Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or anything Harry Potter related!
Hey everyone! Thank you for being so patient with the lack of chapters! I'm finally settled and done the work stuff I've been doing for the last week SO I'm going to start posting again! Yay! Hope you enjoy!
Recap: Ava and Harry get back together, Ava gets a message to go to Dumbledore's office that night!
As the clock ticked closer to eight o'clock I started packing up my books and untangled myself from Harry's arms. After being dismissed for class, we had spent the entire afternoon cuddling on the couch – well, at least most of it. Across from us, Ron and Hermione were huddled together in a similar fashion.
Overall, it had been a pretty good day. We had spent the entire afternoon pretending to study, though in reality we were catching up – it had been two weeks since we had spent time all together. The four of us had only briefly vacated the common room to go down to dinner. Once we arrived, we were joined by a chipper looking Draco.
It was almost unbelievable to see the transformation he had made in the past few weeks. Draco was almost unrecognizable without the cocky smirk spread across his face. Instead, he had replaced his trademark grin with a genuinely happy smile. As it turns out, Draco was actually incredibly funny. Who would have known, right?
That wasn't even the most surprising part. No, the most surprising part was Draco and Harry's sudden camaraderie! They were actually getting along surprisingly well, though I could tell that Harry didn't completely trust Draco yet. It was understandable though – after their sordid past it was no wonder surprise that Harry was still wary. The important part was that he was trying.
We were among the only people that were particularly pleased with Draco's new affiliation with the Gryffindors. The other Gryffindors shot us a few apprehensive glances from across the table, but didn't say too much. Clearly they realized that something big must be going on if Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter were talking and laughing casually during dinner. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs possessed a similar attitude and whispered for a few minutes, but got bored soon after.
The Slytherins were not as understanding though. The whole lot of them seemed to be staring at the Gryffindor table throughout the entire hour we had been eating. Pansy Parkinson and the goons beside her were having a whispered conversation. She kept glancing up at us , making it even more obvious that she was talking about us. She looked like she was going to hex me from across the Great Hall, but I knew that even she wasn't stupid enough to try anything with Dumbledore sitting in the same room. Instead, she took to hissing to the other Death Eaters in Training.
I wasn't really worried about her though. The thought of taking her on in a duel was laughable. I had already fought against her master once. Fighting Pansy Parkinson would be almost too easy. At one point, she caught my eye. Instead of glaring back at her, I gave her a playful wink, which seemed to aggravate her even more! I decided to keep an eye out for her just in case she tried anything, but I was definitely ready if need be!
Slytherins aside, it had been an extremely pleasant evening. I laughed more than I had in a long time, and I couldn't help but grin. Even as I slaved over my Charms notes, I couldn't keep a tiny smile off my face. But, unfortunately it was time for my meeting with Dumbledore. Even though I usually enjoyed our training sessions, I was anxious to spend some more time with my boyfriend. As I shoved my books away, I saw someone approaching us from the corner of my eye.
"You ready to go?" asked Adrien with a toothy grin.
"Yes, I am. Just give me one second," I said. I leaned over and gave Harry a small kiss on the lips before getting up and following Adrien from the common room.
"So, you two are back together, huh?" he asked.
"Yeah, finally," I said with a laugh.
"I'm glad. I was beginning to miss Harry," said Adrien. Being the loyal little boy that he was, Adrien had been giving Harry the silent treatment ever since we broke up.
"Well, I told you that you didn't have to ignore him! You could have hung out with him if you wanted!" I chuckled.
"How could I do that? He hurt you, so I didn't want to talk to him until he apologized!" he shrugged.
"Well, thanks, Adrien. I really appreciate that you care so much!" I said, giving him a brief side hug. We continued chatting as we trudged to Dumbledore's office. As we got closer, I started to feel a little bit nervous. I had been performing terribly for the last two weeks, and I felt terrible. I couldn't bear the thought that Dumbledore was disappointed in me, so I really needed to do a good job today. I was feeling a lot happier and more confident than I had in a long time, so hopefully that would work to my advantage.
"Chocolate eclairs," I said to the stone gargoyle. Immediately, he jumped from his guarding post at the door and allowed us to climb up the stairs. I wrapped at the door.
"Come in," we heard Dumbledore's quiet voice call from inside. I pushed open the door and we filed in. Just as always, we took our seats in front of the Headmaster's desk.
"Hello Adrien and Avery," said Dumbledore with a pleasant smile.
"Good evening, sir," we chimed.
"Yes, so today we will be working on the same tasks we have been working on for the past weeks. Adrien, you will be working on weather control, and Avery, you will continue attempting to contact the Dryads. Shall we continue to the garden?" he asked, as he stood up. We nodded in agreement, and followed after him as he marched down the small staircase.
"Adrien, would you like to start?" asked Dumbledore, nodding to the second year.
"Sure, sir," said Adrien, taking a few steps forward. Adrien had improved so dramatically since our first lesson this semester. He was seriously putting me to shame! I watched him as he stared up into the sky and squinted his eyes in concentration. After a few seconds of focusing, I felt a few drops of water on my face. He was causing it to rain! It was just a slow drizzle, but it was impressive nonetheless. He looked around enthusiastically at Dumbledore and I to see our smiling faces.
"Excellent job, Adrien! Though you may not believe me, these skills are of vital importance if we want to fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Avery, are you ready to try while Adrien is taking a break?" he asked, turning to me. I gave him a slight nod and stepped forward.
"They will contact you. I think one of the reasons that you have been struggling with this is because you are trying too hard to hear them. You must relax and free your mind, and they will come to you," instructed Dumbledore. His instructions were extremely vague, probably because he had never experienced it himself. I guess I couldn't blame him, because there is no way I would be able to explain my own powers to someone else. Dumbledore took a few great strides to the side, leaving me alone in the centre of the garden. I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to do, so I just stared into the forest and focused on calling them towards me.
For a few moments nothing happened. The only sound was the wind rustling the leaves of the trees. I wasn't going to give up, though. And then I heard it. The wind was picking up, and the rustling of the leaves was louder than before.
Ava...Ava...Ava, they seemed to be whispering. I realized I had been holding my breath. I exhaled deeply and searched around for the voice. It didn't seem to be coming from one place; rather, the whispering seemed to surround me. I desperately searched around me, wishing that they would show themselves.
Just as I craned my neck around to search I caught a tiny movement from the corner of my eye. I whipped around and saw another tiny movement.
"Come out. I'm not going to hurt you," I said in a barely audible whisper, though I knew that they could hear me. I watched expectantly as one of the bushes rustled a little bit. Then, the leaves parted and out stepped a tiny creature. It was slightly bigger than a cornish pixie, and stood at about a foot off the ground. This creature looked nothing like a cornish pixie though. Behind her, two others followed. It was clear that they were acting as bodyguards, judging by the pointed twigs they were holding in their hands.
The creatures walking towards me was like something I had never seen before. If I had not known that the creature was a nymph, I would have sworn that there were three branches walking towards me. The one in the middle, who I assumed was the leader had skin like bark and twigs as her legs and arms, while long locks of bright, green foliage cascaded down her back. A crown of pink flowers rested on her head. The two behind her were a little bit stalky, compared to the beautiful creature standing between them.
As she warily walked towards me, I couldn't help but smile. I had done it! It had taken me weeks to accomplish it, but I had finally done it! As she neared me, I held up my hands to indicate that I did not intend to hurt her. She paused just steps away from me and surveyed me, as if deciding whether to trust me. Just when I thought she was going to run away, she sank into a low bow at my feet, followed by her bodyguards.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," I muttered in embarrassment. They immediately stood back up.
"I'm Avery. What is your name?" I asked in a gentle voice, trying my best to contain my overwhelming delight.
"Your Majesty, I am Naliae. I am the Empress of the Woods. We sensed that you required our assistance," said the nymph in a low, breathy voice.
"Yes, we do. I'm not sure if you are aware of the war that is going on right now?" I started, unsure of how to start.
"Ah, yes. It has always been said that the we would fight alongside wizards. How can we be of assistance?" she asked.
"Your healing abilities, along with your unique brand of magic would be invaluable to our side," I explained. She paused as she considered my statement. After a few moments' thought, she spoke again.
"Though we do not like to be a part of a man's fight, we will do as Her Majesty wishes. We will assist you in your war," she said, bowing deeply again. Before I could even thank her, she sped away, back to where she came from. As her second bodyguard ducked into the leaves of the bushes I turned to Dumbledore, who was standing in the same spot. He was wearing a look of great pride.
"What did they say?" he asked softly. I frowned in confusion, seeing as he had just heard the entire exchange.
"What do you mean, sir?" I asked.
"Ah, yes. I did not mention this before. Adrien and I will not be able to see them, or hear them. They will only show themselves to their leader, who happens to be you," he explained.
"Their leader? So, that's why she was calling me your majesty. I probably should have called her something like that, seeing as she was the Empress of the Woods," I shrugged.
"The Empress showed herself. She is the most powerful Dryad that lives today. She is hundreds of years old," he told me.
"Wow. Well it's a good thing we have her on our side then, huh?" I said, with a weary chuckle.
"It is a blessing. With their help, we will be able to prevent our people from getting hurt!" said Dumbledore, as I stifled a yawn. Even though I hadn't done much, I was feeling extremely exhausted.
"I think that it is time you both rest," said Dumbledore with a gentle smile. I nodded and followed him up to the office. Adrien and I said a quick goodbye, before we headed to the common room. I had to lean on Adrien a little bit because I was so drained, but he sweetly helped me back to the common room.
My friends jumped up when they saw me in my near-unconscious state, but Adrien quickly explained what happened at the meeting. He assured Harry that I just needed some rest. Hermione raised her wand and gently levitated me up the stairs, and very carefully placed me on my bed. She covered me with a blanket at the foot of my bed. I was asleep before she was out of the room.
So, again, I'm realllly sorry about the lack of chapters, but this one is up now! Please let me know what you think by reviewing and I will update again verrry sooon! I have started school so it's going to be a little bit more difficult, but I'm still going to be updating often! :D YAY!