HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)
Dear Mr Lockheart,
We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September first. We await your response by Owl no later than July 31st.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
"SERVANTS!"
A few men and women, dressed both in dazzling silver clothing, rushed over to the queen's throne. They all spoke along the lines of "Yes?" in nearly identical, yet obviously happy, monotonous tones.
"Take this letter to Janus. Please hurry, I daresay he hasn't been expecting it."
The servants all grabbed quickly towards the letter in The Queen's hands as she tucked it neatly into an envelope. With a bob of her head, the envelope sealed; It looked freshly arrived, covered in silvery stamps reflecting light all over the room. She politely handed it to one of her more respected servants, Jodi. The Queen laughed obnoxiously, sort of a high pitched squeal repeated over and over and over, and as Jodi exited the throne room hastily, The Queen continued talking.
"I know how Janus has absolutely zero magic ability. But It's embarrassing! Me, a beautiful, intelligent, purely delightful queen, having that disgusting un-magical offspring! I mean, Schala is the only person in the kingdom who's magical power even comes close to mine! (A few servants suppressed smiles, knowing full well Schala was obviously more powerful then her mother, and could easily defeat her any day she chose.) But Janus - I had to do something about it. And here, delightfully as I expected, a letter arrived. It seemed a bit late, though. I wonder what they're thinking - Those snotty professors! I mean-" The Queen could of continued talking for probably another hour, had Princess Schala not of entered the room. The servants moved quickly and quietly aside as Schala approached her mother cooly.
"I see Janus got a letter. I knew he would. And I was wondering, where's my letter? It should be here, listing what I need, and - obviously - It's not!" As Schala's voice echoed across the room, smiles appeared on every face, save The Queens. "I checked with the mail department, and they say they haven't seen one. Did something happen with Dumbledore?" She shook her head. Her majestic blue hair, tied tight in a ponytail with an ancient gold hair clip, moved violently, as though each strand was looking to impale something.
The Queen was quite frustrated with this; she had no intention of Schala returning for a seventh year. "I'm so sorry dear," She invented on the spot. She reached her hand behind the throne - a neatly addressed envelope, identical to the previous one (except the name on the front) materialized in her hand. She pulled it back around the throne, opened it by bobbing her head, and read hastily in her rather nasal voice: "Dear Blah blah blah, On behalf of the staff, blah blah blah. Ah - here! We regret to inform you that you have been expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You may continue your home schooling under ministry-secured tutors. Please remember that the underage magic rule still applies, unless said otherwise. -" The Queen continued reading, but Schala just smiled gently.
She interrupted, "Stop it Mother! I know for a fact that I'm not expelled because I've been keeping in touch with Dumbledore and the Order! And besides, you know that people can tell when you feel fake emotions. Nice try though!"
The little blood still left in The Queen's Face drained. "Here, Schala, look at it yourself!" She thrust the letter at Schala so fast, it nearly caught fire. Schala read it half heartedly, knowing full well it was all trash - a fake letter conjured by The Queen.
"This is a fake, Mother!"
"It is not Schala!"
"I can tell! I'm not a child!"
"YOU WERE IN APRIL!! YOU ARE NOT RETURNING TO THAT SCHOOL AGAIN!"
"I WILL BE RETURNING!" Schala exploded, shoving the letter into a nearby servant's hands. She added dryly, "Vivian!"
The Queen's - Vivian's - already lifeless face turned two shades whiter. "DO NOT CALL ME THAT NAME!"
"Sorry, Vivian!"
"OUT SCHALA! YOU ARE NOT RETURNING TO THAT DUMP, YOU ARE NOT LEARNING THAT CHEAP MAGIC! YOU KNOW FULL WELL YOU CAN CAST MAGIC NOW, YOU DO NOT NEED MORE!"
Schala looked like she was going to scream again, but she calmed herself quickly. "I am tired using my magic for evil. For Dalton, and that horrible prophet!"
"I can deal with Dalton" The Queen composed herself back to normal was well. "He's useless to me now. He just meddles with time. Like we need it!"
"Time is important," Schala recited. Though she was simply talking as usual, she was a very wordy person, saying everything as though she had read it out of a book many times. "Time keeps people happy, and sad. It keeps people alive, and kills them. It does a lot more than you think. It should not be meddled with, purely for the fact that time can come and bite you in the - derrière . Time can do it's job Itself!"
"Then I'll have Dalton seal the time portals, and that Dumb-lee-door won't be able to take you to that school anymore!" some colour returned to The Queen's Face.
"Professor Dumbledore is an extremely experienced wizard, capable of things you've never imagined. Time is difficult for him, but he says that I'm an important person that needs proper training, and that's why he bothers using the portals to transport me! He says that I'm worth transporting!"
"He's just a fool to me. He sounds too... innocent!"
"Of course he's innocent, I tell you time and time again, he's organized an Anti-Dark wizard campaign! He's by far one of the most powerful Wizards in history. More powerful than you." Schala quickly withdrew her hands into her bell sleeves and clutched the teal pendant hanging from her neck. It pulsed, and she relaxed, dusting some dirt off of her cerulean dress.
"HE IS NOT MORE POWERFUL THAN I!" The Queen yelled in rage. She pointed her finger at a glowing tapestry hanging on the wall, and it instantly ignited in furious green flames. It burned up fast, yet the fire didn't spread. It burned out somewhat politely as the hanging's ash fell to the ground.
"Be that way! I'll be gone soon. And I'll take Janus - wait - You probably forged that one too, you old bat!"
"I didn't!" The Queen exclaimed, as though that settled the conversation with her at the top. "You can check yourself. Ask Bumbledoor!"
Schala turned around nonchalantly, and trudged towards the door. She easily repaired the tapestry with a wave of her finger. Some servants went to follow, but stopped dead in her tracks under The Queen's evil glares.
As soon as the throne room doors closed, Schala broke into a ran. She went down several flights of stairs before darting down a narrow hall. She then climbed back up an ancient stone spiral staircase, chanting healing spells under her breath to keep her stamina up. At last, she reached the time portals sanctuary.
"Bombarda!" She cried, withdrawing a wand from her cloak. The door flew off it's magical hinges and flew into a time portal. She could just imagine the surprise of the poor people who suddenly saw a door in the middle of nowhere, flying at a hundred and fifty miles and hour. She hurried over to a distant portal in the corner, her layers of blue dresses and robes fluttering behind her, her jewelry clanking.
The portals has a weird appearance - almost like huge, life size test tubes filled with a disgustingly syrup-like blue liquid. She practically threw herself into it, calling "Professor Dumbledore!" She felt the feeling she was so used to experiencing - it felt as though she had just jumped into a pool with all her clothes on, and then jumped out and went jogging. She smiled as the ominous liquid covered her, before hurdling her forward into what must of been miles of non-existent blue.
At last, she was thrown into a very cluttered office, filled with magical objects of any kind. It was quite dusty, as if no-one has entered it in a few months. She immediately thought that obviously, since it was summer, Dumbledore would be busy.
"Includio!" She said quietly, sealing the portal with spectral magic before darting over to a corner fireplace.
"Sorry Dumbledore!" she cried as she grabbed a pile of green dust from a pot and threw it in to the fireplace. "Incendio!" she cried, and the fire leapt to life, and as the green dust kicked in, the flames turned an awkward lime colour. "Number 12, Grimauld Place!" she screamed as she jumped into the heart, and the fire enveloped her. Within an eye blink, she found herself in the fireplace of the headquarters of The Order of the Phoenix.
A few people sat around a table, discussing plans and whatnot; some eating a rather gross-looking soup. As each of them saw Schala, an identical look appeared on their face of complete and utter surprise. Professor Flitwick, sitting on his usual stack of books, looked up last, but smiled. "Schala! What a delightful surprise, a surprise nonetheless - How - How do you know - about -?" He had his wand drawn, though a look in his eyes showed it was 100 protection.
"Professor Dumbledore - Albus Percival Wulfric Brian - told me everything last year! Professor, it's me!"
Professor Flitwick smiled, jumping down from his chair and placing his wand back in his vest. The rest of the table continued to work. "What are you doing here, Schala? Aren't you suppose to be back in Zeal?" He spoke in his squeaky voice, charming nonetheless.
"I need to speak to Dumbledore! I can't stay with my mother! She's - She's - I'm mad at her. And I need to know if my brother was accepted into Hogwarts."
"If he's as smart as you, I think he would be. And probably in Ravenclaw as well!" Professor Flitwick walked around the table, now facing Schala. "Schala, this is Kingsley Shacklebolt! And this is Hestia Jones. And this is Bill Weasly - I think you've met, haven't you? And you remember Remus Lupin?" Professor Flitwick left the room quickly; Schala waved to each member. Flitwick entered again, pulling a rather dirty Professor Lupin behind him.
'Schala! What a... surprise. I didn't know you knew about the order - well, you're obviously accomplished enough. I'm sorry I'm so messy, Ginny was throwing dungbombs and Molly made me clean them. Of course, no problem with my wand, but Kreacher knocked me into one and it exploded." He laughed; Professor Flitwick scurried away in disgust, wiping his hands on his light blue robes.
"Professor Lupin!" She called, running up to him. He thought she was going to hug her, but she stopped at the last minute, repulsed by the dungbombs.
"I'm not Professor anymore!" He said, patting her head awkwardly. " Don't even have a Defense against the Dark Art's teacher currently, do you?"
"Nope!" Schala called, sitting down in an empty seat next to Kingsley. "I suppose we'll have a better one this year though. That Umbridge was a hag!"
"Tell me about it!" Kingsley said, turning towards her. His soothing voice seemed to ooze through her body. "Don't worry though, she won't be teaching again for a while. Or... doing anything for that matter." He laughed weakly, and Schala did too.
"Anyway, where is Professor Dumbledore!" Schala asked, re-adjusting her gold earrings. "It's important I ask him something. I know we have a few days until term starts, but, well, you know, my brother has not used a single magical spell in his whole life! I mean, not one instance of anything that could be magical. Except one thing, but it's not major. I know a man who's not magical at all, but can still see it. It's the black wind."
"The Black Wind?" Lupin asked quietly, as though it was something evil. "Please explain."
"The Black Wind..." Schala hesitated, then repeated. "The Black Wind - It's death itself. If you can feel the wind, you know someone is going to die. I know!" She added after Lupin gave her a quizzical look. "It's the most insane thing ever. But it's true. I've felt it before, before my father died." Flitwick, having entered moments before, made a loud squeal that made Lupin jump.
"I'm so sorry, Schala. I know that it's hard. Minerva should be here any moment. She just owled me saying it was an emergency... Anywho, I'm sure that she can confirm your brother's acceptance. Just - well- this house is a mess, to tell you the truth!" He stumbled back into his book-stacked chair. "I'd go straight upstairs, third landing. Don't go in any other doors, you never know where Miss Weasly's hid those dungbombs!" He suppressed a smile, before starting a conversation with Hestia.
Before Schala even left the room, a sprightly Professor Mcgonagall literally jumped out of the fireplace.
"Schala!!" She called rather loudly, carefully, but still quickly maneuvering between the table and a number of objects Tonks knocked over that no one bothered to pick up. "Professor Dumbledore knew you'd be here! You're mother just burst through the portal in his office and lit half of it on fire before she was caught! She - quite rudely, I might add - blurted out some rather risque but useful information, that I think you'd like to know... Come with me!" She immediately sprinted orderly to the fireplace. Schala had never seen the usually proper Professor Mcgonagall talk that fast, move that quickly, or even appear in a room for that short amount of time.
"Here, Miss Lockheart!" She said, calming herself down to her usual self. All the Order Members sitting at the table were sitting open-mouthed, staring at the professor. Professor Flitwick was waving. Professor Mcgonagall waved back politely.
She beckoned Schala, before throwing the usual pinch of green Floo Powder into the Fireplace. She muttered an unintelligible password - Schala guessed it had an advanced Clandestus Charm on the password so only certain people could here it. She dematerialized into the fireplace - Schala followed quickly; The Order Members still staring open-mouthed.
When Schala appeared in Dumbledore's office, It seemed so different, even though she had been there minutes before. One whole half of the office was pitch black in ash - There were melted items all over the floor, and patches of ceiling and wall were destroyed. The were books all over the floor as well, yet they remained in perfect condition - obviously due to a fireproof charm. Her sealed portal was burst open. She turned her head to the right, and saw her mother shooting curses at Dumbledore, who was nonchalantly retaliating with zero effort.
"MOTHER!" Schala called, lightly pushing Professor Mcgonagall out of the way as she ran towards the battle. Her mother stared at her, shooting a curse in a random direction; it smashed through a window and shot off towards the eastern mountains.
"Schala. What are you doing here!" The Queen asked the question rhetorically, she obviously didn't want to admit the fact that Dumbledore was more powerful than her. He casually shot a silencing charm at her; when she realized she couldn't speak, a look appeared on her face clearly showing it.
"How dare you!" Schala called, her angered face contrasting against her blue hair. "You have the nerve to follow me? Ridiculous!"
The Queen's lips moved, but no sound came out. She threw her hand out at a sharp angle, like she was hitting something, and a sharp purple blast shot out of her wand. It hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest. He wobbled for a second before regaining himself.
"Professor! Do you know what this means?" Professor Mcgonagall intervened, not daring to interrupt the battle physically. "The time portals will be sealed soon! Schala will have to stay here - I mean, if we follow your plan."
Before Schala had a chance to ask exactly what that plan was, Dumbledore spoke. "True, I think we can arrange that." A smirk appeared on The Queen's face.
"Oh No!" Schala called, marching directly up to her mother. "Dalton is sealing the portals, isn't he! What about Janus? Oh!" She remembered, turning to professor Mcgonagall, but she cut in. "I am quite aware. I think it's possible to achieve this goal quite easily. We can fetch him, and I'm sure we can arrange a permanent sleeping arrangement."
She continued talking in her usually brusque manner, but Schala was looking at the Queen. "Avada Kadevra!" The Queen mouthed.
"NO!" Cried Schala. She flung out her hands. "Arceo Maxima!"
Dual beams of light, red and blue and entwined, shot out between Dumbledore and The Queen. The force knocked them both back - Dumbledore a few inches, before he quickly stood up; and The Queen, who went flying into the time portal. Professor Mcgonagall was leaning against a bookshelf, covering her face.
"Miss Lockheart!" Dumbledore said smiling. "Thank you." Schala was lying on the floor, out of breath.
"Unfortunately, we have no time to waste!" Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "You're right about Dalton. Minerva, kindly take Schala to the Hospital wing while I go and retrieve Janus. Professor Mcgonagall nodded curtly, straightening our her tartan robe.
"No!" Schala stood up. She was quite dizzy. "I have to go with you!"
"Well" said Dumbledore pensively, striding over to the time portal. "I won't argue with you, after that performance. Minerva, you'll stay here, however. I can't imagine how depressing it would be to Hogwarts if all three of us were brutally killed." He gave another, stronger laugh. "After me, I suppose, just to make sure."
Dumbledore stepped into the portal quietly, and was immediately engulfed in the liquid. Seconds later, Schala followed. "Good Luck!" Professor Mcgonagall said quietly, before trudging off muttering something about "Harry Potter becoming an auror".