The Sempra Deck 19 - The Sun
Aug. 15th, 2011 09:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
teddy_radiatorThe amazing ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mimimanderly has just released the next card of The Sempra Deck, a set of Major Arcana cards forming the Tarot. Each time Mimi posts a new card, I will post another edition of the story, so you can see how the story and the cards meshed together. Here is the next card - 19 The Sun, and here is the next chapter of the story.
This Chapter is rated PG for content and language. Happy Reading!
The Sempra Deck is dedicated to the real mystic goddess Mimi Manderly; to her beloved SeverusMuse, and to my precious Dahlra. All characters with the exception of Mimi Manderley, Peter and Dahlra belong to JK Rowling. I make no money from this publication.
Epilogue - The Hinges And The Clasp Part 2
She felt her knees buckle, and Dahlra rushed forward and caught her before she fell. He held her as she screamed her grief, her keening cries echoing around the empty building. Dahlra rocked and crooned comfort to her as she wept and called out for Severus again and again.
“That bastard Dumbledore killed him as much as that fucking snake! He did this!” She sobbed. Her grief turned to anger. “What was the fucking point of it all? Why was I sent there if he had to die? It was for nothing – I did it for nothing!”
Dahlra patiently held and soothed Mimi, and gradually her anger faded, brittle and spent. He stroked her hair and produced a clean, white handkerchief, and Mimi blew her nose and stepped away from him, feeling exhausted and a little self-conscious.
“I’m sorry, I just –” She looked into the handsome man’s face beseechingly. “I thought that maybe my presence there changed things.” She slumped. “I thought I made a difference.”
Dahlra’s compassionate eyes widened. “But you did make a difference, Mimi! You took a bitter, lonely man and showed him that love could transverse time and space for him alone. You gave him hope, pleasure, belief. You gave him the courage to stand up and fight again, and when the time came, the courage to meet death for a cause he had come to champion.”
Mimi’s eyes filled again. “And now I have to live without him. I miss him. It’s like a piece of myself was left behind with him, and now it’s gone.” She closed her eyes. “I loved him.”
“And he loved you. Enough to save a piece of himself for you.”
Mimi looked up at Dahlra, startled. “What do you mean?”
Dahlra smiled again. “Has it never occurred to you, Mimi, that in all the discussion of how the Sempra Deck was created and used, there was never any mention of a certain item you now hold?”
Mimi looked down at the item that remained clutched to her chest, frowning. All that was in the box was the Sempra Deck itself, along with the slip of paper with the word, and the key to the box…
“The box itself!” She looked up at Dahlra. “The box was never part of the Deck in his time.”
Again, the smile that told her she was on the right track. “Well done, Mimi. No, Dumbledore never mentioned the box, and neither did Severus, because Severus had not created it until after you returned here.”
Mimi looked at the box, then opened it slowly. It was no different than it had been, but here, in this place where magic was allowed to rush through the air, she felt it: the box was heavy, warm, like a living thing.
“Can the box send me back to him again?”
Dahlra shook his head, but his eyes were tender with understanding. “No, Mimi. The box does not have the power to take you to Severus.” He looked at her, as if he expected her to say something, to glean something from his pronouncement.
Her heart blossomed with the ghost of hope. “But it has the power to bring him to me?” Dahlra smiled like a handsome Buddha rewarding an acolyte for achieving enlightenment. Mimi was struck with another thought. She looked up at Dahlra with enormous eyes. “Is this box a – a Horcrux?”
Dahlra pursed his lips, considering her question. “Not… really,” he replied slowly. His eyes narrowed, and he frowned as if in thought. “Perhaps for our purposes we will call it one, but it is more powerful than a mere Horcrux. Severus did not create the box for the same reason Tom Riddle created his Horcruxes. Severus had no plans for power or eternal life. He merely wanted the chance to create a miracle here, in your time, just as you created one in his.”
Mimi shook her head. “I’m very confused! If Dumbledore sent the Sempra Deck to me, how did the box arrive with it if he didn’t know anything about it?”
“Who said anything about them arriving at the same time? I only gave them to you at the same time.” Dahlra grinned, and Mimi was forced to smile back. His kind demeanor and handsome face simply gave her no choice.
“So how did you know to give them to me?”
Dahlra shrugged. “Severus knew the date you received the Sempra Deck because you told him, so he asked me to make sure to put the Deck in the box and give it to you all at once.” He held out his hands, palms up. “So that’s what I did. He knew you had returned, and he sent this to wait for you.”
Tears welled in Mimi’s eyes again. So he had found their private stash of memories and restored them! Her elation was temporary. “But what am I supposed to do with it? I don’t know anything about Horcruxes. Doesn’t this contain a part of his soul?” She looked down at the box again, and clasped it even closer.
“Ah, well, this is something I cannot help you with, because I am not privy to that information, But,” he interjected, seeing her shoulders slump in defeat, “I can tell you that I will help you to find out.
“Let us take the box in here.” He indicated a room off to the left, gesturing with a wave of his hand. Mimi wordlessly followed Dahlra through a sagging door, grimacing as the dust of years smeared against her shirt as she walked through.
Inside the door was an ancient desk and two chairs, one on either side of the desk. Light streamed through a grimy skylight in the roof. “Please sit,” he said, indicating one of the chairs. “Put the box on the table, and let us see if we can figure out the magic our friend has entrusted us to perform.”
For a moment, they merely sat in silence, at opposite sides of the table, the box sitting between them. Dahlra opened it gingerly, respectfully. It looked as tiny as a matchbox between his large hands. He took the Deck from inside, and the fragile slip of paper, the key and the envelope. He placed all the items on the desk in a tidy row, and closed the lid of the box. Empty, the box almost vibrated on the table. Dahlra grinned.
“Well, he has had a long time to wait, and Severus wasn’t the most patient man in the world.”
Mimi looked up at Dahlra. “Did you know him?”
Dahlra nodded. “I knew him.”
Mimi swallowed. “Are you a – a wizard as well?”
Dahlra looked a little down. “Alas, Mimi, no I’m not. I’m merely a friend, someone who was sent here to help you find the answers.”
Mimi replied ruefully, “I’m not really all that sure about the questions.”
Dahlra became solemn. He looked at her with unsmiling eyes. Their gaze remained locked together so long Mimi began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, in a voice filled with quiet power, Dahlra said, “Mimi Manderly, what do you want?”
Mimi could not tear her eyes from his. As if reading the words from a book, she replied, “I want Severus. Severus Snape. I lost him once. I don’t want to ever lose him again.” With the truth laid bare to the room, she was able to look away. “Help me find him, Dahlra.”
Dahlra nodded, as if she had given him the answer he sought. He relaxed his stance. “Very good. You must be very sure of what you want. Now, Mimi; what do you notice when you look at the box? When you touch it, when you hold it?”
Mimi opened her mouth to answer, but decided to give it some thought. She touched the box tenderly, as she had touched Severus, and an overwhelming feeling of love and loss swept over her again. She held the box close to her face, and inhaled, taking in his fine, masculine scent.
“I feel him,” she said, quietly, trying to keep her emotions in check. “I can smell his scent. I sense his soul.” She closed her eyes in frustration. “I feel so close to knowing what to do.”
mimimanderly has just released the next card of The Sempra Deck, a set of Major Arcana cards forming the Tarot. Each time Mimi posts a new card, I will post another edition of the story, so you can see how the story and the cards meshed together. Here is the next card - 19 The Sun, and here is the next chapter of the story.
This Chapter is rated PG for content and language. Happy Reading!
The Sempra Deck is dedicated to the real mystic goddess Mimi Manderly; to her beloved SeverusMuse, and to my precious Dahlra. All characters with the exception of Mimi Manderley, Peter and Dahlra belong to JK Rowling. I make no money from this publication.
Epilogue - The Hinges And The Clasp Part 2
She felt her knees buckle, and Dahlra rushed forward and caught her before she fell. He held her as she screamed her grief, her keening cries echoing around the empty building. Dahlra rocked and crooned comfort to her as she wept and called out for Severus again and again.
“That bastard Dumbledore killed him as much as that fucking snake! He did this!” She sobbed. Her grief turned to anger. “What was the fucking point of it all? Why was I sent there if he had to die? It was for nothing – I did it for nothing!”
Dahlra patiently held and soothed Mimi, and gradually her anger faded, brittle and spent. He stroked her hair and produced a clean, white handkerchief, and Mimi blew her nose and stepped away from him, feeling exhausted and a little self-conscious.
“I’m sorry, I just –” She looked into the handsome man’s face beseechingly. “I thought that maybe my presence there changed things.” She slumped. “I thought I made a difference.”
Dahlra’s compassionate eyes widened. “But you did make a difference, Mimi! You took a bitter, lonely man and showed him that love could transverse time and space for him alone. You gave him hope, pleasure, belief. You gave him the courage to stand up and fight again, and when the time came, the courage to meet death for a cause he had come to champion.”
Mimi’s eyes filled again. “And now I have to live without him. I miss him. It’s like a piece of myself was left behind with him, and now it’s gone.” She closed her eyes. “I loved him.”
“And he loved you. Enough to save a piece of himself for you.”
Mimi looked up at Dahlra, startled. “What do you mean?”
Dahlra smiled again. “Has it never occurred to you, Mimi, that in all the discussion of how the Sempra Deck was created and used, there was never any mention of a certain item you now hold?”
Mimi looked down at the item that remained clutched to her chest, frowning. All that was in the box was the Sempra Deck itself, along with the slip of paper with the word, and the key to the box…
“The box itself!” She looked up at Dahlra. “The box was never part of the Deck in his time.”
Again, the smile that told her she was on the right track. “Well done, Mimi. No, Dumbledore never mentioned the box, and neither did Severus, because Severus had not created it until after you returned here.”
Mimi looked at the box, then opened it slowly. It was no different than it had been, but here, in this place where magic was allowed to rush through the air, she felt it: the box was heavy, warm, like a living thing.
“Can the box send me back to him again?”
Dahlra shook his head, but his eyes were tender with understanding. “No, Mimi. The box does not have the power to take you to Severus.” He looked at her, as if he expected her to say something, to glean something from his pronouncement.
Her heart blossomed with the ghost of hope. “But it has the power to bring him to me?” Dahlra smiled like a handsome Buddha rewarding an acolyte for achieving enlightenment. Mimi was struck with another thought. She looked up at Dahlra with enormous eyes. “Is this box a – a Horcrux?”
Dahlra pursed his lips, considering her question. “Not… really,” he replied slowly. His eyes narrowed, and he frowned as if in thought. “Perhaps for our purposes we will call it one, but it is more powerful than a mere Horcrux. Severus did not create the box for the same reason Tom Riddle created his Horcruxes. Severus had no plans for power or eternal life. He merely wanted the chance to create a miracle here, in your time, just as you created one in his.”
Mimi shook her head. “I’m very confused! If Dumbledore sent the Sempra Deck to me, how did the box arrive with it if he didn’t know anything about it?”
“Who said anything about them arriving at the same time? I only gave them to you at the same time.” Dahlra grinned, and Mimi was forced to smile back. His kind demeanor and handsome face simply gave her no choice.
“So how did you know to give them to me?”
Dahlra shrugged. “Severus knew the date you received the Sempra Deck because you told him, so he asked me to make sure to put the Deck in the box and give it to you all at once.” He held out his hands, palms up. “So that’s what I did. He knew you had returned, and he sent this to wait for you.”
Tears welled in Mimi’s eyes again. So he had found their private stash of memories and restored them! Her elation was temporary. “But what am I supposed to do with it? I don’t know anything about Horcruxes. Doesn’t this contain a part of his soul?” She looked down at the box again, and clasped it even closer.
“Ah, well, this is something I cannot help you with, because I am not privy to that information, But,” he interjected, seeing her shoulders slump in defeat, “I can tell you that I will help you to find out.
“Let us take the box in here.” He indicated a room off to the left, gesturing with a wave of his hand. Mimi wordlessly followed Dahlra through a sagging door, grimacing as the dust of years smeared against her shirt as she walked through.
Inside the door was an ancient desk and two chairs, one on either side of the desk. Light streamed through a grimy skylight in the roof. “Please sit,” he said, indicating one of the chairs. “Put the box on the table, and let us see if we can figure out the magic our friend has entrusted us to perform.”
For a moment, they merely sat in silence, at opposite sides of the table, the box sitting between them. Dahlra opened it gingerly, respectfully. It looked as tiny as a matchbox between his large hands. He took the Deck from inside, and the fragile slip of paper, the key and the envelope. He placed all the items on the desk in a tidy row, and closed the lid of the box. Empty, the box almost vibrated on the table. Dahlra grinned.
“Well, he has had a long time to wait, and Severus wasn’t the most patient man in the world.”
Mimi looked up at Dahlra. “Did you know him?”
Dahlra nodded. “I knew him.”
Mimi swallowed. “Are you a – a wizard as well?”
Dahlra looked a little down. “Alas, Mimi, no I’m not. I’m merely a friend, someone who was sent here to help you find the answers.”
Mimi replied ruefully, “I’m not really all that sure about the questions.”
Dahlra became solemn. He looked at her with unsmiling eyes. Their gaze remained locked together so long Mimi began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, in a voice filled with quiet power, Dahlra said, “Mimi Manderly, what do you want?”
Mimi could not tear her eyes from his. As if reading the words from a book, she replied, “I want Severus. Severus Snape. I lost him once. I don’t want to ever lose him again.” With the truth laid bare to the room, she was able to look away. “Help me find him, Dahlra.”
Dahlra nodded, as if she had given him the answer he sought. He relaxed his stance. “Very good. You must be very sure of what you want. Now, Mimi; what do you notice when you look at the box? When you touch it, when you hold it?”
Mimi opened her mouth to answer, but decided to give it some thought. She touched the box tenderly, as she had touched Severus, and an overwhelming feeling of love and loss swept over her again. She held the box close to her face, and inhaled, taking in his fine, masculine scent.
“I feel him,” she said, quietly, trying to keep her emotions in check. “I can smell his scent. I sense his soul.” She closed her eyes in frustration. “I feel so close to knowing what to do.”
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Date: 2011-08-15 03:59 pm (UTC)She is so close! But how will it happen? And what will happen? Will it be constant and forever, or for just a short time, or sporadically?
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Date: 2011-08-15 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-15 04:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-15 04:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-15 10:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-15 10:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 12:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-08-16 12:46 am (UTC)