1 Chapter 12 – Amber's Disappearance
2
3 'Ahhhh!' Karen let out a huge satisfying sigh as she flopped onto her bed. She lay on her back staring at the ceiling with a big grin on her face. After a minute of two she rolled over and looked out of the window. The sky looked so empty, there wasn't a cloud for miles around and although it was chilly out it wasn't unbearable. So Karen hopped off her bed and picked up her Firebolt 2. Being in the strangely ecstatic mood she was she opened one of the huge windows and peered out of it. The wind blew into her room turning the pages of The Daily Prophet on her cabinet, it ruffled her hair and she stepped up and stood in the frame. She glanced down again and saw some students milling around; their scarves fluttering out behind them, she moved her gaze up and saw the deserted grounds, the acres and acres of trees; some evergreen, but mostly not, and the rolling hills and mountains behind them. Holding tightly to her broom she mounted it and stared straight ahead. She took a quick breath in and jumped forward. Gravity did its job for a moment and Karen began the long trip to the ground. She could have pulled out of the dive but instead kept the broom pointing down. She concentrated on a single hedge and everything around it blurred as Karen's eyes began to water from the speed. The hedge rapidly became closer and Karen gritted her teeth and pulled hard on the broom. If she pulled out of the dive but one second later she would surely have become part of the decoration on the ground. She curved in the air, levelling out in time to brush the hedge with her toes, she shouted out with joy, a long, loud, 'Woooooooooo!' and then she began to slow down and climbed to a satisfying height. She turned back and hovered in the air. Anyone who was outside or saw from the windows was staring right at her, motionless. Karen, who was a little confused, frowned, then they all began to clap. She smiled and let out a short laugh then with one hand on the broom, she bowed to her audience, then turned and sped off into the distance, doing loops as she went.
After a good half an hour flying around she made her way back to the castle. Choosing to go back through the door, not the window. On her way back she glanced into the trees and saw something that made her stop and look closer. She saw a couple of people standing in a small clearing, they were both in long black cloaks with the hoods up. She swooped down so she was just above the trees and came to a halt where these two people were. She hid behind the leaves of an evergreen and listened. One of them was talking but it was difficult to decipher what they were saying because of the wind rustling the leaves. Karen leant further forward and could make out a man's voice, a voice she knew very well. It was Snape.
'You will be stopped, I guarantee it,' he said. 'Once this year at Hogwarts is over you will go straight to Azkaban,'
Then the other person spoke.
'You won't see the end of the year Snape,'
It was an eerily familiar voice. It sounded like the person who had visited Karen in her room those weeks ago.
'I guarantee that!' It said and then turned and disappeared into the trees.
Snape was left alone and stood solitary for a while before deciding to leave. Karen swiftly turned and zoomed back to the castle. She dismounted in front of Hogwarts' entrance and marched up to her room.
She walked to her office window and looked out at the forest. She gently put her broom down, balancing it against the wall, and continued to stare, drifting slowly into thought. What was Snape doing down there? Who was that he was with? And more importantly what were they talking about? Karen shook her head and came out of her daze. She looked at her desk and noticed a letter on it. She strolled over and looked down at it. It had just her name on the front in swirly handwriting and the usual Hogwarts' green ink. She lifted it and turned it over. It was just a piece of parchment folded in half, so she opened it and read:
I know you saw me.
Come down to my dungeon at 11 O'clock tonight.
I will explain all.
Karen sharply looked up and around her room.
'That was fast,' she said to herself and looking back at the note in her hand.
For the rest of the afternoon Karen sat in her office and wrote to her family. It had been two months since she had made contact with them. She used her muggle pen; a biro she found at the bottom of her bag, not the quill she uses for registers and reports. She kept up the charade of being an Art teacher as she wrote when she suddenly had a thought. If she wanted her relationship with Snape to move forward she had to reveal the fact that she is a muggle to him. Tonight.
Dinner was at 8pm. Karen sat at her seat and waited for Amber. Snape arrived and sat down and Karen gave him a sly wink. He nodded sharply to her keeping up his professional façade. Dinner was served but there was no sign of Amber. The empty seat next to Karen unsettled her a little. Amber never missed dinner. Karen ate her spaghetti bolognaise, messily and drank her wine. She leant forward and called to Dumbledore, 'Albus,'
'Yes,' Dumbledore leaned backwards and Karen copied him. 'What can I do for you?'
'Do you know where Amber is?'
'No,' he replied. 'I thought you might be able to tell me!'
Karen just shrugged, 'Do you know where I might find her?'
'It's possible she could be unwell. You could try the hospital wing,'
'Good idea,' Karen said. 'Thanks,'
After she had some Neapolitan ice cream she headed off to see Madame Pomfrey.
'Hello, Poppy. Is Professor Nettles in here?' she asked.
'No. No, she's not here,' Pomfrey replied. She was making the beds.
'Oh. Has she been in at all today?'
'Nope, I haven't seen her for ages,' Pomfrey said whilst shaking out a sheet.
'Hmm? Ok, thanks for your help,'
Karen went back to her room and decided to try and think of a way to break the news to Snape that she's of the muggle variety. She'd find Amber tomorrow.
2
3 'Ahhhh!' Karen let out a huge satisfying sigh as she flopped onto her bed. She lay on her back staring at the ceiling with a big grin on her face. After a minute of two she rolled over and looked out of the window. The sky looked so empty, there wasn't a cloud for miles around and although it was chilly out it wasn't unbearable. So Karen hopped off her bed and picked up her Firebolt 2. Being in the strangely ecstatic mood she was she opened one of the huge windows and peered out of it. The wind blew into her room turning the pages of The Daily Prophet on her cabinet, it ruffled her hair and she stepped up and stood in the frame. She glanced down again and saw some students milling around; their scarves fluttering out behind them, she moved her gaze up and saw the deserted grounds, the acres and acres of trees; some evergreen, but mostly not, and the rolling hills and mountains behind them. Holding tightly to her broom she mounted it and stared straight ahead. She took a quick breath in and jumped forward. Gravity did its job for a moment and Karen began the long trip to the ground. She could have pulled out of the dive but instead kept the broom pointing down. She concentrated on a single hedge and everything around it blurred as Karen's eyes began to water from the speed. The hedge rapidly became closer and Karen gritted her teeth and pulled hard on the broom. If she pulled out of the dive but one second later she would surely have become part of the decoration on the ground. She curved in the air, levelling out in time to brush the hedge with her toes, she shouted out with joy, a long, loud, 'Woooooooooo!' and then she began to slow down and climbed to a satisfying height. She turned back and hovered in the air. Anyone who was outside or saw from the windows was staring right at her, motionless. Karen, who was a little confused, frowned, then they all began to clap. She smiled and let out a short laugh then with one hand on the broom, she bowed to her audience, then turned and sped off into the distance, doing loops as she went.
After a good half an hour flying around she made her way back to the castle. Choosing to go back through the door, not the window. On her way back she glanced into the trees and saw something that made her stop and look closer. She saw a couple of people standing in a small clearing, they were both in long black cloaks with the hoods up. She swooped down so she was just above the trees and came to a halt where these two people were. She hid behind the leaves of an evergreen and listened. One of them was talking but it was difficult to decipher what they were saying because of the wind rustling the leaves. Karen leant further forward and could make out a man's voice, a voice she knew very well. It was Snape.
'You will be stopped, I guarantee it,' he said. 'Once this year at Hogwarts is over you will go straight to Azkaban,'
Then the other person spoke.
'You won't see the end of the year Snape,'
It was an eerily familiar voice. It sounded like the person who had visited Karen in her room those weeks ago.
'I guarantee that!' It said and then turned and disappeared into the trees.
Snape was left alone and stood solitary for a while before deciding to leave. Karen swiftly turned and zoomed back to the castle. She dismounted in front of Hogwarts' entrance and marched up to her room.
She walked to her office window and looked out at the forest. She gently put her broom down, balancing it against the wall, and continued to stare, drifting slowly into thought. What was Snape doing down there? Who was that he was with? And more importantly what were they talking about? Karen shook her head and came out of her daze. She looked at her desk and noticed a letter on it. She strolled over and looked down at it. It had just her name on the front in swirly handwriting and the usual Hogwarts' green ink. She lifted it and turned it over. It was just a piece of parchment folded in half, so she opened it and read:
I know you saw me.
Come down to my dungeon at 11 O'clock tonight.
I will explain all.
Karen sharply looked up and around her room.
'That was fast,' she said to herself and looking back at the note in her hand.
For the rest of the afternoon Karen sat in her office and wrote to her family. It had been two months since she had made contact with them. She used her muggle pen; a biro she found at the bottom of her bag, not the quill she uses for registers and reports. She kept up the charade of being an Art teacher as she wrote when she suddenly had a thought. If she wanted her relationship with Snape to move forward she had to reveal the fact that she is a muggle to him. Tonight.
Dinner was at 8pm. Karen sat at her seat and waited for Amber. Snape arrived and sat down and Karen gave him a sly wink. He nodded sharply to her keeping up his professional façade. Dinner was served but there was no sign of Amber. The empty seat next to Karen unsettled her a little. Amber never missed dinner. Karen ate her spaghetti bolognaise, messily and drank her wine. She leant forward and called to Dumbledore, 'Albus,'
'Yes,' Dumbledore leaned backwards and Karen copied him. 'What can I do for you?'
'Do you know where Amber is?'
'No,' he replied. 'I thought you might be able to tell me!'
Karen just shrugged, 'Do you know where I might find her?'
'It's possible she could be unwell. You could try the hospital wing,'
'Good idea,' Karen said. 'Thanks,'
After she had some Neapolitan ice cream she headed off to see Madame Pomfrey.
'Hello, Poppy. Is Professor Nettles in here?' she asked.
'No. No, she's not here,' Pomfrey replied. She was making the beds.
'Oh. Has she been in at all today?'
'Nope, I haven't seen her for ages,' Pomfrey said whilst shaking out a sheet.
'Hmm? Ok, thanks for your help,'
Karen went back to her room and decided to try and think of a way to break the news to Snape that she's of the muggle variety. She'd find Amber tomorrow.