The Alethiometer
The morning came soon. Shoron had been awakened twice during the night. He had an odd dream. There was a girl. A round his height and she was being forced to do things. Bad things. Things she was scared and didn't want to do. They had been so realistic, but Shoron wouldn't believe they were. They're just dreams, he said to himself. His daemon, Sophonax, was asleep on the trunk at the foot of his bed as a cat. He looked out the window and saw that the sun was rising, so he decided to get dressed and go downstairs into the common room until breakfast. To his surprise, Octavian was already there sitting in front of the fire, as well as Selena.
"Morning." He said lazily.
"Morning." They both replied back.
"What are you two doing up so early?"
"We might ask you the same question." Said Octavian.
"Eh… Couldn't sleep."
"Same here." Replied Selena, Pan at her side in the form of a chubby ginger cat. Shoron walked over and sat in the chair besides her. Sophonax was now her usual wolf form at his side. They just sat in their places until the sun was fully up which was when they walked to the great hall. They sat in their usual place at the Gryffindor table. Few people were there. Shoron spotted Kat at the Hufflepuff table, puffy eyed. Slowly he ate his eggs and bacon with a warm cup of hot coco. Slowly they ate and by the time they were almost done the hall was full like it had been the night before. The buzz of people was back and quieted only for a while when the storm of owls came in. There wasn't anything for Shoron, Selena, or Octavian except the schedule sheet being passed out by McGonagall.
"So what do we have first?" Asked Shoron while sipping his coco.
"Uh…Double Potions." Said Selena.
"What a great way to start our first day…" Sarcastically said Shoron.
"Its not that bad." Said Octavian.
"How can it not be bad?" Blurted Shoron disbelievingly.
"No Slytherins."
"Really?!" Asked Selena, "Then who do we have them with?"
"The Ravenclaws." A bell rang from somewhere and Octavian, as a reaction, put his hand on Selena's shoulder and Selena on Shoron's. Almost automatically he orbed them outside the potions lab. It was a little trick they had planned so as to not be late to class, and the best thing about it was that Snape couldn't do anything about it. They knew oh so well that he wanted them to get detention for doing it. Something about cheating and unfairness to the other students. However, Snape had gotten Dumbledore to not allow their daemons in his class, so while they were in there, their daemons were out somewhere sleeping usually or playing. Slowly the students came, and too soon for Shoron, Snape opened the door to begin class.
"Today," He said in his cold voice, "We'll be making a basic sleeping potion. This should be simple enough for all of you." And without another word, they got to work. Simply, Shoron made his potion, since potions was his best subject. "Alright, now everybody should be done by now, start making an antidote." Snape said at the middle of class. As usual, Shoron had already started his. Finally, the end of class came and it was time for Charms. Shoron passed Michelle in the hall and took no notice to her odd grin. He got to class early with Octavian and Selena and looked through his book bag for a pencil.
"Oh my god!" He yelped.
"What is it?" Selena worriedly asked.
"Someone's taken the alethiometer!" The alethiometer is a truth reader with 30 simbles each with hundreds if not thousands of meanings. It was Shoron's pride and joy that he could read it so easily, but now it was gone.
"Who could've taken it?" Asked Octavian.
"I dunno!" Shoron barked, while slipping his bag on is shoulder. " What I do know is that I have to find it!" As he passed the door he accidentally knocked down the tiny Professor Flitwick in his rush. He thought to Sophonax what had just happened and in a flash she was on his shoulder as a snowy owl.
"More slowly. Your thinking to fast. Maybe you just dropped it."
"That can't be, Soph! Its gold! I would've heard it fall!"
"Would you? In this noisy mess of a hallway?"
"Maybe. I'll retrace my steps." And he did, but there was no sign of the precious alethiometer.
"Maybe it's still in the common room. You might think you put it in your bag and really have left it in there."
"Alright." With even more worry then before, Shoron orbed them into his dormitory and started digging through his trunk.
"Uh! I can't find it!" The worry was finally starting to show in Sophonax's eyes.
"Well, what are you going to do now?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe go to Dumbledore, but I don't want to worry him! Uh! What do I do Sophonax?!" He put his face in his hands in frustration.
"We can't have the entire school looking for the alethiometer, so I say you look for it on your own."
"Sophonax! Are you hearing yourself?! Hogwarts is huge! I can't go around asking people if they have the alethiometer! And who says Dumbledore will make the entire school search for it?! Maybe it'll be just the teachers!"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"Got any other great ideas?"
Ya. Patty or Kat. Maybe even Selena."
"What can they do? The castle is still to big for all of us."
"Yes, but they can use there divination abilities to find it."
"I'm not sure on Patty. She only gets premonitions from that scar of hers by random."
"But they've always been important things. As your step mother says 'Magic happens for a reason'."
"Well I don't have anything that will spark a premonition like that!"
"Alright then, Kat."
"Fine. I'll ask her at lunch. Better go explain to Flitwick now." So he orbed into the still in session charms class and explained why he was late. He said that he had been off in the forest vanquishing a demon, which was a lie of course. Soon enough the bell rang signaling the start of lunch. Shoron rushed into the great hall to find Kat already eating.
"Kat!"
"Ya? Oh hi!"
"Ya, uh-um, hi, listen, I need your help."
"In doing what?" She asked with a suspicious look in her eyes.
"In finding the alethiometer." He said in a whisper.
"What?!"
"Shhh!"
"You lost it?!" She screamed in a lower tone.
"Well…no. It was stolen."
"What can I do?"
"Use divination to find it."
"How do you know I can do it?"
"I trust you."
"Alright. When?"
"Tonight. I need it back as soon as possible." She nodded her head in agreement and Shoron walked off to his seat.
Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, Michelle was looking over the alethiometer. Trying to figure out how to read it. Her mother had asked her to get it for her so that the dark lord could use it to take over. But the books of readings weren't in there possession meaning they couldn't read the alethiometer. Michelle was supposed to turn it in by the end of the week so she held onto it. That night Shoron slept uneasily, and neither did Patricia without even knowing the alethiometer was missing. She also had a dream. There was a snake. A slimy green snake. Then there was a compass like thing and the same girl from Shoron's dream gave the snake the compass like object. Darkness. Her mind fell into darkness and her scar filled with pain. A burning sensation came over her and next thing she knew she was sitting up in her bed hot and sweaty under the moonlight. The pain on her scar had stopped the moment she awoke. The dream made no meaning to her what so ever. So she thought of it as just a nightmare and went back to sleep.
The next morning Shoron woke up even earlier and looked through his trunk again. Still no sign of the alethiometer. Sadly he got dressed and went down into the common room. This time it was empty and he just sat there thinking on what to do. Should he write a letter to his stepmother? He didn't want to worry her either, but he had to. So back up the stairs into his dormitory and back down with a piece of parchment, quill, and ink bottle. Dear Mum, he started. How to start? The rest came easily.
Dear Mum,
Having great fun. I have some bad news though. The alethiometer has been stolen. Don't go crazy now. I'll find it. Try to stay calm.
Love,
Shoron
He read it over. A bit to forward he thought but he had to tell her. So off to the owlery he went and had a school owl deliver his letter. Then into the great hall since by now the sun had fully risen. He sat in his usual place, as always, and ate breakfast. Shoron looked up at the incoming owls.
"What's today?" Asked Shoron gloomily.
"Defense against the dark arts." Replied Selena in a bored manner.
"Who'd they get this year?" Asked Octavian.
"Umm…."
"Oh great! Who is it, Selena?!" Snapped Shoron.
"Mrs. Malfoy. …" An expression of shock popped out of Shoron's face. Mr. Malfoy had been his father's rival and they had died in battle along with his mother. And worst of all Voldemort was the one that had done it. (Need to do a fiction on that) The bell then rang for the start of class. Shoron didn't budge.
"Shoron? Shoron! Wake up! We've gotta get to class!" Selena urged. Slowly and reluctantly Shoron picked up his bag and stood up. Again he froze. And after a few minutes he finally orbed them to class. Once more he froze outside the door. The door opened and there she was. The beautiful women with her light blonde hair and pale blue eyes in robes of black.
"Welcome!" She greeted and moved to the side. The students then filled in and sat in their seats. Shoron dragged Selena and Octavian to seats in the very back off the class. He tried to use his bangs to cover up his scar a little more.
"Welcome to a new year in Defense Against the Dark Arts. My name is Professor Malfoy. Today we'll be taking a quiz to see how much you know." She spoke merrily and this felt wrong to Shoron. A student handed out the quiz and they began. Every few minutes Shoron looked up to the clock and finally the bell rang.
"Pass your papers forward." And they did as they walked out of the class. As Shoron passed Professor Malfoy he tried to avoid eye contact. He didn't notice that she was staring at him.
"Now what?" Asked Shoron.
"Transfiguration." Replied Selena. As soon as the bell rang to signal the beginning of class Professor McGonagall had them turning picture frames into tables. Within a few minutes Shoron had completed this as he approached McGonagall.
"Professor, I have an odd feeling on my scar." He lied.
"A demon?"
"Yes. I finished my work, can I go check it out?"
"Yes. Of course." So he left the class intending to find Kat. He hadn't been able to meet her last night. She was in Care for Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors, meaning Matt was there. He could use him too, he thought and greeted Hagrid.
"Hagrid, I need Kat and Matt."
"Now?"
"Yes. I don't have time to explain right now but I promise I will later."
"Alright then. Kat! Matt! Come over' ere! You're going with Shoron!" They walked over and Shoron led them into the entrance hall.
"Kat, I need you to listen to what I tell you, ok." And he orbed them in front of the divination lab. "Tell Professor Trewlany you need a crystal ball for Professor Vector's class. To prove a point."
"Umm…Ok." She climbed up the rope ladder and a few minutes later she came back down with a crystal ball in her arms.
"Ok, what do you need me for?" Said Matt.
"To help me find the alethiometer." He orbed them into an empty classroom where they set up a table and out the crystal ball on it. Kat sat in a chair and concentrated on the ball.
"I…I can't see anything. It looks like a clue was already sent. A dream is all it says." Shoron sighed. Now what was he to do? They went back to the rest of class. When it was over Shoron ran straight up to his dormitory and lay in his bed face down.