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Darkness Within | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Alternate Universe Characters:Albus Dumbledore, Draco Malfoy, Dumbledore, Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, Other, Remus Lupin, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, General Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Disturbing Imagery, Intimate Sexual Situations, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations, Negative Alcohol Use, Rape, Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 144 Summary: Tom Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets while he was a student at Hogwarts. He committed another horrific act that same year. Now decades later, the students of Hogwarts continue to be impacted by his crimes. How will Ginny and her friends handle the darkness within? Hitcount: Story Total: 148994; Chapter Total: 7232 Author's Notes: Thanks to my husband for his help in editing this story and for encouraging me to write it. |
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Chapter 2 Longbottom Manor Staring out the window into the dark night, Anna drew an unsteady breath. The darkness seemed to be approaching, closing in as the flight continued. She glanced uneasily at her father, who was reading some kind of financial report as he sipped his gin and tonic. The plane was quiet, too quiet. Anna wished they were flying in coach where there would be more people and other children, but her father always flew first class, where the silence was oppressive, the adults serious. She returned her gaze to the small window of the airplane, letting her mind wonder to the unreality of the last few days. Her grandmother was dead. Katherine was gone. The funeral had been a quiet, solemn affair. Only a few mourners had been in attendance, and they left soon after the ceremony, murmuring their condolences as they departed. She had been buried next to her husband and daughter in an old cemetery in the country. Anna had lived with her grandmother alone in her house in Virginia since her mother had died. Since the age of three, her childhood with Grandmother had been peaceful and calm, interrupted only occasionally by visits from her father or his parents, before they too had died a few years earlier. Now, everything would be different. She would be living in England, at Longbottom Manor, with relatives she had never met and knew little about, and in the fall she would be going to Hogwarts. Hogwarts. Sweet Merlin. Anna shuddered, blinked several times and took a few deep breaths to compose herself. I must remain calm, she thought. Automatically, Anna began going through the silent Occlumency lessons her grandmother had trained her in over the past few months. She cleared her mind, built her walls, compartmentalized all thoughts, feelings, and memories. The familiar routine was comforting. Her grandmother had taught her well, and she was determined to follow every lesson; adhere to every instruction. She would protect herself. She would not let her grandmother down. *********************** **************************************** ****************** Remus slowly unpacked his worn trunk and began to put his clothes and books away in the guest bedroom that would be his home for the next several months. It was a comfortable room with a large bed against one wall and a small side table on either side. A heavy wooden wardrobe, dresser and bookcase — as well as a small desk and chair by the window that overlooked the front garden — filled the empty space. Longbottom Manor was exactly as he remembered it, though he had only been here once before many years ago. It was just grand enough to be the home of a venerable pureblood wizarding family, while still managing to be a comfortable home. The manor sat in the middle of nearly a hundred acres and was surrounded by a variety of large old trees and a high stone wall. It was the home of a family that treasured privacy and security. Augusta Longbottom had welcomed him graciously upon his arrival and had shown him to his room. She was a proud old woman, who had survived the loss of many family members over the years. Her son and daughter-in-law had been tortured by Death Eaters during the first war and were now at St. Mungo’s in the long term care ward. As they were no longer of sound mind, they required ’round-the-clock care. Her household now consisted of herself, her grandson Neville, and two house-elves, Bitty and Litty. Andrew and Anna Henry were due to arrive in a few hours, and Remus was eager to meet his new pupil. She had been raised across the pond — in Virginia — by her maternal grandmother. The girl had been taught at home for the last few years. He knew she would be in mourning for her grandmother, so it might be weeks before she’d be able to commence her magical education undistracted. In the meantime, he hoped to learn about her educational strengths, as well as identify any weaknesses he could address over the coming months. As per their contract, her father wanted her to be ready for Hogwarts in the fall. He was determined to make certain that her first year there would be a success. Remus was putting the last of his old textbooks on a shelf, when he heard the sound of voices downstairs. He smiled slightly to himself as he made his way down the stairs. “Thank you, Augusta. I’d love to stay for lunch. Unfortunately, I’ll have to head back to London this afternoon, so I can check in at the office. Tomorrow, I’m off to Rome for several weeks, but I’ll be in touch and leave you my contact information,” Andrew was saying. He glanced up, spotting Remus coming down the stairs. “Oh, Remus. I’d like to introduce you to my daughter, Anna.” Andrew indicated Anna, who gave him a tired smile. “Anna, Mr. Lupin is the tutor I was telling you about. He will be teaching you everything you need to know before starting at Hogwarts in September.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lupin,” Anna said softly as she offered her hand. Remus shook her hand as he asked her about her trip from Virginia. She was pale and looked as though she had not slept well in many days; however, she was polite and answered his questions about her travels. They had lunch in the dining room and spoke of mundane topics. Remus noticed that Anna spoke only when asked a direct question. Otherwise she was quiet and moved the food around on her plate, rarely eating anything. After lunch, her father bid them all good bye and, with a kiss on Anna’s cheek, was gone. *********************** **************************************** ****************** “Well Remus, what do you think thus far?” Augusta asked one evening as she sipped her sherry. Anna had been sent to bed with the house-elf Litty to assist her. She had been living with them for almost three weeks, and Augusta was curious to hear her tutor’s opinion of her. “I must say Anna is quite proficient in her spell work. I believe she has mastered ‘The Standard Book of Spells’ grades 1 and 2. She’s also quite accomplished with Transfiguration and Herbology, and her potions work is nothing short of extraordinary,” Remus replied while swirling his sherry around in his glass. “But you have concerns,” Augusta pressed. “I can see them inscribed on your face.” “Uh, yes,” Remus pursed his lips. “Anna has no knowledge of magical history. None whatsoever.” He sighed as he adjusted his position in the wingback chair. “Fortunately, we can read and discuss ‘A History of Magic’ and have her caught up in a matter of months.” “What else troubles you?” “Well, she definitely needs tuition in Astronomy. Other than being able to identify the sun and the moon, she admitted that she has no understanding at all of any stars or their movements.” He paused to let the words sink in. “Also, her knowledge of magical creatures is very limited, and she has never been on a broom.” “And how do you plan to remedy these…these…discrepancies?” Augusta pried. “Well, to start with, it would be beneficial for her to be comfortable on a broom before classes begin at Hogwarts in the fall. I have already written to her father about the need for flying lessons and acquiring an appropriate broom for her. Most of the other knowledge she lacks can be learned through reading and discussing various books, as well as studying the night sky periodically.” Augusta nodded and smiled gently. “It sounds as though you have your lessons planned for the next few months. Now, what other concerns do you have about Anna?” Mrs. Longbottom waited quietly, knowing that Remus would speak if she gave him enough time. “She is so self-controlled,” Remus murmured. “So closed off. In some ways she is a sweet, kind girl; in other ways… I wonder and worry about what she is hiding. What deep, dark secrets she is keeping.” Augusta leaned back in her chair and sipped her sherry. She too was worried about Anna and could not easily define that worry. Not for the first time she wondered what Katherine had done to the girl and why. ******************************** **************************************** ************* Anna pulled the wand across the palm of her hand drawing blood as she murmured the incantations she knew by heart. Her grandmother had taught her well. Every move she made, every word she spoke had been practiced until memorized. She moved from tree to tree, smearing her blood on the trunk of each, as she moved around the circle reciting the spells her grandmother had taught her, anchoring her words in the four directions. They were so automatic that she barely thought about what she was doing as she moved and whispered. Anna felt the power of the charms taking effect even as the weakness of her own blood loss began to affect her. With a final wave of her wand, her spell work was complete, and she dropped to her knees. “I need you,” she whimpered. “Grandma, please help me. I miss you so much.” Her sobs quickly overcame her, and she collapsed on the ground. Anna let her grief out; let herself be vulnerable for just a brief moment of time. “Please help me be strong like you. I don’t know how. I’m so afraid. Please, help me.” Anna stared into nothingness thinking about her childhood, about what she had been taught, about what her life had been like before her grandmother’s illness and death. Part of her yearned to run and hide, to be alone in the woods forever where she would be safe. Yet, even as these thoughts crossed her mind, she reminded herself that it was important to be brave, to be strong. “I miss you so much, Grandma.” Anna closed her eyes to the quiet woods. ********************** **************************************** *********************** Neville stepped off of the Hogwarts Express and looked around for his grandmother. He spotted her almost immediately, although oddly enough she was not wearing her usual hat with the stuffed vulture on top. He walked up to her, dragging his trunk behind him. “Oh, Neville, I’m glad you’re home for the summer!” She paused to size him up. “I hope you had a successful year in school. No doubt your grades will tell me well enough how you did,” Augusta stated calmly. “I’m sure you’re eager to meet your cousin and your tutor for the summer.” Neville swallowed audibly, noticing a distinct difference in his grandmother and wondering about the cause. He tightened his grip on his toad, Trevor, and followed his grandmother through the crowded station platform. They left King’s Cross and were soon home at Longbottom Manor. Upon arrival, she directed her grandson to his would-be instructor. “Neville, this is Professor Remus Lupin, and he will be your tutor for the summer,” Augusta introduced them and waited while they shook hands and greeted one another before continuing. “And, this is your cousin, Anna.” Neville looked at the pretty girl in front of him. He knew from his grandmother’s letters that she was thirteen, but she looked older and more mature. Anna smiled slightly and held out her hand for him to shake. Without thinking, he dropped Trevor to the ground as he reached out with both hands to shake her hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Neville,” Anna said while looking cautiously at the toad. “Is your…your pet quite all right?” she asked. “Oh, yes. I’m sure Trevor is fine. I’ll just put him up in my room. He’s always getting lost, a bit of a wanderer he is.” Neville scooped up the toad. He was surprised when Anna quietly walked up the stairs with him and entered his bedroom behind him. “I’m in the connecting bedroom,” Anna said. “So we’ll be sharing a bathroom.” “Oh, yes, of course. I’ll try to be neater here at home than I am at school,” Neville laughed nervously, and Anna smiled again. “I hope we can be friends, Neville,” Anna said softy. “It will be wonderful to have lessons with you this summer. Mr. Lupin is very kind and a good teacher, but it has been quite lonely here all by myself.” Neville nodded as he looked at Anna. “I’m an only child, too. I understand being lonely.” His grandmother’s letter had explained that she had been raised alone in a house with her grandmother for many years. He knew what that was like, being without other children in a large, old house, year after year. As he looked at Anna, he desperately hoped they really could be friends — that her earlier wish had not been mere formality. Anna grinned at him and reached out her hand. “Let’s go to the greenhouse. I understand it’s one of your favorite places.” “Yes, it is,” Neville replied as he took her hand, and they hurried towards the greenhouse. Neville became more confident and animated with every step as he talked about the plants at Hogwarts and his lessons with Professor Sprout. Neither noticed that Augusta and Remus were sitting quietly in the garden room listening to their conversation; both were satisfied that the children were becoming friends. ******************************** **************************************** ************* Anna slowly unwrapped the gift from her father. He had been unable to visit again due to some emergency situation at work, but he had sent a gift with a note attached. “Dear Anna. Enclosed is a present to help you with your flying lessons. Love, Dad.” It was immediately obvious the gift was a broom, and Anna was not pleased. She had no interest in learning how to fly and had been trying to put off lessons for as long as possible. Her grandmother had not even owned a broom and had certainly never flown anywhere. Anna was not at all certain why Professor Lupin seemed to think that flying was such a necessary skill. She had mentioned it to Neville once the previous week and had been pleased to learn that Neville had experienced very little success on a broom during his own flying lessons at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, neither of them were going to be able to escape lessons. Instruction was to begin the following day. “What kind of a broom is it?” Remus asked from across the room where he was assessing their astronomy work from the previous day. “It says Nimbus on the handle,” Anna replied. “And, there is also the number 2001.” Remus stood up and walked over to her to get a better look at the broom. His face registered surprise as he looked carefully at the broom and picked it up with one hand. Neville walked into the room at that moment, stopped, and stared. “Is that a Nimbus 2001?” he inquired. “Yes!” Remus looked at the broom in a way that Anna did not completely understand. “What is wrong with it?” she asked. “Nothing at all,” Neville said. “You’re very lucky to have one. It’s a really good and really expensive broom.” “Don’t be daft, Neville! It’s an excellent broom!” Remus continued to inspect the object. “One of the best. I wasn’t expecting your father to buy something so extravagant for your flying lessons, and I’m sure that you will be a brilliant flyer in no time.” Anna was less convinced, but was certain she could not delay her lessons any longer. |
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