1,398Yo! So sorry about the wait. I got hit with a string of terrible luck after posting the previous chapter. Caught a nasty cold and it took eight weeks to stop coughing, sprained my thumb and it took six weeks to heal, caught the plague and it took three weeks to recover, and then the new year started and my anxiety suddenly got so bad it made me suicidal. Still dealing with that, but on top of it I got food poisoning at the end of January, and though that only lasted one day, it's left me with an ongoing digestive issue that makes it hard to eat and drink anything, and I had really bad writer's block on top of all of that, so yeah. Sorry. Lol. Finally finished this chapter last night, and now we're here. Thank you to all readers so far!
Violet was back in the hospital wing. As it turned out, attending the Yule Bal had been a pretty bad idea. Not that she'd had any real choice in the matter. Madam Pomfrey was rightfully pissed off. So was Violet. Granted, wandering around in the rose garden hadn't helped matters either, but oh well.
Violet spent the next few days stuck in bed as Madam Pomfrey ran a multitude of tests, going over the copious notes Hermione had prepared for her during the month she'd been unconscious.
Her professors had informed her she didn't need to do any of the homework or assignments she'd missed after all, which was honestly rather surprising (she had a feeling Snape had something to do with it), but Hermione insisted she at least study the notes, which Violet had already been planning to do. She didn't want to fall behind.
Going over notes and theories was only one part of things though. Violet wanted to be able to practice the new spells they'd been taught, and the new potions they'd had to brew. But she couldn't do either of those right now, so she added practicing them to her list of things to do once she could finally leave this damn wing.
Remus returned to the castle a couple of days after Christmas. He'd rushed over as soon as he'd been able to, and while Violet was glad and a little relieved to see him, the news she was given upon his return was less than pleasant. It turned out her lungs weren't doing great at all.
Remus sat at her bedside quietly, and then Snape arrived and stopped at the foot of her bed, looking as stoic as ever. Madam Pomfrey joined them a moment later, and after some hesitation, began to explain the problem.
"The nundu toxin you inhaled has scarred your lungs," said Madam Pomfrey. "That scarring is why you've been feeling short of breath and why you've been coughing. It's also why you've been feeling tired and achy."
Violet frowned. "But I thought you said you fixed my lungs when I was in that coma?"
"I was only able to fix the superfluous damage. Scarring like this is typically a result of inhaling certain toxins long-term. However, nundu toxin is so potent that even the smallest amount can cause life-altering damage. I was hoping the scarring would improve over time, but if anything, it's only worsened."
"But...you can mend the scarring, right?" asked Violet. No one answered, and suddenly, she felt sick. "R-right?"
"I'm sorry to say this, but there is no way to remove the scarred tissue from your lungs," said Madam Pomfrey. There was a pinch in her brow, and it looked like she was trying to keep her composure.
"Muggles with this condition don't tend to live for more than a few years after being diagnosed, but fortunately, we aren't Muggles. You aren't at risk of death as long as you take your potions as directed and, considering your young age and still developing magical core, there is a chance that magic can cause your situation to improve."
"Your magic gives you an inherent ability to heal," Remus explained when he saw Violet's confusion. "I don't know if you've ever noticed this before, but as a witch, you heal faster than most Muggles. Your magic acts as a sort of boost to your immune system, which is what allows the quicker healing. But there's a limit to how much your magic can handle, and that limit changes depending on your age, magical strength, and the size of your magical core.
"Right now, your magic can't do much to heal your lungs," Remus continued, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently. "But that might change as you get older. If your core grows and your magic strengthens, that boost to your immune system might be able to heal the scarring at least a little."
"But nothing will ever heal it completely," said Madam Pomfrey. "However, we can mitigate some of the symptoms with potions. Right now, you're taking seven of them. Most of those are temporary and you're likely to be off them within a few days or weeks, depending on how things go. You'll have to take one of them twice a day for the foreseeable future, and two of them once a week for the rest of your life."
Violet's eyes widened. "The-the rest of my life...?" she repeated faintly.
"It's unfortunate, but yes. Of course, if there is any improvement in your condition as you grow older, that may change, but as things are at the moment..."
Violet laughed in disbelief. All of this just because she'd inhaled the tiniest bit of nundu toxin?
"You're lucky you survived at all," said Madam Pomfrey. Her tone was stern, but her eyes were gentle. "And that Professor Snape insists I keep bezoars in the hospital wing. Most don't get this chance. Now, as for the potions..."
"It's been decided that I will prepare them for you," said Snape. He'd been quiet up until now, and Violet had almost forgotten he was even here. "The potions are very difficult to brew and are extremely expensive, as the obscenely wealthy are typically the only ones foolish enough to go gallivanting around a nundu. However, I have the skill to brew them, so that is how you will obtain them."
"And in exchange?" asked Violet. She was a Slytherin, after all, and she was well aware that things like this didn't come for free.
Amusement crossed Snape's face, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. "In exchange, you will aid me in preparing potions used here in the hospital wing. Brewing your potions will be very time-consuming," he said. "I will have little time to supply Poppy with potions and salves used on your fellow students. You should have no issues brewing the simple ones yourself."
"Oh." That seemed fair enough, she thought. If these potions she had to take were really that expensive, then he was doing her a huge favour by making them for her. The least she could do was give him a hand in the lab. Potions wasn't her favourite subject, but she didn't hate it either, and she had the third highest marks in her year (Hermione and Draco were both ahead of her).
Snape would probably only make her brew things like pepper-ups, headache cures, nausea reliefs, and things like that, which she'd already learned about and brewed easily enough in class. There was no reason to refuse. The thing that really bothered her was how long she would have to take these expensive potions.
One twice a day for who knew how long, and two once a week for the rest of her life? That seemed like insanity. She'd known the Triwizard Tournament was dangerous, but she'd been so focused on not dying that she hadn't considered potential side effects or disabilities, especially not when magic seemed to be able to fix everything.
The voices of the adults grew muffled around her as she lay back on the bed and stared at the white ceiling unseeingly. Her entire life, huh?
"I hate this."
No one said anything, but Remus squeezed her hand again.
Things didn't get much better as the days passed. Christmas break ended and Violet was finally released from the hospital wing (again), and she resumed her lessons with everyone else. Her friends were all relieved to see her, but it was interesting to see how everyone else in the castle reacted now that their schedules were all back to normal.
Most of the Slytherins seemed to be on her side now, and so were a surprising number of Ravenclaws and a downright shocking amount of Hufflepuffs. Those numbers only dwindled when it came to the Gryffindors, but there were a fair few who, while not supporting her in the tournament, were clearly questioning things, at least in regards to the nundu.
That was more than Violet had been expecting, admittedly, so she was alright with it.
Lessons were fine, some interesting, some boring, but casting magic turned out to be a little harder than Violet had been expecting it to be.
Madam Pomfrey told her it was because so much of her magic had been focused on healing her for the last few weeks. There wasn't much left to cast spells with, at least for now. It got better after a while, but the first few days of her lessons were rough.
There was a Hogsmeade visit a few days later, and fortunately, Violet was allowed to go, provided she kept herself under a warming charm and returned to the castle within three hours. Though annoyed, Violet obeyed. It was better than not being able to go at all.
Violet ended up being grateful for the warming charm once she got outside because it was actually rather cold out, and while the sky was a brilliant clear blue, there was a thick layer of snow on the ground.
Theodore and Hermione were with her, both of them using warming charms too, and together the three made their way to Hogsmeade with all of the other students. Even now Violet noticed various sixth and seventh year Slytherins following her from a respectful distance.
She wasn't questioning it anymore. With how much concern many of her housemates had shown her since she'd woken from her coma, Violet no longer thought they were following her for a negative reason. She didn't know why bodyguard duty was still a thing, or why Flint had started it in the first place, but whatever the reason was, it was sure to be good.
Probably.
Once they made it to Hogsmeade, Violet, Theodore, and Hermione headed straight for the Three Broomsticks. It was nice and warm inside, but it was also crowded as hell, so Violet and Hermione waited to one side as Theodore went to get them a few butterbeers to go.
They were never going to be able to get a table, and they didn't want to spend Violet's first visit to the village waiting around for a table to free up.
Violet hadn't been able to go to Hogsmeade last year because she hadn't managed to get her permission slip signed. The Matron didn't know anything about the magical world, and the slip hadn't disguised what it was for, meaning there'd been no way for her to ask the Matron to sign it. Luckily, Remus had been able to sign it at the end of her third year, what with him being her godfather, finally getting her the permission she needed.
The first Hogsmeade visit of the year had been the weekend before the first task, but so busy practicing various spells, Violet hadn't bothered going, making this her very first visit. She didn't want to spend that first visit stuck standing around the Three Broomsticks any more than Theodore and Hermione did.
While Theodore was stuck waiting in an annoyingly long line, Violet and Hermione chatted about the tour Violet would be taken on through the village. All she'd seen was the Shrieking Shack, and even that was only from the inside.
"-and there's a really nice bookstore I have to show..." Hermione trailed off with a frown.
"What's up?" asked Violet curiously.
"What's Bagman doing with your sister?"
"Hmm?" Violet looked over, only to see Bagman and Rose standing close together not too far away, Bagman talking quickly. He seemed to be in a rush and kept glancing at a table of unhappy-looking goblins. Rose, meanwhile, looked more confused than anything else.
The girls were only able to hear the tail end of the conversation before Bagman hurried out of the Three Broomsticks, and Rose, still looking rather confused, joined Cedric Diggory, who she must have been hanging out with. Or maybe it was a date. It was a bit hard to tell.
"I thought Mister Crouch was ill," said Hermione, her frown deepening. "I can't believe he's missing! Is anyone even trying to look for him?"
"No clue," said Violet with a shrug. "Guess that explains why Percy was at the Yule Ball instead of Crouch. Wonder how much he knows. He's the one telling everyone Crouch is sick. I was wondering how bad it had to be, considering basically everything can be cured with magic or potions."
"That's true," said Hermione slowly. "But him going missing is incredibly strange, isn't it? Ministry officials, especially ones in Crouch's position, don't just disappear like that."
"Maybe he was kidnapped?" Violet suggested.
"But by who?" said Hermione. "And why is Bagman even telling your sister about Crouch being missing at all?"
Violet shrugged again. "I mean, why's he talking to Rose in the first place?"
"I've actually got an answer to that."
The girls looked over when they heard Theodore, and hurried to take their share of drinks when they saw him struggling to hold all six bottles of butterbeer.
"So," said Theodore once they were out in the cold again, "I heard something interesting while I was waiting in that line. Seems like Bagman owes a lot of people money, including some goblins. They said he was taking bets at the Quidditch World Cup, but he paid everyone with leprechaun gold."
Hermione gasped. "No! Did he really? That's awful!"
Violet blinked. "Er, why?"
"Leprechaun gold vanishes after a little while," Hermione explained, "so it's considered fake money."
Violet whistled through her teeth. "No wonder those goblins looked so pissed off. He must owe people thousands of galleons, huh?" Suddenly, she laughed. "I have a feeling he's bet on Rose winning the tournament," she said. "If she does, he'll get all the money he needs to pay everyone back."
"And that would explain why he was talking to your sister!" said Hermione, understanding. "I can't say I'll be surprised if it turns out he's trying to offer her help."
"Do you think she'd accept the help?" asked Theodore curiously.
Violet shook her head. "She's too much of a Gryffindor to cheat like that," she said, "even if she likes winning. Like, she's not above taking an easy win or anything-you guys saw as much in the first task, but it wasn't as if that was her fault."
"I guess that makes sense," said Theodore as he opened one of the bottles he was holding.
The three third years changed topics after that, with Theodore and Hermione focusing on showing Violet around Hogsmeade instead. It was a lot more interesting than talking about Rose. They chatted and laughed, and went in and out of various shops as they drank their butterbeer and made a few small purchases.
This was a nice change. Violet had gotten sick of being cooped up inside, and it felt good to get out and be normal for once. It wasn't going to last long, of course, as Madam Pomfrey had put a three-hour time limit on her trip, but it was so much better than being stuck in the hospital wing.
There were still a few Slytherins following behind them, talking quietly amongst themselves as they sipped drinks of their own, but there were less of them than before. Violet thought that was a little strange. If they were following her because they were trying to keep her safe, wasn't she in more danger out here than at Hogwarts?
And then she saw Flint. He was sitting on a nearby bench, reading a newspaper. It wasn't very subtle-nothing about Flint was, but it made Violet smile all the same, even if she was still a little confused with how she felt about it.
When it came down to it, wasn't this just stalking? Flint and the Slytherins all meant it in a good way (probably), but not everyone would see it like that. Then again, Violet thought, it wasn't as if she'd told them to stop. Would they stop if she asked? She didn't mind things as they were right now, and they seemed respectful enough of her privacy, but it was something to keep in mind.
"What do you think the second task will be?" asked Hermione suddenly. "Has anyone mentioned anything about it?"
"Nothing at all," said Violet tiredly. "Which makes no sense, considering this competition's meant to be dangerous. The least they can do is let us know what we're up against so we can prepare properly."
"Not that it would've helped you with the nundu," Theodore pointed out.
Violet sighed. "Yeah, true. But to be fair, I doubt anything in the next task can be as dangerous as the nundu." Still, she couldn't say she felt particularly confident.
As January continued, Violet's magic finally got back to its regular strength, allowing her to properly cast all of the spells she'd missed in class. She learned new spells too, more advanced ones, picked up from books or her older housemates.
She didn't know why they seemed so eager to teach her these spells. They told her it was because they wanted her to win the Triwizard Tournament and bring glory to Slytherin House, but Violet wasn't entirely sure she believed them. But there was one thing she noticed. Just as Sauron had said over the summer, her magic was stronger.
Violet wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed it before when others, namely Sauron and the Muggles at the orphanage had, but now that she'd noticed, it seemed so...obvious to her.
But why was her magic stronger at all? Why had it changed? She couldn't think of anything that could have caused it, and it wasn't as if any of the professors had brought it up either.
She got an answer a few weeks later.
As January faded into February and the second task only drew closer, anticipation began to fill the castle once again. It was impossible to go anywhere without hearing students gossiping about the upcoming task, and the papers were publishing new articles filled with speculation every day, even twice a day, in some cases. But there was something else the papers continued to bring up.
Violet being a Parselmouth.
She'd thought they would have gotten over it by now-no one in the castle seemed to care about it much anymore, but the newspapers always managed to stick it in the articles about the tournament some way or another, even if it didn't make any sense. It was so blatant even the first years had noticed it.
Was her being a Parselmouth really that big of a deal? Violet understood Voldemort was one, and understood why people were so afraid of him and so willing to villainize him, but what had she done to warrant that same reaction? She'd never hurt anyone except for a few bullies at Starlight.
Violet contemplated this as she wandered through the castle. It was a pleasant Sunday afternoon and she was alone, having left Theodore behind in the common room where he'd been chatting with Draco so she could search for Sauron. He'd gone off exploring a while ago, and she'd gotten worried when he hadn't come back.
"Are you busy, Violet?"
The sudden voice startled her, and Violet turned, just as surprised to see Remus behind her. She hadn't realized he'd come back again. "Oh, er, no, not really. I was just looking for Sauron. What's up?"
Remus hesitated slightly, then said, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you. Can you come with me?"
"Sure," said Violet readily. Though confused, she followed Remus down the corridor and all the way up to the seventh floor. He led her down another long corridor and then paused in front of a tapestry depicting a man attempting to teach a group of trolls ballet.
Curious, Violet watched as Remus paced back and forth three times, and was stunned when a door suddenly materialized on the formerly blank wall that stood opposite the tapestry. Opening the door, Remus motioned for her to enter and, curiosity growing, Violet obeyed.
The room was a small one and resembled a disused classroom. There were desks pushed against the walls, the shutters over the large windows were closed, and there was a thick layer of dust on the floor and furniture. There were no portraits on the walls, she noted with some interest. That was rare. Had Remus brought her here on purpose?
While Violet was examining the room, Remus shut the door and pulled out his wand to light the scones on the wall closest to them. Satisfied, he turned to her and got her attention.
"This is the Room of Requirement," he told her. "It's a special room we found by accident in our fifth year."
Violet looked around the dirty classroom. "What makes it so special?" she asked. It didn't look special.
Remus smiled. "For one, it doesn't appear on the Marauders' Map."
"It doesn't?"
"No. No matter how many times we tried to plot the room on the map, it never appeared. We used to say it was almost as if the castle itself was trying to stop us. But the main thing that makes this room so unique is that it can change its shape according to your needs."
"Uh, what?"
Remus' smile grew. "The room looks like a disused classroom because that's what I wanted. But let's say I want it to be a used classroom instead."
Immediately, the desks moved into rows, the shutters opened to allow sunlight to pour in, the rest of the wall scones lit themselves, and the dust vanished. Violet stared, amazed.
"The room gives you whatever you want, within certain limitations," Remus explained. "It can't conjure food or money, for example. All you have to do is walk past that blank wall across the troll tapestry three times while thinking of what you want the room to be. It doesn't have to be detailed either. I specifically asked for a disused classroom, but if I'd thought of wanting a place we could speak privately, the room would have taken on a different appearance."
"That's so cool!" Violet exclaimed. She looked around excitedly. "And it can really turn into basically anything?"
"Yes," said Remus, grinning. He'd never seen her so happy before, and with how forlorn she'd been since the nundu incident, he was both glad and relieved to see her smiling so cheerfully. It was unfortunate that what he had to say next would only make her frown again.
"Do you remember what happened when you were practicing the Patronus charm last year?" he asked abruptly.
Smile fading, Violet turned back to him and, as he'd expected, frowned. "You mean when I fainted after that weird pain?"
"Yes." Remus leaned against the edge of the closest desk. Though his posture was casual, his face was tense. "I know I never fully explained what happened to you. I'm sorry for that, but it was something I wanted to research first, and I didn't want to worry you if I could avoid it."
Violet's frown deepened. She remembered that day, and more specifically, the pain she'd felt. She'd fainted at some point, and had woken up in the hospital wing, not for the first or last time.
"Do you know what a magical core is?" asked Remus, and when Violet said she did, surprise crossed his face, though he didn't question her. "The pain you felt that day was inside your magical core," he told her.
Violet stared, her brow furrowed. "I didn't realize that was even possible."
"Feeling pain in your magical core? Yes, it's possible, though rare," said Remus. "Typically, you feel that pain if you try casting a spell that needs more magic than you have in your core. Another way it can happen is if you try to cast a spell with an alignment that doesn't match the alignment of your core."
"Oh," said Violet, understanding. "So, you mean if someone with a Light core tries casting a strong Dark spell or vice versa?"
Again, Remus looked surprised. "Yes, that's exactly what I mean. ...Where did you learn this?"
"A book," Violet replied promptly. She wasn't lying, of course. It was true she'd mostly learned about it all in a book, though she wasn't quite ready to tell Remus where she'd gotten that book from or who she'd discussed its contents with.
An odd look crossed Remus' face. "I see," he said slowly, examining her closely. "Right," he continued after a beat of silence. "Well, in your case, it was neither of those two, though Poppy and I both assumed it was the former at first."
Which made sense, Violet thought, considering how advanced the Patronus charm was. Even most adults struggled with it, at least according to the books she'd read on the subject. Seeing as Remus and Snape were the only ones she'd seen cast the spell, well, she didn't have a very big sample size to counter the book.
"So, what happened to me, then?" she asked, deciding to get back on topic. But Remus' discomfort was back immediately, she noticed, even if it looked like he was trying to hide it.
"I'll have to explain something else first," he said. He dragged a hand through his hair, then let that hand fall to his side. "Have you heard of a siphon or parasitic spell?"
This time, Violet shook her head. No one had ever mentioned it to or around her before, and she'd never come across it in a book either, at least as far as she could remember.
Remus didn't seem surprised. "It's a very advanced spell," he explained, "and an extremely rare one, at that. If cast on you, the siphon or parasite, whatever you want to call it, attaches itself to your magical core and essentially steals small amounts of your magic periodically. The stolen magic then vanishes into nothingness, leaving your magical core, and by extent, your magic, both unsteady and weaker."
Violet didn't like where this was going. "Are you saying I had a siphon on my magical core?"
Remus inclined his head. "Unfortunately, yes. Poppy called for a goblin to examine you when you were unconscious-they're a little more familiar with this sort of thing, and he was the one who realized what it was. The thing is, it wasn't a normal siphon."
"What do you mean?" asked Violet uneasily.
"As I said, magic stolen by a regular siphon disappears into nothingness," said Remus. "Your siphon was a little different. It was connected to someone else, meaning-"
"Meaning the magic being taken from me was being given to someone else."
"Exactly."
Violet frowned and dropped heavily into the chair closest to her and touched her navel, where she remembered the pain coming from. "It-it's gone now, right?"
"The siphon? Yes, it's gone. I gave the goblin my permission to remove it," said Remus. He was looking at her closely again. Maybe he was worried about how she would react to all of this.
"Do you know who cast the siphon? Or who it was connected to?" asked Violet curiously.
Remus shook his head. "The goblin couldn't tell," he said apologetically. "He couldn't say how long it was there for either." He paused, then said, "Did you notice any changes in your magic before or after the siphon was removed?"
Violet laughed dryly. "You know, the weird thing is that I never really noticed anything until recently, but others noticed before I did."
Remus raised a brow. "Is that so?"
"Yeah." Violet leaned back in the chair. "Theo mentioned in second year that my magic seemed kind of inconsistent. The other kids at Starlight said that the thing that makes me creepy seemed stronger just this past summer. And even Sauron said my magic smelled stronger to him and that it was obvious."
"I see..." Frowning, Remus scratched his chin. "It might be that your magical core got so used to the inconsistency that it didn't register as strange to you. Hmm... I wonder how much magic you were losing."
I have no clue," said Violet with a shrug. "I don't even know how I missed it this whole time. But..." she trailed off, hesitating, not sure how to continue.
Remus noticed her sudden uncertainty, of course. "What's the matter?"
"I..." Violet bit her lip, then said, "When the siphon was removed from me, the person it was connected to stopped getting my magic, right?"
"Yes. It may have taken a few days for your magic to leave their core completely, but with the siphon gone, they couldn't have gotten any more of your magic."
"Meaning they also would have lost any benefits my magic was giving them."
"Yes."
"Like being able to speak Parseltongue?"
Remus tensed. "Are you implying-" He cut himself off, maybe unwilling to fully voice his thought.
"Rose was a Parselmouth," said Violet. "It was revealed to everyone in the castle back in our second year. But last year, I overheard Rose tell Ron she couldn't understand Sauron, and Sauron told me he couldn't understand Rose either. If I'm remembering right, this happened not long after the siphon was removed from me."
Remus looked alarmed at first, but then he frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know much about Parseltongue," he admitted, "but I do know it isn't an ability that can just come and go like that. If Rose really was a Parselmouth, there's no reason she shouldn't still be one."
"That's why I thought maybe the siphon was connected to Rose," said Violet. "Maybe she was a Parselmouth because I'm a Parselmouth, and since she couldn't get my magic once the siphon was gone, she lost the ability too. But that's just a guess."
"I can't say that's possible," said Remus slowly, "but I can't say it's impossible either. I haven't come across many books on Parseltongue, and unfortunately, it's such a taboo subject around here that it's difficult to ask questions about it. There are no experts on the language either, because it's so rare," he added with a tired sigh.
Violet nodded, but suddenly her thoughts were elsewhere. They were talking about this as if she was the only Parselmouth around, but it wasn't as if that was true, was it?
Maybe it was time to contact Voldemort. Or rather, contact Flint to contact Marvolo. Hopefully, he would be able to give her some answers, at least on this front. There was a chance he would know more about these strange and rare siphon spells too.
That's it for now. Violet's lung problems have been based on Pulmonary fibrosis, and more specifically, the kind caused by exposure to things like asbestos. It isn't actually that, I'm just using it as a guide for Violet's issue.
I haven't started on the next chapter yet, but I have started writing the second task, which will most likely be in the next chapter. Rose's bit is done, Krum's bit is about three-quarters done, Violet's bit is probably around two-thirds done, and I haven't started Fleur's bit yet. Still trying to figure out what to do with her. Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!