Conscience, Crisis Of. Part II
Title: Conscience, Crisis Of. Part II
Rating: R
Word Count: 1390
Characters: Hannah Abbott, Vincent Crabbe
Summary: Then again, he had been standing shoulder to shoulder with a half-blood Hufflepuff. Stranger things had happened
Notes: Prompt Table here.
Originally Posted: rarepair_shorts
2 May 1998
Both Slytherins turned when they heard her cry out. Vincent's wand was drawn and the curse had already left his lips as she drew close.
Hannah felt her heart stop as the familiar eleven inch ebony wand was raised against her. She could not breathe; time seemed to slow as the light from the unheard curse burst from its tip.
A million thoughts raced through her mind. Vince had never tried to hurt her, physically or magically. He had even left her alone for most of the year as he practiced his curses on other DA members. Ernie had fallen upon his behavior as evidence that he was nothing more than a Death Eater in training, but she had never been able to reconcile that image with the man she she had come to know, or thought she knew.
Was he now trying to curse her because of the blood that ran through her veins, holding her pureblooded cousin captive as he did so? Everything was different, backwards.
Her eyes followed the curse, getting wider as it neared, until it passed over her shoulder, hitting the man behind her who had his arm raised, no doubt ready to curse to kill. Time seemed to speed up and Hannah would have stumbled into the wall if Vince had not been there to catch her.
"Regina," Hannah's hands grasped the younger girl's shoulders, shaking her slightly. They might have been cousins, but they grew up like sisters and the Hufflepuff did not want her to deal with all the darkness of death. She was an innocent pureblood and no matter what, came out protected. "What are you doing here?" She was so focused on the girl in front of her, she didn't notice that Vincent had moved away to give the pair some privacy as he dealt with the incapacitated man.
"Uncle Karl..." The fourth year trailed off, heart still pounding and eyes remaining wide at the sight of what had looked like Vincent Cabbe hexing her cousin- the one she was pretty sure he loved- at point blank range only to be proved to be totally wrong at the last second. It was like something out of a romance novel, only with uglier clothing.
"Is a murdering bastard." Hannah's voice was uncharacteristically hard. The man had taken two too many loved ones from her. He was no relation of hers and he was sure as hell not about to take Regina from her either. "And he's not going to lay a hand on you if I have anything to say about it." Otherwise she'd be sold like a prized mare to the highest bidder. Considering the lots Hannah herself had tossed, the best thing she could hope for now was death.
"He won't get the chance if we stay out in the open." Vincent came up from behind Hannah. The man would not be getting up again, thanks to one of the spells taught to him by the Carrows. "We need to move. Now."
The trio crept down the hallway, hoping to make it to the point where they could shuttle Regina out through the Hogshead, but somehow through the noise and tumult they got turned around, ending up somewhere near the Great Hall and the heat of battle.
Hannah shook her head; getting Regina out of the castle would be futile at best at this point. "Hufflepuff," she said, pulling her two companions towards the stairs that lead down to the Den. "There should be enough places to hide that nobody should find you."
It seemed like a sensible plan to Vincent, though he wondered if it would be possible to send Hannah down as well. Considering the stubborn look on her face, that answer would be a stern no.
Regina, sensing that she had no choice in the matter, nor did she really want one, followed her cousin, her housemate bringing up the rear.
"I'll come back for you," Hannah promised, pressing a kiss to the younger blonde's forehead. "Now go."
Her cousin was not so sure, but nodded anyway, fleeing into the bowels of Hufflepuff.
Watching her cousin go, Hannah turned back to Vincent. "Let's go." Straightening her ponytail, she took out her wand and squared her shoulders. Now that she knew Regina would be as safe as she could be, at this point, the Hufflepuff could focus at the task at hand.
Normally Vincent did not think of himself as a coward, though he was not particularly brave either, but he would have been quite happy staying in the relative safety of the deserted House.
When he said nothing, nor made a move, the blonde reached over to catch his hand. "You said once that all you seemed to do is watch my back. I just wanted you to know that I'm watching yours now."
Vincent cleared his throat, sure that her cousin had hid by now. "You wanted to go?"
The Great Hall's air was hazy with dust and smoke as the unlikely duo entered the fray. Off to their left a Death Eater and their former professor, Lupin, dueled. "Oh!" Hannah sent a tripping curse at the unknown man's feet, sending him sprawling and his likely fatal curse arcing towards the ceiling.
Vincent followed with a Killing Curse to the back. To the untrained eye it looked as if it had been intended for the werewolf, but had simply been misfired. Then again, he had been standing shoulder to shoulder with a half-blood Hufflepuff. Stranger things had happened.
Amber eyes looked up and locked with the Slytherin's brown ones, surprise shining in those cursed orbs upon recognition. With a nod of acknowledgment and thanks, Lupin disappeared back into the crowd, off to fight the next opponent.
Vincent did not have long to savor the taste of fighting for those white knights when he turned to look for Hannah, but she had already been swept away by the frenzy. Before he could give anymore thought on the matter, a sharp, stabbing pain hit him along his spinal cord, bringing him to his knees. White hot pokers were searing him from the inside out as fire ants crawled beneath his skin, injecting their venom. He did not have to hear the spell to know it. Cruciatus.
"Why don't you make the goddamn announcement to the world." The Death Eater removed his mask, revealing his father, not that Vincent needed any help in identification once the man spoke. He kicked the younger man between the shoulder blades, sending the eighteen year old sprawling. "Bringing down Rookwood for the worthless life of a werewolf." Personally Georg could care less about the beasts, even though his Lord kept Fenrir Greyback like a pet.
"The fuck you think you're doing, you imbecile?" The man bared down on the curse, a smirk forming across his face. He did so love the few moments before they started screaming. He spit on the prone boy. "Useless, just like we always knew. Should have drowned you at birth. No son of mine..." With a choked sound, Georg was cut off and Vincent found could breath again, pain receding from his body.
When his eyes could focus once more, the Slytherin looked up to see his father clawing at his thoat, wand accidentally kicked away. Reaching over, Vincent's hand closed around the piece of wood. Swiftly, and without thinking, he snapped it in half, feeling a small sense of satisfaction that he could inflict at least some of the damage back against the man who had terrorized him since before he had learnt to walk.
As he looked again, he found Hannah standing in front of a rapidly reddening Crabbe Senior. Her eyes were narrowed and cold as she kept her wand trained on the Death Eater. "No, not yours," she correct him. "Mine." She then whispered a spell he did not recognize and his father's eyes went slack as he fell to the floor.
She turned to him then and Vincent understood. Family Magic. Ancient. Archived in a family's Gimorie. More often than not classified as dark, though they defied simple categorizations. He had not seen his own family's, if it even existed, and doubted that he ever would. He was either too stupid, or considering his recent actions, too much of a traitor. Hannah must have seen the Avery's at some point.
Her hand slipped into his and with strength that betrayed her, pulled him to his feet. "Mine."
Rating: R
Word Count: 1390
Characters: Hannah Abbott, Vincent Crabbe
Summary: Then again, he had been standing shoulder to shoulder with a half-blood Hufflepuff. Stranger things had happened
Notes: Prompt Table here.
Originally Posted: rarepair_shorts
2 May 1998
Both Slytherins turned when they heard her cry out. Vincent's wand was drawn and the curse had already left his lips as she drew close.
Hannah felt her heart stop as the familiar eleven inch ebony wand was raised against her. She could not breathe; time seemed to slow as the light from the unheard curse burst from its tip.
A million thoughts raced through her mind. Vince had never tried to hurt her, physically or magically. He had even left her alone for most of the year as he practiced his curses on other DA members. Ernie had fallen upon his behavior as evidence that he was nothing more than a Death Eater in training, but she had never been able to reconcile that image with the man she she had come to know, or thought she knew.
Was he now trying to curse her because of the blood that ran through her veins, holding her pureblooded cousin captive as he did so? Everything was different, backwards.
Her eyes followed the curse, getting wider as it neared, until it passed over her shoulder, hitting the man behind her who had his arm raised, no doubt ready to curse to kill. Time seemed to speed up and Hannah would have stumbled into the wall if Vince had not been there to catch her.
"Regina," Hannah's hands grasped the younger girl's shoulders, shaking her slightly. They might have been cousins, but they grew up like sisters and the Hufflepuff did not want her to deal with all the darkness of death. She was an innocent pureblood and no matter what, came out protected. "What are you doing here?" She was so focused on the girl in front of her, she didn't notice that Vincent had moved away to give the pair some privacy as he dealt with the incapacitated man.
"Uncle Karl..." The fourth year trailed off, heart still pounding and eyes remaining wide at the sight of what had looked like Vincent Cabbe hexing her cousin- the one she was pretty sure he loved- at point blank range only to be proved to be totally wrong at the last second. It was like something out of a romance novel, only with uglier clothing.
"Is a murdering bastard." Hannah's voice was uncharacteristically hard. The man had taken two too many loved ones from her. He was no relation of hers and he was sure as hell not about to take Regina from her either. "And he's not going to lay a hand on you if I have anything to say about it." Otherwise she'd be sold like a prized mare to the highest bidder. Considering the lots Hannah herself had tossed, the best thing she could hope for now was death.
"He won't get the chance if we stay out in the open." Vincent came up from behind Hannah. The man would not be getting up again, thanks to one of the spells taught to him by the Carrows. "We need to move. Now."
The trio crept down the hallway, hoping to make it to the point where they could shuttle Regina out through the Hogshead, but somehow through the noise and tumult they got turned around, ending up somewhere near the Great Hall and the heat of battle.
Hannah shook her head; getting Regina out of the castle would be futile at best at this point. "Hufflepuff," she said, pulling her two companions towards the stairs that lead down to the Den. "There should be enough places to hide that nobody should find you."
It seemed like a sensible plan to Vincent, though he wondered if it would be possible to send Hannah down as well. Considering the stubborn look on her face, that answer would be a stern no.
Regina, sensing that she had no choice in the matter, nor did she really want one, followed her cousin, her housemate bringing up the rear.
"I'll come back for you," Hannah promised, pressing a kiss to the younger blonde's forehead. "Now go."
Her cousin was not so sure, but nodded anyway, fleeing into the bowels of Hufflepuff.
Watching her cousin go, Hannah turned back to Vincent. "Let's go." Straightening her ponytail, she took out her wand and squared her shoulders. Now that she knew Regina would be as safe as she could be, at this point, the Hufflepuff could focus at the task at hand.
Normally Vincent did not think of himself as a coward, though he was not particularly brave either, but he would have been quite happy staying in the relative safety of the deserted House.
When he said nothing, nor made a move, the blonde reached over to catch his hand. "You said once that all you seemed to do is watch my back. I just wanted you to know that I'm watching yours now."
Vincent cleared his throat, sure that her cousin had hid by now. "You wanted to go?"
The Great Hall's air was hazy with dust and smoke as the unlikely duo entered the fray. Off to their left a Death Eater and their former professor, Lupin, dueled. "Oh!" Hannah sent a tripping curse at the unknown man's feet, sending him sprawling and his likely fatal curse arcing towards the ceiling.
Vincent followed with a Killing Curse to the back. To the untrained eye it looked as if it had been intended for the werewolf, but had simply been misfired. Then again, he had been standing shoulder to shoulder with a half-blood Hufflepuff. Stranger things had happened.
Amber eyes looked up and locked with the Slytherin's brown ones, surprise shining in those cursed orbs upon recognition. With a nod of acknowledgment and thanks, Lupin disappeared back into the crowd, off to fight the next opponent.
Vincent did not have long to savor the taste of fighting for those white knights when he turned to look for Hannah, but she had already been swept away by the frenzy. Before he could give anymore thought on the matter, a sharp, stabbing pain hit him along his spinal cord, bringing him to his knees. White hot pokers were searing him from the inside out as fire ants crawled beneath his skin, injecting their venom. He did not have to hear the spell to know it. Cruciatus.
"Why don't you make the goddamn announcement to the world." The Death Eater removed his mask, revealing his father, not that Vincent needed any help in identification once the man spoke. He kicked the younger man between the shoulder blades, sending the eighteen year old sprawling. "Bringing down Rookwood for the worthless life of a werewolf." Personally Georg could care less about the beasts, even though his Lord kept Fenrir Greyback like a pet.
"The fuck you think you're doing, you imbecile?" The man bared down on the curse, a smirk forming across his face. He did so love the few moments before they started screaming. He spit on the prone boy. "Useless, just like we always knew. Should have drowned you at birth. No son of mine..." With a choked sound, Georg was cut off and Vincent found could breath again, pain receding from his body.
When his eyes could focus once more, the Slytherin looked up to see his father clawing at his thoat, wand accidentally kicked away. Reaching over, Vincent's hand closed around the piece of wood. Swiftly, and without thinking, he snapped it in half, feeling a small sense of satisfaction that he could inflict at least some of the damage back against the man who had terrorized him since before he had learnt to walk.
As he looked again, he found Hannah standing in front of a rapidly reddening Crabbe Senior. Her eyes were narrowed and cold as she kept her wand trained on the Death Eater. "No, not yours," she correct him. "Mine." She then whispered a spell he did not recognize and his father's eyes went slack as he fell to the floor.
She turned to him then and Vincent understood. Family Magic. Ancient. Archived in a family's Gimorie. More often than not classified as dark, though they defied simple categorizations. He had not seen his own family's, if it even existed, and doubted that he ever would. He was either too stupid, or considering his recent actions, too much of a traitor. Hannah must have seen the Avery's at some point.
Her hand slipped into his and with strength that betrayed her, pulled him to his feet. "Mine."