What a Witch Needs

First of all, thank you so much for all your responses to that last chapter! I didn’t expect such a response and it was flattering to say the least. And, Alleycat, I’m sorry that I didn’t mention you in the last chapter for your Dudley idea! But I have now – better late than never. So thank you.

Thanks to my betas as well: Narcissa Black and gardengirlgarden for all their help in making me look intelligent. LOL You two are the best.

Gone Too Far


“There seems to be something troubling you, Severus,” Dumbledore said as he sat at his desk across from the potions master.

“Yes, sir,” Snape replied with a heavy sigh. “It’s that whole experience at Marlston… I think I may have made a big mistake.”

Dumbledore studied Severus for a few moments and said, “Yes, we never did have a very in-depth discussion of what occurred there. Don’t be afraid of shocking me, Severus. I’ve seen many things during my long life.”

“It was Potter, sir. He became glutted with power at Marlston. The manner in which he behaved, well… let’s just say it was similar to someone else I know,” Snape said, pointedly.

Dumbledore nodded. “I realize that Marlston had a negative affect on them. An affect that I’m happy to say has apparently worn off at last. During their first week back, I was on high alert with their activities.”

“Yes, sir,” Snape added, “the unusual cruelty and lack of compassion seems to have dissipated. Though, you are aware that they plan to live there after they graduate?”

Dumbledore looked saddened. “I am aware of that. It is disturbing to me as well. But for Miss Granger, the biological need to reside at Marlston is extremely strong, and where she goes, the other two will follow. Their need for her is just as compelling.”

“Why, Headmaster?” Snape asked, wondering if Dumbledore would finally give him a clue to the great mystery of Marlston. “What is the significance of this ‘triad’ they are calling themselves?”

“Do you believe in fate, Severus?” Dumbledore asked.

“I have no opinion either way,” Snape replied.

“Morgana and Sebastion Marlston were in a similar relationship with Tom Riddle – a triad if you will,” Dumbledore explained.

Snape’s eyes lit up slightly. Could it simply be the power of three? “Are you saying that they are fated to be together, the Dark Lord with a Marlston?”

“Plus one other, chosen by their mutual chemistry,” Dumbledore explained.

“You knew this?” Snape said, incredulously. “You knew this all along?”

Dumbledore sat quietly, waiting for Snape to let the revelation sink in.

“Is that why you… ?” Snape asked, but was cut off by Dumbledore standing quickly and speaking with a rare display of anger.

“I asked you never to mention that again!” Dumbledore snapped. His hand shook as he sighed and rubbed his temples with his fingers. “I’m sorry, Severus. Forgive me for my outburst. There are some things I’d rather forget.”

“I understand, sir,” Snape answered, calmly. He waited as Dumbledore resumed his seat and sighed heavily.

“To answer your question,” Dumbledore said, his voice lower than usual, “I would have to say I had my suspicions back then. You seem to forget how old I am, Severus. Marlston has always been a curious place and the Marlstons themselves even more mysterious. Growing up, I heard many tales, some quite unbelievable. Even before Morgana was born, her parents were in the same type of relationship with the Dark Lord of that time. So, naturally when Tom Riddle became involved with Morgana and Sebastian a generation later, I thought it a compelling coincidence. With a further investigation into Marlston history, I found it was indeed a pattern for every generation.”

“And that’s the source of their power? It is not an object but a certain, should I say, combination of people?” Snape pondered. “Then why is the house so important? Couldn’t they use their increased powers simply by being together, no matter where they are?”

Dumbledore looked at Snape carefully, wondering how much he could safely tell without breaking his confidence with Harry and Hermione.

“Yes and no,” Dumbledore answered. “They can use their powers anywhere they are together. But Marlston is vital to their existence. I might even go as far as to say that it is vital to all dark witches and wizards. It is the source of the dark power, its very core, and the Marlstons have guarded it for well over a thousand years.”

“The house?” Snape asked, his heart pounding with excitement.

Dumbledore shook his head. “The house is merely its fortress, protecting it from ever being tampered with and the Marlstons biologically programmed to be its guardians.”

“But what is it, sir?” Snape wondered.

Dumbledore looked down with a frown. “I’m sorry, Severus. I cannot tell you that. I would be breaking the trust of those involved. And that, my friend, would be a grave mistake on my part, I think.”

Confound the old man’s promises, Snape thought to himself. There has to be a way to find out. If not from Dumbledore, then perhaps from the three involved.

“I understand,” Snape said. “But, sir, you say that the core of dark power resides at Marlston with this ‘object’. Has it ever occurred to you to destroy it? That would certainly diminish the power of the Dark Lords.”

Dumbledore opened his eyes wide and said, “Oh, no, that’s quite impossible. It cannot be destroyed, only unleashed, and I’m afraid the consequences of that would be more devastating than a thousand Dark Lords. I would even venture to say that the Marlstons have done the world a favor by keeping it contained.”

Snape’s mind was a jumble of thoughts all colliding at once. He sat staring blankly at the headmaster while he tried to digest this new information. Then he shook his head, “I don’t understand. Why would Lord Voldemort want to get inside Marlston if it would not be to his benefit to ‘tamper’ with this ‘thing’?”

“Leverage, I suppose,” Dumbledore answered. “He knows that Harry’s power will be great now that he has become part of the triad. If the war does not go in his favor, he wants to make sure that Harry is destroyed by the only power that ‘can’ destroy him. In other words, if ‘he’ can’t be the Dark Lord, than no one will.”

“And devastate the world in the process,” Snape mumbled to himself in deep thought.

“That is the type of man Lord Voldemort is,” Dumbledore stated. “That way he’ll always be remembered as the one who let M…” Dumbledore paused, realizing that he almost said the forbidden word. Then he shook his head and said, “Let us not discuss this anymore. I believe you came to me for another reason. You said that you regretted doing something?”

Snape was too busy trying to think about what the “M” stood for and he stared at Dumbledore in confusion for a few moments. Then he said, “Oh, yes…” He shifted nervously in his seat. “You see, sir, the day before we arrived, Potter had taken blood oaths from all the villagers at Marlston.”

“I see,” Dumbledore said. “And he demanded yours as well?”

“Yes,” Snape said, trying not to look embarrassed at the memory of how he was offered sex with the ‘pet’ in exchange. No, he didn’t think he would tell Dumbledore that little piece of information. “I feel highly uncomfortable that Potter now has a sample of my blood. He’s unstable and impulsive and could easily decide to dispose of me in one of his rages.”

“I don’t believe Harry would do such a thing,” Dumbledore said, “but I will have a talk with him about it. Perhaps I can convince him to return your sample now that he’s calmed down a bit since his Marlston experience.”

“Thank you, sir,” Snape said. “I would be in your debt.”

“Don’t mention it,” Dumbledore smiled. “Ah… and speaking of Harry, he approaches now.”

Sure enough the stairs outside of the office could be heard moving and Dumbledore swished his wand to open the office door for them. Harry, Hermione, and Draco stepped in followed by a very unhappy Dudley Dursley.

“Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Dursley,” Dumbledore smiled. “It’s nice to see you out and about.”

Dudley had his arms crossed and just glared angrily at Dumbledore, not answering.

Harry had already told Dumbledore of his plan to let Dudley live at Headquarters. Dudley had balked at being forced to live in a freak house, insisting that he’d rather be homeless than do so.

Harry had only to remind him about the Death Eaters looking for him to get Dudley to reconsider. His disgruntled silence at his fate was the only sign of acceptance Harry had received. What other choice did Dudley really have?

”We’re ready to leave, Professor,” Harry said.

“Very well,” Dumbledore answered, walking to the mantle with his bowl of floo powder. “I believe I’ll have Professor Snape accompany you this evening to assist in any way he can.”

Harry glanced at Snape and shrugged, “All right.”

OOOOOO

Narcissa Malfoy sat at the piano trying to entertain herself with her favorite songs. She was extremely bored with her life these days now that she and her husband had switched sides and gone into hiding. She missed being able to call on her circle of friends and spend the long hours of the day in social chat or shopping. Now she had no friends and no one she could call on. To them, she was a traitor.

She had read every book in the house and redecorated every room, some of them twice, and she now found herself bored and listless. She desperately wanted this war to be over so that she could return to some semblance of normality.

She was in the midst of a very sorrowful melody when she was startled by her son and Lady Marlston emerging from the fireplace.

“Oh, Draco darling, it’s you,” she said, rising to greet them. “And Lady Marlston, what a pleasure, I’m so happy that you have come to visit.” She walked over to them and took Hermione’s hand, giving her a respectful nod and a smile.

“Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy,” Hermione replied. “I hope we aren’t intruding on anything…”

“Oh, no,” she said, “not at all. In fact, I’m always happy to see my son and his… Lady.” Narcissa gave Draco a knowing smile, letting him know that she highly approved of his relationship with Hermione.


Hermione knew she wouldn’t have received a fraction of this warmth from Narcissa if she were not a Marlston. But she was not the type to make a scene about it. There were more important matters to attend to and she really did want to have a better relationship with Draco’s family for his sake.

“Good to see you too, Mother,” Draco said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “But there is more company to come and… a special surprise for you.”

“Oh?” Narcissa said.

Just then Harry and Dudley came out of the fireplace and Narcissa smiled, bowing to Harry. “Lord Potter, it’s an honor to have you here tonight.” Severus Snape stepped out behind them as well.

“Severus,” Narcissa greeted.

“Good evening, Narcissa,” Snape replied, thinking that Narcissa looked lovelier every time he saw her.

“And who might you be?” Narcissa smiled at the surly boy standing next to Harry.

When the boy didn’t answer, Harry said, “This is Dudley Dursley, my cousin.”

“Ah, I see,” Narcissa said, looking Dudley over curiously, “but wasn’t your father an only child, my Lord?”

“Yes, he was,” Harry answered. “Dudley comes from my mother’s side of the family.” Harry watched Narcissa’s expression carefully as she tried to hide her negative reaction. Her face twitched as she tried to smile.

“I see,” Narcissa said, trying to avoid looking disdainful at having a Muggle standing in the same room as she.

Lucius walked into the parlor and bowed when he saw Harry. “My Lord, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Lucius,” Harry said, “I’m glad you’re here, I’ve got something to tell the both of you.”

Lucius strolled slowly up to the group and stood next to his wife as he said curiously, “Yes, my Lord?”

“The Death Eaters have been ordered to destroy my remaining relatives,” Harry explained. “My cousin Dudley here managed to escape when they blew up his school. They also attacked his parents, killing his father and causing his mother to lose her mind. To make a long story short, Dudley needs a magically secure place to live and I’ve decided to put him here – in your care.”

The room was completely silent as Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy looked at Harry in stunned silence. Lucius’ eyes slid over Dudley and then he glanced at Draco, who was smirking at him with great amusement. Giving Draco an evil glare he turned a civil face back to Harry.

“Of course, my Lord,” Lucius said. “We will do as you say.”

Narcissa’s hand fluttered over her heart and she said, “Oh my, a… boy… living here.”

“Oh come now, Mother,” Draco grinned, “you’ve reared a boy yourself. Surely this will not be an unfamiliar task.”

Dudley crossed his arms and snorted with disgust. He wasn’t exactly happy with the situation himself. Looking about the lavish room, however, made him feel that his new digs might not be so bad – if it weren’t for all the freaks around.

And this couple, who were supposed to watch over him, actually seemed afraid to upset Harry. Dudley thought that could work to his advantage as well. He supposed if Harry had to be a freak, it was a good thing he was the Lord of the freaks.

“Dudley,” Harry said, “these are Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. They’ll be your guardians while I’m away at school. I’m going to see about getting some sort of tutor to come live here so that you don’t fall behind in your education. You are not to leave the house without my permission. If you need to speak with me, the Malfoys will show you how to send an owl. This is also the headquarters for a group called the Order of the Phoenix. They’ll meet here periodically and I’ll be around some of those times as well.”

“My Lord,” Lucius spoke. “Is there no other place he could go?”

Harry gave Lucius a hard look. “Do you have a problem with this arrangement? Are you rejecting my blood relative?”

Lucius winced, “No… my Lord. I merely think he may be uncomfortable in a … well… non-Muggle home.”

“Well, then, you’ll have to make sure he feels comfortable, won’t you?” Harry growled.

“Yes, my Lord,” Lucius conceded, glancing at Narcissa’s pale face. “We shall do our best.”

“Dudley has been through a lot lately and I expect you two to forget your prejudices and find a way to make my cousin feel at home,” Harry stated.

“Yes, my Lord,” Narcissa answered, looking Dudley over again. She swallowed her distaste and said, “Dudley, I’m sorry about your recent loss and I hope you’ll find contentment here.”

Dudley glared at her in disbelief and turned away.

Harry grabbed his arm and turned Dudley to face him. “Don’t be rude, Dudley. Try to make the best of it, all right? You’ll be safe here.”

Harry knew Dudley’s angry bravado was masking his extreme fear. He could feel Dudley’s arm shake beneath his grip.

Hermione stepped forward and said, “Come, Dudley, let’s all have a seat and get to know one another better.”

Surprisingly Dudley let her lead him over to a sofa as everyone followed along and found places for themselves. Harry, however, remained standing and said, “Lucius, Draco, come with me please.”

Lucius immediately stood up again and followed behind Harry and Draco. Harry led him to the dining room and flicked his wrist to shut the doors. Putting up silencing charms he turned to face them.

“I want to thank you for agreeing to take care my cousin for me, Lucius,” Harry said. “In exchange for this favor, I’m going to do something for you as well.”

“Yes, my Lord?” Lucius asked, curiously. He glanced over at Draco who seemed just as curious as to what Harry would do.

“Have a seat,” Harry said.

OOOOOOO

Snape sat, bored, as Narcissa and Hermione chatted on, trying to coax the stubborn Muggle boy to join into the conversation. The boy was having none of it and just sat there slumped on the sofa looking angry.

He was relieved when the door opened and Draco appeared saying, “Professor, may we see you in the dining room for a moment?”

Snape wondered what the three of them were up to as they had been gone for quite some time. He walked into the hall and saw Draco standing there outside of the dining room smiling at him.

“What is going on?” Snape asked as he approached.

“You’ll see,” Draco said, opening the door wider for him.

Snape entered the room and saw Lucius and Harry sitting at the dining table looking at him. Draco shut and locked the door behind him, casting a silencing spell.

“What is this?” Snape asked, noting the smug look on Lucius’ face.

“Have a seat,” Harry said.

Professor Snape looked at Harry’s face for a moment before he carefully sat down in the furthest chair from Harry.

“I can no longer have anyone around that bears Voldemort’s mark,” Harry said.

Snape’s gut twisted in fear as he stood up. “How dare you! You can’t kill me! I give vital information to Dumbledore at the peril of my own life. Dumbledore would never forgive you, Potter!”

“Who said anything about killing?” Harry said. “Sit down.” Harry motioned with his hand and Snape’s body slammed back down into his chair. The arms and legs of the chair began to move as if alive and wrapped themselves around his limbs, binding him to his seat.

Snape struggled and said, “Damn you, Potter. What is this? What do you want?”

“It’s time for your service to Voldemort to end,” Harry said.

Lucius smirked wider and held up his left arm, exposing the cloth bandage wrapped around the spot where the Dark Mark had been. Blood was seeping through the cloth, indicating the freshness of the wound.

Snape’s eyes opened wide with understanding. Potter had removed Malfoy’s Dark Mark! And now he intended to remove his.

“You can’t do this, Potter!” Snape struggled with his bonds. “You’ll cut off the only source of information from Voldemort that Dumbledore has. If you remove my mark, I can no longer spy.”

“That’s just the problem,” Harry said, casually. “I have no idea just who you are spying for. Are you a spy for Dumbledore… or for Voldemort?”

“No!” Snape growled. “You’ll be striking a blow against our side if you do this! You’re a fool, Potter, a fool!”

Lucius stood with his wand pointed at Snape. “Let me punish him for his insolence, my Lord.”

“Sit down, Lucius,” Harry said. “He’ll be punished enough in a moment.” Lucius sat down reluctantly, smirking knowingly at Snape. “It’s extremely painful, Severus,” Lucius taunted.

“Silencio,” Harry said, silencing his professor’s voice. “There is nothing you can say that will change my mind. Dumbledore will understand why I did it. Besides, espionage is no longer required at this point in the war. It’s time for action.” Harry stood and made his way over to Snape’s chair.

Snape looked at Harry, his face red with his suppressed rage. Harry reached down and pulled up the sleeve of Snape’s robe, exposing the Dark Mark. Placing his hand over the mark, he closed his eyes and began to whisper the words required.

Snape jolted and struggled as his mouth opened with his silent screams. His skin was smoking and sizzling under Harry’s palm and blood began to seep through Harry’s fingers and drip off Snape’s arm onto the floor.

“Draco, instruct a house elf to bring more bandages. Your mother will be upset if we bloody up the floor,” Lucius said to his son. Draco nodded and opened the door, leaving to find an elf. He looked at Snape’s struggling form and said, “My, my, Severus, such a fuss you are making. I, personally, am happy to be freed from my bonds to that madman. Lord Potter is giving you a great gift.”

OOOOOOO

Harry now sat looking at Snape as the house elf binded his wound. Snape was pale and breathing harshly as he glared around at the three men staring at him.

Then Harry said, “I’m going to release your bonds, Professor, and give you your voice back. Do not try to retaliate in any way or the pain you have just experienced will be nothing compared to what will happen if you attack me. Do you understand?”

Snape’s deadly glare focused on Harry and he struggled as he gave a slight nod.

Harry lifted his hand and the chair released the professor. Snape stood up and said, “You’ll regret this, Potter!” His head turned to see Hermione standing in the doorway looking at all of them curiously.

“What’s going on?” Hermione asked, noting the rage on Snape’s face. She looked at Harry and Draco for the answers.

Snape looked Hermione over and then looked back at Harry. “Yes, Potter, you’ll definitely regret this.” He swept past Hermione, knocking into her arm in his haste.

Hermione walked further into the room. “Harry, what did you do?”

“I removed his Dark Mark,” Harry answered. “It was time, Hermione. I can’t have him reporting things to Voldemort anymore, not when we are planning our attack and he is privy to all that information.”

Hermione disliked the hatred between Harry and Snape but she understood why Harry did it. She nodded and said, “He seems very angry, Harry. I hope this doesn’t have any negative repercussions for you.”

“Don’t worry,” Harry said, standing and making his way over to her. He wrapped his arms about her and held her close. “Nothing can happen to me as long as I have you two.”

“Then let’s hope that nothing happens to us,” she whispered back, hugging him tightly. Draco came and joined in their embrace, wrapping his arms about both of them and closing his eyes to the comfort of it all.


OOOOOOO

After a silent dinner in which Dudley hardly ate a thing, Narcissa stood and said, “I shall show you to your room.” Lucius studied his wife, noting how difficult it was for her to be civil to the Muggle boy. He, himself, was wondering how he could avoid any part of the house Dudley was in.

Dudley stood up and reluctantly followed behind Narcissa from a distance, thinking that it would be nice to finally be alone in his room. He had had enough of these people and their snooty looks. He couldn’t wait to flick on his television and forget where he had ended up.

Narcissa paused in front of a door and opened it, waiting for Dudley to approach and step in.

“If you need anything, call for a house elf,” she said, stiffly.

Like hell he would call for a house elf! Those little monsters freaked him out when he first saw them bringing the dishes of food to the dining room table. That was part of the reason he didn’t touch the food. How could people stand to live with those creatures? What if they strangled you in your sleep or sucked the breath out of your lungs?

He walked further into the room and looked about. It was lavish enough, but…

Dudley panicked and turned to face Narcissa before she could leave. “Where’s the T.V.?” he snapped.

Narcissa raised one eyebrow. “The what?”

“The T.V.! You know, the TEL…E…VI…SION!” he yelled, emphasizing each syllable as if Narcissa were retarded.

She stared at him in shock for his outburst. “How dare you speak to me with that tone of voice! Haven’t your parents taught you any manners?”

Dudley’s face turned red with anger at the mention of his parents. How could she bring them up when he was trying so hard not to think of them? “SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!” he yelled.

Narcissa took out her wand and Dudley visibly recoiled at it. She said, “Silencio.”

Dudley grasped his throat and tried to speak, but nothing came out. He stared at Narcissa with anger and fear.

“You’ll learn to speak with respect or you won’t speak at all,” she said, turning and leaving the room.

Dudley flopped on the bed and silently cried.

OOOOOOOO

A/N: Sorry for the lack of sex in this chappie, but I had to move the plot along, especially in regards to Snape’s storyline. I also needed to revisit the events that occurred at Marlston because they will come into play very soon.

And now you have learned of another mystery, something in Dumbledore’s past… (To my occasional correspondent, Douglas: I’m putting my finger over my lips and saying, “Shhhh….” I’m going to do what we discussed! I absolutely fell in love with the idea.)

Dudley’s relationship with the Malfoys will provide some fun, even though they are barely tolerating each other at the moment.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know! I’ll serve you up some smut next time.