CHAPTER ELEVEN

A FEET OF A MEETING

It's an uncomfortable fact of life that few adults are brave enough to admit but I shall speak plainly: Darkness changes what it touches.

Now, I am not referring to the figurative Darkness of evil that destroys and rots all noble hearts and putrifies innocence with impunity, etc. etc. I am referring to simple darkness. A lack of light particles. For example: The very same bright hallways you strode through confidently that very afternoon will suddenly, in the dead of night, take on a malevolence so intense you are convinced there must be an evil consciousnes behind it as you tentatively inch through its blackness. All the rooms and passages feel suddenly larger and empty but filled with glaring eyes at the same time. The silence presses in about you yet you are suddenly assaulted by a whole host of enexplainable creaks, mournful groans and mocking echoes.

Beyond every corner and after every wall I passed as I made my way through the winding tunnels of Hogwarts I could feel the silent laughter and hear the shadows whisper wicked things...

There was a soft pit pat behind me and the soft whispers turned into a malicious chuckle. I stopped. Turned. The passage was bare and then swallowed by blackness. I continued on, holding my wand a little tighter and wishing fervently that I had not left my House in the first place. (I tried to remember the spell for illuminating my wand but it was obviously a spell well beyond the abilities of even a third year, much less a first year, even one with my great talents.)

Pit pat, pit pat, pit pat...

There it was again. I thought I heard small footsteps and a little chuckle. But there was nothing around me. It must have been my imagination. I read somewhere that those with high intelligence are often plaugued by an overly active imaginatio-

Pit pat, pit pat, pit pat, pit pat, pit pat, pit pat...

I swung around sharply just in time to see it bearing down upon me. I screamed and my wand dropped...

The little gingerbread man gigled and ran past me, quickly becoming enveloped in the darkness. Even as it moved away I could still make out its horrible chuckle echoing distantly. Evidently, not everyone had managed to complete Professor Maim's assignment.

Still shaking slightly, I bent down to retrieve my wand. (I must point out at this point that I didn't actually 'scream'. It was more like a gasp. You know, a very loud gasp that someone who is ignorant might confuse with a scream. (...Oh yes, and it wasn't at all girly.))

It was then that I noticed that I was right outside the library. Making as little noise as possible, I entered, keeping an eye out for any more nasty surprises. And then, coming from behind a tall bookcase, I saw what was unmistakenably wand light. I tip towed over to the bookcase and pushed aside some of the dusty tomes (causing some of them to grunt in there sleep) and made for myself a sort of peephole through which I could observe what was happening on the other side.

And there, holding his shining wand up high and bouncing on the balls of his feet, stood an impatient Albus. He waited and waited until, at last, she finally strode forth from behind a bookcase causing Albus to lower his wand in shock.

"You!" he exclaimed.

The next moment it seemed as though Albus had been consumed by a flash of redness and a high pitched squeal rent the air. I peeped intently through my peephole in order to make out what was happening. "Oh, Albus," I heard a familiar voice cry. I looked more closely and discerned that the flash of redness was actually a shock of bright ginger hair, and the high pitched wail was in fact the excited outburst of...

"R-Rose?" Albus stammered. His face was painted with shock as his cousin embraced him with (a most distgusting) effusion of emotion. "W-what's going-?"

"Albus," still clenching his shoulders, Rose slowly backed at of her embrace all the while gazing at Albus as if at any moment he might dissappear. "Albus, it's all right." She was speaking calmly now but I noticed that there were glistening tear tracks on her cheeks. "I got your letter, Albus."

"My letter-?"

"And it's all right now. I forgive you."

"You-...I...what?"

She drew him into another hug while he continued to sputter in confusion. But after a few moments he seemed to resolve that answers simply did not matter and he returned her gesture with open warmth and relief.

It is a testement to how absorbed I was in my friend's affairs that I was not aware of the figure steadily creeping up behind me until steely fingers were placed upon my nape and a cold voice whispered in my ear, "Enjoying the show, are we?"

For the second time that night I opened my mouth to scr- to gasp loudly but I was held off by Agnes who placed two stern fingers over my lips.

"What are you doing here?" I panted.

"What am I doing here?" she bellowed in a harsh whisper. "You're asking me what I'm doing here?" Her eyes blazed; she was almost appoplectic with anger. "What are you doing here? Can't you read? The note said that Albus shoud come ALONE. ALONE meaning without you, you lousy, spying, peeping piece of-"

"Wait a minute." I was starting to put two and two together. "You sent that note to Albus?"

"OF COURSE I-" She cought herself as her volume rose too high. Motioning with her head she irritably gestured that I shoud follow her to a more discreet part of the library. "Of course I sent that note!" she spat when we were safely out of earshot. "This whole thing with Albus and Rose was ridiculously out of hand and had gone on long enough. I knew that all Rose wanted was for Albus to apologise for not confiding in her and I knew that they both wanted to be on good terms again-"

"So you manipulated the both of them."

"Don't interrupt me, Dez."

"Zed,"

"Whatever. Anyways, I just arranged for Rose to recieve an apologetic note from Albus and Albus to get one from Rose. It was a perfect plan and it was going swimingly...until you showed up."

I stiffened in anger. The nerve of this girl! To think that it should ever be suggested that I, Silvanus Zed, would be considered nothing more than a trifling inconvenience. The ignomity was simply too much- too much, I say! I roused my most formidable intellect and wit and made ready to battle this unworthy foe. "Oh, yea?" I said. (I was just getting warmed up.) "Well...well your plan was stupid anyway." (That ought to hold her.)

Her smile was lopsided and disdainful. Her eyes almost pittiful. "Really?" she asked with some amusement. "Pray, tell me what was the glaring flaw?"

Ouch! She was calling my bluff. My brain raced. It was time to improvise. "You...er...had them meet...in a public place after lights-out...where someone could have cought them...and then they would have been angry, and the anger would have been turned on eachother and your whole idea would backfire-"

"Oh, please!" she guffawed. "That's ridiculous! If there's one thing I'm certain, its that the library is completely desserted at midnight."

"Hello? Who's there?" It was a voice but it didn't come from either of us. Anges and I exchanged fearful glances and quickly dashed beneath the nearest table. We were out of bounds very late at night and definetly did not want to be caught. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Keeping perfectly still, Anges and I watched a pair of feet move slowly from behind a bookcase and step cautiously towards our hiding place. The shiny shoes came closer and closer. I noticed Agnes grip her legs all the tighter and she held her breath.

"What are you doing?" It was another voice.

The pair of shoes stopped its progress and turned. "I thought I heard people talking here."

"Your imagining things, Avery. There's no one here."

"Yea, I guess your right. Tell the group to come in. We can set up by that table."

Once again, Agnes and I looked into eachother's horrified eyes. There was no doubt in my mind as to which table he was referring. The next moment the entire alcove of the library was filled with milling feet moving all around our pathetic barrier. I could feel a panic rise inside of me as the chairs were pulled away and legs slid under the table to replace them. Agnes and I were forced to press uncomfortably together in an effort to avoid collision with the potruding knees.

"I think we may dispense with the plaeasantries." It was Avery who spoke from the head of the table, cutting into the cassual babble. All around us the Alcove grew quiet and all the legs stiffened, ready to get to business.

All the while Agnes' eyes were darting back and forth furiously, ever searching for a means out of our predicament. I knew it was hopeless. We were stuck fast as unwilling spectators of this late-night meeting.

A gavel sounded on the table above us. "The meeting of our Order will comence." It was a harsh, gravely male voice that spoke. It brought to mind two stones being roughly rubbed together. "The first item on the agenda is this...Professor. Professor Tinfoil of Muggle Studies."

There was some gleeful sounds that issued from all about our hiding place. "Have yo been told what we should we do about him?"

"Yes, Avery. The instructions are quite simple for the moment. We are all to develop a strong enthusiasm for his subject. Anyone here not currently taking his class should transfer at once. In due course we will give him our own lesson." This statement was followed by excited sniggering. Agnes was wearing an expression that was both frightened and appalled

The gravely voice continued. "The next item concerns the...'new addition' to the noble House of Slytherin-"

"He is no 'addition'!" Avery spoke through what sounded to be his clenched teeth. "He is alien and his presence is a mockery to our founder and all he stood for."

"Avery-"

"He is a festering gangrene and we must do everything we can to remove him as soon as possible-"

"MR. AVERY HELLIX!"

Avery settled suddenly into submissive silence as the other voice asserted itself. After a few moments it continued in a calmer tone. "As I was saying: We have a new addition of a more...controversial nature. As it happens, we have been delivered very specific instructions regarding him. Regardless of your personal feelings he is to remain unharrassed..." Perturbed murmuring broke out. "...And unmolested. You are all to leave him alone. Anyone who violates this directive will be found traitorous before this Order and will suffer the full-"

"It is you who are speaking like a traitor!" Avery seemed to be beyond containing himself. "Tell me, Gustov, why should we obey something so offensive? Something that goes against every grain of everything we-"

"You will obey..." Gustov's gravely voice was quiet but held an unmistakable threat behind it's coolness. "...Because you will demonstrate the respect that is due to our new Dark Lord."

END PART ONE

This is pretty cool, I've never written eleven chapters befor.

I'd like to give a shout out to some great guys: Mr.s T. D. Lazer, Loud wits, Cry man and Andrew zee. Know you enjoyed, hope it continues.