Post by MEG on Sept 12, 2023 14:29:52 GMT -5
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i am the
monster
you
created
They were gathered in the biggest, most ornate library that Benny had ever been in - he hadn't even known that personal libraries could be this big.
The moment that he had told Piper everything, she had whisked him away to Professor Malvolio's manor. He'd always known that the Quidditch star and flying professor had lived an opulent life... but this was a little more excessive than he'd been anticipating. It was comfortable, if not too large, and he caught himself glancing over his shoulder when he was alone.
Though, that was rare.
Benny Preece - the other Benny Preece, the one from this fime in history - was not privy to Order business yet. He was still too wrapped up in his studies and a certain Slytherin boy to care about the world around him. If this didn't work, if they weren't able to stop Death, Benny didn't want to remember the hell that would be the next five years. It was easier to push thoughts and wonders about what was going to happen to him once they were done and the timeline was reset than it was the thoughts about the future.
Piper had gathered the Order - or at least those within the Order that needed to know - in addition to Marianna Lestrange, Vitoria Malvolio, and Damien as well. The latter sat lounged in an armchair, thumbing through a journal absentmindedly. The room was congregated to one side, with Marianna beside Piper. There was still tension between the pair, but she had briefed the other woman prior to the meeting. What she'd said, Benny didn't know... but, whatever it was, it had seemed to placate the tired-looking Dark Lady.
"Thank you all for coming," Piper said firmly. "Mr. Preece, would you care to introduce yourself?" she asked, gesturing to him. Already, he could see Aunt Mags, eyes wide, as he stepped up. He quickly averted his gaze.
"I'm Benson Preece. And I'm from five years from now."
The room murmured in confusion, glancing between one another. Benny gripped the time turner around his neck like a lifeline as Piper stepped up, pressing a hand to his shoulder.
"Tell them what you told me," she said. After a moment's hesitation, Benny explained everything - the betrayal at the masquerade, Death acquiring the three Hallows, and the destruction that had followed. Maggie was the only one sure of him, nodding along to what he had to say. If he weren't so fucking scared, he might have had the ability to smile at her.
"And you?" Piper asked, directing her attention to Marianna. "Tell them what you know."
Marianna was stubborn as ever, but even she seemed to conceded. "Ivan Alucard is a snake, and he's planning to have you all killed at his little soiree," she said. "I went to him to help so that I could get my daughter back. I've recently learned that he lied," she murmured, glancing over at Benny. When he'd recounted everything to Piper, he'd had to explain how Marianna had come to be with the Order - he knew why she'd asked so many follow-up questions, now. Whatever she told the former Dark Lady had worked - she seemed complacent, for now, if not defeated.
"So what are you proposing? Why did you come back, if we're to believe you?" a voice asked. Vitoria Malvolio peered from the outskirts of the group, arms crossed defiantly over her chest.
"He came back with this," Piper said. With a flick of her wand, the scroll that Benny had brought back flew from his hands and unfurled in the air. "A containment spell. It's something I've been tracking alongside Claire, but we hadn't found it - not in this timeline, anyway. Well, not yet," Piper explained. Recognition crossed over Claire Fernsby's face, her jaw tightening.
"That won't work on its own," Damien said. Clearly, he'd been paying more attention than he'd though. He rose to his feet, the dragon on the back of the chair scrambling up onto his shoulders. He had his thumb holding his page in the journal as he crossed the room to Piper. "If you want to guarantee that this will work, you'll need something stronger."
Damien held the journal out to her and her eyes skimmed the page. Marianna peered at it over her shoulder, and her expression shifted from one of doubt to one of sly intrigue.
"Well, well, Malvolio. You've been holding out on us," she murmured, impressed. "That's some dark magic you've got there. Though, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It was your family that got us into this," she said, eyes sliding past him to where his sister stood. Vitoria fumed quietly, but said nothing.
"But that requires blood magic - sacrifice of life," Piper protested. "And we'd need more than one person - at least three, if we're to assume that it's a similar ritual to what created the Hallows and put Death away in the first place," she said.
"I'll do it," Benny said, without hesitation. The room's eyes fell on him, and he could see Maggie's desperate gaze on him - he gave her a sorry smile. "I can't stay here. Not with my other self around. It makes the most sense," he insisted.
"I'll do it, too," came another voice. There was an immediate cry of protest from a woman within the room, who clung to the source of the voice in desperation. Claire stepped forward slightly, with her wife Genevieve on her arm. There were quiet words exchanged between the too, with the blonde woman quickly comforting the brunette. "Someone needs to do it, and it's not going to be you," she said, giving Piper a solemn look. Benny glanced between the two women, noting the way that Piper's hand fell to her stomach in response.
"Then I suppose it's left to me to clean up the mess I've made, isn't it?" Marianna spoke, surprising the entirety of the room. There were distrustful gazes speared in her direction, but she gracefully ignored all of them, taking the journal from Piper's hand. The raven-haired woman's sharp gaze surveyed the book, tilting it slightly to look at the writing in the margin.
"'Knowledge from Death, from Tom,'" she quoted. "I've seen that phrasing before in that journal your sister gave me," she murmured, glancing up at Damien. "The creature imparted some wisdom on the former Dark Lord - foolishly, it would seem."
"Does it really surprise you that Voldemort couldn't keep his mouth shut?" Damien inquired with a smirk. Marianna's expression faltered, but even she knew better than to argue.
"Then I suppose it's settled. Marianna, do you think you could tempt Death here?" Piper asked. Marianna scoffed, as if the question was laughable.
"Of course I could. Just tell me where to lead it," she said. Piper nodded, glancing over at Damien briefly before her eyes landed on Benny. She seemed, for a moment, as if she were going to say something, but the moment passed as she glanced about the room.
"We do this tomorrow night. Claire, Marianna... make your last goodbyes. Any Order member that wants to stay to hold things down if things go awry, I would be happy to have you," she said.
"This is our last stand. Let's make it count."
The moment that he had told Piper everything, she had whisked him away to Professor Malvolio's manor. He'd always known that the Quidditch star and flying professor had lived an opulent life... but this was a little more excessive than he'd been anticipating. It was comfortable, if not too large, and he caught himself glancing over his shoulder when he was alone.
Though, that was rare.
Benny Preece - the other Benny Preece, the one from this fime in history - was not privy to Order business yet. He was still too wrapped up in his studies and a certain Slytherin boy to care about the world around him. If this didn't work, if they weren't able to stop Death, Benny didn't want to remember the hell that would be the next five years. It was easier to push thoughts and wonders about what was going to happen to him once they were done and the timeline was reset than it was the thoughts about the future.
Piper had gathered the Order - or at least those within the Order that needed to know - in addition to Marianna Lestrange, Vitoria Malvolio, and Damien as well. The latter sat lounged in an armchair, thumbing through a journal absentmindedly. The room was congregated to one side, with Marianna beside Piper. There was still tension between the pair, but she had briefed the other woman prior to the meeting. What she'd said, Benny didn't know... but, whatever it was, it had seemed to placate the tired-looking Dark Lady.
"Thank you all for coming," Piper said firmly. "Mr. Preece, would you care to introduce yourself?" she asked, gesturing to him. Already, he could see Aunt Mags, eyes wide, as he stepped up. He quickly averted his gaze.
"I'm Benson Preece. And I'm from five years from now."
The room murmured in confusion, glancing between one another. Benny gripped the time turner around his neck like a lifeline as Piper stepped up, pressing a hand to his shoulder.
"Tell them what you told me," she said. After a moment's hesitation, Benny explained everything - the betrayal at the masquerade, Death acquiring the three Hallows, and the destruction that had followed. Maggie was the only one sure of him, nodding along to what he had to say. If he weren't so fucking scared, he might have had the ability to smile at her.
"And you?" Piper asked, directing her attention to Marianna. "Tell them what you know."
Marianna was stubborn as ever, but even she seemed to conceded. "Ivan Alucard is a snake, and he's planning to have you all killed at his little soiree," she said. "I went to him to help so that I could get my daughter back. I've recently learned that he lied," she murmured, glancing over at Benny. When he'd recounted everything to Piper, he'd had to explain how Marianna had come to be with the Order - he knew why she'd asked so many follow-up questions, now. Whatever she told the former Dark Lady had worked - she seemed complacent, for now, if not defeated.
"So what are you proposing? Why did you come back, if we're to believe you?" a voice asked. Vitoria Malvolio peered from the outskirts of the group, arms crossed defiantly over her chest.
"He came back with this," Piper said. With a flick of her wand, the scroll that Benny had brought back flew from his hands and unfurled in the air. "A containment spell. It's something I've been tracking alongside Claire, but we hadn't found it - not in this timeline, anyway. Well, not yet," Piper explained. Recognition crossed over Claire Fernsby's face, her jaw tightening.
"That won't work on its own," Damien said. Clearly, he'd been paying more attention than he'd though. He rose to his feet, the dragon on the back of the chair scrambling up onto his shoulders. He had his thumb holding his page in the journal as he crossed the room to Piper. "If you want to guarantee that this will work, you'll need something stronger."
Damien held the journal out to her and her eyes skimmed the page. Marianna peered at it over her shoulder, and her expression shifted from one of doubt to one of sly intrigue.
"Well, well, Malvolio. You've been holding out on us," she murmured, impressed. "That's some dark magic you've got there. Though, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It was your family that got us into this," she said, eyes sliding past him to where his sister stood. Vitoria fumed quietly, but said nothing.
"But that requires blood magic - sacrifice of life," Piper protested. "And we'd need more than one person - at least three, if we're to assume that it's a similar ritual to what created the Hallows and put Death away in the first place," she said.
"I'll do it," Benny said, without hesitation. The room's eyes fell on him, and he could see Maggie's desperate gaze on him - he gave her a sorry smile. "I can't stay here. Not with my other self around. It makes the most sense," he insisted.
"I'll do it, too," came another voice. There was an immediate cry of protest from a woman within the room, who clung to the source of the voice in desperation. Claire stepped forward slightly, with her wife Genevieve on her arm. There were quiet words exchanged between the too, with the blonde woman quickly comforting the brunette. "Someone needs to do it, and it's not going to be you," she said, giving Piper a solemn look. Benny glanced between the two women, noting the way that Piper's hand fell to her stomach in response.
"Then I suppose it's left to me to clean up the mess I've made, isn't it?" Marianna spoke, surprising the entirety of the room. There were distrustful gazes speared in her direction, but she gracefully ignored all of them, taking the journal from Piper's hand. The raven-haired woman's sharp gaze surveyed the book, tilting it slightly to look at the writing in the margin.
"'Knowledge from Death, from Tom,'" she quoted. "I've seen that phrasing before in that journal your sister gave me," she murmured, glancing up at Damien. "The creature imparted some wisdom on the former Dark Lord - foolishly, it would seem."
"Does it really surprise you that Voldemort couldn't keep his mouth shut?" Damien inquired with a smirk. Marianna's expression faltered, but even she knew better than to argue.
"Then I suppose it's settled. Marianna, do you think you could tempt Death here?" Piper asked. Marianna scoffed, as if the question was laughable.
"Of course I could. Just tell me where to lead it," she said. Piper nodded, glancing over at Damien briefly before her eyes landed on Benny. She seemed, for a moment, as if she were going to say something, but the moment passed as she glanced about the room.
"We do this tomorrow night. Claire, Marianna... make your last goodbyes. Any Order member that wants to stay to hold things down if things go awry, I would be happy to have you," she said.
"This is our last stand. Let's make it count."
MADE BY VEL OF GS