The Demon Princess….

Chapter 3…


"Woooooowww…." She breathed, looking in awe at the gargoyle that spun away to reveal a spiral staircase. She stepped on, accompanied by a stern looking middle-aged witch that Macburl called McGonagall, and Macburl. As the staircase wound its way upward, the feeling of safety increased, until her eyes were no more than their normal blue, with an occasional spark of light. As the satircase stopped, they got off, and entered a study. Well, it was more than a study, it was a library, an observatory, a lab, a museum and an attic all rolled into one. The man that sat behind an old mahogany desk was even more amazing. A beard, white as snow, snaked down to his waist and his blue eyes with life even though he looked as though he was a hundred years old. Yet, she felt great power emitting from him and the feeling of safety multipled.

>>>Dumbledores P.O.V. (point of view...)

McGonagall had sent word up that an old student of ours, Tam Macburl had showed up with a friend of his that needed help. Of course I told her to show them up. McGonagall entered the room first, as prim and proud as she could be. The next was our Head Boy of 1986, Tam Macburl. I was always proud of that boy. I wondered how he was doing now-a-days. Hadn't heard much from him since he moved to Ireland...but the person that entered the room next captured my full attention. It was a tall young woman who was clutching a large purple bag. Out of it, poked a cat's head, an orange robe sleeve, and the tip of a wand. Her hair was covered by a hood, but her eyes and face were exposed. Her eyes...did they just spark?...were blue and hopeful. She sat down in a chair as Macburl came forward and shook my hand. I smiled.

"Still wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, hum, Squrriel?"

"You got that right!" Macburl laughed. "Listen, I came because the daughter of my friend needs help." He gestured to the girl. "Her name is..."

"Elizabeth Gardener, but everybody calls me Lizzy." she said, her voice soft and husky. She turned to Macburl. "I can speak for myself, sah."

>>>Narrator's P.O.V...

Lizzy sat the bag down as she spoke. Sabrina immediatly squirmed out and began to explore. "Sabrina!" Lizzy reproched. "Come here." To McGonagall's and Dumbledore's astonishment, Sabrina came. She jumped up in Lizzy's lap and curled up.

"Does she always do that?" McGonagall asked.

"Why, yes. I guess I'd never thought about it before."

Before McGonagall could question Lizzy to death, Dumbldore interruppted. "Now, why don't you tell me excatly what happened."

Lizzy gulped and looked into his warm blue eyes. She took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Have you heard of charge demons, sah?"

He leaned forward. "Yes, I have." She looked shocked for a second, then continued. "Have you heard of the king, Static, that was..."

"Stripped of his title, his lands, his powers and sight? Yes." She looked shocked for a few more seconds this time.

"Have you heard of his wife and daughter?"

"He had a wife and daughter?"

"Yes, sah. That is where this tale truly starts..."

She told of the forbbiden romance, of his love, of her laughter, of their happiness. Of their marriage, of their honeymoon, of the birth of a child that upset the very balence of the cosmos. She told of the treachery of his younger brother, whom had been jealous of his brother's victories in life and ruling. She told how her mother had been devastated by his disappearance, and how she had found out that the most honored man in the charge demons territory had fallen so hard, and how she had sweared never to love again... Of her childhood and of the power she held within herself. Of Halloween night that year, the men, the final laughter of her mother, the cold white hand creeping from underneath the large sleeves of the robe...

She shuddered and fell silent. Dumbledore looked more grave than ever. He and McGonagall held a whispered conferance.She casually strached her ear, tuning in to what they were saying.

"...it's too late in the school year. They would know if she had just joined or not..."

"My dear professor McGonagall, that is not the point. The point is that she finds safety within the walls of Hogwarts, as long as we are here."

"Yes, that may be true, but what happens when he-who-must-not-be-named finds out she is here? He probably wants her as much as Harry Potter himself..."

"I understand that McGonagall, but we must make allowances.."

"Allowances? Allowances? This girl has upset the very balence in the cosmos. I wouldn't be surprised if that lightning power wasn't the only one she had!"

'McGonagall! Is it our postion to place blame upon her? If she has come seeking shelter, we shall give it."

"What about uniforms? How are we going to get them?"

"She'll just have to borrow some until we can have some ordered."

"But who is tall enough to accomadate her..? Oh."

Dumbledore nodded. Lizzy quickly scratched her ear the other way, turning off her ears.McGonagall hurried out, yelling as she entered the stair-well, "Shoo! We want no evesdropping poltergists around here, thank you very much!" There was a loud raspberry and an evil cackle, then no more. All that could be heard was McGonagall's crisp foot-steps echoing away.

Dumbledore turned to the two guests. "May I offer you something to drink? I'm afraid you've missed lunch, but.."

"Yes," Lizzy said. "A Butterbeer, please."

"Same for you, Mr. Macburl? Or perhaps something stronger..?"

"A Firewiskey would be wonderful."

"I didn't know you drank Firewiskey..." Lizzy said, sounding surprised.

"When you've been though a night like last night, you can drink whatever." He saw the eager look in her eyes and said, "Not you."


>>>Downstairs in the Gyffindor commonroom...

Harry yawned and stretched. Then he sank even deeper into the plush warm arm-chair by the fire. Ron was sprawled on the floor munching a Chocolate Frog. Hermione was studying a star-chart with Angelina Johnson. They were both giggling over something when Professor McGonagall marched in. Harry sat up straight, and half a chunk of Chocolate Frog fell out of Ron's mouth. The whole comman room went quiet.

"This doesn't look good...' Lee said in a spooky, low whisper. Lanvender gave him a whack on the head. A few of the girls giggled.

McGonagall looked straight at Angelina and Hermione. "You two, Professor Dumbledore requests that you see him in his office immediatly. Angelina, you are to bring one of your old uniforms." Puzzlement was etched onto the faces of the pair as they stood and Angelina went up the stairs and to the right. She came down a few minutes later carrying a robe, shirt, tie, skirt, socks, and shoes. They left without saying a word.

Almost instantly, the room began buzzing with the gossip of what they had been summonded for. Harry and Ron looked kinda nervous. What was McGonagall up to...?


Lizzy began to hum a song to herself as she waited for McGonagall to come back. Macburl and Dumbledore were revisiting the old days and laughing. She surprised herself by humming this particular song. She couldn't even remember what sound-track it was from. Softly she began to sing...

"When the cold of winter comes,
starless night will cover day,
in the veiling of the sun,
we will walk in bitter rain.

But in dreams..."

Wait she remembered now. It was the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. 'Darn! I never really did like it...mum did though...' Tears prickled in her eyes, stinging with remoreslessness. She scrubbed at her eyes. She felt some one watching her. She looked up to see Macburl and Dumbledore looking at her. "What did you stop for?" Macburl asked. "You sing beautifully."

"You're drunk." she said, shortly. "You know I can't sing. I sound like someone strangling a duck with a rusty wire."

Dumbledore laughed. "I on the other hand, am not. But I would like to hear how the song ends...so if you please..."

She took a deep breath, her heart pounding like a drum, looked at the floor and continued.

"But in dreams...(echo..But in dreams...)
I can still hear your name,
And in dreams...(echo..And in dreams...)
We will met again.

When the seas and mountains fall,
and we come to end of days,
in the dark, I hear a call...
Calling me there,
I will go there...
And back again..."

She stopped, blushing furiously. The last note faded away into nothingness. "See?" she said looking up. "I sound like-"

"Like you really know how to sing." finished an unfamiliar voice. Lizzy screamed, leaped up into the air spilling a hissing Sabrina to the ground, whirled in mid-air and was about to strike with lightning...when Macburl hit her from behind. She went flying right into the feet of the person who spoke. A tall, african girl looked down on her, a really puzzled expression on her face. "I'm Angelina..." she said, still looking at Lizzy. Lizzy scrambled to her feet and tried to aplogize, but the look on Angelina's face silenced her. They stared at each other for a few minutes, then Angelina dropped her uniform.

"Oh, great." Lizzy murmured, putting her hands to her head. She didn't feel the protective covering of her hood any longer. Her hair, in connetion with last night's horror, had not chilled out. Meaning that it was still static-y and frizzy and just plain crazy. She grabbed her hood and pulled it up over her head in one swift motion. "How did you get your hair like that...?" Angelina said, totally awed. "It's a genetic thing." Lizzy said, blushing furiously. "I'm, like, really sorry."

"What for? I mean, you didn't do anything..."

"I almost did something-"

Macburl cut in. "She almost whacked ya because she has had a hard night and...well, you just freaked her out."

"Oh, well then, I'm sorry."

"No, it's not your fault at all, I'm just a little bit paranoid."

Angelina smiled at her and Lizzy smiled back. McGonagall frowned at Lizzy. "Miss. Gardener, Miss. Johnson, Miss. Granger, please sit."

All three girls sat. Macburl gave Lizzy a wink of confidence. She gave a shy smile at him and looked back at McGonagall. "Miss. Gardener, we are about to accept you into Hogwarts. Granted, you will have to keep a low profile, which means keeping your hair under control." Lizzy gluped and tried to push her hair flat. It wouldn't go. She pushed harder. It bent downwards, but sprang back up. She gave a growl of frustration and attacked her hair with both hands and her wand. After a few minutes of struggling, she sat up, her hair completely flat and she was sweating. She smiled got into her chair and her hair went poof! She groaned and collasped in the chair. Hermione giggled and explained that she had a potion that would help her with her hair.

"Thanks...ummm.."

"Hermione."

"Thanks, Hermione!"

"No trouble at all."

McGonagall cleared her throat. Lizzy turned to her and saw an old tattered hat in her hands. She stuck it on her head.Everything went black. Suddenly, she heard a voice echoing inside her head.

"Well, now. Many things occupy your head of late. What's this? A cozy house, a home. A school...a face of a friend...cold white hands...a fire...terror unbridled...now, qualities of yourself float to the top. Smarts,(humm..an award in potion brewing...) shy, hyper at times...hummm! What's this...? Power beyond normal...ah..you're not mortal are you?"

"Ummm...no..I think...I'm not full human if that's what you mean." she murmured.

"Hmmm...you're different, no mistake. A truly unique young lady. I believe that your powers will most prosper in...GRYFFINDOR! This last word was bellowed to the small office. When McGonagall took the hat off her head, she was smiling. Lizzy looked rather sheepish. Angelina and Hermione were smiling very wide. McGonagall gave her the uniform and before she knew it, she was being escorted down the stairs and through the corridors of the school. Soon, she was in front of a portarit of a fat lady dressed all in pink.

"Unicorn horn!" Hermione said. The Fat Lady opened up and they entered the common room. Gryffindors almost instantly surrounded them and were clammoring for an answer. Hermione ignored everyone and pushed Lizzy up the stairs and to the right. Angelina stayed downstairs and keep the crowd occupied. Hermione steered her into a room that had 5 draped beds, 5 trunks and a window view. One had lavenders hanging from the poles, another had pictures of Orlando Bloom hanging everywhere. Another had books everywhere, and another was nice and neat with a stuffed animal on the pillow. The last one was empty and Hermione said, "This is your bed. The bathroom is in the door next to Lavender's bed. Towels and stuff are already in there."

"Thanks..." she said, sinking into the bed and Sabrina leaped out of the bag and curled upon the pillow. "Now, I don't want you to go about wandering. You stay in here today."

Sabrina mewed but stayed. Hermione had a quick double take but then she walked out. Lizzy opened the door and stepped into the most elegant bathroom she had ever been in.


>>>Was this long enough! Tell me things that you would love to see happen in this story...