Flame walked down the corridors of Hogwarts, knowing exactly where she was going. She needed to talk to Harshing, again. He had been promoted after the battle, he was now headmaster, and Flame was not sure where she stood with the man these days. He had told her at one time she was not his daughter then, in the battle, had called her so. Now she was confused.

Flame got to the door of the office and knocked loudly.

Harshing had been sipping cold tea at his desk. Since the victory he had weened himself off alcohol, no longer depending upon it to get from one day to the next. Cold tea seemed to be working wonders for his clarity of vision. A knock at the door. His first visitor. He took his wand from his desk and opened the door with it.

Flame.

A chair moved, beckoning her to sit on it. Harshing completed a letter and threw it out of the window where an owl swooped by and collected it.

The door opened and Flame saw her father. She was glad to see that, instead of alcohol, he was drinking tea. It made a change, a nice change. Flame smiled at her father and took the seat indicated.

"How have you been since the battle then, professor?" she felt it was a good place to start, the battle was what had started her confusion, was it not? She was wearing full length robes, her skin was burnt from the ropes Sentinus had bound her with during the battle and they would take a while to heal because she refused to let someone heal her.

Harshing paused for a while and wrote other letters before answering. "Very well, it was a great victory. I have established a new government and taken over the school. Perhaps I will be the first competent Headmaster since Dumbledore. But you will address me as Headmaster from now on, not Professor." He was sharp with the last line, it was part of a new policy. He was to be known as the supreme leader of Hogwarts, a figure to be respected and feared and by calling him Headmaster all the time gave him a mythical status.

"Of course, headmaster." she emphasised the last word, glancing around the office. It was a lot different since the last time she'd been in here. Then, Scone had been headmaster and Flame had been trying to help him gain at least a little sanity. It hadn't worked, but she had tried.

"You seem comfortable in here." she was trying not to rush into this, but knew he'd get annoyed if she avoided the point, and so decided to go straight to it from here on.

"I was wandering, headmaster, where we stand. It is that there was a time you told me you are not my father and in the battle you called me daughter. It confuses me and it would help to know where we stand." she told him, hoping he could clarify her mind.

He stood up and walked to the window. "It appears that although I have tried to cut the ties between us that spiritual ties remain. Annoyances, malignancies." He spat on the floor. "Perhaps Dumbledore would call it Unconditional Love." He looked at her. "I have decided I shall resume the position as your father." He spoke as if it was a simple teaching position.

Flame nodded. So that was how they stood, father and daughter, an official thing. She, therefore, guessed that lying she didn't know her real heritige was over. She met his gaze, held it, steady but not defiant. There was respect in her gaze, respect he had regained.

"It isn't simple. headmaster- being a father is a lot of responsibility. My mother never understood the responsibility, but do you?" She was used to betrayal, not being able to trust others, and it was obvious by the questioning.

"As long as you stay within the confines of Hogwarts you shall be safe. THere are to be rules, naturally." He coughed and sipped more tea. "When in the presence of others you shall call me Headmaster and be like any other student - discipline still applies to you and just because you are my daughter does not give you immunity from detentions or house point deduction." He supped again, "You shall receive an allowance of three galleons per week which I shall arrange a Gringotts owl to deliver to you from my vault every Friday morning." Harshing, because of his wealth did not know that three galleons was an obscene amount to be giving to a teenager and a normal dad might only give his daughter a few sickles.

"Apart from that you shall have a fund set up in which I shall place a large sum of money where it will be making a tidy interest. Upon your twenty-first birthday you will gain access to this fund. All of your current assets will belong to me including any wealth or property you gained from your mother. I shall deal with the necessary paperwork later."

He drank some more tea, his cup refilled. "Then there is the question of your name. You may keep Lestrange if you wish..." his face scrunched up into distaste. "But I feel you may get further in life if you were to become a Harshing, it is a better respected pureblood name. Of course, this is of little importance."

Flame listened to his words, taking it all in. Everything made sense, though when he said three galleons it was with difficulty she kept a straight face. Three galleons a week... That was like a fortune for her, who had restricted herself to a little from her gringotts account each month. She was interested by this, she had though he hated her, and now she found he really did care, and he was going to give her money. That was great, something she had not expected, but great all the same.

"If you would like me to change my name I will, you care where she doesn't."

Harshing thought for a moment. "It is entirely up to you. The name Lestrange is hated amongst many people, and its not feared - its looked down upon. Whereas the Harshing name still wields the respect from my fathers era - John James Harshing, a great enchanter and Dark Wizard Catcher. As I said, you must decide."


"As for your current living quarters during the summer term. You shall take up residence in my London Apartment."

He thought about anything else. He smiled. "Pubescent boys are weak, feeble entities who lack the intelligence for any daughter of mine. By all means bed them, manipulate them and take advantage of them but never, ever allow them any power over you. Because it will mean I have to kill him and then kill you." He said it like it was a tedious task. He sighed.

"Any questions?"

Flame nodded, once again listening to every word her father had to say. So she had to decide her future, and the first step of that was what name she would go under. She sighed. She had known the name lestrange since she was little, but as her father said it only made people look down on her. On the other hand, she could change her name, making the fact her and Harshing were related even more obvious, and gain respect. She liked the idea, but it would take time to get used to, and she would need time to think it over. "I'll think about it." she said, shrugging.

She was to stay in Harshing's appartment, that wasn't to labourous, she guessed he would be out a lot anyway. "Are you saying I can't fall in love? For surely that would give someone power over me." she frowned, how could she stop herself falling in love?

Harshing laughed, his eyes rolling around in his head. "The only moments of weakness in my life are because of love. I learned to block it out many years ago. The very fact you are alive is a weakness to me. You are too young to love, anyway," he said simply, "You shall learn my dear that we are more important than any mutated scum that attends this school."

"Perhaps if you find a nice pureblooded boy with a good healthy family I could allow you become closer. We must preserve the wealth in the pureblood families. We must not let it leak out to mudbloods and equivalent wretches."

He sipped more tea and leaned back. "I don't wish them any harm but they can't be trusted Flame, they will do anything to rot away the sacred heritage we are lucky enough to thrive in. They simply aren't good enough."

"Love is OK as long as you are dominant," he concluded after a long moment of thinking.

Flame listened, her frown growing more obvious by the second. Too young to love? Was this a joke? She felt anger boiling up inside of her, but pushed it down. She couldn't go mad now, she'd only end up in trouble... again.

"Do you think I'd even think twice about anyone but a pureblood? I've grown up in a family of blood fanatics, or did you forget that?" she was struggling to keep calm, but she was managing it- just.

Flame laughed. "You don't wish them harm? I'd gladly harm them and their big heads, eating away at everything that is ours. They want our power, our money, our jobs. I mean, it would be fine if they stuck to jobs like muggle relations, but they don't. They are taking jobs teaching, as aurors, and other high places. Places they don't belong. We should ban them from our world, kill them, whatever it takes." There was a crazed sound to her voice, eyes burned with passionate hatred and with each word she became more sure that would be what she'd do- drive them from the hallsof Hogwarts and then, the wizarding world.

Her mind had totally wandered from love, now she was plotting her perfect world. Goodbye mudbloods, halfbloods, hello pureblood civilisation.

Harshing smiled at her little rant and in his eyes was a little twinkle of pride. Blood purity was Harshing's only prejudice but he rarely voiced his views now he was Headmaster. "Yes," he mused, "the Pure lines are disapearing..." He drank more tea then threw the cup into a bin. "Maybe genocide," there was a cold danger to his face, his mind was going through an extreme thought process, building up a big picture of the rest of his life and fitting this into his master plan. No, the plan must not go off course.

"The slytherin house is divided at the moment, that little muggle-loving f*cker Tatupu is trying to rock the boat, I know it. It would be nice if slytherin could be a role model for my new regime here. Of course, Slytherin have always respected me."

Flame smirked, now the time to plan was upon them. Maybe, after all these years of dreaming, she could actually make moves in her plan to restore purity among the wizarding race. Here she was, in school, letting her hatred for all that weren't pure known to none other than the headmaster and, the best thing about it, he seemed to agree.

"Don't forget you are headmaster now. Find a reason to speak to him, put him straight. If worst comes to worst then kick him out. We cannot let him destroy what Slytherin is. Slytherin is the front to what the wizarding world should be like- don't let it be destroyed."

His grip on the side of the desk became firm, several candles went out and the wax froze around Harshing. "If worse comes to worst," he echoed icily, "maybe reassembling his organs would be most effective." He laughed softly afterwards. "I want you to bring him to my office in fact. Go and find him and report back here with Finn. I think its time that I had a little chat with Mister Tatupu."

His chair hovered then turned so he was looking through the bay window.

Flame watched Harshing carefully. She'd seen him like this before, it had been inevitable, times the two had been alone face to face had not been rare, Now, she'd see him a whole lot more, not that she minded- well, she did in some ways, but she'd get used to it.

She was told to fetch Finn and she nodded, walking out of the room, muttering no more than "I'll be back." as she did so.

~A while later~

It had been a few hours since she had left Harshing's office in which time she'd found Finn. He hadn't proved easy to find, either. Still, Flame had managed it and now she was glad to find herself stood before the solid door again. She had no doubt that Harshing would still be there, just waiting for her to return, but she wasn't going to just walk in. No, Hogwarts was a school of respect these days- respect for purebloods at least. She'd added that part herself. Harshing agreed that any less than pureblood made you a traitor, unworthy of any respect at all. She knocked on the door, ready to condemn Finn to whatever fate Harshing had planned. She knew it would not be a nice one.

Surprisingly Harshing opened the door and stood aside to let the two students in. "Finnigan, Flame please take a seat." He walked back around to his throne like seat and prepared for the talk. "Drink?"

Three cups appeared and began filling themselves with black tea, no sugar. "Tea should be as bitter as wormwood." He drank the boiling tea in one go and slammed it down on the table before wiping the liquid from his face with his sleeve.

The headmaster's portraits around the room were silent, some were shaking, some were shaking their heads. Phineus was beaming.

"We are here to discuss various things Finn. The first is your brother, Milo Scone."

Flame was slightly taken aback when the door opened and Harshing was actually stood behind it. It was a change, an unexpected change. Perhaps the surprise was evident on her features, ut she had no way of knowing. Trying to hide the suprise she attempted to smile pleasantly though the results were more of a forced smile.

Flame walked in and took her seat once again. They were offered drinks and Flame definitely frownd this time- what was happening? Why was he being, dare she think it, nice? Then she realised it was less of a question than a statement, cups were already filling themselves. Flame left the drink on the desk, she wasn't a big drinker of tea, in fact she prefered to leave it alone.

Flame looked shocked. Scone... Finn... Brothers? This was a great suprise, she didn't understand it. They were so different. But then again, it made sense, they had been very close at one point in time. But still, she couldn't let this go without a comment. "Scone's your brother?" she laughed. "Seems the whole family is a disgrace."

Harshing raised his hand and struck the desk with such force that all three cups smashed open. "Silence," he snarled savagely, his eyes bloody dots in the centre of a pearl whiteness. "This is not a place for petty bickering, this is the highest office in England, and possibly the world.

He turned slowly to Finn. "Your brother is currently in a straight jacket at the Protector's HQ, he has been diagnosed as clinically insane."

The cups began repairing themselves and the liquid vanished.

Flame scowled. She didn't like the fact she was being told off for doing what came naturally to her- picking at other people. It gave her something to do, did it not? Still, better to do as she was told than start an arguement with her father. "Sorry headmaster." she said quietly.

Clinically insane? She had seen him like that. It had scared her to see him like that. She had promised to help him and now she had no way, he was not in the school anymore. She sighed. This was great- just great. Next task, try to find a potion to cure clinical insanity. she thought jokingly. She'd managed it for paranoia by fluke and she still hadn't told anyone about that. She sighed again and looked at Finn apologetically.

Finn sipped at his tea. He had bitter tea before, but nothing like this. He knew Harshing was a man who demanded respect, so he didn't complain. His prayers were answered however when Harshing smashed the cups. He wanted so badly to cause physical harm to Flame. That time would come later. When he wasn't outnumbered. Finn wasn't really sure what to say. "Oh..." Finn said, trying not to tip his hand, "On what grounds did they find him 'clinically insane'? He always seemed fine to me..." He paused for a second and looked to Flame. "Headmaster, would it not be better to have this discussion without Ms. Lestrange present? I don't really think I want to talk about my family with her..."

"Wait outside." He ordered Flame instantly, his eyes were gleaming, just daring her to disobey him. The door opened.

---

Once she was gone Harshing turned back to Finn. "I deemed him clinically insane, he was a danger to all those around him. He could not face the pressures of the times. I'm sure he will recover with a little guidance."

"That's funny..." Finn said, trying not to step on toes, "He seemed normal like everyone else around here..." Finn reached for his cup, but remembered there was nothing left. "Recover how?" Finn asked, "Like Winston in 1984 or..." Finn imagined the worst... His brother being tortured to Harshing's standards, then killed.

"You must understand your brother and I were friends, Im only doing what is best for you both," he smiled. "I felt it was my duty to inform you of your brother's condition. He is being kept in the nicest of conditions." Harshing quickly thought of the dank corridors with sewer rats eating the dry bread left for prisoners.

"Can I request to have some time off from school to go visit him?" Finn asked, "I think you will find that I have an O- average... I think I can afford to take some time off to go see my brother..." Finn's mind was racing. HE tried to stop it because he knew harshing could probably read his mind. He had his fingers crossed that his brother would be okay.

Flame had visibly frowned when she had been ordered out, had been on the verge of argueing, but then she'd look in Harshing's eyes. That look sent shiverdown her spine, and she knew better than to argue. After all, it was all about respect. She was, however, not happy- she had beens ent to send Finn believing for it to be on much different matters. Matters of blood purity and it's importance, and to stop Finn causing trouble. She muttered beneath her voice as she stood outside, though still listening to every word through the door.

But Harshing did not need to read his mind, his expressions, the mental vibe of a racing mind and his intonation were enough to give Finn's thoughts away to Harshing's well trained senses. He smiled calmly and drank a fresh cup of tea as if there was all the time in the world.

"You see, normally I would allow a slytherin student to instantly visit a sick relative.." He sipped again coughed and took out a little book. "But the fact is you are a disgrace to your house, school and headmaster which I explained very clearly was not acceptable in the whole school gathering the other day. You did not listen, obviously." Harshing had no need to kick and scream, he wasn't teaching and he didn't need to make an example of Finn in front of everyone else. This was his play-pen now, to calmly do as he pleased.

Harshing's words stung like he was being whipped. He waited, reflecting on what Harshing had just said, then spoke. "Why Headmaster Harshing, what ever do you mean?" Finn asked. He wasn't really trying to be a jerk, he wanted to know. He had been kind to everyone, gotten excellent marks in school, and had a social life too. He had the world by the balls... Or so it seemed. "I work hard in everything I do..." He paused for a second recalling the words the Headmaster spoke, Hogwarts shall return to the values it held fifty years ago. No more disrespect, no more blubbering, no more failing students. Finn's small smile disappeared. He still didn't understand how he broke these rules. "Headmaster, I shall be friends with whomever I wish." He didn't want to mention Casey's name. She didn't deserve that. "I shall date whomever I want. There is no one in Slytherin I'm even remotely interested in... The only girl close to me is the girl who brought me to this ambush..." Finn would deal with her later. "Now," Finn said, "I should like to go visit my brother. Either you can excuse me, or I will leave by my self..."

OOC: BTW Adam, you play an excellent villain...

OOC: Thankyou lol

BIC:

There was a pause of several seconds in which nothing seemed to happen. But something did happen, the iron industry in Harshing's mind kicked in like clockwork - the hellish cogs of hatred screaming whilst his demoniac heart dared to beat again in God's earth.

"You were blessed the day you were sorted into the greatest house Hogwarts has to offer." He stood up, "You were blessed! And instead of preserving the might of the serpent your arrogance willed you down a path of unsavory association, motley gangs and quintessentially dirtying the name of him!-"

He pointed to a huge portrait that hung on the wall, one that didn't move - a static portrait of Salazar Slytherin, paint peeling but his dastardly evil well preserved on the canvas.

Harshing walked clean through the table and stood directly next to Finn, looking down at him. "Salazar Slytherin laid down unwritten laws which we MUST follow. We must preserve our brethren. We must stang together in the wickedness of this world."

Flame was growing increasingly bored, she wanted to be in there teaching the b*stard that was Finn a lesson for being such a traitor, she had it all planned carefully in her little mind, but instead she was stuck stood outside the door. She knew Harshing had got onto that subject, so why wasn't she in there, as Finn was, enjoying what she could? She muttered under her breath something about 'unfair... my idea' and then she stood staring at the door with a poisonous look. The only thing stopping her from knocking was she didn't want an arguement with Harshing.

Finn looked at him perplexed. Slytherin never had a good reputation... It was quite the opposite actually... Although good and bad were just an illusion.. Finn knew he had to do what was right with him, and not worry about what society thought. "Some might consider being sorted into Slytherin a blessing... Not me... There are too many egos there... Everyone has to try and be soo evil... There isn't really any room for me to do my deeds..." Finn's cynical side was showing. It was exactly the opposite of what he wanted to do. "I don't think our world is so wicked..." He paused. Harshing wanted to impose his own beliefs on everyone, so Finn would enlighten Harshing with some of his, "With all due respect sir, good and evil are just a perception... A trick our minds play on us. In actuality, they are not separate entities, but rather the same thing. We are just random assortments of molecules bouncing off each other..." Finn paused, "Headmaster, I think that getting too involved with anything is bad..." Finn was reminded of an old muggle saying, "Everything in moderation, sir... You do realize that the purebloods are dying off... Everyone is mixing... To tell you the truth sir, I'm glad I don't have pureblood... Look what it does to people? Everyone gets to be inbred... It's sad really... Sir..."

Harshing was on the verge of exploding. How dare this little f*ck dictate to him morals and purpose of the world, how dare he speak out of turn to the great Coldstone Harshing. He calmed in an instant. "You will not be leaving Hogwarts," he said at once, "I think its time that you learned some of the values of your house, Finn - and realize that we are not "Just molecules" but an extremely advanced society which is fragmented with different beliefs. You were sorted into Slytherin for a reason, you are supposed to defend the morales that your founder laid down. You are supposed to live and breathe your house while you are at hogwarts."

He stood up. "Competition, Finn, Competition. It is the drive to success."

He paused and looked at Finn, "Be careful what you say, remember it is within my power to execute Scone whenever I please, I wouldn't want you to persuade me to do that."

Finn grimaced. He hadn't thought about that... He didn't speak for several moments, then said, "How should I know that he isn't already dead? How should I know you aren't just playing some kind of sick game with me?" Why would Harshing try and shoot down his philosophies? Finn knew there was more to life than power. Power was just the ability to realize one's intentions and act on them... "I am driven in other areas of my life." he paused, "The only competition I've ever been in, and won hand's down, was the dueling tournament last year..." Finn looked deep into Harshing's dead eyes, trying to sense what his greater purpose was. "Why do you need me?" He finally said, "I don't know what use I am to you... My only crime is doing exactly what my housemates did to me... I turned my back on them... The current state of the slytherin house is like a pack of wolves... Everyone is looking for the chance to betray each other and get on top. Perhaps it used to be elegant, as you say, but that is not the current state of things."

Harshing was torn in between killing Finn immediately or taking on board his comment. He did the latter. "I appreciate honesty, Tatupu," he barked, "However your departure from the key ethos of Slytherin is not helping matters."

He waved his wand and the door opened. "Flame come in and sit down!"

"Why are two brethren of the snake opponents?" He roared at them both, sheer disapproval in his eyes. "When I was at school slytherin was united in friendship and loyalty, we looked out for each other, we were brothers! Brothers! And you two taint the green cloth with petty hatreds and rivalry's. Hate the Gryffindor fools, hate the Hufflepuff weaklings, hate the Ravenclaws in jealousy. Hate them all but love your selves and the children of Slytherin."

Flame walked in and took her seat as she was told, gave Harshing a simgle smile and then turned her loathing gaze on Finn. The very definition of hate was in her eyes, burning in it's essence as she gazed on the form of her enemy. Her enemy, this time, meaning Finn.

"I'll love him when he learns loyalty to the house, headmaster." she spat. "He doth nothing but push his own away to play happy-bunnies with the other houses. I wish not to speak in friendly mannor with a person of this type- I hate him for he hath nothing to make him desirable. Any looks he does have are destroyed by his personality and many times I must question exactly how he was placed within our noble house."

"A sound argument," his head snapped for explanation from Finn who he was looking at with all the wrath of God himself, holding a particularly vicious thunderbolt, pulsating, ready to strike.

Finn looked at her. She was obviously lying, though he knew Harshing had some great plan for her. "I'm not sure if you remember the Luciers, sir, but that's when my dislike of her began..." Finn remembered the truth. "Everyone in the house was against me... The Luciers... they tied me and my girlfriend up in a tree... They performed several unforgivable curses on me..." Finn looked up at harshing, "I'm not sure if this common knowledge sir, but I don't really try to make friends with people who cast unforgivables on me." Finn looked harshing in the eyes. Finn's hatred of Harshing began his first year at Hogwarts... This was back when Harshing was teaching Defense against the Dark Arts... Only then, he used it to recruit death eaters... Harshing used crucio against Finn... He never spoke another word in class. "I think it turned me against people... The part that bothered me the most, sir, was not that I had an unforgivable used against me, but rather that none of my house mates chose to help me... Ms. Lestrange in fact, threw my things out of the commonroom. I don't really consider that to be friendship nor loyalty, Headmaster... What do you think?" Finn was turning the tables on Flame. If she didn't want to be friendly, or loyal to each other, that was fine with him. "If you would prefer me not to return to the slytherin house, I'm certain I would be accepted everywhere else! With open arms... I'm not sure if you know this or not, but I am one of the most liked people in school..."

Harshing listened closely to what Finn was saying. Flame? Throwing a fellow Slytherins things out of the common room? The Luciers? This was an outrage of the highest degree. He turned slowly to Flame. "Kindly inform me why you threw his things out of the common room like a misbehaved little girl?" He opened a draw and took out a bottle of Whiskey. He ripped off the cork with his teeth and swigged some down.

Flame hadn't told him the full story. She had made him call Finn to the common room and had adversely humiliated him through his useless argument against Finn. Flame had some talking to do, he had been blind - Slytherin house was in tatters.

((Ok, sorted that problem out))

Flame stared at Finn and, when he came out with something about the Luciers frowned. The frown was a sign of her thinking, she racked through her mind for a memory, anything about these events, and nothing came. At least not where she had thrown Finn out. She hadn't been in the school when that had happened, she'd ran away at that point, had not wanted to be found, it was impossible that she was getting the blame.

She slammed her hand palm down on the desk and loathing turned to deep, uncontrollable anger. The power was back in charge. She grabbed her wand and pointed it directly at him, it was only with great difficulty she stopped herself cursing him.

"I wasn't even in Hogwarts then. I left while you were still in the house, and when I came back you'd been kicked out- what has this got to do with me? You hate me for something I didn't even do!"