Chapter Five
Serenity's PoV~
'Dear Harry,'
"No. That won't work." I mutter, tearing the small strip of used parchment off, and start again.
'Hello Lightning'
"Too
familiar." I grumble and tear off another strip.
It
was the last fifteen minutes of Potions class on the day before the end of
term. Snape had graded my potion, no doubt failing me, Draco was being a jerk
and harassing Harry and Ron Weasley about them not going home for the holidays
and I was trying to write an encouraging and sympathetic letter to Harry. I may
not like Ron that much but Harry seemed likeable enough.
'Lightning~
Dragon Wrongway is only jealous. It's not as if he has much of a family to go back to. Don't let him get to you.
Fights,
Talon '
"Yes!" I exclaim quietly, folding the parchment
into quarters in my lap.
Taking my wand out of my pocket, I imagine the note flying
over to Harry's desk. Two words float into my mind so I mutter them.
"Nepaccio lettre."
The note whizzes out of my lap, past a row of Slytherins,
then onto Harry's worktop.
I chance a glance at the clock hanging above and behind
Snape's desk, "Stop Looking At The Clock And Finish Cleaning Up".
Figures. Even the clock had an attitude. Too many years of hanging around
Snape, I guess.
I look over towards Harry but only caught a glimpse of him
just noticing the note before Liz pounces on me.
"What were you thinking?!? If Snape or Malfoy
find out that you wrote a note to Harry..." Liz panics.
"Calm down, Lizzy. I signed it under a different
name." I answer calmly, bending over to pick up my bag.
As if on queue, the bell rings loudly to toll the end of
class and we quickly leave the freezing dungeon.
"Eating lunch with Harry today?" I ask as we start
up the stairs.
"No. We'll see each other plenty during the Winter
Holidays." she answers, floating along beside me.
"Think you could introduce me to those Weasley
Twins?" I ask, lowering my voice so only Liz could hear me.
"Not likely. With all the other Slytherins gone,
Snape'll have nothing better to do than breathe down our necks." Liz
answers, dropping her voice as well.
(Authoress' Note: Kudos to the
GryffindorArcher for complaining near constancy about his Geometry teacher that
has admitted to being Snape's idol.)
"Oh well. I'll meet them eventually if I have to keep
taking the fall for their pranks." I sigh as we enter the Great Hall. Some
of their pranks were really good. There was one just last week that had
the entire Slytherin team glued to their brooms. Let's just say I was really
looking forward to pulling a prank or two with…
"Duck!" Liz snaps, forcing me down as an apple and some au
gratin potatoes zoom over our heads and spatter against the wall behind us.
When we stood up, Liz was glaring daggers at me.
"Oh come on! We both know that none of them could have
found out that I'm Talon this fast even if Bluemoon told them." I snap
defensively, sitting down at the Slytherin table.
"Bluemoon is a hawk, Serenity. None of them can
understand her." Liz replies reasonably.
"Oh yeah. Forgot about that." I answer and clap my
hand to my mouth. How could I have let slip that I can talk to hawks!?!
"But... But that... That means..." Liz stutters. I
remove my hand from my mouth and cut her off.
"Not now Liz. The idiots'll begin to wonder why you feel
like catching flies with your mouth." I say quietly and start eating.
Lunch would have been quiet were it not for the fact that Liz
and I were alternately ducking flying food and sending it back the way it'd
come.
After lunch, Liz drags me, protesting wildly, across the
entrance hall as Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus pelt down to the Slytherin
Common Room and to their rooms, no doubt, to change into non-food spattered
robes.
"Grab a broom and fly up to my window. We'll talk
there." Liz says tersely as we step outside the castle doors, then she
apparates away to her room.
"Sure. I don't need to sit in on Professor Fatespirit's
class today. I'll just tell him that you needed to talk to me about something
trivial." I mutter, drawing up my collar to cover most of my face and
trudging my way to the broom shed.
When I opened the door to the shed, the Shooting Star I'd
used for Flying Lessons fell out and into my hand. Looking warily into the shed, I say, "Okay. Who am I to
ignore the promptings of fate?"
I mount the old, but reliable, broom and kick off. The
feeling that I was where I belonged washes through me as I fly upwards until
I'm level with the Astronomy tower, not too far away from Liz's window. I make
the broom slope gently towards Liz's now open window. I duck my head and fly in
the window, landing lightly on the floor.
"Can you talk to hawks?" Liz asks, skipping the
pleasantries, in clipped tones but before I could answer, I heard something
outside.
"Serenity!" Bluemoon shrieks from somewhere
outside, probably near Slytherin Tower.
I quickly stick my head out the window and call out, "Bluemoon!
Over here!"
Sure enough, Bluemoon came zooming around the Slytherin end
of the castle. I back away from the window and, moments later, Bluemoon sweeps
in and lands on Liz's bedside table.
"Do you realize how good your grandfather is to us hawks?
I almost envy Silverwing." Bluemoon boasts, fluffing her feathers and
starting to preen them back into place.
"Then why don't you stay with him?" I grumble in a
hiss. There wasn't any point in hiding it from Liz anymore. I'm a horrible
liar. Bluemoon looks at me with a hurt and disdainful look.
"Well someone has to keep a sharp eye on you. Besides,
your grandfather had a few mice for me for taking his letter to you."
Bluemoon grouses, holding out one of her legs while balancing precariously on
the edge of the table.
Only then did I notice the letter tied to her leg. I leap
forward to retrieve the letter addressed to myself in a script similar to my
own. Hastily, I open the envelope and read the letter.
Sha-girl,
I know you were
upset about missing the Shamans/Witches Quidditch match but that's probably
changed by now. By the way, the Witches won, 320 to 170.
Tradrin told me that you
were sorted to Slytherin. I realize you, most likely, feel that this has,
somehow, let me down. Don't let yourself believe this. I fully understand
Slytherin's reputation, but I know you. Besides, if you ever turn to the
dark powers, I will make sure you regret the morning Silverwing broke out of
his cage.
On a lighter note, Diana
is doing well at Artene. She beat the entire Vilification team and was hence
named a co-captain. Sounds familiar, no?
If you get the chance,
say hello to a girl named Liz for me. She was also in Slytherin but extremely
friendly. I hope she's still there. She was a light in the darkness of Slytherin.
Spirit Speed,
Stephan Starrefeather
"Hey Liz. My grandpere says 'hi'." I say, happy to know the
Wichita Witches had won their last match against the Dakota Shamans. That meant
that they'll most likely tie for the Mid-America Cup.
"What is your grandfather's last name? I only know his
first." Liz asks. I nearly didn't hear her because I was imagining the
Shamans/Witches match.
"Hmm? Oh! Starrefeather." I answer, snapping away from the
image of Hollie Windhunter, the Witches' Seeker, and Tovax Speedlight, the
Shamans' Seeker, diving after the snitch.
"Stephan Starrefeather is your grandfather and you didn't
tell me?" Liz snaps, jumping forward.
"I didn't think it mattered." I
answer, affronted.
"Didn't think it mattered?" Liz
repeats mockingly. "He's only the most famous inventor in the magical world!"
Liz exclaims in exasperation.
"Excuse me, oh immortal Liz, for
thinking that who my grandpere was would be of any concern to anyone outside my
family!" I reply sarcastically.
Liz scoffs. "Did you hear a word I said? Your
grandfather created the Remembralls!"
"He's always been just grandpere
to me!" I snap back.
"You're a pureblood! You should be
with them!!" Liz returns spitefully.
"If the price for being pureblood
is to be like them, I'd rather be muggleborn like they say I am!" I glare at
Liz, daring her to challenge me; daring her to say something against me.
Liz recoils, blinking, seemingly
startled at my sudden outburst. Liz then nods, as if in agreement.
"Besides," I add, calming down, "
I was raised to live off my own merits, not my family's."
Liz nods again. Our eyes meet and,
for moments that felt like eternity, silence filled the small round room.
Abruptly, we both start laughing,
breaking the silence completely. I think it was because of the utter lunacy of
the argument.
"Spirits save me, what were we
fighting about?" I ask, laughing and nearly collapsing into a chair.
"Gods all, that was so silly, it's
funny!" Liz exclaims, still laughing as well.
"Definitely a silly thing to fight
about." I sigh, standing up.
"Don't I know it!" Liz agrees and
then leans forward, sitting on her bed. "Why didn't you tell me you could talk
to hawks though?"
"I guess I was afraid of the
reaction, mostly. You know? The skeptical-prove-it-then-laugh routine. I only told
ma grandmere and I only talked with Silverwing, Sunsmear, and, lately,
Bluemoon." I answer reasonably.
"Good enough for me!" Liz says,
flinging out her arms in release of the subject. Inadvertently though, one of
her arms sweeps dangerously close to Bluemoon, who just barely ducked in time.
"Watch
it! If you're quite
finished?" Bluemoon sighs peevishly.
"Yes,
Bluemoon, you can go." I answer. I turn back to Liz
with a grin as Bluemoon flits, twittering, out Liz's still open window.
"What did you say to her?" Liz
asks, starting to laugh again.
"I just told her she could leave.
She was getting impatient." I answer innocently. "I didn't ask her to stick
around. Sometimes I honestly wonder why she stays – Ah!"
All I'd done was lean on the wall across
from the window and I wound up falling through it, into a corridor.
The corridor was very familiar, as
I passed it every Thursday, coming or going from Astronomy class. There was a
painting behind me of a woman, called Rowena Ravenclaw by the plate at the
bottom of the frame.
She was copper-skinned with a
black-as-pitch hair and midnight blue eyes and wearing deep blue robes. The
woman smiles and laughs lightly at my still shocked expression.
"Hello dear!" she says, eyes twinkling like stars at night.
"Hello." I answer uncertainly.
"Oh! Silly me. My name is Rowena
but call me Row. That's what Liz called me all the time." Rowena says, laughing
at herself now.
"Why do you want me to call you
'Row'?" I ask, slightly confused. I knew Liz had worked with the founders but
was she on such good terms with Ravenclaw that she called her by a nickname?
"Well, you must be a friend of
Liz's if you fell through me and a friend of Liz's is a friend of mine!" Rowena
answers.
"All right…" I reply warily
"I've heard of the fuss you two've
been making in Slytherin. The Fat Lady is quite the gossip which comes in handy
when I don't often leave my frame." Rowena adds smiling.
"Thanks." I was smiling as well
but it fades as I realize a very ugly fact.
"Er… Row? How am I supposed to get
back into Liz's room?" I ask seriously. I did not want to go all the way back down to the broom shed and fly back up to
Liz's window.
"That would be simple, m'dear
girl. Step by step, you need to touch the nameplate once then walk right through
this painting." Rowena answers, shifting to one side of the frame.
"Thank you." I reply with a
gracious curtsy.
"Don't you curtsy to me, girl.
Save it for Godric, or, indeed, for Salazar. Don't be a stranger now, you hear
me girl?" Rowena scolds, fiercely friendly.
"Yes, Row." I answer, brushing a
finger against the nameplate. A soft shimmer falls across the painting then
vanishes. Rowena nods and I step through.
It was strange to say the least.
One moment, there was a painting in front of me; the next, pitch black; then
finally, Liz's room.
Liz, upon first glance, looked to
be in a dead panic. However, her expression quickly changes to relief when she
sees me.
"Serenity! Where'd you go? How'd
you get there and back? I didn't know there was an illusion wall in my room!
I'll really kill
the person that put it there!" Liz rants after hugging me, I assume, to see if
I was real.
"In sequence: I was in the
corridor by the Astronomy tower; I fell through the wall; you wouldn't know about
it, since you always apparate in; and I don't think you can kill someone that's
already dead." I answer lengthily.
"What?" Liz asks, surprised. At
the last part, I assume.
"I'll show you later but do you
realize how much more we can do now that I can get to your room without a
broom?" I ask quickly, changing the subject with a mischievous grin.
Liz mirrors my expression and
blasts into plotting tricks for when the Slytherins came back.
I glance at my digital watch and
my eyes widen.
"Ay! I'm late!" I exclaim,
snatching up my bag that I hadn't had time to put away.
"For what? You've always had
Friday afternoons off." Liz asks, extremely puzzled now.
"Tra – Professor Fatespirit asked
if I could attend his third year lesson on Fridays and I'm late!" I reply,
grabbing the broom by the window.
"Third year Shamanism?" Liz
repeats weakly.
"I'll explain at dinner. Listen,
could you return this to the shed? I'll get to class faster if I go through the
wall again."
Liz nods numbly so I toss her the broom
and dash back through the wall.
"Bye!" Rowena calls from behind
me.
"See you!" I yell back, running
full sprint down the corridor.
~*~^~*~^~*~Small POV Change~*~^~*~^~*~
"What's the count?" asks a man in
a forgotten painting in a secluded corridor of Hogwarts. He had a greasy
drawling tone. "I have the protector for my line. Rowena? Helga? Alora?
Godric?"
"Godric has the heir of my line in
his house, right Uncle?" asks a sweet looking woman with black hair and electric
blue eyes.
"Yes, Alora, he is. Both of mine are here, and I have one other. A
protector, I think, of Rowena's line." Another man answers. His voice was a
strong baritone and presumably, Godric.
"Yes. He's my line's protector.
I've run into my heir a few times too. She's friends with Liz." Rowena says.
"That girl…" the greasy voice
snarls.
"Yes. That
girl, Salazar." Rowena snaps. "If you don't like where
she's been sorted, I'd like to see you try to take it up with the Hat."
Greasy-voice, now known as
Salazar, grumbles and subsides.
"I have my line's protector but no
heir yet." Says a brown-haired, brown-eyed woman in yellow robes. The only one
she could be was Helga.
"So that's three heirs and four
protectors, missing Helga's and my line's heir." Salazar counts off.
"My protector hasn't shown yet either. I think there's been a
mistake. She should be here this year." Alora complains.
"Don't worry Alora. They'll all
show eventually. They're destined to." Rowena says.
~*~^~*~^~*~POV Reversion~*~^~*~^~*~
So I did explain; everything from
how I knew Professor Fatespirit to why I was able to attend his Third year
class. Not that I liked any minute of it. After I'd finished, we started
plotting a prank for the morning, just to test if the ghost act would work.
"Ready…" Liz says quietly. "Now!"
At her prompting, I take off the
spells on pails upon pails of icy lake water, strategically positioned around
the common room. Shrieks of surprise, as well as cursing fill the air as Liz
and I try to stifle our giggles.
"SILVERWING!" I hear Draco howl
from near the fireplace. Liz and I glance at each other and quickly dash out of
the common room.
We ran away from the pursuing wet
Slytherins together up to a separation point, marked by a suit of armor with a
replica of my family coat of arms. At this point, Liz crosses my path to the
right to head near Gryffindor Tower and I split left, heading towards Ravenclaw
Tower. Hopefully, we'd lose some of the Blood Gang on the way.
"You're mine,
Silverwing!" Marcus yells. I hear his and others' pounding footfalls chasing
after mine.
"I'm not anyone's, Marcus!" I
shout back over my shoulder as I round a corner and dash up a trick staircase.
I hear a two howls of fury as I reached the top of the stairs. I could only
afford a quick glance to see that two of my chasers were trapped in the two
trick steps I'd jumped over.
A few hallways and two more trick
stairwells later, I was down to two pursuers; Marcus and Gregory Goyle.
Thankfully, I was nearing the astronomy tower and the astronomy classroom where
I'd meet up with Liz.
Liz and I burst into the familiar
passageway at the same time, turning sharply away from the portrait of Rowena
Ravenclaw. Oh well. So one of us didn't have to decimate the Astronomy room.
All the better to save energy for running.
Careening through the classroom,
Liz and I bursting through a door opposite the one we'd come in, we began our
small circuit of the twelfth floor or the castle.
Coming around a corner and seeing
the Astronomy classroom doors that we'd used as an exit, I stumble in feigned
surprise.
"We've gone in circles!" Liz
exclaims loudly, mocking shock mixed with defeat. Cackles of victorious
laughter echo from behind us.
"Go to the room! I can handle
this!" I shout back, clutching my small necklace medicine bag. 'Spirit of wolf, hear my blight, speed my feet, aide
my flight. Lupus celeritas!' I chant silently,
focusing on the small moonstone inside the blue leather pouch with my first
initial and last name beaded in platinum-colored beads.
Almost immediately, I feel my
speed increase and felt like I could run longer, if needed. Abruptly, Liz left
my side in a faint, inward rush of air into where she'd been.
I ignore my last two normal exits
and head right for the unusual one; the painting of Rowena. I make a show of
looking for an illusion wall. Faking fear, I turn to my pursuers, my hands
against the wall; my left hand on the nameplate.
"Any last words, Silverwing?" a
sopping wet Draco asks, an evil glint in his eyes as Marcus cracks his
knuckles.
"Yeah. I'd like pepperoni,
pineapple and extra cheese on my tombstone." I reply with a grin, and fall
backwards through the wall behind the painting.
I was able to just catch a glimpse
of the fury on Draco's and Marcus's faces when I found myself
backwards-somersaulting to lay flat on my back on Liz's room's floor.
"Whew!" I exclaim, sitting up and
accepting Liz's offer of assistance to my feet.
"That was fun!" Liz replies
happily. She'd always got a, sort of, buzz after we managed to escape immediate
pain for a prank.
"I can wait to do that again." I
say, flopping into a chair and laying there like an over-cooked noodle.
"Don't worry. We have two weeks of
holidays to recover." Liz replies sympathetically, sitting down on her bed.
"So what'll we do next?" I ask
tiredly. Liz and I exchange a quick glance and began plotting in earnest.
Needless to say, the next term would be interesting.
Disclaimer and More Notes: My intense gratitude to my partner in crime, Electra-chan, for
waiting ever-so-patiently for this part and for helping me through the finer,
and more finicky, points of this chapter.
I own
Serenity, Bluemoon, Stephan Starrefeather and his reputation, Silverwing,
Andrea Windlight-Starrefeather and her advice, Sunsmear, and the illusion wall
behind the portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw, the PERSONALITY of Lisa Turpin and
words for the Banishing Charm only and Carita Reilin. However, I don't own:
Rowena Ravenclaw, Harry, Ron, Draco, the Weasley Twins, Snape and the Banishing
Charm. Oh! I owe Professor Tradrin Fatespirit to GryffindorArcher and Liz is
always Electra-chan's!
An
explanation about the "you'll regret the morning Silverwing broke out of his
cage" thing. The Cherokee have a tradition of making a newborn's last name, in
some way, an event that happened that day. Serenity's last name is Silverwing
because Silverwing flew in the room's window just as Serenity was born (July 14th,
1980).
Yes!
I'm finally done! ("Yeah"… *unenthusiastic*) Electra-chan! It's finally your
turn!
Tah-tah!
~Tes-sama
or
~Ani-Kami