Ye Olde Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Rurouni Kenshin
names, etc. don't belong to me... yes, I am consciously aware of this, and
yes, I swear that I am not making any money off of this story (at least not
that I am aware of anywho). I don't have anything right now that you can
take, anyways... Also, a lot of this is all J.K. Rowling's so I give her
props. Everything you see that isn't familiar is, well, mine. Please do not
use my original characters without my permission first- thank you ^_^.
Trinity Ferrell and the Heart of Darkness
First Year at Hogwarts
Chapter Eight- Conflicting Predictions
Saturday arrived quickly, between homework and going to the library. Howie often accompanied her to the library, and was a great help in finding books on Lord Voldemort. Of course, there was many books about him, and thousands of theories about how he lost his power, but there was also millions of books in the library.
Trinity had found out a ton about Voldemort and his Deatheaters, but one thing still bothered her that she couldn't find in any book- why he had not been mentioned before by her parents. The only conclusion she could come up with was that her parents knew about Lucius, and did not want anything to slip out from their children. Either that, or the fact that she had gone to grade school with Harry Potter, and they couldn't risk her knowing that he was a wizard celebrity.
Whatever the reason, Trinity was fascinated by Voldemort's history. What could drive a wizard into doing such horrible things? And why was he so angry with Muggles? Surely, she knew why her father was angry with Muggles, as he often expressed how much he dispised Vernon Dursley.
She decided that after meeting with Professor Trelawney, she would ask Howie if he'd like to do some more research. Something still told her to keep looking for more information.
She left her room and went up to the fourth-year girls' dormitory to wake up Celeste, who had promised to take her to the Divination classroom. The curtains were still drawn around Celeste's bed, and no one else was left in the room, most likely down at breakfast already. "Celeste! Time for breakfast!" Trinity walked over and threw open her sister's curtains.
"No! I don't wanna get up yet..." Celeste murmured, her voice slurred with sleep. She grabbed a pillow and hid her face behind it, blocking the flood of light.
"Come on, Celeste," Trinity said, grabbing the pillow away from her sister.
"Fine, fine," Celeste mumbled, not hiding her irritation. "I'm up, I'm up. You know, you scare me sometimes- you act just like Mom."
Trinity giggled and said, "Alright, then. After Quidditch practice you have to do your homework and clean your room."
"Very funny, Trin," Celeste playfully punched her sister's shoulder. "I'll meet you in the common room. Let me change in peace!"
"'Kay," Trinity said, then left the room and headed down the stairs to the common room.
She sat down in one of the plush chairs by the fire and watched Ron and Harry play wizard chess.
"Hello," she said politely.
"Hi," Ron said, not looking up from the chess board, obviously absorbed in their game.
"Hello," Harry said, looking up and smiling at her politely.
"Congratulations on joining the Quidditch team, Harry," Trinity said.
"Oh... yeah... thanks..." Harry grinned at her, locking his emerald eyes onto hers.
Trinity stared back at him oddly.
"Harry! Harry! HARRY IT'S YOUR TURN!" Ron waved his hand in Harry's face.
"Oh, right," Harry snapped out of his trance, rubbing his scar with his hand and turning back to their game.
'That was weird...' Trinity thought, looking away as Harry blushed and Ron teased him. 'Thank God Lavender and Parvati weren't here to see that. All I need is for them to tease me about Harry now.'
Just then Celeste came down the stairs. "Ready to go, Trin?" she asked.
"Yeah," Trinity quickly got up from the chair and headed out of the common room with her sister. "Bye Ron, bye Harry." She yelled back to them before the portrait closed behind them.
Trinity took in all of the sights on the way to the North tower, where the Divination classroom was. The first years had no classes in the section of Hogwarts, and it was all new to her. "I have to warn you, Trin," Celeste said as they passed a painting of a sleeping knight with a fat dapple-gray pony. "Professor Trelawney is- well, a little- um, out of it. Actually, compared to you, she's a total-"
"HALT! Intruders!" The knight awoke, and quickly stood up, his over- sized helmet clanging shut.
He struggled for a moment, then popped the lid back up. He was trying to unsheath his sword when Celeste snapped, "Oh bug off, Cadogan! Or I'll make sure to bring a paint brush next time and draw a dress and devil horns on you!"
Celeste took Trinity by the hand and led her away from Sir Cadogan's painting. "Don't mind him. Just a cooky old painting, really," Celeste told Trinity. "A lot of things in the North Tower are... well, we're here."
They stopped on a tiny landing that had no doors. Celeste pointed upward, showing Trinity the trapdoor with a brass plaque that read "Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher". Suddenly the circular trap door opened, and a silver ladder slowly descended.
"Well, I'll be going now," Celeste said. "I've got Quidditch practice." She beamed, and headed off back down the corridor. "Good luck, you'll need it dealing with her."
Trinity wasn't sure what to make of Celeste's last comment. She sucked in a deep breath and climbed up the ladder.
The classroom was most unusual, and reminded Trinity of the antique shop her mother sometimes went to in the Muggle world. There seemed to be a red haze of light surrounding the room, and it was very warm. The fire below a knick-knack covered mantle gave off a musky, perfume scent.
"Welcome, child," A soft, misty voice spoke from the shadows.
A woman with magnifying glasses and a glittery, gypsy-like attire popped up from a winged armchair by the fire.
"H-hi," Trinity greeted nervously.
Professor Trelawney smiled, then motioned for her to come closer. "Please have a seat, Miss Ferrell."
"Thank you," Trinity sank into a pouf near her armchair.
"They tell me you have what very few possess, the Inner Eye," she began quickly. "But of course I know this." She added even more hastily.
"Yes-"
"Don't speak, please," Professor Trelawney nearly snapped. "Let me take a look at you."
She got up and hovered around her a few minutes, her gaze penetrating and making Trinity feel uncomfortable. Then she stopped and returned to her chair again. "Professor Dumbledore says you fall into trances, correct?" she asked.
"Yes, Professor." Trinity nodded.
"But you can not control nor remember what happens during these 'trances', can you?"
"No."
"And so you come here to test your Inner Eye, and learn how to use it properly, correct?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. Shall we begin with the basics? Of course," Professor Trelawney clasped her bangled hands together then whisked over to grab a tea pot off the shelf. "While this brews, I must let you know a few things. These are important to know if you wish to pursue a career with a pure Inner Eye."
"Alright," Trinity smiled.
"First and foremost, you may become a target if you look into a Dark Wizard's mind," Professor Trelawney began. "You must remember not everything you shall see with your Inner Eye will be good, and some things are best left unsaid to thost with evil minds. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Next thing," she set the tea pot over the perfume-scented fire. "Never go to the Dark Arts. There may be times when you are lured towards them, but you must resist. Those who possess an Inner Eye who go into Dark Arts pollute themselves, mind, body, and soul alike."
Trinity nodded her understanding and said, "I would never go into the Dark Arts, Professor."
"And the final thing- most important, of course," Professor Trelawney said, emphasizing each word with glittering hand motions. "You must never use your Gift for fun, Trinity. Don't go searching out who will ask your friend out in the future, or other petty things like that. Over using your Inner Eye may cause it to lose focus on more important predictions. Understand?" She pointed her bony index finger into Trinity's face.
"Y-yes," Trinity said, shrinking back into the pouf.
"Good. Now, that about covers everything. We shall begin with reading tea leaves, then next week we will finish with those and proceed to palmistry. After Christmas we shall observe your skills with fire omens and a crystal ball." Professor Trelawney stopped suddenly. "Oh yes, dear me, I nearly forgot, child- your Inner Eye is strongest when both your mind and body are pure."
Trinity didn't understand what she meant by that. "Prof-"
She held up her hand, silencing her. "You must be a virgin, Miss Ferrell, to have a pure Inner Eye. Remember that."
Trinity went scarlet, and nodded quickly.
"Great. Now, let's see how good you can read tea leaves..."
An hour later Trinity walked into the library. She was still sleepy from the wafting fumes in the Divination class room, but managed to spot Howie at a table, and walked over beside him. "Any luck?" She asked in a hushed voice, taking the seat beside him.
Howie looked up from the thick book he was pouring over. "I've found out something interesting, actually," he whispered. "When Voldemort rose to power he had a partner."
"What? Really?! What else did it say?" Trinity asked.
"I'll read it to you- here," Howie skimmed the tiny print of the book with his finger as he read. "'Lord Voldemort was clever and powerful, but to gain the power necessary to perfect his army of Deatheaters he needed the help of another. He found the right man for the job- Menelus Darkheart, a graduate of Hogwarts. Darkheart had power equivalent to the Dark Lord and, if he had not joined forces with him, could have easily helped destroy him. It is said that Darkheart feared nothing, not even the only man Voldemort feared- Albus Dumbledore.' Wow, I can't believe that we haven't found too much on this guy before."
"Menelus Darkheart," Trinity whispered, mentally checking if she had heard that name before. "What else does it say?"
"That's all that's here," Howie said. "We could look around for more books on Darkheart if you'd like."
"Yes," she agreed. "I want to know who he is, what happened to him. Something is telling me we're close to finding something big."
"Yeah, I mean, not even Hermione has mentioned his name before. My question is how come nobody talks about Lord Voldemort's partner," Howie excitedly whispered.
They began to shuffle through the pile of books Howie gathered, searching for more information on Darkheart.
Only a few moments later, Trinity spotted a small paragraph on him. "Here!" Trinity exclaimed, and Madam Pince shot a look in their direction.
Trinity blushed, but read quietly to Howie. "It says here- 'Menelus Darkheart, infamously known as partner to Lord Voldemort, has always been a mysterious wizard. Little is known of his past, with exception of the fact that he had graduated from Hogwarts and was an outstanding student. One professor commented that he was an asset to Slytherin, his house in Hogwarts. Darkheart joined with Lord Voldemort after graduating from Hogwarts, however it is rumored that he had been in league with the Dark Lord for much longer than that. Even more puzzling is the fact that all photographs of Darkheart mysteriously vanished or blurred, and not even the professors can recall what he looked like. He had an obvious talent in memory charms, comments another professor. After joining the Deatheaters, Darkheart never showed his face, always wearing a hooded cloak, looking very much like a dementor. Darkheart was captured after the downfall of his Master, and faithful to Voldemort even in the end. According to some Deatheaters who claim to have been under the influence of Imperius, Darkheart was a feared man that sometimes intimidated Voldemort himself. When brought before the Ministry of Magic, he told them straight out that he did not fear Azkaban nor its dementors and their fatal kiss, not even death itself made this man flinch. He was imprisoned in Azkaban, but there have been urban legends of him breaking out of the impenitrable fortress.' Wow, this guy didn't play around."
"No... what's a dementor, and a dementor's kiss?" Howie asked.
Trinity explained quickly, then said, "There isn't much about him, we've been through all these books on Voldemort that we could get our hands on. That leaves us one option-" Her eyes glistened mischeviously. "We have to see if there is something on him in the restricted section."
"But we'll need a Professor's signature to get the book we need," Howie said.
"No problem," Trinity grinned. "I know just the one..."
~ To be continued...
Trinity Ferrell and the Heart of Darkness
First Year at Hogwarts
Chapter Eight- Conflicting Predictions
Saturday arrived quickly, between homework and going to the library. Howie often accompanied her to the library, and was a great help in finding books on Lord Voldemort. Of course, there was many books about him, and thousands of theories about how he lost his power, but there was also millions of books in the library.
Trinity had found out a ton about Voldemort and his Deatheaters, but one thing still bothered her that she couldn't find in any book- why he had not been mentioned before by her parents. The only conclusion she could come up with was that her parents knew about Lucius, and did not want anything to slip out from their children. Either that, or the fact that she had gone to grade school with Harry Potter, and they couldn't risk her knowing that he was a wizard celebrity.
Whatever the reason, Trinity was fascinated by Voldemort's history. What could drive a wizard into doing such horrible things? And why was he so angry with Muggles? Surely, she knew why her father was angry with Muggles, as he often expressed how much he dispised Vernon Dursley.
She decided that after meeting with Professor Trelawney, she would ask Howie if he'd like to do some more research. Something still told her to keep looking for more information.
She left her room and went up to the fourth-year girls' dormitory to wake up Celeste, who had promised to take her to the Divination classroom. The curtains were still drawn around Celeste's bed, and no one else was left in the room, most likely down at breakfast already. "Celeste! Time for breakfast!" Trinity walked over and threw open her sister's curtains.
"No! I don't wanna get up yet..." Celeste murmured, her voice slurred with sleep. She grabbed a pillow and hid her face behind it, blocking the flood of light.
"Come on, Celeste," Trinity said, grabbing the pillow away from her sister.
"Fine, fine," Celeste mumbled, not hiding her irritation. "I'm up, I'm up. You know, you scare me sometimes- you act just like Mom."
Trinity giggled and said, "Alright, then. After Quidditch practice you have to do your homework and clean your room."
"Very funny, Trin," Celeste playfully punched her sister's shoulder. "I'll meet you in the common room. Let me change in peace!"
"'Kay," Trinity said, then left the room and headed down the stairs to the common room.
She sat down in one of the plush chairs by the fire and watched Ron and Harry play wizard chess.
"Hello," she said politely.
"Hi," Ron said, not looking up from the chess board, obviously absorbed in their game.
"Hello," Harry said, looking up and smiling at her politely.
"Congratulations on joining the Quidditch team, Harry," Trinity said.
"Oh... yeah... thanks..." Harry grinned at her, locking his emerald eyes onto hers.
Trinity stared back at him oddly.
"Harry! Harry! HARRY IT'S YOUR TURN!" Ron waved his hand in Harry's face.
"Oh, right," Harry snapped out of his trance, rubbing his scar with his hand and turning back to their game.
'That was weird...' Trinity thought, looking away as Harry blushed and Ron teased him. 'Thank God Lavender and Parvati weren't here to see that. All I need is for them to tease me about Harry now.'
Just then Celeste came down the stairs. "Ready to go, Trin?" she asked.
"Yeah," Trinity quickly got up from the chair and headed out of the common room with her sister. "Bye Ron, bye Harry." She yelled back to them before the portrait closed behind them.
Trinity took in all of the sights on the way to the North tower, where the Divination classroom was. The first years had no classes in the section of Hogwarts, and it was all new to her. "I have to warn you, Trin," Celeste said as they passed a painting of a sleeping knight with a fat dapple-gray pony. "Professor Trelawney is- well, a little- um, out of it. Actually, compared to you, she's a total-"
"HALT! Intruders!" The knight awoke, and quickly stood up, his over- sized helmet clanging shut.
He struggled for a moment, then popped the lid back up. He was trying to unsheath his sword when Celeste snapped, "Oh bug off, Cadogan! Or I'll make sure to bring a paint brush next time and draw a dress and devil horns on you!"
Celeste took Trinity by the hand and led her away from Sir Cadogan's painting. "Don't mind him. Just a cooky old painting, really," Celeste told Trinity. "A lot of things in the North Tower are... well, we're here."
They stopped on a tiny landing that had no doors. Celeste pointed upward, showing Trinity the trapdoor with a brass plaque that read "Sibyll Trelawney, Divination teacher". Suddenly the circular trap door opened, and a silver ladder slowly descended.
"Well, I'll be going now," Celeste said. "I've got Quidditch practice." She beamed, and headed off back down the corridor. "Good luck, you'll need it dealing with her."
Trinity wasn't sure what to make of Celeste's last comment. She sucked in a deep breath and climbed up the ladder.
The classroom was most unusual, and reminded Trinity of the antique shop her mother sometimes went to in the Muggle world. There seemed to be a red haze of light surrounding the room, and it was very warm. The fire below a knick-knack covered mantle gave off a musky, perfume scent.
"Welcome, child," A soft, misty voice spoke from the shadows.
A woman with magnifying glasses and a glittery, gypsy-like attire popped up from a winged armchair by the fire.
"H-hi," Trinity greeted nervously.
Professor Trelawney smiled, then motioned for her to come closer. "Please have a seat, Miss Ferrell."
"Thank you," Trinity sank into a pouf near her armchair.
"They tell me you have what very few possess, the Inner Eye," she began quickly. "But of course I know this." She added even more hastily.
"Yes-"
"Don't speak, please," Professor Trelawney nearly snapped. "Let me take a look at you."
She got up and hovered around her a few minutes, her gaze penetrating and making Trinity feel uncomfortable. Then she stopped and returned to her chair again. "Professor Dumbledore says you fall into trances, correct?" she asked.
"Yes, Professor." Trinity nodded.
"But you can not control nor remember what happens during these 'trances', can you?"
"No."
"And so you come here to test your Inner Eye, and learn how to use it properly, correct?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. Shall we begin with the basics? Of course," Professor Trelawney clasped her bangled hands together then whisked over to grab a tea pot off the shelf. "While this brews, I must let you know a few things. These are important to know if you wish to pursue a career with a pure Inner Eye."
"Alright," Trinity smiled.
"First and foremost, you may become a target if you look into a Dark Wizard's mind," Professor Trelawney began. "You must remember not everything you shall see with your Inner Eye will be good, and some things are best left unsaid to thost with evil minds. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good. Next thing," she set the tea pot over the perfume-scented fire. "Never go to the Dark Arts. There may be times when you are lured towards them, but you must resist. Those who possess an Inner Eye who go into Dark Arts pollute themselves, mind, body, and soul alike."
Trinity nodded her understanding and said, "I would never go into the Dark Arts, Professor."
"And the final thing- most important, of course," Professor Trelawney said, emphasizing each word with glittering hand motions. "You must never use your Gift for fun, Trinity. Don't go searching out who will ask your friend out in the future, or other petty things like that. Over using your Inner Eye may cause it to lose focus on more important predictions. Understand?" She pointed her bony index finger into Trinity's face.
"Y-yes," Trinity said, shrinking back into the pouf.
"Good. Now, that about covers everything. We shall begin with reading tea leaves, then next week we will finish with those and proceed to palmistry. After Christmas we shall observe your skills with fire omens and a crystal ball." Professor Trelawney stopped suddenly. "Oh yes, dear me, I nearly forgot, child- your Inner Eye is strongest when both your mind and body are pure."
Trinity didn't understand what she meant by that. "Prof-"
She held up her hand, silencing her. "You must be a virgin, Miss Ferrell, to have a pure Inner Eye. Remember that."
Trinity went scarlet, and nodded quickly.
"Great. Now, let's see how good you can read tea leaves..."
An hour later Trinity walked into the library. She was still sleepy from the wafting fumes in the Divination class room, but managed to spot Howie at a table, and walked over beside him. "Any luck?" She asked in a hushed voice, taking the seat beside him.
Howie looked up from the thick book he was pouring over. "I've found out something interesting, actually," he whispered. "When Voldemort rose to power he had a partner."
"What? Really?! What else did it say?" Trinity asked.
"I'll read it to you- here," Howie skimmed the tiny print of the book with his finger as he read. "'Lord Voldemort was clever and powerful, but to gain the power necessary to perfect his army of Deatheaters he needed the help of another. He found the right man for the job- Menelus Darkheart, a graduate of Hogwarts. Darkheart had power equivalent to the Dark Lord and, if he had not joined forces with him, could have easily helped destroy him. It is said that Darkheart feared nothing, not even the only man Voldemort feared- Albus Dumbledore.' Wow, I can't believe that we haven't found too much on this guy before."
"Menelus Darkheart," Trinity whispered, mentally checking if she had heard that name before. "What else does it say?"
"That's all that's here," Howie said. "We could look around for more books on Darkheart if you'd like."
"Yes," she agreed. "I want to know who he is, what happened to him. Something is telling me we're close to finding something big."
"Yeah, I mean, not even Hermione has mentioned his name before. My question is how come nobody talks about Lord Voldemort's partner," Howie excitedly whispered.
They began to shuffle through the pile of books Howie gathered, searching for more information on Darkheart.
Only a few moments later, Trinity spotted a small paragraph on him. "Here!" Trinity exclaimed, and Madam Pince shot a look in their direction.
Trinity blushed, but read quietly to Howie. "It says here- 'Menelus Darkheart, infamously known as partner to Lord Voldemort, has always been a mysterious wizard. Little is known of his past, with exception of the fact that he had graduated from Hogwarts and was an outstanding student. One professor commented that he was an asset to Slytherin, his house in Hogwarts. Darkheart joined with Lord Voldemort after graduating from Hogwarts, however it is rumored that he had been in league with the Dark Lord for much longer than that. Even more puzzling is the fact that all photographs of Darkheart mysteriously vanished or blurred, and not even the professors can recall what he looked like. He had an obvious talent in memory charms, comments another professor. After joining the Deatheaters, Darkheart never showed his face, always wearing a hooded cloak, looking very much like a dementor. Darkheart was captured after the downfall of his Master, and faithful to Voldemort even in the end. According to some Deatheaters who claim to have been under the influence of Imperius, Darkheart was a feared man that sometimes intimidated Voldemort himself. When brought before the Ministry of Magic, he told them straight out that he did not fear Azkaban nor its dementors and their fatal kiss, not even death itself made this man flinch. He was imprisoned in Azkaban, but there have been urban legends of him breaking out of the impenitrable fortress.' Wow, this guy didn't play around."
"No... what's a dementor, and a dementor's kiss?" Howie asked.
Trinity explained quickly, then said, "There isn't much about him, we've been through all these books on Voldemort that we could get our hands on. That leaves us one option-" Her eyes glistened mischeviously. "We have to see if there is something on him in the restricted section."
"But we'll need a Professor's signature to get the book we need," Howie said.
"No problem," Trinity grinned. "I know just the one..."
~ To be continued...