Daddy Dearest - (No Update, Edit)

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 65 ~ Reaching an Understanding

When Mathias informed Andreas that the thestral was out of the stable, the wizard didn't seem surprised or upset at all. Mathias eyed him, his nostrils flared.

"You KNEW this would happen, Andreas," he said accusingly.

Andreas smirked at him.

"I wasn't sure it would happen, Mathias…but I thought it might. It is a good thing to be aligned with your father. He is very powerful and brave," the wizard said.

"But why didn't you tell me?" Mathias demanded as Andreas took two pumpkin pasties out of his sweets stash and offered him one.

Mathias took it, still scowling at his brother as he calmly opened his pastie and took a bite.

"If I told you, it might have changed everything," Andreas replied.

Mathias' frown slowly disappeared. Andreas was right. If he had known he was going to have to tell his father everything, he would have been a wreck, and things could have turned out much differently.

"Is there anything else you're holding back that I should know, Andreas?" Mathias asked him, opening his own pumpkin pastie.

Andreas chewed, swallowed and looked at him.

"That you should know? No," the wizard replied obliquely, "Now tell me about your meeting with the Dark Lord."

"Gods, I wanted to kill him," Mathias breathed, his black eyes glinting.

Andreas nodded.

"Of course you did. I am glad you didn't try. It would have ruined everything," Andreas said.

Mathias recounted everything to Andreas, including the all black auras and Voldemort's true appearance. The wizard shook his head as Mathias told him of his disrespect.

"You are lucky he didn't kill you. The Dark Lord hates to be disrespected," Andreas said in a low voice. "It was very foolish, brother."

"It might have been foolish, but it felt good, Andreas," Mathias replied, "but I can't do it again."

"The next time you meet Voldemort, you will be doing worse things than turning your back on him," Andreas said. "He will not see you until you are about to graduate. And that is when we will strike. Before you take the mark."

"How will we get you into the fortress, Andreas?" Mathias asked him.

The wizard looked at him.

"I believe your father will be able to help us there. Possibly your mother too," Andreas replied.

Mathias looked at him horrified.

"My mum? My mum can know nothing about this, Andreas. Trust me, she will ruin everything."

Andreas gave him a knowing little smirk.

"We'll see, Mathias," he replied, "We'll see."

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Dumbledore took Andreas' vision very seriously and immediately set about developing a contingency plan with the top members of the Order in the case of mass violence. A large recruitment drive was about to begin. The Order needed more members. They would have to monitor large events, though Albus believed the timeline would fall near Mathias' graduation. Neither Severus, Andreas nor Mathias let the Headmaster know about their plan to try and take Voldemort down before anything happened. Albus was still stuck on the Prophecy about Harry killing the despot. The boys did not tell Severus about the false Prophecy either, because then they would have to tell him about the Dark Soul of the World, and their journeys to meet it. It was just too complicated.

Severus drew up a practice schedule that was to start at the beginning of the week after next. The Potions Master reminded them of the importance of secrecy concerning their training. He needn't have bothered. Neither Andreas nor Mathias would ever say a word about it.

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Jasmine waited anxiously in the common room for Carla Moonswood to return from her night with Voldemort. She was supposed to return the following evening, and it was now after seven and she still hadn't returned.

For the first time in her life, Jasmine had a problem getting rid of Mathias. The young wizard noticed that Jasmine had become rather somber like himself over the passing days. She was not her usual bossy, self-assured self. The witch had improved over the years, yet still had claws which she occasionally pulled out and raked at him with, but she hadn't been the same since meeting with Voldemort.

Mathias tried everything, including not speaking to her, to make her tell him what happened. The young wizard had been rather shocked that Jasmine didn't seem to care he wasn't talking to her. Not too much rattled Mathias, but this did. He knew Jasmine liked him very much. He could see it in her emotional aura, which would grow quite pink whenever he approached. But now, there was next to no pinkness when she saw him. It was as if all feeling for him had died. He also noticed her motivational aura, which had always been a deep, ambitious green had also lightened considerably, as if she had no ambition at all. Something was very wrong with Jasmine. And she wouldn't reveal what it was.

He and Andreas invited her to come dueling with them in an effort to get her spirits up, prepared to take a few hexes from her, but for the first time, Jasmine refused to go. Mathias doggedly tried to make her change her mind, then wanted to know what was more important than dueling? They had taken exams and all that was left was free time.

"I'm waiting for Carla Moonswood," Jasmine finally told him.

Mathias frowned at her.

"Don't tell me you are part of that group who wants to know about what happened with Voldemort, Jasmine," he said, his black eyes searching her face.

"I'm curious," Jasmine said lamely.

"Well, I'm not. Voldemort is a pervert, I don't care what honor you witches think shagging him will bring. It doesn't seem like much of an honor to me," Mathias said darkly. "More like he's taking advantage of his power to get at all of you. How any witch in her right mind would want that, I don't understand."

Jasmine just stared at him for a moment.

"I'm waiting for Carla," she said.

"Fine then. Wait for her," Mathias said angrily.

He turned and walked over to Andreas, who was looking at Jasmine thoughtfully.

"She's changing," Andreas said to Mathias as they began to leave the common room.

"Yes," Mathias hissed, "Into a bloody idiot. I can't believe she'd get caught up in this, Andreas."

Andreas didn't say anything as they exited Slytherin house.

It wasn't his place.

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Most of the witches had retired and it was going on ten o'clock. Mathias and Andreas had returned and gone up to their rooms. Only Jasmine and two other witches remained waiting for Carla in the common room.

"Maybe he liked her so much, he kept her for another night," one witch, Ethel Stone said. She was a seventh year, black-haired, gray-eyed with a pimply face.

"Wouldn't that be something?" the other witch, Sharon Grenadine gushed.

Jasmine didn't think it wonderful at all. She was a bit worried.

Suddenly someone entered the common room. It was Carla, and she didn't look too good. There was a grayish pallor to her skin and her eyes looked haunted. The two witches ran up to her.

"Carla! You're back. Tell us all the juicy details," they said, smiling at her. It was clear they were too thick to see the witch's condition.

Carla looked at them.

"I can't. I'm not allowed to tell anyone what happened. I'll get in trouble if the Dark Lord found out. He's very…private," the witch said.

The two witches exclaimed in disappointment.

"Nothing?" Sharon asked.

"Nothing," Carla said. "I'm tired and want to shower and go to bed."

Jasmine watched her walk up the stairs, and followed her.

"Carla?" Jasmine called to the witch as she stopped in front of her private room, preparing to let herself in. She looked at Jasmine.

"I can't say anything, Jasmine," she said, unwarding her door.

Jasmine looked at her desperately.

"But, but Carla, I need to know what happened. He chose me to be his consort too. When I turn eighteen," Jasmine said.

Carla stared at her.

"You've been chosen too?" she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

Jasmine nodded.

Carla hesitated then gestured for her to come. Jasmine followed the witch into her room. She noticed Carla appeared to be moving quite slowly. She sat down in a wooden chair against the wall and watched as the witch began to undress.

"I wish I had let Georgie shag me now, Jasmine," she said to Jasmine as she unfastened her robes. "If I had, Voldemort would have never touched me. He might have punished me but it would have been better than doing what I did."

She let her robes fall, and Jasmine gasped.

Carla was naked beneath her robes. She was a very curvaceous witch, and normally her pale skin was flawless. But not now.

Jasmine brought her hand to her mouth, horrified.

"Oh my gods, Carla," she whispered.

"He did this to me," the witch said.

Carla's body had long scratches, bite marks and bruises all over her body. Her thighs were badly bruised.

"He said pain brought pleasure," Carla said in a hollow voice as she looked down at her body. She turned around and her back was covered in scratches too, and her buttocks black and blue.

"He beat me with a belt on my ass…then shagged me…everywhere, Jasmine. Any part of my body that had a hole, he put his cock inside it. And he looks nothing like he did at the party. He looks…he looks like a monster in real life. Thin and scaly with red eyes."

Jasmine shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself.

"And his cock…my gods, Jasmine…it moves by itself. Like a snake. I could feel it wriggling in my mouth. It tried to choke me," she said, "Jasmine…don't do it. Shag somebody before you turn eighteen. Run away. Something. He's horrible, worse than any nightmare you can imagine."

Carla shrugged on a housecoat and tied it around her, wincing.

"I can't believe people follow him, Jasmine. He is a monster. He looks and acts like one. He likes to torture and hurt people. I know because he did it to me. Don't become his consort. It might be status, but it isn't worth it. I dread going back to him," Carla said sinking on the bed and bursting into tears.

Jasmine stared at the witch, then walked over and tried to comfort her…but there was little she could do. She left Carla sobbing on her bed and returned to her own room as if in a living nightmare.

The very next day, Jasmine quit her position of secretary for the Young DKV club, citing she had other priorities. Her quitting was at first met with sadness, then anger, then threats.

"You know too much about us to quit, Jasmine," Franklin Urnston said, his blue eyes flashing at her.

"Too much about what? You follow the standard DKV line. That's no secret," the witch replied.

"You don't invest four years then just walk away," he seethed at her, starting to walk toward her.

Jasmine whipped out her wand and pointed it right between the wizard's eyes.

"You don't tell me what I can walk away from. I'm not a slave to the DKV. I'm free to do what I want, Franklin. Don't fucking threaten me, or you'll end up with an ass where your head should be," she said, backing out of the Room of Requirement and hurrying back to Slytherin house.

Franklin watched her go with narrowed eyes.

This wasn't over.

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"You did what?" Mathias said in disbelief as they sat together at breakfast the next morning. He had been loading up his plate with bacon when Jasmine broke the news. Now his meat-filled hand hovered unmoving above his plate.

Andreas looked on. He didn't seem surprised at Jasmine's news.

"I quit the Young DKV club," Jasmine repeated non-chalantly, biting into her toast and jam.

Mathias stared at her, finally dropping his bacon on his plate.

"You've been a member of the DKV since your first year. You were always bragging about your position as secretary. Now you've quit? Why?" Mathias asked her.

"Just moving on. It was tedious taking all those notes meeting after meeting," she said.

Mathias frowned at her.

"You could have always just resigned the seat, Jasmine. You didn't have to quit…you know that. What's really going on?" Mathias demanded.

"I just wanted to quit, Mathias," she seethed at him. "Stop reading more into it than what it is!"

She bit a piece of bacon viciously.

"Jasmine, you haven't been yourself since meeting Voldemort," Mathias hissed at her. "I want to know what's going on, witch. Tell me."

"That's private and has nothing to do with you, Mathias Snape," she said, rising from the table and leaving the Great Hall in a huff.

Mathias looked after her.

"Gods, she's so aggravating," Mathias said.

Andreas didn't answer him. He was watching several Slytherins looking after Jasmine. They whispered to each other then rose and followed her.

Andreas hastily wiped his mouth with his napkin.

"I have to go, my brother," he said to Mathias, who was still eating.

"All right," Mathias said, "I'll see you in the common room. We can get in some dueling time."

Andreas nodded and exited the Great Hall.

He stood outside a moment, looking around, then walked quickly down the dungeon corridor. He heard a blast and began to run.

He saw the group of Slytherins firing hexes down the corridor. He slowed and saw that Jasmine was pressed into a niche, firing back at them. One of the students sported a huge pair of donkey ears.

Andreas made a great swooping motion over his head with his wand then pointed it at the attacking students.

"Petrificus Totalus!" he shouted, adding his signature to the spell.

Immediately every single student froze in place. He had cast the petrification spell en masse, hexing all of them at once. It was an adaptation Hermione had developed for her personal arsenal. Mathias had stolen it and taught Andreas.

Jasmine had heard Andreas' voice, then all the hexing stopped. She remained pressed into the niche, her chest heaving. Andreas walked through the frozen students. All of their eyes followed him as he approached the niche.

"Jasmine, you can come out now," he called to her. "They can't hex you now."

Jasmine peeked around the corner and saw all the students frozen in place. She stepped out and looked at them.

"How did you do that?" she asked Andreas, who twirled his wand before sticking it into his pocket.

"Just a little spell I know," he replied.

"I heard you cast the spell. It was a normal 'Petrificus Totalus,'" she said rather accusingly.

"With a bit of a twist," he said, smiling at her. "Are you all right? Did they get you?"

Jasmine shook her head.

"No…I was near the niche when I heard Franklin's voice as he tried to hex me. I dove into it before he could complete the incantation," she said, looking up at Andreas.

She owed the wizard one.

Andreas looked her over carefully to make sure she wasn't hit.

"Come. Let me escort you to Slytherin house," he said, offering Jasmine his arm.

The witch hesitated for a moment. Andreas looked at her soberly and jerked his arm. Jasmine took it. He smiled at her and nodded.

"I think, Jasmine, that you will soon be worth an entire herd of cows," he commented as he walked her towards the Slytherin common room.

Jasmine looked at him, feeling slightly outraged, though she didn't know why. Still, she didn't remove her arm from his. She felt quite safe.

"What?" she asked him, "Cows? What are you talking about, Andreas?"

Andreas tightened his hold on her arm.

"It is a private joke. I will tell you about it one day when you don't have your wand with you," he replied, smirking.

Jasmine scowled at him slightly. Then she said, "Thank you, Andreas."

The black wizard quirked an eyebrow at her.

"For what?" he asked.

"For helping me," she replied.

"It's what friends do, Jasmine. I couldn't let them harm you. You are a little sister. I will always protect you, now that you have your own mind," he said quietly.

"My own mind? What are you talking about, Andreas?" Jasmine asked.

"You have woken up, Jasmine. You are not an evil witch, though others would like to make you one. You are pushy and aggravating, but not evil," he said.

Jasmine tried to pull her arm out of his but Andreas held on tight, grinning at her.

"It is a compliment, believe me, Jasmine. Both Mathias and I like you pushy and aggravating," he said. "You wouldn't be Jasmine otherwise."

Jasmine ceased struggling and walked beside Andreas.

"But what do you mean, I have my own mind," she asked him.

"I mean," Andreas said, "That you are realizing things aren't what they seem in your pureblood world. You are beginning to think logically and reasonably. You are going through a difficult time," he said softly.

Jasmine looked up at the dark wizard, her ice-blue eyes meeting his black ones.

"Yes…yes I am, Andreas," she admitted. "A very difficult time."

Andreas looked down at her.

"You can tell me about it if you like," Andreas said to the witch. "I would tell no one. Not even Mathias. I am good that way."

Jasmine looked at him. It was true. She had never heard Andreas talk about anyone's personal business. He was very quiet for the most part unless with Mathias, who was also quite closed mouth.

"Really?" she asked him.

Andreas nodded.

"Sometimes, Jasmine…it is the most unlikely person who will be there for you when you need him. In your case, I am that unlikely person," the wizard replied.

Jasmine looked up at him, and suddenly her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry, Andreas…about how I've treated you…" she began.

Andreas shushed her.

"That Jasmine is no more. She was false. This is the true Jasmine on my arm…and this Jasmine is my sister. You aren't black-eyed, but that doesn't matter. I will be here for you as long as I am able to lift a wand," he said to her.

Jasmine blinked back her tears. He had forgiven her for being so horrible. Without a single angry word…without making her humble herself. How good a friend was Andreas Mbutu? How good a friend had he always been?

They entered the Slytherin common room arm in arm. The other students all stopped what they were doing and stared at them. Jasmine Malfoy on Andreas Mbutu's arm? They couldn't believe it. They all knew she hung out with Mathias and Andreas, but knew it was only because of Mathias that she was even in Andreas' presence. At least, that was what they thought up to now.

Jasmine looked around the common room.

"What are you all looking at?" she demanded imperiously.

Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing, sneaking glances at the two friends.

"Would you like to talk about what it is troubling you, Jasmine?" Andreas asked her, his dark eyes looking at her intently.

Jasmine thought about it. Andreas knew all about unfairness. He lived through it every day.

"Yes I would, Andreas," she replied.

"My room or yours?" he asked her.

Jasmine thought about it. It was time for a leap of faith.

"Yours," she responded.

Everyone in the common room watched as Jasmine and Andreas ascended the stairs that led to the boys' dormitory. The rumor mill was going to be grinding at high speed today. It was obvious Andreas was taking Jasmine to his private domicile.

Andreas walked Jasmine to his room, unwarded it and opened the door. Jasmine walked in and gasped at all the beautiful tribal art and décor.

"This room is amazing, Andreas," she said, studying the statues and masks. His room smelled wonderful as well, spicy and exotic. "I never imagined you lived like this."

"It is a bit cultural," he replied, smiling at her and offering her a chair. "But it's home. Please sit down, Jasmine."

Jasmine sat down and Andreas took the other chair.

They looked at each other.

"Now Jasmine, tell Dr. Mbutu all about it," he said.

Jasmine gave him a puzzled look.

"Doctor?" she asked him, "What's a doctor?"

"Never mind," Andreas said. He had forgotten Jasmine was very sheltered when it came to things muggle. "It was a small joke. A very small one. You can start talking whenever you feel like it."

And Jasmine did.

Andreas and Jasmine talked for over an hour before Mathias knocked on the door. Andreas opened it, and the wizard strode in.

"Andreas, a bunch of Slytherins are frozen in the corridor. I know it was you. What happened?" he asked. Then his eyes fell on Jasmine, who gave him a little wave.

"Jasmine? What are you doing here?" Mathias asked, very surprised.

"Andreas and I were reaching an understanding," she replied, smiling at the black wizard, who smiled back at her.

"And did you reach one?" Mathias asked her.

Jasmine looked at Andreas soberly.

"I believe we have," Jasmine replied softly.

"Good. It took you long enough," Mathias said snarkily, "Come on, Andreas. Let's go practice dueling."

Jasmine's face fell. Mathias looked at her.

"And you too, Jasmine. All those petrified Slytherins were Young DKV members. It's not hard to tell what happened. You need to learn more powerful defensive and offensive spells to make them leave you alone. Let's go," he said, turning and striding out of the room.

Andreas stood up, as did Jasmine. They smiled at each other and followed him.

The "Dark Trio" was truly a trio now.

The gods help anyone that tried to get between them.

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A/N: This was a very satisfying chapter to write. Very satisfying. It was horrible what happened to Carla. :::shaking head::: Yay for Jasmine quitting the Young DKV and for reaching an understanding with Andreas. Now Jasmine is worth a whole herd of cows! Lol. Fun, fun. Please review.