"The Mudblood" One-Shots

The Underworld

Year: March 18th, 2007

Canonicity: Canon to "The Mudblood"

Point-of-view: first person, Lainey Fitzroy

This is a continuation of "Rookwood does some twisted shit pt. 666"

Faint, reddish light seeped through my eyelids—my left eyelid, at least. Something soft but heavy pressed on my right eyelid, and when I squirmed out from under it and opened my eyes, I realized it was someone's bum.

Frantically, I tried to scramble upright, but I couldn't find any secure footing because my entire surroundings were littered with bodies. Hundreds—maybe thousands—spanned in all directions, their jutting limbs and lifeless faces reflected in the dark eerie clouds lingering above. The red light I'd detected emanated from the horizon to my right, and though it didn't seem welcoming, anything would be better than this mass grave.

With shaking limbs, I climbed across the bodies, yelping every time my hand accidentally touched a face. Panic rose in my chest as the sea continued past my range of sight, and it took all my will not to break down, because I knew this wasn't some joke, some cruel prank played by Malfoy. I was really in the underworld.

The unfamiliar faces blurred in my teary vision, quickly morphing into the faces of my loved ones I'd left behind: Ryan, Harmony, Vince, Ginny, Lisa, Teddy. A sob escaped my throat at the mere thought of him, of whatever horrors Rookwood had done to him. Even if he and Lisa survived, what would become of them? My mother would die without her Latchee, and then who would take care of Teddy? I'd claimed him as my responsibility, and then I'd abandoned him. I'd let my guard down to play a stupid prank, and then I hadn't possessed the strength to attack Draco after he murdered Brian.

Wiping my eyes, I plowed onward, determined to fix this mess. As I yanked my hand from some dead bloke's open mouth, I inadvertently flopped onto my back and found a shadow looming over me. Slowly, my eyes trailed up the dark legs, my brain barely registering that the flesh was charred until I beheld his blue eyes, the same ones I'd fallen asleep beside throughout my childhood.

I didn't even hear myself scream, the world a noiseless void that he interrupted with a casual, "Oh, Lainey, you're finally awake." He glanced down at himself, and the ruined remains of his face attempted to grimace. "Oh, sorry about this."

As if drenched by a bucket of paint, his body brightened from head to toe, his blond hair returning, then his sun-tanned complexion and usual clothes. Eleven years later, the fashion seemed outdated, and I felt like I'd been sucked into one of my past visions as I stared up at my twin brother, a fifteen-year-old boy smiling amidst this hellish scene.

"I can look like I did when I died and I use it to intimidate people," Lyle told me as if his appearance hadn't induced a deluge of horrific flashbacks. I tried to calm my racing heart, tried to unsee the fire, unhear the screams, and focus on the present moment....or after-moment...or however one calculated afterlife time.

"Why do you...do that?" I managed uncomfortably.

"Oh, I'm kind of Melody's top guard around here." He puffed up his chest, which now seemed quite small after spending most of my time with grown adults. "We've gotta keep the peasants in line, you know. It's always a little funny to watch people's reactions when they wake up in hell and see me like that. I've been eagerly waiting for you to wake up. I don't usually come round this place too often otherwise."

I swallowed, unsure of how to answer. This whole situation was simply too much to process, and though I loved reuniting with my brother, he was the last person I wanted to see right now. The sight of him dredged up too many terrible memories, reverting me to the helpless little girl I'd been after his death.