CHAPTER 1:
A Light at Hogwarts
"Though my soul may set in darkness,
it will rise in perfect light; I have
loved the stars too fondly
to be fearful of the night."
- Sarah Williams
Earlier in the year as Hagrid watched the owls take off with the last parcel of shipments for the new group of students, he wondered how excited they would be to see their invitation from Hogwarts. And he was even more excited to meet them. He remembered how Harry Potter was staying at the Weasley's. It was much more convenient for him to stay with a family that understands. The Dursley's were the last place he'd want him to go back to after all the amazing thing's Harry Potter has done at Hogwarts. It was like going back to a reality that was only going to drain you of truth and youth, a place where dreams did not have room to grow. The Muggle world was like that. The magic world was a place of possibilities. A place where dreams had a lot of room to grow. Hogwarts was an amazing place for this, a place of true light and love.
Throughout the day many students observed these falling flecks of fire as they trained on out on the field testing their broomsticks. They observed this as they sat high up from the ground.
"What is those sparks of light falling down to behind Hogwarts like that?" Harry asked aloud.
"I don't know." Ron student said.
"It could be a meteor breaking of in the atmosphere." Hermione suggested. "I've always wanted to see that and an solar eclipse. I never seen one before. But I like to one day for sure."
"I heard if you look at a total eclipse for more than 20 seconds without the proper use of glasses, it will burn your retina and could blind you permanently." Longbottom said as he joined in their conversation.
Malfoy came floating on his broomstick and snidely remarked to all four of them.
"Well, I'd take blindness over seeing another Mudblood enter this school."
During lessons Snape explained to the class "it was just the fight of the Dark and Light up in space and that was the sparks of their swords as those sparks fell back to earth. And the grumble of the ground that you heard earlier was just the wail of earth praying for protection."
"No. I think that grumble sound was Longbottom's stomach. He's excited for lunch in a few hours." Malfoy joked. "I could hear it for a mile away."
"Be quiet." Longbottom told him. "I am not even hungry."
"A stomach doesn't lie." Malfoy added, "Especially one as big as yours." Both he and Goyle chuckled at the response.
"Shut up." Long bottom said to them.
"Back to your lesson now." Snape encouraged the class to open up their book.
During next class Dumbledore explained it was divine protection from up above, and that this only happened when black light was able to escape from the Vortex of the black hole; the white light was sent out to bring it back.
"As both this dark light and white light fought with their swords clashing blades into one another, the wail of earth could be heard below, praying for protection. The fight would ensue and sparks of fire would break off into tiny flecks and falling of fire falling back to earth. The white light must try to fight the dark light and wean it back to the Vortex of the black hole, close enough so the black hole's hand will grasp it and bring it back, so it may not escape again.
"You see students every place has darkness and sometimes that darkness swoops in its dark claws and tries to grab any light that existed and swallow it up keeping it from us, taking away its ability to shine—we must protect this light on earth. It's sacred. Horrible things happen that leave an imprint that cannot be erased. Memories exist forever, they cannot be wiped away. And sometimes that horror trapped within the hell's vortex finds a way to travel back to earth and back to the magic world and the muggle world—to corrupt it—to take over—and bring more pain and negativity, allowing bad things to happen within the dark arts, which is not its sole purpose. This dark light's plan is to bring hell back to earth and create chaos where the natural order of things existed. It despised unity. It despised positive change. It despised anything holy and good and true and wanted to bring it back to a place where it had complete control. It wanted to segregate and separate. It wanted to control people and the destiny that awaited for them and keep their dreams from having the chance to grow. But as it escapes the black vortex—it is not alone, for a guardian of light is sent back to earth to watch this dark entity that escaped and protect all of those left exposed for its dark deeds. This is a light that is sent to protect both The Muggle World and The Magic World. A light both worlds can share."
"Dumbledore has such a wonderful way of explaining things." Harry Potter said as he walked down the hallway with Ron and Hermione Granger. "I don't care what anyone else has to say. He is the best thing to ever happen to Hogwarts."
Malfoy muttered close by but not loud enough for any of them to hear. "Both he and Harry Potter are the worst thing to ever happen to Hogwarts."
It was early into the evening when Hagrid was busy toying with some last minutes things to tidy up before the night was through. He had a lot to do before the next school day began. He lit his lantern and walked outside. It was pretty quiet of a night, not much could be heard except for the chirping crickets outside and the centaurs as they ran through the forest, clambering against the rocks. He had watched the sunset earlier and now it was complete twilight. He saw all the stars as they lit up the night sky, and the moon up above as translucent clouds moved across it.
He looked up and saw more sparks of fire falling from the sky. It had started early in the morning, and he knew way up high the white light was up there fighting the dark light, making sure it did not get too close to earth.
"Some fight up there, isn't it?" He said to Fang as his loving pet joined him outside his cavern.
As the white light and dark light fought on up in the sky, something big came crashing towards them, breaking the fight—the impact was hard and loud; there was hail of white feathers as the rock hit and broke into them. The white light's scream was loud as it fell towards earth; with the black light following behind it, but traveling in different directions.
As the white entered the earth's atmosphere tumbling towards it, its form then could be seen as it moved closer and closer following with giant sparks of fire flew behind it in the sky. A loud bang could be heard like an explosion. Loud enough to shake the paintings halfway off the walls and shake the interior of Hogwarts.
Hagrid looked up as the ground began to shake and the sky was lit as shimmery gold; twilight gone haywire. Something crashed into the lake behind Hogwarts.
Most students had woken up from the noise and the white light in the sky that had enveloped each room, making it seem as if it was day. They looked outside their windows curiously.
"Is it morning already?" Crabbe stammered as he wobbled near his window to look out. Goyle had run out to wake up Malfoy who was still fast asleep in his bed, he did not wake up from either the noise or the light.
"Malfoy, wake up and take a look at this!" Goyle shook his friend as he was sound asleep. Malfoy grunted but then got up too and stood next to Crabbe.
"Look at what?" Malfoy seemed agitated as he walked towards their window.
"The sky! What else?" Goyle said looking over his shoulder at him.
Just as Malfoy sleepily walked to the window and looked out, the bright light in the sky had disappeared and there was nothing at all except twilight and stars. "What's the matter with you two?!" Malfoy snapped at both of them. "You woke me up for this?"
"But I don't understand how you missed it. There was this loud bang and the sky was bright like fire, the room filled with complete light. It was unlike anything I had ever seen." Goyle told him.
"Yeah." Crabbe said backing him up.
"The only bang you are going to hear next is my fist." Malfoy warned him. "You're just as bad as Granger, Goyle. Wanting to see eclipses and bright lights, I could care less." Malfoy stated. "Next time you wake me up like this, the world better be on fire or else."
"Or else what?" Crabbe asked.
"Or else both of you two will be wearing matching black eyes in the morning! Now leave me alone. I'm going back to sleep." Malfoy turned away to go back to his dorm room.
"Boy, is he cranky." Crabbe muttered under his breath. "Baby, needs his beauty sleep."
"How could he not have heard it?" Goyle asked. They looked back as Malfoy took his earplugs and put them both back into his ears.
"Earplugs." Goyle sighed. "I need to invest in a pair."
Potter reached for his glasses on his knight stand. He walked over toward his window. Ron close behind him.
"What is it, Potter?" Ron asked. "Do you see anything?"
"Not anymore. The sky is dark now." Potter said. "But it looks as if something had fallen out of the sky and it is glowing bright gold by the lake. I see Hagrid is going to check it out. He is walking over there with a lantern."
"Did you think Hermione heard that bang?" Ron asked.
"I'm sure she did like the rest of us. It was loud enough to shake my books out of the bookshelf." Harry Potter said.
"Mine too." Ron picked up his books and put them back into the shelf. "Do you think we should go and help Hagrid check it out?" Ron asked.
"I don't know." Harry Potter said. "Maybe once everyone goes to sleep we can try to sneak out. But I hear Dumbledore and McCognall outside talking."
"Me too." Ron said. Both Harry and Ron pressed their head up against the door.
McCongall assured everyone standing out in the hallway. "I know it was pretty nasty scare, that loud noise and all and the bright light filing the rooms, but everything is fine."
"I thought were under bloody attack!" Both George and Fred Weasley said.
"I hear my brothers." Ron whispered to Harry from the door. Ron opened the door to see the hallway to be crowded with confused students and teachers.
"Is it everything alright, Professor McCongall?" Ron asked as he stood in the door way.
"Yes. Yes. Everything is fine. Hagrid will check it all out. We're not under attack." She assured. "Please students, get back to your dorm rooms. We have a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow. Go back to sleep." She urged.
Ron took a deep breath and closed over his door. He and Harry both went back to sleep.
Outside Hogwarts with a lantern in his hand and Fang at his foot, Hagrid walked on to the lake where the glowing still was visible, hoping to find an answer to what had happened.
As he walked closer, he found one sword stuck in the dirt. It was very big and bright. He reached over towards, but instantly held his hand back.
"Bloody hell! That sure is hot. Nearly burned off all the skin off my hand!"
He walked on toward the lake, hoping to stick in hand into the water to cool it off.
As he reached it next, he saw what was glowing now in the sky. The figure of a young girl in a flowing white dress floated there. He saw that the Centaurs stood there observing on the opposite side of the lake. They too were woken up by the noise. Hagrid put down his lantern on solid ground and told Fang to wait there. He jumped into the water and swam to the girl and turned her over to look at her face. She skin was porcelain like and her eyes lids pinkish in color. Her black hair flowed all around her as she floated there in the cold water. On her back two white feathery wings sprouted from her back, some of the feather's broken in areas and falling off to float away into the water. He quickly picked her up and brought her back to the land.
Hagrid turned her over and breathed air into lungs. She coughed up a little water that she had swallowed. She was breathing now. "Thank God." Hagrid said as he wiped the sweat from his brow. His hand still hurt from the burn he gave himself from touching the hot sword, but the thought had
The Centaurs followed close behind with Fang. One of them nice enough to offer to carry back the Lantern back to Hagrid's place.
"Don't touch that sword back there." Hagrid warned them. "Just leave it there as I found it. The thing felt as if it just came out from being branded. Nearly burned off my hand."
"The sky lit up with sparks of fire. What a fight, Swords clashing with all their might. You must protect her now from the darkness. The darkness will try to choke out everything the light touches. A light worker has fallen from grace." Both Centaurs sang out behind him.
"A what?" Hagrid asked looking back at the Centaurs, but both of them were gone. The lantern was left by his door and Fang sat there whimpering softly by the door.
Hagrid brought the girl into his house and laid her down on a bunch of quilts by his fire.
"I'll get you some towels to dry you off now, deary." He said as he ran off to get them in the next room. The small figure turned bright with light, and by the time he came back, she was completely dry. No evidence of water at all and her long black hair was soft and shimmery as it lay under her. Both wings still on her back under her.
"Miss! Are you alright?" He tapped her wrist gently. "Hey, can you hear me?" He looked at her chest and it was still rising. She was breathing at least. Fang came by and started to lick her face. He saw that she was coming to now. Her eyes fluttering as she struggled to wake herself. She moved her lips slightly and took a deep breath. She was able to open her eyes now and she turned to look at both Hagrid and Fang as they watched her. She smiled pleasantly as they watched her and pushed herself upright to face them, her long white gown falling to the ground, her tiny bare feet touching the ground. She sat there on the quilts and looked around at her surroundings curiously.
"I know it's not much." Hagrid told her honestly. "But its home."
The girl stood up and went to raise her wings, but as she tried to extend them she screamed out in pain and jumped back as the pain was sweltering. Tears streamed down her face. She looked back at her left wing as it pinched her and touched it with her fingers gently.
"It's broken." Hagrid looked concerned. "We'll fix that right up for you. I promise. I'll have someone look at it. Don't you worry, love. Now I am going to get some more help. Please stay put as I go back to the school. Don't go anywhere. Stay right there. You'll be safe. I promise. Watch her, Fang. Keep her company. I will be back shortly."
Hagrid walked towards Hogwarts with a lantern in his hand.
"What is all this rubbish about loud noises and light?" Snape said as he walked through the hallway behind Dumbledore and McCongall in this robe. "I was sound asleep. I didn't hear a thing."
"Earplugs." McCongall muttered over to Dumbledore as they walked together.
"Well, that is going on my Christmas list next year." Dumbledore said back to her.
"Follow me." Hagrid motioned them down the hallway. "You're not going to believe this. I saw the Centaurs earlier. They helped me carry my lantern. They were saying riddles like they always do. I haven't figured out what they meant yet, but maybe you can piece me in on a clue."
"We will once we get there." Snape said. "If we get there in one piece."
"What did they say?" Hagrid asked to himself. "By gosh I forgotten it already. What was it that they called her? It's on the tip of my tongue. Light what? Light, what?" Hagrid asked himself out loud.
The caretaker Filch also was following them with a contorted look on his grumpy face, holding Mrs. Norris who looked as if she was glued to him.
"This better be worth the trip, Hagrid." Filch complained. "I'm exhausted and Mrs. Norris has to work to do…. We can't have students all about in the middle of the night."
"Work! By golly that's it!" Hagrid shouted.
"Yes, Hagrid. We all have work in the morning." Snape reminded him. "And it's in the middle of the night."
"Maybe you should leave Mrs. Norris back here." Snape suggested back to Filch.
"Believe me I tried." Filch said. "That loud noise scared the bejeevers out of her. She has not left my side since she heard it."
"Must have been pretty loud." Snape said with concern.
"It was." McCongall said clutching her chest. "Poor students were in a panic. Thought Hogwarts was under attack. I understand the earplugs, but I can't believe you were not woken up by that light. The whole school was filled up with a bright light from up above. It felt like it burned right through my retinas." MCcongall said to Professor Snape.
"Eye mask." Snape explained that was covering his face as he slept.
"Ah." McCongall said.
"Also going on my Christmas list." Dumbledore returned.
Hagrid motioned all of them to his Cavern. Soon after he was accompanied with Professor Snape, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McCongall and the caretaker Filch as he held up Mrs. Norris against his chest.
"Take a look at this." Hagrid proudly pointed to the corner of the room. The girl turned to look at them over her shoulder.
"Dear God." McCongall said as she looked at her standing there glowing brightly. Mrs. Norris who was seemingly seemed to be glued to Filch's chest leap off in an instant and ran up to the girl and started rubbing and purring excessively on her legs. The girl bent down and picked her the cat and held her in her arms.
"Well, that's the first time I saw her do that before." Filch looked surprised. "That cat doesn't let anyone touch her except me."
"Now say again, Hagrid. What did the Centaurs say outside the cavern?" Snape walked around the room curiously.
"I don't remember for the life of me. I just remember Light and Work." Hagrid sighed and scratched the scruff of his beard.
"Hmm." Snape scratched his chin as well. He then took his wand from the pocket of his roble and then tapped the wall. He did a spell to show the last riddle the Centaurs said and the words magically appeared in the air floating above them in big bold letters. They all looked up at it.
Snape read out loud: "The sky lit up with sparks of fire. What a fight, Swords clashing with all their might. You must protect her now from the darkness. The darkness will try to choke out everything the light touches. A light worker has fallen from grace."
Snape seemed perplexed. "A light worker?"
Dumbledore looked as if he was taken aback by what he heard, he had a stricken realization. "Could this be?"
He walked up to the girl and touched her face gently as she sat there stroking the cat's fur. Fang lay gently across her bare feet. She smiled at Dumbledore and tried to speak, but neither of them understood what she was saying.
"What language is that?" Filch asked.
"It's one of the Light worker." Dumdbledore said. "I'd understand that anywhere."
"It's funny sounding." Filch looked confused. "Sounds like a mixture of cat sounds and that of a raccoon in heat."
"What is she saying?" McCongall asked Dumbledore.
"There was a fight in the sky. She was fighting the dark light and something hit into them. It shattered her wing. She lost her sword. She said the dark light fell in the opposite direction, and she fell fast and hard into the lake behind Hogwarts." Dumbledore repeated what she said.
"I know where her sword is." Hagrid said. "But I had to leave it behind. It was too hot for me to touch it." He showed up the burn mark on his hand.
"That definitely must have been what was happening in the sky this morning and all through afternoon." Snape considered. "Sparks of Fire, swords clashing."
"She has a broken wing." Hagrid said. "We need to help her mend it."
"We need to do more than that to keep her safe from the darkness until she is well." Dumbledore said. "We must teach her of this way again. Teach her our language and pass her on as one of the students. McCongall, you work on a spell to hide her wings first thing in the morning, so none of the students get spooked or the word of what has been discovered gets leaked yet. Try not to let her to speak to anyone until she has learned to speak like us. And whatever you do keep Lockhart out of this. He talks too much."
"Yes professor." McCongall said.
"I will gather all the books we have in the library about Light workers, The White light and The Dark Light." Dumbledore continued. He was suddenly struck with nostalgia. "Hmm, I remember growing up with all the light workers that lived and thrived in the magic world. It's a shame what happened to their kind. Real shame. Honestly, I think having a light worker back here at Hogwarts is just the right thing this school needs for balance. Keep her here Hagrid, for now. Make her comfortable and get a sling for her wing, so we can fix it."
"Will do, sir." Hagrid said. Hagrid got the sling and fixed it up on the wing that was broken. After it was finished. He asked Dumbledore to check it over.
"Looks fine to me. Good job, Hagrid. You have a way with animals."
"I owned a lot of birds growing up." Hagrid said. "Had lots of practice fixing up broken wings."
"Good to hear." Dumbledore said.
Snape made a coughing sound to get their attention.
"What do you want the rest of us do?" Snape asked Dumbledore.
"Nothing until tomorrow. It's pretty late. We need to get our rest." He suggested them all to go back to Hogwarts. "If that's even possible at this hour."
"Mrs. Norris! Come now." Filch looked slightly jealous of all the affection she was giving the girl in the corner of the room. "Play time is over."
Mrs. Norris let out a meow and ran to jump back into Filch's arms as they headed towards the door.
"Good night." Dumbledore looked back at her from the door. "Sleep well, my dear."
She nodded as she understood and walked toward the quilts that Hagrid began to fix for her. He gave her a pillow, so she could lay her head down on. The girl in the white dress lay down with Fang as he curled up beside her. Hagird turned out all the lights.