Time Tells A Tale

The Necklace

Jay walked the dark and silent corridors of the Hogwarts grounds. "Oh brother...if I get caught again I'll be in so much trouble". He walked close to the walls in search of his common room.

Suddenly he heard a footsteps...no, no they're too soft to be considered footsteps, he thought silently to himself. He concentrated his hearing and listened to a sound of gentle brushing. He smiled to himself at what he heard, for Jay is part vampire and his sight and hearing senses are better than that of human. Not so great in the morning time though.

"Meoooooow!"

Jay gasped and jumped two meters behind; just realizing that the sound he heard was that of Mrs. Norris's tail brushing against the wall.

"She was following me..."

"MEOWWWWW!!!"

"Where is he!!" came the roaring sound of Professor Filch

"Argh!"

Jay turned around and sprinted. Running for dear life, faster and faster. Nothing could stop him. No, Filch couldn't catch him. He is too fast. He feels like he was cutting through the air. "Just a few more steps..."

Unexpectedly he bumped into a shorter figure and falls backwards.

"Jay!" Alexah hissed.

Alexah extended her hand, and helped Jay to his feet. "Haven't you learned not to be out at this time yet? You're bound to get." Alexah begins, but is interrupted by Jay, covering her mouth. "Filch. Come on." Jay whispered, taking Alexah's arm and dragged her in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room. "Jay, what are you doing out so late?" Alexah whispered, as they quickly and quietly passed through the barren corridors of Hogwarts School. "Don't tell me you're seeing a girl again this la.."

"No, no no." Jay interrupted, as they reached the portrait to the Ravenclaw room. "Piggy Toes" Jay whispers to the portrait, and the door to the Ravenclaw room opens instantly. Jay and Alexah walked through.

"So what were you doing then?" Alexah asked, following Jay around the common room. "I was." Jay began, but was suddenly interrupted by a cheerful voice.

"Hi Jay! Hi Alexah" smiled Dean Thomas before looking into Jay's face. His smile faded and was replaced by a worried look. "What's wrong?" He asked

"I was being followed by Mrs.Norris!" Shrieked Jay

"But then he bumped into me" added Alexah

" And then you guys came in here right?"

"Yeah" they answered together.

"What were you doing in the corridors?" asked Dean. He looked confused as to why the Professor and a student would be in the halls at such a late time. He began to look around the common room, and suddenly saw the portrait open again, allowing a large figure followed by a small figure, that was walking on four legs.

"Filch!" Jay and Alexah stared in horror. Had they been found out? Dean just stared at Filch, and became confused at why Filch was standing in their common room.

"Hello Mr. Fil-" Dean began, politely.

"Enough Thomas." Filch interrupted rudely. Filch turned his eyes, and glared at Jay and Alexah. "I know some Ravenclaw twits have been wandering around the corridors after dark." As he said this, Mrs. Norris came around from behind him, and started to rub against his leg, purring. She looked at Jay, and then looked as though she were smiling. "Bloody cat." Jay muttered, barely audible for Alexah and Dean to hear. "What was that Mr. Knight?" Filch asked, a smirk forming on his face. "Nothing sir." Jay replied, looking down at Mrs. Norris, and glared.

"I think Jay said-" Dean began.

"That you're a wonderful person, Mr. Filch." Alexah quickly said, giving a fake smile. "And Mr. Filch, let me assure you that none of the students were out at this time. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be off getting some beauty sleep. I can't go to class with bags under my eyes!" Alexah gave a chuckle.

Alexah noticed Filch's face become angry.

"I need to know which student was in the corridor. It's my duty to punish the-"

"Filch, if I'm correctly understanding the rules of Hogwarts, you are not allowed to be in this common room, as you did not or ever will belong to Ravenclaw."

Filch looked defeated, and then turned around, and walked out towards the portrait. "Next time..." They heard Filch mutter, as he turned around and exited the common room, with Mrs. Norris trailing at his heels.

Jay watched professor Filch leaves, inhaled sharply, turned around to face professor Alexah and hugged her so hard he lifted her a few centimeters off the ground.

"Dear God! Jay, put me down!"

Jay chuckled as he let her down. Alexah eyed him suspiciously and smoothed her robes.

"Now Jay, I don't know what you were doing, and I'm sure if I hadn't helped you out there just now you would have been Filch's dinner"

Jay nodded and smiled at her words "You're the best you know, but of course you already know that, of course you do, see you're the best potions prof-"

Alexah cut him off and Dean started laughing at Jay's corny attempt to suck up to her "Jay you don't need to say so, I've already saved you from Filch. Now what I want to hear from you is, the reason you were out at this time of night"

Jay looked at Alexah's determined face, and then shifted his gaze to Dean who looked interested.

"Well... "Jay began "I went for a walk to the Quidditch pitch at dinner time.I have been going ever since last week...I went there last week because the great hall was really hot and I can't bear the heat...so I wrapped my food and went to eat it on the Quidditch stadium... I..."

Alexah and Dean were both nodding, but somehow Jay didn't want to continue. As if sensing what he was feeling, Alexah motioned with her hand for him to continue "and?"

Jay licked his fangs and stared at both of them. His eyes shifted from the Potions Professor to his friend.

Dean's interested look turned into a concerned one.

"Hey Jay...what's wrong...what...are you hurt?"

He noticed he was pawing at his chest. Alexah's eyes narrowed and glimpsed the glittering shine of a diamond necklace hidden under Jay's jumper.

"Um Dean you can go to bed, after all it is very late"

Dean looked as if he didn't want to go, but he did as he was told. And was walking towards his dormitory when a pink fluff of a slipper showed just around the corner. Lily covered his mouth and pulled him beside her. "shhh"

"Now Jay, what's that under your jumper" Alexah asked with a demanding voice as she stretched her hand towards him expecting him to hand it over for inspection.

"It's ...er...nothing" Jay said trying not to move so the necklace won't show.

Piercing his eyes with her eyes, Alexah asked more calmly but with the same voice that held authority. Jay gave in at last and handed over the diamond necklace.

The necklace was made of thousands tiny diamonds and crystals, all sparkling under the ray of the common room lights. At the end of the necklace lay a large rectangular piece of blue crystal that had the initials T.V ingrained in white gold. This blue crystal supported a diamond circle with a small sword attached to it like the small stick is attached to a 'Q'.

The moment Alexah realized what she had in her hand she threw it on the floor and gasped for breath

"WHERE...WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?"

Jay glared at her for a second and snatched the necklace from the floor and held on to it with a tight fist. "I found it, on the floor in the Quidditch pitch, I saw it under the chairs, well it was way below that I even had to dig up the ground to get it. I saw the sparkles of it...but...why are you yelling, I don't think it belonged to anyone, since it was dug and all, so I took it. I have it...its mine!"

Alexah barely whispered looking sympathetic rather than mad "Goodness...I think the necklace has already started to effect you."

* * * *

Alexah and Jay walked out of the common room, and took a sharp right. Jay had no idea where Alexah was taking him. I think the necklace has already started to affect you kept running through his head. What did it mean? He did not feel any different. He wasn't acting any differently than he did. Jay ran his tongue over his fangs, and then ran his hand through his hair. He didn't seem to look any different.

The two kept walking down the corridor, when Jay sensed someone ahead.

"Alexah! Someone's coming!" Jay whispered, running towards the wall of the corridor. He began to lean against the wall, and walk slowly. Alexah followed Jay, and leaned against the wall. Jay and Alexah slowly moved against the wall closer and closer to the person-or thing-that was in the other corridor.

"RACHIE!" Jay said, jumping out from where he was, becoming right behind a girl. The girl jumped, and turned around. She put her hand over her heart.

"Honestly Jay! Don't do that!" Rach breathed. Jay giggled, and hugged Rach.

"See?" Jay giggled, beginning to play with Rach's hair. "All better now!"

Alexah walked out, and saw the two students. "Rach, what are you doing out at this time?"

Jay stopped playing with Rach's hair, and walked over next to Alexah. "I'm not seeing a boy, Professor!" Rach blurted out so fast that once she had finished; she covered her mouth in shock.

"Er...all right..."Alexah said, somewhat confused. Rach shook her head.

"I was at the library working on my History of Hogwarts project. I didn't realize the time, so I just kept working. Before I knew it, it was wicked late." Rach began.

"Extremely late." Alexah corrected.

"Yes-extremely late. So I left the library, and came out here. I saw the Head Boy, and ran the other way, so I didn't get in trouble." Rach said. "And that's where I was till now."

"Alright. You need to go back to the common room right now. If any one stops you-I suspect Filch may be wondering around the halls around Ravenclaw-tell them that you were working on a potion in my classroom, and I gave you permission to." Alexah said quickly and quietly.

"Stop it!" A girl shrieked, breaking the silence that was now surrounding the three Ravenclaws. Jay perked his ear, and heard three voices laughing up ahead. He recognized these voices as fellow Ravenclaws. Without saying anything, he ran ahead to see whom exactly it was. He heard Alexah in the distance quietly telling him to come back, but he continued on.

"Jay!" Alexah and Rach heard a female voice say. They both ran ahead, and found that the voice belonged to a Ravenclaw named Rissy. With Rissy were two other students; Wizzy and Severath.

"Has the Ravenclaw common room been located to be into the corridor now? Why are there so many students out this late?" Alexah asked as soon as she and Rach reached the group of Ravenclaws.

No one replied, but instead looked around at each other, as though one of them were going to explain. Rissy stepped up, and opened her mouth to explain. However, Alexah waved her hand, and Rissy shut her mouth. Alexah sighed, and then continued.

"I don't want to know. Just don't come out here ever again this late, or else I will be forced to hand out detentions. Now, I want everyone to return to his or her dormitories quickly and quietly." Alexah said. All of the students listened, and began to walk back towards the common room. Alexah reached out and touched Jay's shoulder softly, and he turned around. In a very low voice, Alexah said, "That necklace, Jay, is very dangerous."

Jay rolled his eyes, and clenched the necklace in his hand. Alexah put her hand on Jay's shoulder again, this time stronger. "Listen to me Jay!" She said in a stern tone-a tone Jay had never heard her speak in. "You need to get rid of it immediately."

Alexah paused for a moment, and let go of Jay's shoulder. She glanced around, and saw that none of the students were there, and had obediently gone back to the common room. "Tomorrow morning after breakfast, we are going to have a meeting with Dumbledore." She informed Jay. "Go to your first class, and I will have someone come get you. Understand?" Jay nodded. "Alright, go catch up to your male mates and go back to the dormitory."

Jay nodded again, and began to run the way he had come from; towards Ravenclaw. He glanced back to see if Alexah was still there, but instead saw that she was heading the other way. What could be so bad about this necklace? Jay thought to himself, unconsciously touching the necklace. His fingers outlined the 'T.V' initials. He began to feel a warm sensation in his fingers. He stopped walking, and began to look down at his fingers. Nothing had happened. He let go of the necklace, and began to shake his fingers. The warmness was gone, and his fingers were normal. I must have been imagining things, Jay thought. He began to smile at the fact that he thought something was happening to his fingers from touching a silly necklace. Still smiling, Jay started to run towards his Ravenclaw friends, who he heard in the distance entering the Ravenclaw common room to sleep.