Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Web of Redemption COMPLETE	By : FemmeBono Category: HP Canon Characters paired with Original Characters > Het - Male/Female Views: 3455 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 2: One
to spin, one to weave, one to cut

Her
world stopped spinning abruptly as she pitched forward, smacking her knees
against dirty hearthstones and choking in the swirls of ash. Her eyes smarting
from the smoke, she glanced around the dingy pub, rubbed her face with her hands
as she stood shakily. All conversations had ceased immediately upon her
ungraceful entrance and every shabby patron now looked askance at this new
figure amusingly costumed as a bar wench.

�Can
I get you summat?� asked the barkeep, straightening his spectacles.

�Ah,
no,� she said, swallowing another wave of nausea. As she struggled to right
her system again, she brushed at her clothes and hair. �But I�d appreciate
it if you could point me to Hogwarts.�

Conversations
began tittering again, glances and whispers telling her that most likely she was
the topic, she stepped over to the bar. The barman, who she assumed was
Aberforth judging by the familiar blue eyes, simply raised a whiskery eyebrow.

�What
you�d be needing up there I don�t know,� he replied gruffly. �But so�s
you know it�s out of here, to the right up High Street and straight on over
t� top of the hill.�

�Thanks
loads.�

�Don�t
know what for,� was the stiff response.

She
trailed out, leaving the dungy smell of livestock behind and breathed deeply in
the fresh smell of freedom. Without a backward glance, she trudged straight out
of town and began her hike, hoping that Dumbledore was in residence and not off
on any clandestine missions yet. Nearly an hour later, chilled in the Highland
damp and breath rasping from exertion after so long indoors, she heard a much
welcome voice say �hullo, there!�

Glancing
up, she was overjoyed to see Hagrid�s large form at last, whittling away at a
branch in front of his hut, and nearly wept from the sight behind him of the
castle higher still up the hill. Finally, she felt safe.

�Can
I help you �t all?� asked the half-giant.

�Please.
I�m on my way up to the castle. I need to speak with Dumbledore; do you know
if he�s in? It�s really important that I speak with him.�

�On�y
just. He�s been gone a week, now I think on it. Come on up, an� I�ll take
you to him straightaway.� He
hefted his great self up from the stump and, branch and knife still in hand,
crunched up ahead at an easy gait. She doubled her pace, trying to keep up,
clutching the stitch in her side.

At
last they reached the high oak doors and Hagrid swung straight through, trailing
the woman who was now wheezing softly behind him. She stopped just in the doorway,
taking in the vastness of the place while trying to catch her breath. Dark, damp
curls clung to her face and she swept them away to get a better look at the huge
curving banisters lined with ancient tapestries and paintings whose occupants
floated and flitted back and forth between frames. Seeing Hagrid waiting just on
the other side of foyer, she mentally chided herself to get a grip and get on
with things.

�Grand
place ain�t it?�

�It�s
fantastic!� she replied. �Even better in person than anything I�ve
read.�

�Aye,
it�s an amazing place, Hogwarts.� Hagrid looked back as he set off up the
stairs. He headed off toward a small alcove, in which the stone gargoyle guarded
the entrance to Dumbledore�s study. �Skiving Snackbox,� Hagrid chuckled.
�I think he�s missing the Weasley twins already. They ended their year here
with a bang, they did.�

�So
I heard,� she smiled, remembering their gleeful flight from Umbridge only
months ago.

Again
treading up stairs, for what she hoped would be the last time for a while, the
two came out into Dumbledore�s fabled study to find the wizard standing before
his pensieve. At the sound of the door, he closed it smartly and turned taking
in the scantily dressed woman and the hairy groundskeeper.

�Hello,
Hagrid. And who may I ask have you brought us?� asked the headmaster peering
over his spectacles in a gesture nearly mirroring Aberforth�s.

�I�m
Iris Manon, a Muggle,� she said, suddenly nervous. �I�ve come quite a ways
to speak with you and I have news you might find interesting and useful. Before
I start what I can assure you will be a very long story, I�d really like to
sit down.�

Gazing
intently at her face, Dumbledore inclined his head. �Yes, please do. And thank
you Hagrid, for bringing her.�

�Sure
thing, Professor. I�d best be off; pleased to meet you, Iris.�

�You
too,� she smiled wanly as Hagrid trudged back down the stairs still swinging
his branch.

�So,
suppose you tell me what news you have about Lucius Malfoy,� said Dumbledore
as he sat down at his desk, and tapped his wand once, causing a plate of
sandwiches and a flagon of pumpkin juice to appear. �You look like you could
use a bite, as well, if you don�t mind my saying.�

�Not
at all, I�m starving thanks,� she replied as she grabbed a turkey and Swiss
and began her story, stopping only to take bites or sip her drink. He listened
attentively, nodding, and only interrupted toward the end when she mentioned
killing the snake. �And why did you do that, may I ask?�

�That�s
the other thing I wanted to tell you, but I�ll get to it. Suffice to say
though, once I killed Nagini I went on to send Lucius after her.�

Dumbledore
bowed his head at that, but did not seem surprised. �I had word from the
Ministry that he was dead. They raided the house not long ago when some Muggle
women mysteriously turned up at St. Mungo�s from there and began describing
the place to them. Draco turned up not long after raving that a servant had
killed his father. Upon arriving on the scene aurors found a cache of dark
magical objects in an open vault they�d missed on previous raids. Given the
loss of his faithful servant now it is doubtful that Voldemort will show up
there, as you said he had planned.�

�That�s
actually a good thing. It may mean Draco can be kept safe a bit longer, I
hope.�

�You
would wish to save the son of the man who did these things to you?� Dumbledore
asked, once again gazing into her eyes.

�I
really don�t think Draco could ever be as twisted as his father. Having lived
around them for these months, I know that most of Draco�s mouthing off about
Muggles and purity of blood is just from years of conditioning. It�s the
environment he was raised in. But I also know that he has a yellow streak the
size of the prime meridian down his back, and now�well being faced fully with
what his father truly was, he may very well back away from that precipice
entirely. He accepted us as servants and god knows he was snide, but he never
once tried to take advantage of any of the girls there even though he�s old
enough to want, and to know what that wanting is. Rape is about power, and
though he loves giving orders, he doesn�t relish it to the extent of taking
away someone�s will entirely or humiliating anyone sexually. Besides, he�s
still very much a boy who just had one very harsh life lesson. I have no idea
how he�ll turn out ultimately, but I very much doubt it will be the same as
Lucius.�

Dumbledore
nodded. �It is very true what you say of him. Even I had no true knowledge of
the depths of depravity that Lucius possessed. And it is a shame he could not be
saved from himself. Draco, on the other hand, may yet recoil from the vileness
of the things his father did and represented. Yet at the same time, he may very
well condemn the entire race more forcefully now that a Muggle killed his
father. We can only hope.�

�Exactly.
But fortunately having known him a little, I do think there is room for hope.
True he�s selfish and spoiled, but he�s not soulless. So we�ll see. The
more important thing for the moment though is the snake. You were right to
suspect her as a horcrux.�

The
piercing gaze sharpened. �You know that for a fact? Did they speak of it in
front of you?�

�No.
How I know is an entirely different story, and I know it�s going to sound
strange�� as she launched into a brief explanation of her world and a
lengthier version of the stories she�d read, up to the end of the series.
�So suffice to say,� she finished, �when you find Gaunt�s ring, do us
all a favor and stifle the urge to put it on.�

�Indubitably,�
the professor smiled thinly. �And by your timeline, if I am not much mistaken,
when Voldemort arrived at Malfoy Manor he would have invariably made Draco a
Death Eater in order to get back at Lucius for failing at the Ministry... I
confess it does make me ill knowing that Professor Burbage has been taken,
especially after Emmeline Vance and Amelia Bones.�

�She�s
as good as dead too, because he�ll be royally pissed when he finds out about
Lucius�especially since it was a Muggle who killed him.�

�Then
too, Narcissa and Bella would have gone to Snape�s and bound him in the
promise to keep Draco safe and kill you if he couldn�t do it himself, so
hopefully that won�t be happening now at least.�

�True,�
he nodded, rising. �I am in your debt for that. You may have saved not only
myself but ultimately Draco as well as Severus. In the meantime, I feel I must
make haste in the interest of repaying you by ensuring that your own family
remains safe. Should Voldemort discover your identity he will surely want to
exact revenge.�

Iris�
blood chilled at the thought. Her family was worlds away, but then if Lucius
knew how to travel between them, surely Voldemort did too.

�God
yes, I hadn�t thought of that�that he might be able to find them so easily,
but��

�It
is important to realize at times like these that he is remarkably intelligent as
well as a skilled wizard. With that in mind, I am off. Meanwhile, I should like
you to remain here until such time as I can find a safe place for you, my dear.
I do confess I am curious as to why you did not also go to St. Mungo�s?�

�Would
they or would they not have modified my memory so as to not know what I�d seen
and heard about your world? Wouldn�t they have sent me to the Ministry�inept
as it is�to give them what information I�ve just given you? In the first
place, I don�t think I would ever heal without being able to face the memories
of what�s happened to the others and me. And more importantly, I know that
everything I�ve told you, you needed more than anything right now. There are
so many lives that can be saved from this, and we may be able to thwart him
before he�s really begun this time.�

�It
is true, I would have been this week going to Marvolo Gaunt�s old home to
search for the ring, and before much longer must secure Harry at the Weasley�s
and somehow persuade Horace Slughorn to come out of hiding. Be that as it may,
and you are most likely correct in your thinking about the healers and Ministry
officials, I would like Madame Pomfrey to have a look at you, nonetheless.�

With
that, he turned and tossed a pinch of Floo Powder on the flames crackling in his
fireplace and stuck his head in. �Poppy? If you would be so kind as to meet me
in my office please.�

�And
if I have your consent,� he replied turning around to face Iris again. �I
will do a trifle bit of transfiguration on you as well, so as to keep you
unrecognizable to anyone who may be familiar with your story. I fear there may
be no end to the outcry from Draco should he come back to school and find his
father�s killer in residence.�

�Sure.
You want me to stay here?� she said, incredulously as he circled her, tipping
his wand at her. It felt as though her insides were shifting all over and she
distinctly felt herself shrink a bit, whilst her hair suddenly seemed that it
went past her shoulders.

�Oh
yes, my dear. Given the things you know it would be detrimental if somehow you
fell into the wrong hands. Besides, I believe I have the perfect place for you
here.�

�Now,
about your state of dress,� his gaze flickered briefly to the still too-short
skirt and corseted top. �I know it cannot be helped considering your previous
predicament, but I think you will not mind if perhaps I transfigure your costume
into something a little more befitting a self-respecting woman?�

�Please
do,� she moaned piteously, feeling a strong blush creeping up to her hairline.
�I was starting to feel like the humiliation would never stop.�

With
a flick of his wand, and a flutter of the material Iris� randy barmaid attire
thickened and lengthened to a velvety deep blue gown with empire waist and
silver cord.

�Wow,
that�s loads better and much warmer! Thanks.� She fingered the fabric as her
throat tightened, and completely undone, finally dropped into the chair and
burst into tears. He strode over, placing a hand on her shoulder, and it was at
that time that Poppy Pomfrey came through the office door.

�Poppy,
thanks so for coming in,� Dumbledore said, ushering her through the doorway as
she looked questioning at Iris� sobbing form. �I have just hired a new
Muggle Studies professor, on the interim and she has had a serious run of bad
luck. I would appreciate greatly if you could give her as thorough a check-up as
you can manage, then perhaps show her to Professor Burbage�s rooms and help
her settle in. I would, but alas I must be off again posthaste.�

�Certainly,
Headmaster,� replied the flabbergasted woman. As she took Iris by the arm,
tutting sympathetically, Dumbledore turned once again and strode to the
fireplace. Iris heard the puff behind her, before he said �New Orleans� and
was gone.
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Web of Redemption *COMPLETE*

Web of Redemption COMPLETE