*Ok here it is, finally the next chapter! Sorry it took so long I just can only write on the weekends cause of work and rehearsals so you'll have to bear with me. Ok then there's really not much to say, wait, um wait, I think I am going to say something, wait, maybe, yeah, no, nope nothing to say. Alrighty ditey read and enjoy.*
* Wait I actually have something to say! So this is really stupid but anyway, I was looking up who was playing who in the movie, just to see if how I pictured the characters is how the producers pictured them, anyway I found out who was playing Oliver Wood, but I had never heard of the actor before so I looked him up on that movie database thingy to find a picture of him…So I get to his like bio page and I click on the only move he was listed in. It's called sumptin like The winter guest, or something, anyway one of the main characters name's is Chloe! I was all like Wow dude that's f'n freaky!!! So I just thought I would let you all know about that little scary thing. Ok I know I have no life just read my damn chapter!!!!!!*
Eight O'clock seemed to come all too soon. Chloe and Oliver solemnly walked down the dreary potions hall in silence. Oliver hadn't been quite the same since Snape threatened to take him off the Quidditch team. As they neared Snape's office a feeling of guilt settled into the pit of Chloe's stomach. What had she done? For the first time in her life she had met someone who was actually worth it. He wasn't the grungy, drug-addict, street crawler that she was used to. He was nice and clean cut, and he treated her with respect. Which was more then she could say for her last boyfriend, Biff. But all that would be gone now. Oliver was surely beyond upset at her for getting him suspend from the Quidditch team. What was she thinking? They stopped in front of Snape's door and Oliver sighed as he knocked on the door. The door opened and a sallow greasy man stepped forward. He strode out of the dark office and stood before them.
"You're late." He snapped.
When there was no response Snape scowled and began to walk swiftly down the hall. Oliver followed the potion master with the air of a prisoner who was being led to the gas chamber. As they walked up the rickety staircase at the end of the hall, Chloe's feeling of guilt vanished and a new feeling of hate and rage filled its place. What had they done? It was a kiss, a very passionate kiss granted, but it was a kiss no the less. It's not like they had blown up the classroom or hurt anyone. Her face began to radiate different shades of red as they anger inside her came to a boil.
They trio walked down twisted hallways and up and down trick staircases until finally they reached a passage guarded by a stone gargoyle.
"Lemon drop." Snape sneered.
Had it not been for the ominous circumstances Oliver and Chloe would have been amazed by the revolving stone spiral staircase, the immense oak door with a shimmering golden griffin shaped knocker, and by the eccentricity and lavishness of Dumbledore's office. Snape coughed as he entered the room with his two captives. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore who were deep in a private conversation looked up. As McGonagall's eyes fell on Chloe and Snape she turned slightly pale. Dumbledore on the other hand stood up and smiled brightly.
"Well isn't this a coincidence? We were just speaking of you Miss Aldo." His eyes twinkled more than usual as he sensed her confusion.
"I hope we are not interrupting something prudent professor?" Snape asked Dumbledore as he glowered at McGonagall. "But I did set up an appointment to discuss the punishment of these two students." Snape thrust his head Oliver's direction.
"Oh good heavens, I forgot all about it. Please so tell me what they did." Dumbledore sat down at his desk.
"Eh- Professor?" Snape said motioning to McGonagall.
"I see no reason why Minerva should not stay, both of these students are in her house I believe that she should have some say in there punishment." Dumbledore responded. "No what did Mr. Wood and Miss Aldo do?"
Snape tried to suppress a scowl and continued. "Professor I am sorry to say this but." Snape paused to take a dramatic breath, both Chloe and McGonagall rolled their eyes. "These two students have severally disrupted the learning atmosphere, they have deiced that their, ahem, quality time, is more important then their school work. They have in addition to that they have discarded all of the morality that Hogwarts is very proud-"
"What? We did no such thing! I don't what the hell he is talking about!" Chloe's anger could not longer be contained.
"You see professor, look at this attitude, surely this can not be tolerated."
"Severus, she has a right to respond to the charges brought against her." This time Snape could no longer hide his scowl. "Miss Aldo, I must ask you however to be more contained in your manor of speaking. Now what happened?" Dumbledore added kindly.
"We were just kissing." She said matter-of-factly "And then this-" Chloe was stopped by a slight cough from Dumbledore, "Then Professor Snape, walked in and started to yell at us. We really didn't do anything!"
"That is a grave understatement of the events that occurred." Snape nearly shouted
Dumbledore ignored Snape and looked at Oliver, "What do you have to say Mr. Wood?"
Oliver cleared his throat and for the first time since the morning Chloe heard him speak.
"We were kissing, yes, but really it didn't warrant any punishment." He looked at Dumbledore imploringly.
"I see," The old wizard began, " What punishment did you have in mind Severus?"
"Professor, Miss Aldo is new and she has yet to learn all of the rules of the school, so I suggest that she be required to copy down Hogwarts' Handbook : Rules to Live By word for word. So that she will not make this mistake again." Chloe looked horrified. "As for Mr. Wood, he has been here six years, he is the captain of Gryffindor's Quidditch team and should therefore be setting an example for the younger students. Because he had obviously chosen to disregard this less glamorous responsibility he should be stripped of his responsibility of captain. I suggest that you suspend him from the Quidditch team for the remainder of the year."
Chloe, forgetting the headmaster's warning began to shout, to her surprise she wasn't the only one. Professor McGonagall had jumped out of her chair and was yelling at Dumbledore.
"THIS PUNISHMENT IS NOT CALLED FOR! SEREVUS IS TRYING TO GET RID OF OUR WHOLE TEAM, FIRST IT WAS HARRY AND NOW IT'S OLIVER. PROFESSOR, THIS CAN NOT BE ALOUD."
Neither Oliver nor Snape had ever seen McGonagall this angry, they stood silently in awe. Chloe however wasted no time.
"Professor, If anything it was my fault. I was the one with the idea not Oliver. And anyway I don't see what is so bad. I mean it's not like we were-"
Dumbledore cut her off. "Miss Aldo, maybe it was a little different in America but, here in Hogwarts we do like to keep intimate things private." Snape smiled at his apparent victory. "However, this was less then a minor infraction and I think that it warrants no punishment, just a reminder to keep things of that nature private." Dumbledore smiled at the relived faces of the three Gryffindors in the room and the twisted scowl of the Slytherin. "You all may go."
Snape left first, followed closely by a stern looking McGonagall. Chloe hurried to catch up with Oliver but was stopped before she could get through the door.
"Oh Miss Aldo, may I speak with you for a moment."
She looked at Oliver who simply nodded. Her stomach sunk as she approached Dumbledore's desk, she had hoped that Oliver would no longer be mad at her as a result of Dumbledore's decision. Obviously she was wrong.
Dumbledore smiled kindly at her. "How are you getting along?" he asked kindly.
"Good." She said with a nod.
"You are finding everything to be satisfactory, the food, the classes, the dormitories. You're able to sleep well?"
Chloe's head jerked up and she looked into Dumbledore's sparkling eyes. Her face began to flush, he couldn't possibly know about the dream, could he?
"Yeah." She lied
Dumbledore studied Chloe who shuttered under his calculating glance.
"Do you enjoy art?" He asked.
Chloe started, "What? Yeah I guess."
Dumbledore pulled out a rather large leather-bound book and banged it on his desk.
"This is my favorite collection of Art. It is all done by a very old witch in the mountain forests of Switzerland, many years ago."
Dumbledore opened the book and turned it to Chloe who began to flip through the pages. Most of the paintings were of a beautiful forest that Chloe found strangely familiar. Toward the end of the book Chloe found a picture that caused her to jump. There in the book in front of her was an elaborate painting of a bunch of people dressed like the people in her dream, in the back she saw the face of the Old Wizard who she was die every night, over and over again in her horrifying re-occurring nightmare.
"Is this a painting of real people?" She asked trying to hide the quiver in her voice.
Dumbledore leaned over and studied the picture, " Yes you see this is a painting of an old Magical dynasty that used to rule over the Alps."
"What happened to those wizards?" She asked dreading the answer
"No one knows, they began to keep to themselves in the early 20th century. Some say they are still alive, some say that they all died of a plague some say they were attacked. And some even say that they never existed at all, that they were just a myth created by the wizards of Switzerland. It is one of the greatest magical mysterious of our time." Dumbledore smiled.
"Kind of like a combination of the Romanoffs and Loch Ness." Chloe added
"I don't know enough muggle history to answer that." Dumbledore said a little sadly.
Chloe was about to educate him of the communist revolution in Russia but then thought better of it. She was filled with questions but didn't know where to start. The clock on the wall struck 12.
"Oh my." Professor Dumbledore exclaimed. "I always loss sight of the time when looking at art. You better hurry up to Gryffindor tower, we don't want to give Snape another excuse to punish you." Dumbledore and smiled as he stood up, expecting Chloe to do the same.
Chloe got up on un-easy legs and bade good night to the headmaster and walked out. As she stumbled down the dark halls her minded was flooded with questions. Who were the people in the painting? Why did Dumbledore ask her about her sleeping habits and why did he show her the book. And why in god's name was she dreaming about a mythical wizarding family? As she turned the corner to the Transfiguration hall an ominous feeling settled upon her. She slowly walked a few steps, her heart froze as she heard shuffling behind her. Chest heaving she pressed her back against the stone wall and looked behind her. There was nothing, just a dark void engulfing the once lively school.
"For fuck's sake get a grip." She scolded out loud.
Chloe began to walk again and this time the muted shuffling behind her sounded closer. She whipped her head around just in time to see the back end of a tattered cloak enter an open classroom. Her heart began to beat ten times as faster then usual. Slowly, with her eyes still locked on the classroom she backed up. To her horror, a pasty gnarled hand pushed open the classroom door, and a black boot stepped out into the hall.
Chloe ran blindly into the darkness terrified by the sickening scuffling behind her.
To be Continued…..
*Ohhh scary!!! Um please review, cause, um , cause if you do I'll, I'll um be very very happy! J Ok then adios amigos!