The Silence Is Laughing

[beki14]

Ah, here we are at last. This is the sequel to Confusion’s a Funny Thing, but it is not necessary to read that to understand The Slilence is Laughing. Actually, if you’ve never read Confusion, I’d say don’t bother. This will be quite a bit darker than Confusion, and is set in what would be Harry’s seventh year. Hey hey, I’m even doing real chapters this time. I think you guys will really like this one...

Disclaimer: Alas, my name is not J. K. Rowling. I’m not getting paid for this either, although if you want to pay me, I certainly won’t say no. Send your money to... But seriously, they’re Jo’s characters, I’m just taking them for a walk. She’s the queen, I’m the peasant, that’s just how it goes.

I have a few warnings before I start. First off, there is a chance that many of you won’t accept some of the plot as possible. In my opinion, everything I will write about could happen in the seventh book, even if it wouldn’t in a million years. Despite that, this fic could easily be considered slightly AU, and if it makes anyone feel better to consider it as such, please be my guest. I will say that I’m blatantly ignoring a few of JKR’s comments, and one of Dumbledore’s, but besides that, I won’t touch canon. Scouts honor.

My second warning is that there will be character deaths. Many of them, in fact. I will always warn you at the beginning of each chapter if someone’s going to kick the bucket though.

Also, there is no way this fic will be complete before the seventh book comes out, at which point it will become officially AU.

Lastly (I think...), if you are extremely attached to any particular ship, I’d run very fast in the opposite direction...

Okay, now that I’ve scared you all off...

The last thing I have to say is a dedication:

~ To MarauderGrl~
The best reader and friend I could have ever asked for.
Thank you for everything. I never could have gotten through this without you.
And sorry again that our plots ended up so similar. But as you’ve said many times, great minds do think alike. You’re the best sweetie!

So without further ado, I am proud to present, The Silence Is Laughing:


Prologue:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost


July 30, 1997


It was raining.

Actually, raining was a bit of an understatement. It was more like the sky had just opened up, and hadn’t bothered closing again for two weeks straight. Many were surprised that mass flooding had not yet occurred, and even more were beginning to suspect that someone besides Mother Nature was behind the torrential downpour. The rain was doing one thing successfully though. Not many people dared to venture outside anymore.

Not that many had before.

However, there seemed to be at least one person who was brave enough to face the storm and whatever else, for a figure completely covered by a black cloak was making it’s way quickly up a steep hill. The figure moved with determination toward a towering manor barely visible through the heavy torrent, looking as though it did not feel the water at all. If anyone had gotten close enough, they would have realized that the cloak was completely dry.

There was something very strange about this person.

In fact, there were many strange things about this person, a woman in her late thirties, the most obvious being that this particular woman was a witch. Not the type of witch young children read about in story books, the type with green skin and warts, waiting to throw small children in the oven. This woman was a real life witch, one part of a whole other world that has been kept hidden from non-magical people for thousands of years. She was a witch who used a wand on a daily basis, whether it be to heat a cup of tea or save a person’s life. She was a witch who had no desire to throw children in an oven. And she certainly did not have green skin.

But even as far as witches and wizards went, this woman was unique.

This woman was legally dead, and had been so for around twenty years. Very few people knew of her continued existence, and even fewer knew of the existence of her children. She was a woman who was a direct descendant of one of the most famous witches ever to live, and because of this, was hunted by the man feared most by the modern wizarding community.

Even her appearance set her apart. Twenty years of hiding had turned her already pale skin nearly pure white, the contrast of her pitch black hair giving her a ghostly look. Her violently purple eyes, framed by dark lashes, used to be her most distinguishing feature. But unfortunately, that title had been stolen by the long scar running from the corner of her left eye down to the base of her neck, which still had a red tint to it despite being two decades old.

She was slightly on the short side, and a bit frail looking, but she was by no means weak. What she lacked in stature she made up for in spirit, and she was as clever as they came. A true Slytherin, no matter how much it pained her to admit it.

However, she had a bit of a reckless streak as well. She blamed her husband’s influence for this specific bit of her personality, and it was definitely making itself known right now.

For this woman was on a mission. She was done with hiding. She was done with being a coward. And she was definitely done with watching others fight the war when she should be fighting right alongside them.

Finally reaching the heavy oak door of the manor, she rapped three times on the serpent handled door knocker.

The door was thrown open immediately, and she had to roll her eyes. Honestly, the first rule of war was always know who is at your door...

“Oh, thank goodness you’ve come, I have no idea what to do...” A tall, blond woman cried, pulling the very confused woman on her doorstep into the Entrance Hall. “Severus just dropped Draco off without a word, and he won’t tell me what happened, I...” she stopped short, a strange expression dawning on her face. “You’re not Bella...”

The woman rolled her eyes, throwing down the hood of her cloak. “I’m incredibly insulted, Narcissa. Being compared to that so early in the morning is not something I needed.”

At this point, Narcissa Malfoy did something very unlike her. She gaped open-mouthed at the woman in her foyer.

“Oh close your mouth, it’s not very attractive.”

“But... you... but...”

“Yes, yes, I’m supposed to be dead, I know. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m alive and kicking. Any questions?”

“I...”

“No? Okay, good.”

“What...”

“Now where is that regretful excuse of a human being you call a son?”

“How...”

“I know he’s here, you admitted that much when you thought I was Bella. By the way, Narcissa, your lovely sister isn’t going to be too happy with dear Draco right now, so telling her exactly where he is might not be the brightest of ideas.”

“But...”

“I don’t really care to go hunting for him myself, so why don’t you just tell me where he is? It would be much easier for both of us, believe me.”

Narcissa finally seemed to find her voice. “What do you want with my son?”

“Well, actually, I was thinking about saving his sorry skin from torture and almost certain death.”

“Why do you think my son needs saving?” Narcissa demanded. The woman, who had been inspecting a family portrait, turned to her with a furrowed brow.

“How much do you know?”

“I told you, nothing! Severus just dropped Draco off about two days ago, told me not to talk to anyone, and left! And Draco refuses to tell me anything.”

“Dumbledore’s dead.”

“Well, I knew that,” Narcissa replied indignantly. “That was well over a month ago. Severus killed him, right?”

“Don’t you read the papers?”

“No, it’s a load of hogwash half the time.”

She snorted. “That may be true, but you still might want to invest in a subscription. Yes, Snape killed him, but they’re treating Draco as an accomplice. There’s a ministry warrant out for his arrest.”

“There’s a what?”

“If they find him, he’s facing a lifetime in Azkaban. If Voldemort finds him, he’s facing worse. Trust me, Narcissa, you want him to come with me.”

The woman’s former friend closed her eyes, sighing heavily before asking her next question. “Where would you take him?”

“To the Order,” she replied as calmly as if she had said ‘to the supermarket’.

“WHAT!?”

“To the Order,” she repeated.

“If you think I’m going to let you take my son to a bunch of people who want to skin him alive, you’ve gone mad!”

“Oh, I’m sure most of the Order will want to skin him alive, but can you really blame them? They won’t, however, because he’s useful. As long as he doesn’t try to do anything stupid, he’ll be perfectly fine.”

“I will not send him off to go on some suicidal spying mission either!”

“Narcissa, Draco’s really not in much of a position to become a spy anyway. Voldemort’s probably not happy that he didn’t complete his mission.”

“How do I know the Order won’t just turn him over to the Ministry? They’re on the same side, after all.”

“The Ministry’s on it’s own side. And the last thing the Order wants to do is draw attention to itself.”

“Where are you getting your information anyway? Usually, dead people don’t know this much.”

“I have my sources,” she said. There was no way she was telling Narcissa Malfoy where she got her information from. “So, are you going to let me see Draco or not?”

“Why?” Narcissa asked. “Why are you so keen on helping him?”

The woman sighed, replying, “Because there’s a reason he couldn’t kill Dumbledore. There’s some good in him somewhere, and I’d hate to see him turn out like his father.”

Narcissa nodded, seeming satisfied. Almost... “Adi?” The woman looked up sharply at the sound of her name. “You never did explain to me how it is that you’re alive.”

A trace of a smile appeared on her face. “I’m far too stubborn to die, Narcissa.”

Knowing this was all she was going to get for now, Narcissa sighed, saying, “Draco’s room is down the hall. Follow me.”

“Oh, and Narcissa?” The other woman turned to look at her. “If anyone asks, Draco was never here. And neither was I.” She nodded, starting towards the doorway once more.

Adi trailed the regal woman down a lavishly decorated hallway, nearly running into her when she stopped in front of a seemingly bare stretch of wall, and tugged on the arm of a suit of armor. A door appeared out of nowhere, and Narcissa tapped three times, whispering, “Mockingbird.”

The boy who appeared was not what Adi expected. She’d thought Draco would look like a typical, spoiled rotten pureblood, not taking into account how much strain he was probably under. Instead, he was unbelievably pale and withdrawn, making the bags under his eyes look even darker. The eyes themselves were deadened. Deadened, cold, and most of all, scared.

“Mother, who is this?” he asked quietly, eyeing Adi with suspicion.

“Draco, this is Adrianna Mulciber, she...”

“Black,” Adi interrupted.

“What?” Narcissa asked, looking at Adi questioningly.

“Black. Adrianna Black.”





A/N: I love feedback...

[beki14]

Guys, I have some bad news.

I’ve decided that I need to give this one up.

I hate to do it, because I hate leaving things unfinished, but I’m sure quite a few of you saw this coming anyway. Posting once every six months isn’t acceptable, and it’s not fair to you guys to make you wait that long and still support this story. This isn’t a decision I came to lightly. I’ve been toying with the idea for a very long time. At one point I wasn’t even going to finish Confusion, but I’m glad I did. The last post is actually the piece of writing I’m most proud of.

I feel like I owe you guys more of an explanation, so here it is. These are the three main reasons I’ve decided to concede defeat.

1. I have no inspiration. The plan I had would have forced this to become a very long fic, possibly longer than anything else I’ve written, and I just don’t have the muse. I can’t force it anymore, because it’s affecting Mild. I don’t think I’ll have as many blocks without worrying about this one.

2. It doesn’t seem right now that DH is out. I didn’t think it was going to bother me, but it does. I don’t think I could come up with my own horcrux plot in particular now that the canon has been revealed.

3. I have decided that I’d rather continue with the DH oneshot I wrote. I think you will all enjoy that more anyway, and it’ll drive me nuts if I don’t do it. And unfortunately, I can’t do both.

Lastly, I want to ensure you all that this will not happen to Mild. I know how much you all love that story, I love that story, and I could never bear to give it up. This one just wasn’t meant to be.

If you want to find out what happened to the characters, check out my feedback thread. If not, then thank you for supporting me for so long.

Again, I am truly, deeply sorry.

~Becky