The Shattering of Souls

ok, so to start with.... the usual..... i am only borrowing certain characters for this. as of yet, only a very few are really mine. the rest belong to j.k. rowling. she is the harry potter goddess, and i humbly beg she does not hurt me. or even worse.... i am not making money from this. i am merely doing this for my enjoyment. and that of others.....

next, as i cannot tell when the smut will happen.... and there is no doubt that it will, i will enact my standing raunch warning. also, be on the look out for less than savory happenings, as this is supposed to be a dark fic. don\'t need any one to come crying to me, saying that i\'ve scarred them for life. ok, yes, so i have a rather.... dark view at times, but honestly! is that any reason to persecute and belittle me? i am merely putting forth what i can see. it\'s not like i\'m harming anyone. it\'s not like i\'ve put a gun to..... *ahem* right. i\'ve been informed i\'m ranting and that it\'s quite enough. i apologize, and i\'ll try very hard not to let it happen again.

finally, reviews are always a welcome addition. i do so enjoy them. maybe some ideas or suggestions, if you have them. no flames, please. as i will use them to roast your ass with. and we don\'t really want to disturb the dragon, do we? i mean.... he\'s been under the weather and he\'s just not right in the head.

Chapter Eight: The Gateway\'s Guardian
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Otherworld? What the hell was Otherworld? The four of them looked from one to another, asking silently with their eyes if anyone had the answer. It appeared none of them did. They all wore the same blank look that said none of them had a clue as to where, or what, Otherworld was. They stared around the room they were in, as if searching it for some sign, some clue, that would tell them the answers. There was nothing there that gave them any help.

\'Otherworld? I\'ve never heard of such a place,\' Izzy stalked to the huge window that faced the outside. What kind of a safe house would have a picture window large enough to drive the Hogwart\'s Express through? How could they keep Bri safe from Malfoy and his cronies in a place like this? She felt Harry move up and join her, staring out over the vast expanse of green and blooming plants located outside the house.

\'Dumbledore must be barking mad to think this is a safe house! How can we protect Bri and ourselves here?\' the young man demanded, the doubt Izzy felt clearly discernable in his voice. He put a hand out toward the window and turned to face Bill and Remus. Both men were looking at the window he was standing in front of, as if waiting for the answer to appear on the glass. Finally, they both shrugged and shook their heads. They were as much at a loss as Harry and Izzy.

\'Just where the hell is here, anyway?\' Izzy asked, her tone telling them she was more or less thinking out loud. So it was that she was startled to get a response.

\'You\'re in Otherworld,\' a soft feminine voice told her. Izzy turned to look at the newcomer. The woman was definitely not what any of them had expected. She was of average height, wearing a flowing dress that reached her knees. It was a tad lighter than sky blue, made up of simple lines that managed to show off her feminine curves well enough.

Her hair was a shade of maroon that was natural, though one couldn\'t be sure how. She had eyes that were green, an odd sort of color that left a person struggling to find just the right shade to describe them. Her face seemed to be all innocence, but the look in her eyes belied it. She had an expression in them that told everyone who looked into those eyes that she had seen horror first hand.

The three men with Izzy gave the newcomer a good once over, and it was obvious they liked what they saw. The girl moved further into the room, stepping out of the doorway and closer to where Bill and Remus stood. Her own gaze roved over the four of them. When she stopped to look at Remus, her gaze lingered longer, her eyes narrowing. Her nostrils flared as she studied him. He seemed to take a longer time than neccesary to study her, as well. Izzy found it to be an odd sort of reaction.

Harry cleared his throat, adopting the posture that Snape wore so well. His arms crossed over his chest, one hip cocked out as he drew the other woman\'s attention to him. She smiled at him, as if his show of temper were amusing. \'Would you kindly tell us where we are?\'

\'As I said,\' she grinned. \'You\'re in Otherworld.\'

\'Yes. So we\'ve been told. Just where, exactly, is Otherworld? None of us has ever heard of it before,\' Bill replied, his tone holding more patience than Izzy thought was needed. Had it been her asking, she would have been far more demanding about it.

\'Oh, I see what you\'re asking. Otherworld is the Gateway between the Mortal Realm and the Lands of Faerie,\' she told them, her voice sounding so natural that they found themselves automatically wanting to believe her.

\'Faerie?\' Izzy asked, the disbelief creeping into her voice. \'You\'re telling me that we\'re in Faerie?\'

\'No,\' the girl shook her head. Izzy grinned, as if to say \"I told you so.\" The girl moved toward the fireplace, where the largest of the paintings hung. As a fingertip touched the trunk of one of the trees, tiny figures began to move across the picture, in and out of the forest the entire painting sprang to life with that brief contact. \'This is Otherworld, and it is the Gateway to Faerie.\'

The quartet watched, entranced, as pixies, faeries, cherubs, and a mutlitude of other beings moved through the pictures. They could see the leaves swaying, as if blown back and forth by a gentle breeze. There were a few of the moving figures that crept closer to the edge of the frames, as if to peer out of the picture into the living room the five of them stood in. One or two waved, and the girl waved back. Almost as if...

\'Those are the gates, aren\'t they?\' Bill asked, watching as the activity suddenly died out. The pictures were once more plain forestscapes that seemed to be nothing more than mere oil paintings hung on the walls. They all gave their attention to the girl.

\'They are portals,\' she nodded. \' It is my job here to open and close them, to allow a traveller to move from one realm to the next. I am the Guardian of the Gateway, and I am the only one who can grant passage to those who ask me.\'

\'Then you can send us home!\' Izzy said, sounding giddy at the thought.

\'Oh no. I can\'t do that. Only Professor Dumbledore can take you back to your realm,\' the girl shook her head, a sad smile playing about her lips.

\'But you just said....\' Izzy gestured to the painting above the fireplace.

\'You are here at Professor Dumbledore\'s request. As such, he is the only one who can take you home. I\'m sorry, but that\'s the way it has to be. His orders.\'

\'Very well, Guardian. You can\'t send us home,\' Remus drawled slowly, moving toward the girl. She turned to face him, her expression now wary. \'Do you at least have a name that we can call you by? Or shall we be forever calling you Guardian?\'

\'My name is Tyler, and I would be most pleased to have you call me by it,\' she told them. \'Now, why don\'t I show you all to the rooms that have been prepared for you? I\'m sure you\'d like to make yourselves as comfortable as possible for your stay.\'

\'Might as well. I think Dumbledore was serious when he said that we\'d be here for a while,\' Remus nodded. Tyler gave them a smile, then gestured for the door. She stepped over, then waited for them to follow her. As one, the small group followed Tyler out of the room.

She took them up the stairs to the next level. At the top of the steps, the hallway branched off in two different directions. Tyler turned to her right, moving gracefully down the corridor. The four followed her in silence until she stopped before an opened door. With a hand, she gestured toward it. Each one of them peered into the room. It was done in shades of blue, the colors soothing and mellow. Remus motioned to the room with his head, indicating that he would take it.

Tyler did the same with the three other opened doors on the hall. One room was done in muted greens, which Harry decided to take. The next was in hues of pale yellows and oranges, looking very bright and festive. Bill made comment that the room\'s decor reminded him of home and his mum. The final room was in gray, with accents of burgandy that Izzy decided she would feel at home in. \'And which room is Bri in?\' Izzy asked, just as Tyler was turning to go. The girl stopped and faced Izzy again, her arm gesturing to the opposite side of the stairs.

\'She has rooms on that side of the house, along with Professor Snape. He requested that they be allowed their privacy,\' she explained happily, then sauntered away. She missed the look that crossed Izzy\'s face at the news. Another nail in the coffin lid, as far as the bodyguard was concerned. She\'d find a way to prove Snape\'s guilt. One way or another.

~*~*~*~*~

\' I think, until you are more yourself, that you will occupy the room next to mine,\' Severus said, even though he couldn\'t believe he was saying it. It was almost as if some demon had possessed his mouth and was spewing forth the most unbelievable garbage. Things he would never be caught dead saying. And yet, here he was, saying them. \' I know that the recovery you face will prove most difficult, and I will be there to help you.\'

Bri looked up at him as he pushed the door open. He\'d sounded as if he were choking on the words, yet he had said them to her. He was staring down at her, his face devoid of emotion. She managed a weak smile, then turned to the opened portal when he gestured to it. The room he was showing her had been painted a pale lavender, with the curtains and bedding done in a royal purple. It was a very lavish, lush, comfortable looking room.

\'This is my room?\' she asked, glancing from the canopied bed to the settee in the corner.

\'Yes. Mine is the next door over,\' he gestured to the opened door several feet down. She nodded absently, stepping into the room before her. A pair of trunks sat on the floor, at the end of the bed. She glanced at them curiously, then back to the doorway. He nodded absently. \'Those are yours. Now, if there is nothing else, I will leave you to do.... whatever you feel the need to do.\'

\'Thank you,\' she smiled up at him. He nodded, then stepped away to the next door. She heard his door open and shut. With a sigh, she closed hers and moved to the far corner, where a settee of dark purple was positioned. She sat down on it thankfully and studied the room at length. So much had happened today. All of it had been mind boggling. She spent a few moments categorizing what she knew.

To start with, she now knew she had a name. Her name was Bri Wallace. Somehow, she thought that hearing it should have jarred something in her head. But it hadn\'t. There was nothing but a void where her memories should have been. Except for the small area that her time spent being tortured and abused occupied. Those were memories she wished she didn\'t have. But there was nothing she could do to make them go away. The horror of her time in the dark cell was a constant companion.

She also knew that these people she was with had known her before she\'d found herself in that dark cell. It was the impression she\'d gotten from them. And despite the fact that her saviour had told her they were friends, she found she had a hard time trusting them. The man who had rescued her..... Severus was what the old man had called him, he didn\'t seem to care for any of them, making her a touch wary. It made her wonder why he called them friends, if he didn\'t really like them.

She knew that the reason they were in this place was because of her. The old man had mentioned something about her getting well and finding herself. He\'d also mentioned the name Malfoy. The other woman, the one Severus had called Izzy, had asked her about someone named Malfoy. She could only assume that they were both speaking of the same person. If they were all here because of him, he must be a completely deplorable human being. The thought brought to mind the man who had tortured her. She shuddered with the remembrance.

Finally, Bri Wallace knew something she hated to admit to. She was completely lost. She couldn\'t recall a single thing from her life to tell her what kind of person she had been. She didn\'t know who her friends were, or if there was a family waiting for her somewhere. She didn\'t know if she had a dog or a cat. She didn\'t even know who she really was. It was that thought that brought tears to her eyes. It didn\'t feel right to her to let them fall, but she couldn\'t seem to help it. It didn\'t take long before she was huddled around herself, her face pressed into the round pillow while she sobbed silently against it.

~*~*~*~*~

Severus scowled as he stalked across the room that his lab had been set up in. It was bad enough that he had to be practically imprisoned here with two of the people he hated most in the world. Harry Potter, simply because he was Harry Potter. The Golden Gryffindor, who could do no bloody wrong. And Bri Wallace, the woman who had taken away the one thing he\'d prized most in his life. His freedom. She had made him a prisoner in the worst way. She had trapped him with himself. It hadn\'t been pleasant, sitting in his dungeons day after day and seeing who Severus Snape really was.

There hadn\'t been much more to do. He could only read books and brew potions for so long before boredom set in. When he wasn\'t doing one of those, all that was left to do was to think. And it was as if someone had shoved a bloody mirror in his face and showed him what kind of an unforgiving arsehole he was. He hadn\'t liked it one bit, and he had Bri Wallace to thank for that. He would see to it, when she was her bitchy old self again, that she paid for that particular crime.

Then there was the matter of Izzy. He could see the wheels in the woman\'s head turning. He saw the looks she gave him when she thought he wasn\'t looking. As if she were studying him. Like she wished to carve him up and serve him as the main course. Something had crawled up her ass and died. He would like to find out what it was, so he could either confirm her suspicions or disabuse her of the notion, right quick.

He could probably deal with Weasley being there. Of all the Weasley offspring, Bill was the one with his head on his shoulders right. Albus had told Severus that Gringotts had requested the red head come with to do some studying for them. Not that Weasley had been told where he was going or what he was supposed to be studying. Some of the papers Severus had brought with were for Weasley. He would most likely give them over to the man in the morning. Now that they were here, they wouldn\'t likely be going anywhere. It would be safe to hand them over.

Lupin was another matter. He knew that there was a vast amount of truth in the reason given for the shifter having to come with. The Wolfsbane potion was a difficult one to brew, and Severus was one of the best. Still, it chaffed him to no end to have three of the people he most despised here with him. And he couldn\'t even hex one of them. Not even the tiniest bit. It was so very not fair.

The only possible bright spot he could find in all this was that Bri had no clue as to who she was. Which meant she had no clue as to who he was. Only that he had saved her from her torture. And most likely her death. She literally looked to him as a guide. It could prove to be either very annoying, or very enjoyable. Should he need to, he could use her hero worship of him to his advantage. He only had to find some way that it would be profitable to him.

~*~*~*~*~

Remus stared out the window blindly, his thoughts chasing themselves around the interior of his skull in much the same manner a cat chased it\'s tail. Or would that be dog? He was puzzled over a few things. Most notably was the behavior of Snape. The man was coddling Harry\'s former bodyguard. Not something anyone who knew Severus would expect of him. It was obvious that he wanted nothing to do with the woman.

Remus had spent many a night in Severus\' private chambers, working on potions and listening to him rant and rave about the woman as if she were the scourge of mankind. He\'d even heard Snape mention a time or two that he would make Bri pay for what she\'d done to him. Remus knew she had been the one to put him to death, as it were. That public farce Dumbledore had set up was now a thorn in Snape\'s lily white arse. It had turned his normal disposition into something so foul and sour, no one wished to be near him.

So why was the man now treating his newest object of utter hate as if she were a very small child? As if she were in need of him, and him alone. It was puzzling, to be sure. And that puzzling thought lead him to the other two problems he knew of. Izzy and Harry. The two of them were swimming in a hate so intense, he was surprised that none of the others present had picked up on it. He\'d scented it the moment he\'d stepped into Albus\' office this morning. The two of them stunk of the emotion, as if they had bathed in it. And he knew it was directed at Severus.

It saddened Remus to see the downward spiral Harry had fallen into. The boy he had met over six years ago had been happy and content, for the most part. Oh, Harry had wished for his parents and a happy home. Those were normal to a child who had grown up without them, though. But over the course of the years, because of the war and Voldemort, all the life and joy had been sucked from his best friend\'s only child. The savior of the Wizarding World was slowly going mad with all the death and destruction he had been forced to endure.

It might not have gotten this bad, had it not been for Sirius\' death. Harry had grown terribly fond of his godfather over the course of the two years they had been together. And to have watched him die as he had. Well, it had been the last straw. It had been the one thing that broke Harry. Now, the madness lurked in the depths of those green eyes. Eyes that had once held the same love and compassion as the woman who had passed them on to him. Lily Evans Potter would be saddened to see what had become of her beloved son.

Izzy was another matter. She was doused in suspicion, and Remus was sure all that mounting feeling was directed solely at Snape. He\'d seen it in the woman previously. The looks she cast at Severus when she thought he wasn\'t looking were obvious enough. Even to some of the more thick witted he knew. Lupin had taken it upon himself to seek out Albus and ask him about the woman who had guarded Harry with her life, as well as the one who had replaced her. What he had been told was not encouraging.

It seemed that Izzy and Bri had formed a tight friendship during their time together in Dumbledore\'s secret service. Not that it had been considered a wise move, but it had happened. When Bri had been taken by the Death Eaters, the only one more vocal about finding her than Izzy had been Harry. Judging by the behavior he had witnessed so far, Remus was fairly certain the woman had it in for Snape. Why was mystery to him, but he intended to keep a close eye on her, just the same.

The only other dilema he had was one named Tyler. There was something about her he couldn\'t place. She\'d smelled different to him. No one else would have noticed, but his nose was so much more refined because of the lycanthropy. He could literally smell the difference in her. It was bad enough that he would be forced to stay here and watch Harry go mad. That he would have to sit and watch Izzy cut Severus to pieces with her gaze. That he had to sit anywhere near Severus at all. This Tyler person was more than he was willing to handle at present.

Remus rubbed his forehead. The headache that was throbbing in his skull was one that would need one of Severus\' potions. He just didn\'t have the energy to go fetch it.

~*~*~*~*~

Bill Weasley settled down on his bed, hands under his head as it rested on his pillow. It had been something of a shock to see Izzy in Dumbledore\'s office this morning. The last he had heard, she wasn\'t assigned to anyone. And there she had been, standing with Harry. It had surprised him to learn that Bri had been taken by Malfoy and the rest of his croonies. He\'d been in Egypt for much of the time after the war, so he hadn\'t been kept up to date on all the news involving the Order. He\'d only been made aware of her capture when he\'d come back to be at his parent\'s sides for one of the worst days of their lives.

Seeing Izzy standing there had brought their last meeting flooding back with the velocity of a diving dragon. It had hit him dead on in the chest, making him once more feel the loss of his brother. It had been only a few days after Voldemort\'s demise that he had met Izzy. At Percy\'s funeral. He\'d been stunned to learn that Percy had fallen. When he\'d come back to attend his brother\'s services, he\'d been surprised to find Izzy at the event.

She\'d been there on that rainy day, standing beneath an umbrella. Her nose had been red from crying, and he\'d wondered for a moment or two if her grief was for his loss, or her failure to do her job. He\'d promptly squashed the idea. It wasn\'t his place to question her motives. It was his place to be there for his family. He\'d hugged each of them, noting that the occasion had even subdued the naturally boisterous nature of the twins.

Ron was pale, his arms around their only sister. Ginny looked to be on the verge of collapse at any moment. He\'d heard from his mum about Draco, how he and Ginny had been only a stone\'s throw from marriage when the final battle had broken out. Then he\'d been told of Lucius\' rage when Draco had publicly stood up to him. The younger Malfoy had been the first one to die in the fight. At the hands of his own father. They\'d told him it was a miracle that Ginny\'s mind hadn\'t snapped.

The day\'s events had been somber. It had proven terribly difficult to stand by and watch his parents grieve as they had. Molly\'s face had been puffy from crying, her eyes red and swollen. Charlie had stood next to her, his arm around her shoulders in a show of support. Even Arthur\'s eyes were wet with unshed tears. Both Fred and George stood with their heads bowed, hands clasped before them. Ron was crying. He had tears streaming down his face, not caring who saw them.

He\'d studied the gathered mourners, looking for a familiar face that would prove to be of some help to Ron. None of his friends from Hogwarts were there. It was well known that Harry had been forced into hiding. But none of the other people Ron had mentioned in his letters were there. Hermione Granger had apparently been in hospital still, laid up in a bed at St. Mungo\'s. Neville Longbottom had been wisked back to his grandmother\'s home to recover from his brush with the grave. Not even Hagrid, who had been a good friend to Ron and his friends through the years, was there.

Bill had gone to his youngest brother\'s side and pulled him into a rough hug. Ron had always been the more emotional of the lot of them. And he\'d actually watched Percy die in front of him. It was Bill\'s opinion that the boy needed the most comforting, after his parents. Percy had given his life to save Ron. He\'d felt Ron tremble in his arms, then finally give into a bout of wailing. Not that he\'d let anyone know how Ron was taking it. The cries of grief had been muffled against his thick cloak.

There had been a surprisingly large amount of people there, and all had given their condolences at the loss of Percy. They\'d told him what a fine man he\'d been and how he\'d selflessly given himself for his younger brother. How sorry they were for his loss. It was all the standard shite said at a funeral. None of them could understand or know how he\'d felt. How any of his family had felt to know that Percy would ever be coming home to The Burrow.

After the service, Izzy had apologized over and over again. She\'d told them how horrid she felt for not saving him. And, truth be told, she\'d looked bad. As if she hadn\'t slept in a few days. His parents had brushed aside her apologies and told her that Percy\'s death hadn\'t been her fault.The entire scene had been hard for the lot of them.

Bill sighed and closed his eyes. This stay was not going to be easy at all. Seeing Izzy brought back bitter memories he\'d rather not recall. And she\'d managed to stir feelings best left alone.

He threw a hand up over his eyes. He had to wonder just what the hell he was doing here. He could only hope that Bri Wallace get better. And damn soon....

end chapter eight.
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thanks go out to madam shark. she is my beta, and she helps provide me with wonderful ideas. and she makes me nuts, as well. thanks also go to my usual crew of cohorts and partners in crime. red, kenly, and simone.... to name a few. they help keep me going... whether i want to or not.

there will be smut in future chapters. i am building to it, at present. give me some time.

please, if you feel up to it, drop me a qhick line and let me know how you like this. tell me if you have and suggestions or anything. but be nice about it. please?