Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Holly Evans and the Spiral Path
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related concepts are owned by someone who isn't me. I will never seek or accept money for the circulation of this work.
Author's Note about Tangents: '9403b - Polyamour' is the second of the three Tangents involving Tonks at this point in Holly's tale. The third Tangent, '9403c - Enthralled' doesn't occur until the end of the chapter. I created three different pieces because, well frankly it's a lot of sex to write. One could almost see it as Fate's reward to Holly for having suffered through chapters 22-28. The Tangents will be posted soon, but the story marches forward.
Holly Evans and the Spiral Path
Chapter 29: The Spiral
10th March, 1994
Minerva,
Since we were all drinking the lemondrop cocktails, I figure you might want a written version of our conversation, plus you'll see the beginning from our side. I think the beverage made me a little less calm rather than more. Maybe that's why Natalia likes it so much. The headache goes away with a spot of Earl Grey or coffee.
Transcription: 10th March, 1994 starting 11:38 AM
Holly and Natalia are lounging in the library. Holly is reading through an early journal of Lily's while Natalia is hanging upside down from the unlit ironwork chandelier playing with a yo-yo.
Holly: "If the fixture comes down while you're up there, I'm only going to laugh."
Natalia: "Holly, you should really try this out."
Holly: "I thought we agreed to relax today after our exertions."
Natalia: "That's my point! This is really relaxing!"
Holly: "You seem so calm, I don't know what I was thinking."
A stone on the desk begins to emit a crackling sound, soon resolving into the voice of Minerva McGonagall.
Minerva: (from stone) "...Evans? Miss Evans! Holly!"
Natalia: "What's the noise from?"
Holly: "I... uh, left a sounding stone at my parents' house in town."
Natalia: "I thought you said you wouldn't leave?"
Natalia flips forward and back, inverting herself midair to land standing in the center of the room.
Holly: "Excellent dismount! Anyway, I didn't leave. They're linked stones like a muggle baby monitor, so I told Dobby to leave the other in the wreckage and he did so. Dobby!"
Holly writes out a note on a scrap of parchment from the desk: 'Lily's Madhouse is in the old Servant's cottage at the edge of the property known as Potter Manor.' Holly and Natalia stand silently for a minute.
Holly: "Dobby!"
Dobby appears with a pop, in the process of hopping up and down.
Holly: "Need a loo or something?"
Dobby: "Mrs. Peggy is yelling about being a Mitchell and Mrs. Baglady is finally sharing her rum drops with Dobby! Is it important?"
Holly: "Well, telly shows don't count as important so take this slip of paper to Minerva over at 106 Matchstick Court, alright?"
Dobby: "But..."
Holly: "Takes 3 minutes if you complain, less if you leave now!"
Dobby: "Mistress Holly has bad priorities!"
Dobby snatches the slip of parchment from Holly's hand and disappears with a pop.
Holly: "We should spend some time with Buckbeak while we wait for my Godmum to come here to box my ears."
Natalia: "Alright! I've been meaning to see if he and I can come to an understanding."
Holly: "I thought you and creatures were a bad mix."
Natalia: "Uhh, yeah. Must be a little Holly in me!"
Natalia grins. Holly smirks back.
Holly: "Grab the thermos- we should share our newest concoction since we're having a guest."
Natalia grabs a wool jumper from a leather seated wood chair and pulls it on over her head.
Natalia: "Holly, where does Bucky go when we're not feeding him?"
Holly: "He probably flies around the area. I keep wondering when the Nott's are going to try to hunt down the evasive Hippogriff that keeps feeding off their hunting dogs, but Bucky keeps coming back."
Transcription ends.
Transcription: 10th March, 1994 starting 12:20 PM
Holly and Natalia are sitting out on a low stone wall dividing a field from a gravel road. The overcast sky and local fog make for a chilly midday, so both girls are out in wool sweaters and denims. Buckbeak is moseying about in the field, occasionally fed by Natalia tossing a summoned field mouse into the air near Bucky's reach. Holly is watching the progress idly, pulling a cigarette from a pack sitting on the stone wall between them. Holly lights up the cancer stick with a small flame from her finger and glances down the gravel road towards the nearby town center, seeing Minerva McGonagall approaching at a brisk walk with a very stern expression, swathed in layers of her family tartan.
Minerva: "Holly Evans! You cannot, you must not do this!"
Holly exhales a stream of smoke and regards the fag in her hand.
Holly: "I know, I'm underage. I just think it fits the convict theme."
Minerva: "Not that filthy habit! I'm talking about your plans! You must not go through with this!"
Holly: "Must not... you mean the Mark? We did that yesterday."
Minerva: "But I just got your journal entry about it an hour ago!"
Holly: "Exactly. This wasn't a cry for help; I only told you what I was planning to do after I already did it. I mean, I wrote the whole thing out at the time but I didn't sign it until late this morning. Sorry. It's nice of you to visit though."
Minerva: "Aiiggh!!"
[See Tangent: 9403b - Polyamour]
Minerva steps angrily back and stomps in each cardinal direction making a tight circle, as if to look for a nearby source to blame for her frustration. Holly picks up a thermos resting in the grass by her feet.
Holly: "Would you like a drink? Talia reconstituted Albus' Lemon Sours into a very agreeable cocktail."
(Pfft)
Minerva: "And since when did you start smoking?"
Holly: "She started me on it."
Natalia: "Did not!"
Holly: "You did so, you liar!"
Natalia: "Well yeah, but Prof McG wouldn'ta known that for sure if we just kept up the banter for a few more volleys..."
Holly: "Yes, but you stopped bantering."
Natalia: "Oh. Right. My bad."
Natalia tosses another mouse in a high arc. Bucky flies off and intercepts the mouse before it hits the ground.
Minerva: "Please, Miss Tonks do NOT refer to me as 'Proff MacJee'! I already feel as if I've lost control of this situation."
Holly: "Mum, you already had. I need your wise counsel, but it is still my life on the chopping block. I insist that final decisions about it are mine to make. Besides, I'm on holiday. Why'd you come?"
Minerva: "Why? Holly why wouldn't I want to see you? For one, we haven't spoken directly since you were incarcerated. But more importantly, you've not just slipped from the path I've been trying to guide you along, you've fair to jumped off a cliff nearby after kicking some kittens!"
Holly flicks the cigarette onto the gravel drive path.
Holly: "I was just kidding by the way, I haven't started smoking; (Cough, COUGH! COUGH!) GOD that stuff is awful. How does your mum stand it?"
Natalia: "Dunno, but she's never more than 5 yards from an open pack if she can help it. The coughing does make it easier to find her in department stores."
Minerva: "(Sigh) Yes, Holly. I will take a drink. I would appreciate a comfortable chair, and if you could introduce me to my namesake piece of furniture I might consider not hinting to the Nott's about your hideaway on their land."
Holly: "Now, now. What they can't remember owning won't hurt them. It's not like they truly own the land anyway. They can change the signage all they want; this is still Potter Manor as far as the wards are concerned."
Holly smiles broadly, hops over the low wall and quickly walks up to give Minerva a strong hug.
Holly: "I'm really glad to see you, Mum!"
Minerva: "Yes, well you could have fooled me."
Holly: "Well, yeah, I did. That was the prank."
Minerva: "Och, yuir a devil child, you are!"
The three women walk along the gravel road until Holly leads them to the door of a thatched-roof stone cottage. Entering the darkened space, Minerva takes note of the simple sitting room and kitchen beyond, with a staircase up to a loft bedroom. Holly walks to the other side of the staircase by the kitchen entry, pushing open a wall-like door that leads to a second staircase leading down. Small wall sconces with tealight candles alight as they step down into the small cellar. The dank room holds several dilapidated wine racks with dusty bottles and a more modern-looking meat-locker sized freezer. Natalia pulls open the door to the freezer, revealing a wide selection of frozen meats and one shivering fairy providing a dim light.
Holly: "Left-hand opening, Tonks."
Natalia: "I know, but I'm hungry. We should be hostess-y and make bangers and rolls."
Minerva: "That would be polite, and agreeable to me as well."
Holly: "Oh. Good thinking. You understand you're my first guest, right Mum?"
Minerva: "And Miss Tonks would be..."
Holly looks to Natalia who smiles back.
Holly: "Family. My clan-sister. And my jailer, so it's not like I can uninvite her anyway."
Natalia: "That's the deal! Plus your four-poster's a damned sight more comfy than the rotting camp-bed in my flat."
Tonks closes the door and then pulls at the massive appliance as if to shift its position, causing it to slide to the right smoothly, revealing another set of stairs. Following those downward the stairs twist back under the cellar until opening into a library area with a fifteen foot ceiling. The fire in the hearth across from the stairs immediately starts to chase away the chill of the foggy day above.
Holly: "Welcome to Lily's Madhouse."
Minerva: "You'll not be renaming it then?"
Holly: "No. She didn't call it her nuthouse- this is where my Mum released her anger, refocusing it into her work. I absolutely empathise. Besides, I can't say how long it will be before I can master a Fidelius Charm. There's oceans of magic to learn. Octogonagall, front and center!"
The tall dark wood table walks over to stop in front of Holly, the half-finished plate of biscuits sliding back and forth across the top until the animate furniture ceases moving.
Minerva: "Well! I approve!"
Holly: "For Lily's sake I'll say thank you from the House of Evans. Have a biscuit. Dobby!"
Dobby appears with a pop looking a little disheveled. His eyes are barely open but obviously bloodshot and his nose is drippy.
Dobby: "Yes, Holly Mistress!"
Holly: "Are... you SOBER enough to cook?"
Dobby: "Righty diddlies, my Mistress! What are we haaaaaaaaaving?"
Holly: "Natalia has some bangers, and we'd like some rolls to go along with it. How many rumdrops did Bathilda give you?"
Dobby: "Can't count that high anymore. Holstress. Missy."
Holly: "Um, Dobby?"
Dobby: "Yup?"
Holly: "You're embarassing me and the House of Evans right now. Do everything you can to not poison us, alright?"
Dobby: "Oooooh! Oh! Oh NO! Ohnonononononono!"
Holly: "DOBBY!"
Dobby: "Yes Mistress!"
Holly: "Cook now, freak later!"
Dobby: "Affirmative!"
Dobby disappears, then appears across the room to grab the frozen package of meat from Natalia, who has been expertly suppressing a manic giggle-fit up until this point.
Natalia: "BAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Holly: "Yeah, well you can taste it first! Mum, have a sit in the reading chair; it's the best we've got."
Minerva: "Thank you, Holly. Madhouse will do well for a name, I think.
Transcription skipped for lunch. Resuming 1:38 PM. No one poisoned, but Natalia said the rolls were dry. I drank pear juice.
Holly, Minerva and Natalia are sitting around the kneeling Octogonagall table in front of the hearthfire. Minerva is settled into the reading chair while the younger women occupy a pair of matched leather armchairs.
Holly: "Alright. I've been hospitable-like. Tear into me, Mum.
Minerva: "I have no desire to yell at you Holly."
Holly: "Yes, you do."
Minerva: "Stop interrupting! I have no desire to NEED to yell at you, Holly. Your decisions lately have not been well reasoned, but I understand that you were under considerable stress..."
Holly: "Stress? Yah! You..."
Minerva: "AHem!"
Holly: "Sorry."
Minerva: "As I was saying, you were under unusual stress at the time. Now is the point at which we must review those decisions and see what we need to change, and how you might handle things differently if faced with a similar circumstance in the future."
Holly: "You missed teaching me, didn't you?"
Minerva: "I'm embracing my new role as a parent and guide. Tutoring has never been my calling, as I dislike interruptions!"
Holly sits still with her lips pressed tightly together.
Minerva: "First of all, I think it was a very foolish thing to try and protect Miss Parkinson yourself, though I had no notion that such crimes were being committed within the halls of Hogwarts. I also believe that Director Bones was correct- it was not your place to pass judgment upon Mr. Flint. If as she said, you could have escaped without... executing him, it might have allowed a more proper exercise of the law to take place, leading to expulsion of all five of the boys and the snapping of their wands, not to mention time in Azkaban. I think you see now how that awful prison can be a fate worse than death, in its way."
Holly: "I have to interject here. Have you ever been to Azkaban?"
Minerva: "Well, no. I have not had cause to associate with anyone who fell so far from lawful behavior before now."
Holly: "I beg to differ! Hagrid was sent there last year. You didn't happen to visit him there during his unjust sentence, did you?"
Minerva: "Ah. I see your point."
Holly: "I don't think you do. No one leaves there untainted. Even Hagrid has gotten scarier. The whole Dementor-as-prison-guard concept basically makes murderers out of thieves. Azkaban is not a punishment, it's a boot camp for hardening criminals. After spending a total of nine days there, I am absolutely convinced that any prisoner sent there for theft will leave there feeling like they've earned the right to kill, maim or pillage for their unjust treatment."
Minerva: "Hagrid seems to have recovered well enough."
Holly: "Hagrid is part-ogre or something. He has a tremendous heart and a simple mind and is resistant to many things that would kill a muggle. Look, in muggle prisons they have solitary confinement. A prisoner punished this way for breaking prison rules is left in a dark room with only their own thoughts to consider and no social contact. It is seen as the harshest of punishments, never applied for more than a week at a time for the potential psychological damage that it will induce. That's the typical day at Azkaban for the limited-term prisoners! Only we're subjected to 'occasional run-ins' with Dementors dredging up our worst memories to relive, which for me meant a half-dozen of those things in a constant feeding frenzy outside my window. The hard-timers get a, one, Dementor of their very own. After a month of that, I would be able to justify any behavior as 'something I deserve'. Which brings up something else. Even if Sirius Black was entirely innocent of the charges, normally I believe he would have eaten Harry if he found him at this point. What I find extraordinary is that he broke into the castle twice only to retreat without harming a soul. I don't think he was guilty, and I think he has a stronger will than mine to have survived that place without becoming reflexively murderous."
Minerva: "At times, I'm not sure you've escaped that tendency."
Holly: "And you think reliving my worst moments for three months straight is going to improve that?"
Minerva: "No, but there must be some control! Without the fear of punishment for criminal acts, society will fall apart!"
Holly: "Good! Now we're getting somewhere! What part of this society do you think we should save?"
Minerva: "Holly!"
Holly jumps up from her chair in frustration.
Holly: "What Mum? What did you expect? My parents were murdered and I was changed, but Albus decides to put me with inexplicably cruel custodians rather than let me be raised anonymously in the magical world. When I get here my other self is hailed as a mythical savior while I can't seem to escape the label of Dark Bitch just because I don't roll over for every petty thug flexing his wand. What's more, the most horrid representative of this culture now wants to kill both versions of me for destroying his body on two separate occasions. Add to that all the fortune in money and knowledge from my family has been legally ripped away, separated and dispersed by the very evil usurers that no citizen trusts but all bank with. Do you know how the Nott's got Potter Manor? Someone in the Ministry detected some sort of 'infestation' of the grounds, and declared it a hazard to be condemned. They auctioned the property to the highest bidder willing to clean up the place. Since no one knew what the infestation was, only one family bid!
Minerva: "I had no idea..."
Holly: "Of course you didn't! The announcement and paperwork never left the Office of Estates Management! We only found out about it because Tonks is working in the DMLE records room and found the initial report of infestation. You know what it was? Rabbits! Seeing as the neighbors are rabbit breeders, I doubt it could be called an infestation so much as roaming livestock."
Minerva: "I don't think the goblins..."
Holly: "No, it was the pureblood patriarchs that fucked me over that time, but with goblin collusion paid for from my own vault! No, the goblins have a desire for Holly-feasting that defies even wizard logic at the moment. The greatest skinflints in the world are willing to GIVE BACK almost 10 millions of pounds to Harry in exchange for the right to do with me as they please. World leaders don't cost as much to assassinate! I am handed this enormous pile of feces in the space of a week, and just when... th-the only person I've loved tells me I'm a disgusting raging creature, I get assaulted for trying to save a girl who hates me. Then, in a last moment of hope I try to apply some justice to a bad situation and society cheers when I'm sent to HELL. HOW MANY TIMES AND IN HOW MANY WAYS MUST I BE RAPED BEFORE YOU GET IT?"
Minerva: "Get what, Holly?"
Holly: "Things... have to change. I'm going to make it happen. By hook, or by crook, Bright Witches shall rule this world, or we should drown it as an unwanted child! The Patriarchs have had their run. Their rule means nothing to me anymore."
Holly slumps down into her chair, exhausted. Minerva stares at her in shock for a minute, her eyes very active in thought over Holly's rant. Natalia looks between the two women, becoming uncomfortable with the charged silence.
Natalia: "So that's the... uhh, the big plan, is it?"
Holly: "Not a plan yet. Just a belief."
Natalia: "Alright then. What do we do in the meantime?"
Holly: "It's like I said. I'm on holiday. I need to read Lily's journals- she already saw what was going wrong, or she wouldn't have built this shop like a survivalist's bunker. With her perspectives and some time to think through all that has been revealed, we might just be able to work out a plan I can live with."
Minerva: "One you can live with?"
Holly: "Yeah, Mum. 'Cause without one, I won't be living long."
Natalia: "You could just leave. We could leave. There's nothing keeping you here but heartache it seems."
Minerva: "Be silent if you are not helping, Miss Tonks!"
Holly: "That's enough of that! Don't you dismiss her. Natalia has a point. Unfortunately, she also doesn't have all the facts. The Professor here says that Albus heard a prophesy that leads him to believe that only I can permanently end Riddle. I can't walk away, or when he rises again no one will be able to stop him. That's assuming Professor Dumb heard it right and told you the truth of the matter besides. Given his choices in handling my life, I tend to believe it. No one that successful would do so many stupid things without Divination being involved."
Natalia: "Still, he's not back yet. We could travel."
Minerva: "Are you so ready to abandon your future? You're on the cusp of a great career..."
Natalia: "Not without Holly I'm not."
Minerva turns to look directly at Natalia.
Minerva: "Miss Tonks. Nymphadora..."
Natalia: "That's Na-TALia!"
Minerva: "What? Oh of course..."
Natalia: "I changed my name! I hated my old name and Holly said I should change it, as I'm an adult."
Minerva: "Hardly proven, Miss Tonks. What Holly has done has robbed you of your free will!"
Natalia: "Yeah, right! Pull the other one! Other than coming to meet Holly at your request, which of my freely-made decisions in my past did you most admire?"
Minerva: "Well, you joined the Auror corps! I thought that was a wonderful decision and one well-suited to your talents."
Natalia: "You were the one that gave me the idea, and you were the one that helped me when I stumbled through the whole training. I was this close to being washed out when you rang me. All the good I've done has been by yours or Holly's suggestion. I don't feel like I've given up anything. I've gained a real purpose, and a fighting chance at being who I want to be, not to mention making a real difference!"
Minerva: "Following Miss Evans."
Natalia: "Wherever her delectable tushy sways me to!"
Holly: "Uhh, yeah. Mum, this isn't as dire and unseemly as it looks on first blush."
Minerva: "Oh really?! Have you or have you not enacted a blood ritual tying this woman to your will?"
Holly: "Uhh, yep. We did that. There was sex involved, and more vital humours than most people like to think about. But I fixed Riddle's mistake! His ritual was a corruption of the original version, and half of what he forced his Death-Eaters to do to get the Dark Mark was just blackmail material, I'm sure of it!"
Minerva: "How do you know so much about what He-Who..."
Holly: "Ah-HEM"
Minerva: "Fine, Riddle! How do you know so much about what RIDDLE did to his followers?"
Holly: "Because that was almost the last thing Lily was working to figure out! She has piles of notes on the Mark, the Death Eaters and Riddle's rise in her time. Also, Florean had some unexpected insights, but he's a smart man in a retiree's job, so I can only guess what he really does with his time. Look, I can give you the whole historical rundown and then you tell me if I've done something wrong!"
Minerva: "You mean something else? Wasn't turning your daughter into a mindless slave enough?"
Holly: "What..."
Minerva: "Your daughter. In Azkaban. Surely you thought it through- your eggs, your blood, your... seed. She's your daughter, soulless and feral though she may be!"
Holly: "No, that's... I... wha..."
Holly stands up with a kind of whimper and walks out of the library into the potions lab through the illusory wall.
Minerva: "Oh, dear."
Natalia looks down in shock, her face stuck in a frown of confusion. A distant weeping can be heard echoing from the potions lab.
Minerva: "Eh, Tonks. Will you be alright?"
Natalia: "I will if she will, I guess."
Minerva stands up shakily from the chair and then strides through the wall as she saw Holly do not moments before. Entering the potions lab area, Minerva sees Holly sitting on a stool and slumped over an open table, her chest convulsing in her crying.
Holly: "I thought... I thought I had it all figured out! I thought... it wasn't real. It was just a thing! Just a thi-i-i-ingggg!"
Minerva: "Holly..."
Holly: "Oh GOD! I am a monster! Hermione was right! Her brain's all fucked up and she still could see me falling to pieces!"
Minerva: "Holly, you musn't... think that things can't be fixed. There are always... possibilities. Perspectives."
Holly: "Really? You really believe that? Or are you just hoping you can get me back in prison before I fall any further?!"
Minerva: "I am not here as anything but your Godmother. I want to help, and to show you the things you may not have thought through. I am here to help you."
Natalia enters the potions lab and slowly walks up to the two women. She wraps Holly in an embrace from behind, kissing the top of her head.
Natalia: "Me too, Hols. I don't want to hurt you, and I'm not going to leave you. I just want to help."
Holly: "(Sniff) That's your mantra."
Natalia: "Yeah, well it works to keep me focused. What else is a mantra for?"
Holly leans back into Natalia's hug, more tears streaming from her eyes
Holly: "Thank you, Natalia. For your love and your brilliance and your wisdom."
Natalia: "Is she talking to me?"
Minerva: "Yes, I believe Holly is talking to you, Natalia. I couldn't agree more, either."
Natalia: "You said my name! I love my name!"
Minerva: "Well, that ended quickly."
Holly barks out a laugh and Natalia giggles at Minerva's sarcasm.
Minerva: "Let us return to your hearth and we will see what we can do with your current situation."
Natalia: "I'll make tea."
Holly: "Oh, Lord help me. Dobby."
Dobby appears with a pop.
Dobby: "Yes, Mistress Holly?"
Holly: "Sober then? Save us from Talia's brewing and bring us some tea, would you?"
Dobby: "Yes and yes, Mistress Holly! Dobby is foresworn from taking Baglady's treats ever again, Mistress Holly!"
Natalia: "Hey! I'm a right gifted brewmeister!"
Holly: "If it's magical, sure! Your Darjeeling tastes like syrup!"
Natalia: "That's 'cause there's syrup in it. I like syrup!"
The women walk back into the library to find that the Octogonagall table is anxiously awaiting them to reseat themselves before settling into place. Minerva returns to the reading chair and the younger women reseat themselves as well.
Minerva: "I think perhaps, that you have been simply overwhelmed with all that has happened, Holly. I agree, you need this holiday and you've well earned it, if only from outsmarting the Ministry's safeguards around their 'impregnable' prison. What I'd like you to consider is this; not every person in power is corrupt. Not every institution is inherently flawed. Much good happens by the efforts of a few motivated people. People like myself, Albus, Director Bones, Arthur Weasley, Mr. Diggory, even Xeno Lovegood with his fanciful periodical the Quibbler, are doing what we can to improve things. With your help, Miss Granger's help and the efforts of good teachers like Filius, Pomona and Remus, we can change the world without having to destroy it first."
Holly: "It's a nice thought, Mum. You just seem outnumbered and outgunned."
Minerva: "Shouldn't that be 'we' are outnumbered?"
Holly: "Your general has not seen fit to inform me of his plans. I don't think he's shared them with anyone, in fact. I find it hard to join up if I can't see how we'll win using the current methods."
Minerva: "This isn't a war, Holly."
Holly: "Really? Your ethics books included Cicero's insight; 'In times of war, the law falls silent.' Justice seems a mite mute at the moment. The Ministry declared war on women over a century ago and Riddle declared war on society thirty years ago. He's still fighting, and women keep losing, so I can't help but think the war is already here."
Minerva: "I... I don't want to agree with you."
Holly looks at Minerva with surprise.
Holly: "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm wrong. This could just be about me, and as soon as Riddle and I are done everything will just settle into an acceptable peace. (sniff) I don't WANT the world to be like this, but it just looks that way to me!"
Minerva: "Let's both agree to step back and consider all this for a time. You seem to have hit upon a stable situation here, so we can continue corresponding and meeting until your planned release. I'd appreciate the time myself, as I think I need to look into a few unanswered questions of my own."
Holly: "Well, I'm not going anywhere."
Minerva: "You've been relatively quiet, Natalia. Is there anything else you think we need to discuss?"
Natalia: "Well I hate to ruin the mood now that you've stopped yelling..."
Holly: "Tell me what you're thinking, Talia. It's important to me."
Natalia: "Well, when we get you back into Azkaban for your release, what do we do with Sim-Holly?"
Minerva: "Oh, dear. That is..."
Holly: "I'll kill her. The simulacrum will naturally melt into the constituent materials, leaving just a bunch of blood and goo. I'll return a few days early to make sure I can clean things up, and pick up the Azkaban 'ambience' so no one suspects I haven't been suffering as much as they had planned for me."
Minerva: "Just like that? Kill her?"
Holly: "It. I've decided I was right before. Sim-Holly is just a thing. She doesn't think or choose except by what instructions I've given... it. It's soulless, Mum. Just like you said. I'm just ending an experiment."
Minerva: "Do you feel the same way about Newt?"
Holly: "Of course not! Newt has already demonstrated to my frustration and delight that she is her own inky lizard. If I were you, I'd worry more about whether Greg Goyle and Vince Crabbe actually qualify as thinking beings."
Minerva: "Are you carrying a grudge of some sort? I hadn't thought they had crossed you."
Holly: "Not at all. I'm just saying that my definition of the life I need to respect is narrowing, as it has for warriors and slaughterhouse workers since before there was an England. Trust me, I'm not looking forward to killing Sim-Holly. I plan to make it happen as quickly and painlessly as I can manage, mind you in a locked cell with no wand or weapon allowed. It won't be my first cage-match; just the first pre-meditated death."
Minerva: "The first?"
Holly: "Riddle's out there. He has... well I wouldn't call them friends, but allies. If Albus can't figure out how to keep him from becoming independently solid and yet unkillable, we're likely to be involved with a lot of deaths."
Natalia: "He's really still out there?"
Holly: "As a spirit able to possess his willing followers like Quirinus Quirrel, at least. We're all quite annoyed."
Natalia: "Oh hey, me too!"
Holly: "That's the other half of this Sirius Black problem. I don't see why Black would hang around the castle instead of tracking down his master. Unless he didn't have the Mark..."
Minerva: "Why would the Mark make a difference?"
Holly: "If I die, Natalia's Mark will fade into just a tattoo, and all the protection and reinforcement she gets from me would disappear very quickly. Until then, I can summon her and she'll feel a pull in the right direction to find me, even apparate straight to where I am if no wards prevent it. A Marked follower of Riddle would know he was permanently gone when their mental barrier was lost. The tat probably wouldn't squiggle anymore, either. Therefore if he had the Mark, Black would know his master survives and would be able to go to his master's call. He has no reason not to, unlike the others with nice houses and easy jobs."
Natalia: "My tattoo moves? Cool!"
Holly: "Yeah, the Spiral spins slowly and shines a little in the light. That wasn't intentional; it will draw the eye more than I want. Thankfully I don't think you'd show anyone your tattoo that you didn't trust somewhat... intimately."
Minerva: "Perhaps now would be a good time for you to explain how Miss Tonks' body art isn't an abomination."
Holly: "Well first of all, you should understand that this was originally a clan-bonding ritual developed by the Celt-Iberians. Their coming-of-age ceremony bonded the young warrior to the clan in a sacrament of shared magic and the blood of the clan elders, making all forms of enthrallment powerless to intrude. For the inducted members, there was never a question of loyalty or the possibility of enslavement. The Marked would face death rather than break the bond, as the result would be the same. They didn't have the chakra information that I have, so they and Riddle in their emulation chose to place the Mark elsewhere on the body. Because I have placed the Spiral Mark on the Ayurvedic center of Natalia's sexuality, it takes very little power to enact a very strong bond."
Minerva: "I had no idea. Yet surely I don't recall any skull emblems from the symbology of that culture."
Holly: "Well, no. Riddle's Mark is covered with his symbol to obscure the rune work and make a sinister impression. Natalia bears my Spiral with the runes exposed, because I'm using Mum's spiral layout as a replacement for the binding circle. We'll be able to add additional runes to grant further benefits after I do some more digging. I think Newt would take offense if you thought the design was unattractive, as she worked on it tirelessly until she was satisfied."
...twenty-nine separate versions each with the symbology correct until Holly saw one she liked and I didn't stop until I was satisfied? You suck, Mum. But yes, I am proud of my work.
Minerva: "I didn't mean to suggest the artistry is deficient. Of course I don't know what it looks like. Well what does it look like?"
Holly turns her smiling face towards Natalia. Natalia stands and turns around to face her chair. She lifts her wool jumper and unzips her denims, rolling down her waistband until she is exposed to the nethers. At the juncture just above her arse (where a tail might spring if she were unexpectedly feline) is a luminescent reddish-brown design the size of a tuppence coin in the shape of a nautilus.
Minerva: "Well that's... small. How did you get it so small? I can barely see the detail but I believe the runework is there."
Holly: "Natalia, would you mind?"
Natalia: "Mind? No, but give us a kiss first."
Holly stood up and stretched her neck around to plant a kiss on Natalia's lips that soon grew quite passionate.
Minerva: "Ahh, ladies. Could we move this along..."
Holly breaks the kiss with a sweet smile shared by Natalia.
Holly: "Sorry about that, Mum. This is likely to be emotional for Talia. Newt, would you unscroll Natalia's Mark, please?"
Newt jumps off from Holly's shoulder to crawl down Natalia's back as the Auror moves to kneel on the seat of her chair, gripping the arm and back tightly. As Newt reaches the center of the Mark, she turns around in place and begins to make a running motion, causing two immediate effects: the Mark begins to grow outward and enlarge until it reaches the size a dinner plate, covering Natalia's lower back and rump. The second effect is to cause Natalia herself to shudder and squeal.
Natalia: "MmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOHHhhhhh! Oh, that's... well, y'know. Effing nummy! NummMMMmmmmm..."
Holly reaches in to give Natalia another kiss and ends up in a much more active and forceful snog.
Minerva: "Is everything you do with each other about sex?"
The snogging girls break apart once more with a grin.
Holly: "Most of the good stuff, yeah."
Natalia continues to moan quietly until it becomes more of a softly hummed tune. Holly gestures for Minerva to stand and inspect the Mark.
Holly: "What you see here is the symbol of the Svadisthana chakra with its six petals, placed at the center of the sacral energy center of the body. Each of the petals was empowered with a different blend of two Vital Humours..."
Minerva: "Are there not only four?"
Holly: "Well, no. There are actually more like fifteen, though some could be argued, and I doubt many rituals would use lymphic fats or phlegm to any advantage. In each location we combined two different Humours to grant a connection between us in a particular area of value. For instance, this one was a mix of my blood and Natalia's sweat which enables her to benefit from my focus and diligence while increasing my endurance if I draw upon her. The surrounding runes in the first six outlying chambers of the spiral enact the different qualities. The base inscription just like the original is the bond of flesh to blood, empowering the link and offering a channel to draw power or fortitude from either side. As with Riddle's, the second layer is done with a blend of her flesh in the tattooing mixed with my... semen. That creates the uhh... "
Minerva: "The what, MISS Holly Evans?"
Holly: "The bond of enthrallment. Her mind is owned by me, so it is protected from anyone but me. Her Mark carries my seed, so she will respond to my summons. That's the one that only men can make."
Minerva: "And what makes you think you are any different from ...him in this?"
Holly: "Well, this is where we have to speak plainly. Riddle's other essence in play as best as Lily could figure was either bile or shite, as he only recognised the Aristotelian Humours aside from his spunk inspiration. His servants offer their blood, and he either craps on them or vomits on them, metaphorically or actually- it's hard to do that sort of thing on command, so he may have collected the humours ahead of time and prepped them so the initiates wouldn't know what he was using. So much of potions work is noxious that they wouldn't necessarily pick up on it. The effect of these Humours in that arrangement instills unusual tastes- sadism or amoral detachment. His ritual was consecrated in an act of violence and enforced with pain."
Minerva: "You said before that some of that was unneeded."
Holly: "Well, Lily wrote that her anonymous source was required to kill an innocent, preferably after using them sexually. Nothing in the Mark would require that as it's a bond between master and minion, or originally clan elders and the new warrior. I think Riddle made them do that so he would always have leverage over his followers- 'behave, or I'll use what you did for my Mark to destroy you publicly'."
Minerva: "So you think yours is different? Natalia is still your minion, as you put it."
Holly: "It's totally different! The Spiral on her sacrum was enacted in the culmination of some really excellent sex and is enforced through... stimulation."
Minerva: "S-stimu..."
Natalia: "You got it, Professor! Holly makes me want to misbehave!"
Holly: "Tonks! What Natalia is trying to point out is that our link allows me to give her positive reinforcement rather than punishment."
Minerva: "Is... is she constantly... stimulated?"
Holly: "Well yeah, but not because of anything I ever did. No, I just can encourage her compliance by teasing her with a reward that gets stronger as she... complies. Heh."
Natalia: "Yeah, you wouldn't believe how clean the dishes got when..."
Holly: "Newt, spin it up."
Newt starts running in place on Natalia's back in the other direction, causing the Spiral Mark to tighten up to its original coin-sized density.
Natalia: "...nnnnMmmmMMMMMMMMMHHHHAHH! AHH! AHH! AHH! AHH! AHH! I'll be RIGHT BACK!"
Newt jumps off to the table as Natalia runs from the library into the loo, her movements silenced the moment the door closes behind her. Minerva gives Holly a withering glare.
Minerva: "You enjoyed that."
Holly: "Not as much as she did!"
Minerva sits down in the reading chair and settles her tartan robes in place. After a minute, she starts to fidget in her chair.
Holly: "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a mite jealous there, Mum! Are you feeling the yearning for some ink?"
Minerva: "Oh! You... scamp! No, I think I've already conceded as much of my will to you that I can stand for. I was reflecting on the advantage of an effortless mental barrier, however. It would make meetings with Albus less harrowing for me."
Holly: "That's the primary purpose for Talia's Spiral."
Natalia emerges from the loo looking frazzled but happy, her hair a smear of pink to peach with orange at the tips.
Natalia: "Whoo! The proof will be in the pudding tomorrow. That's when I have my next swing shift at the great ugly black sponge."
Holly and Minerva look at Natalia somewhat perplexed.
Natalia: "What? I made a model of it at Comprehensive for Art class. Mum thought it was a fair rendering, even if I did use all her cleaning supplies between the scrubbers, swabs and shoe polish. Teachers thought I was a nutter, but that wasn't a change, really."
Holly rises from her chair and steps over to give Natalia a kiss on the cheek.
Holly: "You're an original, Natalia. Always be yourself."
Transcription ends.
I'll let you know how Natalia fares.
Holly
*
12th March, 1994
Minerva,
I really did enjoy having you visit. I'm feeling a little less... militant now. I am still committed to finding ways to make drastic changes in our culture, but you're right. Sudden change equates to Death in the Tarot for a reason. I'll see what Lily had to say, and send you some excerpts so you can follow my thinking. I do so value your wisdom and judgment, even if I don't show it well.
I've retained the Journal but sent back Newt to keep Hermione company and an eye on the castle. I sent her back using Hedwig who showed up this morning with a missive from Hermione to... Harry. All of a sudden I have great respect for how you handled the deception with me over the last few years. It breaks my heart to see how lonely she feels and how much yearning there is in her message, trying to reach out to Harry. I really don't know what to do with this. What's more, Hedwig seems upset about delivering the message at all. She's not talking with me and won't keep eye contact, so I know I've done something heinous by her standards. At the moment I feel there may be too many possible reasons for me to choose from. I hope she starts talking again soon.
If you need to make contact, send a post to Bathilda Bagshot. Dobby's over there daily watching telly so he'll bring it along. Just don't expect a prompt reply. I normally can't get him to leave his programmes mid-episode. At least his English is improving.
Last thing. Natalia had a horrible time at Azkaban yesterday, but not because she was under emotional siege. Sim-Holly has begun ranting in Parseltongue. Natalia couldn't translate it of course but when I sifted her memories I could hear the snake-speak, though indistinctly. When Tonks offered her the elixir, she crawled up and nuzzled her hand. Feral she may be, but Sim-Holly is learning. I didn't think a soul-less creature could do that. Perhaps I truly have a daughter sitting in jail for me. Natalia was upset about it but says Sim-Holly still blends in and doesn't really seem to be unhappy so much as bored and anxious, so she gave her the yo-yo. The good news is Natalia's mental barrier held up like titanium. Now the prison duty just sucks, though as she says, "it's no worse than working in the records office of the DMLE- everyone there is always bitchy and short-tempered as well. It's just nicer-sounding here." What she means is that I've used Lily's notes on modifying Bathilda's telly and enchanted a portable music player to run off mana instead of electricity. According to Tonks, no fear-inducing demon can stand against the power of her 'Girl-bands of the 80's' tape playing 'Walking on Sunshine'. If as Albus says, 'music is a magic greater than any we do at Hogwarts', there isn't a power in the universe that can stop her now. She makes me smile. And occasionally tear my hair out. These are some minions I have; they're both media-addicts.
Holly
*
Spiral Tangent:
'9403b - Polyamour'
Natalia agrees to have sex with Holly in all the other ways they haven't yet. Holly uses the opportunity to make her Mark on her first follower and work through some lingering issues from her past traumas.
'9403c - Enthralled'
Holly and Natalia discover the value of positive reinforcement and define their burgeoning relationship with as little regard for convention as possible.
Author's Note about Tangents: '9403b - Polyamour' is the second of the three Tangents involving Tonks at this point in Holly's tale. The third Tangent, '9403c - Enthralled' doesn't occur until the end of the chapter. I created three different pieces because, well frankly it's a lot of sex to write. One could almost see it as Fate's reward to Holly for having suffered through chapters 22-28. The Tangents will be posted soon, but the story marches forward.
Holly Evans and the Spiral Path
Chapter 29: The Spiral
10th March, 1994
Minerva,
Since we were all drinking the lemondrop cocktails, I figure you might want a written version of our conversation, plus you'll see the beginning from our side. I think the beverage made me a little less calm rather than more. Maybe that's why Natalia likes it so much. The headache goes away with a spot of Earl Grey or coffee.
Transcription: 10th March, 1994 starting 11:38 AM
Holly and Natalia are lounging in the library. Holly is reading through an early journal of Lily's while Natalia is hanging upside down from the unlit ironwork chandelier playing with a yo-yo.
Holly: "If the fixture comes down while you're up there, I'm only going to laugh."
Natalia: "Holly, you should really try this out."
Holly: "I thought we agreed to relax today after our exertions."
Natalia: "That's my point! This is really relaxing!"
Holly: "You seem so calm, I don't know what I was thinking."
A stone on the desk begins to emit a crackling sound, soon resolving into the voice of Minerva McGonagall.
Minerva: (from stone) "...Evans? Miss Evans! Holly!"
Natalia: "What's the noise from?"
Holly: "I... uh, left a sounding stone at my parents' house in town."
Natalia: "I thought you said you wouldn't leave?"
Natalia flips forward and back, inverting herself midair to land standing in the center of the room.
Holly: "Excellent dismount! Anyway, I didn't leave. They're linked stones like a muggle baby monitor, so I told Dobby to leave the other in the wreckage and he did so. Dobby!"
Holly writes out a note on a scrap of parchment from the desk: 'Lily's Madhouse is in the old Servant's cottage at the edge of the property known as Potter Manor.' Holly and Natalia stand silently for a minute.
Holly: "Dobby!"
Dobby appears with a pop, in the process of hopping up and down.
Holly: "Need a loo or something?"
Dobby: "Mrs. Peggy is yelling about being a Mitchell and Mrs. Baglady is finally sharing her rum drops with Dobby! Is it important?"
Holly: "Well, telly shows don't count as important so take this slip of paper to Minerva over at 106 Matchstick Court, alright?"
Dobby: "But..."
Holly: "Takes 3 minutes if you complain, less if you leave now!"
Dobby: "Mistress Holly has bad priorities!"
Dobby snatches the slip of parchment from Holly's hand and disappears with a pop.
Holly: "We should spend some time with Buckbeak while we wait for my Godmum to come here to box my ears."
Natalia: "Alright! I've been meaning to see if he and I can come to an understanding."
Holly: "I thought you and creatures were a bad mix."
Natalia: "Uhh, yeah. Must be a little Holly in me!"
Natalia grins. Holly smirks back.
Holly: "Grab the thermos- we should share our newest concoction since we're having a guest."
Natalia grabs a wool jumper from a leather seated wood chair and pulls it on over her head.
Natalia: "Holly, where does Bucky go when we're not feeding him?"
Holly: "He probably flies around the area. I keep wondering when the Nott's are going to try to hunt down the evasive Hippogriff that keeps feeding off their hunting dogs, but Bucky keeps coming back."
Transcription ends.
Transcription: 10th March, 1994 starting 12:20 PM
Holly and Natalia are sitting out on a low stone wall dividing a field from a gravel road. The overcast sky and local fog make for a chilly midday, so both girls are out in wool sweaters and denims. Buckbeak is moseying about in the field, occasionally fed by Natalia tossing a summoned field mouse into the air near Bucky's reach. Holly is watching the progress idly, pulling a cigarette from a pack sitting on the stone wall between them. Holly lights up the cancer stick with a small flame from her finger and glances down the gravel road towards the nearby town center, seeing Minerva McGonagall approaching at a brisk walk with a very stern expression, swathed in layers of her family tartan.
Minerva: "Holly Evans! You cannot, you must not do this!"
Holly exhales a stream of smoke and regards the fag in her hand.
Holly: "I know, I'm underage. I just think it fits the convict theme."
Minerva: "Not that filthy habit! I'm talking about your plans! You must not go through with this!"
Holly: "Must not... you mean the Mark? We did that yesterday."
Minerva: "But I just got your journal entry about it an hour ago!"
Holly: "Exactly. This wasn't a cry for help; I only told you what I was planning to do after I already did it. I mean, I wrote the whole thing out at the time but I didn't sign it until late this morning. Sorry. It's nice of you to visit though."
Minerva: "Aiiggh!!"
[See Tangent: 9403b - Polyamour]
Minerva steps angrily back and stomps in each cardinal direction making a tight circle, as if to look for a nearby source to blame for her frustration. Holly picks up a thermos resting in the grass by her feet.
Holly: "Would you like a drink? Talia reconstituted Albus' Lemon Sours into a very agreeable cocktail."
(Pfft)
Minerva: "And since when did you start smoking?"
Holly: "She started me on it."
Natalia: "Did not!"
Holly: "You did so, you liar!"
Natalia: "Well yeah, but Prof McG wouldn'ta known that for sure if we just kept up the banter for a few more volleys..."
Holly: "Yes, but you stopped bantering."
Natalia: "Oh. Right. My bad."
Natalia tosses another mouse in a high arc. Bucky flies off and intercepts the mouse before it hits the ground.
Minerva: "Please, Miss Tonks do NOT refer to me as 'Proff MacJee'! I already feel as if I've lost control of this situation."
Holly: "Mum, you already had. I need your wise counsel, but it is still my life on the chopping block. I insist that final decisions about it are mine to make. Besides, I'm on holiday. Why'd you come?"
Minerva: "Why? Holly why wouldn't I want to see you? For one, we haven't spoken directly since you were incarcerated. But more importantly, you've not just slipped from the path I've been trying to guide you along, you've fair to jumped off a cliff nearby after kicking some kittens!"
Holly flicks the cigarette onto the gravel drive path.
Holly: "I was just kidding by the way, I haven't started smoking; (Cough, COUGH! COUGH!) GOD that stuff is awful. How does your mum stand it?"
Natalia: "Dunno, but she's never more than 5 yards from an open pack if she can help it. The coughing does make it easier to find her in department stores."
Minerva: "(Sigh) Yes, Holly. I will take a drink. I would appreciate a comfortable chair, and if you could introduce me to my namesake piece of furniture I might consider not hinting to the Nott's about your hideaway on their land."
Holly: "Now, now. What they can't remember owning won't hurt them. It's not like they truly own the land anyway. They can change the signage all they want; this is still Potter Manor as far as the wards are concerned."
Holly smiles broadly, hops over the low wall and quickly walks up to give Minerva a strong hug.
Holly: "I'm really glad to see you, Mum!"
Minerva: "Yes, well you could have fooled me."
Holly: "Well, yeah, I did. That was the prank."
Minerva: "Och, yuir a devil child, you are!"
The three women walk along the gravel road until Holly leads them to the door of a thatched-roof stone cottage. Entering the darkened space, Minerva takes note of the simple sitting room and kitchen beyond, with a staircase up to a loft bedroom. Holly walks to the other side of the staircase by the kitchen entry, pushing open a wall-like door that leads to a second staircase leading down. Small wall sconces with tealight candles alight as they step down into the small cellar. The dank room holds several dilapidated wine racks with dusty bottles and a more modern-looking meat-locker sized freezer. Natalia pulls open the door to the freezer, revealing a wide selection of frozen meats and one shivering fairy providing a dim light.
Holly: "Left-hand opening, Tonks."
Natalia: "I know, but I'm hungry. We should be hostess-y and make bangers and rolls."
Minerva: "That would be polite, and agreeable to me as well."
Holly: "Oh. Good thinking. You understand you're my first guest, right Mum?"
Minerva: "And Miss Tonks would be..."
Holly looks to Natalia who smiles back.
Holly: "Family. My clan-sister. And my jailer, so it's not like I can uninvite her anyway."
Natalia: "That's the deal! Plus your four-poster's a damned sight more comfy than the rotting camp-bed in my flat."
Tonks closes the door and then pulls at the massive appliance as if to shift its position, causing it to slide to the right smoothly, revealing another set of stairs. Following those downward the stairs twist back under the cellar until opening into a library area with a fifteen foot ceiling. The fire in the hearth across from the stairs immediately starts to chase away the chill of the foggy day above.
Holly: "Welcome to Lily's Madhouse."
Minerva: "You'll not be renaming it then?"
Holly: "No. She didn't call it her nuthouse- this is where my Mum released her anger, refocusing it into her work. I absolutely empathise. Besides, I can't say how long it will be before I can master a Fidelius Charm. There's oceans of magic to learn. Octogonagall, front and center!"
The tall dark wood table walks over to stop in front of Holly, the half-finished plate of biscuits sliding back and forth across the top until the animate furniture ceases moving.
Minerva: "Well! I approve!"
Holly: "For Lily's sake I'll say thank you from the House of Evans. Have a biscuit. Dobby!"
Dobby appears with a pop looking a little disheveled. His eyes are barely open but obviously bloodshot and his nose is drippy.
Dobby: "Yes, Holly Mistress!"
Holly: "Are... you SOBER enough to cook?"
Dobby: "Righty diddlies, my Mistress! What are we haaaaaaaaaving?"
Holly: "Natalia has some bangers, and we'd like some rolls to go along with it. How many rumdrops did Bathilda give you?"
Dobby: "Can't count that high anymore. Holstress. Missy."
Holly: "Um, Dobby?"
Dobby: "Yup?"
Holly: "You're embarassing me and the House of Evans right now. Do everything you can to not poison us, alright?"
Dobby: "Oooooh! Oh! Oh NO! Ohnonononononono!"
Holly: "DOBBY!"
Dobby: "Yes Mistress!"
Holly: "Cook now, freak later!"
Dobby: "Affirmative!"
Dobby disappears, then appears across the room to grab the frozen package of meat from Natalia, who has been expertly suppressing a manic giggle-fit up until this point.
Natalia: "BAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Holly: "Yeah, well you can taste it first! Mum, have a sit in the reading chair; it's the best we've got."
Minerva: "Thank you, Holly. Madhouse will do well for a name, I think.
Transcription skipped for lunch. Resuming 1:38 PM. No one poisoned, but Natalia said the rolls were dry. I drank pear juice.
Holly, Minerva and Natalia are sitting around the kneeling Octogonagall table in front of the hearthfire. Minerva is settled into the reading chair while the younger women occupy a pair of matched leather armchairs.
Holly: "Alright. I've been hospitable-like. Tear into me, Mum.
Minerva: "I have no desire to yell at you Holly."
Holly: "Yes, you do."
Minerva: "Stop interrupting! I have no desire to NEED to yell at you, Holly. Your decisions lately have not been well reasoned, but I understand that you were under considerable stress..."
Holly: "Stress? Yah! You..."
Minerva: "AHem!"
Holly: "Sorry."
Minerva: "As I was saying, you were under unusual stress at the time. Now is the point at which we must review those decisions and see what we need to change, and how you might handle things differently if faced with a similar circumstance in the future."
Holly: "You missed teaching me, didn't you?"
Minerva: "I'm embracing my new role as a parent and guide. Tutoring has never been my calling, as I dislike interruptions!"
Holly sits still with her lips pressed tightly together.
Minerva: "First of all, I think it was a very foolish thing to try and protect Miss Parkinson yourself, though I had no notion that such crimes were being committed within the halls of Hogwarts. I also believe that Director Bones was correct- it was not your place to pass judgment upon Mr. Flint. If as she said, you could have escaped without... executing him, it might have allowed a more proper exercise of the law to take place, leading to expulsion of all five of the boys and the snapping of their wands, not to mention time in Azkaban. I think you see now how that awful prison can be a fate worse than death, in its way."
Holly: "I have to interject here. Have you ever been to Azkaban?"
Minerva: "Well, no. I have not had cause to associate with anyone who fell so far from lawful behavior before now."
Holly: "I beg to differ! Hagrid was sent there last year. You didn't happen to visit him there during his unjust sentence, did you?"
Minerva: "Ah. I see your point."
Holly: "I don't think you do. No one leaves there untainted. Even Hagrid has gotten scarier. The whole Dementor-as-prison-guard concept basically makes murderers out of thieves. Azkaban is not a punishment, it's a boot camp for hardening criminals. After spending a total of nine days there, I am absolutely convinced that any prisoner sent there for theft will leave there feeling like they've earned the right to kill, maim or pillage for their unjust treatment."
Minerva: "Hagrid seems to have recovered well enough."
Holly: "Hagrid is part-ogre or something. He has a tremendous heart and a simple mind and is resistant to many things that would kill a muggle. Look, in muggle prisons they have solitary confinement. A prisoner punished this way for breaking prison rules is left in a dark room with only their own thoughts to consider and no social contact. It is seen as the harshest of punishments, never applied for more than a week at a time for the potential psychological damage that it will induce. That's the typical day at Azkaban for the limited-term prisoners! Only we're subjected to 'occasional run-ins' with Dementors dredging up our worst memories to relive, which for me meant a half-dozen of those things in a constant feeding frenzy outside my window. The hard-timers get a, one, Dementor of their very own. After a month of that, I would be able to justify any behavior as 'something I deserve'. Which brings up something else. Even if Sirius Black was entirely innocent of the charges, normally I believe he would have eaten Harry if he found him at this point. What I find extraordinary is that he broke into the castle twice only to retreat without harming a soul. I don't think he was guilty, and I think he has a stronger will than mine to have survived that place without becoming reflexively murderous."
Minerva: "At times, I'm not sure you've escaped that tendency."
Holly: "And you think reliving my worst moments for three months straight is going to improve that?"
Minerva: "No, but there must be some control! Without the fear of punishment for criminal acts, society will fall apart!"
Holly: "Good! Now we're getting somewhere! What part of this society do you think we should save?"
Minerva: "Holly!"
Holly jumps up from her chair in frustration.
Holly: "What Mum? What did you expect? My parents were murdered and I was changed, but Albus decides to put me with inexplicably cruel custodians rather than let me be raised anonymously in the magical world. When I get here my other self is hailed as a mythical savior while I can't seem to escape the label of Dark Bitch just because I don't roll over for every petty thug flexing his wand. What's more, the most horrid representative of this culture now wants to kill both versions of me for destroying his body on two separate occasions. Add to that all the fortune in money and knowledge from my family has been legally ripped away, separated and dispersed by the very evil usurers that no citizen trusts but all bank with. Do you know how the Nott's got Potter Manor? Someone in the Ministry detected some sort of 'infestation' of the grounds, and declared it a hazard to be condemned. They auctioned the property to the highest bidder willing to clean up the place. Since no one knew what the infestation was, only one family bid!
Minerva: "I had no idea..."
Holly: "Of course you didn't! The announcement and paperwork never left the Office of Estates Management! We only found out about it because Tonks is working in the DMLE records room and found the initial report of infestation. You know what it was? Rabbits! Seeing as the neighbors are rabbit breeders, I doubt it could be called an infestation so much as roaming livestock."
Minerva: "I don't think the goblins..."
Holly: "No, it was the pureblood patriarchs that fucked me over that time, but with goblin collusion paid for from my own vault! No, the goblins have a desire for Holly-feasting that defies even wizard logic at the moment. The greatest skinflints in the world are willing to GIVE BACK almost 10 millions of pounds to Harry in exchange for the right to do with me as they please. World leaders don't cost as much to assassinate! I am handed this enormous pile of feces in the space of a week, and just when... th-the only person I've loved tells me I'm a disgusting raging creature, I get assaulted for trying to save a girl who hates me. Then, in a last moment of hope I try to apply some justice to a bad situation and society cheers when I'm sent to HELL. HOW MANY TIMES AND IN HOW MANY WAYS MUST I BE RAPED BEFORE YOU GET IT?"
Minerva: "Get what, Holly?"
Holly: "Things... have to change. I'm going to make it happen. By hook, or by crook, Bright Witches shall rule this world, or we should drown it as an unwanted child! The Patriarchs have had their run. Their rule means nothing to me anymore."
Holly slumps down into her chair, exhausted. Minerva stares at her in shock for a minute, her eyes very active in thought over Holly's rant. Natalia looks between the two women, becoming uncomfortable with the charged silence.
Natalia: "So that's the... uhh, the big plan, is it?"
Holly: "Not a plan yet. Just a belief."
Natalia: "Alright then. What do we do in the meantime?"
Holly: "It's like I said. I'm on holiday. I need to read Lily's journals- she already saw what was going wrong, or she wouldn't have built this shop like a survivalist's bunker. With her perspectives and some time to think through all that has been revealed, we might just be able to work out a plan I can live with."
Minerva: "One you can live with?"
Holly: "Yeah, Mum. 'Cause without one, I won't be living long."
Natalia: "You could just leave. We could leave. There's nothing keeping you here but heartache it seems."
Minerva: "Be silent if you are not helping, Miss Tonks!"
Holly: "That's enough of that! Don't you dismiss her. Natalia has a point. Unfortunately, she also doesn't have all the facts. The Professor here says that Albus heard a prophesy that leads him to believe that only I can permanently end Riddle. I can't walk away, or when he rises again no one will be able to stop him. That's assuming Professor Dumb heard it right and told you the truth of the matter besides. Given his choices in handling my life, I tend to believe it. No one that successful would do so many stupid things without Divination being involved."
Natalia: "Still, he's not back yet. We could travel."
Minerva: "Are you so ready to abandon your future? You're on the cusp of a great career..."
Natalia: "Not without Holly I'm not."
Minerva turns to look directly at Natalia.
Minerva: "Miss Tonks. Nymphadora..."
Natalia: "That's Na-TALia!"
Minerva: "What? Oh of course..."
Natalia: "I changed my name! I hated my old name and Holly said I should change it, as I'm an adult."
Minerva: "Hardly proven, Miss Tonks. What Holly has done has robbed you of your free will!"
Natalia: "Yeah, right! Pull the other one! Other than coming to meet Holly at your request, which of my freely-made decisions in my past did you most admire?"
Minerva: "Well, you joined the Auror corps! I thought that was a wonderful decision and one well-suited to your talents."
Natalia: "You were the one that gave me the idea, and you were the one that helped me when I stumbled through the whole training. I was this close to being washed out when you rang me. All the good I've done has been by yours or Holly's suggestion. I don't feel like I've given up anything. I've gained a real purpose, and a fighting chance at being who I want to be, not to mention making a real difference!"
Minerva: "Following Miss Evans."
Natalia: "Wherever her delectable tushy sways me to!"
Holly: "Uhh, yeah. Mum, this isn't as dire and unseemly as it looks on first blush."
Minerva: "Oh really?! Have you or have you not enacted a blood ritual tying this woman to your will?"
Holly: "Uhh, yep. We did that. There was sex involved, and more vital humours than most people like to think about. But I fixed Riddle's mistake! His ritual was a corruption of the original version, and half of what he forced his Death-Eaters to do to get the Dark Mark was just blackmail material, I'm sure of it!"
Minerva: "How do you know so much about what He-Who..."
Holly: "Ah-HEM"
Minerva: "Fine, Riddle! How do you know so much about what RIDDLE did to his followers?"
Holly: "Because that was almost the last thing Lily was working to figure out! She has piles of notes on the Mark, the Death Eaters and Riddle's rise in her time. Also, Florean had some unexpected insights, but he's a smart man in a retiree's job, so I can only guess what he really does with his time. Look, I can give you the whole historical rundown and then you tell me if I've done something wrong!"
Minerva: "You mean something else? Wasn't turning your daughter into a mindless slave enough?"
Holly: "What..."
Minerva: "Your daughter. In Azkaban. Surely you thought it through- your eggs, your blood, your... seed. She's your daughter, soulless and feral though she may be!"
Holly: "No, that's... I... wha..."
Holly stands up with a kind of whimper and walks out of the library into the potions lab through the illusory wall.
Minerva: "Oh, dear."
Natalia looks down in shock, her face stuck in a frown of confusion. A distant weeping can be heard echoing from the potions lab.
Minerva: "Eh, Tonks. Will you be alright?"
Natalia: "I will if she will, I guess."
Minerva stands up shakily from the chair and then strides through the wall as she saw Holly do not moments before. Entering the potions lab area, Minerva sees Holly sitting on a stool and slumped over an open table, her chest convulsing in her crying.
Holly: "I thought... I thought I had it all figured out! I thought... it wasn't real. It was just a thing! Just a thi-i-i-ingggg!"
Minerva: "Holly..."
Holly: "Oh GOD! I am a monster! Hermione was right! Her brain's all fucked up and she still could see me falling to pieces!"
Minerva: "Holly, you musn't... think that things can't be fixed. There are always... possibilities. Perspectives."
Holly: "Really? You really believe that? Or are you just hoping you can get me back in prison before I fall any further?!"
Minerva: "I am not here as anything but your Godmother. I want to help, and to show you the things you may not have thought through. I am here to help you."
Natalia enters the potions lab and slowly walks up to the two women. She wraps Holly in an embrace from behind, kissing the top of her head.
Natalia: "Me too, Hols. I don't want to hurt you, and I'm not going to leave you. I just want to help."
Holly: "(Sniff) That's your mantra."
Natalia: "Yeah, well it works to keep me focused. What else is a mantra for?"
Holly leans back into Natalia's hug, more tears streaming from her eyes
Holly: "Thank you, Natalia. For your love and your brilliance and your wisdom."
Natalia: "Is she talking to me?"
Minerva: "Yes, I believe Holly is talking to you, Natalia. I couldn't agree more, either."
Natalia: "You said my name! I love my name!"
Minerva: "Well, that ended quickly."
Holly barks out a laugh and Natalia giggles at Minerva's sarcasm.
Minerva: "Let us return to your hearth and we will see what we can do with your current situation."
Natalia: "I'll make tea."
Holly: "Oh, Lord help me. Dobby."
Dobby appears with a pop.
Dobby: "Yes, Mistress Holly?"
Holly: "Sober then? Save us from Talia's brewing and bring us some tea, would you?"
Dobby: "Yes and yes, Mistress Holly! Dobby is foresworn from taking Baglady's treats ever again, Mistress Holly!"
Natalia: "Hey! I'm a right gifted brewmeister!"
Holly: "If it's magical, sure! Your Darjeeling tastes like syrup!"
Natalia: "That's 'cause there's syrup in it. I like syrup!"
The women walk back into the library to find that the Octogonagall table is anxiously awaiting them to reseat themselves before settling into place. Minerva returns to the reading chair and the younger women reseat themselves as well.
Minerva: "I think perhaps, that you have been simply overwhelmed with all that has happened, Holly. I agree, you need this holiday and you've well earned it, if only from outsmarting the Ministry's safeguards around their 'impregnable' prison. What I'd like you to consider is this; not every person in power is corrupt. Not every institution is inherently flawed. Much good happens by the efforts of a few motivated people. People like myself, Albus, Director Bones, Arthur Weasley, Mr. Diggory, even Xeno Lovegood with his fanciful periodical the Quibbler, are doing what we can to improve things. With your help, Miss Granger's help and the efforts of good teachers like Filius, Pomona and Remus, we can change the world without having to destroy it first."
Holly: "It's a nice thought, Mum. You just seem outnumbered and outgunned."
Minerva: "Shouldn't that be 'we' are outnumbered?"
Holly: "Your general has not seen fit to inform me of his plans. I don't think he's shared them with anyone, in fact. I find it hard to join up if I can't see how we'll win using the current methods."
Minerva: "This isn't a war, Holly."
Holly: "Really? Your ethics books included Cicero's insight; 'In times of war, the law falls silent.' Justice seems a mite mute at the moment. The Ministry declared war on women over a century ago and Riddle declared war on society thirty years ago. He's still fighting, and women keep losing, so I can't help but think the war is already here."
Minerva: "I... I don't want to agree with you."
Holly looks at Minerva with surprise.
Holly: "I'm sorry. Maybe I'm wrong. This could just be about me, and as soon as Riddle and I are done everything will just settle into an acceptable peace. (sniff) I don't WANT the world to be like this, but it just looks that way to me!"
Minerva: "Let's both agree to step back and consider all this for a time. You seem to have hit upon a stable situation here, so we can continue corresponding and meeting until your planned release. I'd appreciate the time myself, as I think I need to look into a few unanswered questions of my own."
Holly: "Well, I'm not going anywhere."
Minerva: "You've been relatively quiet, Natalia. Is there anything else you think we need to discuss?"
Natalia: "Well I hate to ruin the mood now that you've stopped yelling..."
Holly: "Tell me what you're thinking, Talia. It's important to me."
Natalia: "Well, when we get you back into Azkaban for your release, what do we do with Sim-Holly?"
Minerva: "Oh, dear. That is..."
Holly: "I'll kill her. The simulacrum will naturally melt into the constituent materials, leaving just a bunch of blood and goo. I'll return a few days early to make sure I can clean things up, and pick up the Azkaban 'ambience' so no one suspects I haven't been suffering as much as they had planned for me."
Minerva: "Just like that? Kill her?"
Holly: "It. I've decided I was right before. Sim-Holly is just a thing. She doesn't think or choose except by what instructions I've given... it. It's soulless, Mum. Just like you said. I'm just ending an experiment."
Minerva: "Do you feel the same way about Newt?"
Holly: "Of course not! Newt has already demonstrated to my frustration and delight that she is her own inky lizard. If I were you, I'd worry more about whether Greg Goyle and Vince Crabbe actually qualify as thinking beings."
Minerva: "Are you carrying a grudge of some sort? I hadn't thought they had crossed you."
Holly: "Not at all. I'm just saying that my definition of the life I need to respect is narrowing, as it has for warriors and slaughterhouse workers since before there was an England. Trust me, I'm not looking forward to killing Sim-Holly. I plan to make it happen as quickly and painlessly as I can manage, mind you in a locked cell with no wand or weapon allowed. It won't be my first cage-match; just the first pre-meditated death."
Minerva: "The first?"
Holly: "Riddle's out there. He has... well I wouldn't call them friends, but allies. If Albus can't figure out how to keep him from becoming independently solid and yet unkillable, we're likely to be involved with a lot of deaths."
Natalia: "He's really still out there?"
Holly: "As a spirit able to possess his willing followers like Quirinus Quirrel, at least. We're all quite annoyed."
Natalia: "Oh hey, me too!"
Holly: "That's the other half of this Sirius Black problem. I don't see why Black would hang around the castle instead of tracking down his master. Unless he didn't have the Mark..."
Minerva: "Why would the Mark make a difference?"
Holly: "If I die, Natalia's Mark will fade into just a tattoo, and all the protection and reinforcement she gets from me would disappear very quickly. Until then, I can summon her and she'll feel a pull in the right direction to find me, even apparate straight to where I am if no wards prevent it. A Marked follower of Riddle would know he was permanently gone when their mental barrier was lost. The tat probably wouldn't squiggle anymore, either. Therefore if he had the Mark, Black would know his master survives and would be able to go to his master's call. He has no reason not to, unlike the others with nice houses and easy jobs."
Natalia: "My tattoo moves? Cool!"
Holly: "Yeah, the Spiral spins slowly and shines a little in the light. That wasn't intentional; it will draw the eye more than I want. Thankfully I don't think you'd show anyone your tattoo that you didn't trust somewhat... intimately."
Minerva: "Perhaps now would be a good time for you to explain how Miss Tonks' body art isn't an abomination."
Holly: "Well first of all, you should understand that this was originally a clan-bonding ritual developed by the Celt-Iberians. Their coming-of-age ceremony bonded the young warrior to the clan in a sacrament of shared magic and the blood of the clan elders, making all forms of enthrallment powerless to intrude. For the inducted members, there was never a question of loyalty or the possibility of enslavement. The Marked would face death rather than break the bond, as the result would be the same. They didn't have the chakra information that I have, so they and Riddle in their emulation chose to place the Mark elsewhere on the body. Because I have placed the Spiral Mark on the Ayurvedic center of Natalia's sexuality, it takes very little power to enact a very strong bond."
Minerva: "I had no idea. Yet surely I don't recall any skull emblems from the symbology of that culture."
Holly: "Well, no. Riddle's Mark is covered with his symbol to obscure the rune work and make a sinister impression. Natalia bears my Spiral with the runes exposed, because I'm using Mum's spiral layout as a replacement for the binding circle. We'll be able to add additional runes to grant further benefits after I do some more digging. I think Newt would take offense if you thought the design was unattractive, as she worked on it tirelessly until she was satisfied."
...twenty-nine separate versions each with the symbology correct until Holly saw one she liked and I didn't stop until I was satisfied? You suck, Mum. But yes, I am proud of my work.
Minerva: "I didn't mean to suggest the artistry is deficient. Of course I don't know what it looks like. Well what does it look like?"
Holly turns her smiling face towards Natalia. Natalia stands and turns around to face her chair. She lifts her wool jumper and unzips her denims, rolling down her waistband until she is exposed to the nethers. At the juncture just above her arse (where a tail might spring if she were unexpectedly feline) is a luminescent reddish-brown design the size of a tuppence coin in the shape of a nautilus.
Minerva: "Well that's... small. How did you get it so small? I can barely see the detail but I believe the runework is there."
Holly: "Natalia, would you mind?"
Natalia: "Mind? No, but give us a kiss first."
Holly stood up and stretched her neck around to plant a kiss on Natalia's lips that soon grew quite passionate.
Minerva: "Ahh, ladies. Could we move this along..."
Holly breaks the kiss with a sweet smile shared by Natalia.
Holly: "Sorry about that, Mum. This is likely to be emotional for Talia. Newt, would you unscroll Natalia's Mark, please?"
Newt jumps off from Holly's shoulder to crawl down Natalia's back as the Auror moves to kneel on the seat of her chair, gripping the arm and back tightly. As Newt reaches the center of the Mark, she turns around in place and begins to make a running motion, causing two immediate effects: the Mark begins to grow outward and enlarge until it reaches the size a dinner plate, covering Natalia's lower back and rump. The second effect is to cause Natalia herself to shudder and squeal.
Natalia: "MmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOHHhhhhh! Oh, that's... well, y'know. Effing nummy! NummMMMmmmmm..."
Holly reaches in to give Natalia another kiss and ends up in a much more active and forceful snog.
Minerva: "Is everything you do with each other about sex?"
The snogging girls break apart once more with a grin.
Holly: "Most of the good stuff, yeah."
Natalia continues to moan quietly until it becomes more of a softly hummed tune. Holly gestures for Minerva to stand and inspect the Mark.
Holly: "What you see here is the symbol of the Svadisthana chakra with its six petals, placed at the center of the sacral energy center of the body. Each of the petals was empowered with a different blend of two Vital Humours..."
Minerva: "Are there not only four?"
Holly: "Well, no. There are actually more like fifteen, though some could be argued, and I doubt many rituals would use lymphic fats or phlegm to any advantage. In each location we combined two different Humours to grant a connection between us in a particular area of value. For instance, this one was a mix of my blood and Natalia's sweat which enables her to benefit from my focus and diligence while increasing my endurance if I draw upon her. The surrounding runes in the first six outlying chambers of the spiral enact the different qualities. The base inscription just like the original is the bond of flesh to blood, empowering the link and offering a channel to draw power or fortitude from either side. As with Riddle's, the second layer is done with a blend of her flesh in the tattooing mixed with my... semen. That creates the uhh... "
Minerva: "The what, MISS Holly Evans?"
Holly: "The bond of enthrallment. Her mind is owned by me, so it is protected from anyone but me. Her Mark carries my seed, so she will respond to my summons. That's the one that only men can make."
Minerva: "And what makes you think you are any different from ...him in this?"
Holly: "Well, this is where we have to speak plainly. Riddle's other essence in play as best as Lily could figure was either bile or shite, as he only recognised the Aristotelian Humours aside from his spunk inspiration. His servants offer their blood, and he either craps on them or vomits on them, metaphorically or actually- it's hard to do that sort of thing on command, so he may have collected the humours ahead of time and prepped them so the initiates wouldn't know what he was using. So much of potions work is noxious that they wouldn't necessarily pick up on it. The effect of these Humours in that arrangement instills unusual tastes- sadism or amoral detachment. His ritual was consecrated in an act of violence and enforced with pain."
Minerva: "You said before that some of that was unneeded."
Holly: "Well, Lily wrote that her anonymous source was required to kill an innocent, preferably after using them sexually. Nothing in the Mark would require that as it's a bond between master and minion, or originally clan elders and the new warrior. I think Riddle made them do that so he would always have leverage over his followers- 'behave, or I'll use what you did for my Mark to destroy you publicly'."
Minerva: "So you think yours is different? Natalia is still your minion, as you put it."
Holly: "It's totally different! The Spiral on her sacrum was enacted in the culmination of some really excellent sex and is enforced through... stimulation."
Minerva: "S-stimu..."
Natalia: "You got it, Professor! Holly makes me want to misbehave!"
Holly: "Tonks! What Natalia is trying to point out is that our link allows me to give her positive reinforcement rather than punishment."
Minerva: "Is... is she constantly... stimulated?"
Holly: "Well yeah, but not because of anything I ever did. No, I just can encourage her compliance by teasing her with a reward that gets stronger as she... complies. Heh."
Natalia: "Yeah, you wouldn't believe how clean the dishes got when..."
Holly: "Newt, spin it up."
Newt starts running in place on Natalia's back in the other direction, causing the Spiral Mark to tighten up to its original coin-sized density.
Natalia: "...nnnnMmmmMMMMMMMMMHHHHAHH! AHH! AHH! AHH! AHH! AHH! I'll be RIGHT BACK!"
Newt jumps off to the table as Natalia runs from the library into the loo, her movements silenced the moment the door closes behind her. Minerva gives Holly a withering glare.
Minerva: "You enjoyed that."
Holly: "Not as much as she did!"
Minerva sits down in the reading chair and settles her tartan robes in place. After a minute, she starts to fidget in her chair.
Holly: "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a mite jealous there, Mum! Are you feeling the yearning for some ink?"
Minerva: "Oh! You... scamp! No, I think I've already conceded as much of my will to you that I can stand for. I was reflecting on the advantage of an effortless mental barrier, however. It would make meetings with Albus less harrowing for me."
Holly: "That's the primary purpose for Talia's Spiral."
Natalia emerges from the loo looking frazzled but happy, her hair a smear of pink to peach with orange at the tips.
Natalia: "Whoo! The proof will be in the pudding tomorrow. That's when I have my next swing shift at the great ugly black sponge."
Holly and Minerva look at Natalia somewhat perplexed.
Natalia: "What? I made a model of it at Comprehensive for Art class. Mum thought it was a fair rendering, even if I did use all her cleaning supplies between the scrubbers, swabs and shoe polish. Teachers thought I was a nutter, but that wasn't a change, really."
Holly rises from her chair and steps over to give Natalia a kiss on the cheek.
Holly: "You're an original, Natalia. Always be yourself."
Transcription ends.
I'll let you know how Natalia fares.
Holly
*
12th March, 1994
Minerva,
I really did enjoy having you visit. I'm feeling a little less... militant now. I am still committed to finding ways to make drastic changes in our culture, but you're right. Sudden change equates to Death in the Tarot for a reason. I'll see what Lily had to say, and send you some excerpts so you can follow my thinking. I do so value your wisdom and judgment, even if I don't show it well.
I've retained the Journal but sent back Newt to keep Hermione company and an eye on the castle. I sent her back using Hedwig who showed up this morning with a missive from Hermione to... Harry. All of a sudden I have great respect for how you handled the deception with me over the last few years. It breaks my heart to see how lonely she feels and how much yearning there is in her message, trying to reach out to Harry. I really don't know what to do with this. What's more, Hedwig seems upset about delivering the message at all. She's not talking with me and won't keep eye contact, so I know I've done something heinous by her standards. At the moment I feel there may be too many possible reasons for me to choose from. I hope she starts talking again soon.
If you need to make contact, send a post to Bathilda Bagshot. Dobby's over there daily watching telly so he'll bring it along. Just don't expect a prompt reply. I normally can't get him to leave his programmes mid-episode. At least his English is improving.
Last thing. Natalia had a horrible time at Azkaban yesterday, but not because she was under emotional siege. Sim-Holly has begun ranting in Parseltongue. Natalia couldn't translate it of course but when I sifted her memories I could hear the snake-speak, though indistinctly. When Tonks offered her the elixir, she crawled up and nuzzled her hand. Feral she may be, but Sim-Holly is learning. I didn't think a soul-less creature could do that. Perhaps I truly have a daughter sitting in jail for me. Natalia was upset about it but says Sim-Holly still blends in and doesn't really seem to be unhappy so much as bored and anxious, so she gave her the yo-yo. The good news is Natalia's mental barrier held up like titanium. Now the prison duty just sucks, though as she says, "it's no worse than working in the records office of the DMLE- everyone there is always bitchy and short-tempered as well. It's just nicer-sounding here." What she means is that I've used Lily's notes on modifying Bathilda's telly and enchanted a portable music player to run off mana instead of electricity. According to Tonks, no fear-inducing demon can stand against the power of her 'Girl-bands of the 80's' tape playing 'Walking on Sunshine'. If as Albus says, 'music is a magic greater than any we do at Hogwarts', there isn't a power in the universe that can stop her now. She makes me smile. And occasionally tear my hair out. These are some minions I have; they're both media-addicts.
Holly
*
Spiral Tangent:
'9403b - Polyamour'
Natalia agrees to have sex with Holly in all the other ways they haven't yet. Holly uses the opportunity to make her Mark on her first follower and work through some lingering issues from her past traumas.
'9403c - Enthralled'
Holly and Natalia discover the value of positive reinforcement and define their burgeoning relationship with as little regard for convention as possible.
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