Azura: The Black Mage Girl
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Chapter 1- The Shalstone Embarks
It had been several years, since a Shalstone had attended the renown Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The family had removed themselves from it, fearing that it's teachings not only limited the rate of their magical growth, but put them in danger do to it's many secrets and internal conflicts surrounding dark wizardry, as the Shalstone's themselves had faced suspicion do to the shaded history of their family. However, Audra Shalstone now stood in the lobby of her mansion in Leicester England, watching as her young niece Azura prepares to set out for that very school.
Azura is small girl of thirteen, with cold gray eyes adoring her attractive features. Using a small brush from inside one of the many pockets in her robe she brushes down her deep red bangs which drape evenly to the tops of her thin eyebrows. Her hair comes down to her jaw line on the sides and maintains the length around to the back, however dangling to the side of her right eye is a tight braid about as big around as her pinky finger but long enough to touch her collarbone, the tiny brass ring bound in the end of it sparkling faintly in the dim lighting.
Azura fastens her robe, of the darkest purple as her ante approaches "It's not Hogwart's regulation attire you know, once in the school you won't be able to wear this outfit anymore. I know how fond you are of it." she says as she sets her daughters hat upon her head, pulling it down to her mid forehead, it's wide brim almost reaching out past the girls shoulders. She turns her daughter around, to give her a looking over.
"Now that all the nonsense has died down it's good to see a Shalstone going back to Hogwarts, it's the finest school that ever was." Audra tells her niece.
Azura raises an eyebrow a bit saying, "I don't really consider it nonsense, there was a lot of terrible things happened before. The dark wizards really rose to power under that Voldemort guy, there was a lot of deaths and all sorts of horrors.."
"Exactly, and it's a good thing our family pulled out of their before things got so horrid. Just wish your mother hadn't taken off to America like she did, family needs to stay close."
Azura nods, flexing the brim of her hat flop but replies, "Still, it was a good thing to space ourselves from the trouble, not to mention Uncle Durhal."
"As well you shouldn't.", Audra gasps. "I'd prefer his name not be spoken in this house, what with all the trouble he went and brought down on us all. As if our family didn't already have well enough of a bad name."
"Yhea really, our family already makes a lot of people in the wizarding world nervous. Our history is filled with evil sick'os and all."
"Azura Gayle Shalstone!" Audra replies hotly, "You should never speak to terribly of your family! We are one of the oldest and most powerful wizarding families in England, and you'd do quite well to take pride in your family name regardless of all that rubbish. Your a Shalstone, and your better than not only the half-bloods but most pure blooded wizards in this world as well. You mind yourself, and compose yourself as such."
"I know my family is proud auntie, but I fully intend to not only study and learn but to make new friends. I won't do as such acting like I'm better than everyone else despite how confident you are of it." Azura says cooly.
"Now you mind the way you speak to me child, your my sisters daughter and I only wish for you to understand that our family has worked hard to achieve higher than the rest of those in England." she snaps in recourse, but regains her composer shortly.
Azura goes to speak, but is cut off by Audra, "However!... I know there is no changing your view, and I will not be responsible for making you despise me by trying to make you think differently. Despite my feelings on it. "
Azura nods, making her brim flex "I understand perfectly ante. I've put a lot of thought into this matter and I feel confident this is what I want. I don't need your support, as long as I know I have your love.'
Taken for a moment, Audra looks down into the eyes of the child who had grown in maturity seemingly so fast. She takes her neice into her arms, hugging her tightly. "You do have my support baby, to grow and advance how you see fit. You are a Shalstone after all, and we always pursue our wishes."
"Thank you auntie, I won't let our family down I promise.", whispers Azura, her eyes swelling with moister.
The embrace ends in what seems to be too short of time secretly in both their hearts, and Azura straightens her robe and gathers her broom with it's stark white handle and thorny bristles from it's leaning position against the stairwell. "Come Amaris, it's time to go.", she calls out gazing up into the corner near the door at the large bat clinging to the wall, it's pitch-black fur contradicted only by the red coloration around it's neck. It remains motionless, holding the wall with it's tiny claws. "I don't want any crap from you Amaris, you're coming along with me rather you like it or not."
After a few moments, the bat releases it's grip and lands on Azura's shoulder, one leathery wing stretched out over part of her chest as it grips the material tightly with the small hooks on it's wings. Audra glares at the small creature saying "Honestly, you think it would be just a little appreciative after all the delegation I had to go through to get Hogwarts to accept her as your familiar in the first place."
"Hogwarts is set in their ways, but you know how to get your way don't you Auntie?", says Azura with a smirk.
"Yes, with everyone it seems but you.", she responds. Leaning forward, she lifts the front of Azura's brim and kisses her gently on the forehead. "Now you best be off, remember to go straight to alley off Highton Road"
Azura nods and smiles a little, "Yes auntie. I love you bunches you know, thanks for helping me get into Hogwarts." and hugs her tightly for the second time in at least a year.
"I love you too dear" Audra replies, then straightens up saying "Now you best be off, if your late they'll be something awful of a hassle."
"I can handle it, everything will be fine." Azura replies as she opens the door and peers into the cloudy night. She shoulders a thick book bag, takes the handle of her rolling carry-on case and sets out down the long private drive leading from the town bellow up to the Shalstone family manor. Once out of site, Azura straddles her broom and kicks off from the ground, rising with her luggage into the dark sky.
The gaining wind was cool as it whipped across Azura's cheeks, crouching low on her broom with her head lowered to see the ground pass bellow, the trees linning the long private drive passing at her sides as dark blurs. You see, she loved the feeling of flight more than just about anything, and would constantly push herself on faster and faster, biting back fear and becoming better and better at her aerobatics. She had excelled as a flier since early on, capable of not only great speed but sharp turns, rolls and loops. She can't fly fancy this night however, not with her arm straining with the weight of her carry-on case hanging to one side.
After way to short of amount of time in her opinion, Azura reaches the edge of the town and is forced to land to keep from being seen. Through the darkness she goes unnoticed, unseen by the people comfortably nestled inside the houses she passes, along the road and down into a narrow alleyway. She stops abruptly as reaches the end of the alley, peering down at a worn and tattered brown hat. She reaches inside her robe, and withdraws a silver pocket watch and holds it in her palm allowing the light to reflect of it's surface. Beads of water splatter across the face as a light rain starts to trickle down.
"I really pushed it, only two minutes and a few seconds left.", she says softly to herself as she examines the hands, showing the time to be 8:57 and a half.
Securing the watch back into one of the many robe pockets, she kneels down in the alley and places her fingertips on the brim of the old hat, running them along is delicately she says "This is gonn'a be a first."
Two minutes pass as the rain starts to fall in larger drops, scattered for now but slowly increasing in density. Azura places her hand flat against the side of the rapidly dampening hat and takes a deep breath through her thin lips. Suddenly, with a slight pop and a tightening in her stomach like a inward jolt behind her navel she feels herself being hurled through nothingness, seemingly attached to the hat as it drags her along through a swirling fog of light and sound. Just as she clinches her eyes to ease her stomach, she feels a stiff jolt and the grain of wood on her cheek.
"9:00 from Leicestre, alley off of Highton Road.", says a grittyy voice.
Azura lifts herself off her stomach and opens her eyes, looking out across the room, Amaris flaps around on the floor trying to get off it's back. "Are you okay Amaris?" she asks, as she cups the bat into her hands.
A man with a dignified look though wrinkled and toothless bows slightly to the girl, and says "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, I'm Tom , the landlord here. Azura Shalstone I presume?"
Young Azura rises to her feet and nods her head, replying "Yes.. Yes that's me." She replies placing her bat on her shoulder. "Sorry about the hat..." she states softly, handing the now flattened headpiece over the smirking landlord and gathering up her broom.
"The hat?"', Tom half laughs. "Just a piece of junk really, decreases the likelyhood of some silly muggle picking it up on accident."
The man leads the girls up a nice flight of stairs as she adjusts her hat back straight over her head, her face still quite hidden in the shadow cast down from the brim. They come to hall and walk a few doors down, Tom pushing one open to reveal a small room with a bed and wash basin with a mirror hanging over it.
"An awful lot of trouble really, for one little girl. Setting up a Portykey and arranging a room just for a bit of shopping in Diagon. Your family most have a bit of money to them." Tom says, holding the door open for Azura. "Well now, I hope your comfortable here. Your rent is for two nights, meals included. I take it you'll be expecting company soon?"
Azura nods, making her brim flop "Yes sir, my sister will be Apparating in London tomorrow morning after breakfast."
"Very well then, come down to the tavern if you get parched or hungry. Goodnight Miss Shalstone." says Tom, smiling a toothless smile and steps out, closing the door softly behind him.
Azura tosses her bookbag and broom on the bed, and makes her way over to the wash basin to wash her face as she pulls her hat off and flings it through the air to join her other belongings.
"I should probly rest tonight, got a big day ahead of me tommarow." she tells herself as she slips off her robe and hangs it on a hook protruding from the post of the bed, which she throws herself across and begins shuffling through her book bag. She withdraws a book titled 'Standard Book of Spells, year 3' from the many books inside and sets her other supplies on the floor. The large bat, Amaris flitters into the air and after a quick circle around the room finds it's way onto a curtain hanging over a small window.
After a couple hours of intense reading, she places the book aside and rolls over onto her back and closes her eyes sleepily. She blinks once, then twice, then restful darkness engulfs.
.......................................................................
Chapter 1- The Shalstone Embarks
It had been several years, since a Shalstone had attended the renown Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The family had removed themselves from it, fearing that it's teachings not only limited the rate of their magical growth, but put them in danger do to it's many secrets and internal conflicts surrounding dark wizardry, as the Shalstone's themselves had faced suspicion do to the shaded history of their family. However, Audra Shalstone now stood in the lobby of her mansion in Leicester England, watching as her young niece Azura prepares to set out for that very school.
Azura is small girl of thirteen, with cold gray eyes adoring her attractive features. Using a small brush from inside one of the many pockets in her robe she brushes down her deep red bangs which drape evenly to the tops of her thin eyebrows. Her hair comes down to her jaw line on the sides and maintains the length around to the back, however dangling to the side of her right eye is a tight braid about as big around as her pinky finger but long enough to touch her collarbone, the tiny brass ring bound in the end of it sparkling faintly in the dim lighting.
Azura fastens her robe, of the darkest purple as her ante approaches "It's not Hogwart's regulation attire you know, once in the school you won't be able to wear this outfit anymore. I know how fond you are of it." she says as she sets her daughters hat upon her head, pulling it down to her mid forehead, it's wide brim almost reaching out past the girls shoulders. She turns her daughter around, to give her a looking over.
"Now that all the nonsense has died down it's good to see a Shalstone going back to Hogwarts, it's the finest school that ever was." Audra tells her niece.
Azura raises an eyebrow a bit saying, "I don't really consider it nonsense, there was a lot of terrible things happened before. The dark wizards really rose to power under that Voldemort guy, there was a lot of deaths and all sorts of horrors.."
"Exactly, and it's a good thing our family pulled out of their before things got so horrid. Just wish your mother hadn't taken off to America like she did, family needs to stay close."
Azura nods, flexing the brim of her hat flop but replies, "Still, it was a good thing to space ourselves from the trouble, not to mention Uncle Durhal."
"As well you shouldn't.", Audra gasps. "I'd prefer his name not be spoken in this house, what with all the trouble he went and brought down on us all. As if our family didn't already have well enough of a bad name."
"Yhea really, our family already makes a lot of people in the wizarding world nervous. Our history is filled with evil sick'os and all."
"Azura Gayle Shalstone!" Audra replies hotly, "You should never speak to terribly of your family! We are one of the oldest and most powerful wizarding families in England, and you'd do quite well to take pride in your family name regardless of all that rubbish. Your a Shalstone, and your better than not only the half-bloods but most pure blooded wizards in this world as well. You mind yourself, and compose yourself as such."
"I know my family is proud auntie, but I fully intend to not only study and learn but to make new friends. I won't do as such acting like I'm better than everyone else despite how confident you are of it." Azura says cooly.
"Now you mind the way you speak to me child, your my sisters daughter and I only wish for you to understand that our family has worked hard to achieve higher than the rest of those in England." she snaps in recourse, but regains her composer shortly.
Azura goes to speak, but is cut off by Audra, "However!... I know there is no changing your view, and I will not be responsible for making you despise me by trying to make you think differently. Despite my feelings on it. "
Azura nods, making her brim flex "I understand perfectly ante. I've put a lot of thought into this matter and I feel confident this is what I want. I don't need your support, as long as I know I have your love.'
Taken for a moment, Audra looks down into the eyes of the child who had grown in maturity seemingly so fast. She takes her neice into her arms, hugging her tightly. "You do have my support baby, to grow and advance how you see fit. You are a Shalstone after all, and we always pursue our wishes."
"Thank you auntie, I won't let our family down I promise.", whispers Azura, her eyes swelling with moister.
The embrace ends in what seems to be too short of time secretly in both their hearts, and Azura straightens her robe and gathers her broom with it's stark white handle and thorny bristles from it's leaning position against the stairwell. "Come Amaris, it's time to go.", she calls out gazing up into the corner near the door at the large bat clinging to the wall, it's pitch-black fur contradicted only by the red coloration around it's neck. It remains motionless, holding the wall with it's tiny claws. "I don't want any crap from you Amaris, you're coming along with me rather you like it or not."
After a few moments, the bat releases it's grip and lands on Azura's shoulder, one leathery wing stretched out over part of her chest as it grips the material tightly with the small hooks on it's wings. Audra glares at the small creature saying "Honestly, you think it would be just a little appreciative after all the delegation I had to go through to get Hogwarts to accept her as your familiar in the first place."
"Hogwarts is set in their ways, but you know how to get your way don't you Auntie?", says Azura with a smirk.
"Yes, with everyone it seems but you.", she responds. Leaning forward, she lifts the front of Azura's brim and kisses her gently on the forehead. "Now you best be off, remember to go straight to alley off Highton Road"
Azura nods and smiles a little, "Yes auntie. I love you bunches you know, thanks for helping me get into Hogwarts." and hugs her tightly for the second time in at least a year.
"I love you too dear" Audra replies, then straightens up saying "Now you best be off, if your late they'll be something awful of a hassle."
"I can handle it, everything will be fine." Azura replies as she opens the door and peers into the cloudy night. She shoulders a thick book bag, takes the handle of her rolling carry-on case and sets out down the long private drive leading from the town bellow up to the Shalstone family manor. Once out of site, Azura straddles her broom and kicks off from the ground, rising with her luggage into the dark sky.
The gaining wind was cool as it whipped across Azura's cheeks, crouching low on her broom with her head lowered to see the ground pass bellow, the trees linning the long private drive passing at her sides as dark blurs. You see, she loved the feeling of flight more than just about anything, and would constantly push herself on faster and faster, biting back fear and becoming better and better at her aerobatics. She had excelled as a flier since early on, capable of not only great speed but sharp turns, rolls and loops. She can't fly fancy this night however, not with her arm straining with the weight of her carry-on case hanging to one side.
After way to short of amount of time in her opinion, Azura reaches the edge of the town and is forced to land to keep from being seen. Through the darkness she goes unnoticed, unseen by the people comfortably nestled inside the houses she passes, along the road and down into a narrow alleyway. She stops abruptly as reaches the end of the alley, peering down at a worn and tattered brown hat. She reaches inside her robe, and withdraws a silver pocket watch and holds it in her palm allowing the light to reflect of it's surface. Beads of water splatter across the face as a light rain starts to trickle down.
"I really pushed it, only two minutes and a few seconds left.", she says softly to herself as she examines the hands, showing the time to be 8:57 and a half.
Securing the watch back into one of the many robe pockets, she kneels down in the alley and places her fingertips on the brim of the old hat, running them along is delicately she says "This is gonn'a be a first."
Two minutes pass as the rain starts to fall in larger drops, scattered for now but slowly increasing in density. Azura places her hand flat against the side of the rapidly dampening hat and takes a deep breath through her thin lips. Suddenly, with a slight pop and a tightening in her stomach like a inward jolt behind her navel she feels herself being hurled through nothingness, seemingly attached to the hat as it drags her along through a swirling fog of light and sound. Just as she clinches her eyes to ease her stomach, she feels a stiff jolt and the grain of wood on her cheek.
"9:00 from Leicestre, alley off of Highton Road.", says a grittyy voice.
Azura lifts herself off her stomach and opens her eyes, looking out across the room, Amaris flaps around on the floor trying to get off it's back. "Are you okay Amaris?" she asks, as she cups the bat into her hands.
A man with a dignified look though wrinkled and toothless bows slightly to the girl, and says "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, I'm Tom , the landlord here. Azura Shalstone I presume?"
Young Azura rises to her feet and nods her head, replying "Yes.. Yes that's me." She replies placing her bat on her shoulder. "Sorry about the hat..." she states softly, handing the now flattened headpiece over the smirking landlord and gathering up her broom.
"The hat?"', Tom half laughs. "Just a piece of junk really, decreases the likelyhood of some silly muggle picking it up on accident."
The man leads the girls up a nice flight of stairs as she adjusts her hat back straight over her head, her face still quite hidden in the shadow cast down from the brim. They come to hall and walk a few doors down, Tom pushing one open to reveal a small room with a bed and wash basin with a mirror hanging over it.
"An awful lot of trouble really, for one little girl. Setting up a Portykey and arranging a room just for a bit of shopping in Diagon. Your family most have a bit of money to them." Tom says, holding the door open for Azura. "Well now, I hope your comfortable here. Your rent is for two nights, meals included. I take it you'll be expecting company soon?"
Azura nods, making her brim flop "Yes sir, my sister will be Apparating in London tomorrow morning after breakfast."
"Very well then, come down to the tavern if you get parched or hungry. Goodnight Miss Shalstone." says Tom, smiling a toothless smile and steps out, closing the door softly behind him.
Azura tosses her bookbag and broom on the bed, and makes her way over to the wash basin to wash her face as she pulls her hat off and flings it through the air to join her other belongings.
"I should probly rest tonight, got a big day ahead of me tommarow." she tells herself as she slips off her robe and hangs it on a hook protruding from the post of the bed, which she throws herself across and begins shuffling through her book bag. She withdraws a book titled 'Standard Book of Spells, year 3' from the many books inside and sets her other supplies on the floor. The large bat, Amaris flitters into the air and after a quick circle around the room finds it's way onto a curtain hanging over a small window.
After a couple hours of intense reading, she places the book aside and rolls over onto her back and closes her eyes sleepily. She blinks once, then twice, then restful darkness engulfs.