The Father and the Son
written by Lizzie Scamander
Tiberius Nott's first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has arrived. As the son of the Death Eater Theodore Nott, it will be hard for him to settle in. But maybe he will be able to help others ignore his past and find out, eventually, that the son is not the same as the father. IN PROGRESS
Last Updated
05/31/21
Chapters
14
Reads
855
Dark Visitors
Chapter 11
Tiberius heard mutterings from the front hall. For what seemed like the first time, the full impact of what was happening hit him. There were Death Eaters in his home. His father was involved in a murderous society. Brutus might be killed. And then - the remembrance hit him with a jolt - Maya was upstairs. What if - Tiberius felt a plummet in his stomach - she came out? There were dangerous people here, dangerous people with dangerous intentions. He swallowed. He had to do something. But what?
He heard someone striding down the hall, and then the living room door banged open. He heard his father's rough voice.
"Hurry up."
Tiberius, for what seemed the first time in his life, felt sorry for Brutus. Even though he had been a mean brother, he was in a dangerous situation, and Tiberius couldn't just stand by and watch him live it. But what could he do? His mother was crying even harder beside him, though she was making an attempt to stifle her tears, and he couldn't even use his wand.
"Mother," he whispered. "We have to do something."
"Tiberius, y-you don't understand," his mother sobbed. "This is their only ch-chance. They won't let anything - nothing - stand in their way. If y-you g-go out there and tr-try and st-stop them -" she broke into fresh wails.
Tiberius realised what she meant. With a sickening plunge in his stomach, he thought again of Maya. What if she went out, and what if the Death Eaters did something to her? He couldn't stand around here any longer. He moved cautiously toward the door.
"No!" His mother screamed.
There were more mutters from out in the front hall. And then Tiberius heard someone desperately pleading.
"Father, I c-can't -"
"You will do as I say!"
His father's harsh voice joined the desperate one.
"You are my son, and you will obey me!"
"Please, father -"
"Come!" He heard his father striding back down the hall, and Tiberius realised he was dragging Brutus with him.
There was a cruel chuckle. "Don't bother with 'im, Nott," a sneering voice said. "He won't be any help to us."
"He will live up to his name!" Tiberius heard his father reply fiercely. "Now come on, Brutus."
"Father, please!" Brutus begged.
"Coward!" Tiberius was surprised to hear his father hissing the words. "I will not have a coward for a son!"
The other Death Eaters laughed. "Come on," one said impatiently. "We're wasting time. And you boy, you'll fight with us. Now come, before I make you."
Another spoke up. "Can the boy apparate?"
"No," Tiberius heard his father reply. "I'll take him on side-along apparation. On the count of three. One, two -"
"No!"
Tiberius had shouted out before he could stop himself. He burst out into the front hall, fear tingling throughout his body yet determination blazing in his eyes. It faded quickly.
The group of Death Eaters were smiling cruelly, as if they had just been told an amusing joke. There were five of them. The nearest one had greasy grey hair tied back in a loose ponytail, with dark bags beneath his hollow eyes. A large burly one stood behind him, with a double-chin and guffawing grin. Then there was a squat woman beside him, her eyes glinting meanly and her face strangely gaunt. Next to the woman stood a dark haired, sneering man, and beside him, a sniggering man.
"And who may this be?" Asked the one with the ponytail.
"No one, Yaxley," Theodore Nott said, glaring angrily at Tiberius.
"Oh, he sure is someone!" Said the sniggering man in a wheezy voice.
Tiberius backed away. How foolish of him to burst out like this - he found himself trembling in fear, for the dark-haired man had drawn his wand.
"I think I needed to practice the Cruciatus Curse," he said, his sneer becoming more pronounced.
The woman giggled.
"Ooh, yes, Dolohov!" She said excitedly.
"Stop it!" Yaxley said sharply. "We need to go, we're wasting time -"
"Exactly," Theodore Nott replied angrily. "Out of here, Tiberius -"
"Tiberius?" Asked the man with the wheezy voice, sniggering again.
"We need to go!" Yaxley said impatiently.
"Tiberius?"
The voice came from overhead. Looking up, Tiberius saw, with a sinking heart, Maya.
"N-No, Maya," he stammered.
"Vot is going on?" She asked, her face paling. "Who are all these people. Tiberius, are vou okay?"
"Oh, a little girl, how adorable!" The woman squealed. "Let me deal with this one, Dolohov." She drew her wand.
"No!" Tiberius yelled.
The woman turned to him. "No?" She said, a falsely simpering smile coming onto her gaunt face. "No?"
"Alecto, stop," Theodore Nott said. "We're going. Let's not waste any more time."
"But I was just about to have some fun!" Alecto Carrow laughed. "Just wait a minute." She turned back to Maya.
"No!" It was at that moment Tiberius remembered he had his wand in his pocket. He didn't care about using magic outside of school anymore, what mattered now was cursing that evil Carrow in the face. He snatched out his wand. "Locomoter Mortis!" He yelled.
Alecto Carrow's legs locked together. She toppled over backwards.
"Tiberius!" Theodore Nott began furiously.
"Impedimenta!" This time Tiberius had aimed his wand at the burly Death Eater. The Death Eater was too slow to reach his wand, and he promptly froze.
"Tiberius, watch out!" Came a shout from above, and a Shielding Charm promptly materialised in front of him, narrowly deflecting the hex sent by Dolohov. Maya ran down the stairs, and she tugged desperately at Tiberius's arm. "Tiberius, vot is going on?" She asked, fear visible in every line of her face. "We have to get out of vere -"
"Stop!"
Tiberius looked around to see his mother standing in the kitchen doorway. But no one heard her, for Dolohov, a mean smirk coming onto his face, had aimed his wand and sent a curse flying toward Tiberius. The Shielding Charm deflected it again, but it had weakened, and then it faded. Dolohov aimed his wand again. "Crucio!" He yelled.
"STOP!"
The shout came from his father. Theodore Nott sent Dolohov's curse ricocheting in another direction before turning furiously to the caster. "We are wasting valuable time!" He hissed. "We need to go!"
Tiberius felt Maya grab his hand and try and pull him away. "Let's go," she said urgently.
"Finite Incatatem!" Yaxley said, pointing his wand at Alecto. Her legs unlocked - she jumped to her feet, anger framing her gaunt face.
"First the boy, then the girl," she said, breathing heavily.
"Alecto, no -" Yaxley began angrily. "On the count of three - one, two -"
It all happened so quickly. Alecto had shouted a curse and misaimed. Her Cruciatus Curse had whizzed toward Maya, Tiberius had lunged forward to grab her wrist to stop her, Yaxley had grabbed her at the same time to apparate...
Next moment, he felt as if he were being forced through a small tube and then shoved over. He landed upon cold, damp grass and opened his eyes. Maya was still clinging to his hand, and she was lying beside him. He hastily sat up.
The Death Eaters stood there, including his father. "Tiberius!" He said. He turned angrily to Alecto. "You brought him!" He said furiously. "You stupid -"
"Don't call me stupid!" Alecto aimed a hex at Theodore Nott, which he promptly deflected.
"This is no time to fight each other," he said angrily. "Now I'll just apparate my stupid son back and then -"
"There's no time!" Yaxley snapped. "We've already wasted enough. Now come on!"
It was at that moment that Tiberius realised where they were. They were in the Hogwarts grounds - he could see the dark silhouettes of the trees of the Forbidden Forest to his right and the huge shadow of Hogwarts castle to his left. The lake resembled a mere glassy mirror that rippled in a soft night breeze.
Yaxley strode off toward the castle. The burly Death Eater, Dolohov, the sniggering man and Alecto Carrow all followed. Theodore Nott waited a moment longer. He looked at Tiberius and Maya.
"I -" he began, then he turned and swept off after the others.
It took a while for Tiberius to find his voice.
"I - they -" he stammered.
"I know," Maya said quietly.
Tiberius turned to face her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I -"
"I know vou are," Maya said. "But we have to go."
"Go?" Tiberius repeated. "Wait - what d'you -?"
"We have to go and warn the Potter!" Maya said. "They were talking about a Potter boy -"
Tiberius remembered this with a jolt. "But we can't," he said. "I mean, it's dangerous -"
"It's more dangerous for him," Maya said. "Come on."
She stood up. Tiberius hesitated.
"Are you sure?" He said.
Maya turned to look at him. Her eyes were blazing, but Tiberius was sure he saw a glint of moisture in them. But she nodded, and said, "I am very sure," and Tiberius didn't deny it.
