Chapter Text
Night had fallen much more quickly than expected that evening. The Forbidden Forest was already dark and mysterious in normal circumstances, but once it had taken off its cloak of twilight, it seemed even more frightening .
As usual, after the end of every school week, Alice went with Damian to collect potion ingredients. She could have simply waited for daylight to get her bearings and be safer, but now that the young man was accompanying her on her searches, she found going out more... enjoyable. Ariane and Tristan were far too busy at the moment, and she didn't want to disturb them for so little. Even if, in a way, they wouldn't have minded: having two Gryffindors as bodyguards was no mean feat. Although... between an overprotective older brother and an intrepid younger sister who was even unaware of the danger, it was sometimes impossible for Alice to concentrate on her research without having to remind herself for the hundredth time that she was old enough to defend herself or that it was dangerous to follow this path, for fear of running into giant acromantulas.
Eventually, going out became more of a chore than a pleasure.
With Damian, she felt it was different . The Slytherin was above all focused on his own duties and sometimes glanced this way and that to make sure his young friend wasn't in a compromising situation. And sometimes, the two of them would split up to go about their business and end up meeting again in a particular part of the Forest. But she always noticed small wounds on her comrade when he found her. He spent most of his time hunting poachers and freeing a few creatures. By now, Alice had acquired the good attitude of carrying extra Wiggenweld potions in her little expandable satchel. Damian often thanked this little star for bringing Alice to him. She was the reason he missed when his desire to duel got the better of him.
But that evening, strangely enough, Alice had a bad feeling.
Once the ingredients had been collected, Alice headed for the lake, where they usually met up after a while. She waited for a long time, gradually beginning to worry. No matter how resourceful Damian was, she couldn't help worrying about him. And right now, it wasn't normal. He still wasn't there. What had happened to him? Was he hurt? Had he had a bad encounter? Several scenarios ran through the young girl's mind, each as negative as the next. Her breathing quickened and she looked around, hoping at least to catch a glimpse of Damian. But there was nothing around. Without question and despite her anxiety, Alice decided to set off in search of the Slytherin.
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She walked quickly back along the lake, ready to spot the slightest clue that might help her find Damian. The young girl's anxiety began to grow little by little, not knowing whether she had made the right decision to leave the meeting place or not. She didn't have it as easy as Damian or her own sister, and at any moment she could have had a bad encounter and lost control of the situation. She looked around once more and there was still no sign of the Slytherin.
“Damian?!” she called, not really caring about the consequences. “Damian?! Where are you?!”
Still no answer. Under normal circumstances, Damian would have already come to scold her and ask her to keep quiet so as not to attract potential enemies. Which wouldn't have bothered the young man, who loved to fight. It seemed she still hadn't learned her lesson, which was the last straw for a Ravenclaw. But this time, he wasn't there to tell her. The sudden sound of an explosion several meters away startled her. Smoke was billowing from behind the huge trees, which did not reassure Alice. No fire without smoke ... ever since her harassment and accident, Alice had been scared to death of flames. The very idea of firing an Incendio terrified her. Her whole body began to shake, her eyes fixed on the smoke. Then she heard voices. Among them, she recognised the voice of the young man. He must have got into trouble with some poachers and the situation had apparently gone badly wrong. Gathering her courage, despite her fear of fire, Alice hurried to the spot.
All she cared about... was him... and him alone.
Guided by her concern, Alice arrived at a poachers' camp. The flames had already damaged the tents and a few inert bodies were on the ground. She looked around for Damian, trying to avoid coming into contact with the flames as much as possible. But panic was gradually overtaking her and tears began to appear in the corners of her eyes, frightened by the idea of finding Damian dead.
“Damian?! DAMIAN!” she cried, before suffering a coughing fit as the smoke began to burn her lungs.
Finally, she managed to catch sight of her comrade. Her heart was comforted to know that he was alive. But the young man was in the middle of a fight with three other poachers and didn't seem to have noticed or even heard Alice. Before she could even step forward to lend Damian a hand, she felt a blow strike her full force against the face, causing her to fall heavily onto her side. A poacher, taller and more imposing than her, stood beside her, his wand pointed at the young girl. Alice quickly reached for her own wand but the man struck her hand with his foot, disarming her. The blow was so violent that she almost felt as if she had heard the bones in her hand break, but it was a sharp pain that overwhelmed her. Bloodied in the face and with an injured hand, Alice was at the mercy of her attacker, trying to move back as far as possible to get away from him.
"What a shame to have to kill that pretty little face!”
Alice's breathing quickened dangerously, aware that she was in trouble. The man was about to cast the death spell when he was suddenly propelled backwards by a Depulso . His head hit a tree, causing him to let out a grunt of pain. Alice, shocked by what had just happened, turned her gaze slightly in the direction of where the spell had come from. Her eyes widened as she witnessed a most frightening sight. Standing before a curtain of flames was Damian. His wand held firmly in one hand, the young man glared angrily at the villain who was about to kill Alice. He was unrecognizable and what struck the young girl even more was the greenish gleam in the Slytherin's eyes. She had never seen him like that.
A murderous look... driven by a burning desire to kill...
Damian stepped forward slowly, not even bothering to glance at Alice. It was as if he were possessed... a true demon . Even for the young girl, it was unimaginable to watch such a spectacle. She no longer recognised her comrade.
"Repeat what you've just said, you scum..." Damian threatened in turn. "I think I heard it wrong.”
The poacher barely had time to straighten his head towards his adversary when he suddenly felt an abominable pain. Numerous flashes of reddish lightning suddenly shot through the villain's body, stabbing him like a sharp blade. A cry of terror and pain escaped from his throat, which frightened Alice, who was witnessing this most barbaric sight. Damian had cast an unforgivable curse. And he seemed to be enjoying it, leaving no respite for his victim.
“Repeat what you just said, asshole!” he shouted. “How dare you touch her?! So take this in your teeth... CRUCIO !”
He poured out all his cruelty on the poacher, with the sole aim of protecting Alice. But the young girl didn't seem to see things the same way. Even if her life had been threatened, no-one should suffer this kind of fate. This unforgivable fate. And when her gaze fell once more on the inert bodies, she finally understood that he had let himself be invaded by these unforgivable curses.
She had to stop him... Stop him from continuing his atrocities…
She struggled to her feet and almost fell suddenly, seized by a violent headache. Her hand ached terribly and she quickly searched for her wand, which had been left next to a cage containing a small Jobberknoll. Without hesitation, she opened the cage and freed the bird before grabbing her wand. The poacher's screams grew louder and louder, and Alice couldn't bear to hear them. Again and again, Damian cast the unforgivable curse, leaving no way out for the man who was suffering a thousand pains.
“DAMIAN! Stop it!” Alice shouted, trying to get the dark one's attention, but to no avail.
With no choice left, Alice launched a Stupefy in Damian's direction. But Damian intercepted the spell and summoned a powerful protective shield. So powerful that even Alice was thrown off balance for a few seconds. The young man turned his head towards the girl. What she had just seen was enough to make her blood run cold. Damian's eyes had turned red, obliterating every trace of his beautiful emerald green eyes.
He was terrifying... unrecognizable... she inspired terror in him...
He turned around completely, leaving the unfortunate man to his fate, and walked towards his comrade. Her eyes drowned in tears, Alice was overwhelmed by incomprehension, pain and fear at seeing Damian like this. And the closer he came to her, the further she retreated, until she was completely cornered against a barrier of flames. Her body shook like a leaf in terror. She began to cry.
“Damian... I'm begging you... stop…” she began, finding it difficult to speak as fear invaded her body and mind. “It... it's n... it's n... as... not you... I beg you…”
Damian stepped forward again, holding his wand firmly. Alice had no way out. Panicking, she looked around, trying to escape. But the flames prevented her from moving. Her vision was blurred... her breathing was dangerously jerky... she was on the verge of fainting, the heat and her sobs were making her lose her mind. It was like a nightmare.
“Damian…” she pleaded. “..please…”
The young man stopped, his face contorted with rage. Alice couldn't take her eyes off him, despite her best efforts to remain conscious.
“You dared to attack me from behind...?” Damian growled.
“... I'm sorry... I had... to... st…”
“ CRUCIO !”
In a split second, without her even having time to realize the situation, Alice collapsed to the ground. Unlike the previous victim, the young woman's body was far too weak to withstand the thousands of sensations of pain that left no room for respite in every part of her body. She screamed in pain, torn apart from the inside because it hurt so much. She could barely make out Damian's silhouette, which still hadn't moved a centimeter. He just stared at her... without even trying to help. Gradually, Alice passed out, unable to contain the pain.
Damian stared intently at the girl, his teeth clenched. His fingers, clenched on the handle of his wand, finally released all contact, letting the wand fall to the floor. His knees, unable to keep the young man upright, gave way in turn. The voice he had been hearing for some time finally faded, forcing him to regain his senses for a brief moment.
“Alice…” he managed to say before collapsing next to the young witch's body.
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Damian... Damian... DAMIAN!
Damian suddenly opened his eyes and sat up in a panic. He was out of breath. That voice... it was Alice's. She was in danger. But before he could make the slightest move, a hand came to rest on his shoulder and forced him to lie down. He didn't understand anything any more, it was as if he was disorientated. And stuck in bed?
“Don't move, young man,” ordered a voice. “You haven't recovered yet.”
Recovered? Was he... in the Hospital Wing? He shook his head, determined not to spend another second in that bed. He had to find Alice and make sure she was all right. But once again, the nurse got in the way, which annoyed Damian. Alice needed him and there was no way he was going to stay here and rot.
“Let go of me! I've got to find her!” he snapped, not hesitating to shove the nurse, who still hadn't conceded defeat.
“If you're talking about the girl, she's not here!”
He stopped struggling and simply glanced at Miss Blainey with concern, as if he could hardly believe what he had just heard.
“Miss de Tandail has been taken to St Mungo's Hospital,” the nurse continued. "Her condition was critical, and it was best that she would be treated in a better place. At the moment, we still don't know what's happening to her. When you were brought here, you were both in a deplorable state. Especially Miss de Tandail."
Damian's eyes widened at the words. His mind was as if foggy, he had no recollection of what had happened that evening. Only Alice's frightened, desperate voice still echoed in his head. He absolutely had to know what had happened...
What had prevented him from protecting Alice...
He lowered his head and put a tired hand to his face. His fingers tightened against his skin. He couldn't remember a single detail and he was furious about it. Miss Blainey put a hand on the young man's shoulder to comfort him. But Damian made a slight movement, forcing the nurse to remove her hand from his shoulder. He didn't need that. To tell the truth, he didn't give a damn about his condition or the slightest word spoken by the adult next to him.
All he wanted... was to be with Alice.
He sighed heavily and straightened his head, staring intently at an invisible point in front of him. He had to get out of this bed at all costs and leave the school to be with Alice. But that was without the help of the nurse, who insisted on making him lie down again. After several minutes, Damian resigned himself. He felt a deep anger inside him and if he didn't want to release it and pour it out at the expense of Miss Blainey, who was only doing her job, he had to calm down. But an unexpected visit was going to give him a semblance of an answer to all the questions he was asking himself.
Ariane entered the infirmary and went over to Damian's bed. She had a tired face and dark circles had appeared under her golden eyes. From the looks of things, Ariane hadn't been able to sleep for a while. She greeted the young man with a small smile on her lips and sat down on the edge of his bed. Damian waited a few moments before asking for something, knowing full well that there had to be something. But the Gryffindor was the first to end the silence.
“I know what you want to ask me, Damian…” she began. “Tristan asked for a one-off absence to join Alice and he left over an hour ago. We haven't heard from my mum since she was taken to St Mungo's Hospital... I'm sorry... I wish I could have given you more news.”
Damian and Ariane weren't necessarily used to seeing each other, but he knew he could trust her for any information about Alice. He continued to look at her, understanding that it was hopeless to get any news. But he could still understand what had brought them to this situation.
“Ariane... how did we get here... Alice and I?” He questioned, hoping the girl would guide him through her foggy mind.
“It was a centaur who found you inert in a poachers' camp, completely ravaged by flames. At first he thought you were dead, but apparently he heard you say several times that someone had to save Alice. He went to Hogsmeade for help, despite his ban on humans. Luckily, he came across Khadim, a friend of our family, and they came back for you. As soon as you were taken to the Hospital Wing, Tristan and I were contacted. When we saw you, you were almost unrecognizable.”
Ariane's words sent a chill down his spine. He straightened up a little more from his bed, moving a little closer to the girl. He could feel that she was in a state of shock herself and that she had to fight her emotions to remain as lucid as possible. She took a deep breath.
“What was Alice's condition?” he dared to ask.
“Her face was bloody, completely soiled by the earth. She's so pretty... I was flabbergasted to see her like that... as if someone had hit her face with an incredible force. And her right hand was completely broken. And…” she trembled before trying to finish her sentence. “She wasn't moving. Her heart was still beating but it was weak. I don't know what she must have gone through... but... she must have suffered so much…”
“Ariane…”
“Tell me what happened Damian!” snapped Ariane, now staring into Damian's eyes. “How could this have happened?”
“I don't know…” admitted Damian, avoiding the Gryffindor's gaze. “I have no memory of what happened…”
Ariane sighed heavily. Deep down, she was really hoping for an answer from Damian, but she couldn't help feeling disappointed. And the young man understood that. Normally, he didn't mind not remembering something, unless it was something crucial and linked to a need, but in this case, it was Alice. And above all, he was very lucky to have found Ariane. Even though he knew she was repressing a lot of her feelings, she seemed to understand that there was no need to look any further. Which was the opposite of Tristan, who wouldn't hesitate to push Damian to his limits to get even the slightest response from him.
The Slytherin already had the feeling that the Gryffindor didn't trust him. Which was perfectly normal. A brother was much more suspicious and protective than a sister. Ariane had not hesitated to put her trust in him. Tristan, on the other hand, was almost always on the defensive. And with what had happened, Damian knew deep down that he was responsible for Alice's condition.
Damian lowered his head and closed his eyes. What had he got himself into this time? But Ariane's voice drew him out of his thoughts and he was surprised to see a smile. A thin smile, but sincere nonetheless. Only the girl's eyes contrasted with the rest of her face.
“I apologize. I didn't mean to put pressure on you,” she admitted in a rather tired voice. “I'm sleep-deprived and terribly worried about Alice. It was stupid of me to talk to you the way I did. Whatever happens, I sincerely hope we can get to the bottom of this whole situation.”
“I understand perfectly. I wish I could help you but... everything seems confused and I have this feeling of being lost in the middle of a fog. If I have the slightest recollection, I won't hesitate to share it with you.”
Ariane nodded gently. She rose from the bed, preferring to let Damian rest. He sighed in turn and slowly let himself slip into the sheets of his bed. What more could he do? Except wait.
All he could hope for now... was to see Alice again... safe and sound.
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After spending some time in the Hospital Wing, Damian was wandering around Hogwarts like a ghost. He still hadn't had any news about Alice's health. It was driving him almost crazy and the slightest little thing could upset him, even make him angry. Even if he wasn't a child at heart or the most perfect of students, he was still amazed at his own behavior, as if deep down inside... he felt an enormous amount of anger.
He wasn't entirely himself. He felt it deep inside.
He had never had so many negative feelings... or at least not since his sixteenth birthday... the day he discovered the truth about his own brother...
The day he'd used an unforgivable spell so intensely...
All his thoughts... It almost made him sick. He was even sure that he had frightened more than a few people as he walked through the corridors of the castle, his face serious and his eyebrows always furrowed. But that day, as he was going down into the dungeons, Damian was seized by an enormous headache. So bad that he couldn't help but sit down on the steps leading to the Slytherin common room. He clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the pain.
“Damian!” came a deep voice.
The young man quickly straightened his head in the direction of where he had heard the voice. He was surprised to see Tristan. The Gryffindor looked furious, his fists clenched and his step incredibly fast. He grabbed the Slytherin violently by his uniform, forcing him to stand up without even having time to do anything.
“I have two words to say to you!” Tristan growled.
Tristan pulled Damian along in his frenzied walk and led him into the old detention room. There he shoved the young man violently and angrily slammed the door behind him. Damian turned round, hallucinated by such brutality. Since when was Tristan a real bully?
“HEY can I kn…”
Without even realizing it, Damian received a huge blow to the jaw and took several steps backwards, so colossal was the violence of the gesture. Another blow, this time to his left eye, made itself felt and once again he took several steps backwards. In just a few seconds, the young man was up against the wall, almost knocked out. Tristan's hands grabbed the collar of Damian's shirt. He could clearly feel them shaking and the force being exerted.
Tristan was in a rage.
It was almost impossible for Damian to extricate himself from Tristan's grip, he seemed so in control of the situation. But the look on the Gryffindor's face spoke volumes about what was about to happen.
“Tell me what happened!” shouted Tristan angrily. “What happened to my sister?!”
“If you think that's how I'm going to answer you!” replied Damian, almost defiantly.
“Don't play that game with me you prick . You were with her that night. You're still here hanging out with her.”
“And you mind, Frenchie ?!”
Tristan clenched his hands even tighter, unable to stand the waiting any longer, and it displeased Damian immensely as he struggled against the Gryffindor's fury, but also against his headache which wasn't helping matters any.
“I have no memory of what happened. Otherwise I'd have told Ariane by now,” he tried to explain.
“Except that I'm not as flexible as she is! So no matter how much you hide behind your memory loss excuses , I'll end up understanding what happened to my sister. And I swear, if you're responsible for what happened to her…”
“Or what?!” snapped Damian, regaining the upper hand a little over Tristan. “You think you're scaring me with that contemptuous look on your face?! In the meantime, I've heard NOTHING from Alice! You think I don't care and that I'm having fun lying?! No wonder your little sister wants to hang out with me. With a brother as heavy as you, she ends up suffocating.”
“ Bordel de merde , I'm going to…”
At that moment Ariane stepped in between the two students and came to Damian's defense.
“Stop it Tristan, that's enough!” growled Ariane.
“I don't trust that bastard!” shouted Tristan. “He knows exactly what happened and he's determined to keep it a secret!”
“You're not going to get anywhere threatening him like that, Tristan!” she continued, before noticing Damian’s wounds. “Wait, you hit him?!”
Without a question, Ariane approached the Slytherin to examine him. But the latter jerked his head back, hating it when anyone got too close to the scar on his face. Even though this was Alice's sister and she'd come with all the good intentions in the world, he wasn't in the mood.
“It's all right, don't tire yourself out Ariane. He just needed to vent his nerves on someone and I was the perfect target," Damian reproached, not hesitating for a second to glare at Tristan. “Apart from shouting, that's all you know how to do. If other people saw a third of what you really are, believe me you wouldn't be so popular. You think you're the perfect, protective brother but you smother your sisters. You know what? It pisses you off that Alice would rather spend time with me than you. And you can't stand that. So you take out your frustration on me. You're pathetic, man.”
The Gryffindor clenched his fists even tighter, to the point of hurting himself. If it hadn't been for his sister, he'd have hit Damian again without any qualms. He just gave him a hateful look.
“I may smother my sisters, but when they're with me, they'd never be stuck in a hospital bed in a catastrophic state! Alice isn't safe when you're with her! She could have died, you bastard! And I can guarantee you that if you go near her again, it won't be a trip to St Mungo's Hospital that you'll win, but a single ticket to the grave!”
“You have no right to forbid me from being with her. You don't know what I'm capable of to get what I want.”
“My sister is not an object for you to possess at will. And as long as I'm alive, you'll never lay a hand on her!”
“You want to test my limits?” threatened Damian viciously, his hand close to his wand.
“ENOUGH!” shouted a female voice from the entrance to the room.
Damian's heart skipped a beat at that moment. Alice stood in the doorway, her eyes wide at the scene unfolding right in front of her. How long had she been back at Hogwarts? Had her family hidden all the information about her health? Damian was emotionally unstable. The urge to unleash his anger was gradually taking control of his body.
But somehow... he was so relieved to see her again...
Alice slowly approached the small group, without once taking her eyes off Damian. But Tristan's arm prevented her from going any further. He had not finished with the Slytherin and did not wish to include another of his sisters in the quarrel. But judging by Tristan's insouciance and Ariane's helplessness in the face of the scene, only Alice seemed to understand the seriousness of what could have happened if she hadn't paused the confrontation between the two young men. And Damian could see that something was wrong. He would have given anything to admire the young witch's gaze, usually so soft and soothing. All he could see was a look distorted by fear.
A gaze particularly fixed on him.
He clenched his fist and his jaw, fighting firmly against the wave of anger that was about to pour out like a tidal wave and the headache that was driving him mad. He felt betrayed... isolated even by the siblings. No one had given him any news. No one had bothered to go and see him. No one cared about his own feelings. This lone wolf that many didn't want to get close to. Or at least... not so lonely since he'd met Alice. Suddenly he began to snigger, avoiding Alice's gaze at all costs.
“I see you've been taking the piss out of me…” he began.
“Damian…” Ariane began. “I was on my way to let you know Alice was back... but that's when I heard you arguing and…”
“Spare me your breath... I'm even certain that you kept the truth about her health from me. To think that I was waiting like a poor fool when you had surely known for a long time that she was well and that she was coming back…”
“That's not true... you know very well that I was going to give you some news.”
“Maybe... but that bastard knew perfectly well what he was doing,” Damian snarled nastily, glancing at Tristan for the umpteenth time. He slipped his hand inside his jacket, slowly grasping his wand. "He didn't hesitate to make things clear to me. And I'll ask you darling not to initiate yourself into our affairs…”
Damian had barely had time to raise his wand before he felt it slip from his hand. Surprised by the action, he looked back at Alice. The girl, wand pointing at Damian, had just disarmed him. He could see quite clearly that the Ravenclaw's hand was trembling. Why was she in such a state?
Why him?
Instinctively, Damian pulled away from Tristan and moved closer to the girl. But Alice's expression remained unchanged. The same fear in her eyes and the same trembling. He laughed slightly, completely lost in the face of what was happening. He had no trouble getting the upper hand in any situation, but now for the first time he found himself in a position of weakness in front of her and her family.
He had a holy horror of feeling weak or showing weakness.
“Can you explain, Alice?” he asked. “Because I'm getting tired of your mysteries.”
“You know perfectly well why I disarmed you.” she replied, eliciting a reaction from Tristan who had just understood.
Damian laughed a second time, more out of nervousness than amusement. Alice, on the other hand, didn't seem to be taking things lightly. With her wand still pointed at the young man, she took a few seconds to calm her breathing, which was beginning to quicken slightly. Even Damian could feel it: she was stressed and was making a superhuman effort to keep her composure. Tristan and Ariane had also noticed, increasing their concern for their sister even more.
“If I hadn't been there…” she continued, her voice trembling slightly. “You wouldn't have hesitated to start again .”
Again?
Damian frowned. This statement was most surprising. And once again, he didn't know where he stood. Without any hesitation, Tristan approached Damian again, adding another pressure on the Slytherin's back, who was really starting to lose patience with all this.
“What do you mean, do it again ?” insisted Tristan. “What did he intend to do, Alice?”
“We didn't ring you, did we?! Until proven otherwise, she was talking to ME and not you, so piss off,” Damian snapped.
Tristan gave the young man a murderous look, overcome by a doubt he absolutely had to prove was legitimate. He turned completely to his sister, his face dark.
“Did that bastard hurt you?” Tristan asked shamelessly, leaving Ariane and even Damian speechless.
“I beg your pardon?!” retorted Damian, shocked by the Gryffindor's question.
“Alice, I'll say it one last time. Did that scumbag hurt you or not?!”
“Tristan, you can't be serious? Damian would never hurt Alice, you know that!” snapped Ariane, not understanding her brother's stubbornness in picking on Damian so much.
“You're the only bastard here, Tristan!’ snapped Damian, completely overcome with anger and on the verge of grabbing the Gryffindor by the collar, “You're the one who's hurting her the most by getting on her case and thinking you're the most perfect brother in the world when all you want to do is dominate your sisters! It's so easy to take advantage of the situation and come down on me! Alice?! Go on, tell him! Tell him I never did anything to hurt you!”
Damian was dumbfounded by this turn of events. How could he be responsible for the atrocities Alice had suffered? He couldn't. Not on the woman who'd had the courage to come to him... to consider him as a friend. The very idea of doing so made him completely sick. But what shocked him even more...
It was the dead silence.
Alice hadn't flinched once. But he could see perfectly well that the young girl was gradually losing her own protective walls. She had tried to remain calm, but finally succumbed to the first tears at the corners of her eyes. And this reaction... Damian understood perfectly. His own face relaxed and the idea of coming close to her crossed his mind. Numerous doubts emerged in his mind... doubts he was beginning to fear.
This was a nightmare.
“Alice... don't... don't tell me that…” Damian stammered slightly, too focused on the girl to care that he was showing weakness. “Alice... tell me no…”
Alice lowered her wand and stepped back, still her gaze fixed on Damian.
“You weren't yourself that night…” she sobbed lightly. “I tried to stop you... you were possessed by Dark Magic... and... and... you…”
And that was when he'd finally understood. And hearing it from Alice had only worsened the creation of his doubts. Until they became concrete. Slight tears formed at the corners of his eyes.
“No...no...no I don't...that…”
“.. you threw Crucio at me…” she admitted.
Damian's eyes widened in shock. But before he could react to what happened next, he felt another blow to his face and was thrown violently to the floor. Ariane and Alice hiccupped in surprise at the violence of the scene. When Damian straightened his face in the direction of the blow, he saw Tristan. His fists clenched and his body fully alert, Tristan stared at Damian with a look of rage, his face streaked with angry tears.
“I'm going to kill you.”
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The revelation was the most violent, almost as violent as if he had suffered several painful Crucio in a row. He had never thought that he would be capable of such an atrocity against someone he had come to care about. To perform an unforgivable curse he had to really want to. What could have triggered such a diabolical desire to harm Alice? Especially her... this young witch who had become almost his only true friend at Hogwarts? It was inconceivable to him to think that he had done the unforgivable.
Tristan snapped Damian out of his thoughts with yet another punch to the face. But strangely enough... the young Slytherin felt no desire to contest. Or even to defend himself.
He knew he had deserved it.
He fell heavily to the ground, before the frightened eyes of Alice, who had thrown herself on her brother to prevent him from going any further. Tristan could barely contain himself, so obsessed was he with the idea of making Damian pay for what he had dared to do. Ariane rushed to protect the injured boy from the Gryffindor's next attempts. Despite all her good will and all the strength she could summon, Alice was unable to restrain her brother.
“Tristan, stop it!” shouted Alice. “Damian wasn't himself, he had no idea what he was really doing!”
Hearing those words had warmed a small part of Damian's heart. Even after what he'd done... what he'd intended to do just now... did she still believe in him?
“Stop believing there's good in him! Once you get a taste of dark magic, you'll stay rotten for the rest of your life!” growled Tristan before grabbing Alice by the arm and yanking her violently away from him so he could pounce on Damian. “And stay out of it! I'm not finished with him!”
The violence of Tristan's gesture towards his sister was enough to drive Damian mad. He got to his feet, pushed Ariane aside with a wave of his hand and rushed at the Gryffindor, tackling him against one of the tables that remained in the old detention room. Surprised, Alice moved away from the two students who had ended up in the most violent of fights.
“I forbid you to touch Alice like you just did! She's your sister!” raged Damian, relentlessly punching Tristan in the face.
“Ironic! You wouldn't have hesitated to kill her if you'd had the nerve!” replied Tristan, starting to get blood on his face. “And I can assure you that you'll never go near her again!”
Damian's fists were shaking like leaves. No one had the right to forbid him anything. Especially not to be with Alice. And he was going to fight to get what he wanted. He hit Tristan again. He felt deep down that he was beginning to lose control of his own strength. The more Tristan forbade him to see Alice, the more Damian wanted to make him pay. His vision was blurring and his migraine was getting worse and worse. He was losing his mind.
Alice watched helplessly in horror as the scene unfolded before her eyes. She didn't know what to do, trying as best she could to scream and beg them to stop. Even Ariane didn't dare come between them, although the desire to do so never left her for a moment. But Tristan and Damian were both consumed by an indescribable rage, which would inevitably have put the young girl in danger if she had had the courage to separate them.
“Alice! We have to do something!” the young Gryffindor begged. “They'll end up killing each other and I can't even imagine if the teachers arrive!”
The Ravenclaw girl was far too panicked to find a radical and rational solution. But her sister was right, she had to intervene. She raised her wand again, trembling.
“DEPULSO!” she shouted.
Like a bullet, the spell struck one of the two students head-on, separating them once and for all. Damian was thrown violently against the wall, pulling away from Tristan for good. Ariane grabbed her brother's arm, forcing him away too.
“Get off me Ariane, I'm not done with this freak yet!” shouted Tristan, struggling against his younger sister.
“That's enough, Tristan! You've done enough damage!”
Damian sat up, a little disoriented at the moment and almost falling over. He put a hand to his head, his migraine becoming much more insistent than before. The pain was still manageable, but not for long. He gritted his teeth slightly and looked at Alice. Everything was absolutely incomprehensible, he, who thought he had defended his friend from her brother's brutality, had just been pushed aside by a defensive spell, cast by her own hand.
But why? Why attack him?
With difficulty and still a little stunned, Damian moved closer to Alice, hoping to understand the gesture she had just made towards him. The young girl, who had been trembling, looked at him with a look that seemed to be reproachful. She didn't move a muscle, continuing to stare at Damian.
“Why Alice?” asked Damian. “Why?”
No answer from her. Her silence... Damian didn't understand it. He didn't understand her anymore. He clenched his fists, shaking his head as if to undo all the knots that had been created in his own brain. And in an almost desperate gesture, Damian reached for Alice's hand, but no sooner had he touched her skin than she withdrew her hand. The young man was once again at a loss for words. He had absolutely no memory of what had happened and was trying as hard as he could to understand.
To seek his friend's support…
“Alice... I have no recollection of what happened,2 Damian began, noticing the girl's eyes starting to water, despite the reproachful hardness of her gaze. “I had no idea. I stayed a long time without having the slightest information about your health. There I was, not understanding the slightest thing about the whole situation. And…”
“Don't listen to him Alice!” snapped Tristan. “You can see that this smooth talker is trying to win you over. He didn't hesitate to hurt you and he'll do it again as soon as he's got you wrapped around his little finger!”
“Alice…”
“ALICE!”
“THAT'S ENOUGH, YOU TWO!” Alice shouted, completely overwhelmed by all the emotions.
The two young men stopped talking, occasionally shooting murderous glances at each other from where they stood. But Alice was the first to destroy this most uncomfortable silence.
“Damian…” she began, her throat closing.
“What more do I have to do? Huh?” he continued. “Whatever I may have done to you Alice, you should know that I am incapable of doing you any harm.”
“I've clearly seen it.”
“Saw what?”
“Your attitude.” she admitted, tears starting to appear. “It's the same attitude I saw in the Forbidden Forest, when you attacked that poacher... and me. Did you have any intention of hurting my brother? To do to him what you did to me that night?”
“Alice wait…”
“Answer me truthfully!” she growled. “Damian?! Did you intend to use an unforgivable curse on Tristan?!”
“Of course not!”
“Don't lie to me Damian! I've seen how possessed you are by Dark Magic! And this certainly isn't the first time you've used it!”
“SO ALICE?!” he raised his voice, making Alice jump slightly. “Unlike this school, I went to a school that taught Dark Magic freely. Even in my family we are no strangers to unforgivable curses. And what I do or use as spells outside this bloody school is none of your business! You'll have to get used to it, darling. Because it's not with nice words that I'll stop using them!”
“What you did to my sister is my business, you bastard! How can you say such a thing in front of her when you didn't hesitate to inflict that bloody curse on her! Scum like you should rot in Azkaban!” snarled Tristan, still restrained by Ariane.
Damian frowned, turning his head towards Tristan. The idea of jumping on him again had quickly emerged in his mind, but Alice's voice forced him to return to their conversation.
“I didn't think you were so eager to do so much with those spells Damian…”
“There's a difference between attacking poachers and the deed I might have done to you Alice!” he defended himself, taking her remark slightly to heart. “I'm not as ' perfect ' as your stupid brother. And even then, perfect is a big word. You're talking about a Gryffindor... that guy's as heavy as a Graphorn.”
“Don't you dare talk about my brother like that...you go too far Damian.”
“Or else what, Alice? I thought you were far more intelligent to understand that your brother is nothing but someone who wants to manipulate you to his will. You think he's doing all this to protect you but he just wants to prove that he's the one wearing the trousers in this family. Until there's proof to the contrary, you're not going to build your life around someone with narcissistic tendencies who wants to control his little world. You're much more than a weak girl who takes refuge under your brother's skirt! Or maybe I was wrong... and in the end you're just a boring girl who doesn't ....”
Without even having time to continue her sentence, Alice slapped Damian across the face. The young girl's gesture greatly surprised Tristan and Ariane, who watched the scene unfold with incomprehension. Even if the slap was not the strongest, it had not left Damian indifferent. He himself was astonished by Alice's audacity. The Slytherin stared intently at the Slytherin, tears streaming down her face. Tears of anger.
“I beg you Damian, don't say anything more. You don't know what Tristan has been through so far. The sacrifices he's had to endure to keep me and Ariane safe. Anyone who's never known the joy of having siblings will never understand the bond between them. Or even the need to do everything possible to protect them. You don't know any of that, Damian. And you'll never be able to understand it.”
Alice's words were like a sword through the stomach. And even if his last words didn't really reflect what he was really feeling, far too consumed by this feeling of rage, he had always associated Alice with the image of this beautiful, sweet girl... this same girl whose voice he had had the pleasure of following to the botanical greenhouses to hear her sing. A voice that had the gift of soothing his heart and mind when they were bruised by certain images from his past.
The same voice that had also had the gift of breaking him…
With slow steps, he moved closer to Alice, until he was close enough to her to be able to feel her breath against him. Fists and jaw clenched, Damian fought himself not to do anything stupid. Not after what he'd already heard. But it was a losing battle. His gaze hardened.
“I stand corrected Alice. It's you ... who knows absolutely nothing about me. You think you know everything but you're wrong about everything. You'll never have a quarter of what I've been through in my whole fucking life. And don't you dare judge me like that,” Damian growled back, glancing at Tristan. “You'd think this family knew everything about what was perfect or normal. You're enough of a bore to knock me over in a coffin. I expected more from you, Alice. And maybe Tristan was right for once. If you didn't think there was any good in me, did you really mean it? Or... you feel sorry for me . Then know this. I hate people who think I'm weak . Under no circumstances will they get my attention. And if I have to include you in my list of such people... I will.”
Alice didn't take her eyes off Damian for a moment, taking in every reproach he threw at her. She couldn't help but break down slowly into tears, not expecting such a thing.
“Go away, Damian…” she breathed. “If you think all these things of me... then we are not destined to be friends…”
Damian's emerald gaze softened at the young Ravenclaw's last words. Once again, Alice's words were harsh. But he deserved it. Tears began to appear in his eyes. He breathed her name softly one last time, before passing by her to leave the room, leaving her to be consumed little by little by a sadness she did not wish to feel. Almost silently, she began to cry.
A bruised heart in a dungeon... and weeping like a song... painful... and silent in the shadows.
-❅───✧❅✦❅✧───❅-
Damian hadn't shown up for dinner that evening. Immediately after the big fight between him and Alice, he had isolated himself in the Slytherin common room, or more specifically in his dormitory. No appetite... no desire to do anything. Even his own energy had evaporated without giving him a chance to harness it... not even to lie down properly on his bed. The whole situation had exhausted him, both morally and physically. And yet, a sensible young man would already have gone to the infirmary to treat all the wounds inflicted by his friend's brother... or at least... ex-friend.
He kept replaying what had happened. Between him and Tristan... then between him and Alice. And the more he thought, the more his frustration grew, still not remembering the unfortunate escapade in the Forbidden Forest. Had he really attacked Alice with an unforgivable curse? It was completely unimaginable for him to bring such a scenario to life. Yes... he had to admit that he had a mad rage and a monstrous desire to silence Tristan with a Crucio. Then again, he didn't feel like himself. After so long using these curses, his mind had become addictive. Having always been taught that it was normal to study and use dark magic in Durmstrang, he saw no harm in it. In fact, he didn't care at all, as long as he was the only one who knew about his own shenanigans.
But now... His friend had suffered the consequences of his addiction. And he'd never wished it on her. Even after everything she'd said or thought about him, he didn't want to see her suffer. His words were harsh, of course... but he understood that she was suffering terribly and that she hoped so much that it would just be a distant memory and that everything would go back to normal. That the next day, they'd both be... just the two of them... going about their daily routine... seeing each other again after school for just the pleasure of being among friends.
At least... that's what he would have liked...
And without even realizing it, his thoughts gradually plunged him into sleep. It was the one and only thing he could do.