Love and Monster ch. 16

The cobblestone streets were bustling with movement. For a young lamia like her, it was overwhelming. She could not only hear, but she could also feel, feel the scraping and scratching of feet. Each click of a heel left echoes behind for her to feel, long after their unknowing creator had moved on.

The smells didn't help either. The world of wizards was always just so stinky, filled with a deep stench that was so far removed from the fresh, clear air of the forest. She didn't understand why anyone would want to ever leave the forest.

No, so far, her first foray into the world of man left her feeling scared. She adjusted her glasses as she stared down at the ground, refusing to look anyone in the eyes.

Though sometimes, she'd catch a glimpse of a tail, or a claw, or a wing, and she'd look up on instinct.

This time, it was a set of tufted ears that drew her attention. They were a very bright shade of orange, and they belonged to a young girl, right around her age. She was a little tigress. Their eyes met, and they maintained eye contact for a moment that stretched out into infinity.

Then the little tigress bowed her head and looked away. She was wearing rags, a collar around her neck. She wanted to call out to her, but as she turned around, she disappeared into the crowd.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. “Eyes forward, Tamara. You wouldn't want to get lost. Not here.”

Tamara's face flushed in embarrassment as she looked up at her guardian. 

“Sorry, Ms. Fawkes.”

The phoenix gave her a kind smile, her bright crimson hair glistening in the sunlight. “It's quite alright, it's your first time out here, I expected you to be curious.”

They continued their stroll. Slowly, Tamara began to get accustomed to all the eyes that seemed to drift their way. It wasn't like they were the only creatures here, but they were definitely the only ones not dressed like servants.

She continued to do her fair share of staring as well. She didn't see any male lamia, but she spotted some male beasts and dragons hauling some carts, and a few dementors - who looked just like the females to her, but she assumed must be male - floating about on the edges of town.

They were the most jarring sight of all. Their faces looked so similar to those of her friends, but there was a spark missing there, a glint of intelligence that was not present. And that small detail made all the difference, it made them look savage, terrifying. Their big, hulking bodies didn't help.

“Here we are.” Fawkes said as they stopped in front of a home, which looked identical to all the others nearby. Fawkes knocked on the door, and while they waited, she smiled at a passing dragoness. The dragoness was carrying a spear and holding a shield as she led a troupe of four male dragons. 

“Lady Fawkes.” The dragoness bowed her head. “Always a pleasure.”

“Its good to see you well, Farnise. How goes it?”

Farnise shrugged as she tugged at the chain connected to the male's shackles. “More or less the same.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked over their shoulders. “Would be better without their kind around.”

Tamara turned her head to see a pair of veela walking down the street. The two blondes were dressed very provocatively, with low cut dresses that exposed most of their legs and gave short glimpses of what lay underneath with each step they took. The veela were giggling, shooting suggestive looks towards the wizards that passed by them, much to the displeasure of their wives.

“You girl, you are the lamia queen?” 

Tamara turned back to look at Farnise, who towered over her with a severe look on her face. “I-I will be, when I'm older.”

Farnise chuckled in amusement. “The old queen is dead, is she not?” Tamara felt Fawkes grip tighten on her shoulder. “Then that makes you the ruler, child, regardless of age. A word of advice, do not get your people tangled with those types. Veela, the mammalians, they're nothing but weak.”

The door finally creaked open and Fawkes coughed, masking her discomfort as best she could. “Well, Farnese, it was nice seeing you again.”

Farnese bowed her head before continuing along her way, pulling the other dragons along with her.

“Ah, Fawkes, what a pleasant surprise!” Answered a tall man with a crooked nose and auburn hair, hair that was much more faded than Fawkes’, specks of grey already creeping in at the edges. “And who is this young lady?” He glanced down at Tamara with a kind smile.

“Albus, this is Tamara Gaunt. Tamara, I would like you to meet my good friend, Albus Dumbledore.”

…

“Ms. Fawkes.”

It was later that night. They were back in the forest, back home, and Tamara was tucked into her bed as Fakwes sat at her bedside. Up above them, the enchanted glass ceiling reflected the night's sky, half-moon hanging high overhead.

“Yes?” Fawkes asked as she ran a hand through Tamara's raven-black hair. 

“I have some questions.”

Fawkes chuckled. “I figured. Was it about what that lady said?”

Tamara shook her head. “No, I know about that.”

And she did. Even in the forest, it was plain to see that the Blacks did not like the dragons, who hated them and the veela. The lamia were aligned with the dragons and so shared enemies by association. Everyone was afraid of the dementors, who only ever dealt with the acromantula, and the forest nymphs kept to themselves. It wasn't pure hostility, not like the stories Fawkes told her of the olden days, but it was a tense cohabitation.

“You do?” Fawkes gasped in shock. 

Tamara shrugged. “I'm not a baby anymore, Fawkes.”

Fawkes shook her head. “I'm sorry, child. When you get to be my age, it's sometimes hard to make such distinctions.”

Tamara rolled her eyes. “No, what I wanted to ask was about the creatures we saw in the wizard world. Why are so many of them wearing collars, or in chains?”

Fawkes pursed her lips. “Well, you know, the males need to be restrained.”

“Its not just the males, though, the girls I saw there… they were all wearing rags, and had collars too. Except for that dragon lady, I guess.”

Fawkes sighed. “Tamara, things are complicated, especially in the world of wizards. Doubly so.”

Her ward's expectant look let Fawkes know that she was not about to let her off the hook so easily.

“Things… are not perfect. The creatures that live amongst the wizards are not treated equally. Even the dragons are nothing more than their enforcers. It is something that Albus and I are working diligently to change, though.”

Tamara frowned. “But why do they have to be there? Why can't they just come to the forest? At least then, they'll be treated equally by their own.”

“Its not that simple, Tamara. This… this current state we live in is the result of centuries of strife, centuries of shifting conflicts and allegiances. At first, it was the wizards and the goblins at war, then when that fizzled out, we had our fair share of battles amongst us. It got to the point where the wizards intervened. That was how the forest was segregated from the rest of the world.”

“What?!” Tamara gasped. “Y-you mean we're imprisoned here?”

“No, no, that's not what I'm saying at all!” Fawkes said. She shook her head and sighed again. “Tamara, this seems like a conversation for another time. Why don't you get some rest, and we can discuss this further later?”

Tamara pouted, clearly not enthused by the idea, but one look at Fawkes told her that her guardian would not budge.

“You promise we'll talk about it?”

“Promise.” Fawkes held up her hand solemnly. “Phoenix's honor.”

…

The next time Tamara found herself in the wizard world, she was not so intimidated. She kept her head up, and she observed, she observed everything around her.

She saw the subtle looks, the way the wizard's faces twisted up in disgust until they spotted Fawkes next to her, and then they simply tried to mask their disdain a bit better. 

She saw the veela that were working the street, how they flirted with the wizards, but the smiles on their faces never reached their eyes. She saw the skunk-girl that was being led away from an establishment by a dragon guard, she saw the shameful look on the girl's face.

Their people had abandoned them to this fate. Why didn't the veela queen interfere? Lady Black? Why were they silent to all of this?

“Ms. Fawkes.”

“Yes, Tamara?”

They were waiting by that doorway again, Albus Dumbledore's house. Tamara didn't exactly look forward to being in there. She didn't like that strange candy of his, and him and Fawkes would just sit down and talk the whole time, it was all very boring.

“Can I stay outside?”

Fawkes frowned, glancing around, “I don't know if that's a good idea.”

“Pleaseeee, I promise I won't stray too far.”

She did her best rendition of puppy-dog eyes until she finally wore the phoenix down. “Fine, but first-” She took out her wand and waved it in an intricate pattern. Tamara felt her robe heat up, and when she looked down on herself, she saw a golden seal had formed over her.

“That will let everyone know who you are. And if you were to get in trouble - which you will not - you can tap the seal and it'll transport you to me.”

Tamara grinned up at her guardian. “Thank you so much!” She wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug, catching her wings in the embrace.

Fawkes shook her head fondly. “Don't make me regret it, Tamara.”

“You won't, I promise!”

That was how the young Lamia found herself slithering down the streets of this town - Fawkes had told her the name once, but she couldn't recall it - as she took in the sights.

One of the dragons standing guard by a storefront gave her a respectful nod, and the wizards seemed to be avoiding looking at her at all. It seemed that Fawkes’ mark was working its magic.

She wasn't sure whether she wanted to interact with a wizard or not. The thought terrified her, they were such alien beings in her mind, yet a part of her also found them fascinating.

Her thoughts were drawn elsewhere when she saw a striped orange tail flick about in the corner of her vision. She turned instantly, memories from all those months ago rushing back as she locked in on her.

It was the same girl, dressed in the exact same rags and wearing a collar. She was on her knees in the dirt, surrounded by an array of expensive looking shoes. She currently had one cradled on her lap, working in through with a brush and a bottle of polish.

Tamara did not hesitate for a moment. She's never really made friends before, but she felt drawn to this girl.

“Hey!” She raised her hand awkwardly. The tigress looked up at her with wide yellow eyes.

“H-Hello?” She had a defensive stance, ears pinned back, eyes averting her gaze.

Tamara frowned, but decided to push on. “I'm Tamara Gaunt, what's your name?”

The tigress blinked up at her. She looked every which way before answering. “Sasha.”

“What's your last name?”

“I don't have one.”

“...do you want to be friends?”

…

It was late at night and they were on their backs staring up at the skies above. The stars were shining bright this night, and the world around them seemed to melt away.

“What about that one?” Sasha pointed at one star in particular.

Tamara squinted from behind her glasses. “That's part of leo. You see, you connect it to that one and that one and that one.” She waved her finger around like she was conducting a symphony, or casting a spell. “They make up a lion.”

Sasha squinted up at the sky, retracing the path of Tamara's fingers several times over. “That doesn't look like a lion at all!”

Tamara snorted. “You have to have imagination.”

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Is this what you do in the forest? Stare up at the sky and make things up?”

Tamara sent her a mock glare, but she couldn't help the smile that came onto her face. “It's really lovely there, you know, I can't wait for you to come visit.”

Sasha hummed before changing the subject. “Tamara, why do you always wear those glasses?”

Tamara touched the frames on her face. “Ms. Fawkes made them. I was born with a gift, but I can't really control it yet, so I wear these glasses so I don't hurt people.”

Sasha looked fascinated. “Wow. But then… that means no one can hurt you! If they try, you just take off your glasses and make them go away!”

Tamara frowned. “Sasha, is someone hurting you?”

The girl faltered. “N-No. I-I mean, sometimes I mess up, and Mr. Malfoy has to discipline me. But that's it.”

She wanted to push on, but she knew her friend would close up if she pressed her. She decided to let the matter drop, and the girls returned to their star-gazing, making up constellations of their own.

…

“But why can't we bring her with us?!”

Fawkes rubbed her forehead as Tamara glared up at her. 

“Tamara, its complicated-”

“That's what you always say!”

“And I say it for a reason! Tamara, listen, Sasha is owned by Lord Malfoy, and he is one of the most powerful wizards there is.”

“Why is she owned? Why do we even let that happen at all?!”

“Tamara, you don't understand. After the war, when the wizards stepped in, the creatures became indebted to them, to pay off that debt, many of them had to submit themselves to service.”

“B-But wasn't that war hundreds of years ago? Sasha had nothing to do with that!”

Fawkes shook her head. “We've been… forced to allow things to go on. The wizards handle the males, who would wreak havoc in the forest if they were allowed here. Its… Tamara, I'm not proud of the way things are, and I'm working very hard to change them, but as of right now, there is nothing we can do.”

…

“There's my favorite little snake!”

Tamara growled. “I'm bigger than you.”

Sasha wagged her finger. “You're longer, I'm still bigger.”

They were older now, teenagers. They'd both bloomed considerably. Sasha had come out of her shell and become a confident young tigress, with rich orange fur and a budding hourglass figure. Tamara was not far behind, her own chest having swollen considerably over the years. 

Others had taken notice as well. Tamara glared at a young wizard that passed by and blatantly eyed Sasha's backside. Wizards made a show of how much they despised creatures, but they never hid the way they lusted after them.

Tamara wrapped her arm around Sasha's shoulder and pulled her aside. “Lets go.”

Sasha giggled. “You're going to get me in trouble, you know, I'm supposed to be working.”

Tamara waved her wand, and all the boots, holsters and vests Sasha was supposed to clean were immediately polished.

They went off into the plains, out by a solitary tree, away from prying eyes.

This was their tree, the place they always went to when they wanted to escape into their own little world. On the trunk of the tree, someone had carved a pair of initials, ‘F+L’. Now, encased in a heart, ‘T+S’ was immortalized just below it. Tamara always looked at it fondly, remembering how they'd fought over who's initials would go first.

The shade of the tree protected them from the unusually hot spring afternoon. Tamara cast some cooling charms to help out as well. 

Not that it helped at all to calm the heat between them. They were both panting and gasping. Tamara's lower half was wrapped around Sasha's body as the two kissed. Their bruised lips did nothing to temper the flames as Tamara's tongue delved into Sasha's throat, the tigress responding by running her own tongue against hers, resulting in a slow, sultry dance of passion. 

Their chests pressed close together and Tamara tightened her grip. She was constricting her, bordering on hurting her. In fact, she might be hurting her, just a little, but Sasha didn't seem to mind, even as her breaths came in short, rapid pants.

“You're taking my breath away, Tammy.” Sasha whispered with a smile, and Tamara did relinquish her grip, just the slightest bit.

She needed her so bad. She didn't ever want to let her go.

They stared at each other, Tamara's hair a mess and Sasha's fur not much better off.

“Sasha, let me take you to the forest.”

Sasha's smile fell, and it caused Tamara so much pain to see that look on her face. 

“Tammy, you know I can't.” Her hand went to her neck, to the collar around it. “This thing… they'll find me, they'll hurt me.”

She wanted to curse so badly. She wanted to scream to the heavens and curse the name Malfoy, curse the very existence of wizardkind. But she'd already done that far too often in front of Sasha. No, screaming into the void was futile.

She smiled. “I figured out how to remove it.” 

Sasha's eyes widened. “What? Really?!”

Tamara nodded. She had been working so hard on this, studying the magic on Sasha's collar until she finally worked out how to remove it.

“T-They'll look for me. They'll know it was you.”

“I don't care. They're not going to go into the forest, and I'll have no reason to return to this place once you're with me.”

Sasha dared to hope. She kissed Tamara on the lips, and they rolled around under the tree. They felt nothing but pure joy in that moment.

“We'll do it tonight.” Tamara said. “Under the cover of darkness, it'll help me hide you from Fawkes.”

Sasha ran a hand through her hair. “Will I have to hide from her forever?”

Tamara shook her head. “Just until they stop looking. Once things settle down, Fawkes will accept it. She will be cross with me, but she'll accept it.”

Tamara could feel Sasha's lips curl up into a smile, she closed her eyes and inhaled, bathing in Sasha's scent and smiling along with her.

Soon, they would be together. She would be free.

…

Fawkes went to bed early most nights, and this one was no exception. Tamara waited about an hour before deciding enough was enough, and she snuck out of their home.

Fawkes had always been the one to take her to the wizarding world. Even after Tamara had figured out her own method, she had never used it, not wanting anyone to know. She'd saved it for this very moment.

She arrived in the wizarding world and smiled. This would be her last time coming here. That was for certain.

The night was deathly silent as she reached their tree. She slithered under it, resting her back against it as she faced the town. She'd arrived early, and her anticipation kept building up with each passing moment. She was both nervous and excited, she was absolutely giddy. She didn't know how she'd react when she first spotted her coming.

Minutes passed by torturously slow. They continued to stack up upon each other.

Then the time arrived.

Then she was late.

Five. Ten. Fifteen and then twenty minutes.

Tamara was agonizing. She felt liquefied flames burning through the pit of her stomach.

She pushed off the tree, and slithered over to the edge of the clearing, squinting her eyes to try to get a better glimpse of the town.

She had not been stood up. She knew Sasha. She loved her with her entire being, her entire soul.

Something was wrong.

The village was completely silent. Everyone was fast asleep as Tamara slid her way through the square, her eyes focused on the largest home in the town.

The Malfoy's manor. It towered over the rest of the tiny little cottages. Its many windows were completely shrouded in darkness, but Tamara went along the side of the property line. Out into the barnyard, where Sasha lived.

She could see faint orange light flickering out between the cracks in the wood.

A quick charm silenced her movements as she sliced through the fencing with a sharp flick of her wand. She arrived at the barn but did not hear anything at all.

Silencing charm.

Tamara cut out a small section of the wall, enough for her to peek through.

The moment the wood fell away, the silencing charm was broken, and her blood chilled.

“Please, please no!”

“You've been avoiding me for so long, you little bitch. Do you think I'm an idiot!”

Sasha was on her back, cowering away as Abraxas Malfoy, the heir apparent, stood over her menacingly. 

Shasha's left eye was puffed up and bruised. One hand was on her collar, which had tightened around her neck.

“What? Did you already give yourself to that snake bitch?!”

“Sir, please, please-”

“What the fuck do you think you are? You are my property, my fucking slave! You've come along quite nicely, too, I think it's time you start doing other work around here.”

Sasha could have sliced through that bastard's throat with just a swipe of her claw, but the collar prevented her from retaliating at all.

Abraxas took off his belt and swung it like a whip. It let out a loud crack as it broke across the side of Sasha's face. The tigress screamed in pain.

“Now get up and take off those rags. I'll walk you through your new duties, beast.”

Both their heads turned as there was a loud crash. Sasha gasped. “Tamara! No!”

Tamara had blasted a hole through the side of the barn. She oozed nothing but pure rage as she raised herself up on her tail, towering over the Malfoy heir.

“You think you can intimidate me, bitch? Even with that pea-sized monster brain, you must know who I am. You know that you can't touch me.”

“Oh, I won't touch you.” Tamara hissed.

She went for her glasses, removing them for the first time in the presence of another.

On instinct, Sasha closed her own eyes as Abraxas was immediately ensnared by the big, amber orbs.

The concentric rings of crimson that radiated out from her iris began to glow, they began to burn.

She didn't know how to control her power. She had not trained in it. Her mother had died before she could teach her. 

But she didn't need to know how to use it. She got the general idea. She had ensnared him in her gaze, and now she projected her every emotion at him.

Hatred. Pure, unadulterated hatred. She despised him, she abhorred his very existence. She wished him dead.

Abraxas let out a long, slow breath. His face was blank. Pupils dilated.

He walked to the side of the barn, where there were many tools hung on the wall.

Tamara put her glasses back on. “Keep your eyes closed, Sasha.”

She didn't want her love to see this. But she had to. She needed to.

Abraxas reached out and grabbed a large pair of shears. His body was trembling, he was trying to fight it. This was her first time, she would need to practice. Improve.

But it seemed that even with her inexperience, she had done just about enough.

Abraxas held the shears out in front of him, blades pointed right at himself. There was a small moment of hesitation, but it quickly passed, and he plunged the blades right through his throat.

Tamara watched in satisfaction as he fell, body shaking violently as blood gushed from his neck.

She basked in it. Basked in the moment. But she knew she couldn't savor it.

“Let's go!” She grabbed onto Sasha's arm, who finally opened her eyes and looked up at her in shock as well as relief.

“Tammy, oh god! I-you came for me.”

“Of course I did, you silly girl.” Tamara said as they rushed out of the barn, leaving Abraxas’ dying body behind. “Now let's go!”

“My collar!” Sasha pointed at her neck. The collar was still tight, and it was beginning to leave a red mark on her fur, but more importantly, she could be tracked with it.

“Right.” Tamara said as she readied her wand. “This should be quick.”

The circumstances weren't ideal. She would have had a bit of time out in the field, time to calmly dispel the enchantments placed on the collar, but it was no matter. She would free her love.

She worked diligently, not letting her nerves unsteady her wand as she broke through each layer of enchantments.

“Ha!” She bellowed in triumph as it was all finally dispelled. Sasha felt the strap loosen, and as she touched it with her hands, a slight snip with her claws was all that was needed to tear it to pieces.

“I'm free!” Sasha exclaimed, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Not quite yet, my love.”

Tamara grabbed her arm. She was so giddy, she could cry and laugh at the same time. But she contained herself, they needed to keep quiet. They needed to escape, and once they were home free, they would have all the time in the world. Time to laugh, to cry, to fight and make up. Time to love.

They just needed to slip out of the town and then reach the-

There was a flash of red light, and Tamara knew no more.

She woke up with a groan. She found herself staring up at the stars through a ceiling made of glass, a ceiling she was intimately familiar with. 

She was home. In bed.

“Tamara! You're up!” Fawkes’ voice was concerned, distressed.

“F-Fawkes?” Tamara asked in confusion. Why was she in bed? Wasn't she supposed to…

She shot up in the bed and Fawkes put a hand on her chest to keep her from getting up. She was sweating, her sleep goggles digging into her face.

“Tama-”

“What happened?!”

“Tamara.”

“Sasha! What happened to Sasha?!” Her eyes were wild now, her head was ringing, thoughts going haywire. The last thing she remembered was a flash of red light.

They'd been caught.

“Tamara, you have to understand. You… the situation you caused…  it was all so delicate… we were on the knife's edge of an extermination.”

Tamara was hearing the phoenix's words, but she wasn't listening. “Sasha. What happened to her?”

Fawkes looked devastated, a lump in her throat. “I-I tried, Tamara. I did the best I could, I promise, but I barely managed to save you. T-They would have never-”

Tamara reached out and grabbed Fawkes by the arm. Her grip was deathly tight, and her eyes were filled with pure hatred.

“Tell. Me.”

Fawkes closed her eyes and shook her head. “I-I made sure it was quick. It was painless, Tamara. There was nothing else I could have done. I-I'm sorry…”

Tamara said no more. She relinquished her grip on Fawkes’ arm, falling back onto her bed, catatonic.

She stared up at the ceiling once more. Fawkes made noise by her bedside for a while longer, but Tamara did not hear. She could feel her body floating away, feel herself being torn asunder, rendered into nothing as it drifted up into the stars above.

…

Lucius stared at the portrait with a frown.

It was not a moving portrait. Its subject had died before he had been able to have his likeness properly immortalized. Instead, this inanimate portrait had to be painted from a memory.

Abraxas Malfoy.

In another life, perhaps he would have been Lucius’ father. Or perhaps Lucius would not have been born. 

Abraxas Malfoy died at the age of seventeen, at the hands of a beast. He was Lucius’ older brother, strange as that thought was, considering Lucius had been born decades after his death.

Their father Armand, the old Lord Malfoy, had grieved his son's death immensely. It had also forced him to scramble for a new heir. Malfoys were famously infertile, usually only able to produce a single heir. His father had to remarry a younger witch, and even then, it had been quite a few years before they'd been able to produce Lucius. Deep into old age, Armand did not even live long enough to witness his heir's birth. Just another indignity placed upon them by the creatures.

“Father.” 

Lucius looked down at his own heir, who had been so disappointing recently. “Yes, Draco?”

“Hermione will be here tomorrow. May we have her room decorated?”

Lucius snorted. His son had barely been home a week, and all he'd cared about was the muggleborn.

“You may.” He said as he tapped his cane on the floor. He glanced up at the portrait one last time. “The time for my appointment has come.”

“R-Right, see you tonight, father.”

“Goodbye, Draco.”

Lucius turned on the spot and apparated away from the manor. 

He popped into existence on a dockside. The waters were rough and choppy, the sky full of mist, with dark thunder clouds looming in the distance.

They were at the edge of their world. At the very limit of what wizards had been able to traverse.

“Lord Malfoy, she's ready.” The wizard tapped the bow of the small skiff they would use to reach the island. The vessel looked as if a small breeze would make it capsize, but Lucius trusted its enchantments, he had made this trip several times before.

Besides, experience had shown them that anything bigger would be swallowed up by the waves. With all their magic, the power at their fingertips, the sea was something they'd been unable to conquer.

The trip was short. The boat propelled then forward and Lucius used his collar to protect him against the biting winds and the sea mist.

The island was ten miles off the coast. Ten miles. That was the farthest wizardkind had made it off the British isles. 

There had been no use for the island. Really, only daredevils and eccentrics had ever visited it, the only ones idiotic enough to wish to brave the roaring seas. But after the war, it had found a new purpose.

It was a prison, meticulously constructed to contain but a single prisoner. Through some brilliance that Lucius himself did not understand, magic was completely negated in the chamber where Voldemort was kept. There was a team of three wizards in the fortress at all times, all keeping constant watch over her.

A gross misuse of funds, some would say. But the lamia had proven very difficult to kill, and when the war had ended, that blasted phoenix had convinced Dumbledore to spare her life.

They reached the island and the fortress loomed near. It wasn't anything special, a nondescript concrete building that was only conspicuous due to the rest of the island being completely barren.

“I'll be waiting for ya, sir!”

Lucius did not look back at the boatman as he approached the entrance, where Rookwood was standing in wait.

“Lucius.” He acknowledged.

“Augustus.” Lucius tipped his head.

“Wand.” Rookwood held his hand out, and Lucius scowled slightly at the lack of respect in his tone as he handed over his cherry wand.

While he waved his own wand over Lucius’, Rookwood spoke. “Tell me, Lucius, what crawled up into your ass that made you want to come back here?” 

Lucius shrugged derisively. “I just wanted to make sure this place wasn't being grossly mishandled.”

“You'll find that it's in excellent shape.” Rookwood dropped his wand in a basket by the entrance. It looked so undignified, like his wand was an umbrella in a stand.

“Come.”

There was not much to see on the inside either. One door for the barracks the three men shared, a bathroom, a small kitchenette.

They finally reached the main room. On the far wall, there was a long pane of two-way glass that stretched the entire width of the wall. The other two wardens were in the room. These men were much more respectful, offering Lucius nods of deference as he arrived.

“Lord Malfoy.” They bowed slightly.

“There she is, then.” He said as he approached the glass.

She was in a white, sterile room, completely devoid of features. At its very center was a glass tube, just barely wide enough for her to fit in. She was floating in a strange green liquid, serpentine body coiled up along its length.

For a moment, as he looked at her trapped in that tiny prison, he figured this was a far more fitting fate than death.

“Inside of that room, magic is completely suppressed. Dumbledore wouldn't be able to cast a lumos if he was in there. The glass is heavily reinforced, able to withstand incredible forces.” One of the men began spewing these facts as if he were reading them off of a manual, as if Lucius had not been here already.

Lucius looked around the room, noticing a small control panel near the corner. “And that?” 

Rookwood's brow furrowed. “You already know, Malfoy, you helped commission the damn thing.”

“Humor me.”

Rookwood sighed. “That is the only possible access point for lifting up her casing.”

“And why would we need to do that?”

One of the other men answered. “During the winter vortex, she falls into hibernation. We take that time to enter the chamber and reinforce some of the runes, and perform other regular maintenance.” He said proudly.

Lucius hummed to himself. “So anyone can just open that up?”

Rookwood snorted. “What are you playing at, Malfoy? If someone somehow managed to sneak into this island, sneak past us, and arrive at this chamber, they would still not be able to free the beast. The station require blood, from all three of us, for it to open.”

Lucius was nodding along. “Good, good, that's very good.” He walked up to one of the men, reaching into his robe.

Rookwood growled, reaching for his wand. “You know, Lucius, I don't care how rich you are. Here, I am the final authority, and I don't like ho-”

It all happened in a single, fluid movement. Lucius pulled out a dagger and stabbed Rookwood's colleague in the neck. The man barely had time to do anything but widen his eyes in shock before he began gurgling, the blood spewing out from his throat.

“FUCK!” Roockwood cursed as he fired off a spell. But Malfoy was using the other man as a shield, and meanwhile, the third warden had not reacted quickly enough. Lucius had used his victim's wand to send a bludgeoning curse his way. The man attempted to dodge, but the left side of his head was still caught flush, caving in completely as he fell lifelessly to the floor.

“What the fuck is this?! This is treason!” Rookwood yelled as Malfoy continued to hide behind his human shield while sending curse after curse at Rookwood.

Rookwood fired while he dodged. The room did not provide any cover at all. He conjured a slab of stone while sending a sickly yellow curse back at his opponent.

As Rookwood hid behind the slab, the curse hit his dead colleague in the torso. His body began to stretch, loud ripping sounds filling the room as it tore apart at the shoulders, leaving Lucius holding nothing but a head with a neck.

His shield was gone.

“You're going to fucking pay for this, Malfoy!” He yelled. “I'll put you in there with that fucking bitch!”

Rookwood peeked over his cover and shot a spray of acid Lucius' way. Malfoy leapt away from it with an agility that the lord Malfoy should not have.

Lucius Malfoy was not this good. He was not this skilled to be holding his own.

Augustus grimaced. He could investigate things further once he'd taken the fucker down.

He peeked over the slab of stone once more, ready to aim another curse at Lucius.

“GAAAAAH!”

He was blindsided as someone tackled him from the side. He twisted around as his back impacted the floor, knocking the wind out of him.

A fist rained down on his face, the blow stunning him, leaving stars in his vision.

His other colleague stood over him, half his head missing, left eye dangling off from the side of his head.

Malfoy had created an inferi. In mere moments.

That was when Augustus put the pieces together. When he realized exactly who was behind all of this.

It was also the moment his head exploded in a shower of blood and vile, spraying the floor below him.

Lucius relinquished his control over the corpse, which collapsed on top of its equally dead colleague. He observed the three men, eyes scanning meticulously.

There was a lot of blood everywhere now, he needed to make sure he got some from each.

He conjured a jar and collected some that was dripping from Rockwood's neck stump. He let some drip off the exposed optical nerve of the other corpse before going to the other side of the room and squeezing a few drops from a small little chunk of flesh.

He then went over to the control panel, seeing the small cavity where he knew the blood would go.

He poured the blood into it and the panel came to life.

The controls were very simple. One push of a button, and there was long, low hiss all across the room.

An alarm began to blare as the tube began to lift. The wall shifted, a doorway forming dead in the middle.

Lucius waited for a few moments before he went through the doorway. She was out, stretching her arms and cracking her neck.

“Oh but I am quite sore.” Tamara said as her body shivered. Ten years, a decade in a glass prison, only to finally feel outside air brushing up against her skin, her scales feeling solid ground.

Lucius watched. She was a goddess. Her breasts were large mounds of soft flesh with dark, sensuous nipples at their peak. Her body was shapely, womanly, her dark black and green scales glinting in the light. Her pitch-black hair was quite soaked, reaching down to her back.

All that was missing were her eyes.

Tamara reached up and touched the silver band wrapped around her eyes. She palmed it delicately at first, but then she curled a finger under it, and she tugged.

She tore it off. Her eyes were free.

Big, yellow orbs. Bright, unnaturally bright. Inhuman. Slit pupils, with concentric red rings echoing outward from the center. Dark red, burning like flames.

“Mistress.” Lucius bowed his head.

Tamara smirked down at the man.  “Lucius, you've done well.” She held her hand out. “Wand.”

“Of course.” Lucius held out the wand he'd taken from one of the wardens.

Tamara stared down at the wand. A wizard's wand, a useless wand.

She tutted. “No. No. Lucius. My wand.”

“Y-your wand? But mistress, I don't know where it is.”

Tamara chuckled as she slithered over to the man. She towered over him. He was really quite a pathetic creature. “Don't worry Lucius, I do know where it is.”

Tamara pressed a finger against his chest and Lucius shivered in pleasure. She slid the finger down, down until she reached his ribcage.

“Its right here.” 

Her nails sliced right through Lucius’ robe, right through his flesh as well. The man gasped, but he did not try to stop her. He couldn't, he was under her power. 

Tamara dug around inside of his ribcage, pushing around organs and muscles until finally, her fingers wrapped around a familiar length of wood.

She felt joy. Pure joy as she was reunited with herself. She pulled the wand out of Lucius’ body, smiling with glee as she saw the bone-white wand staring back at her. 

She was complete.

“You've done well, Lucius.” She said as she looked at him. His eyes were full of devotion. “And now you die.”

She slashed her wand downward and Lucius’ belly ruptured, organs spilling out as he began to scream in pain. With a thought, Tamara let her control over him vanish.

“W-What have you done to me?!” Lucius yelled as he collapsed onto the floor, right leg folding up under him. “W-What…”

“You have served me well all these years, my little sleeper agent.” Tamara said in a vicious tone. “And now, you meet your father and your uncle. I have granted you a slow, excruciating death, as all scum like you deserve.” She tilted her head to the side as she gave him a twisted smile. “But don't fret, I haven't forgotten about your son. I want you to fade away in the knowledge that I will end the Malfoy line, Lucius. I will twist your son's head off and display it on a stake.”

Lucius tried to respond, but his voice had already left him. As he lay in a pool of blood, gurgling incoherently and trying desperate to keep his organs from spilling out, Voldemort turned.

She was finally free, and she had a lot of work to do, a lot of people to see.