I do not own Harry Potter. Thanks for reading! I like reviews, no flames, constructive criticism only.
"Aria Bourne!"
Aria's head snapped up as Prudence marched up to the table she and Hermione were studying at in the library. It was three days since Aria had been attacked in the trophy room and Jonah and Matthew had been suspended for one month (which was far more than Dumbledore probably would have done), and Aria had been let out of her remaining detentions.
"I want you to read this book," Prudence stated, setting a thick medium sized book on Aria's Charms essay. The title read: Being One with Your Magic and it was by Winston Tadfield.
"Why do you want me to read this book?" Aria asked.
"Because if people are going to attack you, either by being Muggleborn or a Slytherin, then you're going to have to know how to properly defend yourself," Prudence answered.
"So this is a defense book?"
"No. You've got a magical core that's oversized for someone your age and, it seems, that you should be able to use said core."
"That usually ends in a mess."
"If the rumors about what you did the trophy room have any truth to them, yes," Prudence replied. "But it's wild, am I right? You usually attempt to keep it suppressed and when you try and actually use it you have a hard time with it."
Aria blinked. How had Prudence known?
"Oh please," Prudence cried, "it was all we older kids could talk about last year, and then Professor Snape gave you those meditation lessons and all – well – anyone with any basic grasp of magical theory could put two and two together. So. Take care of that book. It's not mine, it's my brother's, and don't let anyone know I gave it to you."
"Not exactly Hogwarts approved?" Hermione questioned, leaning over Aria's shoulder. Prudence nodded and strode off. Aria and Hermione hurriedly packed up their homework and left the library to find a quiet alcove to look the book over.
Many with strong magical cores grow naturally into them, the book read, but on occasion the strength of a person's magic outstrips their age and education. When this happens accidental magic, or wild magic at this point, tends to happen and witches and wizards often attempt to negate its affects by suppressing their magic through means of meditation. While this may work for the older witch or wizard, a child who has yet to reach maturity may need another method of control. Meditation is still key to this success, but it is not meditation with the end goal of suppressing and controlling magic, but rather, meditation with the intention of being one with magic and letting it be wild without it being uncontrolled.
Well, Aria thought, flipping to the next page, this was going to be interesting.
Over the next few weeks Aria and Hermione pulled Ron and Harry into their meditation sessions that they were doing from Being One with Your Magic and it became a sort of bonding experience with the four, a thrilling experience of further magical study under the noses of the professors that may or may not be allowed.
Each time they mediated, working to get to know and become intimate with their magic instead of beating it back, Aria found herself breathless and in awe at the vast expanse of magic within her. By the third week, every time Aria came out of meditation she could see golden stars glistening for several seconds among the stones of Hogwarts, and after further reading in the book, discovered that it was actually magic she was seeing – magic that was embedded into the very stones of the school. By the end of the fourth week Harry was seeing it too, and by the time the Spring Equinox came around, Hermione and Ron had joined them in seeing that magic as they exited their meditations.
According to the book, a person could become so attune with their magic that they could "turn on and off" their ability to see the strands of magic that occurred naturally in the earth at any time (but only people as strong as Merlin and perhaps the Four Founders were known to have that ability), and that perhaps with great practice an average witch or wizard could learn to see the strands of magic during sacred times of the year when the veil between the worlds were either full to the brim with magic or thin like during the equinoxes or All Hallows.
The first instance that the four knew that their meditational sessions were working was in Transfiguration, a class that was notorious for being tricky. They began to be able to quickly learn how to transfigure their objects with fewer abnormalities or completely perfect the first time. Professor McGonagall was very impressed and even made a comment that it was nice to see that Harry was taking after James in Transfiguration.
The next instance was in Charms where the four of them quickly picked up the practical lessons and, after Flitwik made a comment that Charms had been a top subject for Lily Potter and Molly Weasley, started allowing them to move ahead much to Hermione and Aria's delight. Ron and Harry were a bit put out that they weren't allowed to just hang out for the rest of class. Harry, however, soon discovered how much he liked independently working ahead of the class while Ron at least enjoyed Percy's praises at his improvement in both magic and schoolwork.
Aria did find that these meditation sessions, coupled with the techniques from Professor Snape, soothed her large magical core. Before, it always seemed to be agitated, living just under her skin persistently attempting to escape; now it was like her own magic had calmed now that she was not trying to suppress it and instead, allowing it to help aid her in school. Heather Smith even commented on his monthly checkup that her magical core wasn't fluctuating as much anymore. She told him she was using Snape's meditative techniques more often.
Healer Smith simply smiled and told her and Madam Pomfrey that he could cut his visits down to every other month since it appeared her magical core was less unstable.
It appeared that the ending of the school year would come without any hassle (even though Jonah and Matthew returned from their one month suspension) like the year before, until Harry heard The Voice again. It had happened just after lunch and had had Harry abandoning his conversation with his friends in favor of sprinting in the opposite direction back to the Great Hall and Professor Snape.
Apparently, according to Harry, whatever creature lurked in the walls of Hogwarts was upset that "Tom was gone" and "What had happened to him?"
"First we've got a deranged animal set upon us by a murderer," Ron cried later once they were in their little hideaway abandoned classroom. "Now we've got a loyal familiar wanting to know what happened to its master!"
"I take it that's worse," Aria muttered. Ron nodded while Hermione perched on a desk, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"We need to figure out what's lurking in the walls of Hogwarts," Hermione stated.
"Oh do we?" Ron questioned. "And get in more trouble for sticking our noses into business that doesn't concern us?"
"We can't get into any more trouble than if the professors realized we were learning meditation techniques from Being One with Your Magic," Hermione retorted. "I've looked up the book and it's considered Restricted Knowledge by six wizarding ministries including ours. Legally none of us should even be able to see the book until we're seventeen."
"No one said Prudence came from a Light family," Harry muttered.
"And it's not like we're going to not finish the exercises in this book," Aria reminded Hermione.
"I just think if we're going to get in trouble it should be for one thing at a time," Ron insisted. "Not multiple things."
"Then you don't have to work with me to find out what the monster is," Hermione replied. "But I'm going to find out one way or another!"
Aria soon found out that by "find out" Hermione meant "she and Aria" would find out. Which is why Aria suddenly found herself trailing behind Hermione as her bushy-haired friend cornered Draco one weekend morning before breakfast demanding to know exactly what he remembered when he was being possessed by the diary horcrux.
"I don't remember much," Draco replied, glancing nervously between Aria and Hermione.
"Anything specifically strange that you remember?" Hermione questioned.
"Hermione, this whole situation is specifically strange," Aria pointed out.
"Well," Draco cut in, "I remember waking up covered in blood and surrounded by feathers once. I . . . the blood was used to write the message on the wall."
"Feathers?" Hermione looked excited. "What sort of feathers?"
"Do I look like a bird expert to you?" Draco demanded. At Hermione's fierce some scowl he added, "I think they were chicken feathers."
"Thank you," Hermione said. "That wasn't so hard was it. Come along, Aria, we've got to go to the library."
"But breakfast!" Aria cried. "And Quidditch! It's Slytherin versus Ravenclaw."
"We've got more important things than Quidditch," Hermione stated.
"Not sure there's such a thing!" Draco called after them.
Aria followed Hermione into the just opened library and to Madam Pince who was beginning to sort through a set of books that needed to be put back on the shelves.
"Madam Pince," Hermione said, "are there any . . . creatures in the wizarding world that don't like chickens?"
Aria and Madam Pince both gave Hermione surprised and confused looks. Chickens? Aria now knew that Hermione's study schedule was clearly too much and her brain was now addled.
"That's an oddly specific question, Miss Granger," Madam Pince said. "Any reason for such a question?"
"No," Hermione replied. "Just . . . overheard some older students talking about magical creatures and how one of them had heard there were some that didn't like chickens."
"Right." Madam Pince did not look convinced. "Well, there's two possible creatures that I can think of off the top of my head, but this is really a question for Professor Kettleburn seeing as he is the Care of Magical Creatures professor. The first is the cockatrice and the second is the basilisk. Both are created the same way but one happens to have wings and the other doesn't."
"Thank you, Professor," Hermione said. She grabbed Aria's arm and led her to the card catalog and soon they were pulling books off the shelves and had several stacks piled on a table. Aria lazily flipped through a book while Hermione all but sped read books in front of her. Aria glanced out the window. The Quidditch match would be starting soon and she could be borrowing Harry's binoculars to stare across the Quidditch pitch at Percy who was always staring at Oliver.
It was amazing no one else at Hogwarts had caught on to those two.
"What are you two doing?"
Hermione and Aria glanced up at Ravenclaw Penelope Clearwater as she peered at them through the stacks of books on the table. Aria didn't really know the sixth year, but had seen her on rounds with Percy or Flint before, and eventually all the Muggleborns ended up knowing each other.
"We're looking for magical creatures that don't like chickens," Hermione stated, pushing away a book and grabbing another.
"Creatures that don't like chickens?" Penelope repeated. "I'd have thought you'd be at the Quidditch match."
"So did I," Aria replied. "And what about you?"
"Oh I was just putting the finishing touches on an essay I fell asleep over last night," Penelope replied. "I was about to head out but Madam Pince asked me to check up on the two of you."
"Do you know of anything magical creatures who don't like chickens?" Hermione asked.
"Not magical," Penelope replied. "Though my aunt's geese don't like her chickens. Actually . . . it's the rooster they don't like. And . . . now that . . . now that I think about it, there are at least two creatures that aren't fans of fowl, though it's more about the roosters than the chickens."
"Close enough for now," Hermione leaned forward eagerly. "What are they?"
"The Cockatrice and the Basilisk," Penelope replied. "Professor Kettleburn does lectures on them in your sixth year. They're endangered and very dangerous. Both are born by a rooster . . . or maybe just the cockatrice . . . I forget . . . anyway the egg is laid from the rooster and incubated under a toad."
"A toad?" Aria cried.
"Yes, don't ask. Magical people have done strange things which have resulted in stranger things."
"Are they very dangerous?" Hermione asked.
"Very. I think my text book has several X's by them which means they're highly dangerous. They're illegal to breed."
"Why are they dangerous?"
"Are you thinking of breeding anything?" Penelope asked.
"No," Hermione said. "It's for research. Promise. No illegal breeding here."
"Though if we did we'd have to kidnap Neville's toad Trevor and I couldn't do that to poor Neville," Aria pointed out.
"Both the cockatrice and basilisk have a deadly stare," Penelope told them. "Instant death if you meet their gazes." Hermione and Aria stared at her in horror. Aria slammed the book in front of her closed.
Hermione was already digging through a pile of books and flipping through it.
"What would happen if you saw the cockatrice or basilisk but did not look at it directly in the eye?" Hermione asked. "Like . . . Colin Creevey was looking through his camera and Justin must have seen the creature through Nearly Headless Nick and . . . and . . . there was water flooding when Mrs. Norris was petrified . . . ."
"Hang on!" Penelope cried. "Are you trying to figure out what petrified the students last term?"
"Maybe . . . ." Aria muttered. Hermione shoved an open book at the two of them.
"Look!" she cried. "A basilisk is basically just a giant snake. It could easily slither around in the pipes—,"
"Pipes?" Penelope squeaked.
"And it can live for hundreds of years," Hermione continued. "And look, it even says here that Salazar Slytherin had been rumored to have met a basilisk and lived to tell the tale. What is that is Slytherin's monster? We need to talk to a professor." She marked the book and ran off with it. Aria shoved back her chair and dashed after Hermione, Penelope hot on their heels.
Madam Pince was not at her station and even is she was, Aria doubted Hermione would have stopped as the Gryffindor rushed out of the library.
"Hermione!" Aria cried. "Stop! You can't go rushing off. What if this . . . thing is out there?" Hermione skidded to a halt.
"We need a mirror," she stated. "Or something to reflect so that if we look at the creature we're not looking at its eyes."
"I've got a mirror," Penelope said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small compact mirror. She and Hermione took the lead, Aria drawing her wand and trailing behind as they paused at corners and used the mirror to look around corners.
"We must look like a sight," Aria muttered, glancing back towards the library. "If anyone saw us—," The sound of shattering glass cause her head to whip back around in time to see Hermione and Penelope topple over, petrified.
Oh god! Aria thought, frozen against the wall. I'm gonna die! Her magic leapt at her agitation, sensing danger, and she let it flow out of her, letting it take control of the situation. It seeped into the wall behind her and for a moment Aria felt the stone grow warm and then the feeling faded and she took off running back towards the library, screaming for Madam Pince.
Behind her she thought she heard something, but she dared not look over her shoulder, even though the temptation was there.
A sudden shriek filled the corridor and a burst of flame exploded in front of Aria, stopping her in her tracks. A red bird, one like Aria had never seen before appeared out of the flames and flew over Aria's head, dropping something into her hands. Aria caught the object.
The Sorting Hat? What was she supposed to do with that? Sort the monster into a Hogwarts House?
A scream filled the corridor and Aria whirled around to see the red bird clawing the eyes out of a gigantic snake which dripped water all over the corridor and stank of death and decay. Aria stumbled back, the Sorting Hat falling from her hands even as she tripped over her own feet and fell back onto her butt.
"SWEET MERLIN!" she heard behind her. Madam Pince's voice was unmistakable. "Miss Bourne! Get out of there!"
Aria made as if to stand, only to stop as she spotting something shiny poking out of the Sorting Hat. She reached forward, grasped the cool silver metal, and withdrew a sword from the hat. A sword! What else would she find if she stuck her hand in the hat?
There was no time to contemplate such a question. The red bird was rushing back towards Aria and the monster was snapping at it. Aria jumped to her feet as the monster reached her, jaws gaping, and stabbed upward with all her strength. The sword went up into the monster's brain while its face knocked her backwards. The monster gave one final shriek – Aria thought her blood would freeze at the sound – and toppled over dead, squishing Aria between its head and the wall.
Somewhere in the distance Aria could hear people screaming. It took her a moment to realize that one person was Madam Pince and the other was herself.
It took another moment for Aria to realize that there was blood all over her which made her scream even more.
"Miss Bourne!" Madam Pince cried, kneeling as close to the monster as she dared. "Miss Bourne please calm yourself!"
The red bird appeared again, trilling a beautiful song that calmed Aria and made her magic respond with longing towards this clearly magical creature.
"Fawkes!" Madam Pince cried. "What are you doing here, you silly bird? Go get the Headmaster!"
The bird, Fawkes, continued singing and circling the two until he flew towards Aria, settling against her chest. Aria wrapped her arms around the bird, hugging it, and burying her face in its soft, warm feathers. Fawkes titled his head back and gave a cry and fire erupted around her and the bird, but Aria was not afraid. Something about the bird's cry calmed her as did his presence.
The fire died and a roar filled Aria's ears. Clinging to Fawkes she realized that somehow the bird had transported her to the very center of the Quidditch pitch. Above her players from the Slytherin and Ravenclaw teams came to abrupt halts midair.
"Bourne!" Flint shouted, zooming down. She heard a whistle from somewhere. Flint was by her side within seconds followed by the rest of the Slytherin team. She caught Draco's wide gray eyes and she realized she was shaking.
"What happened?" Flint ask.
"I . . . there was . . . Hermione and Penelope . . . ."
"Penelope Clearwater?"
Aria nodded.
"Out of the way!" The students parted at Snape's shout. All four Heads of House came running onto the pitch. Snape was on his knees before Aria, his hands ghosting over her as he searched for the source of blood.
"It's not my blood," she sobbed. "It's . . . the monster!"
"What?" Snape cried.
"Outside the library!" Aria sobbed. "It p-petrified Hermione and P-P-Penelope!" She hid her face in Fawkes' feathers and the bird trilled another calming song. Fatigue suddenly enveloped Aria and her knees buckled. Snape caught her as she fell and the last thing she heard were her housemates calling her name.