Plans: Chapter 3: Alexandria

I turned away, seething, away from that aweful woman. Only two hours here, and I have already made a powerful (Ministry) enemy. That was extremley smooth, I grumbled to myself, now walking up to the staff table where Dumbledore was talking to McGonagall.

Still, at the same time, the conversation unerved me. Even though it was decades ago, I have never once mentioned, even to myself, how my partner brought about that stupid, stupid law. I had buried that memory in the deepest part of my soul after it had happened, and tried to forget. However, I can still sometimes hear the tearing sounds, like marble being shredded into parts, and that sweet sickly smell coming from a roaring, blazing bonfire...

I shuddered, focusing not on the past but on the present. While I was flooded in my dark memories, I had reached the High Table, and waited for McGonagall to leave. She did, soon enough as she saw me. She bade good night to Dumbledore and walked quickly around the table and past me.

"Alexandria." She nodded.

"Minerva," I replied, keeping my tone pleasant but not lowering my wool hood until she was out of earshot.

"Good evening, Headmaster," I said, bowing low. I brought myself back up as he answered, "Well, Alexandria! What a nice surprise! How long were you waiting? Not through the feast, I hope?" I met his searching blue eyes and grinned. "I fed on the way here, sir. Elk, sir."

"Ah. Now, if I can recall correctly, the last time we met, I asked you to come back to Hogwarts only if Lord Voldemort sent a Death Eater to you, asking for your skills. Am I right in saying that he finally did what we suspected he would do?" We started walking towards his office.

"Yes, sir. They sent a man who was called Wormtail. A fitting name, I think. He's a coward, and fears retrebution by the man he sent to Azkaban, and from his master. I doubt he has ever done a courageous deed in his life." I said vigorously, remembering the events of that morning.

Dumbledore wasn't smiling anymore. "Alex, Voldemort was probably making you let your guard down. If he sent Peter first, I'll bet he wanted you to have low expectations on the next Death Eater he sent to you. Then he would have had the one disarm and stun you, so you could be forced to see Voldemort. It was a very smart thing to run. Fanged Frisbee," he said to the gargoyles guarding the entrance to his office. They lept aside, and an oak door materialized out of the cold stone, revealing a spiral staircase, much like a Muggle escalator. We both stepped on the bottem step and the stairs began to move upward.

Dumbledore stepped off first, and I follewed him into his round office. I looked around. The office was decorated in many magical objects, some moving and humming gently. They all gave off a light sliver glow, and the moon was shining right through the large window and the back. The effect was calming, and it gave the impression of being underwater at night. Fawkes, a flame-colored phoniex, was looking at us with interest, regarding me with a cautious but curious stare. I walked slowly up to him, smiling but not showing my teeth. "Hello there. Don't worry," I cooed, "I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to. Or catch you, for that matter." He blinked, and gave a musical little chirp. I stroked him while I waited for Dumbledore to finish putting a memory into a shallow dish filled with a his Pensive. He swirled the liquidy substance around with his wand, and I saw, to my slight surprise, a ghostly version of myself slide onto the surface. The mouth moved, but no sounds came out.

Dumbledore turned and sat down behind his desk. I left Fawkes on his perch and sat down across from the Headmaster. He regarded me quizically, his long fingers tapping against each other. Then he sighed. "You know how Voldemort found out about you?" I shook my head. "My guess was from Bellatrix Lastrange. Were you not very close to her right before she became a follower of Lord Voldemort?" It was a few nanoseconds before I realized the hissing sound was coming from me. "Yes!" I exploded, "Yes, when we met, I thought that she was one of us because of her cousin! She and I became close because of our fasination of the Dark Arts. I thought that she truly liked me, not my knowledge of the Dark Arts! When I told her about my gift, I remember she left very fast!" I stopped suddenly. "She left immediantly. She left and told the Dark Lord that I had the ability to see peoples' weaknesses, and their deepest fears!"

Now it was Dumbledore's turn to nod. "And, let us not forget the unique gift of becoming something like a boggart and making them realize those fears, and face those weaknesses. And being skilled in Occumencly. That would be an extremely useful thing to have during a war. Even more so in the hands of Lord Voldemort, who does like to play with his victims before killing them. I bet he thought that if you argreed to join him, he could take down the Ministry in a week."

I frowned. "Is that why he's still staying out the spotlight, then? Until he gets me or something equally powerful, he will continue to make the world believe you and Harry Potter are making up lies to get attention?"

He nodded again. "Yes, but what he really wants is what is in the prophecy made about him and Harry. You would just be another, less powerful weapon to be used against his enemies."

"Oh." I paused, watching the light from the moon hit my hand, which was resting on my lap. If it had been sunlight, I would have outshone every instrument in Dumbledore's office. I shook the fabric of my robes over my hands, before I glanced up and said, "What should I do?"

Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes. It was then that I noticed the portraits around the room sitting up, looking at me with interest. I'll bet they've never seen a vampire like me before.

"I believe you should stay on the grounds. It would be safer for you, and," he grinned, " I would like you to become a gaurd to Harry Potter."

I stared at him. I heard the portraits move around and whisper to each other excitedly. "Why?" I asked, still slightly confused. "Yes, he will need some extra protection this year. I cannot look at him, or even speak to him." he explained. "The scar, I believe, will soon open and create a passage from Voldemort's mind to his mind, so Harry will get strange urges to destroy me."

I nodded. This made sense, if what I knew about curse scars was true. "So should I tail him? Or just watch him in his classes? Or monitor his thoughts? Or-" I stoppped when I saw him nod. "Subltey would be preffered."

I closed my eyes and let my mind wander, trying to find the inner voice of Harry Potter. "He's asleep, and having no dreams."

Dumbledore looked at me. "I shall make sure you have game in the Forest to hunt, and whenever Harry has strange thoughts that are not his own, find me and tell me immediantly." He peered at me underneath his glasses. "You should learn to recognize Harry's mind-tone, I think. You may stay in the castle tonight, seeing as you already fed." He stood, which I took as a dismissal. I walked over to the spiral staircase. "Thank you, Headmaster." I started to descend the stairs.

"Oh, and Alexandria?" I turned. "Try to stay away from Umbridge, alright? She might be a danger to you." I grinned. "Yes, sir," and slid down the stairs to the Grand Hall.