Author: Sirius White
Author email: siriuswhite@schnoogle.com
Category: Romance/Adventure/Action/Mystery
Keywords: Artio Sperios, Patrick, Anaras, Captain Dolphin, Lusitania
Spoilers: All the four books and QTTA and FB.
Rating: PG
Summary: Artio is a girl who goes to a magical school, like Hogwarts. She is going for the first year and very strange things happen. Patrick is a boy who people don't like. Why?
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned By JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Dedicated to my readers. Thanks Jo, for the beta reader work.
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Lusitania
BY S I R I U S W H I T E
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FIFTH CHAPTER
DARK TIMES
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If Carldonne and Cynthia hadn't been so excited, they would have heard Captain Dolphin:
"Now I'm sure the world will End. And this is just the Beginning"
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"Are you afraid?" Gilbert asked Artio.
"Me? No! Captain Dolphin told me this was safe, so I'm not afraid…" Artio replied.
"So we can fly faster," as he whipped the dragon the velocity increased, and Artio started to be afraid "Are you sure you aren't afraid?" asked Gilbert again, seeing that she did feel afraid.
"No, well I feel afraid a bit, but I can stand it" Artio said, and changed the subject "What's the dragon's name?"
"Shilta, she is a female dragon…"
"Does she obey you?" Artio asked, doubting.
"Sometimes, except when she wants to be with male dragons… You seem to confide in Captain Dolphin, don't you?"
"Yes," she agreed, "he explained me why my parents divorced, and about Jer… Patrick, he explained me many things and he is very important for me… I really don't know why does he treat me with a special manner, but maybe is because that Patrick thing…"
"Robin is ever the same, he never loses an opportunity…"
"Who?" Artio asked, "Who's Robin?"
"Oh, I forgot he never says his real name… Captain Dolphin is a good nickname to a person like him, he needs one in fact."
"Captain Dolphin is Robin?" she asked, confused.
"Robin Stormd'sky" Gilbert said "mostly known as Captain Dolphin, Hahaha!" he laughed.
"Stormd'sky? Professor Shayra is his wife?"
"Sister" Gilbert corrected "Robin and Shayra also have another brother but he was expelled from the academy in his last year…"
"Why?" Artio asked, interested.
"He was trapped… Lungush forced him to steal a thing from the academy and Josh Darkwater saw him, and denounced him to Robin and Shayra, who were already professors there… but that's another story."
"Who are Lungush and Josh Darkwater?" she asked, confused one more time.
"Josh was his best friend, before trapping him, Lungush is a powerful Death Eater that dreams to be the Dark Master, after killing You-Know-Who…"
"Are still Death Eaters here?"
"Unfortunately, yes" Gilbert said, "Lungush is the Left Arm of the dark lord. He would be the Right one, if there wasn't Malfoy… Josh were Lungush's friend… now he isn't: he has all he wanted, Professor and Head of House in Lusitania"
"What house?" Artio asked.
"What do you think?"
"Shark."
"Sure," agreed Gilbert.
"And where's Captain Dolphin's and Professor Shayra's brother now?"
"At the moment he is flying, sitting, talking to you."
"Are you their expelled brother?" she asked.
"Is someone else talking to you now?" he added, "Gilbert Stormd'sky, pleased to meet you."
"I can't believe it! They expelled you? Why didn't you tell them what really happened?"
"I tried… Robin gives me some things to do, like this, to carry you to London, and I have my own job…" Gilbert explained.
"What do you do?"
"Dragons… I love Dragons."
"I see…"
"Please" he said "don't tell anyone about what you heard… that's only for your own knowledge."
"Okay," She agreed.
"Now try to sleep," he recommended, "It is a small seat but I think you will be able to sleep on it."
"I'll try. Good night." Artio made herself comfortable and closed her eyes.
"Good night, it is really a good night" Gilbert said, looking for sky, where lots of stars were coloring the night.
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When Artio woke up they were still over flying the blue Atlantic Ocean.
"Good morning" she said.
Gilbert turned his head "Good morning, I thought you would sleep until 10 am at least…"
"What time is it?"
"Half past eight, did you sleep well?" he asked.
"Yes, I didn't have nightmares…"
"I am going to leave you in Land's End, then you'll go with your father."
"Where's Land's End?"
"England…" Gilbert took out a map and showed her where it was.
"Okay" she said "Even though I don't the idea of living with my father…"
"I don't have anything to do with that, unfortunately. So do you go to Hogwarts?"
"Yes, Captain D… your brother told me my father wants me to go there."
"I would have liked to go to Hogwarts if I hadn't been expelled from Lusitania"
"I would like to stay in the Lusitania academy…" they laughed.
"No one does what they really want to do," Gilbert said.
"That's true," she agreed.
Two hours later, she was at Land's End. Gilbert was gone and her father came, driving a Muggle car.
"Artio, you finally arrived!" he said, coming near her.
"Yes" she said, as she was hugged by him "finally."
"I'm sorry for all" he began.
"Don't matter… it is done now," she was trying not to talk much with him, "Let's go?"
"Yes, let's go," they got into the car and Artio was driven to a small apartment in London, to which she taken to after lunch.
"This will be our home during the next few months," he informed, opening a door which let Artio see a small bedroom, even smaller than Gilbert's dragon cage, "here is your bedroom, do you like it?"
"It's nice," she commented, wanting to be alone.
"Leave your things and then come to the living-room." He said, and went out of the bedroom.
Artio slowly left her things, as she was looking at the walls, colored with soft rose; there was a small bed with a rose bedspread, a wooden wardrobe, a lamp, and a rug between the bed and the wardrobe colored with soft blue and rose. There was also a window. Artio walked over to it. She noticed she was in a Muggle area. She didn't understand why, and thought she would ask his father about that, but she saw outside lots of Muggle cars, which she didn't see everyday… she kept looking and forgot the time, passing more than fifteen minutes in her bedroom, and when she remembered she started walking to the living-room, as her father asked her to, passing an old portrait, well cleaned, in which there was a woman, but she took a quick look and went to talk with her father.
Archibald Sperios had been sitting in the living room for a while, when a tall girl, with fair hair and pale skin stared from the door.
"May I come in, dad?" Artio asked, but entered and sat on the sofa without waiting her father's response, "Dad, I noticed we are living in a Muggle community. Can you explain to me why?"
"Well, we haven't had time to talk. I am writing for a Cultural Organization, here in London, and I was told to make a study about Muggles. The best place to do it is living with them."
"Okay, I understand… as I think I won't live here the most part of the year, right?"
"Yes, you'll go to Hogwarts. I was there when I had to write that article about European Wizarding Schools," informed the journalist side of Mr. Sperios, "and as I was invited to work here in London, it'd be the best. The school seemed to be safe, you know that You-know-who fears the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore."
"Yes, I know, he's the one who You-know-who fears… But I'd prefer to be in Lusitania."
"Artio, I know it's difficult to understand, but please do it for me."
"What can I tell you? I have to live with you right? I don't have enough money to run away so I have to be here, I have to do all things you want me to do. And this is your entire fault! I wouldn't have liked to ask this, but I have been forced to. Why did you break up with Mum?" Artio asked, exploding.
"Artio, we didn't love each other any more, we had to divorce. It would be worse if we stayed together as if nothing had happened." he replied, calmly.
"Yes, and the one who stews in the juices of your acts is me!"
"I wouldn't like you to suffer, but think of the problem from another angle. Try to understand, it would be worst if I stayed the-" he was interrupted.
"Is it better this way? At least for me? Don't you understand I am tired of hearing that? You only think only yourselves care! I came here wanting not to discuss this with you," she informed him, "but I couldn't stay here as if nothing happened!"
"Artio I also wouldn't like to tell this to you," Archibald was starting to get angry "It was your mother who broke up with me!" he stood up and walked to his bedroom.
Artio couldn't believe it was her mother who asked him to divorce; she always thought it was her father's fault. Her eyes, whose colour was a color between soft blue and soft green, filled up instantly. Tears fell down her face touching her nose and her lips, with the flavoring of a special kind of salt, and didn't stop in her chin…
She stayed there sat in the sofa, without feeling anything physically, but feeling badly inside her heart. She wanted to die, no she didn't: she remembered Captain Dolphin words "live your own life", and woke up for that awake sleep.
She went to the door of her father's bedroom. She hesitated to knock at the door, but finally made her hand into a fist, and knocked at the door. "May I come in?" As she didn't get an answer, opened the door slowly. Her father was lying down on his bed.
"I'm sorry" Artio began "I didn't kno-"
"Now you do" he seemed to be angry.
"Yes. Father, I'm sorry, I hadn't ever thought that it was Mum who ended your marriage. I'm sorry."
He sat on the bed "you got her eyes" he said, looking into Artio's eyes "and you needn't cry."
"Dad, I… I want to forget these things, what matters is that I'm living here, with you, and we'll have fun together."
"I'm proud of you because you understand, although it can't just be forgotten."
"I know" Artio said, "but I won't discuss with you any more about that".
"Shall we go for a walk?" Archibald asked.
"Okay, let me just write a quick letter to Cynthia, saying I'm fine."
"Okay. I'll wait in the living-room..." He turned to the living room but Artio didn't let him go.
"Wait!" She said.
"Yes?" he turned "do you want some more thin-"
Artio hugged him, and he hugged her back too, Mr. Sperios started feeling they were nearly a normal family… finally!
Artio went to her bedroom, wrote a quick letter to Cynthia and sent it by her father's owl.
When she arrived in the living room, Archibald was holding something in his hand.
"It arrived a bit after you went to your bedroom." He said, showing a pale white letter with a red symbol on the back "I waited for you until opening it. I have never seen one before."
"Where is it from?" Artio asked.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" he announced proudly.
"Really?"
"Yes. Two days ago, when I sent the owl to the academy, I sent another to the Hogwarts Headmaster. I explained the situation to him, and asked him to accept you at Hogwarts, but he didn't reply before now. As it is for you, I think you were accepted. It would be a great problem if you didn't receive this letter…"
"Why? Is it that important a thing?" Artio asked, not understanding why a simple school letter was so important.
"If you didn't receive it, you wouldn't be able to go to the school."
"What? Must I receive this letter to go to the school?"
"Yes, this school works like that. Lusitania Academy is a Portuguese Ministry of Magic institution, but Hogwarts is an Independent School… people just have to be at the port when Lusitania Ship goes to visit the academy, but here it is different. All people who go to Hogwarts must be invited, receiving a letter like this. They normally send owls to all kids who are eleven here in Great Britain, and some of Ireland… as you went from Portugal, I had to ask them to invite you, they don't simply guess that you want to go there…"
"This is so different. I thought all people could go to every school they wanted to go…"
"No, each school has its selection methods. Hogwarts could have sent you an owl first, even if you lived in Australia, and that would be a sign that you were a big witch! Hogwarts is one of the best Wizarding schools in Europe, and they can't simply cater to everyone's desires. What would they do if every kid in the world wanted to go there? Now, if you received the letter it means that they had studied your case and decided you could be a good witch, and could go study there."
"How did they make the survey about me?"
"Well, they possibly have put someone spying you in this last two days, or asked someone who knew you some things… they could also cast a spell that made them see you… there are many things that we – wizards – can do!"
"Yeah…" Artio wasn't that happy. They could have watched her and Jeremy kissing! Hum, maybe not, she thought positively…
"Show it to me" asked Artio's father. "Oh, only this?" he said, when saw the letter.
"Only that?" Artio asked "why only that?"
"Well" he began "I… um… I thought that a letter from Hogwarts could bring more information than a simply material list… It is a so great school. Oh keep that with you. We will go to Diagon Alley and buy your things right now."
"The famous Diagon Alley, hum?"
"Yes, the place where I and your mum met… It is a beautiful place… you have never been there, but I'm sure you will like it."
"Yes," she agreed, "I can't wait to go!"
"Okay, don't talk about magic things outside, please. You know we are living in a Muggle community…" he advised.
"I know." She said as they went out the apartment.
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Quite far away from there, following the owl road to the Lusitania Ship, Cynthia was trying to find Jeremy, during the lunchtime.
"Have you seen Jeremy?" she asked a first year boy.
"Who?"
"Jeremy Craig," she said, then seemed to see a blond head like his at the other side of the room, "forget it!"
She drove herself to the place where he seemed to be, and there he was, with the boy that came to the shop with him, at Laxus.
"Jeremy!" she called.
"Ah, hello!" he nodded, "you're Artio's friend, right? Where is she?" he was smiling. Cynthia noticed that moment that it would be hard to explain him what happened.
"Yes, I am. Cynthia Tropelt."
"Hum," he stopped grumbling and sat up the chair, "Jeremy Craig, pleasure. Why didn't she come?"
"That's exactly why I came. Can we talk privately?"
"Sure. Walter, I'll be right back." He joined Cynthia and they went out the room, to the deck of the ship.
"So?" Jeremy asked when they sat down in two old metallic chairs that had become rusty because of rain.
"I… Artio didn't come…" Cynthia began.
"I see… where is she? Doesn't she want to see me again?"
"No, she really wants to, but she can't." she informed him, "Jeremy, I don't know how to tell you this… she…"
"What happened? She doesn't love me?"
"It's not that… Jeremy, Artio made me promise that I would tell everything to you, but I don't know if I can tell everything she asked me to."
"I am listening… is it bad?" he started to be preoccupied.
"Artio's parents divorced," she said, "and Artio is very sad."
"Oh god! I know what that means, although my parents never divorced, but I think what happened to me was worse"
"What was it?"
"My dad… he died one year ago, I mean, he was murdered." A tear seemed to appear in one side of his dark eye, but didn't fall over his face.
"I'm sorry for making you think about that" Cynthia said "Really."
"Don't apologize, I like to think about him, he was a great wizard! I am proud of him."
"Well, what happened to you was the worse, but what happened to Artio is quite bad too."
"Yes, I know, can I go talk with her? I know what she should hear in these moments and-"
"Unfortunately, no, you can't go talk with her"
"Hum?"
"She," Cynthia pushed the words out "she is not on the ship any more…"
"What??" Jeremy asked, confused and not believing what he heard.
"It's true, she left yesterday at the sunset, and she went to London and is going to live with her father." Cynthia noticed that the dark color of Jeremy's eyes became even darker, if that was possible, as if he had been the target of a dark spell.
"I can't believe this!" he sat up "this cannot be real, this is a nightmare and I want to wake up. Someone please wake me up!" he looked to the sky, where a brilliant sun was shining in a blue sky without clouds and with sea-gulls "Are you telling me that the girl I love is on the other side of the Ocean? In London, far away from Azores, with her father and that I won't ever see her again?"
"Jeremy, she had no choic-"
"Why do these things happen to me, always?" he asked no one.
"Jeremy, I know it is difficult to believe, but try to understand that it was her parents who decided about where she belonged, she wasn't ever asked. I am certain she would prefer to be here, if they let her choose. She told me she didn't want to go live with her father…"
"But she went," he said, "if she really didn't want to go, she wouldn't go, and she did! She could at least try to find me yesterday and if she had explained everything to me, I wouldn't have let her go, ever! Or I would have gone with her."
Cynthia couldn't say anything, she knew he had plenty of reason, and she advised Artio that she should tell Jeremy.
"On the other hand I met Artio two days ago, and I know that I love her, and that the only thing that happened was a kiss, which she told me "not to talk about inside the shop" he was talking to the sea, Cynthia only seeing his back, "and, yeah, I don't even know if she loves me. She didn't say anything when we kissed. We? Or I kissed her? I really don't know. Does she love me and, if she doesn't, why should she tell me she was going away? She certainly thought "What? That boy? Oh forget him!" yeah, in reality I met her two days ago, how can I love her? This is ridiculous! Grrr!"
"Jeremy, you are logical," what more could Cythina say? "But I swear she loves you."
"She does?" he asked, turning to see Cynthia's face, but in a defiant way, "I don't know if I love her yet."
"I know you both love each other," Cynthia tried to call him to reality, "you are frightened out of your wits, try to calm your ideas."
"Are you telling me that I am "frightened out of my wits"? What about you? And Artio? Yes, is she all right? Are you sure she is not "frightened out of her wits?" Huh? And you? As you are her friend, you both must be crazy! Hah!"
"Jeremy, I understand you feel really bad, but don't vent your anger at me! I have nothing to do with your problems, I only brought you Artio's message, as she asked me to, and it isn't my fault what happened."
"For god sakes! Leave me alone!!" these last words were said in a high voice, and Cynthia left him alone, also because she couldn't stand his madness!
He was alone hearing the uproar of the sea and thinking. Alone.
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Cynthia entered her bedroom, feeling angry with herself: she would have to understand Jeremy; he was really feeling bad, and she didn't let him say everything he wanted to, and she knew that would be a very important thing.
A red hair girl entered the common bedroom. She was taller than Cynthia or even Artio, so Cynthia deduced she was of the second year. She was dressed with a long green dress, very pretty in Cynthia's opinion. She walked quickly to the bed where Cynthia was…
"Hello." She said, "Isn't this Artio's bedroom?"
"Hum… yes, well no" Cynthia didn't know if it was or if it wasn't anymore…
"Is it or is it not?" she asked, thinking Cynthia was a crazy girl.
"No, she's not here anymore. Why? Do you know Artio?"
"Yes, I am Anaras Tisanta. I helped her when that Patrick thing happened…"
"Ah, I see. She told me about you."
"So you are friends," concluded Anaras.
"Yes, best friends!" Cynthia was proud of it.
"So where did she go?"
"She… she moved from the academy, she went to London." Cynthia was sure Artio would be angry if Anaras knew about all, but she didn't tell her about Jeremy, "She was going to live with her father, her parents divorced."
"Divorced??" Anaras asked, astonished.
"Yes, it's a long story, which even Artio didn't know yesterday…"
"When did she go? I saw her yesterday at Laxus…"
"Yes, I know, she went yesterday at sunset… it happened too fast: when we came back from Laxus, Captain Dolphin went to her – I wasn't here because I had gone to feed my cats – and told her that her parents had divorced. When I came in she wasn't here, and finally when she arrived she took her things, told me all about it, and went with a friend of Captain Dolphin, on a dragon. At least she made it up with her cousin, Carldonne."
"Carldonne?"
"Yes, he's Artio's cousin, son of her uncle Broderick Sperios."
"Carldonne Sperios? Really? I can't believe it! So they are cousins…"
"Yes, why?" asked Cynthia, who didn't understand anything.
"Because… I am his girlfriend…"
"Really?"
"Yes, this is an amazing thing!" Anaras grinned, "I haven't found him since yesterday after lunchtime. He had told me he wanted to talk with his cousin, but I didn't know she was Artio… I influenced his decision, yes, it was me who explained him he shouldn't be at odds with his cousin…"
"He's a nice guy, I met him when Artio went. I, Carldonne and Captain Dolphin went outside say good bye to her… she really didn't want to go live with her father, also because she thought it was him who asked to divorce…"
"The world is quite small!" Anaras said, with her brown eyes shining proudly.
"Yeah, I agree with you…" Cynthia said.
"Well, I have to go now, I must do some things until four o'clock…"
"Okay, bye!"
"See you around. Let me know when Artio sends you owls… I will write to her soon" Anaras went out of the female first years' bedrooms, as Cynthia started to find her cats.
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Arriving in Diagon Alley, after she and her father entered "The Leaky Cauldron" to change out of their Muggle clothes, Artio was fascinated with the magnificence of the place. She had never seen a place with so many wizard shops!
They went to Gringotts Wizarding Bank where her father had his wizard money (he had had some difficulty dealing with Muggle money), and then bought the things that she need to take to Hogwarts, but only the things she hadn't already bought at Laxus.
At "Flourish and Blotts" there were many students with letters from Hogwarts, buying their books for that year. Some of them were carrying "The monstrous book of monsters", which Artio has never seen before, and thought, "Which of these do I have to buy? I hope they don't bite me…"
"Artio." called her father, who was talking with a man dressed in black clothes, and whose voice was cold. She came near them.
"Yes, father?"
"This is Professor Snape" he announced.
"Pleasure," Artio nodded, as he looked at her fixedly, without saying anything.
"We came from Portugal. She firstly went to Lusitania Magical Academy, but then I moved to London, and she arrived yesterday. She was accepted there at Hogwarts" he turned to Artio "Professor Snape is the Potions Master at Hogwarts, I think you will love his class."
"I am sure I will love Potions!" Artio said, feeling quite the contrary…
"So you came from Lusitania!" Snape asked Artio "Do they teach Dark Magic still? It was a great school some years ago, now I don't know if they are teaching the same things that gave them the title "The Darkest School". Do they?"
Artio didn't know what to say. "Darkest School??" she was very surprised. "Is Lusitania a school where Dark Magic is taught?" she thought.
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