Angelic Demon
Chapter One – Coming Home
Professor Quirrel must have come back from the dead and Professor Lockhart had regained his memory while teaming up with each other for this to happen. The Great Hall, it was, well, decorated stupendously. The charm work and the transfiguration were marvelous and would have made Professors McGonagall and Flitwick happy and overjoyed, if they weren't already so, at there best student's work.
One Hermione Granger was putting up the final touches upon the decorations for the Great Hall for the Halloween Ball. The whole of the Halloween Ball had been planned and brought about to readiness by her and only her. No help from any outside influences such as students or teachers.
This had been in the planning for some months since she had received notification. The notifications of all notifications, the most important of all notifications, even more important than her letter telling her she was Head Girl. This event had to be perfect for this occasion; nothing could or would mess this up lest the offender wished to meet Ms. Granger's wrath and knowledge of magic.
With the final touch of dancing flames that wouldn't burn a person when touched, she left the Great Hall to go to her rooms to put on her costume. After all, what was Halloween without a costume?
The students and teachers alike were dumbstruck and in awe of the decorations of the Great Hall. The Great Hall was roughly divided into two sections. One section was the 'good' side. It consisted of light, fluffy clouds, and a mist covering the ground to simulate walking on a cloud. It generally looked like a reincarnation of the stereotypical heaven. The other section was darker, much darker. Rock outcroppings of stalagmites littered the floor in clusters while there were dancing flames crossing the 'bad' side. In the middle of the Great Hall stood a pedestal of rock that seemed to serve no purpose except that it was covered in ornate decorations.
Everyone was complementing Hermione on her fabulous work on the decorations for the Great Hall, but she seemed to hardly take notice or at least take all the attention in stride. Several people noticed her inattentiveness as it seemed she rather be somewhere else or was at least waiting for someone. Many of the guys were thinking the latter and waiting to see who the lucky guy was that had asked Hermione to the dance. Many guys had asked Hermione to the dance, but all had been turned down because she had said she already had a date. About half thought her date had stood her up while the other half thought that maybe she had lied and didn't want to have anyone go with her to the dance.
One brave, and most likely insane, soul had asked her to dance once, but was refused. Crushed was more like it even though Hermione had let the poor guy down slowly and easily. However, it seemed another brave, and most likely insane, soul was going to try and ask her to dance.
"Ms. Granger, my compliments to you on your wonderful craftsmanship here. The decorations are superb. Would you entertain an old man and let me have the next dance?" Headmaster Dumbledore asked with is eyes twinkling and in a ridiculous costume that mimicked Professor Lockhart. Hermione stood in front of the Headmaster in her stereotypical costume of an angel in a slight daze before she looked at her watch.
"I'm sorry Headmaster, but my date should be here moment now. Thank you for asking, maybe after I have a couple of dances with my date though." Hermione said sincerely and exactly at the right moment also.
An invisible wind that came from nowhere whipped through the Great Hall. Many people yelped in fright as they tried to discern where the mysterious wind was coming from. The Great Hall candle lights as well as the mist ground covering and dancing flames swirled and flickered causing yet more people to yell out in fright. Hermione gently excused herself around the frightened students and alerted professors towards the pedestal in the middle of the Great Hall.
The wind calmed for several very short moments before a wave of energy burst out from the middle of the hall. Students and teachers changed from looking around the hall in fright to just the middle of the Great Hall. The candle lights within the Great Hall flickered out of existence for several moments as a flame grew on top of the center pedestal. The occupants involuntarily took several steps back except one brown haired angel who stood in the same spot if not maybe a couple of inches closer than she previously was.
The flame grew to several feet tall while a dark and ugly shadow could be seen inside of the flame. The flame died out, however, and the lights returned inside the Great Hall. Left standing on the pedestal was a giant of a monstrosity.
The thing stood at least a little over two meters tall with a tough skin of black with a slight hue of dark red. Each limb had a set of claws that could most likely cut through any known substance on the planet. Wings graced the creature's back in the same color and texture as the rest of its body. And finally, the last most noticeable part of its body was—
"You're here!" Hermione shrieked while running into her apparent date's arms. The date's eyes which had been closed snapped open in alarm and searched for the source of potential threat. However, it quickly found the excited girl running towards itself and opened its arms with a smile gracing its face. The smile, lined with sharp teeth, had a calming effect on the people who looked at it as though it weren't plastered to the most horrifying and realistic costume of the Halloween Ball.
Hermione ran into the creature's arms and was spun around by it, looks of pure joy and happiness plastered to their faces. The moment was ruined when several professors, not trusting this person or how they appeared, fired off several successive rounds of curses at the creature. Before anyone could react about Hermione being in the way, the creature reacted by pulling its wings over Hermione and protecting her. All the curses hit, but none seemed to have affected the creature or the girl it was protecting. Two dark looks were thrown at the perpetrating professors.
"What do you think you are doing throwing curses at my date?" Hermione yelled at the offensive professors. Hermione's date emitted a low sounding growl form the back of its throat, eyes flashing dangerously while its stance changed into one ready for a fight.
"Your stupid and puny wizarding spells cannot harm me. However, if any harm comes to Hermione, you shall learn what it is like to be on the wrong end of my power." The whole of the crowd took an involuntary step back at the last statement. This creature, now known not to be a wizard, had just threatened all of the professors including Professor Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard of the century and the one that Lord Voldemort feared most.
The young couple continued on through the night dancing and talking to each other as if knowing each other all of their young lives.
Near the end of the dance the headmaster came up to his student and her guest. Much to his chagrin, they visibly tensed, Hermione's guest more so.
"I would like to apologize for my faculty's outburst towards you without any regard towards Miss Granger." Hermione's guest looked at Hermione, a mild question flashing threw his eyes. However, before Hermione could respond verbally or physically, her tall friend turned back towards the headmaster with a semblance of a low guttural growl.
"Apology accepted, but I expect no more animosity towards myself from your faculty for the continuance of my stay." It seemed like nothing to could cause fear to creep into the headmaster's heart, but the thing standing in front of him was without even trying.
"Your—your stay? You are staying here?"
"Yes I am Professor Dumbledore, I am staying until the situation with Voldemort is resolved." Professor Dumbledore stood agape. "Yes, I am going to destroy Voldemort. Good night Headmaster."
The little talk over with, Hermione Granger and her guest walked out of the Great Hall.