Of Whispers and Ancient Myths
Disclaimer: As much as it pains me to say so, Harry Potter does NOT belong to me but to the awesome J. K. Rowling. That said, what you recognise as cannon came from her, although my main protagonist, possibly other original characters and additional stuff unfamiliar to you are "my precious".
Summary: A young human girl finds herself in quite the predicament, once she admits how unhappy she is with the life. However, Fate has other plans for her, offering a proposal she can't refuse. Starting all over in a different and magical dimension, it's a race against time to save the magical population… But books and reality are two very different things. Trust no one. (Includes Fem!HP)
Updates: I don't know at which rate I will be posting my chapters. I am in my final year of high school which pretty much comes down to the finals. The results will dictate whether or not I get to the university course I desire. I'm also a newbie when it comes to writing fanfiction but I'll do my best.
Read this first!
I'll just come right out and say it:my female Harry Potter, while a major character, won't obviously be the main focus of the plot I've designed. She will have a great amount of importance and there will be character development (after all, little Harriet and my OC will be awesome sidekicks and friends!), but Ana, later referred to as Anaïs, will be the one in the spotlight. I should also warn you that there will be major Dumbledore and Ron W. bashing, minor Hermione G. bashing (I love her and for that things will eventually be set to rights). My main character will not be Light, but grey (maybe dark grey), and Tom Riddle shall regain his sanity. So… Yeah, there will be a romantic relationship between the Dark Lord and Anaïs, although we are light years away from that. There will also be other pairings but good things come to those who wait. (Rated M for later chapters)
Happy reading!
Chapter 1 – Prologue: Belonging
Ana Rodrigues was extremely bored… Actually, she would probably disagree and stress just how much of an understatement that was. At the age of twenty, the young Portuguese woman had her characteristic brooding demeanour on, effectively scaring off those unfortunate enough to be in her vicinity. Perhaps that was why, if someone were to intrude on the scene, they would find that particular corner of the Bodleian Library in Oxford devoid of any other living souls…
However, upon close inspection, those who had the ability to recognise Miss Rodrigues would be rendered speechless. While it was true that the current facial expression was not unheard of, it usually manifested itself when she was either furious or trying to concentrate, and if the book that remained innocently forgotten on her lap was anything to go by, it definitely wasn't the latter option. Nevertheless, the way her gaze was fixed on the nearest window betrayed a melancholy she didn't care to hide, not fury. One would reckon that, with her academic achievements, an individual should have an abysmally different posture. Well, maybe such happened often, but not on that day…You see, our young heroine (even if all seemed to defy such a title) had finally let the traitorous emotions and thoughts which had been lurking in the darkest recesses of the medical student's mind for several years now loose.
"What a gigantic mess you've managed to get yourself into this time around Ana… Not that I had many viable options to choose from to begin with! What a mess indeed." sighed Rodrigues.
From the very start, her acquaintances could not possibly fault her for lack of ambition, for if there was something her mind had in abundance it had to be ambition, a desire for greatness. Rodrigues' plans had, however, been hindered by none other than herself, the moment she acknowledged, to some extent, the fact that she didn't belong... Anywhere, as it happened. As she sat on the windowsill, Ana realised the great majority saw her for (and only for) her intelligence, after all her academic life had been nothing but brilliant until then. To tell the truth, she could not and would not blame the general public, since her life was pretty much synonymous with work. That was her element, the place where she would lose herself at the expense of her personal life. The young woman had been in the spotlight, intellectually speaking, from the very beginning, looking for challenges, things that were not within arm's length of every human being. Her mantra would be something along the lines of "If everyone can do it, why should I even bother?!".
Her dark chocolate brown curls obscured her vision and no move was made to rectify the issue. Any efforts would have been fruitless anyway. A sad smile peeked through the long mane of hair, for a wave of disappointment had just washed over her. Somewhere along the line, her inner child had taken to hiding from the eyes of society, her quirky and bizarre ways subdued. She remembered the disappointment in certain authority figures, her home country with its corruption and how her condition as the eternal misfit awakened the suffocating need to flee. Although she wasn't delusional (mind you, the girl was slightly insane, but who isn't?!), she had spent her entire life seeking a way out, despite knowing she was somehow stuck there by a cruel twist of Fate. Oftentimes, her big but plain brown eyes would acquire a dreamy edge, while her brain concocted elaborated and extraordinary explanations for her predicament. These always culminated in a drastic and somehow peculiar change of pace; her excitement would grow as her mental countdown neared its end… Nonetheless, nothing would occur, no big explosion, no kidnapping, no rescue, no inter-dimensional travelling… Condemned to her grey outlook on life, Ana Rodrigues would sober up, chastise herself for such silly idiocies and go back to being the one dimensional creature others saw her as.
Her gaze now wandered, taking in the strategically positioned lines of bookcases along the several floors she could spot from her vantage point, the furthest from ground level as possible. The sight of all that pent up knowledge never ceased to amaze. At least that seemed to truly satisfy her… The wooden floors were, oddly enough, covered here and there by carpets of different patterns which varied according to the section of the library; leather couches and armchairs conveyed even more warmth to the place, having been arranged in a pleasing way, enabling either dialogue or silence; a long mahogany table, where at least twenty people could find a place to sit, was mocking her from about fifteen metres away, but she knew similar ones could be found scattered throughout the building, one for each section, and that furniture could not taunt anyone even if the present situation went against her better judgement; dissimilar desk lamps illuminated the surface in question, amusing their evaluator; tapestries depicting medieval scenes hung on walls, the themes ranging from the religious to the quotidian; the staircases seemed to gloat, spiralling into oblivion in intricate patterns, forcing the visitors to acknowledge the beautiful designs carved on the walls which converged to form a dome made of solid stone. All in all, the infrastructure had been conceived to impress, to haunt the memories of the onlookers, for if the imposing exterior was almost intimidating, the interior, while no less daunting, had been decorated with such subtle taste, it brought solace and a sense of magical understanding.
A loud noise, in all that immensity, caught the woman's attention. The "Anatomy Bible", as she liked calling it, had chosen that particular moment to stress its importance. The book was supposed to be seen as a faithful companion for the rest of her days, given the elected professional path. However, Ana was actually considering throwing it out of the window for its nerve. Later, she would probably apologise for her lack of consideration for the tree that had originated the monstrosity lying ungracefully on the floor, but she felt like momentarily blaming the thing for her miserable life! Would it be too much to ask that going to med school and finally achieving a goal she had imposed on herself so long ago would appease her spirit?! Apparently, yes.
Taking in one last time the characteristic scent of dusty old books which, on any other day, would have soothed her temper, she rose, with a loud huff, from the window seat cushion, unceremoniously picked up the thing, threw it into her leather backpack and exited the Bodleian, muttering about how she would never understand her fellow colleagues who always seemed to choose fashionable but not very school friendly bags. Mrs Ellington, the old librarian on service, threw the bane of her existence a dirty look, privately ecstatic to have the entire building for herself on that autumn's evening…
But as Ana walked briskly towards the small flat she shared with her only long-time friend near Oxford University, little did she know she had just gazed upon the shelves which had brought her solace countless times for the very last time… And so, as oblivious as anyone who goes through sudden life changing events, the girl whose mind couldn't decide whether she truly belonged there or not, carried on, stopping only to admire the way dusk had fallen on that 31st of October…
-x-
Somewhere above, in a state between life and death, a creature of ethereal beauty observed the little mortal, a pair of knowing and ever-seeing golden orbs trailed on the petite female figure.
"My, my… How interesting!", said the being, voice momentarily full of mirth "It would appear I have been looking for you in the wrong place all along. No matter, child. Past mistakes shall be rectified. Let us hope it suffices, otherwise much will be lost due to two wrongly entangled strings. How will you fare against the world, I wonder…"
I know I really let myself go when it comes to descriptions (I just love writing them!)… Nevertheless, this mainly descriptive chapter was necessary to create a detailed background for Inês. I've never been to the Bodleian (much to my chagrin), which means my portrayal probably represents everything but the library as you know it. This will probably happen a lot!
I won't keep you any longer! Review and rate, but keep in mind there's a difference between criticism and flames… So none of the latter, if you please. I bruise easily…
xoxo, ineslapin