Hot Spots

Disclaimer: I own my nightmares!

Rated: Angsty

A/N: I know you guys hate me, but it did get people to review! Remember my darlings, just because someone gets killed doesn’t necessarily mean that they stay dead.
Chapter 14

It had been a week since Viper dispatched Draco. Harry could not sleep in the same bed so Dumbledore had the bed taken away and situated Harry in a room of his own in the tower. Dumbledore was trying to be as calm as possible, but it was hard. This was the second death of a student at Hogwarts. All he could wonder is why he had not heard anything from the Malfoys.

“Headmaster?” A cautious voice came through his office door.

“Come in.” The door opened and the last person he expected to see walked through it. “How can I help you Harry?” Dumbledore was glad that his self control kept his voice from being anything but kind and helpful.

“I need to talk.” Dumbledore conjured up a tea tray and Harry let his feelings flow into the ear of one of the greatest wizards the world would ever know.

Viper had not been seen since Harry had screamed at her to leave.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Viper paced through the Forbidden Woods. For some reason she could not identify her body refused to move too far from the castle or maybe it was her subconscious mind begging her not to leave. Before she even noticed her feet were taking her to the glade where Kebab had been resting.

“Darling, wake up.” The pile of bones strewn on the grass slowly reconfigured itself into a standing human. “Pet, where did you put the corpse of that Dementor?” Kebab lead the way for his mistress with his jerking gait. Viper took one last look at the castle strengthening her resolve before taking the path that her pet created through the woods.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape sighed and closed his book with a snap. He just did not understand it. She saved Draco in the first place. Why would she have saved him if she was just going to kill him? He rubbed the bridge of his nose, willing back tears. If nothing else at least he was not infatuated with her anymore.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All of Hogwarts was stunned. The halls seemed so different without Draco Malfoy. A week and two days after the horrible incident Dumbledore announced that there would be no class for the day and all the students were welcome to the honorary funeral. Harry could not bring himself to go. He could not resist watching. He was sitting on a chair brought up all the way to the window and he was leaning against it wishing he could hear what the various speakers were saying about the dearly departed.

“I wouldn’t lean too hard on that glass if I were you.”

Harry stiffened. His face grew dark and his eyes were murderous.

“Get out of here.”

“Not until you hear what I have to say.” Harry whipped around and glared at Viper. She was leaning casually on the portrait hole wall. She walked closer until she was only a foot away from Harry’s chair.

“Look,” She began. Before she had a chance to finish Harry leapt at her pulling out his wand as he did so.

“There is very little keeping me from killing you right now!” His anger burned like an inferno placed in the lowest circle of hell. He realized that he did not know any spells that would harm her so he threw his wand down beside him and pulled one of Viper’s own daggers out of her belt and placed it to her throat.

“Do you want to feel the pain you put me through? Is that why you came back?” He pressed down slightly on her neck causing dark red droplets of blood to trickle to the carpet. Viper did not flinch.

“Kill me then.” Harry backed off slightly in surprise. He had been expecting, wanting, pleading or bargaining, anything but this acceptance. “Do it.” Her eyes went through his soul. “Just don’t ever assume that I never suffered like you did.” Harry got off her and backed up in horror dropping the blood covered weapon. He stared at his hands, colored in his mind like a murderer’s hands. He fell to his knees and held his head with his traitorous hands.

“What have I done?” He moaned. Viper knelt down beside him not bothering to heal herself.

“You were grieving. It is almost like going insane.”

“Why did you do it?” Harry’s voice broke her heart.

“I did it to save you. You are going to have to forgive me. I need you to trust me Harry.” Viper took Harry in her arms and let him soak her in tears.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Draco was floating in a sea of mists. He slowly took in his surroundings. Grey swirls surrounded him blocking everything else from view. Suddenly there was a bright light and inside it he saw Harry asleep in a different bed. He floated closer, wishing he could kiss Harry’s lips. He imagined leaning down and brushing his lips against Harry’s mouth. Harry’s image gasped and sat up wide awake. The light faded and Draco was left alone in the mists.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Snape jumped as he felt the burning pain on his left arm. Voldemort was calling.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry felt Draco’s lips on his own.

“Draco?!” He sat up only to find that he was still alone. He slid out of the bed hoping to find Viper somewhere. He located her in the common room kneeling by the fire. She had a stick of metal thrust into the heart of the flames and she seemed to be studying her left arm intently. She looked up as Harry entered the room.

“You should be asleep. It is only about three.”

“What are you doing?”

“Marking myself.” She drew the pole out of the flames and it turned out to be somewhat like the old cattle brands, its end was glowing white hot. Swiftly she turned the brand upside down facing her arm and pressed it into her flesh. Harry felt slightly nauseated as he smelled the burning skin. Viper removed the brand which was smoking around the edges. She made a slight movement and it vanished. Harry looked at her arm blanching as he saw the mark resurfacing for him.

“The Dark Mark.” Harry could do little more than stutter. “Why?”

“To put it simply because the spells your Voldemort would use on me to make it look like that would never stick on me. Fire does not hurt or damage me unless I specifically ask it to. I did not think I would have enough time to commune with the fire beforehand.”

“So you are a Death Eater now.” Harry’s face became unreadable.

“I am so much more.” Viper grinned as she said this. “I am a Necromancer.”
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Uasi was tired of all the whispers and shielded looks. He knew it was because he had arrived the night that Viper killed that blonde boy. ‘She never kills unless she has good reason.’ He stopped to study a moving picture of two witches dancing around a huge bonfire. ‘Or unless she is really really angry. She wasn’t that angry when she went in there.’ He strode down the hall with no destination in mind.

Chapter 15

Draco was getting bored. He did not know where he was and he could not tell how long he had been there. ‘I can’t even look at myself to alleviate my boredom.’

“Greetings young soul.” A voice brought a beam of light through the fog. “Please situate yourself into the light and we can see about getting you into some sort of form.” Draco floated into the light. He started feeling heavy and very dizzy.

“What are you doing to me?”

“Getting you close enough to Her so you can leave. She is so very wonderful to us.” It was pitch black when he landed. Draco quickly realized it was because he had his eyes closed. He choked for a bit since he had gotten so used to not having to blink or breathe that it was no longer second nature. He stood up and critiqued his body. It looked the same except for a strange marking on the palm of his right hand. It was what looked like a capital V with an S behind it in a slightly fainter color. ‘What the hell is that supposed to mean?’ A rectangle of light appeared and beckoned him closer.

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

“We need to talk to Dumbledore.” Harry stated although a bit muffled by Viper’s shoulder.

“No we don’t. He knows already.”

“Oh,” Harry looked up at the clock it was a little past eleven. “Would you stay?” Viper nodded and waited for Harry to get ready for bed. As she waited she healed and cleaned herself in a puff of smoke. Harry walked back into his room and got himself under the covers.

“It has been kind of strange sleeping with no one else in the room.” Viper settled down beside him and stroked his hair away from his face.

“Viper?” Harry said groggily.

“Hmmm?”

“Were you the one who fixed my vision?”

“Yes Harry.”

“I thought vision spells weren’t permanent.”

“I didn’t just coat your eyes with perfect vision. I molded the connecters from your eyes to your brain and they healed themselves so you never have to worry about needing glasses again.” She looked down at him only to find that he had fallen into a deep slumber. Quickly and quietly she slid out of the bed and out into the hallway. Her mark was burning and she could only take this for a sign that Voldemort was calling his forces to him.

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

“Ahh, Sssnape finally you have arrived.”

“I always come as soon as I can when you call My Lord.”

“I want you to bring the woman with you next time.”

“What woman Sir?”

“That ssscarred woman. Ssshe came to me in a dream and asssked to join usss.”

“She is the one who killed Malfoy’s son.

“I know. I wanted to sssee a sssample of her power and ssshe decided to kill the one boy that had ssspecial wardsss all over him. Losssing him really wasssn’t much of a lossss to usss he never did ssseem cut out for our kind of work. Luciusss wasss actually quite glad that he no longer had to deal with hisss ssson. I want you to bring her here ssso ssshe can receive the Dark Mark.” Snape bowed and walked quickly from the room unknowing that there were two sets of eyes watching him, one reptilian and one black as night.

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

“Hermoine.” The light tenor teased her ears and she looked up from her book.

“Uasi. Is something wrong?”

“No. I was just walking around when I noticed you in here.” Uasi walked to the table and rested his arms on the back of Hermoine’s chair.

“Faeries tend to make their houses out of nut husks and willow bark.” He started reading aloud from her book. “Not really they will make it out of anything that stands a chance of blending in with the surrounding area. I have actually seen one made of a broken horse skeleton and palm leaves.”

“You have seen faerie houses?”

“I have helped build some.”

Hermoine’s eyes widened. “How did they let you near them?”

“Simple.” Uasi jumped onto the table shrinking as he went. Beautiful gauzy wings spread from his back. He stood confidently on Hermoine’s book no more than 6 inches tall. He smiled up at Hermoine who promptly snapped out of her shock and began asking a million questions.

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Snape could not believe what he is hearing. Dumbledore was excusing Viper’s actions. ‘Doesn’t he realize that she is trying to work for Voldemort? That she was proving her worth to the slimy bastard by killing Draco?’ Dumbledore was watching Snape obviously waiting for an answer of some sort.

“Sorry Headmaster I was lost in thought.”

“I asked if you would mind teaching Viper some potions. It seems that she is going to need some so that her own magic is left unnoticed and therefore Voldemort would not be able to categorize it.”

“I do not believe that I can do anything to help her.”

“Severus,” Dumbledore started in a warning tone before being rudely interrupted by Fawkes who began to cry shrilly while hopping around on his perch. Both Dumbledore and Snape looked at the bird strangely before Snape felt his arm begin it’s plead for attention.
“Headmaster I must go.”

“We will finish this conversation later.”

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

”Welcome my faithful Death Eatersss. Tonight we have a very ssspecial guessst. A guessst, whom if ssshe passssesss the tessst, ssshall be one of usss!” There was scattered applause from those assembled.

“Viper, come here.” At this comment there were several gasps from the audience since most had children in Hogwarts so had heard of this mysterious Viper. Slowly Viper climbed the four stairs that brought her onto the stage. In the middle of the platform there was a table painfully reminiscent of the Alter back in her own home.

‘Strange how these worlds hold similar things.’ Her face was impassive, her eyes showing nothing. Voldemort gestured for her to sit on the edge of the table. She followed his directions betraying nothing of her desire to just make them all burst into flame.

Two hooded figures approached her, one carrying a brand very much like the one she used to mark herself. She concentrated hard on remembering the spell that Dumbledore gave her which would reveal her mark to the eyes of the onlookers. She stared into Voldemort’s eyes as his minions pressed the brand into her flesh.

‘She did not even flinch. That is a good sign of her strength. Perhaps she will be more useful than I thought.’ Voldemort was pleased with the way she could hold his gaze. Up until then only Lucius had been able to do that. Now that he had a suitable replacement Lucius had served his purpose well, but Voldemort would use him as Viper’s last test.

!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Draco could smell salty air. There was a slightly rotted odor underneath it, but nothing that could not be overlooked. He stared out over the gray beach with its black water. He watched as the waves turned momentarily white with foam before sinking back into the darkness of the ocean.

He noticed the strange forms that covered the beach. He leaned forward on the edge of the cliff only to stumble away in horror. The beach was covered in corpses, many of which were slowly being dragged into the inky water. His eyes full of disgust he realized that each one of these people died horribly. Draco started down the little trail onto the beach itself. On his way he passed a man with his throat torn out, a woman whose body looked as if someone ripped a child out of her, and a few steps beyond that a tiny child covered in bite marks. ‘Even my father couldn’t kill like this.’ He stopped to examine a small girl whose hands had been cut off at the wrists.

“All who get killed by Her end up here. In case she decides to call them back. For some reason you only made it halfway.” Draco whirled around and came face to face with a decidedly odd creature. It stood about three feet tall and looked almost like a standing otter.

“My name is Dundanby. I watch over these souls until She wants them back.” They walked along the beach going around a large clump of burned out human husks. Draco almost gagged at the stench.

“She is fond of fire.” The creature stated.

Draco could not control his horror anymore. “Who is this she?”

“Viper Sadi, the poisonous sadist. Everyone has heard of her and her reign of terror.” The furry creature looked at him oddly.

“I don’t come from your world. The only Viper I know wouldn’t…” He trailed off as he remembered what he had been told about the Dementor and what Viper had done to his father.

“One thousand and five hundred years ago Viper left the Desert of the Dead and traveled across the land. She was so disappointed of the superior races that she decided to teach them fear.” The creature looked over the ocean unseeingly. Images rose behind Dundanby’s dark eyes.

“After she had bled the world almost dry she went to her sanctuary and slept for five hundred years. The people again grew soft and stopped believing in the gods that protected them for that horrible century. Temarsi, the goddess of love, was loosing strength so she did the unimaginable. She woke Viper and asked her to make the people believe in her again. Her logic was simple. There can be no light unless there are also shadows.”

“So you have been waiting for Viper to come back?”

“Yes. She will come back and be pleased with me for keeping her army in such good repair. She will make a beautiful army and be happy with me.”

Draco looked at Dundanby a confused look on his face. “Why would she need an army?”