A Looping of the Scales ~ COMPLETED
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Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
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Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Snape/Hermione
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
93
Views:
99,467
Reviews:
475
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
I do not own HP and am making no $$$ from this fanfic
Vices and Virtues
Chapter 82 ~ Vices and Virtues
“But we’ve searched the house top to bottom for demons, Hermione. We didn’t find any trace of anything evil,” Susan said as they sat outside, eating their lunch.
Draco looked sullen. He had been relaxing in bed when Snape came to get him. Snape didn’t say a word about his skiving off. He simply told him lunch would be served outside of Boleskine house, on the lawn.
”I want my meal sent here,” the pureblood said, not moving.
Snape looked at him with narrowed eyes.
”Draco, your father may be my patron, but you’re not going to be waited on hand and foot. If you want to eat, you’ll come outside,” the wizard said, leaving with an aggravated billow of robes.
He didn’t have time for Draco’s airs right now.
“The evil is only detectable by our actions,” Hermione explained. “They bring out the worst in us. This morning, you have to admit I was acting out of character the way I attacked Severus and talked down to all of you—“
Ron had a sandwich in each hand, taking turns biting out of each one as he greedily eyed the other food set out as if he couldn’t wait to finish his food and go for more. There was an unhealthy tinge to his skin from consuming too much. He might feel bottomless, but he wasn’t and there was a price to pay for constantly filling up and not giving the body enough time to digest and process food.
”And look at Ron, how he’s eating. He’s never eaten like this before,” Hermione continued. Ron looked around at everyone, then lowered his eyes and kept eating. Harry was frowning at him thoughtfully. Ginny looked at him, too, her eyes troubled. Susan looked very worried. Blaise seemed as if he could care less as he ate his sandwich. Draco looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else than here with these—these underlings. Snape was quiet and sober as Hermione continued.
“Listen, immediately after I left Boleskine House, I felt so angry at everyone. I felt as if my work was perfect, I was perfect, I was—was so important—so much better than everyone else. I believed that I was the only one worth listening to in the entire wizarding world and that only fools wouldn’t listen to me—“
Hermione turned red with embarrassment.
”I really felt like that and that Severus deserved the treatment I gave him because he was an idiot—“
She looked at Snape and quickly said, “Sorry” as he gave her a little glower.
“But after a few minutes I was able to think clearly about what I’d said and done, and it wasn’t me at all. It was like there was a spell on me, but no one put a spell on me and I felt better once I left the house. The influence must be in there.”
”So why is Weasley still being such a pig, then?” Draco asked, his handsome face screwed up in disgust as he looked at Ron. “He’s not in the house.”
”Maybe, maybe it’s set in deeply already, because Ron was already a glutton when he came here. Maybe it was easier to get it to come out of him. I—we believe that what’s coming out of us has to do with the seven sins, because Crowley was tampering with real, supernatural demons, or creatures of Light and Dark. They aren’t the same as our magical demons. These are—are warring creatures that—that turn people to darkness. That’s their job.”
Blaise snorted.
”You mean that myth about devils and angels? Phppt. I don’t believe any of it. There’s magical creatures—I can see them, but there’s no evidence of any kind of creator other than a couple of old books some dead Muggles wrote years ago,” he said witheringly. “The best thing about it is Christmas. That’s it.”
”It doesn’t matter what you believe, Blaise, the point is, something is in that house that’s affecting us, bringing out the worst parts of us. For me, my pride and arrogance was enhanced. I am a little proud of my accomplishments, I have to admit that. So, that’s what was influenced. Fortunately, it made me act strangely enough to be instantly noticed as being out of character. Has anyone else besides Ron and I that have been experiencing anything out of the ordinary? Strange feelings or urges?”
Everyone was silent and Ginny looked down at the food.
Hermione looked around, and her eyes fell on Draco.
”Draco, you didn’t help at all today, and you’ve been wanting people to wait on you,” she said to him.
Draco scowled at her.
”So, I want to be treated in the manner I’m accustomed to. I’m no common laborer and I have servants to take care of my needs,” he shot back at her loftily. “My father is paying for all of this, so why should I do anything?”
Snape’s eyes narrowed at him.
”But that wasn’t your attitude when you asked me if you could come,” he told Draco. “You said you wanted to help me set up my lab and face the demons.”
”I did face demons, thanks to Blaise,” Draco replied. “As for the rest of it, I just changed my mind. But don’t worry. My father’s going to send me a servant and he’ll do the work.”
Ron managed to talk between bites.
”Draco, you git. You’re no better than the rest of us.”
”I AM better than the rest of you,” Draco snarled at him. “Every one of you!”
Blaise looked at Draco, thinking there was indeed something wrong with him. He wasn’t the insufferable prat he’d been in his younger years. He’d mellowed. That was how they became friends in the first place. But now?
“Listen to yourself, Draco. You sound as if you hate us, but just last night you tried to save Harry and Ginny from that earth demon Blaise sent after them,” Hermione said.
”So, Draco turned into a prat overnight?” Harry asked her.
”He was always a prat,” Ron said around a pumpkin pastie as the pureblood gave him a hateful look.
“Stop the name calling. We have more important things to think about. I think Draco has been influenced quicker because for years he really felt like that and only recently has really come around. The demons didn’t have to work so hard because it was still close to the surface,” Hermione said. “Now, what about the rest of you?”
”I feel fine,” Blaise said.
The demons hadn’t bothered with influencing Blaise, because he was already dark-natured and full of feelings of pride, lust and anger. They just let nature take its course in his case. He was already on the dark road to evil.
Harry’s green eyes shifted toward him, then toward Ginny, who had been silent the entire time.
”Harry, how about you?” Hermione asked him suddenly.
”No, I don’t feel anything influencing me,” he said honestly.
”Susan?”
Susan shrugged.
”No. But I am worried about Ron,” she said softly, looking at her beau still stuffing his face.
“Worry isn’t a sin,” Hermione replied, then she looked at Snape.
”Severus?”
Snape shrugged.
”I haven’t felt any different,” he said to her. “Except I was very angry with you earlier.”
”That’s natural. You had a right to be angry,” she said to him softly before turning on Ginny.
”How about you, Ginny? Have you been feeling anything out of the ordinary?
”No,” she said in a near whisper. Harry frowned at her. He could tell she wasn’t being completely truthful, but he didn’t want to call her on it in front of everyone.
Hermione looked around at all of them, then let out a long sigh.
”All right. It could be that the demon’s influence affected those easiest to manipulate at first, and they will slowly work on the rest of you once they have their claws or whatever they have, in us. I had hoped we wouldn’t have to do this, but we’re going to have to identify what sins would fit us. Then, we’ll have an idea what to watch for.”
“What? Identify sins? How are we supposed to do that?” Draco asked incredulously.
”Well, we’re going to have to go on what we know about each other,” Hermione said softly. “It won’t be pleasant and might even make for bad feelings for a bit, but you have to remember we aren’t saying any of us are really like this, but—but have sort of an inclination toward it. Something that might be used by the demons. We’ll just pick someone and-well—say what we think their sin would be if it were pronounced. All right?”
Everyone murmured a weak agreement. Hermione straightened and cleared her throat.
”Okay. The seven sins are as follows, but not necessarily in this order. No sin is better or worse than any other. Just keep that in mind. Here they are: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride.”
Everyone listened carefully, then looked around at each other. Susan cleared her throat a bit and Hermione looked at her.
”Yes, Susan?”
”Well, I was just thinking, Hermione, if these are evil influences that focus on the worst parts of us, what about the best part of us—our virtues. Shouldn’t we try to identify those as well, because, those might help us and take the sting out of naming the bad things.”
Hermione blinked at her.
”That’s brilliant, Susan! Our virtues could be protection for us in some way!” Hermione exclaimed as Susan helplessly flushed with pleasure at the praise. But, she was always thinking of the positive in every situation. It was how she’d gotten by all those years of being teased over her weight by thoughtless people.
”She’s brilliant,” Ron said proudly around another pastie.
“All right. So, we won’t just identify the vices, but the virtues, too. The seven virtues are Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility.”
“Well, you can count the first one out with you birds,” Blaise said with a nasty smirk as all the witches blushed.
”Shut up, Blaise!” Ginny hissed at him.
Blaise gave her a measuring look.
”Strike a little chord, Weasley?” he purred at her. “Would lust be one of your little secret vices? Have a little itch you want scratched?”
Harry leapt up off the ground and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Blaise.
”You watch how you talk to my girlfriend, Blaise,” he snarled.
”Harry, stop it,” Hermione said softly, although her eyes were hard as she looked at Blaise. “As crude as he is, he has a point. I don’t think any of us have the virtue of Chastity. So, inversely, we probably all have a bit of lust. Every one of us.”
All the witches nodded, Ginny glaring at Blaise as Harry pocketed his wand and sat back down, putting an arm around Ginny’s shoulder as Blaise smirked at them. He didn’t mean all-around lust when he was talking to Ginny, he meant lust for him. He could have shagged her this morning if her idiot brother hadn’t shown up. He could have taken her right to his room—
“Has—has anyone had any pronounced sexual feelings, I mean, something out of the ordinary?”
Everyone shook their heads. There was lust, but pretty normal lust for teenagers.
”All right, but lust should be applied to all of us anyway, since we are all sexually active.”
”Even Draco and Blaise?” Ron asked with a nasty smile as he spread a bit of jam on a thick slice of bread. “They make a nice couple.”
”Shut up, Weasley. At least I’m not into bestiality,” Draco hissed at him.
”What?” Ron asked, his blue eyes darkening. He stopped making his bread and jam.
”Bestiality. You’re sleeping with a cow after all,” the pureblood hissed. “Not hard to know her sin. It’s the same as yours. Gluttony.”
Ron launched himself at Draco, both wizards grappling and swinging wildly as Harry and Snape rushed over to break them up.
”Ron! Stop it! Stop it!” Susan cried as Ron socked Draco hard in the mouth.
Harry and Snape pulled them apart.
”Don’t you ever talk about my girlfriend again, Malfoy, or I’ll knock out all of your teeth, you barmy Billy no-mates!” a struggling Ron yelled at him.
Draco shrugged free of Snape and wiped at his mouth. His lip was bleeding. He looked at Ron murderously.
”You can dish it out, but can’t take it, Weasley,” he snarled.
”If you have a problem with me, then deal with me. You leave my girlfriend out of it, you prat!”
Blaise didn’t say anything about Ron’s comment. Hell, it was to be expected really, since they were the only two wizards there without girlfriends. He simply let it roll off of him, like Draco should have done.
“I’m not standing here and taking this. I’m going back to Boleskine House,” Draco declared, turning and stalking back to the house.
”But, Draco! The demons!” Hermione called after him.
”They’ll be better company than you lot,” he called back, not slowing his stride.
”Let him go, Hermione. The influence on him is more annoying than anything,” Snape said.
They then decided Draco’s sins. Pride, Sloth and maybe Greed. But he was already rich, so they weren’t sure about that.
“Any virtues?” Hermione asked them.
Everyone looked around, but no one said anything at first.
Susan suddenly said, “Diligence?”
Ron scowled at her.
Hermione took it up.
”Well, I suppose he does have that. Draco does persevere in his way. He can be very determined,” she admitted.
”Determined to be a bloody plonker,” Ron seethed.
”Still, it’s a virtue,” Hermione said with finality.
“I—I think I’m guilty of pride,” Harry offered. “I mean, sometimes I like all the fuss over me, and people noticing me. Calling me the savior of the wizarding world. I know it’s not right, but it’s the truth.”
Hermione and Ron looked at Harry with a little sympathy. It was easy to see he was ashamed of himself. Hermione and Ron were also a bit guilty about liking to be recognized from time to time, although more Ron than Hermione.
“Well, you have Humility too, Harry. And Kindness, and Charity,” Hermione told him softly. “And let’s not forget Diligence.”
Blaise thought he’d bring up his lunch. Saint Potter. Gods.
“All right. I’m lustful, angry, proud and diligent,” Blaise said, having no qualms about sharing his lesser traits. They were quite apparent after all, well, except for the lustfulness, and he’d rather say what he was than let these gits judge him. “And I don’t need any enhancements. I know what I am and it works for me. So, I’m out of here.”
Blaise walked back toward the house. No one said anything to stop him. No doubt he’d get along with the demons just fine. They probably wouldn’t affect him at all.
”There goes a man who knows himself,” Snape said, then. “Now me.”
Everyone looked at Severus, not knowing what to say about him as a young wizard. When he was older, he seemed to have a multitude of sins.
”I—I really don’t know what to say, Severus,” Hermione admitted. “You’re an angel compared to how you used to be as an adult.”
“Okay, then list my sins as an adult,” he suggested.
Everyone thought about it and was startled to discover that they couldn’t apply any sins to him as an adult, snarky bastard that he was. Well, there was one thing.
”Wrath,” Hermione said. “You were always angry. But—that’s it. There’s nothing else that applies to you. And you’re not even angry now.”
Snape took this in.
”So, I’m perfect?” he asked her with a smile.
Hermione snorted.
”Hardly. But I don’t think you’ll give the demons much to work with,” she said to him softly. She hadn’t been aware just how—how good he was overall.
”You can add pride to it. He’s always showing off when he’s in Gryffin form,” Ron said, narrowing his eyes at Snape.
”Oh, yeah. That is right. You’re always arching your neck, spreading your wings, strutting about—“
Snape shrugged.
”Can I help it if I’m beautiful?” he purred at her.
”Pride,” Hermione said with finality.
”And my virtues?” Snape pressed. This was rather interesting.
”I think Diligence and Kindness, even if it’s a snarky kind of Kindness,” Hermione said, looking at everyone to see if they agreed. They did.
Next, they went to Ginny.
”I don’t know. I think only general lust applies to Ginny,” Hermione said.
”Envy,” Ginny said softly. “I’ve always been jealous that I wasn’t one of the Trio, and that I didn’t go on the adventures you all did. I still get a little jealous when you all are recognized and I’m not. I’m just the girlfriend of Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley’s little sister.”
”Oh, Ginny,” Hermione said softly.
”Honesty is a virtue,” Snape said to the witch, “even if it’s not listed.”
She looked at him and gave him a small smile, which Snape returned. Harry put an arm around her and pulled her close.
”You’ll always be someone special to me, Ginny,” he said, kissing her cheek.
Susan sighed, smiling at them.
“You’re kind, too, Ginny. And charitable, and diligent,” Hermione said. She couldn’t give her temperance or patience because Ginny had quite the temper. Humility wasn’t high on the list although she didn’t act proud. It just didn’t appear to be part of her nature for some reason.
“My turn,” Susan said softly, reddening slightly.
”Well, Draco was wrong about you. You aren’t a glutton. You don’t eat any more than I do,” Hermione said. “Maybe even less. In fact, Susan—I don’t think you have any vices.”
“Everyone has vices, Hermione,” Susan replied, embarrassed. “No one’s perfect.”
”I’m not saying you’re perfect, but you don’t seem to have anything glaring. Of course, there’s the lust factor—but we all have that. And you have all the virtues except Chastity. The demons probably can’t do much to influence you at all. It’s just not in you.”
”I—I might have envy,” Susan admitted. “Sometimes—sometimes I wish I were thinner, more like everyone else—“
Ron almost spit out the cookie he was eating.
”What! You’re beautiful, Susan. You don’t have to envy anyone. People should be envious of you!” he exclaimed. “You’re a genuinely good person. There aren’t many of those!”
“Oh, Ron,” Susan said to him, smiling despite herself.
”I don’t know if it’s envy to occasionally wish something different about yourself, Susan. I think it would be envy if you disliked thinner people because of your size and wanted the things they have. I don’t think it’s like that with you,” Hermione said.
Susan shook her head.
”No, it’s not,” she said softly. “I’m happy with the way things are.”
She looked at Ron fondly.
”I don’t think Envy is one of your vices, Susan. You’re the best one out of us all, I think.”
Susan softly demurred, but everyone’s attention turned on Ron, who stopped chewing his cookie.
”I know. I’m a glutton,” he said, his voice slightly garbled from the food in his mouth. “And I’m guilty of pride too, for the same reason as Harry. I like being recognized. And definitely lustful.”
He looked at Susan, who blushed. She did that a lot.
Snape thought that one of Ron’s virtues was just like Ginny’s. Honesty. He could be a git, but he was usually very honest about what he thought.
”You’re diligent too, Ron, and you can be kind,” Hermione stated.
”He’s patient too,” Susan added.
Hermione had to admit in some situations, Ron was patient, but not in all of them. He had been very patient with her when they went out. But normally, he was reactionary. Like what happened with Draco just now.
“He can be patient, Susan, but he’s really not that patient. It depends on the situation. I think in more personal situations he’s more—understanding. But not overall,” Hermione said diplomatically. “He just pummeled Draco after all.”
”He asked for it,” Ron seethed, getting mad again.
Susan admitted Hermione was right. Ron could fly off the handle quickly.
“All right. We’ve got through that. Now, we have to do some things to protect ourselves. First, we have to leave Boleskine house itself. Especially those most affected by the demons. Ron, you really have to leave,” Hermione said to the redhead. “We don’t have to leave the grounds, though. Just the house.”
”What? Leave the fridge?”
”Ron, you’re going to make yourself sick. You don’t look too good now as a matter of fact. Your body wasn’t made to constantly digest food. It needs a break now and then.”
Ron looked sullen.
”But, the food.”
”Ron, I’m going to make you a batch of my diet cookies,” Susan told him. “You have to stop eating, really. They’ll make it easier.”
”You’d better make them extra strength,” Harry advised her. Ron’s stomach was absolutely bulging and he still wanted to eat.
Ron scowled at him, and Harry grinned.
”We can use the Gate House, and there’s another gate house on the grounds. Not as nice, but it’s habitable,” Hermione said. “I think the witches should stay together in one house and the wizards in another, since each house has only one bedroom. Someone can bunk out in the living rooms and two people share each bedroom.
”Noooo,” Ron groaned, looking at Susan as if she’d already left him.
”What about Blaise and Draco?” Ginny asked.
Hermione shrugged.
”I think they’ll want to stay in Boleskine house. They went back after all,” she replied. “They can take the boat house if they decide to leave, but I don’t think they will.”
“So, we’re going to abandon the house for the time being?” Harry asked.
”No. We’ll be able to enter there for short periods of time, but when we start to feel influenced, we can leave. But I think Ron needs to just stay out for a couple of days, because the influence is so strong.”
”Bloody hell,” Ron complained.
”Everyone’s going to have to cook for themselves for now,” Hermione said.
Susan didn’t like this.
”I can still make meals,” she offered. “We’ll just alternate where we have them. Both houses have kitchens and fridges.”
Susan loved cooking for everyone. It made her feel useful and happy when people enjoyed her food.
Hermione understood.
”All right, Susan, if you don’t mind.”
”I don’t,” Susan assured her.
”So, how are we going to handle the demons, Hermione?” Snape asked her. He was extremely proud at how she pulled everything together and made sense out of it all. She was a brilliant witch well beyond her marks. No wonder they defeated Voldemort. She was a one-witch army.
“Well, I’ve got to read up on the ritual,” she said, “but I think when the time comes, the two purest of us might have to do the actual banishing. Apparently, that’s Harry and Susan. They have the most virtues, so more than likely the most defense against the demons. We don’t know what they’ll throw at us, but more than likely they’ll fight to stay. Any weaknesses in us will be exploited, I’m sure. But, I have to look into it first.”
”And we won’t be using magic?” Harry asked her.
”Not our magic,” Hermione replied. “Muggle magic.”
”That’s not comforting at all,” Harry breathed.
“I know it’s not, Harry, but it’s what we’re going to have to do if Severus is going to stay here,” Hermione said. “But, you don’t have to do it. We’ll manage if you want to go—“
”No! I want to help. It’s just going to be strange using Muggle techniques,” he said.
”And dangerous,” Snape added, looking thoughtful.
”Danger? We laugh in the face of danger,” Hermione said with a smile.
After Voldemort, how bad could a few demons be?
They’d find out.
”Now, we need to get some sand up to Boleskine house and see if the demons will leave their mark.”
The group rose and began walking towards the Loch and the beach full of fine sand.
From the trees, Ben Weatherstaff watched them go, his blue eyes curious.
”What are they up to now?” he wondered as the robin flew down and landed on his shoulder, chirping at him.
Ben’s brow furrowed as he listened.
”Let’s hope not,” he replied.
****************************************************
A/N: Fun chappie to write. A long one, too. I just couldn’t stop writing. Lol. I think chapters with interactions can be like that. I hope it didn’t get boring with so much conversation. I remember how exasperated I got with DH when Harry and Voldemort were facing off. I was like, “Stop talking already!!” Hermione's virtues will be extolled next chapter. Thanks for reading.
“But we’ve searched the house top to bottom for demons, Hermione. We didn’t find any trace of anything evil,” Susan said as they sat outside, eating their lunch.
Draco looked sullen. He had been relaxing in bed when Snape came to get him. Snape didn’t say a word about his skiving off. He simply told him lunch would be served outside of Boleskine house, on the lawn.
”I want my meal sent here,” the pureblood said, not moving.
Snape looked at him with narrowed eyes.
”Draco, your father may be my patron, but you’re not going to be waited on hand and foot. If you want to eat, you’ll come outside,” the wizard said, leaving with an aggravated billow of robes.
He didn’t have time for Draco’s airs right now.
“The evil is only detectable by our actions,” Hermione explained. “They bring out the worst in us. This morning, you have to admit I was acting out of character the way I attacked Severus and talked down to all of you—“
Ron had a sandwich in each hand, taking turns biting out of each one as he greedily eyed the other food set out as if he couldn’t wait to finish his food and go for more. There was an unhealthy tinge to his skin from consuming too much. He might feel bottomless, but he wasn’t and there was a price to pay for constantly filling up and not giving the body enough time to digest and process food.
”And look at Ron, how he’s eating. He’s never eaten like this before,” Hermione continued. Ron looked around at everyone, then lowered his eyes and kept eating. Harry was frowning at him thoughtfully. Ginny looked at him, too, her eyes troubled. Susan looked very worried. Blaise seemed as if he could care less as he ate his sandwich. Draco looked as if he wanted to be anywhere else than here with these—these underlings. Snape was quiet and sober as Hermione continued.
“Listen, immediately after I left Boleskine House, I felt so angry at everyone. I felt as if my work was perfect, I was perfect, I was—was so important—so much better than everyone else. I believed that I was the only one worth listening to in the entire wizarding world and that only fools wouldn’t listen to me—“
Hermione turned red with embarrassment.
”I really felt like that and that Severus deserved the treatment I gave him because he was an idiot—“
She looked at Snape and quickly said, “Sorry” as he gave her a little glower.
“But after a few minutes I was able to think clearly about what I’d said and done, and it wasn’t me at all. It was like there was a spell on me, but no one put a spell on me and I felt better once I left the house. The influence must be in there.”
”So why is Weasley still being such a pig, then?” Draco asked, his handsome face screwed up in disgust as he looked at Ron. “He’s not in the house.”
”Maybe, maybe it’s set in deeply already, because Ron was already a glutton when he came here. Maybe it was easier to get it to come out of him. I—we believe that what’s coming out of us has to do with the seven sins, because Crowley was tampering with real, supernatural demons, or creatures of Light and Dark. They aren’t the same as our magical demons. These are—are warring creatures that—that turn people to darkness. That’s their job.”
Blaise snorted.
”You mean that myth about devils and angels? Phppt. I don’t believe any of it. There’s magical creatures—I can see them, but there’s no evidence of any kind of creator other than a couple of old books some dead Muggles wrote years ago,” he said witheringly. “The best thing about it is Christmas. That’s it.”
”It doesn’t matter what you believe, Blaise, the point is, something is in that house that’s affecting us, bringing out the worst parts of us. For me, my pride and arrogance was enhanced. I am a little proud of my accomplishments, I have to admit that. So, that’s what was influenced. Fortunately, it made me act strangely enough to be instantly noticed as being out of character. Has anyone else besides Ron and I that have been experiencing anything out of the ordinary? Strange feelings or urges?”
Everyone was silent and Ginny looked down at the food.
Hermione looked around, and her eyes fell on Draco.
”Draco, you didn’t help at all today, and you’ve been wanting people to wait on you,” she said to him.
Draco scowled at her.
”So, I want to be treated in the manner I’m accustomed to. I’m no common laborer and I have servants to take care of my needs,” he shot back at her loftily. “My father is paying for all of this, so why should I do anything?”
Snape’s eyes narrowed at him.
”But that wasn’t your attitude when you asked me if you could come,” he told Draco. “You said you wanted to help me set up my lab and face the demons.”
”I did face demons, thanks to Blaise,” Draco replied. “As for the rest of it, I just changed my mind. But don’t worry. My father’s going to send me a servant and he’ll do the work.”
Ron managed to talk between bites.
”Draco, you git. You’re no better than the rest of us.”
”I AM better than the rest of you,” Draco snarled at him. “Every one of you!”
Blaise looked at Draco, thinking there was indeed something wrong with him. He wasn’t the insufferable prat he’d been in his younger years. He’d mellowed. That was how they became friends in the first place. But now?
“Listen to yourself, Draco. You sound as if you hate us, but just last night you tried to save Harry and Ginny from that earth demon Blaise sent after them,” Hermione said.
”So, Draco turned into a prat overnight?” Harry asked her.
”He was always a prat,” Ron said around a pumpkin pastie as the pureblood gave him a hateful look.
“Stop the name calling. We have more important things to think about. I think Draco has been influenced quicker because for years he really felt like that and only recently has really come around. The demons didn’t have to work so hard because it was still close to the surface,” Hermione said. “Now, what about the rest of you?”
”I feel fine,” Blaise said.
The demons hadn’t bothered with influencing Blaise, because he was already dark-natured and full of feelings of pride, lust and anger. They just let nature take its course in his case. He was already on the dark road to evil.
Harry’s green eyes shifted toward him, then toward Ginny, who had been silent the entire time.
”Harry, how about you?” Hermione asked him suddenly.
”No, I don’t feel anything influencing me,” he said honestly.
”Susan?”
Susan shrugged.
”No. But I am worried about Ron,” she said softly, looking at her beau still stuffing his face.
“Worry isn’t a sin,” Hermione replied, then she looked at Snape.
”Severus?”
Snape shrugged.
”I haven’t felt any different,” he said to her. “Except I was very angry with you earlier.”
”That’s natural. You had a right to be angry,” she said to him softly before turning on Ginny.
”How about you, Ginny? Have you been feeling anything out of the ordinary?
”No,” she said in a near whisper. Harry frowned at her. He could tell she wasn’t being completely truthful, but he didn’t want to call her on it in front of everyone.
Hermione looked around at all of them, then let out a long sigh.
”All right. It could be that the demon’s influence affected those easiest to manipulate at first, and they will slowly work on the rest of you once they have their claws or whatever they have, in us. I had hoped we wouldn’t have to do this, but we’re going to have to identify what sins would fit us. Then, we’ll have an idea what to watch for.”
“What? Identify sins? How are we supposed to do that?” Draco asked incredulously.
”Well, we’re going to have to go on what we know about each other,” Hermione said softly. “It won’t be pleasant and might even make for bad feelings for a bit, but you have to remember we aren’t saying any of us are really like this, but—but have sort of an inclination toward it. Something that might be used by the demons. We’ll just pick someone and-well—say what we think their sin would be if it were pronounced. All right?”
Everyone murmured a weak agreement. Hermione straightened and cleared her throat.
”Okay. The seven sins are as follows, but not necessarily in this order. No sin is better or worse than any other. Just keep that in mind. Here they are: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride.”
Everyone listened carefully, then looked around at each other. Susan cleared her throat a bit and Hermione looked at her.
”Yes, Susan?”
”Well, I was just thinking, Hermione, if these are evil influences that focus on the worst parts of us, what about the best part of us—our virtues. Shouldn’t we try to identify those as well, because, those might help us and take the sting out of naming the bad things.”
Hermione blinked at her.
”That’s brilliant, Susan! Our virtues could be protection for us in some way!” Hermione exclaimed as Susan helplessly flushed with pleasure at the praise. But, she was always thinking of the positive in every situation. It was how she’d gotten by all those years of being teased over her weight by thoughtless people.
”She’s brilliant,” Ron said proudly around another pastie.
“All right. So, we won’t just identify the vices, but the virtues, too. The seven virtues are Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness, and Humility.”
“Well, you can count the first one out with you birds,” Blaise said with a nasty smirk as all the witches blushed.
”Shut up, Blaise!” Ginny hissed at him.
Blaise gave her a measuring look.
”Strike a little chord, Weasley?” he purred at her. “Would lust be one of your little secret vices? Have a little itch you want scratched?”
Harry leapt up off the ground and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Blaise.
”You watch how you talk to my girlfriend, Blaise,” he snarled.
”Harry, stop it,” Hermione said softly, although her eyes were hard as she looked at Blaise. “As crude as he is, he has a point. I don’t think any of us have the virtue of Chastity. So, inversely, we probably all have a bit of lust. Every one of us.”
All the witches nodded, Ginny glaring at Blaise as Harry pocketed his wand and sat back down, putting an arm around Ginny’s shoulder as Blaise smirked at them. He didn’t mean all-around lust when he was talking to Ginny, he meant lust for him. He could have shagged her this morning if her idiot brother hadn’t shown up. He could have taken her right to his room—
“Has—has anyone had any pronounced sexual feelings, I mean, something out of the ordinary?”
Everyone shook their heads. There was lust, but pretty normal lust for teenagers.
”All right, but lust should be applied to all of us anyway, since we are all sexually active.”
”Even Draco and Blaise?” Ron asked with a nasty smile as he spread a bit of jam on a thick slice of bread. “They make a nice couple.”
”Shut up, Weasley. At least I’m not into bestiality,” Draco hissed at him.
”What?” Ron asked, his blue eyes darkening. He stopped making his bread and jam.
”Bestiality. You’re sleeping with a cow after all,” the pureblood hissed. “Not hard to know her sin. It’s the same as yours. Gluttony.”
Ron launched himself at Draco, both wizards grappling and swinging wildly as Harry and Snape rushed over to break them up.
”Ron! Stop it! Stop it!” Susan cried as Ron socked Draco hard in the mouth.
Harry and Snape pulled them apart.
”Don’t you ever talk about my girlfriend again, Malfoy, or I’ll knock out all of your teeth, you barmy Billy no-mates!” a struggling Ron yelled at him.
Draco shrugged free of Snape and wiped at his mouth. His lip was bleeding. He looked at Ron murderously.
”You can dish it out, but can’t take it, Weasley,” he snarled.
”If you have a problem with me, then deal with me. You leave my girlfriend out of it, you prat!”
Blaise didn’t say anything about Ron’s comment. Hell, it was to be expected really, since they were the only two wizards there without girlfriends. He simply let it roll off of him, like Draco should have done.
“I’m not standing here and taking this. I’m going back to Boleskine House,” Draco declared, turning and stalking back to the house.
”But, Draco! The demons!” Hermione called after him.
”They’ll be better company than you lot,” he called back, not slowing his stride.
”Let him go, Hermione. The influence on him is more annoying than anything,” Snape said.
They then decided Draco’s sins. Pride, Sloth and maybe Greed. But he was already rich, so they weren’t sure about that.
“Any virtues?” Hermione asked them.
Everyone looked around, but no one said anything at first.
Susan suddenly said, “Diligence?”
Ron scowled at her.
Hermione took it up.
”Well, I suppose he does have that. Draco does persevere in his way. He can be very determined,” she admitted.
”Determined to be a bloody plonker,” Ron seethed.
”Still, it’s a virtue,” Hermione said with finality.
“I—I think I’m guilty of pride,” Harry offered. “I mean, sometimes I like all the fuss over me, and people noticing me. Calling me the savior of the wizarding world. I know it’s not right, but it’s the truth.”
Hermione and Ron looked at Harry with a little sympathy. It was easy to see he was ashamed of himself. Hermione and Ron were also a bit guilty about liking to be recognized from time to time, although more Ron than Hermione.
“Well, you have Humility too, Harry. And Kindness, and Charity,” Hermione told him softly. “And let’s not forget Diligence.”
Blaise thought he’d bring up his lunch. Saint Potter. Gods.
“All right. I’m lustful, angry, proud and diligent,” Blaise said, having no qualms about sharing his lesser traits. They were quite apparent after all, well, except for the lustfulness, and he’d rather say what he was than let these gits judge him. “And I don’t need any enhancements. I know what I am and it works for me. So, I’m out of here.”
Blaise walked back toward the house. No one said anything to stop him. No doubt he’d get along with the demons just fine. They probably wouldn’t affect him at all.
”There goes a man who knows himself,” Snape said, then. “Now me.”
Everyone looked at Severus, not knowing what to say about him as a young wizard. When he was older, he seemed to have a multitude of sins.
”I—I really don’t know what to say, Severus,” Hermione admitted. “You’re an angel compared to how you used to be as an adult.”
“Okay, then list my sins as an adult,” he suggested.
Everyone thought about it and was startled to discover that they couldn’t apply any sins to him as an adult, snarky bastard that he was. Well, there was one thing.
”Wrath,” Hermione said. “You were always angry. But—that’s it. There’s nothing else that applies to you. And you’re not even angry now.”
Snape took this in.
”So, I’m perfect?” he asked her with a smile.
Hermione snorted.
”Hardly. But I don’t think you’ll give the demons much to work with,” she said to him softly. She hadn’t been aware just how—how good he was overall.
”You can add pride to it. He’s always showing off when he’s in Gryffin form,” Ron said, narrowing his eyes at Snape.
”Oh, yeah. That is right. You’re always arching your neck, spreading your wings, strutting about—“
Snape shrugged.
”Can I help it if I’m beautiful?” he purred at her.
”Pride,” Hermione said with finality.
”And my virtues?” Snape pressed. This was rather interesting.
”I think Diligence and Kindness, even if it’s a snarky kind of Kindness,” Hermione said, looking at everyone to see if they agreed. They did.
Next, they went to Ginny.
”I don’t know. I think only general lust applies to Ginny,” Hermione said.
”Envy,” Ginny said softly. “I’ve always been jealous that I wasn’t one of the Trio, and that I didn’t go on the adventures you all did. I still get a little jealous when you all are recognized and I’m not. I’m just the girlfriend of Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley’s little sister.”
”Oh, Ginny,” Hermione said softly.
”Honesty is a virtue,” Snape said to the witch, “even if it’s not listed.”
She looked at him and gave him a small smile, which Snape returned. Harry put an arm around her and pulled her close.
”You’ll always be someone special to me, Ginny,” he said, kissing her cheek.
Susan sighed, smiling at them.
“You’re kind, too, Ginny. And charitable, and diligent,” Hermione said. She couldn’t give her temperance or patience because Ginny had quite the temper. Humility wasn’t high on the list although she didn’t act proud. It just didn’t appear to be part of her nature for some reason.
“My turn,” Susan said softly, reddening slightly.
”Well, Draco was wrong about you. You aren’t a glutton. You don’t eat any more than I do,” Hermione said. “Maybe even less. In fact, Susan—I don’t think you have any vices.”
“Everyone has vices, Hermione,” Susan replied, embarrassed. “No one’s perfect.”
”I’m not saying you’re perfect, but you don’t seem to have anything glaring. Of course, there’s the lust factor—but we all have that. And you have all the virtues except Chastity. The demons probably can’t do much to influence you at all. It’s just not in you.”
”I—I might have envy,” Susan admitted. “Sometimes—sometimes I wish I were thinner, more like everyone else—“
Ron almost spit out the cookie he was eating.
”What! You’re beautiful, Susan. You don’t have to envy anyone. People should be envious of you!” he exclaimed. “You’re a genuinely good person. There aren’t many of those!”
“Oh, Ron,” Susan said to him, smiling despite herself.
”I don’t know if it’s envy to occasionally wish something different about yourself, Susan. I think it would be envy if you disliked thinner people because of your size and wanted the things they have. I don’t think it’s like that with you,” Hermione said.
Susan shook her head.
”No, it’s not,” she said softly. “I’m happy with the way things are.”
She looked at Ron fondly.
”I don’t think Envy is one of your vices, Susan. You’re the best one out of us all, I think.”
Susan softly demurred, but everyone’s attention turned on Ron, who stopped chewing his cookie.
”I know. I’m a glutton,” he said, his voice slightly garbled from the food in his mouth. “And I’m guilty of pride too, for the same reason as Harry. I like being recognized. And definitely lustful.”
He looked at Susan, who blushed. She did that a lot.
Snape thought that one of Ron’s virtues was just like Ginny’s. Honesty. He could be a git, but he was usually very honest about what he thought.
”You’re diligent too, Ron, and you can be kind,” Hermione stated.
”He’s patient too,” Susan added.
Hermione had to admit in some situations, Ron was patient, but not in all of them. He had been very patient with her when they went out. But normally, he was reactionary. Like what happened with Draco just now.
“He can be patient, Susan, but he’s really not that patient. It depends on the situation. I think in more personal situations he’s more—understanding. But not overall,” Hermione said diplomatically. “He just pummeled Draco after all.”
”He asked for it,” Ron seethed, getting mad again.
Susan admitted Hermione was right. Ron could fly off the handle quickly.
“All right. We’ve got through that. Now, we have to do some things to protect ourselves. First, we have to leave Boleskine house itself. Especially those most affected by the demons. Ron, you really have to leave,” Hermione said to the redhead. “We don’t have to leave the grounds, though. Just the house.”
”What? Leave the fridge?”
”Ron, you’re going to make yourself sick. You don’t look too good now as a matter of fact. Your body wasn’t made to constantly digest food. It needs a break now and then.”
Ron looked sullen.
”But, the food.”
”Ron, I’m going to make you a batch of my diet cookies,” Susan told him. “You have to stop eating, really. They’ll make it easier.”
”You’d better make them extra strength,” Harry advised her. Ron’s stomach was absolutely bulging and he still wanted to eat.
Ron scowled at him, and Harry grinned.
”We can use the Gate House, and there’s another gate house on the grounds. Not as nice, but it’s habitable,” Hermione said. “I think the witches should stay together in one house and the wizards in another, since each house has only one bedroom. Someone can bunk out in the living rooms and two people share each bedroom.
”Noooo,” Ron groaned, looking at Susan as if she’d already left him.
”What about Blaise and Draco?” Ginny asked.
Hermione shrugged.
”I think they’ll want to stay in Boleskine house. They went back after all,” she replied. “They can take the boat house if they decide to leave, but I don’t think they will.”
“So, we’re going to abandon the house for the time being?” Harry asked.
”No. We’ll be able to enter there for short periods of time, but when we start to feel influenced, we can leave. But I think Ron needs to just stay out for a couple of days, because the influence is so strong.”
”Bloody hell,” Ron complained.
”Everyone’s going to have to cook for themselves for now,” Hermione said.
Susan didn’t like this.
”I can still make meals,” she offered. “We’ll just alternate where we have them. Both houses have kitchens and fridges.”
Susan loved cooking for everyone. It made her feel useful and happy when people enjoyed her food.
Hermione understood.
”All right, Susan, if you don’t mind.”
”I don’t,” Susan assured her.
”So, how are we going to handle the demons, Hermione?” Snape asked her. He was extremely proud at how she pulled everything together and made sense out of it all. She was a brilliant witch well beyond her marks. No wonder they defeated Voldemort. She was a one-witch army.
“Well, I’ve got to read up on the ritual,” she said, “but I think when the time comes, the two purest of us might have to do the actual banishing. Apparently, that’s Harry and Susan. They have the most virtues, so more than likely the most defense against the demons. We don’t know what they’ll throw at us, but more than likely they’ll fight to stay. Any weaknesses in us will be exploited, I’m sure. But, I have to look into it first.”
”And we won’t be using magic?” Harry asked her.
”Not our magic,” Hermione replied. “Muggle magic.”
”That’s not comforting at all,” Harry breathed.
“I know it’s not, Harry, but it’s what we’re going to have to do if Severus is going to stay here,” Hermione said. “But, you don’t have to do it. We’ll manage if you want to go—“
”No! I want to help. It’s just going to be strange using Muggle techniques,” he said.
”And dangerous,” Snape added, looking thoughtful.
”Danger? We laugh in the face of danger,” Hermione said with a smile.
After Voldemort, how bad could a few demons be?
They’d find out.
”Now, we need to get some sand up to Boleskine house and see if the demons will leave their mark.”
The group rose and began walking towards the Loch and the beach full of fine sand.
From the trees, Ben Weatherstaff watched them go, his blue eyes curious.
”What are they up to now?” he wondered as the robin flew down and landed on his shoulder, chirping at him.
Ben’s brow furrowed as he listened.
”Let’s hope not,” he replied.
****************************************************
A/N: Fun chappie to write. A long one, too. I just couldn’t stop writing. Lol. I think chapters with interactions can be like that. I hope it didn’t get boring with so much conversation. I remember how exasperated I got with DH when Harry and Voldemort were facing off. I was like, “Stop talking already!!” Hermione's virtues will be extolled next chapter. Thanks for reading.