J.K. is the owner; she's the lady, I'm just having fun.
I'm not making any money through this.
Please don't sue me I don't have anything.
Thanks to the good writers that I've read. For sure they've influenced me.
And like one of them said, if you recognize something, it isn't mine.
Chapter 1: The Key
She crossed the busy street, a soft sigh escaping her lips. It was finally Friday, and though worked seemed to have doubled, and everybody was tense, it was the end of the week from hell. Still, she couldn't help but recall the argument with her silly boss and his silly ideas. 'Screw it' she thought, and though she was stressed and tired, she had long since decided to not let it ruin her weekend. There were other enjoyable things to think about, like soaking in a hot tub full of lavender tainted water. The seemingly endless hours of rest that were stretching out before her at this hour. It was thoughts like these that stole away the tension.
She walked on taking note of her appointments for the weekend. Trying to figure out what she could cancel and what she had to attend. Sunday was the dinner with her family and various guests. This meant that her nephews were going to be in town, a thought that brought a hopeful smile to her lips. It was the bi-monthly family reunions that kept her sane, and it was the time in between that kept her motivated.
Yes, to her the weekend was looking better and better with each passing moment. There was any number of things that she could do, read, browse the internet, whatever she felt like. Hell, she could even listen to music and think about him – Severus. A sudden sting twinged her heart and she shook her head in distress. This wasn't right, a fantasy shouldn't interfere this much. It shouldn't occupy her every thought and taint her every feeling.
Once again she could feel her shoulders tense, and she drove her attention to the mall full of busy people. Her eyes deviated to the dress by the shopwindow. It was then that she remembered about the party Andrea had invited her to go to on Saturday. She sighed once again and thought 'maybe'.
Andrea called later that evening assuring that she was going to make an appearance at the party. She now sat in front of the mirror combing her hair, her warm wet skin chilled by the arrival of the night air. She almost regretted having agreed to go, the one small favor being that her house was clean. She knew she wouldn't have time on Sunday.
She dried her hair and pinned it up into a tendrilled bun. Long wisps of hair brushed against her nude skin as she walked to her closet. She had no idea what to wear to this party. She didn't want to exaggerate her look, wanting instead to have an air of simple elegance. Perhaps her black pants matched with an informal white blouse, a purse, modest accessories, and even a splash of make-up. 'Better not forget my black sweater', she thought to herself, 'it will be getting cold around dawn….if I stay out that late.'
After dressing and gathering all her belongings she stood in front of her mirror, looking her self over. She had complaints about her body, yes, but they weren't enough to make her cringe; or feel more apprehensive about going to the party. With one last look she departed from her apartment turning off the lights and locking the door.
She slowly started down the stairs having decided to forgo the elevator. It was better than waiting for the elevator to go down only two floors. Besides, she had already decided to walk as far as the bar where Andrea would pick her up. It offered her a chance for distraction as she strolled down the street taking in the views of the city. The dirty window fronts filled with useless, overpriced merchandise, the people walking at various speeds to unknown destinations, the man with the black hair.
'Black hair, Severus' she thought, a frown spreading across her face. 'This is getting out of control'
She pushed on, once again attempting to clear her mind. She kept walking, making her way to the comforting glow of the bars neon lights.
As she drew closer she noticed two men hovering around the entrance to an alley. Oddly enough, they were draped in cloaks that resembled something retrieved from a forgotten era. They seemed to argue for a brief moment before ducking into the alley. She thought this odd for the alley had only shops that had already closed.
She sat there for a few moments trying to fight the urge to follow the dark men. She waited in anticipation to see if they would return, and after several tense minutes passed they did. They quickly turned the corner and faded into the city.
The lights seemed to grow dimmer as she approached the alley. Each step carrying her farther and farther into growing darkness as her breath quickened and her heart thundered in her chest. There was an eerie, luminescent glow that radiated from the moon and reflected up from the black, moisture-drenched pavement.
She stood at the entrance of the alley, her neck craning from side to side, her eyes straining to adjust to the odd darkness. She knew that she shouldn't be here, but her mind could not fight the urges of her body. She had to see what those men were doing; there was something wrong with the situation. Perhaps it was her intimate fantasies about the world she imagined they came from. Although deep down she knew that is was impossible.
She was about to force herself to leave, trying to put reality back into the forefront of her mind. It was then that she saw it leaning in the corner. Its cold silver metal gleaming in the barren moonlight, each soft bend cast into blue light and shadow. 'What is that?' she thought, and entered the alley, her curiosity taking the best of herself. But they had gotten in and out without carrying anything, she had observed. She approached the shinny object then, despite the fact that the voice in the back of her mind was screaming at her. 'You're mad; some murderer may have hidden it in here. God knows what those people were up to.' She immediately recognized it for what it was; it was a very old, very eloquent candleholder.
Her eyes and thoughts distracted her she did not hear the approaching footsteps. It was the muted, indiscernible sounds of an argument that stirred her from her musings. Fear set in as her head snapped to the alley's entrance. Two shadows cast themselves on the lit street just outside. Instinct took over and she went into survival mode. Her feet were in motion long before her mind could tell her what to do. She propelled herself down the alley and ran into the first crevice she could find.
She slid down the locked door and hoped that both the distance and the looming staircase would hide her cowering figure. The voices drew nearer, the sounds of their feet now echoed off the dingy walls of the deserted alley.
"It's a total waste of time." Came an angry mutter.
"What did you expect?" The companion replied with annoyance clearly in his voice. "You believed him? Did you really think that…old dog was going to give you anything important?"
"I've known him for a long time," the other answered gnashing his teeth, "and he is neither a liar nor just any wizard."
'Wizard?' She thought, her eyes widening even further.
"And after so many years he just shows up, out of the blue, almost dying, to tell you he had charmed a different key?" The first man responded mocking his associate. "And you believed him! Why didn't you remember to ask him what was so special about that thing?" He continued his anger rising with each syllable.
She heard each and every word, her mind racing to digest the information.' Was this just some kind of criminal jargon?' She thought, pushing herself to believe that must have misheard them, somehow injected the word "wizard" into the conversation.
"Lower your voice!" Came the angry reply. "He said he was running away, he didn't have any to whom he could leave it. And if you didn't realize it, he wasn't able to say much else before he died!"
"And he gave it to you? He would have to be crazy, idiotic to believe that you would do it!" Their voices were once again rising. "If it had any importance…" He sighed in exasperation. "You believed him."
The sounds of a scuffle reached her anxious ears. She strained to see if they had started fighting, but all she could capture was the image of the their shadows mixing and separating.
"So did YOU!" Came the final shout, and with that things feel peaceful again. The only sounds were that of shifting clothes and pacing shoes.
"You know that if it took us anywhere important it would have been the perfect present to the Dark Lord. It would have been good for us…" He muttered angrily.
Her heart leapt once again as her mind tried to conform itself around this new information. 'Wizards, Dark Lord! It all makes sense.' A part of her brain argued, only to be pushed by her logic. 'That is utterly impossible. That was FICTION, you can't possible believe…' But once again her thoughts were interrupted as the men spoke again.
"Look, let's go back. We shouldn't take long." The man sighed
"Fine…are you ready?"
The shadows shifted downward and the soft murmur of 'one, two, three' could be heard which was followed by a loud crack. She sat silent, waiting for something, anything to happen. Her thoughts raced at a thousand miles a minute, her body shook with fear and misunderstanding. She surely couldn't have heard or seen what she thought she had. It was utterly impossible.
Slowly she rose, her legs wobbling perilously behind her. She peered from her hiding place taking in the sight of the empty alley. Where once two oddly dressed men had stood was only space filled only with the smoking candleholder. Its soft white smoke wisping up into the air as the lights in the alley began to flicker to life.
'It's impossible,' she thought, 'two people don't just disappear into thin air. Unless…' She shook her head, trying to rid herself of such ludicrous thoughts.
She glimpsed at the street at the end of the alley. She could hear the sounds of the cars racing down distant streets. She could imagine the people starting to line up at clubs, their thoughts millions of miles away from this alley. They had not seen the impossible happen; they did not have to suffer with questioning their very sanity. She was envious of those other people and thankful at the same time. For her heart still held onto the hope that what she imagined in her dreams was finally coming true.
She turned her attention back to the alley, walking cautiously up to the small, silver form before her. If none of this was truly happening then there was no harm in holding a simple candleholder. Perhaps not so simple, but still harmless, yes, it was indeed harmless.
She reached down with shaky fingers, 'It's a very, very improbably possibility', her fingertips hovered inches above the sleeping object. 'Very remote', she thought as her skin skimmed the warm surface of what should be cold steel. She drew her hand away in shock, it was warm, and that wasn't right. It made no sense in this world. Things like this should not happen, it was against the laws of physics. Yet, there was that small, tiny chance…
'You're being silly.' She reminded herself as she reached once again for the candleholder. 'There are no such things as wizards, dark lords, or apparation. Only in Harry Potter books.' She pushed herself to laugh at her own absurdity; it came out as a nervous stutter. 'Severus was in Harry Potter…Severus'
With renewed strength she grasped the candle to her chest and closed her eyes, hoping for the best.
I sincerely thank Court and Fer Porcel for the patience in translating this fic into English.
Thank you very much!
You are making a dream come true!
Nina
Reviews?
A/N: Translating this fic into English, one of my beta readers, Court, practically became a co-author, altering the fic so it would be more "friendly" for the English speaking public. Even then, not wanting to lose the "different" way this fic was originally written, FerPotter helped me and we also have here the translation to the original version.
Thank you.
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