By the end of the feast, Phoebe had grown tired of the timid looks she was receiving from the others. To say that she was less than ecstatic when attention was drawn back to the front of the hall when Professor McGonnagall stood again would be a severe understatement. She spun around to look at her so quickly her hair fanned out behind her, a dangerous thing when you have hair of that length.
"A wonderful feast, as always," McGonnagall beamed.
"Never seen her this chipper," Ron grumbled, taking another bite of his treacle tart.
"Now it is time for bed. First years, follow your house prefects, or ask the Head Boy or Girl for directions if you get lost in the cue. Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger will be at the doors of the hall. And I would like to see the Captains of the house quidditch teams in the room off the hall for the seasons new rules. Off you go!" she dismissed them with a wave of her hand.
"You're Head Girl!" Harry exclaimed, turning to Hermione incredulously.
"It's no big deal," she muttered, standing and walking over to the oaken doors to avoid the look Ron had given.
"So, I guess I'm on my own," said Phoebe, "I need to speak to McGonnagall quickly anyways. I should be able to catch up to follow the first years."
"I'm sorry I can't show you the way," said Harry, frowning and starting towards McGonnagall with her, "You shouldn't have to go alone."
"Oh it's no big deal. McGonnagall is just going to give me the password to her office so I can go up and get something. But thanks anyways."
"Just be careful. Slytherins walk about the corridors at night looking for trouble."
"Please, Harry. You act as though I've never cast as much as a Summoning charm," she paused as Harry laughed, "I'll have you know," she wagged her finger at him," that I have been able to produce a patronus for years. And I know every legal defensive spell there is."
"Well aren't we the cocky one."
They laughed uproariously as they reached Professor McGonnagall, who gave them a smile and raised her eyebrow.
"I see you've had no trouble making friends, Miss Katrene," she said with a glint in her eyes.
"No, Professor."
"Good. Very good. Well then, Potter," she pointed towards a door to her left, "I believe you need to be in there."
"Right. See you, Feebs," Harry patted her once on the arm and went through the door.
"Now, Miss Katrene," McGonnagall started, lowering her voice, "The amulet is on a table behind my desk. It is in a velveteen case. You need to be careful with it. It holds more power than you can imagine. More than a wand or a wizard can hold. Be very careful."
"Thank you, Professor."
"And Remember," McGonnagall looked stern, "I am only allowing you to carry this in my school because your mother holds you in the utmost respect. She tells me that your magical skills and abilities are advanced. Very advanced for your age. She tells me that you are very responsible, and will only use it for the protection and helping aspects. You may never use it to enhance your magical ability or any other uses. Do I make myself perfectly clear, Miss Katrene?"
"Crystal, Professor," said Phoebe.
"The password is 'plum pudding'. Second floor behind a stone gargoyle. Be careful alone, Phoebe. Keep your wand out. It's hard to trust in these times."
Phoebe walked along another seemingly endless corridor on the second floor, while she held her wand out in front of her. She kept hearing Professor McGonnagall voice in her head, "It's hard to trust in these times." Thankfully, in the darkness, and without her glasses on, she bumped right into the stone gargoyle.
"Lumos," Phoebe muttered, lighting her wand and groping in her robes for her black framed glasses. She put them on and squinted through the rectangular lenses. "'Plum Pudding'." The gargoyle leapt aside and Phoebe jumped back, startled. Holding her wand out in front of her again, she crept forward, the light casting long shadows. Suddenly, the floor beneath her moved, spinning up. She screamed, then looked down. She calmed as she realized it was a sort of escalator.
When the escalator stopped, Phoebe turned about, her hair fanning out again behind her, to face the door. She walked cautiously towards it, afraid that the floor might move again. Phoebe took hold of the golden door knockers and pushed the door open a bit, a loud squeal emitting from the hinges. Then, cautiously, she entered the office.
The room was dark, but not as dark as the hall. Phoebe muttered, "Lumos maxima," under breath, and the light at the end of her wand grew brighter to illuminate most of the room. She looked around the office, taking in the fine furniture, the book shelves that lined the walls, the trinkets on display, and the hundreds of portraits of wizards dozing in their frames.
"Now," said Phoebe allowed, "Where is the amulet?" As the last word came out of her mouth, a soft, reddish glow emitted from a table behind McGonnagall's desk. "Oh yes," said Phoebe offhandedly, approaching it cautiously. The glow was seeping through the cracks of the velveteen case the amulet was being held in. She took the case in her hands, and slowly opened the top. The brightness of the stone was so great that Phoebe had to turn her head away at first, then squinted her eyes to observe it. It was set in white gold, and the mold was very old-fashioned, Phoebe ball-parked it at fifteenth century art. She touched the surface of the stone with the tip of her middle finger. An electric shock went through her body. Bolts of red lightning ran up her arms and she gasped, removing her fingertip and nearly dropping the amulet.
"Phoebe Katrene," said a soft voice from above her. Phoebe jumped back in surprise and jerked her head upward.
"Professor Dumbledore!" she exclaimed, staring at the portrait of the late headmaster and rubbing the crick in her neck. He looked down upon her with a broad smile on his face. "How… how are you?" she asked awkwardly.
"I'm wonderful! As far as the deceased go," He chuckled at his joke. Phoebe sort of smiled, then looked down at her feet and fidgeted with a curly lock. Dumbledore's laughter stopped abruptly. Phoebe could feel his eyes on her. She looked up at his twinkling eyes.
"And yourself?" he inquired with a nod of his head.
"I've been… alright," Phoebe answered. She couldn't help but think how absurd it was to be having drawing room conversation with a man who had been dead for months. She wondered what he was going to say next. The tension was eating straight through her.
"Excellent. No doubt you are excited to begin lessons tomorrow?"
"Sure," Phoebe said nervously, "Divination will be fun."
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore looked at her approvingly, "I never did set much store for the art of divination, but I new a handful of true Seers, one of which being your grandmother." He adjusted his robes and pushed his glasses up his nose. "Yes, Bernadine was a wonderful student. I had her in my class when she was at this school. Top grades in every field. You named your cat after her?" Phoebe nodded. "A beautiful cat-"
"Um, Professor," Phoebe interrupted, stepping forward again, "Professor, I need to tell you about something."
"I know you do," said Dumbledore, smiling still, "You wish to ask me about the premonition you had earlier, correct?"
Phoebe nodded. "That's never happened to me before. My mom said it might one day, because of Gramma, but I never expected it to. Not now, anyways."
"Hmmm," Dumbledore rubbed his chin, thinking. "Your mother told me once that you had dreams often. Ones that predicted the future?" Phoebe nodded. "Have you ever dreamt about the dark side? About Lord Voldemort? Anything at all?"
Phoebe thought as hard as she could about all of her dreams. She remembered shadows of tale figures and gaunt faces and scarlet eyes. But she could only remember one vivid dream. One she had had the night before.
"I did once," she said, looking at the amulet in her hands, trying to remember everything. "There was a dock. And the ocean. And there was a cave. I was there. So were Ron and Harry and Hermione. And," she paused, not sure if she should say anything else.
"And Mr. Malfoy."
"Yes," Phoebe said, sort of breathlessly.
"Well, Phoebe. It seems to me that this dream is not to be taken lightly. I want you to meditate on this," Dumbledore paused to take his glasses off and wipe them with his robes, "And concerning Mr. Malfoy, I'm not sure what his presence there will mean. Whether good, or bad." He placed the glasses back onto his crooked nose.
"Thank you, sir," Phoebe said with a smile.
"There are big things ahead for you, my dear."
Phoebe stood on the stone escalator after leaving Professor McGonnagall's office. Her discussion with the late Albus Dumbledore had left her thinking. What things was he referring to when he said the big things were ahead for her? What in the world is the amulet supposed to do? And what does her dreams of the past have to do with anything? Including the ones involving Voldemort?
She reached the end of the stairs and walked through the entrance to the hall, the stone gargoyle leaping aside for her again. Just as it leapt back, Phoebe heard voices and laughter coming from around the corner of the far left of the hall. She stopped, hardly daring to breathe. She remembered what McGonnagall had said about the corridors being a dangerous place. She slipped to amulet around her neck, tucked it into her robes, and pulled her wand out as she walked down the corridor, away from the voices. She looked over her shoulder, and the people had come around the corner already. "Vindigo," she whispered, pointing her wand tip to the amulet under her shirt.
"Hey!" someone yelled from the throng, "Hey! You!" Phoebe stood completely still, then, her curiosity got the better of her, and she turned around slowly to face them. It was Malfoy. His expression lightened at the sight of her.
"Guys," he turned to talk to his friends, "Why don't you head down to the common room without me. I'll be along in a bit." They all snickered and smiled at him, then turned to go the other way. One girl with the group stopped and said, in a simpering, lovey tone, "Draco, when will you be coming along-?"
"I'll be there when I get there," he said to her off-handedly, waving her off as he turned back to Phoebe. The girl shot a look of venom over at her, then turned reluctantly to catch up with the others. Malfoy started over towards Phoebe.
Phoebe turned away and began to walk very quickly to the end of the corridor.
"Hey! Wait," Malfoy said, laughing as he jogged to keep up with her, "Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?" Phoebe didn't answer, she just continued her quick pace. Malfoy reached out and gently took her wrist, "Where are you going? Are you ignoring me on purpose?" Phoebe stopped and looked at him. A little bit of his hair was falling directly over his eye, which was sparkling like the other one.
"I can't talk to you," she said, turning away from him. He wouldn't let her go.
"Why?" he asked, smirking.
"I just can't," Phoebe replied, pulling her arm free of his grasp and continuing along her way.
"Because of your friends?" Malfoy called after her. She stopped and turned around to face him.
"No," she said defiantly.
Malfoy walked towards her again, and stood about two inches away from her.
"Then why," he asked again, in a near whisper. Phoebe said nothing. She let her thoughts hang on the note of his voice, the color of his eyes, and the smile dancing upon his thin lips. "Let me take you where you're headed. I doubt you know the way." Phoebe turned away, but Malfoy followed.They turned around another corner, and Phoebe sighed as they came upon the stone gargoyle that marked the entrance to the Head's office. "I went in a circle," she groaned.
"Well, why don't you tell me where you are going, and I could lead the way," Malfoy slipped in slyly, with a goofy smile. Phoebe looked at him, trying to appear emotionless. She was battling her loyalty for her friends, who obviously hated this guy, with her own feelings for him. A tense moment went by, then she gave in to her feelings. And, in all fairness, she thought to herself, how else was she going to find the dormitory?
"All right," she sighed, turning away then looking back, "I have no idea where my dormitory is. I don't even know where to begin to look. McGonnagall only gave me directions to her office. She didn't even think to give me directions back."
"Well," Malfoy said, looking behind him, then looking back, "I happen to know where the Gryffindor Common Room is and the way to get there." He grinned at Phoebe and raised his eyebrows. "I can take you there. Come on." He turned and began walking down the corridor.
"Can't you just tell me the way to get there and save us the trouble?" Phoebe called after him. He turned to give her an exasperated look, then continued. Phoebe sighed, then jogged to catch up with him. "Fine," she grumbled.
They walked along half a dozen corridors in silence. The entire time, Phoebe was wrestling with her mind. She felt as though she was being watched by someone, and frequently turned around to look behind her, convinced that something would come out of the shadows. She started when Malfoy finally spoke.
"So, what part of England do you live in?" he asked his pace staying at his 'walk in the park' stroll.
"What? Oh," Phoebe said, turning back from one of her glances behind her back, "London. Downtown London."
"It's nice there," Malfoy commented. "Where did you go to school before you came here?"
"I was actually home schooled," Phoebe answered, wondering to herself why he would care. "My mum taught me everything. And my dad taught me a few little tricks on the side."
"Such as?" Malfoy Inquired, raising his eyebrows.
"Little practical joking spells. Fred and George taught me everything they know, too. I'm the only one besides them who knows the recipe for each of the skiving snack boxes."
Malfoy laughed at the note of pride in Phoebe's voice, then asked, "What did your mother teach you? Just everything? Including the Dark Arts?"
"Well," Phoebe thought for a second, "She taught me all counter curses I would ever need. Transfiguration, herbology, potions, of course. My grandmother taught me divination. The Dark Arts I've learned about in books. I know all about them. I love to read about them. And about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I used to read about Harry, too."
"Sounds like you and Hermione Granger get along famously. Although she would never stick her nose into a book about the Dark Arts. I never would have wagered that you would either."
"It's only for educational purposes," Phoebe swore, "Especially now that the Dark Lord has returned to power." They turned a corner and Phoebe's wand light went out. She gasped loudly.
"Lumos," she said, pointing her wand out in front of her. It flickered for a second, then went out again. "Lumos!" she repeated, stabbing her wand into the darkness. The same happened. She felt a hand on her waist pulling her to the left.
"What do you know about Lord Voldemort?" Malfoy whispered into her ear.
"O-only what I've read," Phoebe breathed. She felt his breath on her ear.
"Have you ever seen him? Heard Him? Watched him?"
"No."
"Don't worry," he whispered, "This corridor has an anti-spell charm on it. No one has been able to get rid of it. It'll only be a few seconds before we get around."
"Ok." Phoebe felt Malfoy take her hand.
"Come on," he said. "I'll lead you."
Phoebe followed closely behind him, taking short, quiet breaths. She could still feel Malfoy's breath on her ear. This certainly wasn't what she had expected her first night at Hogwarts to be like. Walking along a pitch black hallway with a boy she barely knew. She let a little smirk skirt across her lips.
"Okay," Malfoy breathed as they reached the moonlight Grand Staircase. Phoebe walked ahead of him up the next four floors up to the North Tower. Portraits on the walls snored and adjusted in their pictures. An old man in a study had drool steadily dripping down his chin. At the top, Phoebe waited for Malfoy's direction.
"It's just in through here," he put his hand on her back and pointed to a large entryway.
"The tower?"
"Yes," he said, "The Tower." He took her hand again and lead her through the entrance and along a short hall to a portarait of a fat woman in a pink dress. She looked at Pheobe, then gave Malfoy a dirty look at the sight of the Slytherin patch on his robes.
"Password?" she asked gruffly.
"Plum Pudding," Phoebe replied. The portrait swung forward, and she looked around at Malfoy. "Well, thank you. For showing me how to get here and all. I would've probably ended up in the lake if I hadn't have met you."
Malfoy laughed hard, "Well, that's true. But, it's my pleasure." He looked at her for a second, then started to step forward.
"Well, good-night," Phoebe said quickly, turning away and beginning through the portrait hole, "See you around." She breathed out heavily and gave a pained look to the blackness before her. The portrait slowly swung shut behind her, blocking her from Malfoy's view.
