shiiki
in
shiikifics
FIC: Family History (Colin/Romilda)
Title: Family History
Author: shiiki
Rating: R (for a rather disturbing description)
Characters/Pairings: Colin Creevey/Romilda Vane, Alecto Carrow
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 860
Summary: Romilda didn't expect to have her family's dirty linen displayed in public. Especially not when her past behaviour is the worst part of it. Written for rarepair_shorts prompt 7: family history.
Notes: This one is fairly angsty. It's getting later in the year and the Carrows are finding new ways to get back at the DA.
Link to prompt table.
Alecto Carrow is smiling, which is a warning that something nasty is about to happen. Unlike her brother, who always has a sadistic grin splayed across his face, Alecto's usual expression is sour and twisted.
There are no signs, however, to prepare Romilda for exactly what form this nastiness will take; nor how it will all come crashing down on her.
'Today,' says Alecto once the Muggle Studies class has settled into their seats, 'we have a prime example of the proper treatment of thieving Muggles.' Her beady eyes search the classroom, landing on Romilda, in the second row. 'Vane.' Her smile widens and Romilda forces herself to stare back defiantly, although she knows Alecto's expression can mean nothing good and her heart is pounding in anticipation of the punishment that is sure to follow.
Alecto points at a length of black cloth that is draped over the chalkboard. 'You should do the honours. Reveal the lesson beneath.'
Earlier in the year, students would rebel against every little order the Carrows issued. However, after months of dire punishments -- the Carrows had a tendency to dole out punishments for small infractions that were as harsh as for the bigger ones -- they've learned to pick their battles with more caution.
Therefore Romilda approaches the board warily, reaches out and tugs at the cloth, allowing it to fall to the floor.
The 'lesson' is a photograph. A gruesome picture of two mangled bodies -- a man and a child, their lean frames all but sliced to ribbons, bones twisted and deformed. Only enough of their faces were left intact to be recognisable.
Romilda's legs go wobbly.
'This Muggle,' says Alecto, though her words are almost drowned out by the ringing that fills Romilda's ears as she stares at the blown up photo, horrified yet unable to tear her eyes away, 'the animal that calls himself Robert Vane, caused the birth of an abomination to all wizarding parents -- the Squib child you see with him there, which was put out of its misery. The Vane Muggle,' she pauses to allow the Slytherins a laugh at her pun, 'was stripped and bled of the magic which he stole. A fitting punishment for such a heinous crime.
'Don't you agree, Miss Vane?' Alecto turns on Romilda suddenly, her voice sickly sweet with false politeness, waiting for a response.
'No,' she says faintly.
'Crucio.' The curse lashes at her body, causing her to fall to the ground, twitching with pain. 'That's for faking your blood status, you half-blood whelp,' Alecto hisses.
No, no, no, her mind screams. No! But her body is no longer her own, thrashing around on the ground, and the classroom seems so far away, drifting away in a wave of agony. Dimly, she hears someone shouting ... but it all fades into blackness.
---
When she wakes up, she is raw to the bones. She feels as if she's burning up, and she knows it's hot shame that courses through her veins.
'Romilda? Are you all right? Jack told us what happened.'
She turns her face away from Colin, wishing Jack Sloper has kept his mouth shut.
'I'm sorry,' says Colin, 'that was an awful way to find out.'
His words bring back that sickening picture -- Dad and Esme, gutted like fish in a hatchery. Her stomach heaves. 'Don't,' she says weakly.
'Sorry! I'm -- Romilda, I ... I didn't know ...'
He trails off, clearly at a loss for words. She wonders what he means to ask. I didn't know your dad was Muggle-born; I didn't know your sister was a Squib? Of course he doesn't know; she's never told anyone. She's always hidden the fact that her mother, horrified that her younger daughter was born without magic, began to question her husband's background, leading to their divorce in Romilda's second year. She falsified her blood status, pretending to be the daughter of a late pure-blood wizard. She's always been ashamed to own them, ashamed of the love she felt for them.
'I know how you must feel,' he says. She snaps her head round so quickly that her neck hurts.
'No you don't.'
'Try me,' he says, and the story comes pouring out: her dirty family history, only the dirty part is her behaviour, her denial of her beloved father and sister in public. When she finishes, he puts his arms around her and she finds herself leaning into them, absorbing comfort from him.
'I'm Muggle-born,' he says. 'I sent my parents away. We -- Dennis and I -- lied to them, modified their memories and packed them off. And then we faked our genealogy.'
'It's not the same thing. You had to do it.'
'But if anything happened to them, I'd be feeling wretched as well. Because I love them. You feel terrible because you love your family. If you love them, you haven't forsaken them at all.'
There's a flaw in his logic somewhere, she's sure, but she's tired and his words calm her. Later, the guilt will boil again in her and drive her to redeem herself, but for now, she lets Colin's voice soothe her and take her away from it.
Author: shiiki
Rating: R (for a rather disturbing description)
Characters/Pairings: Colin Creevey/Romilda Vane, Alecto Carrow
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 860
Summary: Romilda didn't expect to have her family's dirty linen displayed in public. Especially not when her past behaviour is the worst part of it. Written for rarepair_shorts prompt 7: family history.
Notes: This one is fairly angsty. It's getting later in the year and the Carrows are finding new ways to get back at the DA.
Link to prompt table.
Alecto Carrow is smiling, which is a warning that something nasty is about to happen. Unlike her brother, who always has a sadistic grin splayed across his face, Alecto's usual expression is sour and twisted.
There are no signs, however, to prepare Romilda for exactly what form this nastiness will take; nor how it will all come crashing down on her.
'Today,' says Alecto once the Muggle Studies class has settled into their seats, 'we have a prime example of the proper treatment of thieving Muggles.' Her beady eyes search the classroom, landing on Romilda, in the second row. 'Vane.' Her smile widens and Romilda forces herself to stare back defiantly, although she knows Alecto's expression can mean nothing good and her heart is pounding in anticipation of the punishment that is sure to follow.
Alecto points at a length of black cloth that is draped over the chalkboard. 'You should do the honours. Reveal the lesson beneath.'
Earlier in the year, students would rebel against every little order the Carrows issued. However, after months of dire punishments -- the Carrows had a tendency to dole out punishments for small infractions that were as harsh as for the bigger ones -- they've learned to pick their battles with more caution.
Therefore Romilda approaches the board warily, reaches out and tugs at the cloth, allowing it to fall to the floor.
The 'lesson' is a photograph. A gruesome picture of two mangled bodies -- a man and a child, their lean frames all but sliced to ribbons, bones twisted and deformed. Only enough of their faces were left intact to be recognisable.
Romilda's legs go wobbly.
'This Muggle,' says Alecto, though her words are almost drowned out by the ringing that fills Romilda's ears as she stares at the blown up photo, horrified yet unable to tear her eyes away, 'the animal that calls himself Robert Vane, caused the birth of an abomination to all wizarding parents -- the Squib child you see with him there, which was put out of its misery. The Vane Muggle,' she pauses to allow the Slytherins a laugh at her pun, 'was stripped and bled of the magic which he stole. A fitting punishment for such a heinous crime.
'Don't you agree, Miss Vane?' Alecto turns on Romilda suddenly, her voice sickly sweet with false politeness, waiting for a response.
'No,' she says faintly.
'Crucio.' The curse lashes at her body, causing her to fall to the ground, twitching with pain. 'That's for faking your blood status, you half-blood whelp,' Alecto hisses.
No, no, no, her mind screams. No! But her body is no longer her own, thrashing around on the ground, and the classroom seems so far away, drifting away in a wave of agony. Dimly, she hears someone shouting ... but it all fades into blackness.
---
When she wakes up, she is raw to the bones. She feels as if she's burning up, and she knows it's hot shame that courses through her veins.
'Romilda? Are you all right? Jack told us what happened.'
She turns her face away from Colin, wishing Jack Sloper has kept his mouth shut.
'I'm sorry,' says Colin, 'that was an awful way to find out.'
His words bring back that sickening picture -- Dad and Esme, gutted like fish in a hatchery. Her stomach heaves. 'Don't,' she says weakly.
'Sorry! I'm -- Romilda, I ... I didn't know ...'
He trails off, clearly at a loss for words. She wonders what he means to ask. I didn't know your dad was Muggle-born; I didn't know your sister was a Squib? Of course he doesn't know; she's never told anyone. She's always hidden the fact that her mother, horrified that her younger daughter was born without magic, began to question her husband's background, leading to their divorce in Romilda's second year. She falsified her blood status, pretending to be the daughter of a late pure-blood wizard. She's always been ashamed to own them, ashamed of the love she felt for them.
'I know how you must feel,' he says. She snaps her head round so quickly that her neck hurts.
'No you don't.'
'Try me,' he says, and the story comes pouring out: her dirty family history, only the dirty part is her behaviour, her denial of her beloved father and sister in public. When she finishes, he puts his arms around her and she finds herself leaning into them, absorbing comfort from him.
'I'm Muggle-born,' he says. 'I sent my parents away. We -- Dennis and I -- lied to them, modified their memories and packed them off. And then we faked our genealogy.'
'It's not the same thing. You had to do it.'
'But if anything happened to them, I'd be feeling wretched as well. Because I love them. You feel terrible because you love your family. If you love them, you haven't forsaken them at all.'
There's a flaw in his logic somewhere, she's sure, but she's tired and his words calm her. Later, the guilt will boil again in her and drive her to redeem herself, but for now, she lets Colin's voice soothe her and take her away from it.