Wicked Ways

Chapter 7 – “Show and Tell”

Avari woke up the next morning and instantly wondered why her ass and hips hurt so badly. Grabbing her toilet things she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Since it was still so early in the morning (she’d established a routine to wake up around dawn to give herself time without the otheobs obs from Slytherin) she decided to take a look at herself in the mirror. Seeing the hand-shaped bruises instantly brought back images of the night before and she hiccupped with surprise.

She pulled all of her things together quickly and flew back to her room, dressing just as fast. She held her boots in her hand, making sure that her over-robe (it was starting to get cold) was fastened securely, and ran out of the Common Room, slamming the door which woke up a fourth year who’d fallen asleep over her homework.

Running across the cold stone with just her white, knee-high stockings on made her teeth chatter, but she had to find her sister. She stopped in the entrance hall outside of the dining room doors and sat underneath a statue, pulling her shoes and glancing nervously around the castle, hoping that her sister would be awake this early. Avari’s ears were rewarded for her waiting when she heard the soft patter of Tuardae’s dress shoes walking down the hallway.

She rarely took time to think about the fact that they were in different houses, and usually just thought of it as a minor inconvenience. Seeing Tuardae in her little black dress shoes that stopped underneath her ankles, her own white, knee-high stockings and the glorious gold and red of Gryffindor made her heart pang. It wasn’t fair that she had to be separated from her sister so much. Or maybe it was the fact that Tuardae had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and had the fluffy gold and red Gryffindor scarf around her throat that made Avari think of it all of the sudden.

“Avari? If you’re going to stare at me at least tell me what I did wrong in dressing myself this morning,” Tuardae said testily.

Snapping back Avari responded with, “What?”

“I was talking to you, but after saying your name four times you didn’t seem to be responding. Drifting off into the stars again are we?” Avari pulled her sister outside, ignoring Tuardae’s yelps against the sudden burst of movement out into the star-ceiling world. She kept walking, keeping her sister’s hand in a tight grip until they were well away from the school. When she finally let go Tuardae let out a string of curses in so many languages Avari stopped even trying to guess which ones she was using.

“What the hell are you doing?” Tuardae finally hissed.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Well, isn’t that obvious?” Tuardae sneered.

“It’s important! O q’sutoni!”

Tuardae raised an eyebrow before saying, “All right, spill.”

“Draco and I fucked last night.”

Tuardae’s green eyes widened to the size of small plates. Her mouth was moving, but no sound came out. Finally her teeth snapped together and she just stared, all the while her left hand fingers were playing the thumb ring she always wore on her right thumb. Finally, she said, “You and Draco had sex? But I thought you absolutely despised each other!”

Avari shook her head. “No! We didn’t have sex.”

“But you just – ”

“Not sex. Fucking. There is a difference.”

Tuardae wrinkled her nose. “I wouldn’t really know from personal experience.”

Avari put her hands on her hips and glared at her sister. “Shit, if you’d just stop getting bored in every guy that worships the ground you walk on – ”

“That’s the problem! They worship the ground I walk on! I want someone equal to me, not less. Sheesh. Now, off the subject, why the hell did you and Draco fuck?”

Avari explained the situation, Tuardae listening without speaking, still playing with her thumb ring as she chewed on her lower lip, the sun rising over the mountains on the other side of the lake. She started nodding towards the end of the story and said, “Well, at least you won’t get pregnant, and if I were you, don’t tell anyone. Draco probably doesn’t want anyone knowing either.”

“Naturally everyone will find out.”

“At least not until after Christmas if you keep it quiet,” Tuardae said with a smile. “Remember, I have ways of influencing rumors.”

“The last time you influenced a rumor every bathroom in Fernlin exploded at the same time,” Avari said dryly.

“Well, it was either that, or have everyone wondering why the hell you and Chase from Potions class were doing skipping Potions class and why you were in the same bathroom,” she said, just as dry. “What was it you said to Headmaster Dulney? ‘Oh, but sir! I heard the explosions and remembered that Chase had gone into the bathroom! I wanted to make sure he was all right!’ Was that it, or did I not over act it enough?”

Avari glared at her. “Oh, shut up.”

“We’re going to have to,” Tuardae said, smiling and waving to someone behind Avari. “Mum and Da just walked outside.”

They ran over to their parents, hugging them tightly as the sun started to warm the grounds a little. “You two always were the type to watch the sun rise every morning,” Cieyua said, smiling down at Tuardae.

“It’s the Elf in them,” T’la said proudly. “All Elves feel compelled to be one with Nature. In fact, I bet you two stay up late and rise early, just like you did back home, eh?”

The girls smiled. Being Elven had it’s perks, you required less sleep than ordinary mortal humans. They heard small snippets of conversation behind them, and the girls told their parents that it was getting close to breakfast time. Looking one last time at the golden sun now shining in full view in front of them, the family went inside. Much to Tuardae’s surprise Harry was waiting inside the doors, leaning against a pillar. Spotting the four he jumped up, slightly tense.

“Oh, look! It’s Harry!” Avari said, and stepped between T’la and Cieyua, pulling them over to the tall boy, Tuardae following, her cheeks flushing a deep red, telling herself that Avari would pay for the damage she was about to inflict.

Harry did a stiff bow, trying to emulate the bow he’d seen Avari and Tuardae give the older elves the day before. T’la and Cieyua grinned at each other and bowed back, their movements more fluid and graceful than Harry’s had been. He gulped, in their full view with their attention centered on him, their beautiful faces making him choke on his words.

“Mom, Dad, this is Harry Potter!” Avari said with a chipper voice.

T’la raised his eyebrows and bowed again to Harry, who, startled, struggled to bow properly back. Harry was almost as tall as T’la himself, most male elves standing at six foot five, and the women usually around six foot. “We are honored to meet the young man who has defeated Voldemort so many times since his own birth. On behalf of my family and my people, thank you Harry Potter.”

Cieyua smiled at him, making his heart flutter. “If not for your, our daughters would be hunted by the Dark Lord so many years ago. Thank you Harry,” she said, before stepping forward and placing a kiss on Harry’s forehead.

He stammered, stopped himself, then said, “You don’t need to give any thanks, uhm – ”

“Proper title is Lord and Lady T’lageos,” whispered Avari loudly, her violet eyes twinkling sinisterly as she glanced at Tuardae, who had remained silent throughout the exchange. “Harry is Tuardae’s boyfriend.”

Tuardae’s eyes went wide for the second time that morning, and her face flushed as scarlet as the red on her Gryffindor scarf. Harry looked slightly shocked before grinning broadly at Tuardae, while the Lord and Lady T’lageos looked at their own daughter, shocked as well. “Is this true, Tuardae?” T’la asked.

“Y-yes, sir,” she said, moving over to Harry, glad that he took her hand and squeezed it.

Cieyua looked at the pair seriously before her face split into another awe-inspiring smile. “Oh, in that case, it is an even greater privilege to meet you. Tuardae doesn’t usually hang onto boyfriends long enough so we can meet them. We’ve only met a few of Avari’s, but never one of Tuardae’s. It certainly is an honor.”

Harry thanked them again, grinning down at the still-blushing Tuardae, who was glaring at Avari. Her sister just smiled prettily and fluttered her dark eyelashes. They made their way, along with a large group of people, into the dining hall, the family splitting up as the girls’ parents went to sit at the High Table with Dumbledore and the girls went to their house tables.

“Am I really the first?” Harry asked, squeezing her hand. The entire Hall was looking at them now, everyone knowing. Tuardae hated it.

“Yes,” she mumbled.

Harry smiled and offered her a seat, which she took, her mood suddenly sour. She glared at Avari all morning from across the hall, but the dark-haired girl was so much happier to just ignore her while she half-heartedly attended to Blaise. Tuardae got up and left breakfast early, claiming to need her books. She shot Harry a dirty look when he made move to go with her, and stayed, slightly shocked, sitting at the breakfast table. She shot Avari the same dirty look, but the girl was only happy to ignore her. Tuardae did catch Draco’s eye though, and he raised an eyebrow.

Why would Tuardae be giving Avari such a dirty look? Draco mussed to himself as she left the dining hall with a sneer at him. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Tuardae anrry rry were holding hands as they walked in this morning. Telling Crabbe and Goyle to stay behind he left, getting his own things from the Slytherin dorm. He knew what Avari was doing with Blaise. He was just a pawn in the end.

He’d done the same with other people.

But how could he beat her at her own sickening little game? he wondered as he walked down to where Care of Magical Creatures was held. Spotting Tuardae walking next to Hermione Granger in the midst of the group of Gryffindors and Slytherins going down for class, an idea hit him. Trotting up to the pair he smiled and said, “Nice morning isn’t it?”

“Get lost, Malfoy,” Hermione said instantly, her voice acidic.

He grinned at her. “If I wanted to talk to trash I’d look in the basket next to my desk. I was talking to Tuardae.” Hermione turned up her nose and walked away in a huff. “She’s always such a bitch in the morninDracDraco said haughtily.

Tuardae looked at Draco out of the corner of her eye. “What do you want?” she asked, testily.

Draco smiled at her and reached a hand out to touch her chin, “You really are beautiful, do you know that?” he asked, as she snatched her chin away from his touch. “And feisty. Always a good quality in woman. I like them to fight a little, I don’t like it when they expect me to worship them. So tacky,” he said, looking up in the clouds.

Tuardae was still looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “Why are you telling me this Malfoy?”

He spotted Avari walking over, frowning as she spotted him talking to Tuardae. He spoke a little louder so the dark haired sister could hear, “Oh, Malfoy is so impersonal. Please,” he purred, picking up her hand. “Call me Draco,” he said before kissing her hand. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Avari stiffen and glare at them before turning and taking another path to class. She never even saw Tuardae snatch her hand away and missed her telling him to go fuck off. What a pity.

Tuardae walked down to class and stood next to Harry, getting as close to him as she could. When he noticed this he put an arm around her and pulled her close, weary after her mood swing this morning. When he realized she was trembling he hugged her and leaned down a little and murmured in her ear until she was fine again.

Hagrid started the lesson, after smiling and waving at the Gryffindors, by introducing the Lord and Lady. The class started muttering for a moment before they quieted down. “Now, since these two lovely, er, folks have arrived, I thought it would be a good time for them to get to know our unicorn population, also a good time te let the lot of ‘yeh see how many there are.”

The students looked past Hagrid to the numerous luminescent creatures who were moving gracefully through the woods of the Forbidden Forest to emerge. They circled around the Lord and Lady, who touched them softly and smiled, talking slowly.

“Now, er, can anyone tell me what a group of unicorns is called?” Hagrid asked.

Three hands shot into the air, but out of Hermione and Avari, it was Tuardae who was called upon. “A herd of unicorns is called a glory.”

At the sound of her voice the largest unicorn snorted and raised its head, looking at the group of students. A few unicorns bugled as they shoved their way through students, snapping at a few of them, until they were next to Tuardae and Avari, who had ended up standing next to each other. They nuzzled the girls, and one of them nipped Harry, pushing the boy away from Tuardae.

Hagrid seemed to be getting nervous, unsure of how to explain. “Er, unicorns, see, they like . . . oh, dear . . . they like – ”

“Unicorns like young students, more often than naught girls, who are full of pure potential,” Cieyua said, drawing the class’ attention. Her voice made a few people ‘oooh’ and ‘awww’ and someone near Avari swooned. Hagrid looked very relieved.

Avari’s hand rubbed the muzzle of the nearest unicorn. ‘I bet you never have to worry about boys,’ she thought to the glowing creature.

‘My hoof I don’t,’ came a response, Avari’s eyes widening. ‘As soon as I was old enough I’ve had the colts rearing and pawing for my attention. When the right one comes along, I’ll know.’ At this point another unicorn nipped at Avari’s unicorn and she picked up a back hoof and kicked him. Avari tried not to giggle, and looked around. No one else had even noticed, they were so enraptured by her mother’s voice.

She looked over at Tuardae who had been trying to catch her attention, and was about to glare when Tuardae jerked her head towards Malfoy. Before her eyebrows could click together Tuardae mouthed ‘What an ass. Screw him all you like, I can’t believe you put up with him.’ Avari looked at her sister closely. Her nostrils were flared, and the spell hiding her pointed ears was losing power because she was so upset, her cheeks a bright red, handhand touching the unicorn near her was fisted in the mane.

Avari scooted over to Tuardae, not trusting the students around her, although she knew as long as their mother talked the students would pay attention, even if Voldemort himself showed up. The dark elf couldn’t wait until the day she fully matured into her elven powers and glowed with beauty and captured human’s with just the sound of her voice. The ease in which her parents did this amazed her, even though all they had to do was talk. The idea was still fascinating to her.

‘What happened?’ Avari mouthed at a shorter distance. They’d learned a long time ago that no matter how softly they talked, their parents could hear anything they said, so it was just easier to mouth words. They’d mastered lip reading by the time they were both four.

‘He’s such a jerk!’ Tuardae said, her eyes furious. ‘He’s such a conceited little asshole!’

Avari tried very hard not to laugh at this. Tuardae glared at her but Avari just shrugged and said, ‘But with a huge ego, and I mean huge.’

Tuardae wrinkled her nose. ‘Ugh, you can keep him, as long as you make sure he keeps his slimy little hands away from me.’

Avari grinned. ‘Deal.’

One of the unicorns started lipping at her hands, and the girls started running their fingers through the manes, humming softly while Hagrid went over the magical properties and what to do and not to do around unicorns, T’la and Cieyua offering a word every now and then. At the end of the lesson the unicorns stayed in the clearing with the girls’ parents and Hagrid, who was talking with them happily.

“It’s great tah see yeh, T’la,” he said to their father. Avari strained her ears to ear as they neared the Herbology greenhouses. “The last time was after I’d delivered ‘Arry and Dumbledore’d sent me over to America – ”

“Hey there,” Blaize said, wrapping an arm around Avari’s waist, knocking her out of her eavesdropping. “Your parents are amazing.”

“Yeah,” she said dryly. “I know.”

He grinned, thinking she was just joking. “You know, I was thinking,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking too,” Avari said suddenly. “Do you want to get together tonight after classes? I mean, I haven’t really been alone with you yet.”

Blaise’s face turned bright red as he looked down at Avari. “S-sure.”

Avari smiles smugly before remembering that she was supposed to be an insipid little twit and giggled, clinging to him with a pasted smile on her face. Draco was watching and getting angry. She saw him glance towards Tuardae, and her grin turned from pasted to victorious. Congratulations to Harry, who was holding Tuardae’s hand and not letting go. Avari loved it when her sister got all flustered, and displaying honest affection in public was something that made Tuardae squeal. It made Avari laugh.

All throughout Herbology Avari and Tuardae mouthed little snippets about Harry and Draco. While Avari usually said things relating to Draco’s abdominal area, Tuardae countered with Harry’s skill at Quidditch. Once their Herbology lesson was done it was time for lunch, where the hall was buzzing with excitement. The T’lageos’ stayed up at the Head Table while the girls ate at t Hou House tables.

“Divination next,” moaned Ron. “Why twice in one week? Do they want me to kill myself?”

“That will never happen,” Tuardae said almost immediately. He looked at her funny, but went on complaining about Trelawney and how she was a crack pot.

“We’re still doing water bowls,” Harry said with a sigh. “I never see anything in that class. Except my own death apparently.”

Hermione just rolled her eyes. “That’s why I stopped taking that class, it’s nothing but rubbish.”

“Rubbish?” Tuardae asked, suddenly fired up. “Just because you don’t possess the skill doesn’t mean that others cannot See, Miss Granger.” She snapped her books up and went to sit at the foot of the stairs to the Divination classroom. When the bell rang and the staircase descended she was the first to enter. Ron was right, they were studying water bowls again, so Tuardae pulled out her own bowl again and filled it up with water, looking into it without looking up.

A few minutes after the start of class her father showed up, the mother probably in class with Avari. Harry watched as he moved through the room, looking at certain students before his eyes rested on Tuardae as she watched the silver swirls move throughout the bowl without saying a word or blinking an eye. Professor Trelawney watched as well, the two maktalltall figures over the sitting girl who watched what no one else could see.

No one was looking into their own water bowl now, not even Parvati and Lavender. Harry noticed that she was holding the left charm on her bracelet while she looked into the water. After a while her lips started moving, but no sound came out, and try as he might, he couldn’t understand the words that formed through hips.ips. The only one he recognized as her lips flew was ‘Avari,’ over and over again.

When Tuardae stopped looking into the water dish a few minutes later she looked up at her father, as if she had known he would be right there the entire time. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she stared up at him for a moment before sobbing suddenly and throwing herself into his arms. He picked her up, running a hand over her hair. Looking at Harry, T’la said, “I trust you to take her things back to Gryffindor Tower,” before leaving down the staircase.



* * * * *


“He’s coming back,” Tuardae said, sobbing hard.

She was sitting on the floor in Dumbledore’s office, holding onto Avari as if her sister had once been dead. The girls were clinging to each other desperately. While Avari’s eyes remained dry, they were still haunted. She’d been throwing stones in a pattern the teacher hadn’t finished going over yet, but since her skills were so advanced she tried anyway. Luckily her mother had been there or she wouldn’t have moved from the spot. Cieyua had to whisper the Olde Tongue into her ear to get her to move. But even then, she wouldn’t speak.

Now they were tangled hopelessly on the floor in Dumbledore’s office, Tuardae still sobbing and clinging to her sister, while Avari’s haunted eyes spoke for her. Voldemort was returning. As far as they could understand from Tuardae he would show himself for the final time to Harry, with eleven others on the night when the moon was full and glowed orange, then blue. Several would die, and it would be the final match between Harry and Voldemort.

“Eleven people?” McGonagall asked quietly. “Death Eaters? Has he found new ones? Recruited old ones?”

Dumbledore steepled his fingers, thinking hard before saying, “Of this I am not sure. Gather the Order, let them know of this. When one of the Children of the Wood See’s something it is always best to pay attention.”

T’la and Cieyua were shaken. “You’ll be coming back with us to America tomorrow,” T’la said, standing up.

“No.”

“No?” Cieyua said, her eyebrows raised as she looked at both girls, Tuardae trembling. But it was Avari who had spoken. She looked at her parents with stern eyes.

“No,” she said, putting hard emphasis on the word. “We must stay. We must hin ain any way we can. Even if it means dying for the cause. If Voldemort is defeated, a few Elven lives will be of no matter.”

“Not just Elven!” Cieyua said, her throat catching. “Elven children! Our children!”

T’la put a hand on her shoulder and their eyes met. Within moments they a fua full conversation. Cieyua bowed her head and made the gesture of apology. “You shall stay then,” she said, getting up and leaving the office. T’la nodded to Dumbledore. “We’ll leave Hogwarts before dinner. We’re off to pack our things now. We will see you girls later,” he said to Tuardae and Avari, who were sitting up now.

The three watched as McGonagall left with T’la to help them pack for their journey home, Dumbledore watching as the two girls stood and brushed themselves off. “That was a brave thing you did,” he said to them.

Tuardae flinched, but it was Avari who spoke the thought that went through their heads. “It was stupid.”

Dumbledore grinned underneath his half-moon glasses. “Most bravery is.”

That night the girls waved to their parents as they left the castle grounds. A conversation Avari had had with her adopted mother rang clearly through her head.

“Don’t you act foolishly Avari,” she’d said sternly. “I know you, and I know your tricks. Your father and I pulled the very ones when we were your age. Keep an eye on whom you play around with.”

“What about Harry?” Avari’d asked. “Will I need to get rid of him?”

Cieyua looked pained. “No, we cannot. Just . . . if Voldemort finds out, it would mean the end to both you and your sister. Do not get rid of him, just do not get too attactched. Of all the boys to go and fall in love with your sister just had to pick the one who was destined to get her and everyone around her killed.”

Avari remembered frowning. “Don’t say that. He’ll protect us, I know he will. And I for one will back him. I’m strong, I know my spells. I’ll make sure that Voldemort is weak before he gets anywhere near Tuardae or America.”

Now as she stared at the carriage taking away the only family she’d ever known she wondered if she was right. Looking at Tuardae out of the corner of her eye Avari pondered the consequences of what would happen if Harry actually fell in love with Tuardae. And worse, what if Tuardae fell back? She sighed inwardly. It would be death then. Shoving her hands in her pockets she shook her head. That’s why she stuck to guys like Blaise and Draco. No way she’d die if she fell for the bad guys. At least she knew they were bad. A simple accident could dispose of any of them before they even thought about doing the same to her. She wasn’t about to risk some all-for-good guy try to save her and end up dying before her eyes, leaving her screwed in her own fate. She might be a damsel, she might even be in distress one day, but if handed to her, she could send whatever came her way into the underworld in hand-basket.

Turning, the sisters walked back inside and into the dining hall.