Avenging Fire

“Hey! Numbskull Nyx!”

Draco Malfoy sneered at Alexandria, smoothing his blonde hair down in the breeze. He was flanked by also sneering Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. They had been laying in wait for her. Alexandria scowled and continued walking, deciding to cut through the courtyard on her way to the library in order to avoid a confrontation. Sage was waiting for her there. Although she was a fellow Slytherin, Draco took it upon himself to constantly berate her for being half-blooded and because her family had a lot of Muggles in it.


“Shut up, Malfoy.” Alexandria snarled as she flounced past. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were hot on her heels. Draco leaned in and sniffed at her.


“You were wrong, Goyle. She still stinks of Muggle.” The three boys began to laugh.


“Well you smell like dragon dung so how can you even tell, Draco?” Alexandria retorted and continued her stomping walk into the courtyard.


She knew they were only trying to upset her for their own amusement. Her aunt had made her see that. So she decided she’d be damned before she let them see any reaction other than boredom at their antics. Her aunt also told her that if you let someone upset you, then you’re letting them control you and there was absolutely no way she was going to let Draco pull her strings. Not anymore. Prat.


Crabbe and Goyle laughed even harder, but this time, they were laughing at Draco. Creeps, thought Alex. They were so dim witted, they only knew that something funny was said regardless of who said it or to whom. They also always walked around with their mouths open. Alex smirked to herself. Might as well zing them all.


“You really ought to close your mouths before you draw flies, window lickers.”



Crabbe and Goyle stopped laughing at looked at one another confused. They suspected they had just been insulted but weren’t sure. What’s a window licker? They looked to their leader whose face was now turning a furious purple color.



“How…how dare you, pathetic half-blood! You shouldn’t even be in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat must be getting too old to work. Slytherin is for pure bloods, not filthy, Muggle loving half-bloods. My father thinks it’s a travesty that they let you in. To Slytherin and Hogwarts!”


Alex felt spittle land on her face.



“I don’t care what your father thinks, Malfoy. Go play with the squid in the lake.” she said, forcing a yawn to illustrate how completely bored she was of Draco’s favorite chestnut.



She wouldn’t have thought it was possible for Draco’s face to turn even more purple, but now he resembled an eggplant with blonde hair dressed in Slytherin robes. With a ‘pfft’ she began to flounce off again, only to have Draco and his lieutenants dart around in front of her and block her path.



“Your whole family is pathetic. All those Muggles, half-bloods and less, and Mudbloods. No self respecting wizard would even mix in your company.” he seethed.



“So, go away then.”




Christopher Nyx was walking with his friends when he spied his sister facing off against Malfoy and his toadies in the courtyard. This isn’t good, he thought as he took off running to intercept. Everyone knew Malfoy was a nasty little bastard who hated anyone who wasn’t pure blooded. He caught up to the group just as Malfoy stuck his finger in Alex’s face and jabbed at it.




“Back off, Malfoy.” Christopher growled as he stepped in between his sister and the bullies.



The three boys began laughing and a crowd started to gather, anticipating a great fight.



“Look who it is, guys! Numbskull Nyx’s Gryffindor brother. Another reason why you’re all freaks. A Slytherin and a Gryffindor as sister and brother. Salazar would kill himself if he wasn’t already dead.”



Between the gathered and gaping crowd and her brother playing macho protector, Alex was mortified and humiliated.



“Go away, Chris! This is between Slytherins.” Alex hissed at her brother’s back.


“Yeah, go away Chris.” Draco mocked in a falsetto voice. “Even a pathetic half-blood Slytherin is better than a stupid Gryffindor.”



Christopher wheeled around to look at his sister who stared back at him in fury. He felt shocked, betrayed and embarrassed. He was just trying to stick up for his sister who was being harassed.



“Shut up, Alex! I’m only trying to help you.” Christopher whispered.



“I don’t need your help.” Alexandria snarled back, her eyes beginning to tear with anger.



The gathered crowd of students quietly started making bets on who would throw the first hex and at whom. Now with both Christopher and Alex on the defensive, Draco continued the onslaught.



“Look at your aunt. It’s awful that Dumbledore is letting her stay at Hogwarts. She doesn’t even have the sense to have stayed a Muggle. No, she’s a Paranormal. I asked my father about them. You want to know what he said?”



“No. Just shut your face, Malfoy.” Christopher growled through clinched teeth.



“I’ll tell you what he said.” At this, Draco leaned into Christopher and Alex and lowered his voice as if to whisper an obscenity. “He said Paranormals are mutant freaks.” Draco finished with a nasty smirk.



Christopher balled his fist up and tried to punch Draco but before he could swing, Alex pulled her wand and shoved her brother to the side.



“GLUTEUS CRANIO!”


A flash of light shot out of Alexandria’s wand tip and Draco Malfoy’s forehead formed bare, perfectly clefted, human buttocks. Horrified, he clasped his hands over the two cheeks as the gathered crowd broke out in boisterous laughter.



“Now you even look like a butthead, Draco.” Alexandria purred sweetly.




“You…you…YOU’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS, NASTY HALF-BLOOD! WAIT UNTIL MY FATHER HEARS ABOUT THIS!” Draco howled as he ran off amidst the jeers and catcalls from the crowd calling ‘Butthead Malfoy’ after him as he ran. Alexandria then leveled her wand at the shocked Crabbe and Goyle.



“ANURA BUFONIDAE!”



Two startled toads stood where Crabbe and Goyle had a moment earlier. They tried to hop away but only ended up crashing into each other. Terrified, they squatted where they were with their chins inflating and deflating rapidly.



Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall elbowed her way through the crowd only to find the Crabbe and Goyle toads, a triumphant Alexandria Nyx, and a disgruntled Christopher Nyx.



“Oh! Oh my! What is the meaning of this? Are these toads students? Is that Mr. Malfoy I hear screaming in the distance? Which of you is responsible? I want answers and I want them now!”



The crowd silently turned their heads towards Alexandria and Christopher.




“I see. Very well. Mr. Nyx, Miss Nyx, follow me. Someone, please take the
transfigured students to the infirmary along with Mr. Malfoy when you catch him. The rest of you, disperse.”




Professor McGonagall marched Alexandria and Christopher up to her office and got their versions of the story. She looked at the twins with disapproval over her eyeglasses that were perched on the end of her nose.




“So, you allowed Mr. Malfoy to draw you into a silly fight.”




“But I didn’t do anything, Professor! Tell her, Alex!”




Alex shrugged noncommittally. It was his own fault. He shouldn’t have interfered. Do-gooding Gryffindor. Christopher glared at her in response.




“Have something to say, Mr. Nyx?”




“Professor McGonagall, he was saying really nasty things about our family! I was just being a good Gryffindor by standing up for them!” Christopher protested.



“Mr. Nyx, you now must learn what every good Gryffindor knows in his heart, and that is discretion is the better part of valor. People like Mr. Malfoy are always saying nasty things to upset people. If you charge into battle over their every word, you’ll always be at war. It is far better to ignore his words as that will sting him more than any reaction to them. Now, being as how you weren’t the one to cast the hexes, you only will receive one day detention with Madam Pince re-shelving books.“

Christopher deflated a little. Alexandria however was entirely unapologetic.


“And as for you, Miss Nyx, fighting your own housemates! I know for a fact that not everyone in Slytherin feels as Mr. Malfoy does. There are a few half-bloods and so on in Slytherin. Why, even the head of your house isn’t a pure blood.”

At this, both the twins took notice.


“Professor Snape isn’t a pure blood?” Alexandria asked, amazed. It was always assumed that Snape was pure blooded since he was the head of Slytherin and Salazar Slytherin fiercely promoted that pure blood was superior, even going as far as suggesting that magic be taught to pure bloods only.



“No. He’s a half blood. So you see it doesn’t matter what percentage of magic blood you have. Being the best witch or wizard you can be is all that’s important. Now, as far as your punishment goes, Miss Nyx, I’m afraid I’m going to have to turn that over to Professor Snape. Since you are in Slytherin, it’s only proper that he deal with you, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Crabbe, and Mr. Goyle.”




Alexandria slumped in her chair. Great. He’ll probably have her scrubbing cauldrons again. He seemed determined to turn her fingers into raisins as scrubbing out cauldrons seemed to be his favorite detention for her.



“You may go, Mr. Nyx. Report to Madam Pince immediately after your classes.” McGonagall said.



As Christopher got up from his chair, Alexandria stuck her tongue out at her brother for getting off easy. In return, Christopher shot her a stink-eye. As he stood in the doorway, he thought of a question.



“Professor, are you going to tell our aunt?”



Professor McGonagall looked at him over her eyeglasses.



“No, Mr. Nyx. It is not standard policy to notify parents and guardians of every infraction, but I strongly suggest the both of you talk to her before she hears it through the grapevine. She might be rather upset if she finds out in such a manner. Good day.”



Christopher nodded solemnly and slinked out the door while McGonagall turned her attention back towards Alexandria.



“You are to go immediately to Professor Snape’s office at the end of your classes today. You may leave now as well, Miss Nyx.”



Alexandria stood up and dejectedly began walking towards the door. As she reached it, the Deputy Headmistress had a final thought.



“Miss Nyx, I knew your father. He was a very intelligent, gifted, and kind individual. I was pleased to watch him grow from the little boy he started Hogwarts as, to the good and honorable man he was when he left. I do not hesitate to tell you, that if he were alive today, he would be very proud of both you and your brother, but not for what you did today. I can also tell you that your father never put much stock in the words of fools. You would do well to honor his memory by taking heed of that.”



Alexandria smiled warmly at the Deputy Headmistress, and left for her Herbology class feeling happy. She didn’t even mind that later, she’d surely be up to her elbows in cauldrons and nasty puddles of cold potions.



***

“Enter!” Professor Snape barked as Alexandria knocked on his office door. Sighing with resignation, Alexandria Nyx stepped into the dragon’s lair.



The Potions Master sat scowling at his desk, furiously marking parchments with angry red ink. The feather’s tip of his quill was a blur as he hacked some unfortunate 2nd Year’s potions homework to pieces. He finished and plopped the quill back in its inkwell in contempt. He looked at Alexandria with a furrowed brow. He stood up from his desk and slowly walked around Alexandria in a circle, frowning down at her. Alexandria stood perfectly still and looking straight ahead. Professor Snape didn’t like weakness. Maybe if she held still and didn’t show her fear, he’d go easier on her.



The head of Slytherin house decided it was time to test the young witch.




“Miss Nyx. Our very own Transfiguration expert. That was quite the stunt you pulled today. And what do you have to say for yourself?” he asked in a silky voice.



“Nothing, Sir.” Alexandria answered softly, looking straight ahead.




“Nothing? I find that hard to believe after turning two of your fellow Slytherins into toads and causing another to grow a human’s posterior on his forehead. Now, your excuse please, Miss Nyx.”




Alexandria balked. Slytherins were proud and didn’t feel the need to have to justify their actions. A good Slytherin did what they had to with no remorse and Alexandria was not remorseful in the least. Malfoy was a turd. He deserved what he got.



“Well, out with it!” the professor snarled.



“I did what I had to, Sir.” she said.


Snape raised an eyebrow.



“I see. I hope at least you have the good sense to regret your actions. They have, after all, earned you yet another detention.”



“No, Sir. I’m not sorry.” she answered and proudly jutted out her chin.



Snape’s eyebrow rose further. So, the little Slytherin finally begins acting like one, he thought. He stopped circling and stood in front of his charge. He allowed several long, pregnant moments pass in silence before he spoke.



“Tell me, Miss Nyx, were you surprised to be sorted into Slytherin?”



Alexandria began to think quickly. This was Professor Snape’s infamous ‘prove you’re a Slytherin’ test. If you answered incorrectly or in other words, Un-Slytherin like, he became even more unpleasant and you had to work extra hard to get back into his good graces.


“Yes, Sir.” she answered softly.



“Why?”



“My father always told me that I’d probably be sorted into Ravenclaw where he was.”




“I see. So, you think Ravenclaw is a better house than Slytherin.”




“No, Sir!” Alexandria answered quickly.




“No? Tell me why you think Slytherin is better.”



Alexandria’s gears turned even faster. Professor Snape smirked down at her as he watched the little witch formulate her answers. She was thinking before she spoke. Good. He was curious as to how she would promote herself as Slytherin while not disrespecting her father’s house.




“Ravenclaws are smart, but Slytherins can be just as smart too. Ravenclaws are happy to just learn, but Slytherins want to do more than just learn. They take what they learn and put it to work for them. Some Ravenclaws do that, but Slytherins usually always do.”




“So if you were offered the opportunity to be transferred to Ravenclaw, would you do it?”




“No, Sir! I want to be here!” Alexandria exclaimed forcefully.




“My my, such conviction. What would your father say. I wonder.”




Alexandria paused as she considered the professor’s question.




“Dad never said anything bad about Slytherin.” she shrugged.




Snape snorted to himself. Never said anything bad about Slytherin, eh? Well, he was probably among the very few who didn’t.




“Your twin brother is a Gryffindor. Strange that twins should be so different, don’t you agree?”




Christopher was not among Alexandria’s favorite people at the moment. Her little face scrunched up a bit.




“Our aunt said it’s because we aren’t identical twins. She says that our kind of twins can be completely different.” At this, Alexandria looked up at her Head of House and spoke conspiratorially to him. “He’s always getting into trouble.”



“Yes, and he seems to take you right along with him.” the Potions Master said with a sneer.




“But Sir, I told him to go away! It’s not my fault!”




“Miss Nyx, why are you here today?”




“Because I hexed Draco, Vincent, and Greg.” she answered sullenly.




“Technically true but not the correct answer. Let’s try again. Why are you here today?”



Alexandria was stumped. She hexed them. What else was there to say?




“Obviously the answer eludes you therefore I shall have to spell it out. You are here for yet another detention because you were caught. If you hadn’t been so impulsive, if you would have kept your composure instead of letting your emotions control you, you might have handled the situation in such a way that wouldn’t require you to spend the next hour scrubbing cauldrons. Do you understand what I’m telling you, Miss Nyx?” he asked, emphasizing the question meaningfully.




Alexandria thought for a moment and then the realization came to her. Yes, Slytherins did what was required but they also thought of their own self-interests and preservation first. Hexing Draco and his toadies was immensely satisfying, but would have been much more satisfying if she had done it without being caught.



“Yes, Sir. I do.”




“Good. You will do well to remember that. Another lesson a Slytherin must learn is that they must take responsibility, good or bad, for their actions.” At this, the Potions Master pointed towards the triple sink in the back of the room. “You know what to do by now I presume.”




“Yes, Sir.” Alexandria said as she put her book bag down on a desk, took off her school robes and rolled up her sleeves.




As she began to collect the cauldrons, Snape resumed the marking of parchments to the sound of Alexandria Nyx scrubbing cauldrons in the back of the Potions classroom. A small smirk quirked at the corners of his mouth.



***


Helena was still combing through old copies of The Daily Prophet looking for any clues as to why her brother and sister-in-law were murdered. For that matter, why any ‘Muggle-borns’ were murdered. While she knew that ultimately it was because of Voldemort, it still didn’t explain why Steffen and Mary were specifically targeted. Why them?



She had found a few interesting things so far. First, more deaths were reported in the obituary section shortly following Ministry raids on the homes of alleged Death Eaters or those sympathetic to the cause of pure blood supremacy. Nearly all of the increased percentages of deaths were Muggle born witches and wizards. A pattern was forming.



Secondly, two years before Steffen and Mary’s murder, the Prophet ran a series of articles detailing the Ministry’s resolution towards eliminating Muggle born discrimination by passing a series of new laws that made it illegal to deny employment to Muggle borns, to eliminate blood percentage questions on loan and scholarship applications, the establishment of several scholarships for Muggle borns, as well as the announced formation of a new department within the Ministry that would be devoted to the protection and promotion of Muggle born rights.


She was sure that that alone would have driven Voldemort into rage.



But there was something gnawing at her. Something wasn’t clicking as it should. She was becoming frustrated because she had the feeling that that something was right in front of her nose. Pushing back from the table, Helena walked around in the periodicals room, stretching and taking a quick break to let her eyes uncross.



It’ll come to you, old girl. Just give it time.


“You are to re-shelve the books on this cart as well as that one and that one, Mr. Nyx. I expect you to do this quietly and neatly. No shelving the books upside down. Right then, get to it.”



“Yes, Ma’am.”



Helena glanced at a clock. The time on the clock told her that classes at Hogwarts were now over for the day. The fact that her nephew was in the library when he should be in his common room piqued her curiosity. Quietly, she left the periodicals room and walked up and down the aisles until she found her nephew pushing a cart and stopping every few feet to place a book on the shelves.



“Christopher? What are you doing here?” she whispered.



Her nephew whirled around with a guilty start.



“I got detention, Aunt Hel. So did Alex. But I didn’t deserve mine. I’ve got to re-shelve all these books.” he answered in a whisper.




“Less talk, more work, Mr. Nyx.” Madam Pince called.




“Alright. Come see me when you’re done. I’m in the periodicals room.”




Christopher sighed in martyrance and Helena returned to the room to dig a little more and to wait to hear what the twins had gotten into now.



***



After every cauldron was thoroughly scrubbed and dried, the Potions master dismissed Alexandria Nyx. Malfoy and his flunkies would be shoveling manure tomorrow afternoon since Madam Pomfrey needed today to reverse their transfigurations. He had set their detention with Hagrid, shoveling manure without the use of magic. Lucius Malfoy always complained bitterly whenever his spoilt brat of a son had to serve a detention and he would no doubt be hearing from the senior Malfoy as soon as Draco could fire off a sniveling letter, embellishing the facts and making himself out to be the perfect angel beset upon by a vindictive crowd of half-bloods and Muggle-borns. Of course, Lucius wouldn’t hear about his son’s provocation that caused the incident.



Draco? A bully?! Never!



He’d deal with Lucius later. It wasn’t hard to appease him. Usually feigned exasperation with having to keep up the appearance of unbiasedness and a promise to go easy on Draco in the future worked well.



Alexandria picked up her book bag and opened the door to the Potions classroom only to find her aunt waiting for her. Christopher was next to her, head hanging and toeing the floor. Obviously Christopher had confessed everything. Alexandria looked at her brother with exasperation. He could have at least waited until tomorrow. She was hungry and wanted to eat. Bloody, guilt ridden, do-gooding Gryffindors!



Snape watched with interest as Dr. Nyx and her niece regarded each other silently for several moments. Finally Dr. Nyx instructed her niece and nephew to go down to her quarters and wait for her. He heard muffled protestations from the two children to which Dr. Nyx reiterated her instruction that they should go to her quarters and wait until she got there.



“I’ll get there when I get there.” she said, gesturing with an arm towards the stairwell that led to the sub-dungeons. When further muffled, protesting voices sounded, Dr. Nyx cocked her head to the side and the voices stopped and the sound of retreating shuffling feet began.




Dr. Nyx turned her head back around and looked at Snape. She gestured with a hand for permission to come inside, to which he granted with a small nod. With another quick glance down the hallway to ensure her niece and nephew had gone down to the sub-dungeons as instructed, she stepped into the Potions classroom and shut the door.



Normally Snape would have been highly annoyed at such presumptuousness, but he had grown rather curious about the Paranormal, even if she had caused him irritation on a few occasions thus far.




Dr. Nyx looked about the room, seemingly collecting her thoughts before she spoke, much like her niece had done previously. While she did, Snape noticed her face growing redder and her mouth contorted into a thin line, like she was struggling to keep something inside. He couldn’t tell if she was angry or not. She looked almost like she was in pain. Finally, she tried opening her mouth to speak but instead broke into hysterical laughter.




“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Oh! Oh oh! Oh god, my sides! HAHAHAHAHAHA! I’m sorry, Professor, I’ll leave in a moment. I’ve just got to get this out. HAHAHAHAHA! I’ve been holding this in for a while now. I can’t go down there and talk to them like this…HAHAHAHAHAHA!”




She doubled over in uncontrollable laughter, her arms wrapped around her midsection. She reached out an arm and steadied herself by grasping one of his forearms. At her touch, he felt warm and tingly and for a moment, was tempted to laugh right along with her, her laughter being rather infectious. He collected his face into an expressionless mask as she pulled herself up. She had laughed so hard, her eyes were leaking tears.




“Whew! Hahahahaha! Oh my god! Alex, Alex, Alex.” Dr. Nyx took a few deep breaths to compose herself. “Have you seen the Malfoy boy, Professor?”




“I have.”




“I have as well. I went straight to the infirmary after my nephew told me what happened. So then you’ve seen the Malfoy boy’s head and the two rather pronounced…?”




“Buttocks growing out of it. Yes Doctor.” he drawled.




Dr. Nyx nodded solemnly then broke out into laughter again. She dabbed at her eyes with a sleeve. Snape pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her.




“Thank you. I’m terrible! I shouldn’t be laughing like this but the sight of…I mean, she really gave him a big arse! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”




“Yes well, your niece appears to have a remarkably instinctual way of selecting appropriate transfigurations for the individual in question.”




This made Dr. Nyx laugh even harder which made it even more difficult for Snape to keep his cool, collected exterior.




“Okay, I’ve got to stop now! I’ve got to go talk to them.” she gasped, dabbing at her eyes with his handkerchief.




“Do you intend to punish them further?” he asked, trying to hide his curiosity.




“No. From what my nephew told me, the Malfoy boy was acting in a physically threatening manner, getting into her personal space and jabbing a finger in her face. They’ve always been taught to first try avoiding unpleasant confrontations, but that they have the right to defend and stand up for themselves. Quite frankly, the Malfoy boy had it coming to him. At any rate, I practice open and constructive communication with them, so we’re just going to have a discussion about it. That’s all. Here’s your handkerchief. Thank you, Professor. I need to go now. See you at dinner.”




After Dr. Nyx left the classroom, Snape closed and warded the door.



And allowed himself a genuine, rare smile and chuckle. Draco Malfoy with an arse for a forehead.




How very…appropriate.

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A/N

Tambrathegreat: Damn, that sucks about your cold. I hope you feel better soon.

LOL @ the Mary Sue factor. I am so paranoid about inadvertantly writing Helena Nyx as a Sue, that I run her through the Mary Sue Litmus test every so often.

That and I imagine how I would react to her in real life. Mary Sues make me gag, so I imagine interacting with Helena to see if she nauseates me. So far she hasn't. She has her flaws; she's got a temper that she usually controls (not always though), she tends to feel sorry for herself, she can be manipulative if she needs to be (like with Hagrid although she was respectful to him), and a few other things that will come out as the story wears on.


Thanks for reading. I'll update WIB soon. Since inspiration came for Avenging Fire, I figured I'd better take advantage of it.