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Harry Potter and the Beast Within	By : bgardne Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 3260 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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
- 3
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- 5
Chapter 3: Pain and Suffering

MNK: This chapter isn�t ALL pain and suffering. In the first part, Iris has something to tell Severus, and in the second part, Hagrid�s prejudice against Salzains is brought forward. Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy appears on the scene and gets his butt kicked by none other than Sapphire herself. Later on, Sapphire sets off on her first trip to Hogsmeade. At first it seems that I kinda made Iris into a crybaby, but if you�d gone through the torment that she�s been through, which I explain throughout the story, then you�d cry all the time, too.

Remus Lupin came to sit at the Staff table alongside the others, Peridot shyly following. �Head Master.� he addressed Dumbledore. �Is there room for my fiancee?� Everyone was dumbfounded.

�You�re engaged?� Professor McGonagall asked in shock.

�Yes. She and her stepsister Iris came to stay at the castle during my seventh year, but left before we graduated, due to her sister�s heartbreak, and we�ve been separated for almost twenty years. When she came back...� he gently squeezed her hand, smiling over at her. �...I decided to make sure she doesn�t run off again.� he finished with a smirk. �Any how, this is my intended, Peridot Jadetta Gemasia. Peridot, these are my fellow professors. I�m sure you remember at least a couple of them.� She discreetly looked around.

�Where�s Headmaster Dippet?� she asked in confusion. �Is he ill?�

�He passed away a year or two after you left, after an unexpected illness.� Dumbledore explained. �I am his successor, Albus Dumbledore.�

�Congratulations, Professor.� she answered with a smile. �I trust you�ve enjoyed your job so far?�

�Indeed. Well, go on and sit down. There�s room.� She sat down between Remus and Professor Snape, and instantly a setting appeared before her, which she filled with salad, rice, and grilled chicken before setting in.

�So where have you been, Peridot?� Severus asked in an unusually civil tone.

�Well, the year that we left, Iris caught ill, and we spent about a year at home, caring for her. The next year, the Dethernians waged war on Anirania, and we fought in it for about a year. I�d been wandering with Iris during the year before Iris� illness, searching for an antidote to the poison that the Dethernians were known for using. You provided this cure, thereby saving thousands of lives.� Severus snorted. �Unfortunately, the younger of my twin sisters, Crystal, was poisoned by the Dethernians, using a new form of chemical warfare they�d discovered...a liquid with no scent or color, that caused the evil in a soul to surface. Crystal had no evil in her soul, so it took a different course...it fed on her hatred. Hatred of the Dethernians, hatred of pain, hatred of the world.� She took a sip of water. �Eventually, she began changing on the outside, too. Whereas she used to look like Sapphire, now she is darker in every aspect except her silver eyes.

�After Crystal recovered, Sapphire was distraught at the bloodlust she�d shown, and decided to join Iris and myself in being Rangers...wanderers of the land. She�s also a vegetarian, now, to do penance for her former habit of feeding on the flesh and blood of the humans she�d killed in the war.� The others flinched at how calmly Peridot referred to Man Eating, as though commenting on the weather. �We were on our way across the globe again, yesterday, when we were caught in a thunderstorm, and Headmaster Dumbledore gave us leave to stay in the East Tower until the term is over.� She heard a soft footstep at the entrance by the Staff Table. �Good to see you�ve joined us, Iris.� she said as she tuned around. Severus turned to stare at her, stunned.

She�d gotten even more beautiful since he saw her last. Like her stepsister Peridot, she wore a black mantle, but with a purple sash and a fleur-de-lis embroidered in purple over her heart. Instead of green, her tight, long sleeved shirt and leggings were of the same purple. Her hair was still loose and shaggy, but on the left side of her head hung a tiny braid consisting of two black strands and one purple, creating a bi-colored braid. Her purple eyes looked even sadder than they had when he last saw her, if that were possible. He granted her a rare smile, and drew back the chair beside him, inviting her to sit. She complied, and Dumbledore created another plate, which she filled with a meal much like Peridot�s. After a few minutes, she felt something light gently on her right thigh. She paused for a moment; Severus� hand slowly began stroking her leg affectionately. She discreetly curled her tail around his lower leg, and continued with her meal.

~*~

After dinner, Iris followed Severus to his office in the dungeon, both silent all the way. Finally there, he closed the door behind them and they sat down on his couch. With a spark from his wand, the logs in the fireplace before him burst into flame. He softly wrapped an arm around her, gently rubbing her shoulder. �Nineteen years....� he murmured. �Such a long time. I�ve missed you so, Iris. Life has just gotten worse and worse since you left. Without you...� he held her close. �...it�s just unbearable.�

�I�ve missed you too, Severus.� she whispered. �More than you can imagine.� He tried to pull her close for a kiss, but she gently pushed him away. �Severus...� she said softly, a pained look in her eyes. �There�s something I need to tell you.� Concerned, he listened. �Know that I will always care for you, Severus...I just don�t care about you that way any more.� He could feel his heart breaking. �You will always have my Love, Dear One...but only as a brother.� She stood to leave, tears falling from her eyes. �I�m sorry, Severus.� she opened the door and stepped into the hall. �I�m truly sorry.� With that, she shut the door behind her and raced up to her room in the tower so she could cry in peace. Meanwhile, Snape himself just stared angrily into the flames, his hatred for Sirius Black growing stronger, and his own self-hatred growing even more.

~*~

A few weeks later...

It was a beautiful spring Sunday at Hogwarts, and Harry, Ron, and Viktor hurriedly dressed in their weekend clothing. A few minutes later, they met Hermione and Ginny downstairs in the common room. They immediately set out for the East Tower.

~*~

Up in the room at the top of the East Tower, Sapphire sat in the window, daydreaming. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. �Door�s open.� she called out. The subject of her daydreaming entered the room and closed the door.

�Hey.� Harry said quietly. Sapphire blushed a little, wearing a smile that bared one of her unusually large eye teeth.

�Hey.� she answered quietly. He walked over and sat opposite her in the large window. �What brings you here?�

�Well, I just wanted you to meet some people. I also wanted to...ask you something.� He, too, started blushing, and averted his eyes, running his fingers through his messy black hair.

�What�s that?� He blushed harder.

�Will you...be...my.....girlfriend?� He spoke the last few words so softly she hardly heard him, even with her superior hearing. Her eyes flew open wide.

�Are you serious?� she asked quietly. He nodded. She lay a hand on his knee, and he looked up. She smiled over at him. �I will.� He gave a bashful grin, and leaned toward her. Their lips met and locked in a sweet, innocent kiss. Suddenly, the door flew open.

�Honestly, Harry, can you hurry it....� Hermione stared slack jawed at the couple sitting in each other's arms, joined at the lips. She cleared her throat. They broke and looked over, blushing like mad. �Is she coming or not?�

�She�s coming.� Harry slid out of the window, and he and Sapphire walked to the door, hand in hand.

Within a few moments, they were outside, the wind gently rippling the fabric of Sapphire�s black mantle. The odd assortment of friends walked across the field that lay between the school and the Forbidden Forest. Finally, they reached their destination: Hagrid�s hut. Harry knocked on the door, and waited. A few moments later, the door was opened by an enormous man with a long, curly black beard and a mole-skin coat.

�Why, Harry! Hermione, Viktor, Ginny, Ron!� Hagrid came outside. �Nice to see you. And how are you all?� He looked around then did a double take. His eyes landed on Sapphire once again. �An� who�re you?� For some reason, he felt as though he should know her, though he couldn�t figure out why. Harry rested a hand on Sapphire�s shoulder.

�Hagrid, this is Sapphire Lazuli Gemasia. You may remember her older sister from when she was here. She looks just like Sapphire, only her eyes are green instead of blue. Her name is Peridot...?� Harry trailed off as a look of shock appeared upon his friend�s face.

�You don�t mean Peridot Jadetta Gemasia?!� he squeaked.

�The same.� Hagrid gave Harry a strange look.

�Harry...� he asked quietly. �Can I speak with you and your friends for a moment?�

�Sure.� he answered, confused. He turned to Sapphire as the others filed into Hagrid�s hut. �Just follow me.� Hagrid lay a hand on his shoulder.

�Not her.� Harry�s eyes widened in shock. Sapphire had to wait outside? �No offense meant, Miss Gemasia, but I need to talk with the others alone for a while.�

�Alright. Harry?� she gave him a gentle smile. �I�ll be by the lake.� With that, she turned and gracefully headed over to the banks of the lake.

~*~

�Alright, Hagrid...� Harry glared. �What on Earth is so important that you can�t say it in front of my girlfriend?� Hagrid�s eyes bugged.

�She�s your girlfriend?!� he squeaked.

�Yes. She�s my girlfriend. Why?�

�Be careful, Harry.� Hagrid warned. �She may not have told you, but her older sister came here when I was still in school. She�s not human, Harry.�

�Neither are YOU!� Harry interrupted.

�Giants and humans were evolved from the same family...the Primates. Do you know what Sapphire�s ancestors were?�

�She said they were evolved from something called an Ozarro.�

�Which is pretty much an enormous saber-toothed tiger.� The others� eyes widened. �Their fur and stripes are brightly colored, as are their eyes. Their tail has a tuft on the end like a lion�s, and they have sharp claws on their heels.� Harry just rolled his eyes.

�Tell me something I DIDN�T know.� he snorted, staring at the wall.

�Y-You KNEW?!� Hagrid sputtered. �And you�re still DATING her?! She�s DANGEROUS, Harry!�

�I wasn�t afraid of you when I found out that you were half giant.� he snapped. �She�s a PACIFIST, Hagrid! She won�t even eat meat because she can�t stand the memories it brings back.� Hagrid stared, dumbfounded. �She fought in a major war in her homeland, Hagrid. She saved her country from being taken over. She and the other Licans went out on that battlefield to face thousands of Dethernians, and left only one alive. And guess who spared him?� He glared at his older friend. �Sapphire. Her Lican sister Fiora was going to have him executed, but Sapphire stopped her, helped him to his feet, and sent him back to his own country so he and the remaining Dethernians could bury their dead. It nearly killed her, fighting in that battle...but she did it because she knew that her country would be destroyed and taken over if she didn�t.� There was silence for a moment. �Do you know why the war was started, Hagrid?� Harry asked quietly. He paused for a moment. �The Aniranians had been helping the Dethernians out of a depression, while their land grew richer by the hour. Finally, the Dethernians grew too jealous to think straight, and began destroying ships that came to Dethernia bearing supplies the Aniranians sent. After about a year, they loaded their best warriors onto ships, and attacked the borders of Anirania. Fortunately, Sapphire�s people had been warned, so they were ready. She�s not a beast, Hagrid. She�s just a young girl who needs someone who understands her...the way I do.� With that, he stormed out the door.

~*~

Meanwhile, Sapphire sat beneath a tree by the lake. She was staring out over the water, when she heard a soft footfall. She looked up, to see a young man about her height walking toward her. His pale blond hair was slicked back, and he had a sly smirk on his face. Two others, a pair of enormous, rather dumb looking ones stood a few hundred yards away, pretending that they weren�t watching her. �May I join you?� the blond asked, indicating a patch of particularly soft grass beside where she rested.

�Certainly.� He sat down beside her, surveying her out of the corner of his eye.

�I take it you�re new here?� he said casually, leaning back on his elbows.

�You might say that.� she answered.

�What house are you in?�

�Oh, I�m not attending...I�m just passing through with my two sisters, Iris and Peridot. I�m a Ranger.�

�Ah. I see. So what�s your name?�

�Sapphire Lazuli Gemasia. Yours?�

�Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.� As Harry had never mentioned the hatred they held for one another, this name meant nothing to her. Sapphire stood, and leaned against the tree. Draco also got to his feet, and stood beside her. �So...� he asked carelessly. �What do you think of Hogwarts so far?� Sapphire sighed.

�I think it�s beautiful. I�ve never seen anything like it before!� She sighed again. �The lake is such a beautiful blue, the trees and grass are all such a lovely shade of green, the flowers are brighter than a rainbow...� She closed her eyes and breathed in. �And I�m not sure why, but something about this place smells of Dragon�s Blood incense, a spring rain, and even more of a calm summer night. So beautiful...� She opened her eyes again, only to see that Draco had moved closer to her, and was leaning toward her. She leaned back a bit, hoping he�d be discouraged from whatever he was planning on doing. Alas, he was not a person to be easily discouraged. He backed her up against the tree and covered her lips with his own, not noticing Harry coming racing over the hill, ready to slaughter his nemesis with his bare hands. Sapphire, who was facing away from Harry, didn�t notice him either. Her eyes bugged when she felt their lips touch, and she shoved him away. He looked stunned. No girl had ever DARED to refuse him! Just as Harry sprinted toward them, Sapphire backhanded Draco across the face.

�When my boyfriend finds out about that, he�s going to spoon feed you your own intestines!!!� she screamed in Draco�s face. �I oughta...� Just as she was advancing toward the terrified young man, Harry reached them and pulled her into a double arm lock. �WHOEVER THAT IS HAD BETTER LET GO THIS INSTANT!� she growled as Draco took off for high timber. �I�M NOT THROUGH WITH HIM!!�

�That�s why I�m not letting you go.� Harry answered by her ear. �I�d rather that the others saw what happened to him, WITHOUT you getting arrested for doing the rest of the world a favor.� With her anger clearing, her senses returned, and she suddenly was aware of Hagrid coming up behind her, though he was still just barely within earshot. She felt Harry�s arms slide down to her waist, holding her close. She gasped and jerked away.

�Tars Pe-Halishgo!� she giggled, blushing. Hagrid raced over to her.

�WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL HIM?!� he roared. Sapphire didn�t even flinch as the enormous man towered over her, looking as though she�d just insulted his mother.

�She just spoke in her native language, Hagrid.� Hermione said softly. � �Tars pe-� means �You little.� �Halishgo� is an affectionate term the female Anir use on a man that�s hitting on them.� She shrugged. �Basically, she called him a flirt.� Hagrid turned to head back to his hut, but only a few steps away, he turned back.

�If I EVER...and I mean EVER...find out that you hurt him in ANY WAY...� he warned. �I�ll see to it that you and your whole pack are thrown out of Hogwarts for GOOD!� With that, he stormed off. Hurt filled Sapphire�s deep blue eyes as they turned to the ground.

�I would never hurt Harry.� she said softly, not noticing that Hagrid had stopped in his tracks. �He means too much to me.� Hagrid snorted and continued toward his house.

�That�s exactly what Peridot said to me about REMUS!� he grunted. Harry was about to go after him, when he noticed that Sapphire had fallen to her knees, trying not to cry.

�Pack!� Harry snarled, glaring at Hagrid�s back. �Like you all were just a bunch of ANIMALS!�

�Basically, we are.� Sapphire said quietly, wiping a tear from her cheek as he sat beside her. �We are neither plant nor element, therefore we are animals. What he fails to realize is that ALL non-herbaceous living beings on this planet are animals, including humans. All he cares about is the fact that instead of being evolved from a peaceful jungle ape like humans, we were evolved from a violent and dangerous beast capable of destroying whole planets given the time and will. I mean LOOK at me!� she cried staring at her hands, seeing them once again stained with the blood of the hundreds of humans she�d slaughtered in the Beast-Man war. �I was born a killer, raised a killer, and---�

�---And at no one else�s orders, you turned yourself into a caring young woman who wouldn�t even kill someone who attacked you.� Harry smiled reassuringly. �I don�t care WHAT Hagrid thinks about you. You aren�t a monster, so you shouldn�t THINK of yourself as one.�

�So THAT�S why he kicked me out.� she glared over at the hut, her eyes wet with hurt. �He was badmouthing me in front of you.� She struggle to her feet and turned toward the village. �Next time you see him, tell him that if he ever feels the need to insult me again, he should do it to my face instead of going behind my back like a coward.� She started walking, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. �Well?� she glanced back at her shocked comrades. �Are we going to Hogsmeade or not?�

�You...You still want to go?� Ginny asked doubtfully. �After THAT?!�

�If I�m not out enjoying the day with you guys, I�ll just be cooped up in my tower like Rapunzel, trying to grow my hair out, and only succeeding in making myself more depressed.� She started walking again. �Come on.� Reluctantly, the students followed.
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Harry Potter and the Beast Within