Ship to Wreck
Hogwarts
Harriet was dazed and distracted as she wandered Hogwarts. Her mind was fuzzy, and she couldn't think or plan what her next steps should be. Every time she tried to focus, all she could think of was that Rumpelstiltskin was going to die.
She had enough presence of mind to throw on her invisibility cloak, worried that someone would connect her with the failing wards. She didn’t know how the Headmaster was going to smooth that over and frankly didn’t care. She was more worried about Rumpelstiltskin.
He was going to die.
She couldn’t shake that thought, no matter how hard she tried. Even stumbling out of Hogwarts and down the path that led toward Hogsmeade didn’t help. The cool night air couldn’t penetrate the invisibility cloak and her chaotic mind left her feeling dazed and uncomfortable.
RUMPLESTILSKIN was going to die!
Rumpelstiltskin was going to DIE!
Rumpelstiltskin was GOING to die!
How was she supposed to help him? To save him? She couldn’t even help herself.
Her throat began to close as she stumbled. Annoyed, she finally ripped the invisibility cloak off and fell to her hands and knees. She sucked in the cool night air as she fought her emotions and tried to focus her breathing. Yet, she kept choking on her tears.
Looking up, she squinted into the moonlight, puzzled as to where she was. At some point she had deviated from the main path and now stood next to a trail that led into the Forbidden Forest. Surprise overtook her as she realized she was standing in the same spot she'd used the Resurrection Stone twelve years ago. Licking her lips, she grabbed her cloak and stood. Folding it, she slid it into a pocket, then pulled out her wand.
“Accio Resurrection Stone!”
Nothing happened.
Did someone find it? If misused, it could ruin someone’s life. Dread began to grip her heart, and her stomach began to churn when she heard a high pitch whistling. Reaching out, she snatched the stone from the air before it could hit her in the face.
“There you are,” Harriet whispered as she looked at the dirt encrusted ring. Wiping off some of the grime, she examined the ring in the moonlight. She was still puzzled as to how she became the Mistress of Death. All she had done was simply use it. Shouldn’t it have been in her possession with the cloak and wand?
Yet, she had gained the Elder Wand’s loyalty by defeating Draco Malfoy, and neither had the wand in their possession at the time. So maybe the stone worked differently? Each Hollow seemed to have some key requirement to gain mastery of it.
Feeling a headache coming on, she stuffed the ring into one of her many pockets and looked around. A lot had changed in twelve years, but her feet still seemed to know the way, and she found herself leisurely strolling through the Forbidden Forest. The bushes were still as tangled and gnarled as before, the path still as winding, but she hadn’t realized how far it’d been from the castle. Despite the cool air, she began to sweat, and her feet started to hurt. Yet once the brambles gave way to underbrush, and then the clearing, it struck Harriet that she hadn’t used Lumos to see in the dark.
She just could.
Fear gripped her heart, but before she could panic over her newfound ability, her attention was diverted. Rumpelstiltskin was standing in the same spot he’d been twelve years ago. She felt her heart stutter as the bright moonlight illuminated the clearing and caused his scales to glitter faintly in the dark. She couldn’t help but be mesmerized by his sheer alien beauty.
“Aaaah,” Rumple drawled, his voice little more than a hiss, “My Beauty found me.”
“Yes she did,” Harriet replied, her voice shaky. While she knew he probably would prefer to be alone, she couldn’t let that happen. He was dangerous, upset, and a little unhinged. He couldn’t be alone. Yet, she found that her reluctance to leave was more for her benefit than his.
She needed him, and she wasn’t certain how she felt about that.
Rumple's heart stuttered as he watched his Beauty gracefully glide toward him. Her dazzling emerald eyes glowed faintly in the moonlight, and he felt his mouth go dry as his palms began to sweat. Yet he didn’t allow himself to drop the mysterious Dark One act. He refused to show weakness. He was going to die and there was a distinct possibility he would be taking her with him. He didn’t deserve her comfort.
She was too precious, too good.
The Savior this world and Storybrooke needed.
The perfect Guardian.
His breathing began to feel labored, and his heart sped up. He couldn’t tell if he was having another heart attack or if it was just his anxiety. She looked so lovely in the moonlight, so vulnerable. He wanted to reach out and hold her. To wrap himself around her and whimper and cry and confess everything good, bad, and in-between he had ever done.
He wanted to give in and let the remorse overtake him. Yet, if he did, he might kill her. Henry would be alone, Storybrooke would fall, and nothing good would be left behind.
Just chaos.
He didn’t want that. He wanted to leave the world better than he found it. Lord Voldemort’s influence had caused so many issues in magical Britain and his time as the Dark One had caused problems in Storybrooke. He’d tried to build a legacy, but all he could claim was chaos. He didn’t want that to be all there was to him. For once, he wanted to do good for the sake of it.
Harriet was to blame for that.
Instead of his soul twisting Harriet into something dark; all her love, joy, hope, and delight had leaked into his soul piece. She had infected him with love, and in so doing, his soul had begun to grow.
Her goodness had allowed him to become Rumpelstiltskin.
It wasn’t perfect. Without the Darkness he hadn’t been a whole person. Too prone to cowardice to really do much with the goodness she gave him. Yet even as the Darkness had infected him, he’d kept that goodness. It had protected him from true evil through the centuries; allowing him to become someone other than Lord Voldemort. Rumpelstiltskin was created from the goodness of a hero while the Darkness was created from the evil of a villain. They were incompatible.
That incompatibility would eventually drive him mad, if his remorse didn’t kill him first.
Harriet didn’t deserve him haunting her, yet she seemed perfectly content in his company. She’d believed him when he said he’d changed and looked at him like he’d always been Rumpelstiltskin. Without even trying, she’d staked a claim onto his very soul.
It’d been just under a week, and he couldn’t imagine living his life without her. She was a welcome balm to his heart, a distraction from his pain, a reminder of who he used to be, and a champion of what he could become. He wanted to show her how special she was to him; how cared for she was.
Snapping his fingers, her clothes rippled and shifted into a Gryffindor red dress. It was embroidered with golden roses all along the skirt and bodice. The neck was scooped in the front, without it being indecent, and her shoes had transformed into delicate golden slippers. Yet, strangely, her jacket refused to transfigure.
Surprised, Harriet took her jacket off and carefully placed it on the ground. Then she delicately touched her dress and whispered, “It’s beautiful Rum.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Rumple replied with a delighted smile. He loved how the dress accentuated her figure. The red perfectly balanced her alabaster skin and jet-black hair while the gold embroidery brought out the emerald in her eyes, making them glitter in the moonlight.
“But why change my clothes?” Harriet asked, her eyes glowing with pleasure, “Did you want us to match?”
Confused, Rumple looked down at himself and smirked, he’d been unaware of what he’d been wearing. His jacket, vest, and boots were a dark brown with golden buttons while his pants and undershirt were the same red as her dress. Smiling, he said in his high manic voice, “Well of course dearie! How else will everyone know you belong with me?”
Harriet smirked, wondering who everyone could possibly be in the middle of an empty clearing, when he snapped his fingers again. The ground rumbled underneath them and changed from dirt into polished wood. A gramophone stood off to the side playing a rich, romantic instrumental piece.
“Can I have this dance my Beauty?” Rumple asked, bowing and holding out his hand with a small flourish.
Harriet giggled, “Only if we dance to something a bit more my speed.”
“Oh?” Rumple asked as Harriet took her phone from her jacket pocket. Turning off the gramophone, she sat it on top of the turntable and opened the music folder.
“Sonorous!” Harriet muttered moving her wand over the phone. Turning toward Rumple she smiled and pressed play.
Music began to play as Harriet danced her way toward Rumple, a mischievous grin on her face. It was an upbeat piece but as the lyrics washed over the clearing, he realized just how appropriate it was to their situation. It was a song about desperation and Rumple could appreciate that.
Especially after tonight.
“To wreck, to wreck, to wreck. Did I build this ship to wreck?” Harriet sang. She was a bit off key, but her voice was still charming and smooth. With a bit of practice, she would do well singing a little one to sleep.
“Daydreaming again?” The Darkness mocked, yet its voice sounded faraway. Rumple was startled for a moment, but then Harriet took his hands and tugged him close.
Smiling, Rumple completely dismissed the Darkness as irrelevant and began twirling her across the dance floor. So what if he had romantic thoughts and daydreams about her? He was allowed. It wasn’t like Belle wanted him and he was dying anyway.
Let him have his daydreams.
The Darkness must have agreed, because it said no more.
Harriet giggled as Rumple twirled her to the middle of the dance floor and visibly shivered when he pulled her against his chest.
Grinning he began singing with her, his higher baritone blending well with her mezzo-soprano. Neither were great singers but they weren’t offensive either; not that they cared at the moment. For once, they were both just having fun without feeling anxious or guilty about it.
“Good God, under starless skies, we are lost, and in the breach, we got tossed, and the water is coming in fast!” They sang at the top of their voices.
The twirling, swaying, and jiving somehow came out to a dance that both seemed to instinctively know. It wasn’t the romantic ballroom dance Rumple had in mind, but laughing and singing with her under the stars touched a part of his heart that had long belonged to the Darkness. He felt his chest tighten, then quickly loosen, and he couldn't help but feel that his soul had somehow become lighter. For once he allowed himself to feel happy and carefree. He pushed all their pressing issues to the back of his mind and just focused on the moment with Harriet.
His Beauty.
As the song faded, they stood in front of each other, breathing hard with huge grins on their faces. He saw her shiver again and Rumple reached out and wrapped his arms around her.
“Cold?” Rumple asked worriedly. The dress was off the shoulder with short, capped sleeves. It probably wasn’t the right dress for such a cool night, but it looked so lovely on her that Rumple was loath to have her wear anything else.
“I’m not cold, Rum,” Harriet replied, her voice husky. Rumple cocked his eyebrow at her, intrigued and fascinated at how dark her eyes had become.
“Oh?” Rumple whispered, licking his lips nervously.
Harriet hummed in response, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she began to lean forward. Mesmerized by her eyes, Rumple felt himself being pulled toward her, as their breath intermingled, and their eyes slowly shut. Their lips were mere inches from each other, when an ear piercing shirk resounded throughout the clearing. Springing apart Rumple and Harriet looked frantically around, wands instantly drawn, both searching for the source of the noise.
Another scream ripped the air, coming from up ahead. Harriet dashed forward, scooping up her jacket as she went, while Rumple was close behind her. Both were desperately trying to make it toward what sounded like a frightened child.
“Auntie! Help!” The child wailed and Harriet’s heart clinched.
It was Teddy.
“Rumple please,” Harriert pleaded, but he was already ahead of her, having burst into inhuman-like speed upon hearing the child beg.
Leaving the trees quickly behind him, Rumple saw a dark figure point his wand at Teddy. With a snap of his fingers the child disappeared and reappeared behind him. Harriet burst out of the woods a moment later and threw her arms around the shaking boy.
“What do you want?” Rumple demanded, a fireball forming in his hand.
The dark figure stared at him for a moment before he shouted, “Why are you doing this, Dark Lord?
“It’s Dark One actually,” Rumpelstiltskin corrected firmly.
Something struck Harriet about the voice, it was startlingly familiar, but she couldn’t place it.
“You’ve gone against your ideals,” the dark figure sneered, an ugly laugh accompanying his words, “You’ve sown the seeds of discord among wizardkind for decades and now you’ve gone soft!”
“Get fucked!” Harriet yelled from behind Rumpelstiltskin as she clutched Teddy tighter to her side.
Rumple pointed his thumb toward her and sneered, “What she said.”
The dark wizard growled in frustration as he sent spell after spell toward them. Pushing Teddy behind her, Harriet began defending their position, not letting one spell inside her defensive circle, while Rumple tried to freeze the wizard in place. His blood ran cold when he couldn't. Somehow, their foe had anticipated him.
Laughing, the dark wizard spun and ducked as his spells rebounded against Harriet’s shields. Finding the rhythm to their fight, Rumple jumped into the fray casting fireballs toward the dark wizard with every spell that Harriet sent toward him. The wizard’s laughter died as their combined effort quickly turned the tide in their favor.
Snarling, their opponent barely managed to dodge the last fireball, before he pulled out a camera, “I’ll have the last laugh Potter, once the world finds out about your loyalty to the Dark Lord!”
The way he spit her name struck her with familiarity and she felt her whole body go numb as she realized who they were fighting. Startled, she stopped Rumple from throwing another fireball and yelled, “What the fuck Draco?”
Draco hesitated at the tree line before he turned on his heel and apparated away from Hogwarts.
“Why did you stop me?” Rumple growled as he pulled away from her grasp, “I could have stopped him.”
Harriet just stared into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, flabbergasted as the idea that Draco had set himself against them. She had thought they had buried the hatchet. Dumbledore had pardoned him! They’d even spent their last year at Hogwarts together!
Growling in frustration, she turned, and her eyes fell to a scared Teddy Lupin, “Are you okay?”
Teddy said nothing at first, just looking between Harriet and Rumple. Finally, he looked at the ground and said, “I…. I’m fine.”
“What happened?” Harriet asked, her heart clenching as she kneeled in front of her godson. Teddy bit his lip as he flinched away from her, clearly not wanting her touch, and Harriet’s hands fell uselessly to her sides.
Teddy just shook his head, “I want to go back to Hogwarts.”
Pushing away her discomfort, Harriet took Teddy’s chin in her hand and made him look at her, “We’re taking you to the Hospital Wing and then you’re going to tell us exactly what happened.”
“And if I don’t?” Teddy asked petulantly, pushing away and putting distance between them.
Harriet’s face hardened, “For your sake, you had better change your mind when we get there.”
Teddy's eyes widened. He’d never heard his aunt take that tone with him before. In the past, his father had been the one to suffer her anger. Now that it was his turn, he felt his stomach do a summersault.
He was in so much trouble.
Storybrooke
“Mr. Cogswroth,” Henry said, his voice turning desperate, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“It’s our only choice,” Cogsworth replied, his voice steady, “Your mother isn’t known for her patience. She could call on Mrs. Gold at any time.”
“I know……” Henry replied, biting his bottom lip. When Mr. Cogsworth had found him, Henry had frantically explained what had happened. He had worried that the older man would think he’d overreacted, but was surprised when he’d been praised for his quick thinking.
Now however, he wasn’t so sure he wanted to keep impressing Mr. Cogsworth.
“We aren’t going to hurt her, Mr. Mills,” Cogsworth said, “Just……take her somewhere else.”
“We’re kidnapping her,” Henry bluntly replied.
“Yes,” Cogsworth agreed, looking at the boy, “but it was your idea.”
“I was just speaking out loud!”
“All suggestions have consequences,” Cogsworth lectured, “Besides, if we leave her, she will be at your mother’s mercy.”
“Yes….but…..” Henry groaned, “What if we try to talk to her? After we steal the dagger. We could try and get her to come with us for her protection.”
“Mr. Mills,” Cogsworth sighed but relented, “Alright…..but only after we have the dagger.”
“Okay,” Henry smiled in relief.
“You should be the one to carry it,” Cogsworth continued, “It is a corrupting influence and your heart will be the hardest to overcome.”
Henry nodded, nervous, but unable to argue with the older man. He did have the heart of the Truest Believer after all and it would buy them some time waiting for his grandpapa to get back into Storybrooke.
Two blocks away from his grandpapa’s house, they pulled into a back alley and quietly exited the vehicle. Keeping to the shadows, Henry desperately tried to follow Cogsworth’s lead but knew he made too much noise. Wincing, he expected Cogsworth to be angry with him, but instead he stopped and patiently showed Henry how best to step to minimize noise. By the time they made it to the back gate, he was much quieter.
Henry winced as the gate opened with a piercing shriek, but purposefully strode forward despite his nervousness. Cogsworth followed him into the backyard and then completely disappeared into the shadows that clung to the edges of the yard. Henry couldn't even see the man’s outline.
Did Mr. Cogsworth have magic?
Pushing his shoulders back, in what he hoped looked like confidence, Henry pushed his wandering thoughts from his mind and knocked on the back door. He waited for a moment before deciding to knock again when he heard stumbling inside. The door opened only slightly and Henry saw Belle peek out. Upon seeing Henry, she opened the door wider.
“Henry?” Belle slurred, “Are you alright?”
“You’re in danger,” Henry replied, obviously worried, yet upon seeing Belle’s glassy eyes he frowned, “Mom wants the dagger.”
“Emma?” Belle asked, her response slower than he would have liked.
“Regina,” Henry replied with a deep frown. Was Belle drunk?
“Oh,” Belle blinked and swayed,“Did she send you for it?”
Henry just stared at Belle in confusion, “No Belle. She didn’t and you shouldn't give it to her either.”
“Well of course not,” Belle replied, with a sniff, “But how am I supposed to stop her from taking it?”
“Give it to me,” Henry replied, his voice turning kind and understanding. She was clearly drunk. Trying to talk her into coming with him would be pointless, but he knew he could use her impairment to keep them from having to go anywhere near a mirror, “I’ll hide it.”
Belle stared at him, blinking rapidly for a moment, and then disappeared inside the house, shutting the door firmly behind her. Glancing from side to side, Henry saw no obvious signs of Cogsworth; worriedly he began to bite his bottom lip. Suddenly the door opened again and Belle reappeared.
“Here take it,” Belle said, as she shoved the dagger at Henry, “I don’t want Regina to have it and……and it’s making me think really bad things.”
“Bad things?” Henry asked, as he wrapped his hands around the dagger’s hilt. Now that the dagger was in his hands, Belle seemed much more lucid then she had a moment ago. He had just begun to fear the dagger was fake, when he felt magic tingle up his arm, and voices began whispering at the back of his mind. Henry felt dread grip his heart.
How had his grandpapa dealt with such evil?
“Take her,” Henry’s voice hardened as he turned his back on Belle.
“Henry?” Belle asked, clearly confused.
Cogsworth took the opportunity to slip out of the shadows and put a rag to Belle’s face. Before she could even process what was going on, she quickly passed out. Henry winced as Cogswroth picked Belle up bridal style and they began the trek back to the car.
Now that he had the dagger in his hands, he knew his mother couldn’t be let anywhere near it. She wasn’t in the right frame of mind to withstand the temptation it presented. Even now, he could hear whispering at the back of his mind, taunting him with all the things he could do with the Dark One’s power.
Gritting his teeth, Henry ignored it. He refused to be another person that hurt his grandpapa. He refused to let the evil in.
Mocking laughter echoed in his mind and a desperate need for Rumplestilskin to hurry home rose within him. Blinking back tears, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
Yet in his heart, he had never felt more alone than he did now.
Hogwarts
Harriet paced before Teddy’s bed, her dress swirling in a perfect arc every time she spun around. Somehow, Draco Malfoy had enlisted Teddy’s help to spy on her. What she couldn’t understand was why? And for how long?
“Where did you get the pictures?” Harriet asked for the fifth time. She was becoming agitated. It didn’t help that Teddy refused to look at her.
“Lad,” Rumplestilskin began softly, “Please. Your aunt is about to be ruined. We need to know what’s going on.”
“She’s not,” Teddy croaked. He cleared his throat as he pulled his hand from his pocket, “Here’s the film. All he got was the camera.”
Harriet snatched the roll of film from Teddy’s hand and stared at it.
“Teddy, why were you spying on me?” Harriet asked in a small voice.
Looking at the doors to the Hospital Wing Teddy whispered, “I wasn’t.”
“But you had a camera with film, lad,” Rumple began when the doors sprang open and Remus ran to Teddy’s beside.
“Teddy! What happened?”
Rumple watched as Albus slowly followed the werewolf. He steeled himself for a confrontation with the Headmaster for what he’d done to the wards. Yet, Albus seemed unaffected by the turn of events. He was content to just observe.
The bastard.
Annoyed and agitated, Rumple turned his attention back to the boy. He frowned as Teddy leaned away from his father and aunt. It was clear that their issues had affected the boy greatly. As Teddy glanced between Remus and Harriet, a guilty look crossed the boy’s face and Rumple’s frown deepened. What did that mean?
Harriet caught Teddy’s expression and stiffened. Everything finally clicked into place and a dark rage overtook her. Before anyone could stop her, her magic lashed out and slammed into Remus; sending him flying against the far wall.
Teddy cringed but didn’t say a word. Seeing the fear on the child’s face, Rumple snarled, “Harriet! Take it outside!”
She looked at Rumple, ready to argue when she saw Teddy’s face. Wincing, she turned her attention back to Remus and snarled, “Into the corridor. Teddy doesn’t need to see this.”
“What are you…..?” Remus began, but trailed off when Harriet showed him the camera film.
“Draco wanted this,” Harriet said, her voice cold, “How did he know Teddy would have it?”
“I….” Remus began but then closed his mouth and quickly exited the Hospital Wing; Harriet hot on his heels. Albus stayed with Teddy, refusing to leave him in the care of the Dark One. Yet he was surprised when Teddy began speaking to Rumplestilskin.
“She’s going to hurt da.”
Sighing deeply, Rumple agreed, “Probably.”
Teddy didn’t say anything else. Hoping to make himself as approachable as possible, Rumple sat in the chair next to the boy’s beside.
“Lad ... .why did your father have those pictures?”
Teddy didn’t say anything for a moment but then finally admitted, “Da loves auntie. He has for a long time. When you started coming around, he got jealous. I don’t know how he planned to use the pictures, but I knew he was taking them.”
“Was he working with Malfoy?” Rumple asked.
Teddy shook his head, “No….that was me.”
“I think you need to start from the beginning.” Rumple said kindly.
Albus looked between the boy and Rumple, completely flabbergasted at what he was witnessing.
“What if I don’t want to talk to you,” Teddy petulantly asked. Rumple bit his inner cheek to keep from smiling. He had the lad right where he wanted him.
“Would it be easier to tell your aunt?” Rumple asked, knowing perfectly well what the boy’s reaction would be.
Teddy blanched. Twirling the blanket in between his fingers, he said, “No….that would be awful.”
“Then I suggest you start from the beginning lad,” Rumple began, leaning forward and giving Teddy his undivided attention.
Teddy swallowed and hesitantly began, “Well….it started a few days ago.”
Harriet backed Remus into the wall. She wanted nothing more than to take his head off.
“How could you?” Harriet snarled, her voice cold and devoid of all emotion.
Remus inched away from her, “I…… don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Harriet whispered, her anger simmering. She clenched her fists and stared daggers at Remus.
“I just thought he looked shady,” Remus replied, his voice hoarse, “He didn’t seem trustworthy.”
“Rumple?” Harriet asked, her voice turning high.
“Yes,” Remus replied. His shoulders slumped in defeat as he looked at the floor, “I never liked the look of him.”
“So you felt the need to…..stalk me?”
“It wasn’t….:” Remus began but then he winced, “I didn’t...think before I acted.”
Harriet just shook her head and turned away from him. Not only had he killed the last bit of love she had left for him, but whatever respect she had for the wolf was gone.
“I should throw you out of Grimmauld Place,” Harriet replied, her voice cold, “and let the Ministry know they can take your sorry ass off to the Moors.”
Remus swallowed as his face drained of all color.
“However,” Harriet growled, “I love Teddy like my own child. I would never do anything to separate the two of you.”
Remus sighed in relief and he took a step toward Harriet. Disgusted with him, she took a step back.
“That doesn’t mean I want you in my life.”
“I’m sorry” Remus replied, his voice cracking, “If I could take it back I would.”
“The question we need answered now is how would Draco Malfoy know about the pictures?” Harriet mused, ignoring Remus. She crossed her arms as she paced in front of the heartbroken werewolf.
Remus quietly replied, “I don’t know. I never spoke with Draco. The pictures were only for my use.”
Harriet made a disgusted face and Remus had the grace to look ashamed, “Not…..not like that….I meant as proof….”
“Proof of what?” Harriet growled, “That Rumple’s a better friend than you?”
Remus hung his head in shame.
Suddenly the doors opened and Albus stuck his head out into the corridor, “I think the two of you should come back inside.”
Harriet gave Remus one final glare before she turned on her slippered feet and charged into the Hospital Wing. Remus slowly followed, feeling more ashamed of his actions then he ever had of being a werewolf.
What would Lily and James think of him now?