Avenging Fire

Helena emerged from her stunned and overwhelmed stupor to the sounds of children bounding into the infirmary. She winced inside; she wanted to see Alexandria and Christopher, but she heard more than two sets of feet and voices. She really wasn’t up to having a gaggle of children surround her right now.

“Aunt Hel!” Christopher bellowed and bounded up to her bed.

He was in the lead of 5 other children. Alexandria ran close behind him with an auburn haired girl dressed in Slytherin robes. Christopher’s three friends from Gryffindor were following at a more respectable pace: Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter.

Alexandria flopped her body on top of Helena’s to give her a hug. Helena had to bite her lip to keep from grunting from the pain. Pomfrey’s pain potion helped a great deal, but the deep tissue ache was still present. Alexandra looked up into Helena’s face which sported black eyes caused by a broken nose, and swollen, split lips. It was a good thing she couldn’t see Helena’s black and blue torso from where the Death Eater wizards had kicked her.

“You look terrible, Aunt Hel!” she sniffed with moistened eyes.

Christopher narrowed one eye as he looked his aunt over.

“I’m going to kick their asses for you, Aunt Hel! Then I’m going to hex ‘em! You watch!” Christopher declared, puffing out his chest.

“I’m fine, you two. Really. No one is kicking or hexing anyone’s rear ends.” Helena said weakly. She looked up at Alexandria’s companion.

“Who is your friend, Alex?”

“This is Sage Durand, Aunt Hel. Sage, this is my aunt.”

Sage tucked one side of her shoulder length auburn hair behind an ear, smiled, and waved a few fingers at Helena. Helena was happy to see Alexandria was finally making friends. It must have meant that she was having an easier time in Slytherin.

“And you remember Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Aunt Hel.” Christopher broke in. The three children nodded at her with more familiarity. Hermione approached the bedside holding out a card.

“This is from Harry, Ron, Christopher, and me, Dr. Nyx.”

“Thank you, Hermione.”

Helena took the card. They had made her an enchanted card with a simple, stylized flower and a bee that buzzed around it. It read ‘Hope you’ll be buzzing around soon.’ Helena had to smile. Christopher enthusiastically pushed some wildflowers under her nose. She took them from Christopher, repressing a sneeze. In Christopher’s eagerness, he caused some of the leaves to push up inside her nose.

Alexandria looked at her aunt and spoke in a conspiratorial whisper.

“Is it true, Aunt Hel? The Headmaster told us that you…you can set things on fire and move stuff with your mind.”

At this, all the children present leaned in to hear Helena’s answer.

“Yes, its true, Alexandria. He said that my abilities got switched on because of being scared over getting attacked.”

This was a partial lie. While it was true that being attacked and almost raped was terrifying and most probably contributed to the emergence, the final push that caused her paranormal abilities to manifest was the blinding rage she felt upon learning of the Death Eater threat against her and the children, plus Dumbledore’s apparent forehand knowledge of it all and his subterfuge to conceal it.

She wasn’t about to tell Alexandria and Christopher that however. The cover story that Dumbledore told the children was that she was assaulted by some wizards and that she came to Hogwarts to see if he, Dumbledore, could help her find out who they were. Then, while she was reliving the attack to him, she manifested. To children at the stage of development where trusted adults are not doubted, the story was readily accepted.

“So, you’re not a witch?” Christopher asked.

“No, Christopher. I’m not a witch.”

“But…witches and wizards can make fire and move stuff.” he said, confused.

Hermione Granger spoke up and in her signature way, began to babble forth a stream of information.

“She’s a Paranormal, Christopher. Paranormals aren’t witches or wizards. Their abilities manifest, usually because of an extreme emotional reaction. Sometimes they develop more abilities as time goes on because of a genetic domino effect. Not always though. And they’re very rare, Christopher! They belong to their own group, not Muggle but not magical either. Witches and wizards need wands to do magic. Paranormals can do it with their minds. But they can’t do magic like we do. You know, spells and the like.”

All of the children stood listening to Hermione, regarding her with incredulousness. How on earth did she know all that, they wondered. Helena too was curious that the girl seemed to know so much about it. Hermione, at seeing all eyes on her, blushed.

“I read a book about Paranormals last year.” she explained.

Ron looked at Harry and Christopher and rolled his eyes.

“It figures!” he said.

Hermione glared at Ron in response. Christopher looked down at his aunt.

“Weird!” he breathed. “Set something on fire, Aunt Hel! I want to see!”

“What are all of you doing in here?!” Madam Pomfrey demanded as she swished into the infirmary. “The Headmaster only granted permission for Mr. and Miss Nyx to visit. Not half of the student body! Now out! Go on!” she began to shoo the children away from Helena’s bed.

A wave of protest went up among the group as they were hoping to see a demonstration of Helena’s paranormal abilities. Pomfrey raised her voice to be heard over the din as she continued to shoo the group towards the doorway of the infirmary. Final pleas for ‘a few more minutes’ continued to sound as the group was reluctantly pushed towards the entrance.

“If decorum is not an adequate motivation for obedience, then perhaps some detentions are in order.” a silky voice said.

The children fell silent. At some point during the ruckus, Snape had appeared unnoticed in the infirmary. He stood over the children, regarding them coolly.

“Miss Nyx and Miss Durand, you are due in the Slytherin common room in 15 minutes. I suggest you return now.” Alexandria and Sage nodded and scurried out of the infirmary. Snape then turned his attention to the four remaining Gryffindors.

“And as for you four, Gryffindor has already had 30 points deducted today. Shall we go for 40?” he asked icily.

“No, Sir.” the group mumbled.

“Then leave. Now.” Snape said, emphasizing each word. The children scrambled out of the infirmary in a flurry of robes, frantic to put as much distance between the Potions Master and themselves.

Helena looked at the dark figure that had appeared in the infirmary. He looked the same as the day she talked to him in Dumbledore’s office; dour, dark, and cold. Helena mused at his strict demeanor and wondered why such a rigid man was teaching young children. Still, children like Christopher benefited from a firm hand. It takes all different types of influences to shape a child into the adult they’ll become, and Snape was one type of those influences that Christopher and Alexandria must learn to deal with.

Madam Pomfrey returned to her duties after Snape dispersed the mob of child visitors. The Potions Master now turned his attention towards Helena. He began to glide over towards her with an inscrutable look on his face. Helena instinctively straightened up in bed.

What does he want, she thought as she gathered her bed sheet around her waist.

Snape stood over her bed, looking down at her, expressionless. After a moment, he reached into his robes and withdrew a vial of bright yellow fluid.

“Dr. Nyx.” he said in way of a greeting. “Madam Pomfrey asked me to provide you with some extra strength muscle relaxing potion since you are to begin working with Mr. Smythe tomorrow and are still feeling some discomfort. This should adequately control your soreness so that you may concentrate to the best of your abilities. Take it in the morning with breakfast.” Snape said as he handed her the vial.

He glanced at the handmade card and flowers that lay on Helena’s lap with thinly veiled distaste. His prominent nose wrinkled slightly.

“Thank you very much, Professor.” Helena replied as she took the vial from Snape. She placed it on the bedside table. Snape didn’t move and continued to look down at her, his dark eyes unreadable. Helena began to feel uncomfortable being stared at by the expressionless man. It made her feel like a bug in a jar.

“Is there something wrong, Professor?” she asked.

After another long moment, Snape raised an eyebrow. “No. Good evening, Doctor.” he said and glided away with his robes billowing.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over with another vial of calming potion just as the last few inches of Snape’s black robes disappeared through the entrance to the infirmary.

“Time for another dose. Incidentally, that was Professor Snape. He’s a bit intimidating, but that’s just his way. Drink up!”

“Oh yes. I’ve already met Mr. Sunshine and Rainbows.” she smiled at Madam Pomfrey who responded with a good hearted laugh.

“Sunshine and Rainbows…if anyone were to call him that, I think he’d drop dead from the horror. I’ve ordered you a dinner tray. It should be here in a half hour or so.”

If she hadn’t felt as if she were in a hospital before, Pomfrey’s prescribed bland dinner tray of weak tea, toast, and broth presented to her 40 minutes later would have convinced her.

“You were kicked rather hard in your abdomen and we don’t want you getting sick, now do we?” she chided as Helena picked at her dry toast.

As dusk settled into the infirmary, the torches flared up casting a warm comforting glow and Helena drifted off to sleep listening to Madam Pomfrey humming a pleasant little tune at her desk while she updated her records.

The dreams that followed were of fire.


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A/N: Many thanks to coopershawk and tambrathegreat for their reveiws.

@tambrathegreat: Me too except that I have no doubt that if I had that ability, a lot of things would end up smoldering piles of ash! ;)~