Disclaimer: If you believe I'm J.K. Rowling, I believe you are Napoleon, Dalai Lama and one big salamander. So no, I don't own them, but unfortunately, I used my head a little too much in creating this. I'm just loaning the names and location… So please don't sue me, hunt me down and murder me or lock me in the same room with a large band of bees.

Chapter I

The Scars

Light fell to the cold stone steps from a window far above the hallway. She held her breath for a while longer trying to ease her racing mind and bring a smile on her face. Unfortunately, the smile she so determinedly tried to create looked like she was about to find a kettle, place it on her head and run around attacking innocent squirrels and accusing them of stalking her. She sighed frustrated and considered banging her head on the thick wooden door for the twelfth time that morning. She knew she had to go in. And so, bracing her mind, she opened the door.

The curtains were still slightly fluttering as the air pushed itself inside the gloomy room from a window that was ajar. She took mental note that the papers and ever-growing book piles were still just as they had been when she had left the room before… However, the man sitting by the writing table seemed to be busy. He held the golden feather covered with ink plots on the piece of parchment that was filled with small handwriting eyes zooming around it as thought trying to find a great mystery entrapped in it… The only problem seemed to be that the paper was upside down.

The woman coughed silently and fixed the smile back on her lips. Was she shaking or was it the tower?

"Err… Master?"

The man took no notice in her words.

"Sir?"

This time he put the quill down and turned his smoke grey eyes towards her. He seemed calm, but she could read from his distracted expression, that it was only the achievement of great effort.

"What is it, miss Dunwoody?"

"Oh, sorry to… to bother you, sir, but… but… a bird. I-it came with… with… Letters. That's right... Letters. This morning. A bird. Came. With letters."

The man stared blankly at her.

"Yes… You know, we do use owls to carry the letters…They are not planning to take over Hogwarts, so there is no need to be afraid."

"Oh no, sir… No. This wasn't an owl," Miss Dunwoody seemed rather proud of the notion, "this was an eagle… At least I think it was an eagle. I've never seen an eagle, but when it came fluttering its wings down to the Great Hall and screamed… no, wait it didn't flutter, it glided. Like a dementor, but with its wings, it didn't have a robe or a cloak or anything… just feathers, but then again, it was a bird. And Master Ravenclaw told Hugo to 'make that eagle shut up', so I'm pretty sure it was an eagle… And it was very big too. The claw thingies were very sharp… It scratched Hugo's ear and they had to put some herbs on the wound to heal it properly… and then… umm…"

The man gazed her silently with a pained expression. She was quite sure he had fallen back to his own thoughts and needed all his willpower to see the importance of her visit.

"Sorry, sir… I… I'll just give you this letter… Master Ravenclaw told me that it is important and she'd hope You would read it as soon as possible."

After a short and uncomfortable silence, the man stood up and reached his hand to take the piece of paper from her shaking hands. "Thank you," he said in a tone that told her, she was supposed to leave. But Miss Dunwoody stood still staring at the ground unable to find the proper words.

"Is there anything else?" the man asked, but to her relief there was no irritation in his voice.

"Uhm… yes, sir… there… there was another letter too…"

"Oh?"

"Yes."

Silence.

"Well, you can leave it on the table if you please."

"But, sir, this letter… it… it wasn't addressed to you…"

"It wasn't?"

"No" miss Dunwoody started to feel slightly uncomfortable again. She tried to lift her gaze from the floor, but the dusty wooden boards seemed so very interesting at the moment. This time there was a bit of irritation in the air as the silence yet again grew longer. Just as the man was about to open his mouth to ask the woman to continue, the words burst out hastily.

"It is for L-lady Eleanor. It was brought here by… by a large black crow. But nobody dared to open it so master Ravenclaw told me to bring it here too."

The woman tossed a yellowish scroll to the table and stood rather nervously beside it avoiding the mans eyes. The calm expression had for a moment left his features to show a deep pain in hearing the name of the person the letter was addressed to. In an instant he recovered and stared at the scroll and the black and blood red strings that were tied around it. He did not make any motion towards touching it. In fact he looked as thought he wanted nothing more than to erase the existence of such thing and carry on without never seeing it again.

The man turned away from the table leaving the scroll untouched.

"You may go, Miss Dunwoody."

There was a new sharpness in his tone, which made the woman shiver.

"Sir, there is…"

"If there is anything else you needed to bring to me, leave it here. If Rowena told you to tell me something more, you can pass her a message, that she can come and see me about it."

She looked at the floor again.

"Yes sir." She turned to leave, but as her hand reached for the handle, the voice stopped her again.

"And Miss Dunwoody, one more thing…" The man was not looking at her, but staring through the window calmly as ever. "If anything else shall be delivered addressed to my wife… bring them straight to me, or if I'm nowhere to be found, burn them unopened."

"Yes, master Gryffindor. I will see that it is done."

"Thank you."

She nodded and opened the door. When the silence of the hallway surrounded her again, she heard a loud crash from the other side of the door. Resting her back to the cold wall, she sighed and tried to ease the beat of her heart.