Perseus

Now that the holiday's were over, life had resumed it's normal state in Ravenclaw tower.

Lessons began again, and the school was abuzz with talk of the upcoming game – Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor.

Anna had kept the locket around her neck ever since the night she had found it, but she tucked it under the collar of her robes as best she could. Somehow, she didn't quite feel like explaining what it was, or how she had received it, even to the members of the Quindecimdei.

She continued to sneak out to see Aurora, though she was only brave enough to chance it once a week. Every Thursday the unicorn appeared heavier and heavier. And every Friday, Anna's head continued to droop farther and farther in Potions.

It was mid-February, a week before the match was to take place, that Anna finally succumbed to her sleepiness once more. One moment, she had been writing notes, quill in hand, the blackboard swinging hazily in front of her, the next, she had awoken to find the entire class staring at her in silence. She lifted her head from her arms, a blot of green ink on her cheek. She raised her eyes to Professor Snape, dreading what would come next.

"That will be detention and ten points from Ravenclaw, Miss Moon." Snape smiled nastily. "And if you fall asleep again, I will see fit to go to the headmaster, and tell him of your unsatisfactory work in this class."

Anna served her detention that evening, thinking all the while of the meeting tomorrow night. A couple of Hufflepuff second years were there as well, including Abby Murphy from Miss Marple's. Anna gave her a wave and a weak smile, but didn't chance talking – she was in enough trouble as it was. But as Anna was at the sink, scrubbing out one of the cauldrons they were being made to clean, Abby came over to dump out a failed potion.

"Hallo," she whispered. "I've been meaning to stop by and talk to you, Hannah and Susan were telling me you were in their Potions class. How's it going for you."

Anna glanced about, making sure Snape was out of a whisper' earshot. "Oh, pretty well, thanks. Except for this of course." She nodded slightly to Snape.

"Ah, yes," whispered Abby sagely. "Well, no one really likes Potions, except the Slytherins of course. And even some of them can't stand Snape. Aidan said he'd had detention with you before."

Anna nodded grimly. "This is my second time in detention. I just can't seem to stay awake…"

Abby stifled a giggled, turning it into a hacking cough as Snape glared up. "That will do, Miss Murphy, return to your seat. Miss Moon, how long can it possibly take to clean one cauldron? Hurry up," he snapped. Anna was quite glad when they were all allowed to leave. She walked up to the entrance hall with the Hufflepuffs, then waved goodbye to Abby as she walked off down a passageway opposite the dungeons.

Anna needed a good break. On Saturday, at midnight, the girls gathered in their candle-lit circle. Lisa shared the Valentines Day candy she had received from a 'secret' admirer, blushing furiously when Mandy swore up and down she had seen Terry Boot receive a parcel in the same shape by owl the previous morning.

Aside from eating chocolate, and discussing their History of Magic paper ("Four full pieces of parchment!" Padma groaned), the meeting was rather uneventful. The girls had fell into a quandary about what exactly they should do next, as none of them had previous experiences with secret societies. In books, things always just happened, Anna thought, frustrated. Certainly, between the unicorns and her locket, she had had enough adventures to satisfy her for one year, but the club had not. Yet Anna still didn't feel like sharing either with her friends.

But as she leaned over to grab another piece of chocolate, both necklaces managed to slip out of her nightgown. They went unnoticed for a while, but then Ophelia's eyes widened.

"Anna, where did you get that necklace?"

For a moment, she was confused, holding up her fifth of the star. "Wha – this?" she asked frowning. Then she realized, blushing, and her hand flew to her throat. "Oh, this! It's nothing… family heirloom."

"When did you get it?" Lisa persisted.

"Witt sent it to me," Anna lied, blushing even deeper. She couldn't look Lisa in the eye somehow.

"It looks like a locket," Padma observed. "Did you put pictures in it?"

"No," Anna mumbled to her lap. "It came with a picture already in it."

"May we see?" asked Ophelia eagerly.

Anna clasped her hand over it tightly. "Um… I'd rather not right now. It's a bit personal.

"Oh." Here Ophelia blushed and lowered her eyes, realizing at last whose pictures they must be, and why Anna didn't want to show it. There was an uncomfortable silence, broken finally by Mandy.

"Well, it's quite lovely. Er – next item?"

Lisa began to babble on about their Transfiguration homework. Usually, Anna would have been glad to help, but for the rest of the meeting, she remained silent. For the first time after a Quindecimdei night, Anna was glad to get into bed and fall asleep.

*                      *                      *

At long last, it was Thursday again. Anna hadn't been to see Aurora for a full week, and it was becoming more and more painful each time. She was dismayed to find that Aurora was not waiting for her at the edge of the woods as she had been the past few times. Anna tried calling out to her, but there was no response, no gentle pounding of hooves from the direction of the dark woods. Anna began to worry. What could be wrong? For a moment, she hovered at the edge of the forest, uncertain of what to do next. Then she made up her mind. She was going in. Raising her shoulders, and stiffening her spine, Anna marched into the Forbidden Forest alone.

She stumbled through the darkness, with only the light of her wand to guide her. Her eyes flickered to the dark trees warily. Somehow the forest had never seemed this frightening when she was with Aurora. A noise caught her attention off to the left, and her heart leapt to her throat. She held up her wand, then extinguished it for fear that the creature who had made the noise would be able to see her. She crept along the overgrown path, feeling her way along. Several times she stumbled, tripping over the hem of her robes or a stray root, poking up through the ground. She rubbed her knee, and realized from the blood on her hand that she must have skinned it. The wind caused the leaves of the trees to whisper ominously, as if they knew an intruder was present, and they were plotting to get rid of her. An owl hooted in a nearby tree. Anna gasped, glancing up at it. It stared down at her imperiously before taking flight. A snap of a twig came from her right. Anna was now trembling. Another snap… Anna began to run, tears streaming down her face. She had to find Aurora – she could never make it out of her on her own.

She didn't stop running until she heard the stream, far ahead. Gasping for breath, and clutching a stitch in her side, she ran toward the happy sound. Finally, she stumbled into the clearing. The unicorns looked up, startled; some turned and galloped off. And then Anna saw her.

Aurora lay by the waterfall, which was running freely once more. Her head was nestled in, however, gently nuzzling a brilliant gold shape at her side. Anna approached cautiously, her hand to her mouth. It was a baby – a dazzling, golden baby unicorn.

As Anna reached the pair, Aurora lifted her head, tossing it a bit as if to say 'see?' "How lovely," Anna breathed in, tentatively offering a hand for the baby to sniff. Aurora seemed to allow this, so Anna ran her hand over the baby's soft coat. Anna withdrew her hand suddenly as she felt something was not quite right. Just then, the baby ruffled it's wings.

They had blended in so perfectly with the baby's shiny back, Anna had not noticed them at first, but the foal was certainly was not all unicorn. It looked up at her with it's large pink eyes, ones that would change to silver as it grew older. "You're part Pegasus," Anna breathed. "Like in the legend of Perseus." Aurora's head rose at this. "Perseus? Oh, Aurora, your baby's beautiful. I think I will call him Perseus – if it's alright with you."

The unicorn made no sign of displeasure, so Anna took this as a yes, and knelt down next to the two, stroking the baby gently.

*                      *                      *

            Anna managed to make it through Potions on Friday, wide awake. And Professor Snape seemed preoccupied, which was wonderful, as he seemed to pick on the class less, and allowed them to complete their Boil Brew in peace.

            "It's the quidditch match, that's what's keeping him quiet," said Padma as they left. "He's refereeing on Saturday."

            Mandy and Lisa started giggling at the mental image of Professor Snape on a broom, but Anna frowned.

            "But isn't that unfair? I mean, he can't be impartial, can he, especially after Gryffindor beat Slytherin?"

            Ophelia frowned at this too. "It is strange," she said, "but Dumbledore must have thought it alright. He has to approve any changes, you know, Julie told me once…"

            She went on to inform them of all the nuances of refereeing Quidditch. Anna only half-listened, smiling and nodding.

            "…I'm sure she'll be quite upset about all this." They had reached the Great Hall.

            "Ah…" breathed Mandy, inhaling deeply. "Doesn't that smell great? I'm starved… Good food to eat and a Quidditch match tomorrow! It doesn't get much better than this."

            It was a nice enough day for late February, the sun was shining, although it was still a bit blustery. Anna and the others sat at the edge of the Ravenclaw crowd, alongside the Gryffindors. Julie Fawcett came to join them, and Padma's twin sister Parvati, along with her friend Lavender Brown. Julie did indeed have a lot to say about Snape refereeing the match, and the younger girls all sat listening in awe, especially the Gryffindor's, who couldn't seem to believe a seventh year was talking to them.

            "Oliver was a wreck, came to me asking if I could talk to Madam Hooch, or even Dumbledore, since I'm head girl. I told him part of my duty is to be impartial, which upset him quite a bit, he even said I didn't have proper house pride, although he did apologize later, dear boy. But I did ask Madam Hooch… she seemed to find it odd herself, but as Dumbledore gave Snape his consent, there wasn't much she could do… Oh, I just do hope it's a safe game! We've got a wonderful new seeker – Harry Potter you know, yes, you saw the last match… If he stays injury free, he could give Gryffindor a good seven-years worth of performances. Oliver says he's as good as Charlie Weasley, though I have yet to see that" (here, she paused and blushed a bit), "but as long as his performance doesn't echo last week's – very dodgy, the whole broom business…"

            Anna liked Julie right away, and could see why studious, shy Ophelia idolized her. And she was very beautiful, but no more so than Ophelia. They looked quite similar, both with long, pale blond hair – as did Beatrice, Ophelia's next oldest sister. Anna found herself wondering if Desdemona was the same way.

            Then, the match had begun. Up in the air the teams flew. Anna felt rather impartial about this game, though she knew Gryffindor had a stronger side, she had friends in Hufflepuff.

            Almost immediately, a penalty was called on Gryffindor, for one of the Weasley beaters aiming a bludger at Snape. ("Drat!" Mandy had cried as it narrowly missed him) Julie began to nod grimly. "Oh, George – don't give him anything to play on!" she shouted through cupped hands. A few moments later, another penalty was awarded against Gryffindor, this time for no apparent reason. Julie buried her head in her hands. "I can't watch," she muttered. "Please tell me when it's over, Phelia." Ophelia patted her sister on the back in a consoling way.

            Then, the crowd around them rose. The Gryffindor seeker had obviously spotted something – he was diving, faster now –  he had almost hit Snape – Julie raised her head from her hands to watch – and then he had it. Harry Potter soared up over the ground, hand raised high, snitch tightly grasped in his fist.

            There was a sudden roar as all the Gryffindor's began to cheer. Anna couldn't help it, she joined in as well. Turning to Julie, she asked, "Are they usually this fast?"

            Julie shook her head, still standing up on her seat, clapping. "Never – it's got to be some sort of school record – Wonderful job! Bravo!"

*                      *                      *

By Wednesday, talk of Quidditch had worn down again. Roger could be seen more often in the common room, his team mates by his side. He looked rather worried, Anna noted. Mandy explained to her that this was because Gryffindor's victory against Hufflepuff left them the highest ranked team at the moment, and this meant that Ravenclaw would not only have to beat Slytherin (they had already played Hufflepuff, right before Christmas Break), but Gryffindor in the last game of the season as well. And the odds were looking slimmer after Harry Potter's performance in Saturdays game. The Ravenclaw team could be seen down on the field, practicing in even the worst conditions. The match against Slytherin was only a month away. This seemed a long time to Anna, but Roger assured her it was not.

 And yet, time dragged on slowly. Anna waited through all of Thursday's lessons impatiently, not fully paying attention for the first time. She let her mind wander down to the forest, down to the unicorns. How was Aurora doing, she wondered, and Perseus? She was going back to visit them tonight, against her better judgment. She knew she should stay in the castle, where it was safe, but she couldn't help feeling as if Aurora would be disappointed if she didn't visit, especially now, with Perseus. The unicorn had sought her out for some reason, and even if Anna didn't know what it was, she was quite happy to play along.

That night, she lay in bed dressed, pretending to be asleep. She waited for an hour after the last curtain had closed. Then, silently, she crept down the common room, where she laced up her boots. Out along the quiet corridor she walked, pausing occasionally to listen for footsteps. It was quite lucky she did this, as turning a corner on the third floor, she heard the echo of heavy footfalls. She ducked inside an empty classroom, and waited, holding her breath. Through the crack between the hinges, she watched as Professor Snape swept by. What was he doing out this time of night? Anna would have to be more careful. She counted the minutes in her head, until at long last, she was sure he was gone. Then she made her way down to the main hall, and out the great doors.

The forest seemed less foreboding than it had on her last visit, but Anna was still careful to not make a sound as she walked down the brush-strewn path. After a good half-hour, she was met with the welcome sound of running water. This time, Aurora was at the edge of the clearing to meet her. Anna hugged the unicorn, stroking her neck gently. Then she crouched to pet Perseus as well. He was now standing, still on rather wobbly legs. Anna grinned as he nuzzled her face, trying to chew at her nose.

"Stop that," she laughed, the animal's warm tongue licking her face.

She didn't stay very long, but when she left, Aurora escorted her to the edge of the forest, then trod off into the woods, baby at her side. Smiling, Anna turned to walk back up to the castle. But just then, a monstrous hand clasped her shoulder from behind.

 After she finished screaming, she swept around to face a very startled looking Hagrid, boarhound at his side. "What're you doin' out here at this time'o the night? At any time for that matter!"

            "Oh, Hagrid," cried Anna, a bit angrily, "you nearly scared me to death."

            "I don' have to bother with that, the way yer sneaking about in the Forest after dark. You coulda been killed!"

            "Not with the unicorns! They wouldn't let anything happen to me."

A look of relief swept across Hagrid's broad face, followed by a look of concern. "So that's what you've bin after. Look, Miss Anna, unicorns are powerful creatures, an' they can mind themselves. But there're also dangerous things in these woods, an' they're not quite as concerned with the safety of a firs' year wizard. Promise me you won' go in the Forbidden Forest by yer self again."

"But Hagrid-,"Anna protested.

"Promise?" he repeated. His dark eyes gazed pleadingly into hers.

"Oh, all right" Anna sighed.

"Good then. I'll walk ye up to the castle."

The next week was a rather miserable one. News of Anna's Friday night detentions traveled somehow, and by Tuesday's Herbology lesson, Pansy Parkinson had heard. She dropped by the dittany that the Ravenclaws were inspecting.

"Oh, the help can't even stay awake in class anymore," simpered Pansy, under her breath. "Think you'll be expelled Anna? Then you can go spend time with that Hagrid beast – help be a game keeper. That is what you want, isn't it? Hanging out by the forbidden forest – yes, you're a goner!"

Anna paled at this remark. How could Pansy know about her escapades in the forest? Hagrid hadn't told her, had he? She would have to be more careful.

She was still mulling over Pansy's words as the club walked into the entrance hall together, Padma and Ophelia now happily chatting away with Susan and Hannah as well. Professor Dumbledore crossed the Great Hall in front of them, and to Anna's shock, stopped as they filed neatly in the doorway, and addressed her.

"Hello, Miss Moon." Anna was astounded that he knew her name, although she supposed a moment later that it was his job. "How are your classes going?" He asked her, eyes twinkling.

"Er – fine sir." If she had been more prepared, she certainly would have tried to find a way to lodge a complaint against Professor Snape's treatment of her classmates, though at the moment, Anna thought it best not to implicate herself. Dumbledore, however, seemed  to read her mind.

"Finding Potions any more interesting lately?" he inquired. Anna blushed, but Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Professor Snape told me of your tendency to – er – drop off in his class. But I do say, you might find other subjects more fascinating. I took the liberty of borrowing this from Madam Pince. Hagrid told me you were quite interested in magical creatures, especially unicorns. Perhaps this book will intrigue you…" he pulled a heavy volume from his robes. Anna stared up at him, dumbfounded, but the Headmaster only smiled, and turned to leave. Anna was still staring when he turned.

"And Miss Moon, please do take care of yourself. The grounds of Hogwarts are quite enjoyable, but I would advise you not to visit certain parts after-hours, or at any time alone." He tapped his crescent shaped glasses once, then swept away up the great staircase, leaving Anna standing there, a copy of 'Nature's Unique Magical Species ~ A Complete Guide; from Werewolves to Unicorns' clasped in her hands.