F&L: Chapter 56

Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor seemed less crowded than I would have thought, which served me just fine, as I was still a bit shaken up by the vision I'd just had of Lockhart and that extremely blatant and dark misuse of the Mind Arts. To make a Perfect Thrall within minutes when it normally took months' worth of Imperius Curses to achieve the same end was horrifying. If that was something that could be done with the Mind Arts, what else was out there that I hadn't tried to do yet? Worse, would I ever attempt something as foul as that? I don't know what scared me more, the question or the fact that my answer wasn't an immediate no.

I could think of a perishingly few good reasons for such a blatant disregard for someone else's mental autonomy, but there had to be at least a couple. After all, no Wizard or Witch was born Dark, at least not without having other problems to deal with in the meantime, like various psychoses or something. Most tended to take the slippery slope down the path to being a Dark Wizard. Could there be a good use for such horrific things? That was what had made me pause when I asked myself the question. If I were presented with a problem that could only be solved with the flagrant violation of another person's Free Will, would doing it be justifiable if the only other alternative was something worse? Could I say I wouldn't pick the lesser of two evils, then?

Or maybe that was just the sort of justification that led to other Wizards with a talent for the Mind Arts to take a swan dive off the Slippery Slope headfirst into being Dark Wizards, and I shouldn't give the question any more thought or credence than I already had. It certainly sounded like it. I recalled watching an Episode of the Justice League Cartoon back a few weeks before I'd been sent to Harry Potter World, where an alternate timeline of the League had jumped headfirst off the slippery slope. This seemed like the same sort of chain of logic that had led the Justice Lords from that episode to lobotomizing Batman's Rogue's Gallery instead of waiting for them to inevitably escape Arkham and kill people over and over again.

Generally, I hold to the rule that if you're following the same chain of decision-making that led to a group of Cartoon Supervillains becoming Supervillains, then maybe you should rethink following that train of thought. It seemed sound enough advice, which meant that my answer, ultimately, was going to be no. Still, the fact that I had to reason it out to begin with didn't make me feel any better.

"Oi! Blaise, Mate! You there?" Questioned Ron loudly, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"What? Sorry, I was lost in thought. What was the question?" I queried.

"There's a special on Everberry Ice Cream, and we were wondering if you wanted in on it." Reiterated Millie.

"What exactly is Everberry Ice Cream?" I asked.

"It's one of Mister Fortescue's new flavors. He comes up with them every now and again. This one is supposed to taste like a different sort of berry with every bite." Answered Tracey.

"You keep up with Fortescue's Experiments?" Questioned Ginny.

"I try, at least." Shrugged Tracey.

"Indeed, there are so many that it's difficult to keep up even when she drags me to Diagon Alley every other weekend to try some new concoction." Huffed Daphne.

"It's not that bad." Frowned Tracey.

"Mud Lava Fudge." Intoned Daphne.

"All right, it's mostly not that bad." Rephrased Tracey.

"What's Lava Fudge?" Queried Hermione.

"I'm going to guess that it's some sort of hot ice cream that burned Daphne's Mouth." I opined.

"They have that? Hot Ice Cream, I mean?" Asked Harry.

"Not anymore, they don't." Mused Tracey.

"Because Daphne burned her mouth?" Questioned Millie.

"Not exactly." Refuted Daphne.

"What then?" Queried Hermione.

"Let's just say Mister Fortescue was having trouble with the Lava Part of Mud Lava Fudge and leave it at that." Tried Tracey.

"I will not leave it at that, those were a perfectly good pair of Italian leather flats!" Hissed Daphne.

"Oh. That would do it." Nodded Ginny.

"Yeah, Mum won't even let us ask about anything imported. It's all too expensive." Added Ron.

"So I'm guessing that Everberry is probably a no-go, then?" Asked Harry.

"Definitely not." I responded.

Eventually, we decided to each get a different kind of ice cream. Between Daphne, Millie, Myself, and Harry, it wasn't like we couldn't afford it. Even when Ron tried to protest about taking charity, Ginny just stamped on his foot and told him that if he ruined free ice cream for her that she was going to get creative with her revenge. That not only shut Ron up, but sent an involuntary shiver running up Harry's Spine. I briefly wondered what that was about, only to remember that Harry had spent at least part of the Summer between first and second year at the Burrow, after Ron and the Twins had busted him out of the Durseleys in their Dad's stolen and illegally-charmed Ford Anglia.

He had probably seen just how creative Ginny could get with revenge on her brothers first-hand over his period staying with the Weasley Family at the Burrow. If I recalled correctly, Ginny had been able to Hex the twins into laying off her with pranks on more than one occasion. That would be enough to put a shiver up any man's Spine. Bat Bogies was just the start of it, after all. She had to be packing some serious Witchy Nonsense to get Fred and George to lay off. Either way, it had shut Ron up good.

In the end, we all got different flavors, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Fortiscue's had a Gianduja Gelato on offer, supposedly Florian Brought the Recipe back with him from a trip to Magical Italy when he returned to Britain in Nineteen-Eighty-One. Of course, nobody mentioned it at the time, but Florian Fortescue's Trip to Italy from Nineteen-Seventy-Nine to Nineteen-Eighty-One had likely been prompted by the second half of Voldemort's War, back when things had started to get really bad for the Ministry after they'd exhausted many of their more senior Aurors in the fighting and struggled to train reserve and replacement Aurors in an efficient manner. When I asked the Clerk, Florian's niece, Esmeralda Fortescue, simply said her Uncle had been studying Alchemy at the Venetian Alchemy Academy as a visiting scholar at the time. Either way, however, I was happy with the Gelato, if a bit sad for Old Florian Fortescue that he'd had to flee Britain.

Of course, I was the only one who had grabbed Gelato. Most of the others went with something more mundane, a Hot Fudge Sundae for Harry, a Strawberry Cone for Millie, a Banana Split for Ron, a Chocolate Milkshake for Ginny, and a Parfait for Hermione. Daphne went with something a little more upscale, something called a Crème de Normandie, which turned out to be Fromage Blanc and Dulce De Leche with shredded bits of crepe topping. Apparently, it had been another of Florian Fortescue's Foreign Desserts, which he had found the recipe for in the Rue de la Magie in pairs as a young Wizard in the Fifites. Meanwhile, Tracey decided to go in for the Everberry Ice Cream regardless of possible drawbacks, something that caused Daphne to roll her eyes. Finally, Millie decided on a Caramel Butterscotch Explosion, one of Florian Foretescue's Successful Experiments. It had little chunks of caramel in the butterscotch ice cream that sizzled in your mouth as they melted, sort of like Pop Rocks from my Old Life.

By the time we all had our desserts and got a table, I had barely taken two bites of my Gelato before I was immediately accosted by Ron about the story of how I had gone into the Malltraeth Marsh. I sighed, putting my spoon down on the table, and fixed Ron with my best disgruntled glare.

"I haven't had two bites, Mate. Do we have to do this now?" I questioned.

"You promised you would, now spill your guts, Mate." Insisted Ron.

"Daphne, Tracey? A little help here?" I queried, looking over at Daphne and Tracey.

"Sorry, but you did promise." Refused Tracey.

"Indeed, you wouldn't want to get a reputation for going back on your word. You had best get to talking." Added Daphne.

"Millie, Harry? Please? I don't want my Gelato to melt. Can you help me out?" I asked.

"Sorry, Mate. Can't do it." Opined Harry.

"Besides, all of Fortescue's Ice Cream is No-Melt Ice Cream. Your Gelato will be fine." Insisted Millie.

I turned to look at Ginny, only for the Redhead to scoff and look away. That was fair, it wasn't like I actually knew Ginny, after all. Not yet, anyway. Sighing at my predicament, I fixed the rest of the Table with a glare.

"You're all traitors, and I want you to know that my vengeance will be both swift and terrible." I deadpanned.

Then I began to launch into the story, starting with the enchantment I needed a Greater Toadstone for, before proceeding with my arrival in the Druid's Staff in Stonecircle on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It wasn't until I began to get into the actual Marsh Adventure that my friends showed any hint of emotion. When I did get to that part, however, there was a whole bunch of emotion from a whole bunch of ranges. Daphne looked about two steps away from hexing me for being so stupid, while Millie looked concerned. Harry seemed impressed, while Ron seemed incredulous. Tracey and Hermione seemed to be torn between concerned, impressed, and angry that I'd put myself in such danger, ping-ponging between the three extremes as I told my tale. Ginny, meanwhile, had a look on her face that I could only describe as Gobsmacked, though I wouldn't say she was impressed, more stumped that I was still alive if my Empathic Training was right.

When I finally wrapped up with the death of the Beast, the recovery of its hoard, and the final, last bit of combat with the Marsh Troll Chieftain, Ron couldn't hold in his incredulity any longer. He spoke up first, but the floodgates broke open after him.

"Come off it, Mate, there's no way you did all that!" Scoffed Ron.

"No? Then how do you explain this?" I questioned, showing him the Anti-Fire Cloak Pin.

"That could be anything, Mate. It's not really proof." Pointed Out Harry.

"Then what about this? And this? Or how about this?" I queried, pulling out first the Grimoire of Gwynedd, then the Troll Chief's Spiritualist War Club, then one of the Beast's Fangs from my Mokeskin Pouch.

Frowning, Daphne and Tracey looked over the various items I had produced as proof, getting Millie and Hermione over to consult. I waited for them to finish, gleefully taking bites of my Gelato as they did so. Eventually, however, everyone seemed to come to the conclusion that I had been telling the truth, handing me back the spoils I had taken out for proof. I put them all back into my Mokeskin Pouch one by one, before I spooned the last few bites of Gelato into my mouth with a grin on my face. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the wrong play to make here, because Tracey fixed me with a look.

"I hope you enjoyed that Gelato, because Daphne's about to go off on you." She drawled.

"Uh oh." I muttered, my grin transmuting into a frown just before Daphne marched right up to me and slapped me in the face.

"Do you have any idea how stupid that was? I can't believe you're in the House of Cunning!" Hissed Daphne.

"Daphne. It wasn't that bad. I'm still in one piece." I defended.

"Unbelievable!" Growled Daphne.

"Blaise?" Questioned Millie.

"Yes?" I queried.

"Just shut up and take your medicine." Intoned Millie.

"What does she mean by that?" Asked Harry.

"When a girl is mad at someone she likes, it's best to just nod along with whatever lecture she gives you afterward. At least that's what my Brother Bill always says." Opined Ron.

"Honestly, Ronald. It's not always like that. You shouldn't listen to your brothers when they're talking nonsense." Huffed Hermione.

"Besides, what could Bill possibly know about it? He's been way too busy with his Curse-Breaker Apprenticeship for anything like that." Added Ginny.

"Beats the heck out of our story about springing you from the Muggles you live with, though." Shrugged Ron.

"Yeah, Mate." Agreed Harry.

Whatever turn that conversation was going to take, however, was lost in the hurricane of angry words leveled at me next by Daphne Greengrass, who clearly was not a Witch to be trifled with. I got the distinct impression that she was so mad at the stupid risk I'd taken without so much as informing anyone else that she had half a mind to hex me herself. In fact, at one point, her fingers twitched, and I got a sudden flash of danger from my Sight, as if she was about to actually draw her wand to do just that, but it passed as quickly as it came without anyone drawing wands.

In the end, Daphne ran out of steam and invective after fifteen minutes of constant aspersions cast on my wits, intelligence, and half a dozen other qualities. I got the sense she was still mad, but that it had simmered down from the high heat it was at and was beginning to cool further as anger and incredulity faded into concern and worry.

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are to still be alive?" Questioned Daphne.

"Well, I was born on Fortuna's Feast Day." I pointed out.

"Enough, Blaise. You could have died and nobody would have known!" Hissed Daphne.

"I get it, Daphne, I really do." I sighed.

"Do you? Do you really?" Queried Daphne.

"I do. You were worried about me. I appreciate it, really. I promise the next time I think about doing something so uncharacteristically suicidal, I'll run it by you first." I nodded.

"You really mean that?" Asked Daphne.

"I do. Honest." I confirmed.

"In that case, I suppose I can forgive you. I'm still mad at you, though." Cautioned Daphne.

"I can live with that." I affirmed.

The rest of the shopping trip passed far less eventfully. We had to purchase a few new items that weren't books, for instance, magical earmuffs for Herbology, since we would be working with Mandrakes this year, and a pair of calipers and a sextant for Astronomy, since we would be working with latitude and longitude. By the time we each headed home for the evening, I got the distinct sense that Daphne was still mad, but likely wouldn't be any longer by the time we had to get on the Hogwarts Express in a week to head back to school. Daphne and Millie were waiting for their Dad and Grandad to get back from the Ministry on business, while Tracey was staying with them for the Summer and so was in the same boat. Meanwhile, the Weasleys apparated back to the Burrow with Harry as a Group, Molly taking Ginny Side-Along while Arthur Weasley took Harry and an Older Boy wearing a dragon-fang earring took Ron. At the same time, Hermione stepped through to the Muggle side of London, where she would take the Bus Home.

That left me to once again use the Floo in the Leaky Cauldron to get back home on my own. Nodding to Tom as I headed for the back, I went to the fireplace and grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder. Then I tossed the Floo Powder into the fire and watched it flare up Green in the hearth.

"Palazzo Zabini, Kent." I intoned.

The fire flared up into a brighter, larger blaze, and I stepped on through, finding myself back home. A quick scourgify got any lingering soot or Floo Residue off of me, and I nodded at Lucia as she came over with an ice-cold can of Goblin Juice Cola.

"Thank you, Lucia." I grinned, cracking open the can and taking a long pull from the sugary-sweet, carbonated beverage.

"Welcome Home, Signore. Lucia has prepared dinner for Signore when Signore is ready." Offered Lucia.

I had one week left until I had to take the Hogwarts Express back to Scotland for my Second Year of Classes. I was resolved to make the most of it, focusing almost exclusively on the Mind Arts, with a focus on Occlumency for my training in the hopes that it would allow me to better fend off any attempts by Lockhart to use the Mind Arts against me. By the time I had to return to School, I was as trained on Occlumency as I was going to be in a Summer.

I could only hope it would prove to be enough. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, here's the next chapter. This one starts out somewhat heavy, but then gets lighter as Blaise gets into more stuff socially with his friends. Suffice it to say, this whole Lockhart misusing the Mind Arts thing is something that Blaise is going to be grappling with this year, not just externally, but also internally as well, as he begins to realize that yes, there are other people out there with similar abilities to him, and no, they aren't all good people. In fact, a bunch of them are assholes. Lockhart, in a way, is sort of a dark mirror to Blaise. He'll be coming to grips with that throughout the course of the year.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the Hogwarts Express and the official start of Blaise's Second Year of Hogwarts.

Stay tuned. . .