her tighten her mental shields and square her shoulders.
ZeldaQueen: If it's lust or respect, I swear to God I'll destroy something. Those two are such cliches...
"Very good," he allowed after a moment. "Very good indeed. I'm impressed, I must admit. Not many would dare stand after that. You'll certainly make an interesting addition to the cause. A most pleasing and powerful addition."
ZeldaQueen: OH MY GOD, CAN THE SUETHOR GO FOR MORE THAN TWO SENTENCES WITHOUT SOMEONE PRAISING THE SUE?
Holly felt her eyes narrow. "You sound as if it's already decided," she nearly spat but managed to keep her tone civil.
ZeldaQueen: Quick question, where's Cedric during all of this? Might have been handy to have him around. *pointed glare*
That only seemed to amuse him.
"Oh, come now, Holly," Voldemort commented dismissively, one long finger tapping his cheek. "Many say that, but they all bow in the end. All of them join us. Or they die. And the former is of course far more... pleasurable for them than the latter."
ZeldaQueen: Look, Voldemort would not be doing this. He would be killing her. And don't say he's acting all rapist-pseudo-sweet just because she's a girl. I will hurt you if you try
The edges of his mouth quirked as though in pleasant memory, but she didn't rise to the bait. Voldemort gifted her with a chuckle.
ZeldaQueen: I hope he kept the receipt.
Seriously, do something!
"Perhaps a little enticement then. A show of my power. What I have to offer you." He caressed his wand almost lovingly. "After all, how can you accurately determine the truth of my offer without testing me yourself?"
ZeldaQueen: FOR GOD'S SAKE, HAVE A DUEL OR SOMETHING!
Fuck! Do these people do anything besides stand around and yammer?
Voldemort's gaze flickered to Wormtail, who now had a silver arm in place of the one he'd lost. Holly had somehow missed it being fixed.
ZeldaQueen: ...Really? How did she miss that? Voldemort made a huge presentation out of it and everything
Not that she really cared as he presented her with her wand. She had a split second to think of attacking him, but Voldemort was by far the biggest danger here. She didn't want to waste the opportunity she'd been given.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, that's nice. "I'd brutally attack you, Wormtail, but quite frankly you're not worth my time"
The chance - though small it was - to get the hell out of there.
ZeldaQueen: MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOU WERE CAPTURED, YOU BRAINLESS SHITHEAD!
I apologize for my profanity. I need to vent somehow, though
"First, Holly, we bow," Voldemort said. Offering a mere lowering of his head.
ZeldaQueen: I think the Suethor mistook a period for a comma there
She returned it if only to keep him from casting the Cruciatus again. She could play nice if it kept him mollified and lulled into complacency.
ZeldaQueen: You know, that's rather insightful. Harry stood for his ideals, even if it could be seen as stupid and even if it caused him pain, because he was fiercely loyal. Holly here is apparently the opposite. I find it hilarious that she referred to the Death Eaters as "dogs" for "groveling" for Voldemort, but she is willingly bowing to him to protect her own skin
"And now, we duel."
ZeldaQueen: It's time to DU-DU-DU-DU-DUEL!
It started out simple. Holly didn't know if she should be insulted or grateful.
ZeldaQueen: And I don't suppose it would be possible for the Suethor to give us some details, would it?
Incidentally, why start out simple? I could understand Voldemort toying with her, but in canon he used painful curses to torture Harry
Either way, she stepped it up when he did. Weaving around and shielding as needed. Sending out charms and hexes and jinxes. Even a borderline curse that'd certainly make McGonagall and the Ministry very unhappy.
ZeldaQueen: ...She just pulled a Rose Potter.
Oh, she tried to pretty it up. She tried to make it sound nice and innocent. But seriously folks, how many curses are there that the Ministry doesn't like? What sort of magic do they regulate and arrest people for? Which then begs the question of how she learned such spells. I can only conclude that she and her friends taught themselves Dark magic in secret. I wonder how Sirius would feel about that
Voldemort lifted a nonexistent brow. And hit her with a percussion wave that drove the air from her lugs and knocked her back on her arse.
ZeldaQueen: Dude, just kill her. You'd be making the world a better place
"Ah... None of that now, Holly. This is a friendly match, and that curse is certainly not proper behaviour for a favourite of Albus Dumbledore. Much less a lady of your breeding and position. The last Potter and an adoptive member of the Black family. That won't do at all."
ZeldaQueen: You know, Voldemort knows a lot worse curses than ones that just knock the wind out of you. Why isn't he using the Cruciatus for that? If he sees she can use dangerous magic, why let her run around?
Blue-black light flew at her again.
ZeldaQueen: Ah, there we are. Thank you
Holly couldn't dodge this one either. Her back hit the grass, and she bit her lip nearly clean through to keep in the shrieks this time. Twitching and spasming as pain beyond pain washed over her for the second time in as many minutes.
ZeldaQueen: Aaaaand she just pulled an Arianna Black. She just felt like she was tortured beyond belief, yet kept the willpower to not scream and only twitched and spasmed. Sounds a lot like Arianna just "cringing" through it, huh?
It ended a moment later. Though it felt more like years, and she managed to stagger to her feet after two false starts. Voldemort just gave her an indulgent look.
"A little break," he said, slitted nostrils flaring out slightly. "A little pause. That hurt, didn't it, Holly? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"
ZeldaQueen: Of course she does. She loves having stuff to angst about. She's a total masochist
She didn't answer. Holly didn't dare. Not certain what she'd say.
ZeldaQueen: How about you fight back?
Voldemort didn't like that at all. But she threw off his retaliatory Imperius in seconds.
ZeldaQueen: When did he cast that? We were never told he decided to cast that
Striking back with a Reductor of her own. He smirked again and sidestepped. Dancing around her following spells and shooting back several of his own. Holly dodged, too. Ducking and diving and sliding around them all. Firing back a Disarming charm the same time that Voldemort cast an orange curse she didn't recognise. The two spells intersected midway between them.
ZeldaQueen: And yet again, symbolism goes over the head of the Suethor. Voldemort fired the killing curse, you idiot! There was a purpose to that! It served to show how Harry and Voldemort were foils - Harry always chose to disarm people attacking him, because he didn't like to hurt anyone. Voldemort always tried to kill people, and almost always succeeded. On a more dramatic level, it was the end and beginning of the duel. Harry only knew that one spell, while Voldemort was bored and ready to kill him and be done with it. Harry chose to make a stand and cast that one spell and die making some effort to defend himself, instead of dying huddled behind a gravestone. Really, it could also be seen as symbolic of Harry fighting Voldemort - there's the smaller, less powerful force, which some consider insignificant, and it's against a powerful force which is generally considered unbeatable. Against all odds, the less powerful force wins.
Now having the Sue know all kinds of spells (spells you can't be bothered to name, seriously Rose Potter does better than that) kind of negates all of that. Of course, the Suethor can't be bothered to follow basic narrative elements, so I guess symbolism is also beyond her
And then, something very strange happened. Holly's wand started to vibrate.
ZeldaQueen: Woah there, neither the time nor the place to get horny!
Nearly buzzing straight through her hand. From the startled look on Voldemort's face, he was experiencing a similar problem.
ZeldaQueen: Makes it sound like they're trying to get cell phones to work or something
A thread of energy connected their wands with a bead of magic in the middle, right where the spells had touched. And soon both Slytherins were encased in a dome of golden light. Phoenix song rose on the air as the light grew stronger. Becoming solid and lifting them off the ground as Death Eaters watched in awe from below.
ZeldaQueen: Not fear, of course, everything the Sue does is grand and glorious and worthy of respect
The sphere of magic began to move closer to Holly's end. But somehow, she knew this wouldn't be a good thing, and she focused with every single bit of her concentration. Pushing it back with her mind and magic both. Until it slowed and started back towards Voldemort. Coming closer and closer. Just inches away.
ZeldaQueen: I don't care. I can't believe how utterly boring the Suethor made this
The bead connected with Voldemort's wand, and it was like every spell he'd ever cast was coming back to haunt him. Her screams from the Cruciatus. Those of his Death Eaters and others. Additional spells that she didn't have the thought to name.
ZeldaQueen: Um, no. It only reversed the deaths. "Every death the wand did, in opposite order"
And then... then something else entirely. Shadows formed from his wand in the shape of people. Not ghosts. No, these were nothing like ghosts. More like echoes. Shades of the people who'd once been. But not them. No, certainly not. Not when she'd seen and spoken to souls before. On Samhain and Beltane. Seen them with her own eyes.
ZeldaQueen: And this is why that stupid "raise the dead" ritual is so pointless. Part of the reason that this scene was so moving in the book was that it was the first time Harry got to speak to his parents. Holly gets it twice a year. Kind of ruins the moment
These were different. People she'd never met but had seen before. The old man at the mansion. Bertha Jorkins. And some she knew intimately. Her parents. James and Lily Potter.
ZeldaQueen: And they don't say anything? *snarls* Part of the reason I liked this scene was that it gave the dead a chance to get back at Voldemort to some degree for their murders, hissing at him from the sidelines and encouraging Harry
Erupting from Voldemort's wand and encircling him. Protecting her from view. Whispering encouragement and love as they came close to her. Urging her to run when the connection was broken. Urging her to live.
ZeldaQueen: I'm so very, very sorry for this, dear viewers
JESUS H. FUCKING CHRIST SUETHOR, HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD AND ZEUS DO YOU MANAGE THIS? THIS IS THE FUCKING CLIMAX OF THE NOVEL!!! THE MOTHER-FUCKING CLIMAX! THIS IS THE PART WE ALL WANT TO SEE AND YOU JUST SKIP OVER IT LIKE IT'S NOTHING OH MY GOD I HAVE LOST MY COHERANCY AN MY SPELLING AND GRAMMER OH LOOK AT THE PRETTY LIGHTS
*explodes*
Projection Room Voices: We apologize for the delay. We'll continue the sporking, just as soon as we put the sporker together again. In the meantime, please enjoy this video of a corgi puppy climbing down some stairs
Projection Room Voices: Thank you for your patience
ZeldaQueen: Aw, puppies! Wait...the sporking... *gets depressed*
The link abruptly severed.
ZeldaQueen: You ought to contact your webmaster about that
Holly didn't even hesitate. She took off. Heading in the vague direction of Cedric and the cup.
ZeldaQueen: You know, if Cedric wasn't Stunned, he could help you get the cup *more pointed glares*
And a hex sizzled her shirt as it went over her shoulder. Spells fell everywhere behind her. A kaleidoscope of colours. Reds and blues and yellows and purples. But no green. None at all.
ZeldaQueen: Anti-Irish bastards
Holly ducked and dodged around tombstones and statues. Rolling and sliding and even managing to deflect a few spells back. But then, a massive wave of red light cascaded her way like a tsunami. And she dove behind a gravestone. Clipping the side of her head against an unexpected rock on the ground. The world exploded with stars and little birdies, and Holly had to struggle to find air for the few critical seconds it took for her eyes to clear.
ZeldaQueen: Oh no, what a development. I certainly think it's possible for the Suethor to kill her off now, with three more story arcs left. Whatever will happen next? *yawns*
The Slytherin looked up in enough time to see a Death Eater in the same row as her. Only two markers over. Her eyes widened, and she went for her wand. Already knowing she was at the wrong angle and would never make it in time. But the man merely held his finger in front of his masked mouth. And then pointed to her right and the Triwizard Cup gleaming just twenty feet away.
ZeldaQueen: Oh Jesus Christ, it figures. Yep, we're going to get the "I'm forced into it card" with someone. Probably Malfoy, that's my guess
Cedric, still knocked out but seeming to be coming around, was between her and it. Her gaze jerked back to the Death Eater. At the eyes staring at her from behind the mask. Eyes just like those of Draco Malfoy.
ZeldaQueem: Bam, who called it?
He didn't even need to speak for her to get the message. Holly simply stumbled to her feet and then took off running. She didn't bother firing back spells this time. Hearing Lucius do it for her as she threw herself at Cedric and wrenched her wand forward.
ZeldaQueen: Lucius is going to have his ass handed to him after this, helping Holly get away and fighting the other Death Eaters
"Accio cup!"
It shot to her. Smacking into her outstretched hand just as a wash of red approached. Then, they were flying back to Hogwarts. Holly, bleeding and all but dead on her feet. Cedric, just starting to rouse.
ZeldaQueen: Why couldn't she have done this AT THE START?
And notice, dear viewers, that Cedric probably never saw Voldemort, seeing as he was unconscious the entire time. Niiice
They slammed into the ground, and this time, Holly couldn't keep her feet. She landed hard on her knees and heard something give a distinctive pop.
ZeldaQueen: Just come out and say she farted
She gasped but couldn't force out the sound, which required breath she just didn't have. The world danced around her as someone grabbed her by the shoulders.
ZeldaQueen: "Right, time to restore canon", said the M.A.R.Y.S.U.E. agent, as he raised his sword
"Holly?" Cedric's voice asked from far away.
"You saw him… right?" she demanded as she heaved and sucked in air. "You saw him?"
ZeldaQueen: Um, no Holly. No he didn't. You want to know why? You stunned him, jackassi!
As near as she could tell, Cedric shrugged. "I don't know what the hell I saw."
Holly tried to nod. But that only made her brain bash against her skull and her stomach threaten to revolt.
ZeldaQueen: Her stomach wants higher pay and better hours?
She groaned, and Cedric shifted beside her. But then, the agony was all she knew as black etched into her vision.
ZeldaQueen: The agony's all I know as well. Let's switch back to recapping
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ZeldaQueen: So we're at the part in canon where Harry has returned and is half-conscious and everyone is freaking out and terrified. I have no idea why that is. It's the same thing as with Rose Potter - Cedric's still alive and well. The only thing they might be alarmed at is that she somehow teleported out of the maze, but even that wouldn't get the same amount of panic as returning with the dead body of one of the champions. I also have no idea why Holly is so loopy when she saw no murder and has all of those mind shields and whatnot, but I guess if she was conscious, she runs the risk of being able to defend herself.
Holly is dragged off by Moody, as it was in canon, and Cedric follows after. He keeps badgering Moody and apparently doesn't think his behavior is weird enough to merit going after Dumbledore or holding him at wandpoint or something. Seriously, this is the part of the story where Crouch Jr. starts to ignore his Moody identity because he thinks the end is near and Harry is too weak to fight back and no one can stop him. Here though, Cedric is also in the room and perfectly healthy and wondering what's going on. Why isn't Crouch Jr. trying to get rid of him or something? Sending him to get Dumbledore? Alerting Madame Pomfrey? And why isn't Cedric being more suspicious? This isn't normal behavior for Moody and I'd imagine that Cedric would know this, given that his dad worked with the guy.
I guess Cedric can't be smart at all here though, because it might ruin things for the Suethor. He keeps insisting that Moody let him take Holly to the Hospital Wing and Moody keeps ignoring him and asking questions of Holly and Holly sits there like a useless lump. Cedric tries to pull Holly to her feet and Moody hits him with a Stinging Hex. For some reason, Cedric still doesn't get that something is going on here, and tries again to take Holly from the room. This time, Moody elbows him in the chest and says "You'll sit there, boy, until I say you can get up", and we're told that "his face and voice were terrible things". Okay, does Cedric not have his wand? Because Moody is clearly being out of line and threatening. There is no reason why Cedric wouldn't try to Stun him or something. Instead, Cedric opens his mouth to bitch at Moody some more and then this happens
"Holly felt it a second before it happened. Didn't even have enough time to process. Much less to give a warning or even attempt to shield him. She could only stare in horror. Watch as he was outlined in green. Surprise had a second to flicker across his face before he was whirled around by the force of the curse and thrown to the cold stone floor. He hit hard and with a deafening thump. He didn't get back up.
Holly couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She could only stare at Cedric. Lying spread eagle on the floor. Eyes empty and staring up the ceiling. Mind snuffed out like a candle.
He was dead. Cedric was dead. Dead. No longer there. Gone. Killed. Murdered.
By Professor Moody. By Alastor Moody. Retired Auror. Defence teacher. Man who'd caught hundreds of criminals and fought in at least two wars"
ZeldaQueen: So...Cedric died anyway, just later in the chapter. Alright, what was the point of that? It didn't make Holly look any better, since she just sat there in a daze while it happened. In fact, it just made everyone look worse. Cedric was on guard in the graveyard, but he still figured he was under the Tournament safety net. Here, he just saw Voldemort come back to life and nearly kill himself and Holly and then saw a man act very threatening towards them. Yet instead of being on guard, he just stands there with his mouth open.
Not to mention, it really lessens the impact of Cedric's death. In the books, it really hurt Harry. Cedric was almost like a cool big brother, an older student who was nice and helped him out a bit and in the end, he died because of Harry. Harry told him to take the Cup and then was unable to help because his head was in blinding pain. It also added fuel to his fury about why the Ministry was ignoring Voldemort's return - not only was it putting people at risk, he saw it as greatly disrespecting the memory of Cedric, by pretending he died in an accident. In this situation, there's none of that.
Anyway, not much left here. "Moody" is all cackly and for some reason, he intends to re-kidnap Holly instead of just killing her while she's right there. There's seriously no reason for that. Voldemort had what he needed from her and hasn't yet insisted that he wants to be the one to kill her. It doesn't matter though, McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore to the rescue, sobs over Cedric's death, and exposition over who "Moody" was. Which is summed up thusly
"What happened next would stay fixed in her mind until her dying day. Clear like snapshots capturing the event for all time. Moody who wasn't really Moody at all but a Polyjuiced imposter. The real Alastor Moody trapped in his trunk. The fake shifting back to none other than Barty Crouch Jr. Winky the house-elf being brought to them. A Veritaserum-induced confession. Everything from Crouch's escape from Azkaban with the help of his father and dying mother. To the World Cup. To the Triwizard Tournament. To just that night"
ZeldaQueen: Eleven sentences, folks. Eleven sentences devoted to the ENTIRE FUCKING REVEAL OF THE STORY! AND IT'S ONLY THAT MUCH BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL FRAGMENTS, FUCK IT ALL!!!
And yes, that's it for this chapter. GOD I HATE IT SO!
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AN: My trip went great. We saw a ton of patients.
ZeldaQueen: I guess that solves the mystery of what that "mission" of hers was about
And I'm starting to study for boards now, so updates will be whenever I manage to steal enough free time to write.
ZeldaQueen: You know, I have to agree with Lurky - given that this person is working in a field that requires good communications between people, her Sue's lack of empathy and sociopathic tendencies are just frightening
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Onward to: Chapter 54: Shadow Of The Day
Back to: Chapter 52: River Of Dreams
Return to: Table of Contents
Projection Room Voices: What a grand idea
ZeldaQueen: Shut up
Projection Room Voices: Starting Media in 3...2...1...
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Chapter 52: Dance with the Devil
ZeldaQueen: Okay, we're at the day of the Third Task, and Holly is really nervous. Normally I'd have no problem with this, but you all know how the Suethor is under the impression that fragments are "exciting" and "suspenseful", so instead I just get really pissed off. When she goes to breakfast, all of her friends pretty much force-feed her until she thinks she's going to throw up. I'm sure this is supposed to show how much they care about her but instead it's just really fucking creepy.
The Champions are herded off into the side room, and for some reason Holly doesn't want to do this and has to be forced in. Um, hon? Did it not occur to you that this was related to the Third Task? Anyway, it's them meeting with their family members, and the Suethor acts like it's some huge surprise that Sirius and Eren showed up. I have no idea why. In canon, the Weasleys weren't Harry's family by blood or adoption, hence his surprise that they would be kind enough to show up as his family anyway. Sirius and Eren are both more or less Holly's guardians, so why wouldn't they show up?
So yeah, there's sappy reunions all around, and Eren gives Holly "a hug that'd leave Molly Weasley green with envy". Oh look, I'm chewing off my knuckles and we're not even a quarter of the way through the chapter. That can't be good.
Oh, and we get it beaten into our heads that the Ministry is PREJUDICE against the Zabinis, as Amos Diggory grimaces at Eren. I don't care.
They take the canon tour of the castle, which gets a very short paragraph of description, and they are joined for dinner by Holly's friends as well as Tonks and her family. *rubs head* The champions are then called out to the maze and we keep being reminded how Bagman keeps trying to catch Holly's eye and how she keeps ignoring him. Little bitch, that one.
Holly enters first and alone, because she's in the lead and not tied with Cedric. *snarls and gnashes teeth* She also can cheat because she can burn holes in the hedge that she alone is small enough to fit through. She smirks at this (bet you missed those smirks, didn't you?) and continues on until she comes to the golden mist. Unlike that idiot Harry, she knows something's up with it and figures out that it causes gravity to reverse. She responds by burning more holes to go around it, the little cheater. I'd like to remind you all that in canon, this was where Harry heard Fleur scream somewhere up ahead as she was attacked. That, dear Suethor, was why he took the chance with the mist - he wanted to try to go to Fleur's aide and didn't have the luxury of dicking around.
She comes across a trio of stone golems, not long after. I have no idea how those fit in a hedge maze and why the fake Moody didn't get them out of the way, but whatever. It's not like she spends more than four sentences on defeating them. Incidentally, the way to KO them is apparently to hit a jewel on their heads. I'm not entirely certain, but I suspect that the Suethor stole that from some video game appearance or something. I don't know. I've never heard of golems in mythology having that weakness.
Now is when we hear Fleur screaming, except that it's never specified that she's the one who screamed and Holly spends less than one sentence thinking about it. Instead, we get her fighting a Basted-End Shrewt, which would be a lot more impressive if we had been shown its growth over the series of chapters, like in canon. Instead, Holly instantly fires a Blasting Hex into its mouth and blows it into little bits. The heavily armored monster, which took Harry and Cedric both to just knock out, was single-handedly destroyed by this spineless glob of jelly. And her reaction is a thing of beauty.
"Hagrid might object to her actions, and he certainly wouldn't be happy when he learned. But the damn thing was over twelve feet long, and Holly very much liked living. Besides, she - like everyone in that class - knew the things were a menace and better killed off before they took over"
ZeldaQueen: I bet you missed the sociopathic tendencies, didn't you? Because she has got to be a sociopath. There is no way a healthy, sane person could continue to not get why people would not be happy about you killing their pets.
And no, don't try to tell me that killing it was the only option. Like I said, Harry and Cedric stunned them. Or Holly could always have swallowed her pride and thrown up the sparks for forfeiting. Actually, that would have been the smart thing to do. She knows that there's a trap set by Voldemort somewhere in the maze! Quitting while she's ahead would be the best option, I'd say!
Also, I know Hermione said in canon that they out to "stamp on the lot of them" before the Shrewts killed them, but we never saw any of the build-up about how dangerous they are, so it just sounds like Holly's saying "Yeah, well, who cares if I kill them? They're a menace and all". Incidentally, before they took over what? The world? This isn't "Earth vs. the Blast-End Shrewts".
After that charming display, Holly comes across Krum attacking Cedric. Of course, with her super spesheal mind powers, she instantly recognizes the mind control and Stuns him. She tells Cedric what's going on and he immediately tells her that he doesn't care if he wins. She, of course, doesn't protest this at all and thus they set off together. They do come across the sphinx, but we don't hear the riddle at all, nor do we get the character development it had provided in the book.
They set off and run into the spider. When Holly's Impediment jinx doesn't work, she uses magic to set it on fire. Really. As does Cedric, seeing how well arson works for her. I feel sorry for that spider, now. Not to mention she doesn't even get her robes dirty. Heaven forbid the little princess get sullied at all. *spits*
So now they're at the Triwizard Cup and both take it, Holly smirking the entire time. They wind up in the graveyard and Holly has her mental attack, but not as bad as Harry because he doesn't have mental shielding, the loser. And now, we must spork the return of Voldemort. To not spork it would be a great injustice
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But a tingle of foreboding shot down her spine then. Just as someone - a man - came within ten feet of them and a high, cold voice called from far away.
ZeldaQueen: Kill the Sue!
"Kill the spare."
ZeldaQueen: Close enough
She reacted on pure instinct. Holly dove for the ground at the same instant that she mentally shoved Cedric to the dirt. They both hit hard, and a flash of green light crashed into the angel statue next to them. It exploded outward to pelt them with fingernail-sized rocks. Holly rolled to her feet with Cedric a second behind, and they ducked behind a marker. More spells flew their way, and as best Holly could tell, there was only one source. She just couldn't pinpoint where they were. Somewhere towards the west, but the exact location was unknown as even more curses rained down. Sparks of blue and red and the occasional burst of sickly green.
ZeldaQueen: *bored* Oh, look at how impressive you are. Guess what? I bet that if Harry was telepathic and not on the ground in pain at that point in the book, he'd have been able to save Cedric as well. Also, ten bucks says that she decides to fuck around here instead of just getting the Hell out of Dodge, and thus nullifying her attempt to look smart
The last was only directed at Cedric as they dodged through the cemetery. And Holly knew in that instant that she was the real target here. Not for death. For something else entirely. But their attacker wouldn't stop trying to kill Cedric. He was only extraneous.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, extraneous. Only the Sue matters. True for Voldemort and for this fic
"Stay here. I think they only want me," Holly hissed as they commando crawled around another gravestone. "Play dead. Hide."
ZeldaQUeen: *sourly* Oh, that's nice. "You're useless, just crouch down here and pretend to be dead". And just what do you plan on doing, princess? Just let them kidnap you? Why don't you Summon the trophy back? Or are you so braindead that you don't know it's a Portkey?
"What?" he whispered back heatedly. "You're crazy if you think I'm letting them take you. Much less if you think I'll just hide."
ZeldaQueen: Sorry Cedric, the Suethor doesn't like you much so you don't get to show off your awesome bravery
"They only want me. Play dead," she insisted. "Do it."
ZeldaQueen: (Holly) "As the Mary Sue, I COMMAND YOU!"
"No, I won't-"
But Holly jabbed her wand and cast a stunner at point-blank range. Cedric was out before he even knew what hit him.
ZeldaQueen: *sputters* Oh, that's really nice! He insists on helping out and you knock the poor guy out! I don't suppose you've thought of how you just made things even more complicated for yourself? After all, how are you going to have his cooperation during your escape? You are planning on escaping, aren't you? I know you're insisting on running around the graveyard like a dumbass instead of grabbing the Portkey, and you don't seem to have a reason or plan for this, but I would hope you'd have enough brains to plan for an escape at some point or another
Holly recovered in just enough time to catch a glimpse of an enormous snake. Then, a large tail smacked her full in the face. Knocking her backwards into the marker to her right.
ZeldaQueen: Okay, how large is that snack, that it can back-tail her like that? And am I the only one who thinks that must have looked utterly ridiculous? Oh no, Stunning Holly is too much trouble. Let's just use slapstick
Her head connected with the grey stone, and Holly blacked out for a minute. Only to waken to a man carrying her forwards. Hands bound behind her back. Wand nowhere in sight. And brain swimming in her skull.
ZeldaQueen: Yeah, your plan to sneak around worked really well there. What a great idea that was. Good God, why do Mary Sues keep insisting on hanging around in evil graveyards? You'd think anyone with an ounce of sense would want to get the fuck out
She struggled with her bonds. Straining and twisting.
ZeldaQueen: Is she trying to untie herself or open a jar of peanut butter?
And catching the name on the headstone behind her when she was unceremoniously dropped to the ground.
ZeldaQueen: "Here lies Harry Potter canon"
Tom Riddle.
And Holly froze. Full of complete and utter horror. Mouth now dry and near-scream caught in her throat.
ZeldaQueen: Why is this so terrifying for her? She knows Voldemort was going to try to capture her. She knew the Third Task would be a trap of some sort. Did she honestly not figure out that the guy attacking her WAS THE SAME GUY WHO'S BEEN AFTER HER ASS SINCE CHAPTER ONE?
All she could do was watch as the traitor Peter Pettigrew approached, most certainly the person who'd attacked earlier. He sliced her arm with a knife. Taking that to a huge cauldron set off to the side. Dropping her blood inside as he recited words she very much didn't want to hear.
ZeldaQueen: "Shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits". I can only assume that's what it is, since the Suethor is too lazy to tell us.
Honestly, it sounds like Wormtail's just saying something vaguely offensive and rude and not, you know, an evil and dark ritual
She cringed as he cut off his own arm. And then again when he dropped in a bundle that most certainly didn't contain a baby.
ZeldaQueen: Why bring up the baby thing? In the book, Harry thought there was a baby in there because he saw something small and vaguely humanoid moving around in a bundle. Here, it just...comes out of left field
A few tense seconds. Her mental shields straining under the building pressure but holding and shoving back. Magic filling the entire graveyard. Powerful and burning and licking at her body. Until a man stepped out of the cauldron. Pale skin. Blood red eyes. Serpentine features.
ZeldaQueen: You know, we never were told what the pre-revived Voldemort looked like. It's just look "Well it's not a baby". Ooookay, so what is it? A ferret? A rock? What?
Attention fixed on Holly and merely flicking to Pettigrew as his servant robed him. Stepping out with bare feet to stand in the centre of an open area in the graveyard. Inhaling deeply and tilting his head up to study the stars. He was smiling when he looked down.
ZeldaQueen: (Voldemort) "It's always so easy to return to power. Mary Sues never have the common sense to escape"
Lord Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, was reborn.
ZeldaQueen: And it's all your fault, you little tart. Who wants to bet she's a delicate little flower the entire time?
And within minutes, his followers were gathering before him once more. Grovelling on the grassy ground and begging his forgiveness. Crawling on their bellies like some animal. Like the lowliest beasts.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, get over it! Even when she's tied to a gravestone, she's horribly arrogant
Voldemort barely paid any mind to them at all. Merely telling them of his downfall and recovery, tone rich and full like the most sinful dessert.
ZeldaQueen: That's...that's it? That's all we get for the backstory he gives?
*rubs head*
Suethor? You do realize that this was supposed to be some foreshadowing about him having horcruxes, don't you? Just because you introduced horcruxes earlier (and rather shittily) doesn't mean you can ignore the foreshadowing
Striding around the circle of his servants.
ZeldaQueen: Doing the Hokey-Pokey.
Oh, and notice something? The Suethor is taking care to avoid naming names. I know that it could be her tendency to skip important stuff, but something tells me she just doesn't want to admit that her precious Malfoys and Crabbe and Goyle returned to work for Voldemort
Eyes smouldering as they fixed on Holly.
ZeldaQueen: Great, now he's Edward Cullen
He stopped just in front of her. "And the guest of honour. Miss Holly Potter. So kind of you to join us tonight. And perhaps you'd care to do so on a more permanent basis."
ZeldaQueen: What, turn her into a statue?
He crouched down then, knees nearly touching hers. Invading her personal space so thoroughly that she'd have scuttled away if she weren't tied down.
ZeldaQueen: Oh no! Forget the fact that he's a murderous maniac, he's invading her personal space!
"May I call you Holly?" Voldemort inquired but went on before she could answer. "Of course, I can. You don't mind at all, do you? We're all such good friends here. You and all of my dear followers." He waved a hand behind him. "All so happy to be here. To welcome me back to the land of the living. To see the first step, the beginning of my new reign." He tilted his head and leaned closer. "You could have it all, you know. By my side. Anything and everything you want." A finger trailed up her cheek to brush hair from her face. "All of your dreams. Your inner most desires."
ZeldaQueen: Okay, let's pause so I can rant.
No, Suethor, Voldemort would not give the "we can rule together" offer here. There's a very good reason why he wouldn't. He has Holly at his mercy right now. Holly is the only person who ever bested him. By killing her, he would prove that his only weak point (or at least, what he thinks his only weak point is) will be destroyed forever. That's why he forces Harry into the duel in canon. He wants to make a spectacle out of him and toy with Harry before killing him.
And yes, I am well aware that Voldemort offered Harry power and riches and all that good stuff in Sorcerer's Stone. The difference? Voldemort was at the disadvantage there. He was weak, he was bodiless, he was dependent on Quirrell, and he really needed the stone. Harry was a kid, and Voldemort no doubt figured he could easily tempt him and then screw him over when he had the stone. Here? Voldemort is at full power, with his most faithful followers around him. Holly is woozy and tied to a grave stone with no wand. Voldemort has everything he wants from here. There is no reason to keep her around. None at all
His voice was familiar. Achingly so. The same lilt as Tom. The same diction and word choice. But the emotion was different. Whatever warmth present was utterly false. Had to be. None of it was genuine. Just for show. Meant to intrigue and entice.
ZeldaQueen: Yeah, that was Tom Riddle. A Grade-A sociopath who was very good at playing people
This wasn't Tom. Not really and not at all. Not him. And Holly honestly wondered if they'd ever been the same person.
ZeldaQueen: Sure Suethor, just hop up on your soapbox. "That sweet woobie Tom certainly isn't that meanie Voldemort!" Just keep telling yourself that, dear
But Voldemort grabbed her focus again. Face filling her view as he leaned forward until less than an inch separated them. His back and the darkness blocked them from sight of his followers. And she felt something like foreboding tickle at her stomach.
ZeldaQueen: And then she vomited all over him. It was hilarious
"Anything, Holly. Your parents. Others." His breath ghosted over her skin and sent a shudder down her spine. "All within your grasp. Within my power. All you have to do is take my hand."
ZeldaQueen: Yep, she's cribbing from the first book. Could be the first movie, I can't remember if he offered to bring back Harry's parents in the book or just the movie. Like I said, it doesn't work. It's totally different circumstances
His mouth pressed to hers then. Firm but oddly soft. Tasting and then pulling back. Red eyes gazing into her shocked green ones.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, isn't that cliched. The evil, mustached villain stealing the virtue of the sweet, delicate, innocent girl. Gag me
Then, he moved away. Smirking all the while.
ZeldaQueen: If I see the word "smirk" one more time...
"Come now, Holly," Voldemort called over his shoulder. "Do join us in the middle."
ZeldaQueen: (Voldemort) "Do join in our orgy!"
Her misfiring brain belatedly noticed that her bonds had been loosened. She rose shakily to her feet, completely numb inside, and rubbed at her wrists. She could feel the pulse of her wand nearby, but Holly had no idea where it was or even who had it anymore. Still, she slowly stepped forward and into the circle of Death Eaters. It closed behind her.
ZeldaQueen: This chick is even less aware of her surroundings than Bella Swan is
Voldemort continued to smirk as she came closer. "Very good, Holly. It seems like you can listen and obey both.
ZeldaQueen: Both what? See, this is why commas are important
That is far more than most can do." He cast a glance to his followers, who universally shivered.
ZeldaQueen: Jesus Christ, even Voldemort is praising her!
Holly merely shifted to relieve the cramp in one leg. Eyes glancing over those gathered as she mentally measured them. As she'd suspected, the girl knew some of these people. Some better than others to be sure. Some rather well.
ZeldaQueen: All while the Suethor carefully doesn't name names
But there wasn't anything she could do about that. Time to focus on the matter at hand.
ZeldaQueen: As usual, the Suethor just ignores inconvenient stuff like canon
"What do you want?" Holly questioned, daring another step forward. "What's your game, Voldemort?"
ZeldaQueen: Parcheesi. What do you think, you idiot? He's going to kill you!
"Lord Voldemort," he corrected almost idly. Still indulging in that not-quite smile. "Let us be civil, my dear."
ZeldaQueen: Good luck with that. Holly isn't civil with you unless you kiss her ass
"You aren't a lord of anything," the Slytherin retorted with her head held high. "And certainly not mine."
ZeldaQueen: Now's not the time to get high and mighty, dear. You honestly can't expect me to take that seriously when you've spent most of this fic sobbing over one thing or another
His wand whipped out so fast that she couldn't even dodge.
ZeldaQueen: Great, he's going to rape her
Could only take it as the blue-black curse struck her full in the chest. Pure agony boiled over her body. Rolled over her skin and sunk hot knives into her muscles. Holly shrieked and shrieked until she thought her throat would give out. That she'd haemorrhage inside and explode outward from agony. Jerking and twitching like a seizure gone horribly wrong.
ZeldaQueen: Woot! Go Voldemort! *munches popcorn*
And then, it ended. Just as suddenly as it had begun.
"I will take much, Holly," Voldemort said through the haze of lingering aches. "But I don't abide by disrespect. We must observe the niceties, after all."
ZeldaQueen: (Suethor) "I'll just hack together random canon lines and hope no one notices"
He watched as she slowly stood. Rubbing blood from her nose before it could trickle down her chin. Voldemort's eyes were watchful but full of something she couldn't quite name. Something that made her tighten her mental shields and square her shoulders.
ZeldaQueen: If it's lust or respect, I swear to God I'll destroy something. Those two are such cliches...
"Very good," he allowed after a moment. "Very good indeed. I'm impressed, I must admit. Not many would dare stand after that. You'll certainly make an interesting addition to the cause. A most pleasing and powerful addition."
ZeldaQueen: OH MY GOD, CAN THE SUETHOR GO FOR MORE THAN TWO SENTENCES WITHOUT SOMEONE PRAISING THE SUE?
Holly felt her eyes narrow. "You sound as if it's already decided," she nearly spat but managed to keep her tone civil.
ZeldaQueen: Quick question, where's Cedric during all of this? Might have been handy to have him around. *pointed glare*
That only seemed to amuse him.
"Oh, come now, Holly," Voldemort commented dismissively, one long finger tapping his cheek. "Many say that, but they all bow in the end. All of them join us. Or they die. And the former is of course far more... pleasurable for them than the latter."
ZeldaQueen: Look, Voldemort would not be doing this. He would be killing her. And don't say he's acting all rapist-pseudo-sweet just because she's a girl. I will hurt you if you try
The edges of his mouth quirked as though in pleasant memory, but she didn't rise to the bait. Voldemort gifted her with a chuckle.
ZeldaQueen: I hope he kept the receipt.
Seriously, do something!
"Perhaps a little enticement then. A show of my power. What I have to offer you." He caressed his wand almost lovingly. "After all, how can you accurately determine the truth of my offer without testing me yourself?"
ZeldaQueen: FOR GOD'S SAKE, HAVE A DUEL OR SOMETHING!
Fuck! Do these people do anything besides stand around and yammer?
Voldemort's gaze flickered to Wormtail, who now had a silver arm in place of the one he'd lost. Holly had somehow missed it being fixed.
ZeldaQueen: ...Really? How did she miss that? Voldemort made a huge presentation out of it and everything
Not that she really cared as he presented her with her wand. She had a split second to think of attacking him, but Voldemort was by far the biggest danger here. She didn't want to waste the opportunity she'd been given.
ZeldaQueen: Oh, that's nice. "I'd brutally attack you, Wormtail, but quite frankly you're not worth my time"
The chance - though small it was - to get the hell out of there.
ZeldaQueen: MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT BEFORE YOU WERE CAPTURED, YOU BRAINLESS SHITHEAD!
I apologize for my profanity. I need to vent somehow, though
"First, Holly, we bow," Voldemort said. Offering a mere lowering of his head.
ZeldaQueen: I think the Suethor mistook a period for a comma there
She returned it if only to keep him from casting the Cruciatus again. She could play nice if it kept him mollified and lulled into complacency.
ZeldaQueen: You know, that's rather insightful. Harry stood for his ideals, even if it could be seen as stupid and even if it caused him pain, because he was fiercely loyal. Holly here is apparently the opposite. I find it hilarious that she referred to the Death Eaters as "dogs" for "groveling" for Voldemort, but she is willingly bowing to him to protect her own skin
"And now, we duel."
ZeldaQueen: It's time to DU-DU-DU-DU-DUEL!
It started out simple. Holly didn't know if she should be insulted or grateful.
ZeldaQueen: And I don't suppose it would be possible for the Suethor to give us some details, would it?
Incidentally, why start out simple? I could understand Voldemort toying with her, but in canon he used painful curses to torture Harry
Either way, she stepped it up when he did. Weaving around and shielding as needed. Sending out charms and hexes and jinxes. Even a borderline curse that'd certainly make McGonagall and the Ministry very unhappy.
ZeldaQueen: ...She just pulled a Rose Potter.
Oh, she tried to pretty it up. She tried to make it sound nice and innocent. But seriously folks, how many curses are there that the Ministry doesn't like? What sort of magic do they regulate and arrest people for? Which then begs the question of how she learned such spells. I can only conclude that she and her friends taught themselves Dark magic in secret. I wonder how Sirius would feel about that
Voldemort lifted a nonexistent brow. And hit her with a percussion wave that drove the air from her lugs and knocked her back on her arse.
ZeldaQueen: Dude, just kill her. You'd be making the world a better place
"Ah... None of that now, Holly. This is a friendly match, and that curse is certainly not proper behaviour for a favourite of Albus Dumbledore. Much less a lady of your breeding and position. The last Potter and an adoptive member of the Black family. That won't do at all."
ZeldaQueen: You know, Voldemort knows a lot worse curses than ones that just knock the wind out of you. Why isn't he using the Cruciatus for that? If he sees she can use dangerous magic, why let her run around?
Blue-black light flew at her again.
ZeldaQueen: Ah, there we are. Thank you
Holly couldn't dodge this one either. Her back hit the grass, and she bit her lip nearly clean through to keep in the shrieks this time. Twitching and spasming as pain beyond pain washed over her for the second time in as many minutes.
ZeldaQueen: Aaaaand she just pulled an Arianna Black. She just felt like she was tortured beyond belief, yet kept the willpower to not scream and only twitched and spasmed. Sounds a lot like Arianna just "cringing" through it, huh?
It ended a moment later. Though it felt more like years, and she managed to stagger to her feet after two false starts. Voldemort just gave her an indulgent look.
"A little break," he said, slitted nostrils flaring out slightly. "A little pause. That hurt, didn't it, Holly? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"
ZeldaQueen: Of course she does. She loves having stuff to angst about. She's a total masochist
She didn't answer. Holly didn't dare. Not certain what she'd say.
ZeldaQueen: How about you fight back?
Voldemort didn't like that at all. But she threw off his retaliatory Imperius in seconds.
ZeldaQueen: When did he cast that? We were never told he decided to cast that
Striking back with a Reductor of her own. He smirked again and sidestepped. Dancing around her following spells and shooting back several of his own. Holly dodged, too. Ducking and diving and sliding around them all. Firing back a Disarming charm the same time that Voldemort cast an orange curse she didn't recognise. The two spells intersected midway between them.
ZeldaQueen: And yet again, symbolism goes over the head of the Suethor. Voldemort fired the killing curse, you idiot! There was a purpose to that! It served to show how Harry and Voldemort were foils - Harry always chose to disarm people attacking him, because he didn't like to hurt anyone. Voldemort always tried to kill people, and almost always succeeded. On a more dramatic level, it was the end and beginning of the duel. Harry only knew that one spell, while Voldemort was bored and ready to kill him and be done with it. Harry chose to make a stand and cast that one spell and die making some effort to defend himself, instead of dying huddled behind a gravestone. Really, it could also be seen as symbolic of Harry fighting Voldemort - there's the smaller, less powerful force, which some consider insignificant, and it's against a powerful force which is generally considered unbeatable. Against all odds, the less powerful force wins.
Now having the Sue know all kinds of spells (spells you can't be bothered to name, seriously Rose Potter does better than that) kind of negates all of that. Of course, the Suethor can't be bothered to follow basic narrative elements, so I guess symbolism is also beyond her
And then, something very strange happened. Holly's wand started to vibrate.
ZeldaQueen: Woah there, neither the time nor the place to get horny!
Nearly buzzing straight through her hand. From the startled look on Voldemort's face, he was experiencing a similar problem.
ZeldaQueen: Makes it sound like they're trying to get cell phones to work or something
A thread of energy connected their wands with a bead of magic in the middle, right where the spells had touched. And soon both Slytherins were encased in a dome of golden light. Phoenix song rose on the air as the light grew stronger. Becoming solid and lifting them off the ground as Death Eaters watched in awe from below.
ZeldaQueen: Not fear, of course, everything the Sue does is grand and glorious and worthy of respect
The sphere of magic began to move closer to Holly's end. But somehow, she knew this wouldn't be a good thing, and she focused with every single bit of her concentration. Pushing it back with her mind and magic both. Until it slowed and started back towards Voldemort. Coming closer and closer. Just inches away.
ZeldaQueen: I don't care. I can't believe how utterly boring the Suethor made this
The bead connected with Voldemort's wand, and it was like every spell he'd ever cast was coming back to haunt him. Her screams from the Cruciatus. Those of his Death Eaters and others. Additional spells that she didn't have the thought to name.
ZeldaQueen: Um, no. It only reversed the deaths. "Every death the wand did, in opposite order"
And then... then something else entirely. Shadows formed from his wand in the shape of people. Not ghosts. No, these were nothing like ghosts. More like echoes. Shades of the people who'd once been. But not them. No, certainly not. Not when she'd seen and spoken to souls before. On Samhain and Beltane. Seen them with her own eyes.
ZeldaQueen: And this is why that stupid "raise the dead" ritual is so pointless. Part of the reason that this scene was so moving in the book was that it was the first time Harry got to speak to his parents. Holly gets it twice a year. Kind of ruins the moment
These were different. People she'd never met but had seen before. The old man at the mansion. Bertha Jorkins. And some she knew intimately. Her parents. James and Lily Potter.
ZeldaQueen: And they don't say anything? *snarls* Part of the reason I liked this scene was that it gave the dead a chance to get back at Voldemort to some degree for their murders, hissing at him from the sidelines and encouraging Harry
Erupting from Voldemort's wand and encircling him. Protecting her from view. Whispering encouragement and love as they came close to her. Urging her to run when the connection was broken. Urging her to live.
ZeldaQueen: I'm so very, very sorry for this, dear viewers
JESUS H. FUCKING CHRIST SUETHOR, HOW IN THE NAME OF GOD AND ZEUS DO YOU MANAGE THIS? THIS IS THE FUCKING CLIMAX OF THE NOVEL!!! THE MOTHER-FUCKING CLIMAX! THIS IS THE PART WE ALL WANT TO SEE AND YOU JUST SKIP OVER IT LIKE IT'S NOTHING OH MY GOD I HAVE LOST MY COHERANCY AN MY SPELLING AND GRAMMER OH LOOK AT THE PRETTY LIGHTS
*explodes*
Projection Room Voices: We apologize for the delay. We'll continue the sporking, just as soon as we put the sporker together again. In the meantime, please enjoy this video of a corgi puppy climbing down some stairs
Click to viewProjection Room Voices: Thank you for your patience
ZeldaQueen: Aw, puppies! Wait...the sporking... *gets depressed*
The link abruptly severed.
ZeldaQueen: You ought to contact your webmaster about that
Holly didn't even hesitate. She took off. Heading in the vague direction of Cedric and the cup.
ZeldaQueen: You know, if Cedric wasn't Stunned, he could help you get the cup *more pointed glares*
And a hex sizzled her shirt as it went over her shoulder. Spells fell everywhere behind her. A kaleidoscope of colours. Reds and blues and yellows and purples. But no green. None at all.
ZeldaQueen: Anti-Irish bastards
Holly ducked and dodged around tombstones and statues. Rolling and sliding and even managing to deflect a few spells back. But then, a massive wave of red light cascaded her way like a tsunami. And she dove behind a gravestone. Clipping the side of her head against an unexpected rock on the ground. The world exploded with stars and little birdies, and Holly had to struggle to find air for the few critical seconds it took for her eyes to clear.
ZeldaQueen: Oh no, what a development. I certainly think it's possible for the Suethor to kill her off now, with three more story arcs left. Whatever will happen next? *yawns*
The Slytherin looked up in enough time to see a Death Eater in the same row as her. Only two markers over. Her eyes widened, and she went for her wand. Already knowing she was at the wrong angle and would never make it in time. But the man merely held his finger in front of his masked mouth. And then pointed to her right and the Triwizard Cup gleaming just twenty feet away.
ZeldaQueen: Oh Jesus Christ, it figures. Yep, we're going to get the "I'm forced into it card" with someone. Probably Malfoy, that's my guess
Cedric, still knocked out but seeming to be coming around, was between her and it. Her gaze jerked back to the Death Eater. At the eyes staring at her from behind the mask. Eyes just like those of Draco Malfoy.
ZeldaQueem: Bam, who called it?
He didn't even need to speak for her to get the message. Holly simply stumbled to her feet and then took off running. She didn't bother firing back spells this time. Hearing Lucius do it for her as she threw herself at Cedric and wrenched her wand forward.
ZeldaQueen: Lucius is going to have his ass handed to him after this, helping Holly get away and fighting the other Death Eaters
"Accio cup!"
It shot to her. Smacking into her outstretched hand just as a wash of red approached. Then, they were flying back to Hogwarts. Holly, bleeding and all but dead on her feet. Cedric, just starting to rouse.
ZeldaQueen: Why couldn't she have done this AT THE START?
And notice, dear viewers, that Cedric probably never saw Voldemort, seeing as he was unconscious the entire time. Niiice
They slammed into the ground, and this time, Holly couldn't keep her feet. She landed hard on her knees and heard something give a distinctive pop.
ZeldaQueen: Just come out and say she farted
She gasped but couldn't force out the sound, which required breath she just didn't have. The world danced around her as someone grabbed her by the shoulders.
ZeldaQueen: "Right, time to restore canon", said the M.A.R.Y.S.U.E. agent, as he raised his sword
"Holly?" Cedric's voice asked from far away.
"You saw him… right?" she demanded as she heaved and sucked in air. "You saw him?"
ZeldaQueen: Um, no Holly. No he didn't. You want to know why? You stunned him, jackassi!
As near as she could tell, Cedric shrugged. "I don't know what the hell I saw."
Holly tried to nod. But that only made her brain bash against her skull and her stomach threaten to revolt.
ZeldaQueen: Her stomach wants higher pay and better hours?
She groaned, and Cedric shifted beside her. But then, the agony was all she knew as black etched into her vision.
ZeldaQueen: The agony's all I know as well. Let's switch back to recapping
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ZeldaQueen: So we're at the part in canon where Harry has returned and is half-conscious and everyone is freaking out and terrified. I have no idea why that is. It's the same thing as with Rose Potter - Cedric's still alive and well. The only thing they might be alarmed at is that she somehow teleported out of the maze, but even that wouldn't get the same amount of panic as returning with the dead body of one of the champions. I also have no idea why Holly is so loopy when she saw no murder and has all of those mind shields and whatnot, but I guess if she was conscious, she runs the risk of being able to defend herself.
Holly is dragged off by Moody, as it was in canon, and Cedric follows after. He keeps badgering Moody and apparently doesn't think his behavior is weird enough to merit going after Dumbledore or holding him at wandpoint or something. Seriously, this is the part of the story where Crouch Jr. starts to ignore his Moody identity because he thinks the end is near and Harry is too weak to fight back and no one can stop him. Here though, Cedric is also in the room and perfectly healthy and wondering what's going on. Why isn't Crouch Jr. trying to get rid of him or something? Sending him to get Dumbledore? Alerting Madame Pomfrey? And why isn't Cedric being more suspicious? This isn't normal behavior for Moody and I'd imagine that Cedric would know this, given that his dad worked with the guy.
I guess Cedric can't be smart at all here though, because it might ruin things for the Suethor. He keeps insisting that Moody let him take Holly to the Hospital Wing and Moody keeps ignoring him and asking questions of Holly and Holly sits there like a useless lump. Cedric tries to pull Holly to her feet and Moody hits him with a Stinging Hex. For some reason, Cedric still doesn't get that something is going on here, and tries again to take Holly from the room. This time, Moody elbows him in the chest and says "You'll sit there, boy, until I say you can get up", and we're told that "his face and voice were terrible things". Okay, does Cedric not have his wand? Because Moody is clearly being out of line and threatening. There is no reason why Cedric wouldn't try to Stun him or something. Instead, Cedric opens his mouth to bitch at Moody some more and then this happens
"Holly felt it a second before it happened. Didn't even have enough time to process. Much less to give a warning or even attempt to shield him. She could only stare in horror. Watch as he was outlined in green. Surprise had a second to flicker across his face before he was whirled around by the force of the curse and thrown to the cold stone floor. He hit hard and with a deafening thump. He didn't get back up.
Holly couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. She could only stare at Cedric. Lying spread eagle on the floor. Eyes empty and staring up the ceiling. Mind snuffed out like a candle.
He was dead. Cedric was dead. Dead. No longer there. Gone. Killed. Murdered.
By Professor Moody. By Alastor Moody. Retired Auror. Defence teacher. Man who'd caught hundreds of criminals and fought in at least two wars"
ZeldaQueen: So...Cedric died anyway, just later in the chapter. Alright, what was the point of that? It didn't make Holly look any better, since she just sat there in a daze while it happened. In fact, it just made everyone look worse. Cedric was on guard in the graveyard, but he still figured he was under the Tournament safety net. Here, he just saw Voldemort come back to life and nearly kill himself and Holly and then saw a man act very threatening towards them. Yet instead of being on guard, he just stands there with his mouth open.
Not to mention, it really lessens the impact of Cedric's death. In the books, it really hurt Harry. Cedric was almost like a cool big brother, an older student who was nice and helped him out a bit and in the end, he died because of Harry. Harry told him to take the Cup and then was unable to help because his head was in blinding pain. It also added fuel to his fury about why the Ministry was ignoring Voldemort's return - not only was it putting people at risk, he saw it as greatly disrespecting the memory of Cedric, by pretending he died in an accident. In this situation, there's none of that.
Anyway, not much left here. "Moody" is all cackly and for some reason, he intends to re-kidnap Holly instead of just killing her while she's right there. There's seriously no reason for that. Voldemort had what he needed from her and hasn't yet insisted that he wants to be the one to kill her. It doesn't matter though, McGonagall, Snape, and Dumbledore to the rescue, sobs over Cedric's death, and exposition over who "Moody" was. Which is summed up thusly
"What happened next would stay fixed in her mind until her dying day. Clear like snapshots capturing the event for all time. Moody who wasn't really Moody at all but a Polyjuiced imposter. The real Alastor Moody trapped in his trunk. The fake shifting back to none other than Barty Crouch Jr. Winky the house-elf being brought to them. A Veritaserum-induced confession. Everything from Crouch's escape from Azkaban with the help of his father and dying mother. To the World Cup. To the Triwizard Tournament. To just that night"
ZeldaQueen: Eleven sentences, folks. Eleven sentences devoted to the ENTIRE FUCKING REVEAL OF THE STORY! AND IT'S ONLY THAT MUCH BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL FRAGMENTS, FUCK IT ALL!!!
And yes, that's it for this chapter. GOD I HATE IT SO!
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AN: My trip went great. We saw a ton of patients.
ZeldaQueen: I guess that solves the mystery of what that "mission" of hers was about
And I'm starting to study for boards now, so updates will be whenever I manage to steal enough free time to write.
ZeldaQueen: You know, I have to agree with Lurky - given that this person is working in a field that requires good communications between people, her Sue's lack of empathy and sociopathic tendencies are just frightening
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Onward to: Chapter 54: Shadow Of The Day
Back to: Chapter 52: River Of Dreams
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