#He's not exactly impressed but it'll do in a pinch

[teethofthedeeps]

gives him a bottle of wine

Give my muse an item and see how they react.

Sometimes it was difficult having webbed hands. They weren't exactly designed to hold objects, especially ones that got slippery when wet like things made of glass. Stoplight huffed as he peered closely at the weighty bottle, the sound of sloshing inside indicating it held water or at least some other kind of liquid. The only problem was, how to open it? Piscine eyes darkened as he contemplated smashing the bottle, to crush it within his clawed digits but knowing there was precious liquid within put a stop to that thought. Water didn't operate the same way as it did above land, spilling uselessly onto the ground and disappearing. If he wanted the water inside, Stoplight would have to think of a way to get it out and his curious gaze noticed the cork stuck at the top, slowly connecting the dots that it had to be the cork responsible for preventing the fluid's escape. An inquisitive claw prodded the cork. Strange, it was softer than it appeared, chunk of it coming away when his sharp talon dug into it. If his claws could do that much damage to the little thing, maybe he could pull it out with his teeth? The Trench did just that, sliding the bottle's head between his fangs and clamping down softly on the remainder of the cork, long fangs providing a far better grip against the cork than his clumsy claws could ever hope to gain. The bottle opened with a satisfying pop, Stoplight even looking a little proud at how he figured out how to open it so quickly and without damaging the bottle. With a soft growl, he heedlessly tipped the contents of the bottle into his open maw, mouth uncomfortably dry with the amount of the time he'd been away from the water. What he drank was not water, instead tasting sharp, bitter and even dry despite how wet it was. Stoplight sputtered, still pouring the wine into his mouth even as it flooded from his gills to leave a messy red puddle steadily growing below him. It didn't taste good, didn't feel good as it filtered through his gills but it was undeniably liquid and helped cool the nagging sensation of drying out. Before long the bottle was finished, Stoplight tossing it away in mixed feelings of disgust and yet... pleasure almost, acrid taste of the wine cloying upon his tongue. It wasn't good, but it wasn't as bad as he thought either and it had done some work, wettening his gills again. Stoplight grumbled, licking his fangs clean of wine.

"This stuff tastes like a shrimp's fecal vein. I should devour whoever made this for their insult." Licking his lips, he was momentarily distracted only by sound of glass smashing nearby. So, objects made of the shiny smooth clearness could be broken easily without even needing to exert pressure upon them? Interesting. They would break even if thrown, or maybe had something thrown at them. Maybe that's what he should do next time he got ahold of another bottle of the red water, if it didn't even have the grace to taste like water or blood...

[kruegerspillow]

task force 141 + how they show their affection :3

₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

creators note: a gift for these feral cod fangirls/fanboys tbh. just a simple heads up; this isnt exactly canon. isn't proofread either btw, apologies for the mistakes (the four hours of sleep is kicking in >:3)

warnings: none? a pinch of nsfw, but meh, nothing too explicit here

• Well.. Simon is Simon.

• Once he gets comfortable, he definitely tries to match your love language. And lets just say, that experience wasn't really.. pleasant. Especially if your love language is spending time, or words of affirmation.

• I don't really see Simon as the 'verbal' type of guy.

• So.. he buys you gift at random times. When he's in the middle of a mission, in his base, in the evac, literally everywhere.

• He was hesitant at first though, thinking that you might see him as a creep whenever he asked you questions like your favorite food, flowers, snacks, colors. But he really just want to show you his appreciation, in his way.

• LOVES it when you thank him or send a picture of you just smiling while holding the gift he had bought for you. Makes his heart aches everytime, and it upsets him a bit to know that he can't always be there for you, and you must've been so lonely with his gifts.

• Will buy anything you like. Literally anything. You want a necklace? He got it. Oh, you prefer matching hoodies? He got it. A German Shepherd? Wellll... he's going to think about it.

• My guy probably shows his affection through every way possible in this universe, LMAO.

• He's gotten you gifts before, praising you with his words whenever you impress him, hugging and clinging onto you tightly like a koala, spending time with you in cafes or malls that you favor, and the list goes on..

• But if he had to choose one? It's definitely physical touch.

• Your skin feels so soft against his, he had admired your curves even in public, he loves having your hands interlinked together, he felt.. really closer then ever.

• Though he won't force you, but if you insists on showing this affection first, he'll melt into a puddle. He loves PDA, but not the totally extreme ones. A simple hug or kiss on the cheek is more then enough for him.

• I mean.. just look at him. He's a touch-starved guy who's been away from his favorite person, what did you expect? A simple kiss at home wasn't enough for him, definitely not. He wants to feel you clench around him..

• Just look at this cuddly bear, and do NOT even tell me that he wouldn't praise you.

• He loves using his words for you, always praising and supporting you through his little 'I love you's' and nicknames. And if you do the same to him, it'll be a different story.

• Loves to see your reaction to his words. Whether you blush, look away, gets all fidgety, he just loves to see you in such a shy state.

• Always praises you at any time. After a successful mission, he goes up to you and goes 'attagirl/attaboy', while giving you a soft pat on the shoulder. He always means it, especially in his words. He'd always been a genuine and straightforward guy anyway.

• Or after a lovey-dovey session, just whispering praises in your ears and telling you how well you did, how well you took him, as he caresses you softly.

• Three simple words. Act of service.

• He might be one hell of a sassy guy, but he would be SO vulnerable around you. Every order you tell him, he'll give you a playful comment, but definitely follows it.

• Probably gets all embarassed when you mention about the way he's following your comands, he'll always be rejecting the fact that he listens to you really well.

• He can literally feel his knees going weak when you praise him after he had followed your orders, but he acted all tough and confident around you.

• You want him to cook? Sure, tell him what food you want. You want him to buy food? Sure, tell him what restaurant. You want him to cuddle with you? Gladly, with open arms, while you with open legs.

[harveybwabbit92]

{R/n has been kidnapped after some aliens mistake her for Tregear's new human form, she's being tortured by one them who asks her for the location foe some device Tregear stole from them a very long time ago.]

Kidnapper: Impressive... most would be unconscious from the pain by now how are you able to block it out?

R/n, hanging from the ceiling by her wrists: The adrenaline helps. So does the fear of death. There's a lot of both. But My only solace is thinking about inflicting this pain on people like you.

Kidnapper, guffaws: Ah... you don't really mean that... do you? I think I better leave you alone for a while...

{The kidnapper stood up just a tarot card suddenly drops from the ceiling which distract the kidnapper they pick the card up and examine it; failing to notice Tregear suddenly appearing behind them.]

R/n, smirks: Oh...I think it'll be much longer then that...

Kidnapper: Ha?~

{Tregear quickly gets them into head lock and jams his finger into their head.]

Tregear: Oh the reaper.... Looks like you pulled the wrong card.~

Kidnapper, looks between R/n and Tregear in disbelief: Wha-But, you can't be...then who is-

*Tregear energy bolts them in the head and they drop dead*

Tregear,unties R/n's wrists and starts carrying her out of the room: Do me a favor and keep your eyes on me...

[R/n almost complied but the curiosity got the better of her; she peeked and almost wished she hadn't

Tregear really went into overkill on her captors, like they would need to use dental records just to identify them kind of overkill. Well, the ones that still had their jaws intact anyways; it was horrid... And whats worst a little part of her felt a dark thrill seeing all that carnage around her, but R/n just chalked that those feelings up to the frost giant instincts she got from Be/r's gene splicing. ]

Tregear: I said not to look...

R/n: Trust me, I've seen way worst...

Tregear, knowing exactly what she's talking about: Those aren't your memories, you aren't Bel/r.

R/n, glares at him: I know who I am Tregear.

Tregear: Good, just keep talking to me...

{R/n noted Tregear was acting off...was she that badly injured? it's weird she doesn't feel hurt...just really tired.]

Tregear: Don't close your eyes, R/n.

[Tregear pinches her arm causing R/n yelp and glare at Tregear didn't even giggle or smirk at her reaction which further worried the woman, as Taro's giant form waited outside for them, under Tregear's instructions he flew them to a secluded area that R/n recognized as Tregear's lab entrance.

Taro shrank down to human size and tried to follow them inside but Tregear snapped his fingers and this nozzle appeared from out of the ground and sprayed this purple mist into Taro's face; he collapsed to the ground asleep. Next thing R/n knew she being gently placed into a strange pod.]

Tregear: You can sleep now.

R/n, dozing off: But... wait.. what is this thing-

[Cut to 3 days later, R/n wakes up fully healed to see Tregear at his computer sounding frustrated and concerned.]

Tregear: Run the test again.

HEiLDa: Result: positive, subject is six weeks along.

Tregear: Again.

HEiLDa: Result: positive subject is six weeks along.

Tregear: Again...

HELiDa: ERROR: Subject is awake.

[Tregear whips his head around to see a disoriented R/n watching him from inside the pod.]

R/n, as Tregear: helps her out of the pod: What's going on? Am I sick.

Tregear:...No, not quite.

[R/n had to spend another three days in the pod after she fainted from hearing the news: she and Tregear were going to be parents.]

[orangetintedglasses]

"Is this really it?"

The device around his wrist fit snugly and securely without biting into his skin or cutting off blood flow to his hand; only about the size of a decently chunky wristwatch even with the extra bits of material that climbed up his wrist and just barely touched his forearm. It wasn't exactly the most subtle, but it was something he could easily cover with the sleeve of his coat, and Vash fiddled with it while he waited for an answer, feeling cowed by the silence from the only other person in the room whose back was turned to him.

"Yes. This is the optimal size and shape for traversing dimensional tears-- something compact and easy to conceal won't provoke as many questions... your normal attire will likely do that just fine." said the Sinner flatly, without tearing his eyes away from the keyboard and screens. Vash always found that impressive and a little creepy-- though the flurry of fingers over keys did briefly pause. "Were you expecting something flashier?"

"No, just..." he trailed off, looking at his reflection in the face of the device. Easy enough controls scheme, haptic buttons on the scren to save space, a radar system attuned to the energy signature tears give off... "it's strange that everything fits into something this small, you know? This can really send me back and forth?"

"Not instantaneously, no. There's the initial setup time, recalibration if you need it... and of course, once you initiate a jump in either direction, it'll need a good amount of time to recharge." the man turned to face him, now, his sharp features and cobalt-colored eyes hauntingly lit by the light of the screens beside him. He continued.

"It's equipped with an adaptable energy source that can draw in and convert the naturally occurring energy in any location you wind up in." he gestured to the device. "Full recharge for a safe jump will take about two days, give or take the potency of that world's energy. In a pinch, though... you are also completely capable of powering it, should the need arise."

That made Vash's stomach twist, head snapping up in alarm, "me? You... you mean, my--"

He cut him off, "though I'd recommend this only in emergencies. I believe your guardians would have my head if you came back with hair like mine."

Black. He meant black-- the same color as the Sinner's long, pin-straight locks, and the color of the small tuft of his own hair, blossoming out from the back of his head. He made a mental note of that, swallowing and nodding. The Sinner seemed pleased with that response and turned back towards the screens, hitting a few more buttons in a seemingly specific sequence. Activating it, apparently, as the screen on the device lit up, too.

"It should be fully attuned to this dimension's energy any minute now, though I recommend waiting for at least twenty-four hours before attempting a jump. Any other questions?"

"N-no, I got it. Thank you, Doctor Somerset."

"You're welcome. Come to me if there are any problems or odd finds related to traversing dimensions."

[hyuugaalee]

The Fiery Exorcist of Kamone Academy

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫(𝐬): Hanako | Yugi Amane, Yashiro Nene, and Minamoto Kou × Reader

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: Gender-Neutral (you/your & they/them)

𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fluff / First-Meetings

🔶 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: You are a student at Kamome Academy, and your not like the average student that walks the halls: your an Exorcist that can use the power of Fire. The Hanako-Trio get to know you a bit better! 

Writer's Notes: I am trying to make each of these unique and different, so some might be a while so I can make separate scenarios!

＞ 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗸𝗼-𝗸𝘂𝗻 | 𝗔𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲 

It's quite hard not to know your an exorcist with the boiling power of fire below your skin, and Hanako is not in the right place to deal with fire-wielding exorcist while the electric-wielding Minamoto's were around. He's not ready for a firework laiden stairway to Heaven, he'll stick to his bathroom. 

Unless, like your powers, your introduction is as fiery as he expected and you find him first. Trouble follows his assistants everywhere, even to his second-floor girl's bathroom. 

Nene points you out for him, and Nene is a decently popular girl, so you notice her as well. And if Hanako wasn't dead cold as a ghost, he's sure your eyes would have burnt him alive if he was human! … Wait, you'd not glare at him if he was human…

If you're an active exorcist, he's heard of your work around the school (or just of your feats) and actually feels a bit "useless" in trying to stop you, and Yako laughs joyfully as he sulks. 

Eventually, if you don't run into a School Mystery already and end up declaring to take their soul: he'll still be the first you'll have to get through. He can't have anybody killing anybody, you see. It'll upset the balance on both sides, and he doesn't want police or demons roaming around.

His first meeting with you, is saving your skin when you got in-over your head during a rumor change―and this made his ego inflate, naturally!

Of course, Nene's classmate and a student at his school should be under his protection: just leave it to him! The fire damage to the spirit does impress him, but his slice to cut open its brain was much cooler. 

He looks back to you and kneels next to you, and pokes at the blooming bruise on your face from where you were slammed and sent flying. He adores the little flinch you make, and so he pinches the bruise―consequences be damned!

"Aw, the little firecracker here got hurt from meddling in school affairs. Leave this to the School Wonders…" He teased as you swiped him away to get him off. "Or keep going! You look so nice on the floor, maybe I can save you again! Yashiro says humans love their saviors… !"

＞ 𝗬𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗼 𝗡𝗲𝗻𝗲

Nene took one glance at you and your strong, sullen expressions: and sorta kept her distance from you at first. Depending on which one would like you more between Ao-chan or Kou-kun, Nene might give you a chance (and if neither could say anything, expect Nene to keep her distance unless you're her type).

She knew you must be special as well, you radiated some sort of underlying warmth that didn't exactly carry to your eyes: it just surrounded you. In Spring and Summer, students around you undid a button or two from behind near you.

If you're in any clubs, Nene will take note (so she can have a topic to talk to you about), and point you out to mokke to follow for a bit! She wants… to try being your friend! 

But the mokke all looked frightened, shook like leaves in the wind, and scattered with tears in their eyes. Yashiro watches in distress as they leave, and goes to ask about you from Hanako―because the mokke don't just run away from anybody like that except for…

And likewise with the mokke, Hanako seemed to have a negative reaction because of who you were. Hanako got depressed looking at you and explaining what you do, and Nene was shocked! Another exorcist, and one just so casually out there?!

… She kinda expected another Kou, but then backed off that idea as she witnessed your intense glare at Hanako when you noticed she was pointing at you. Yikes! She can't tell if you're angry at her or just Hanako… !

She sorta kept her distance from you when wanting to interact with Hanako, as just the mention of you sends Hanako into a depressive spiral. Oh well, at least Kou likes you and will talk about you if Nene gets on that path of conversation. 

After the fight in the hallway, Nene would willingly push Hanako out of the way to dab your cheek in a wet cloth to help you!

"Hanako, leave them alone, they got here first…! I'm sorry about him, don't mind his mean words." She apologizes, and she obviously thinks highly of you after saving the school. "And take my heartfelt thanks! Thank you!"

＞ 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗞𝗼𝘂

Knew about it first, most likely. If not him, Teru then. But if Teru knows, we know he's going to gossip to Kou so Kou can subtly know about you…

Kou is not really subtle. He's staring at you from across hallways and school meetings, trying to catch up to you if you share a gym class/sports club, and he's following you at odd times of the day with questions and wonder in his eyes. If you're non-confrontational, he'll just continue to do so (but will comply if you do tell him off).

Teru laughs at your luck at having Kou follow you but does tell you he's not going to do anything, so do worry (or try anything against him, Teru threatens). If you work with the Minamoto clan: Kou will get braver and might talk to you. If not: he'll stick to watching, because your gaze is effective at keeping people back. 

But obviously, that will not stop until a certain rumor change causes a scene on campus and you're the first on the scene. Your fire starts to accumulate within your weapon/palms, and the fight begins before Kou can catch up to you! 

Kou over-steps his boundaries and joins the fight with a spark and slash of his staff while you're using your magic, and creates an explosion of the two spells before it can hit the monster. The air cracks with heat and energy, blinding you both for a small second―but that's all the spirit needs to strike out and hit someone, and hard.

From the smoke, an appendage shoots forward and strikes you in the face with enough force to shoot you down the whole hallway. Kou flinched, even as you sat up to gain purchase again, and called back at you to apologize… turning his back to the supernatural long enough you almost shouted at him to pay attention.

If not for Honorable Number 7 coming in to kill the supernatural in one swipe and ruin your already declining mood: which Kou stopped! He caused this and that pesky toilet-pervert shouldn't go poking your battle scars (a.k.a. bruise).

"L-leave them alone! I caused this, they could have handled this alone!" It hurt to admit, but he's nothing if not honest to a fault. "I'm so sorry for him, and I'm sorry for not understanding how our magic would work together… can we start over?" 

[super-unpredictable98]

The Eighth Child (~TUA AU~) - Season 3

Chapter 3: Amish Hospitality

Warning: Strong language, smut (non-graphic), tw for religious trauma?, mention of animal cruelty, abuse, and drugs, a little violence

(The Eighth Child Masterlist)

"Good morning, my Schnecke," Klaus squeezed me tighter, the morning sun coming shyly through the blinds. It was true, we were together, we were back home finally. It was almost too good to believe. "How can you look so sexy in the morning?"

"What are you doing up, Klausie? I feel like you're about to ask me something..."

"You know how much I love continental breakfast, but I thought I might get a little treat first," he smirked that devilish smirk I love so much. 

He sneaked under the blanket and parted my legs, blindly finding my sensitive spots with his skilled tongue and those soft lips. Yeah, he definitely was about to ask me something, there's no way I did anything to earn such a nice wake-up call.

"Baby," I breathed, arching my back, unable to think straight. "Come on, tell me what you want from me?"

"I want you to cum all over my tongue," he groaned.

"Oh fuck... Please, just tell me so I can relax."

"I know we have wedding stuff to plan and I promise I'll help you with that very very soon, but there's somewhere I wanted to go today," he drawled, not stopping his insistent ministrations. "Like a little road trip, would you come with me, Muschi?"

"Road trip? For what?"

"Ich bin bis über beide Ohren verliebt," he murmured against my sensitive skin and I melted, that bastard knew exactly how to get me to say yes to essentially anything, it was so incredibly unfair how much power he held over me!

"You're head over heels for me?"

"Mmhm," he nodded, making sure to make eye contact with those innocent puppy dog eyes framed by those beautiful lashes... "Please? Please, Muschi."

"Fine, fine, I'll go," I moaned softly, which made my fiancé move more eagerly, easily driving me to the edge, making me come undone under him. "Happy?" I panted, falling back on my pillow with a satisfied exhale.

"Very! Are you? Or do you need more?"

"You can give me more later, we'll be late for breakfast."

To our surprise, a new hotel guest seemed to be causing quite an impression at the buffet. A hyperactive boy who filled his plate with everything he could get his hands on. 

During one of his many trips to the main counter, he bumped into me head first and looked up. "Sorry, ma'am, my eyes have a hard time focusing on beautiful women, so I didn't see you-"

"Hey!" Diego quickly got up to slap the kid on the back of the head. "That's your aunt! More respect!"

"Sorry..." he rolled his eyes.

"Wait, what?" I looked at Klaus who seemed just as confused as I was.

"So, allegedly, this is my son Stanley," Diego groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "These are my siblings, your aunt Vicky and your uncle Klaus."

"Oh my God! Hey, Stan," I opened my arms for a hug like every good Brazilian, he hesitated at first but accepted it after a few seconds of consideration. "It's so nice to meet you! Are you sitting with us for breakfast?" 

"No, dad said I'm grounded because I took one of his knives."

"Dieguito!" I muttered. "Come on, he's your kid!"

"Allegedly! It'll be good for him, time to reflect on himself," Diego invited us to his table while Stan ate alone in the corner. It was heartbreaking, but the kid didn't really seem to mind.

"That little delinquent is your son?" Klaus laughed "That's so funny!"

"Wait... Who's the mother?" Five asked, joining us after getting his morning cocktail.

"Lila," Diego whispered.

"Excuse me?" Klaus gasped.

"She dropped him off on my lap last night and bolted."

"Never really cared for that one..." Klausie shook his head.

"I told you she was trouble, I told you, Diego!" I cried. "She wasn't good enough, I knew something like this was gonna happen. Well... Not this exactly, but something not good. Who falls in love with a person they met in a nuthouse?"

"You did," Five joked. "Technically she's family."

"She was trying to murder us like yesterday," Klaus argued.

"Like I said, Family! Is she coming back?"

"Well, she better be, because we have more important things to be dealing with right now!" Diego raised his voice, catching the little boy's attention from across the room.

"D! Shut up, it's not his fault!" I smacked him the same way he had done to his son. "He's just a kid who never met his dad, how do you think he feels? Do you wanna be a bad father like ours?"

"Of course not..." he mumbled, not used to being chastised by me, his biggest apologist.

"Then stop treating him like an inconvenience, he's a human being! Actually, I'm gonna go have breakfast with my nephew, no one deserves to be alone. And if stealing your knives was such a punishable offense, Klaus and I would be in jail still."

Before I could leave though, Vanya approached us asking where Luther was, only... it wasn't really the Vanya I knew. 

"Love the haircut!" Klaus exclaimed. 

"Yeah, it makes your jawline pop, looks great," I agreed.

After the silliest smile, she continued to explain about the night before and meeting with Marcus, the Number One Sparrow, which obviously had us all concerned. 

"You can't just go around doing that, Vanya," I warned. "It could be dangerous even for you."

"It's uh- Viktor."

"Who's Viktor?" Diego asked and I gaped, internally mortified for the dead name slip even if I didn't know the new one.

"I am. It's who I've always been," he explained. "Anyone has an issue with that?"

"Um yeah!" I raised my hand and my fiancé nearly choked.

"Really? I thought you and Klaus would be the ones I wouldn't have to worry about" Viktor looked down. "It's still me, you know?"

"I know that, but you stole my name! Come on, man! Couldn't you pick your own name?" I whined. "Now if someone wants to call both of us it's gonna be like that Julie Andrews film."

He looked me in the eye as he processed what I just said and laughed, something I hadn't seen in a long time. 

"It's a small tribute actually. I wanted to keep it in the family, I wasn't gonna steal any of the boys' names and there's no male equivalent of Allison. So it's Viktor, and I couldn't think of a better name... You're unapologetically you, you have always been. You are brave and passionate, you always go above and beyond for all of us, and you were there to support me even when I was too sad to realize. I can't remember any happy childhood memories that you are not a part of, so I hope you're not actually mad at me."

I didn't have the voice to say anything else, I simply embraced him, tussling his short hair. "You know I can't be mad at my brothers for long, even when you ended the world I couldn't. I'm so proud of you," I whispered, kissing the top of his head before taking my plate to join Stan, otherwise I would've started to cry and it would've been a whole drama.

"Hey! Who wins the bet?" Klaus called as I left. "No one, right?"

"What bet?" Viktor asked.

"When we were 15, Klausie and I made a bet. I said you were a lesbian, he said you were bi, but if you're a straight guy we both lose," I shrugged, taking my seat next to my new nephew. "Hey, do you mind if we join you?"

"No," Stan tried not to smile, very much like his dad would. Even though they were not physically similar, somehow he reminded me a little bit of young Dieguito, when he still had that stutter and liked to watch telenovelas with me. "Who are they?"

"Those are your uncles Five and Viktor," I pointed.

"Five? Why is his name Five?" 

"Because he didn't like Finley," I chuckled. "Our dad gave us all numbers, but our mother picked our names according to the places we were born. He's from Ireland, but he didn't like her pick, so he's Five."

"Oh, yeah, makes sense. I wouldn't wanna be named Finley either. Do you have a number?"

"Yeah, I'm Number Eight," I finally realized at that moment that it didn't bother me anymore to be called Eight. That had always been very triggering for me, but ever since we came back, everything seemed lighter somehow. Maybe it was the weight of being Reginald's kid lifted from my shoulders. "And where were you born, young man? You don't have your mom's British accent."

"I'm- I'm from Berlin."

"That's a coincidence! Uncle Klaus too!" I looked over at the boys, still talking about timeline changes and rendezvous with the Sparrows. "He was born just about a month before the Berlin Wall came down, I still believe those two events are somehow connected," I teased and the boy giggled, filling me with pride.

I, unfortunately, didn't have much time with Stanny, as Klaus stepped in to steal me away for our road trip. Only we weren't going on a romantic road trip, Five was apparently tagging along as well. 

Every second I started to suspect more and more- actually no, I knew full well my fiancé was hiding something from me, I just hoped it wasn't the 'let's kill a loan shark who is stalking me' sort of secret.

"Are you sure we can drive the hotel car like that?" I asked, already going insane from Five humming on the back seat. 

"Oh yeah, Chet doesn't mind," Klaus assured, stopping at a drive-through to get some food. 

"It's on me," Five waved the money in front of me. 

"Where did you get that?" I asked, taking it reluctantly. "We couldn't even pay for a hotel room, now everyone has new clothes, take-out money..."

"Allison made a little visit to the bank."

"Oh," I nodded, relieved that at least I didn't have to feel guilty because of my secret stash, my siblings were well off. "How did I not think of that?"

"Because you were too busy with planning your nuptials with Caligula. Now I took the liberty to mark all the best spots to visit from here to Pennsylvania."

"Klausie, not to say I don't love Five to death... He's my little nugget of joy and looking at his face reminds me of our glorious teenage years and the wonderful sneaking out adventures we had, but why did we invite him?" I asked, taking my burger and my fries from the big paper bag on his lap. "Thought this was supposed to be a romantic countryside getaway."

"So roadside attractions were not on your to-do list for this romantic getaway? I share a wall with you two and the beds are squeaky, I know you can't have that much energy. What were you planning for today, Victoria?" Five leaned in between our seats.

"Our little cherub is retired, I thought he could use the distraction," Klaus gave me an apologetic look. "Plus, he's quite stable, isn't he? I felt like we might need the emotional support."

"Emotional support? For what?" I asked.

Klaus fell quiet for a second, the only sound we could hear was his straw as he sipped on his soda. He looked at me through the corner of his eye and cleared his throat. That's when I knew I was in for a treat, I might not like the treat, but I was in for it!

"Don't make that face at me! What are we really doing here?" I exclaimed.

"We are going to Pennsylvania to find... My birth mother! YAAAAY" Klaus tried to cheer me up, but my reaction mirrored Five's: complete disbelief.

"What is your birth mother doing there? Why would she come all the way from Berlin to-"

"Well, as it turns out, a very minor detail, dad's transaction to buy me took place in Pennsylvania and not in Germany as we first thought..."

"KLAUS! You lied to me our whole lives? You told me you were from Berlin!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, I didn't know at first, I can explain! I knew if I told you the real reason you wouldn't have come!"

"Damn right we wouldn't," Five groaned. "Because I'm supposed to be retired and relax, Vicky is supposed to be planning a wedding, and you're supposed to be helping her!" 

"I know! But it can still be a carefree road trip, babe, I promise..."

"BALL OF TWINE!" our little brother jumped to grab the steering wheel and make the turn. "It's one of the best ones!"

"Five, we're gonna die!" Klaus shouted back.

"No twine, no birth mother!"

The two of them fought over the wheel for a few seconds and I screamed, covering my ears and closing my eyes to avoid the stress. I didn't care if we stopped to see a stupid ball of twine anymore, I just wanted an explanation as to why Klaus lied to me.

We finally made the turn and stopped a few minutes later to look at that stupid ball, it made zero sense to me why anyone would do that and leave it on the side of the road. It wasn't at all entertaining like Five made it seem, but I had to get out of that car and breathe. I was dizzy and starting to feel sick to my stomach which always made me nervous.

"I thought it would be a lot bigger," Klaus murmured.

"It seems pretty big to me," Five countered.

"Yeah, cause you're tiny," I grumbled, leaning against the hood of the car, still refusing to look my fiancé in the eye.

"Come on, Liebling, please just look at me," he took my hands, kissing them repeatedly. "Just listen okay? We all learned our native languages when we were kids, mom taught me German and my name is Klaus, so I assumed I was German!"

"You lied! What else have you been lying about? Is your hair naturally curly or have you been getting perms since we were babies? You're from Pennsylvania? ARGH!" I cried in anger.

"Okay, I get it. I was on the ass end of a two-week bender and I can't tell you the exact date, but Amy Whinehouse was at the top of the charts and you had just told me about your first kiss, so I wanna say... Mid to late aughts? I helped myself into dad's office looking for the key to his safe cause he had Pogo lock up all the stealables," Klaus started and Five turned to listen as well.

"I can't imagine why," I sneered.

"But instead," Klaus ignored my comment. "I found a treasure trove of our family history told in expired check stubs."

I closed my eyes and was able to see that image in my head through his eyes, but I didn't have time to be proud of my achievement in controlling my mind reading power. I was focused on reading what was right in front of me. 

"Rachel Herschberger, 89 Old Holland Road... Nine pound infant? Klaus you were nine fucking pounds? You were a pretty heavy baby, what happened?" I opened my eyes. "Three thousand dollars. Wow."

"I was too messed up at the time to do anything, right after that you put me in rehab, I was doing pretty bad. But I always wondered why she sold me for three grand? She couldn't have held out for five? Six?" Klaus chuckled sadly. "And now dad disowned us, Grace is no longer our mom, I'm getting married and I wanted my mom to know about it. I wanted to see her and show her that despite everything, I turned out pretty okay. I'm sorry for lying, I didn't have the heart to tell you after I found out, I mean... You always loved that so much about me, I didn't want you to stop liking me if you knew." 

"You think I wouldn't like you if you were not German?" I teared up, brokenhearted that he would think something like that.

"I don't know! I might be, mom might be an immigrant, you saw her last name... I just- I was embarrassed to tell you I lied. Do you forgive me?" he gave me a pitiful look knowing I would say yes.

"Fine, I forgive you!" I huffed, folding my arms. Maybe meeting his mom would clear things up, we would be able to understand this mess.

"Did you see anything about my mother?" Five asked.

"No, sorry..."

"Efa," I blurted out as the image invaded my mind, I was still seeing it through Klaus' eyes, a glimpse of that memory. "She's from Dublin."

"How do you know that?" 

"Because Klaus saw it, he just can't remember, but I can watch what he saw. Here's my mom," I sighed. "Maria Fernanda from Rio de Janeiro, I cost seven thousand reais."

"See? Your mom was a better negotiator!" Klaus pointed out, a little offended.

"No, that was a little less than two thousand dollars if you convert it... I'm that cheap."

"Hey, is no one gonna comment on the fact that Victoria can watch your memories? Memories you didn't even know you had that she just fished from your brain, and rewind them like a VHS tape whenever she wants?" Five commented.

"That is pretty cool, isn't it?" I smiled. "I guess I'm getting better at this whole mind reading business. My brain isn't so loud all the time anymore, I can see and hear what I want. For example, now Diego is fighting Alphonso... Wait, why is Diego fighting Alphonso?"

"Because it's Diego," Five tapped my shoulder. "Good job, Vicky, really impressive."

"Shall we go then? I wanna find out who I could've been if I didn't grow up in this stupid family," Klaus opened the door for me, which I can only assume he did out of guilt. "Well, not really a family, more of a..."

"Institute for snarky delinquents," Five joked. "And not a very good one at that."

"You know what? Say what you want, I wouldn't trade my family for anything," I said, getting back in the car. "I love every single one of you! Well, maybe I'd trade Luther, stupid monkey brain narc."

"You're right, I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world," Klaus admitted. "I'm glad you two came along. You're a good sister slash lover, and you're a good brother... Okay, alright, now you say nice things about me!"

Five shook his head in silence, but I had something to say. "You are my favorite person in the whole world!" I said hoping to make up for our little brother's lack of enthusiasm.

"Aww I love you two too!" 

—————————————————— 

As we approached our destination, I started to notice a pattern: lots and lots of cows and lots and lots of fabric. The people were covered from head to toe even though it was very hot out. That's when I had the... unfortunate realization:

"Oh my God! Klaus is Amish? And from Pennsylvania? You're an Amish born in Pennsylvania!" I winced. "You think our family is bad? You were way better off growing up with us being abused by dad than here!"

"If you take everything into consideration you might be right," Klaus parked and took a look at my disgusted face. "Are you less attracted to me now?"

"Not gonna lie, if I wasn't so in love already, that would not help your case," I said completely honestly. "But I do love you and you are very hot, so you're still German to me."

"Thank you, Schnucki."

"Okay, doppelgänger check," Five stepped in front of Klaus as we headed into the community. "Do you feel anything strange? Itching, sweats, gas, anything like that?"

"No, I feel great," he grinned. "Apart from the old rash on the tackle, but what can you do?"

Five gave me a horrified look and I nodded with a grimace. "Good thing I'm indestructible, I guess..." I muttered before following my fiancé.

That place was exactly the way you would expect. It was crowded and creepy, it smelled like cow shit and everyone spoke a language I couldn't even begin to understand. 

"Hello there, guten tag, sehr erfreut," Klaus waved, but nobody seemed very pleased to see us. I awkwardly nodded, trying not to make eye contact, until I saw something that made me nearly gag and run the opposite direction.

"She's skinning a rabbit!" I covered my mouth. "It was a rabbit, it was alive, she's taking its skin! That's it, I'm going back to being a vegetarian! I had to stop because of that whole being stranded in Vietnam thing, but I refuse to eat meat after seeing this."

"Vicky, I think this is her..."

"Your mom is a monster!" I whispered.

"Mom," he called without even checking, but it's not like Klaus has been known to think twice before doing anything in his life.

"Nay, English, no mothers here. Only rabbits," the lady offered him a smile. 

"Dead ones..." I squeaked.

"I'm sorry, I'm looking for Rachel Herschberger," Klaus asked.

"No Rachel," a man came out of a shed before the lady could answer us. 

"Oh, okay, well that's a shame," Klaus watched him warily, by the tone of his voice, he wasn't looking to be friends. "Do you know where I might find her? I'm trying to track her down-"

"I said, there's no Rachel here. Now walk your fancy boots back to town where you belong and leave us be."

"You know Rachel don't you, Sara-Beth?" I looked at the woman, her eyes grew seeing I knew her name. "I can see you know her, you lost her..."

"Maybe you should let the kids speak, Caleb," she murmured, looking at me like I was some sort of witch.

"Yeah, no need to get your knickers in a twist," Klaus tried to joke, but that man wasn't having it.

"You're upsetting the womenfolk, now you're upsetting me..." Caleb took a step forward, giving Klaus a shove that made him fall on his ass.

"Your wife wants to talk to us, asshole," I growled, pushing that prick back. "If you touch my fiancé again I will do to you what she's doing to that rabbit, don't fucking test me, you freak! Womenfolk happen to love him!"

"I am not scared to hit a woman," he threatened.

"And I'm not scared to hit a stupid little bitch," I punched that man without hesitation, drawing blood from his nose. "Don't touch my family!"

"What is the matter with you?" Klaus got up, pulling me away to keep a real fight from happening. "I thought you people were supposed to be nice! You have ruined the Amish for me forever!"

On our way back to the car, I couldn't stop thinking about the look on that woman's face, she wanted to talk to us, she knew something! We have been pushed around our entire lives, now we were letting it happen again! 

"We're not leaving until we know where your mother is," I grabbed Klaus' hand and dragged him the other way, following the sound of Sara-Beth's thoughts, getting louder as we got closer to where she was in the middle of the woods.

"Vicky no! We're gonna get killed!" he cried.

"No, I can protect you, we need to know! We just lost so much, it's only fair we get the answer to the most fundamental question that permeated our entire lives," I insisted, finally finding the person we were looking for. "Hey, we need to talk."

"I don't want any trouble!" she backed off, clearly terrified of her husband. How could those people live like that? Always in fear, always in hiding.

"No no, neither do we," Klaus held his hands up. "You know Rachel, right?"

"She's my sister."

"Oh! That's..." he gave my hand a squeeze. "Do you know where I can find her?"

"Young man, she's been dead for over thirty years."

"What? That doesn't make any sense," I shook my head. "How did she die? When?"

"Brain hemorrhage, took her quick, thank the Lord," she frowned. "October 1st, 1989."

"What about her son?" Klaus asked.

"What son?"

"English! The cows are missing!" I heard Caleb's voice and elbowed my fiancé. 

"Jump on my back! Come on!" he asked, knowing speed was not my strong suit, so I did. I jumped on his back and he took off just like we did when we were younger. "Wow, you lost a lot of weight the last three years, huh? Let's get you some vegan burgers, okay?"

"I thought that was a good thing!" I gasped.

"I want you to be healthy, not necessarily skinny! Five! Five, start the call would ya?" 

"Hurry, Five! Stop doing math and start the car!" I yelled, flipping off the huge mob of Amish assholes following us like that scene from Pirates of the Caribbean when Captain Jack Sparrow is running from the cannibals. 

"Why can't you two just get along with people?" Five scolded, hurrying to get the car going. "You get into trouble everywhere!"

"We tried, we really did! The Amish are not as nice as people say," Klaus panted, letting me down.

"Wait! Wait a second, take this," Sara-Beth showed up from the other side of the woods bringing Klaus an old notebook. "Rachel's death was unusual and she wasn't the only one. "You have her eyes, English... Now go!"

"She would be proud of his future wife too, right?" I asked, sticking my head out of the window.

"No time!" Five growled. "Get in, Klaus! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

The angry mob almost reached the car, but we were able to narrowly escape with our little old brother's getaway skills, but Klaus wasn't worried in the least. He was more focused on reading his aunt's notes.

"This timeline is chock-full of riddles, get this," he pointed. "My mom died here before I was even born!"

Hearing those words, Five stepped on the breaks and I nearly flew threw the windshield, ending up between the two of them. "I need to start using a seatbelt, I know I can't get hurt, but that would've been such a mess..."

"Look, she passed on my birthday just a few moments before I was supposed to be born, you know... the 12th hour of the first day of October," Klaus flipped through the pages in frustration. "Oh no, Vicky... Your mom died too. Can you translate this?"

"Jovem estudante do Rio de Janeiro morre na praia de Copacabana após uma aparente hemorragia sem motivo confirmado. Suspeitas de bala perdida foram descartadas, o corpo apresentava sinais de gravidez... It says she died at the beach after a freak hemorrhage, they thought she was hit by a stray bullet, but she wasn't, and she was already pregnant with me."

"Look at her, Liebling, she was so beautiful. Just like you, look at these cute freckles... I'm so sorry, I know how much you thought about her."

"I know this is all very sad, but we have bigger problems here!" Five interrupted.

"I guess we do, if our moms never gave birth to us doesn't that create a paradox?" I asked. 

"Bingo, we might've just created the worst paradox we could possibly create... The grandfather paradox."

[thelucyverse]

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

I end up in the middle of an informal Order meeting- just a dinner, I suppose, but it looks like a meeting to me as I have only seen these people at Order meetings in the past years.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius asks, in a mixture of confusion, anger (at the world in general and because he can't visit his best friend all the time, being his secret keeper) and happiness (because I was a distraction from anger and frustration?).

"I- something happened. V- /the Dark Lord/," I catch myself, being around them almost made me forget the danger of that name, "he had some of his followers under a kind of mind control- I broke it, and there was chaos, and a few death eaters died- you can put Malfoy and Greyback on that list, one of the Carrows too I think, and Nott and Avery were in pretty bad shape last I've seen- and-" "Malfoy him or Malfoy her?" Sirius asks. I want to raise an eyebrow, say 'I didn't know you cared', but then I catch the way he is looking in the direction of the kitchen. Oh. Andromeda. I hadn't realised she was around. "Just him" I quickly explain. "Actually, that's another thing- I didn't exactly come here alone..."

There is definitely a lot of shouting involved, and I am just about ready to run outside, grab Bella and get away from here, when Andromeda stomps out of the kitchen and past everyone to open the door. Suddenly, it's very silent in the living room.

"Narcissa." Andromeda says, her voice cold but her resolve to stay that way definitely wavering. "And- Bella, you too? Regulus??"

"What?!" Sirius pushes her out of the way to see his younger brother. "Reg?! What the fuck?! Wait, you were under mind control??"

"Uh, no, actually" Regulus winces, scratches his head, taking an involuntary step back. "Really just didn't know how to get out, at this point... Did try to do some shit, but someone had gotten there before me, and then I kinda didn't have the energy to try again..." Sirius groans and shakes his head at him. "Fucking Slytherins..." "He took down Carrow" Bella interrupts. There's definitely some pride for her cousin in her voice. "You what?"

Interrupting before this gets more chaotic than necessary, I explain: "Actually, out of the three, only Bella was under the mind control. There were others, I have a few suspicions but nothing confirmed. Narcissa was magically bound to her husband in some way, but- well, he's dead now." no need going into the fact that I broke the connection beforehand. People know of your power- people want you to use it. Bad enough I can't pretend like I didn't do the rest- but, if I play it right, maybe it'll just look like it was another Dark Mark related thing instead of soul magic. As long as Bella and Narcissa play along... I curse myself for talking so openly earlier. Heat of the moment...

"And- what? We're supposed to believe that they are just immediately reformed?" Andromeda snaps, pulling me from my thoughts. "In case you have forgotten all about it, my dear sisters never stood up for me when I was cast out, and I'm fairly certain they weren't under any mind control then!" I pinch my neck. "Andromeda" I say, holding up a hand to silence her as well as her sisters. "They would have just been cast out too if they had tried to help you, what did you expect? They're Slytherins, some healthy egoism is in their blood! And-" I take a deep breath- "yes, they grew up around blood supremacy ideology and probably never questioned it much, but tell me- if you hadn't fallen in love with Ted, if you hadn't had any /reason/ to question it yourself, would you have acted any different than them?" Andromeda is silent, and I sigh. "Yes, they aren't perfect people, but they are ready to act against the Dark Lord, and isn't that all we need to know right now? You don't need to get on, but we can't afford to be picky with our allies at the moment."

Andromeda nods, stares at her sisters for a long moment and turns around to disappear in the house. In that moment, however, Regulus cries out and lands on his knees, hand pressing against his arm. I curse. "Fuck!" I should have thought of that, I should have /anticipated/ that and done something about it! Of course, the second maze of dark marks hadn't been broken, and Regulus hadn't been part of the first...

Bending down to get a better look at it, I am appalled: this isn't just a second round of the same thing, but a new, terrifying curse instead. This isn't just meant to curse pain and summon people, this is-

Breaking away from the magic with a gasp, I sit back and disarm him, then grasp Regulus' face, force him to look into my eyes. "The Dark Lord can control you through that" I hiss. "And it isn't- it isn't like the others, and I don't have /time/, he's going to act, he might try to take over your body- the only way to get rid of it I can think of is to get rid of the arm. Regulus?" He stares at me, shell-shocked and still obviously in pain. Then he presses out: "Do it."

I turn around to the others, looking for help. "Does anyone- he'll need medical attention at least-" "I'm getting Pomfrey!" Dädalus Diggle squeaks out and disapparates. I wince. Pomfrey means Dumbledore. Well, best get it all over with. I turn around to Regulus- only to find him staring back with unseeing eyes. Fuck. He turns on the spot, trying to apparate- and falls on his face. Thank Fuck has I thought to disarm him. It's easy to tie him up now, and he doesn't seem to be properly possessed by anything that could talk- Voldemort probably just sent out a generic 'come home' signal.

"What's happening to him?" Sirius shouts behind us, alarmed. "The fuck did she just say was happening" Bella hisses at him, and I smile at her protectiveness of me. Whatever else happens, I think we can figure out the thing between us.

The /cracks/ of apparition around us alert us of the arrival of newcomers, and we all immediately raise our wands in defence- it's Dumbledore, Mad-Eye, McGonnagall and Pomfrey (do they hang out for tea together, or what?), but I don't lower my defence immediately. "How many stories does the house behind us have?" I hiss. "Two" Dumbledore answers calmly. "It is really just us. Now, what is going on her?" "Constant vigilance!" Mad-Eye booms "She has it right! All of you, lowering your wands like little-" "Alastor!" McGonnagall interrupts him indignantly. In that moment, Dädalus arrives, carrying an assortment of medical equipment and potions bottles. Pomfrey steps forward to take some of them of him. "I was told there would be a patient?"

"Not yet" I say, nodding to Regulus. "But could we maybe move inside first?" that leads to another discussion ultimately abandoned for the moment when Regulus starts to twitch and I can see the curse slowly flickering past his elbow...

Mad-Eye is the one to do the actual amputating, and while I don't understand that choice, I believe in Pomfrey's judgement, and I'm glad it doesn't have to be me. Somehow, blood and open wounds in a medical environment are just more bile-inducing than in battle. Plus, it means I can be there for Bella when the continues discussion amongst the people not involved in the amputating turns back to what to do and where to go. We can't exactly keep standing just outside of the Fidelius property forever.

"Oh, for god's sake!" I finally hiss- for a moment then, I am afraid because I used a muggle idiom, but then I remember where I am. I turn to Dumbledore. "Let's use your pensive. You can tell when a memory has been tampered with, can't you? Let's go." Mad-Eye comes with us, and the five of us apparate to the Hogwarts gates. It is the first time I actually see the castle. It is, somehow, both more and less impressive than expected. Narcissa is the first Dumbledore asks for her memories. They are a jumbled mess of colours and shock and /fear/, neatly highlighting the scene where she /has/ to check on Lucius when he is unconscious, not revealing much about my actions apart from the fact that I used an imperius on Malfoy. Dumbledore raises an eyebrow at that, but he doesn't comment, and Mad-Eye just snorts: "Had it commin'!" Bellatrix' memory is first even more jumbled than Narcissa's, darkness of hatred clouding thoughts and judgement, only to go over in sharp, clear pain when her soul is healing herself. She doesn't show the scene of me telling them about soul-magic, either. Then I show my recap- how Bellatrix first changed after going to a meeting with Voldemort, how others had similar changes or behaviors, how Bellatrix collapsed under some outside influence- then back to how Narcissa never seemed to like her husband, how I cut the connection to him, and finally how, through Lucius' eyes under the imperius, I broke the connect of the Dark Mark to Voldemort. Dumbledore and Mad-Eye seem to buy that as the full story. After each taking a magicians' oath not to knowingly and actively aid Voldemort in any way (I demanded the phrasing instead of a vow not to act against the Order. That had too much room for complications), they were given the Secret of Tine Cottage, and we went back to Headquarters.

Just as Regulus is sitting down on the chair next to sirius, one cursed arm lighter and a grim expression on his face, Snape stumbles in- and it is that stumbling that saved him, because instantly, Mad-Eye, McGonnagal and I all have our wands pointed at him. The others would have probably just kept them pointing in threat, but I immediately disarm and stun him. "What-" squeaks Dädalus. I shake my head, walk over, kick away his wand and cast a diagnostic. I shiver. I might not like the man that much, but he doesn't deserve this. "It's the same as Regulus" I say slowly. "Only I don't think it's on his arm... The tattoo on his arm is empty, it must have been one of the ones I destroyed... This one is on his chest, over his heart." McGonnagal gasps in shock. I had heard that she and Snape are something like friends, now, or at least good colleagues, despite her having been his teacher not too long ago. I feel sorry for her.

"What can we do?" Regulus asks, staring at the pale form of Snape on the ground. I realise that he must have just found out that Snape isn't on Voldemort's side. "Right now, we have to make sure he can't move or talk, no matter what the Dark Lord wants him to do. Madam Pomfrey?" She sets to work putting Snape into a magically induced coma. I am thinking hard now. "Dumbledore- can you be sure that your Fidelius holds when Riddle possibly saw every last thought in Snape's head?" "The Fidelius is a charm of-" "I don't need a lesson, I need an answer!" I hiss. Some of the others are clearly distraught by the way I am talking to their leader, as if they don't remember that it was the same way before I went undercover. "...rest assured, it will hold." Dumbledore answers. "Now, my dear, I believe we have to have a discussion long overdue- while I am gratified to hear that Tom is weakened, your rash actions have put many at risk, including Severus here. And of course, the use of the Imperius curse-"

I explode, barely hearing how Mad-Eye grumbles about the unforgivable curses being legal for aurors at wartime. "Oh /shut up!/" I shout. "Shut up with your holier than thou attitude, and don't you dare talk down to me again calling me your 'dear'! I had acted immediately because it was already happening, you saw the damn memory, you saw how Bella collapsed, but I suppose I should have just left her to die 'for the greater good'! And don't pretend to even care about Severus, you wouldn't even have let him join the Order if we hadn't talked you into it, after all you already had your spy! And don't think I didn't notice how you didn't even care to mention Regulus- he's sitting here and missing an arm! And the goddamn imperius curse was fucking necessary to break the curse in the marks, plus it's not like I could have let Lucius go otherwise, anyway, yes maybe there would have been a better way but not in that moment when I didn't have any time! And /don't you dare pretend you have never done something questionable!/ I know your history maybe better than anyone else in this room apart from yourself, or /including/ if you've deluded yourself well enough! So be damn. Fucking. Careful what you say to me." panting, I sit down, and feel Bellatrix grabbing my shoulder in support. Mad-Eye slides over a glass of whiskey. There's a glint in his eyes as if he's glad to see Dumbledore taken down a notch- funny, I would have thought he was an Albus Dumbledore fanclub fanatic. But I detect no poison in the alcohol, so I down it. Needed that right now.

Dumbledore is silent. Everyone is, really. I sigh. While I'm glad the old man is shutting up for a moment, we still have a war to plan.

"How many of the- /items/ regarding Riddle's downfall have already been collected, and how many more do you think there are?" McGonnagall says. 'Items', really? What, does she think we're all going to turn into vicious crazed murderers to split our own soul if we find out what Horcruxes are? "You got three, right?" I ask. I got Hufflepuff's cup from Bella- uh, you probably don't remember that anymore, you asked to be obliviated afterwards-" "I remember leaving it in Gringotts like he asked, despite my- doubts-..." Bella murmurs. I can't help it, I grin proudly. "You got back into the bank immediately after, got the cup and asked to be obliviated of anything after you first left the bank. Terribly clever, that!" "Wait, was that while she was under the mind control thingy?" Sirius asks, and Regulus leans forward too, probably personally interested. I grimace. "The control she was under wasn't as- explicit- as the one you experienced. It wasn't like she was possessed, she was still herself for the most part, just- more open to murder and serving the Dark Lord unconditionally, basically... And she was already fighting it." then I remember something: "Oh! Wow, how the heck I managed to forget about this I don't even know" I exclaim, then mutter: "it's oozing evil so you'd think I'd've noticed, but I guess there's been too much of that today..." I pull Tom Riddle's diary out if my coat pocket, only touching it with my sleeve. "Number five! Got it from Lucius Malfoy's study. And- I don't actually think there are currently any others? If V- /He/ gets a familiar, we should make sure to kill that too, in case he's twisted enough to try something on a living thing, but otherwise..." silence falls in the room. Then, excited chattering from just about everyone. Despite myself, I have to grin, too, and reach up to squeeze Bella's hand that's still on my shoulder. The war is coming to a close.

Remus Lupin- the only spy we have left- arrives to report that the werewolves are in disarray, and while them not having a leader isn't an ideal state re: not killing anyone on the full moon, it's still definitely better than being lead by Greyback, who would have them kill on purpose. Also, not many of them are going to follow Voldemort- apparently, the Deatheater liaisons just stopped showing up. That's something. Are other Deatheaters just disappearing, too? Fleeing or dead? I wonder. And I propose an idea: to lure out Voldemort and all his followers for one big final battle to get rid of them all with a bang. Because while getting rid of the Dark Lord himself is the main goal, I'm afraid many if the Deathesters aren't quite as worshipful of him as they might have been in the distant future- they still see an organization that he happens to be the leader of, not a philosophy that stands and falls with him. If we take him out, what says another won't take over? "We know he has less people in his ranks than before, possibly less than he knows, probably less than the followers he still does have know- he wouldn't tell them that their position is weakened. If we can lure his army somewhere into the open- a field, or even Hogwarts grounds as long as the school is still closed- we can disappear in his army, dressed as Deatheaters ourselves, and take them out from within before it can even come to an attack" I suggest.

That leads to another great discussion, but in the end my idea is accepted. Which leads the question: how do we lure him out, what do we use as bait? "I have the full prophecy of which he only knows half." Dumbledore tells us. "What prophecy?" "Prophecy, what prophecy?" oh, how nice to see that his people are always fully informed of what's going on. Not. An explanation (and a lot of sneering about wanting the prophecy to come true from my side to Dumbledore, which leads to Sirius and Remus getting mad at him too in defense of their godson) later, Narcissa asks: "But how do we get the Dark Lord to go after it?" before immediately blushing, looking down and wanting to disappear. It's the first time she has said anything in this meeting. "We could use Snape" Bella chimes in. I grin. "That's a grand idea- he knows Snape's a spy and undoubtedly also who he is with, he's going go keep trying to look through his eyes... If, the next time Pomfrey would have to renew the coma spells, we just chain him to the bed instead and let him wake, we can have people visit him- several, to make it more believable, with most just there to talk to Snape and try to talk him out of his mind control- but me, or one of you two- or Regulus, too- we could go in to speak to Voldemort through him, to taunt him, to make it seem like we think we've already won because of what the prophecy said..."

Getting Voldemort to bite is disgustingly easy. We put Snape in a hospital bed in Hogwarts to make sure Voldy will come to the right location, then Dumbledore comes to talk to Severus about fighting the evil within while completely ignoring all that Tom has to say to the topic- next is Lily, who has a pretty good fake cry, pretending that she wants her best friend back while of course the true reason is for old Morty to see her at Hogwarts- if the prophecy isn't enough, the prospect of getting to the Potters /and/ the prophecy might do. And then, entry Bella, laughing mean and half-crazed about what she has heard about the prophecy the Dark Lord was so in love with, and that he would never get to rule ever again because he was stupid enough to believe half-knowledge was enough, and that little attacks by his followers were getting him anywhere, how good for us it was that he holed up his own power in a cave to rot. Yeah, Voldy-Snape snarled pretty impressively when she left the room, I'm kind of sorry for the state of Snape's teeth from all that grinding them.

Meanwhile, we have copied Death Eater masks and cloaks while also managing go get in contact with a few of the others I had suspected to be under 'mind control'. Arleen Singer, Corban Yaxley, Sabina Frey... Sabina has scars on her face she hadn't had when I had last seen her, and a part of me feels guilty for not making sure that she got out of Malfoy Manor safely- on the other hand, I'm just glad the scars aren't on mine of Bellatrix' faces.

On the day of the battle, everything feels rather anticlimactic. We had all preparations ready days before, having hurried not knowing when Voldemort would come, and even though he comes in the dead of night, many are already awake and the rest do wake when the first alarm is triggered. We move, silent and disillusioned until we reach our location, into the rows of death eaters and the rest of the Dark Lord's followers. We had decided to go in pairs, to pre-decided locations far enough apart that the stunning spell-bombs we have won't reach the other pairs. There was much discussion about what to do about Voldemort, now that he is most likely mortal, too, and in the end Mad-Eye ended the discussion by stating that as an Auror, he has a kill order on that man, and he won't do anything less. Dumbledore isn't happy about it, but he doesn't need to be. Squeezing Bella's hand under our Death-eater robes, I wait for the signal. It's pretty obvious when it happens- green light where Voldemort stood in the middle of his army, two flashes- one for the snake, one for the man. Then green sparks, the all clear.

Voldemort has fallen.

The Dark Lord is no more.

There will be time for relief later, now I have to move: I activate the ring of the spell-bomb in my hand, aiming away from us, while Bella does the same. As soon as the chaos starts, we scream as if surprised and run forward- past the line that ends the area that is going to trap the Deatheaters. Once we are past it, we pretend to be caught as if by invisible strings- as if this is the dangerous area, and not the one the Deatheaters are already on. The few others who weren't hit stumble back, afraid, and the two who do move forward past the line are caught by actual spells when they don't pretend to be caught to indicate that they belong to us.

Counting the figures with their hands in the air in the position as arranged, I smile when I see that we all made it back out alright. Raising my hand and shooting green sparks in the air, the rest of our team raise the anti-apparition, anti-magic in general wards on the area the Death eaters are on, plus physical shields not only surrounding the area but also in partages, in case one of them goes on a rampage he won't be able to get to everyone of them now. Deatheater or not, those people should get a trial now that the war is over. McGonnagall sends a patronus to the ministry, and Mad-Eye goes to collect more Aurors.

I don't stay to find out what happens next. My part is done here.

In the Great Hall in Hogwarts, breakfast is layed out. I sigh as we enter, leaning into Bellatrix, finally able to relax somewhat. Bella smiles, then slowly walks over towards the Slytherin table, stroking her hand over the old wood. What memories is she thinking on? "What would your house be?" she asks me instead. "I know you were never sorted." I frown. I had never given this much thought. During the war, I had done many things one could call stupidly brave, but I hadn't done them out of chivalry or to prove that I wasn't afraid. Many actions were, of course, means to an end, calculating in Slytherin ways... And I had had to be clever, and I valued intelligence. But then again... "The sorting hat usually decides what house you are at eleven" I muse. "Had I been sorted at that age, I would have undoubtedly been a Slytherin, angry at my fate, at the world, ready to do just about anything to anyone to get what I wanted. Then throughout my life, however... I did things that fit in all four houses. Maybe not Gryffindor, at the very least less. But at the moment, what I would choose, or what the hat might choose for me based on my values? Hufflepuff. Kindness, loyalty, we need more of that in this fucked up world."

Part 5