Hogwarts Awsome RPG
Chapter 2 Demetria's Demented Dementors
Ceaylabelle was one of the first students to enter the Great Hall. She brushed her robes off and sauntered over to the end of the Slytherin table where the students schedule had been laid out. She sorted through the pile of fifth year students and found her schedule. Skimming over it she smiled when she noticed her first class of the year. "Double Defense against the Dark Arts, with the Gryffindors. Well dear sister, We may be together more than you think." She mumbled ominously to herself. "Who are you talking to?" asked a girl that Ceaylabelle identified as Elizabeth Phoenix, one of her new dorm mates. Ceaylabelle sneered. "None of your business. If we are going to be dorm mates I'd stop asking questions." Elizabeth appeared undaunted. "We didn't get a proper introduction last night. I'm Elizabeth, but you can call me Liz." Ceaylabelle eyebrows raised. 'This girl has spunk,' she noted to herself. "I'm Ceaylabelle Riddle. If you feel the need for a shorter name, call me Ceayla." She smiled silkily at the girl and pulled her schedule out of the pile for her. "We have double DADA with the Gryffindors first. Isn't that lucky?" Liz took her schedule and played along brilliantly. "Isn't you sister a Gryffindor?" Ceaylabelle frowned. "Yes she is. Yet how I know not. That stupid hat put the Gante boy in Gryffindor, too. I'm beginning to wonder about this Headmistress Bical. A daughter of the Dark Lord and a prominent Death Eater's son being put in Gryffindor can't be coincidence. Something wanted these Dark Forces split up." She sighed, walking to a seat in the corner of the table. Liz followed and they both sat down as breakfast appeared in the platters. Liz poured herself some juice and said idly, "I really don't understand the reasons that I was put in Slytherin for. I haven't had much interests in Dark Arts nor a family history. But that is really stereotypical of the houses, isn't it? A perfectly good person can be put in Slytherin and a simply rotten person could be selected for Gryffindor. The hat simply looks for character traits not intent. Perhaps your sister is braver than you thought." Ceaylabelle snorted. "No, if that hat really was looking at character traits, Calcria would be in Hufflepuff with our dear little sister Hope. But that was no surprise." Noticing Liz's expression, she hastily added, "She is our mother's daughter. A half-sister." Liz nodded the expression fading form her face slowly. Ceaylabelle grabbed a croissant from the platter in front of her and sipped some juice. Liz yawned and restarted the conversation. "Well, are you going back to the dorm before class? After we finish up here we will have plenty of time to freshen up and prepare our book satchels. And we won't be late." She awaited Ceaylabelle's answer. Ceaylabelle looked around. She had hoped to catch Calcria and Hope before class, but she wanted to go and strengthen her house bonds. "Certainly. We have to be sufficiently prepared if we hope to become teacher's pets to our dear head of house." Ceaylabelle bit her croissant thoughtfully and smiled.
*************** Calcria quickly brushed her hair out and pulled half of it into a barrette. She untangled her bangs while simultaneously putting on her shoes. She straightened her robes on her shoulders and threw her bag over her shoulder. She ran to the door and then quietly reproaching herself ran back and grabbed a forgotten item of her beside table. She ran out the door and down the stairs out of the girls side of the dormitories, all the while half in shock at being late for the first time in her life. But for some reason she had slept so well last night, like a dead person. SMACK! She gasped as she felt herself teeter at the edge of the top step and then strong hands grasped her shoulder and pulled her back up. "Watch where you're going!" said the boy snappishly and then ran down the steps before her. Calcria stood shakily as the boy slowed and stopped at the landing, shaking his black-haired head and turning around to look back up at her. His intense blue eyes showed the regret he felt. Holding up his hands, he said, "Look I'm sorry. Seems like I'm destined to kill you." He smiled at her and her expression softened. Calcria smiled slightly and said softly, "Just be more careful. You seem to be barreling around." The boy rubbed a hand over his hair and said, "I'm Amni Gante. And more is the likely that I'm running around because we are running late and I have no idea where I am going. If you want I'm sure I could use help finding our class." Calcria bit her lip and looked uncertain. 'Try to make friends!' She silently berated herself and said a little unsurely, "I'm Calcria Riddle. And I know a little bit about the castle, but I haven't got my schedule yet." "Don't worry," Amni interrupted. "I have mine. I have already been to breakfast. We have DADA first. Come on." Reaching in his bag he pulled out an apple and threw it to Calcria. She caught it and walked down the steps to him, smiling thankfully. Wordlessly, they both walked quickly out of the house.
****************** Amni sideways glanced at the quiet girl beside him. She nibbled the apple he gave her, obviously to nervous to eat much. He looked at the class number on the door nearest to him and asked, "Are we on the right floor?" Calcria wrapped the remainder of the apple in a handkerchief and nodded, putting it in her bag. She put on a necklace that she had been holding and said, "I believe it is the last door on the right down this hall." She looked really nervous as they approached. Amni didn't know what to say, so he tried to reassure her. "Hey I think we are only three minutes late. Don't worry." He wished he felt as sure as he sounded as he grasped the door and pushed it inward. Professor Demetria Desdemona looked up irritated. "You two are late. You have managed to miss going over the rules, not like you will follow them anyway. Sit down and 10 points will be taken from Gryffindor." The professor didn't seem to notice any scattered snickers, but Amni and Calcria did. Amni didn't have much house pride anyways, but a look at Calcria showed that she had seemed to go a shade paler, if such was possible. Amni quickly scooted into the double desk that the teacher had gestured at, tugging Calcria's sleeve and she did likewise. He took out his books, parchment, and quill and looked up at the teacher. She had continued her lecture on safety. "Today, we will learn a patronus charm that all of you must practice, though not on each other." The Professor looked at them and said, "This is no laughing matter!" Even though no one had giggled, "These creatures are dangerous! Today I will give you your first taste of what it feels like to be exposed to a Dementor's power. Everyone notice the Chocolate Frogs at the edge of all of your desks," Amni noticed two Chocolate Frogs on his side of the desk and he handed one to Calcria. She laid it beside her book and looked at him. The Professor flicked one boy in the front row on the head as he began to open the candy. "Not yet, kid. Chocolate helps the body recover from the shock of the fear generated by Dementors. We will eat these after I introduce the specimen." Professor Desdemona walked around the room talking as she examined everyone's note taking. "A patronus is a barrier between you and the dementor. The Patronus can't feel despair like the rest of you so the dementors have no effect on it. The Patronus is a projection of hope, happiness, the desire to survive. Dementors feed on these things." Demetria leaned on her desk and glanced around the room, "I don't expect everyone to be able to conjure a patronus right away because it is very advanced magic. But I also believe it is something you need to know about because of the state of the world you will be living in soon. Now take out your wands and think of the happiest moment you possibly can. The charm is Expecto patronum! Concentrate on the on the happy moment. Now say the incantation." The class said "Expecto patronum!" A small silver wisp came out of several students wands. "Good job. Now I'm going to show you the specimen so you may put your things away." She walked to the back of her desk and leaned on it threateningly, making eye contact with all the students one by one. Calcria squirmed on the bench next to him. Amni pretended not to notice her discomfort. "Yes, I said specimen. Everyone brace yourselves." She said something in another language and a cloaked figure entered the room. Amni could literally feel the fear sweep over the class and then he was reliving the most horrible moment in his life.
************* Demetria smiled at the children's reactions. The boy she had reprimanded looked as if his eyes would bulge out of his head. A few of the female students looked as if they would burst into tears. Even the infamous Riddle girls looked shaken, the younger one slumped over her desk. Yes, the class was sufficiently scared enough not to notice that the Dementor had no effect on her whatsoever. Almost carelessly she called him off, and the loyal creature backed out of the room. The class was relieved. "Now you may eat your chocolate." She said, as the bell rang. "Remember to practice your patronus spells!" As students filed out of the class, Demetria went into her office that supposedly held the Dementor. Walking into the office, she threw her red outer robe off and her wand and hat in the chair. Walking trough the door to her private quarters, she walked across the room and into the bathroom. She went to the sink, but instead of washing her hands, she grabbed the faucet and lifted. The full-length mirror on the opposite wall swung open, leading down the stairs a hidden room. Demetria walked down the steps and looked around. Twelve Dementors were secreted in this room. A thirteenth hooded figure leaned against the wall. As it looked up, blue eyes shown from under the hood. "My lady, welcome to our humble coffee room. A hand swept out from under the hood, but Demetria still couldn't make out the face of the Dementor Wyrd. It was too dark in the torch-lit dungeon. She could faintly smell coffee, a conjured joke of her companion. Demetria walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. "Well Farragant," She said to him, "What have the Dementors been telling you?" Farragant walked toward her, keeping eye contact. "They want to know when they can feed." Demetria rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "They can't feed in the castle yet! That will cause a panic and it is still to early for this." The Dementor Wyrd sighed and looked back at the hooded figures awaiting news. "Yes, my lady. I understand. Is there another source of souls?" Demetria thought a moment while she sipped her coffee. "Yes, the centaurs in the forbidden forest have souls, I'm pretty sure of it. And know one will notice a few of their deaths." The Dementor bowed low. "Thank you my lady." As Demetria left the room, the blue eyes watched her back.
*************** Hope Hartford was having more fun than should be allowed in Potions Class. The Professor, Silvania Crowell, was the head of the Hufflepuff House and had already made fast friends with the happy young girl. Despite the fact she was already in love with school, her house, and her first class, Hope already had a preconceived idea that regardless of how much she loved it, she probably wasn't going to be very good at Potions. In fact, Professor Crowell was still trying to find out what had such an effect on her caldron, even though class had been over for five minutes. Studying the ingredients on Hope's desk and then the purplish-red caldron, she shook her head and said, "It was a simple shrinking potion. What could have changed the color of your caldron?" Hope bit her lip, and then gave a happy smile. "I think it is pretty! I don't mind this color at all." Her smile broadened as a black cat slinked into the classroom, and sauntered over to her desk and jumped in her lap. 'Exavier!' She said to the cat through telepathy. 'Where did you come from?' The cat as usual ignored her normal curious questions and eyed her caldron with a bemused look, as bemused as a cat can look that is. 'Hope, how did you managed that?' Exavier asked patronizingly. Hope took no notice of his tone and said sheepishly, 'I don't really know.' The cat shook its head. Professor Crowell watched the two of them with a calculating look. Hope noticed and her sheepish look became even more so. She cleared her throat and began to pet Exavier. "Professor, This is my cat Exavier. I don't think he can properly introduce himself, he can only talk to me." The Professor nodded understandingly. "You are a telepath, Hope?" she half-asked, half-stated. Hope nodded, her look far away. "It is a magic that I share with my sisters and we inherited it from our mother." The teacher smiled and put her hand on Hope's shoulder. "That is a special power, Hope. You can help a lot of people and touch a lot of lives. Go on up to the Great Hall. You have a thirty-minute break until your next class and you have already spent to much of it with me down here!" She picked up the mutated caldron and looked at it still clueless. "Anyways, I figure this out for you. And I'll fix it." Hope shook her head ferociously. "Oh no, please don't! I like it that! It is cute! But if it will effect it's efficiency I understand," She added hastily. The Professor smiled and patted the little girl on the back. "I'll take care of it Hope. Go on now, go meet up with your classmates." Hope jumped off the stool, and grabbed her bag, almost skipping out of class. "Bye!" The Professor smiled at the retreating pigtails and the black cat that leaped after her, and gave another strange look to the caldron.
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Ceaylabelle grabbed her chocolate frog and tried to be nonchalant as she crammed it into her mouth, the warmth it brought spreading through her body mercifully. She glanced at Liz, who rubbed her eyes and unwrapped her chocolate frog more slowly. Absentmindedly, she touched her sister's mind and asked, 'Cal, you okay?' Cold met her and she turned to see her sister laying on her desk her chocolate untouched. Ceaylabelle grabbed her books and motioned Liz to follow her. They both hurried to the back of the room as the boy Calcria was sitting with began to shake her. Calcria shook her head and he unwrapped her chocolate frog. Ceaylabelle stormed over and grabbed it out of his hands. Blue eyes clashed as the two turned on each other. "I was unwrapping it for her!" The boy said contemptuously. Ceaylabelle snorted. "I can take care of my twin, Gante!" Amni recoiled, as Ceaylabelle continued. "Yes I know who you are, and that you have no idea who we are." Amni decided to ignore the challenge in that statement and said, "Fine! I didn't realize that you had it under control." Calcria looked up and Ceaylabelle was shocked to see how bad the dementor had effected her. She quickly helped her stand and handed her the chocolate frog. Calcria ate it slowly and Liz commented, "Wow, I have never been exposed to one of those creatures before. It is terrible isn't it?" Calcria looked over Ceaylabelle's shoulder and smiled at Liz. "Yes, I have always hated them." Ceaylabelle was suddenly jealous that Calcria and her new friend were getting along so well and took control of the situation. Putting her arm around Calcria's shoulder she said, "Come on, Cal. Let's go down to the Great Hall. We have a thirty minute break, now." Ceaylabelle felt like she could spit needles as Amni said, "You may, but we don't. Gryffindors have Herbology in ten minutes!" Ceaylabelle turned on him. "Well, Cal can find her own way there! She doesn't need you at all! So leave!" Ceaylabelle picked up her sister's books and steered her to the door. Calcria weakly jerked away from her and Ceaylabelle stopped and lashed out at her, "What do you think you are doing!?" Calcria looked at her pleadingly and said, "Don't be like this Ceaylabelle! I have to go with Amni to my next class!" She went over to her sister and took her satchel off her shoulder. She walked over to where Amni was watching the girls. "I'll talk to you at lunch! Say hi to Hope if you see her!" Amni tugged her sleeve and they exited out the other door. Ceaylabelle fumed and Liz said, "Well. She is ungrateful. After all you are trying to help her. I can't believe she would choose a boy she just met over her twin. But he was cute." Ceaylabelle sighed and walked out the door behind her. "Don't talk about that." She looked down at the wizard card that came out of her Chocolate Frog. "Hmm, Grindewald. Wow! This a Dark Wizards series pack!" Liz looked at hers. "Mine's Morgana. Another of the dark series. The teacher must have bought a couple of boxes of Dark Wizard series. Cute for a DADA class." Ceaylabelle grinned at Liz. "I do like Professor Desdemona. She is so magnetic. If she was a few years younger, we could be friends." Liz laughed and the two of them quickly walked to the Great Hall.
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Ranza Bical loved the smell inside the green houses. She turned to her friend Catherine Smith and smiled. "Your sister has done a wonderful job restoring the school. It looks as if the plants in here have been growing a while." Ranza nodded looking around.
"She has been working in tandem with Professor Rosette for a year now to get the greenhouses into shape. She and many people have been working very hard to bring this school back to it's old glory. I'm proud of her efforts." Cat smiled at Ranza's obvious pride in the Headmistress. She looked around. "Ranza? Isn't this supposed to be DOUBLE Herbology? I don't see any Gryffindors." Ranza looked at her watch and then the door. "Well we still have 5 minutes, Oh look!" She watched as a boy and a strange- looking girl walked inside. Professor Rosette, the head of Ravenclaw, assigned them as partners and the worktable next to Ranza and Cat. The pair walked over to the worktable and sat. Both looked incredibly tired. Ranza decided to strike up conversation. "Hi! I'm Ranza Bical, and this is Cat Smith." Cat waved. "What class did Gryffindor just come from? You two look tired." The boy took control of the conversation. "I'm Amni Gante and this is Calcria Riddle. We have just come from DADA, and we are studying dementors. Watch out. Professor Desdemona has no mercy. She showed us one already. It is horrible." Ranza knew what dementors did and can do. She felt a lump in her chest as she realized the moment that she would relive. "Wow," She whispered to Cat. "Those things make you remember the worst moment of your life." Cat looked at her and she let her true feelings spill. "The night the deatheaters came and killed my parents." Cat nodded and said, "The day my mom told me that my grandmother had died." Amni was listening and volunteered his memory, too. "The moment my older brother died. I almost broke down in class." The girl beside him didn't say anything. Seeing the expression in her red eyes, Ranza decided she didn't want to know. She changed the subject abruptly. "So, how do you like school other than DADA class?" Amni shook his head and shrugged. "I still don't know. Things are happening in such a blur." Calcria finally spoke. "I like the castle. It is so unreal, being here. I never thought I could get away from home." Amni laughed and everyone stared at him. He shrugged and said, "Well if your sister is like that all the time, I can see why you want to get away from her." Ranza smiled when she saw that Calcria smiled. She changed the topic again. "Did any of you bring pets?" Cat nodded and Ranza and her giggled. The other two students looked at them questioningly. Cat explained. "I brought my little kitten, Star. She was so funny in the dorm room." Calcria nodded and said, "My little sister, Hope, brought her cat Exavier." Ranza smiled brightly and her and Cat looked at Calcria astonished. "That little girl is your sister? She is sooo sweet! HEY!" Ranza turned to Amni looking horrified. "Why do you think Calcria wants to get away from her?" Amni hastily said, "No! I meant her twin sister! I haven't met Hope." Ranza let out a sigh and smiled. Cat said, "Good. We won't let you pick on her. She is already a favorite in our dorm. Her cat is cute, also. So," She looked at Amni, "Do you have a cat?" Amni shook his head and said, "I don't have a pet." He looked back at Calcria. "Do you?" She nodded. "I have a raven for mail." Ranza could tell that she wasn't going to elaborate and said, "I have an owl also. She is a tawny brown." Right about that time Professor Rosette called the class to order. Ranza winked at the two Gryffindors and turned her attention to the teacher.
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Katrina smiled at the students before her. Everyone's first day had been a success, all the teachers had given her good reports of their classes in the faculty meeting that afternoon. Now they were sharing their second dinner with their houses. She smiled at her assistant headmistress, who sat quietly, if not a little broodingly next to her. The pretty young girl, always had a sense of mystery around her, and a sarcastic sense of humor to boot. She wore fitting silk black robes that gave her waist dimension because of the belt around her waist, which held an ornate sword and scabbard. She wore an outer red robe that looked like a trench coat. Katrina looked down at her own purple robe and felt very unsophisticated sitting beside the beautiful sorceress. Her own red hair and brown eyes were pretty, and she wore a purple hat. Looking out over the children at dinner, her eyes fell on the Hufflepuff table and her eyes met Ranza's. Ranza looked a lot like her, but she was wearing long black robes of a student. All students wore then over a uniform. Pleated skirt and sweater for girls, trousers and sweater for boys. Ranza was talking lively to a girl next to her. They also turned around and talked to two Gryffindors behind them a boy and a girl, one of the Riddle twins. Katrina sighed thinking of the darkness she harbored at the school. The Ministry and the Dark Lord had declared a stalemate, but they agreed that Hogwarts would stay out of it, this time. Evil forces would just run amuck for the time being, she guessed. She wasn't allowed to be involved. She looked at the teacher beside her and said, "I kind of wished that I had a class. I heard about yours though. I hope you don't mind me asking but, Are the dementors well contained?" Demetria's eyes flashed as she said, "Yes of course. I'm am taking all of the appropriate safety precautions." Katrina blushed and said, "I'm sure you are. But how are you feeding them? And. and. where do they stay?" Demetria smiled and said, "Ah that. Well I have only one and he is sent by floo back to Azkaban every night." Katrina nodded feeling a little stupid. "Of course I should have known you weren't sleeping with a dementor in your room." Demetria's eyes widened and Katrina's heart fell as she realized how wrong that sounded. But Demetria stood and looked at the door. Katrina looked also but saw nothing. She looked down at Katrina and said, "I must excuse myself. I. I. forgot something." With that she swept away from the head table leaving Katrina very confused indeed.
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Calcria gazed into the fire and not at her homework. She felt so overwhelmed by her first day, and the fact that after two classes of hanging out with him, Amni seemed to decide to become a permanent fixture as her friend. Besides him, the two Hufflepuff girls, Ranza and Cat were her friendly with her. She was in a state of shock, she had never felt so accepted. She looked over at Amni who was chewing on his quill and looking at his Herbology worksheet. He must have felt her gaze, for he looked up and met her eyes. "What is it, Cal?" He had taken to calling her "Cal" during lunch, when Hope sat with them instead of her new friends. "Do you want to practice your patronus spell?" Calcria shook her head and looked down. Amni sighed and said, "Are you still upset because of the dementor?" Calcria looked up at him mixed emotions on her face. She stood abruptly and put her hands on the table and leaned down looking into his eyes. "No! This is how I always act! What? Do I depress you? Do I frighten you?" Her voice was scathing and she reminded him sharply of Ceaylabelle. He shook his head at her bewildered. "No, Cal. You don't bother me at all." Calcria felt immediately sorrowful. She sat down and looked away from him. "I'm sorry. I'm not very good company and I am not used to having friends. I understand if you want to ditch me and find someone else to hang out with." Amni smiled at her. "No. I don't want to ditch you. You look smart and I need all the help I can get." He stood and closed his books. "Come on. Let's forget this and go to bed. It's late and you don't feel well I can tell." Calcria was grateful and she stood also and loaded her book satchel. They walked up the stairs to the dorms slowly and at the top of the stairs Amni stopped her. "Listen Calcria. I understand that you are a loner. But then again I am too. If you don't ask questions, I won't. I'm not one to pry." Calcria was astonished. 'How does he know what I'm thinking?' She wondered. She smiled at him and put her hand on the door to the girl's stairway. "Thank you Amni. I think we can be friends. Goodnight." "Goodnight, Cal." She walked up the steps and the door shut behind her. Amni's retreating footsteps seemed to hesitate, before she heard the door to the boy's stairway shut. Calcria rolled her eyes and thought, "Wistful thinking girl."
****************** Cal's Notes: Whoo hoooooooooo, hack hack hack cough. I think I strained something. Oh well, for your reading enjoyment, here is the second chapter! Sorry about the delay!
Editor's (Demi's) Notes: Yay Cal! You finished! Now hurry up with chapter 3. No pressure huh? lol
Chapter 2 Demetria's Demented Dementors
Ceaylabelle was one of the first students to enter the Great Hall. She brushed her robes off and sauntered over to the end of the Slytherin table where the students schedule had been laid out. She sorted through the pile of fifth year students and found her schedule. Skimming over it she smiled when she noticed her first class of the year. "Double Defense against the Dark Arts, with the Gryffindors. Well dear sister, We may be together more than you think." She mumbled ominously to herself. "Who are you talking to?" asked a girl that Ceaylabelle identified as Elizabeth Phoenix, one of her new dorm mates. Ceaylabelle sneered. "None of your business. If we are going to be dorm mates I'd stop asking questions." Elizabeth appeared undaunted. "We didn't get a proper introduction last night. I'm Elizabeth, but you can call me Liz." Ceaylabelle eyebrows raised. 'This girl has spunk,' she noted to herself. "I'm Ceaylabelle Riddle. If you feel the need for a shorter name, call me Ceayla." She smiled silkily at the girl and pulled her schedule out of the pile for her. "We have double DADA with the Gryffindors first. Isn't that lucky?" Liz took her schedule and played along brilliantly. "Isn't you sister a Gryffindor?" Ceaylabelle frowned. "Yes she is. Yet how I know not. That stupid hat put the Gante boy in Gryffindor, too. I'm beginning to wonder about this Headmistress Bical. A daughter of the Dark Lord and a prominent Death Eater's son being put in Gryffindor can't be coincidence. Something wanted these Dark Forces split up." She sighed, walking to a seat in the corner of the table. Liz followed and they both sat down as breakfast appeared in the platters. Liz poured herself some juice and said idly, "I really don't understand the reasons that I was put in Slytherin for. I haven't had much interests in Dark Arts nor a family history. But that is really stereotypical of the houses, isn't it? A perfectly good person can be put in Slytherin and a simply rotten person could be selected for Gryffindor. The hat simply looks for character traits not intent. Perhaps your sister is braver than you thought." Ceaylabelle snorted. "No, if that hat really was looking at character traits, Calcria would be in Hufflepuff with our dear little sister Hope. But that was no surprise." Noticing Liz's expression, she hastily added, "She is our mother's daughter. A half-sister." Liz nodded the expression fading form her face slowly. Ceaylabelle grabbed a croissant from the platter in front of her and sipped some juice. Liz yawned and restarted the conversation. "Well, are you going back to the dorm before class? After we finish up here we will have plenty of time to freshen up and prepare our book satchels. And we won't be late." She awaited Ceaylabelle's answer. Ceaylabelle looked around. She had hoped to catch Calcria and Hope before class, but she wanted to go and strengthen her house bonds. "Certainly. We have to be sufficiently prepared if we hope to become teacher's pets to our dear head of house." Ceaylabelle bit her croissant thoughtfully and smiled.
*************** Calcria quickly brushed her hair out and pulled half of it into a barrette. She untangled her bangs while simultaneously putting on her shoes. She straightened her robes on her shoulders and threw her bag over her shoulder. She ran to the door and then quietly reproaching herself ran back and grabbed a forgotten item of her beside table. She ran out the door and down the stairs out of the girls side of the dormitories, all the while half in shock at being late for the first time in her life. But for some reason she had slept so well last night, like a dead person. SMACK! She gasped as she felt herself teeter at the edge of the top step and then strong hands grasped her shoulder and pulled her back up. "Watch where you're going!" said the boy snappishly and then ran down the steps before her. Calcria stood shakily as the boy slowed and stopped at the landing, shaking his black-haired head and turning around to look back up at her. His intense blue eyes showed the regret he felt. Holding up his hands, he said, "Look I'm sorry. Seems like I'm destined to kill you." He smiled at her and her expression softened. Calcria smiled slightly and said softly, "Just be more careful. You seem to be barreling around." The boy rubbed a hand over his hair and said, "I'm Amni Gante. And more is the likely that I'm running around because we are running late and I have no idea where I am going. If you want I'm sure I could use help finding our class." Calcria bit her lip and looked uncertain. 'Try to make friends!' She silently berated herself and said a little unsurely, "I'm Calcria Riddle. And I know a little bit about the castle, but I haven't got my schedule yet." "Don't worry," Amni interrupted. "I have mine. I have already been to breakfast. We have DADA first. Come on." Reaching in his bag he pulled out an apple and threw it to Calcria. She caught it and walked down the steps to him, smiling thankfully. Wordlessly, they both walked quickly out of the house.
****************** Amni sideways glanced at the quiet girl beside him. She nibbled the apple he gave her, obviously to nervous to eat much. He looked at the class number on the door nearest to him and asked, "Are we on the right floor?" Calcria wrapped the remainder of the apple in a handkerchief and nodded, putting it in her bag. She put on a necklace that she had been holding and said, "I believe it is the last door on the right down this hall." She looked really nervous as they approached. Amni didn't know what to say, so he tried to reassure her. "Hey I think we are only three minutes late. Don't worry." He wished he felt as sure as he sounded as he grasped the door and pushed it inward. Professor Demetria Desdemona looked up irritated. "You two are late. You have managed to miss going over the rules, not like you will follow them anyway. Sit down and 10 points will be taken from Gryffindor." The professor didn't seem to notice any scattered snickers, but Amni and Calcria did. Amni didn't have much house pride anyways, but a look at Calcria showed that she had seemed to go a shade paler, if such was possible. Amni quickly scooted into the double desk that the teacher had gestured at, tugging Calcria's sleeve and she did likewise. He took out his books, parchment, and quill and looked up at the teacher. She had continued her lecture on safety. "Today, we will learn a patronus charm that all of you must practice, though not on each other." The Professor looked at them and said, "This is no laughing matter!" Even though no one had giggled, "These creatures are dangerous! Today I will give you your first taste of what it feels like to be exposed to a Dementor's power. Everyone notice the Chocolate Frogs at the edge of all of your desks," Amni noticed two Chocolate Frogs on his side of the desk and he handed one to Calcria. She laid it beside her book and looked at him. The Professor flicked one boy in the front row on the head as he began to open the candy. "Not yet, kid. Chocolate helps the body recover from the shock of the fear generated by Dementors. We will eat these after I introduce the specimen." Professor Desdemona walked around the room talking as she examined everyone's note taking. "A patronus is a barrier between you and the dementor. The Patronus can't feel despair like the rest of you so the dementors have no effect on it. The Patronus is a projection of hope, happiness, the desire to survive. Dementors feed on these things." Demetria leaned on her desk and glanced around the room, "I don't expect everyone to be able to conjure a patronus right away because it is very advanced magic. But I also believe it is something you need to know about because of the state of the world you will be living in soon. Now take out your wands and think of the happiest moment you possibly can. The charm is Expecto patronum! Concentrate on the on the happy moment. Now say the incantation." The class said "Expecto patronum!" A small silver wisp came out of several students wands. "Good job. Now I'm going to show you the specimen so you may put your things away." She walked to the back of her desk and leaned on it threateningly, making eye contact with all the students one by one. Calcria squirmed on the bench next to him. Amni pretended not to notice her discomfort. "Yes, I said specimen. Everyone brace yourselves." She said something in another language and a cloaked figure entered the room. Amni could literally feel the fear sweep over the class and then he was reliving the most horrible moment in his life.
************* Demetria smiled at the children's reactions. The boy she had reprimanded looked as if his eyes would bulge out of his head. A few of the female students looked as if they would burst into tears. Even the infamous Riddle girls looked shaken, the younger one slumped over her desk. Yes, the class was sufficiently scared enough not to notice that the Dementor had no effect on her whatsoever. Almost carelessly she called him off, and the loyal creature backed out of the room. The class was relieved. "Now you may eat your chocolate." She said, as the bell rang. "Remember to practice your patronus spells!" As students filed out of the class, Demetria went into her office that supposedly held the Dementor. Walking into the office, she threw her red outer robe off and her wand and hat in the chair. Walking trough the door to her private quarters, she walked across the room and into the bathroom. She went to the sink, but instead of washing her hands, she grabbed the faucet and lifted. The full-length mirror on the opposite wall swung open, leading down the stairs a hidden room. Demetria walked down the steps and looked around. Twelve Dementors were secreted in this room. A thirteenth hooded figure leaned against the wall. As it looked up, blue eyes shown from under the hood. "My lady, welcome to our humble coffee room. A hand swept out from under the hood, but Demetria still couldn't make out the face of the Dementor Wyrd. It was too dark in the torch-lit dungeon. She could faintly smell coffee, a conjured joke of her companion. Demetria walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. "Well Farragant," She said to him, "What have the Dementors been telling you?" Farragant walked toward her, keeping eye contact. "They want to know when they can feed." Demetria rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "They can't feed in the castle yet! That will cause a panic and it is still to early for this." The Dementor Wyrd sighed and looked back at the hooded figures awaiting news. "Yes, my lady. I understand. Is there another source of souls?" Demetria thought a moment while she sipped her coffee. "Yes, the centaurs in the forbidden forest have souls, I'm pretty sure of it. And know one will notice a few of their deaths." The Dementor bowed low. "Thank you my lady." As Demetria left the room, the blue eyes watched her back.
*************** Hope Hartford was having more fun than should be allowed in Potions Class. The Professor, Silvania Crowell, was the head of the Hufflepuff House and had already made fast friends with the happy young girl. Despite the fact she was already in love with school, her house, and her first class, Hope already had a preconceived idea that regardless of how much she loved it, she probably wasn't going to be very good at Potions. In fact, Professor Crowell was still trying to find out what had such an effect on her caldron, even though class had been over for five minutes. Studying the ingredients on Hope's desk and then the purplish-red caldron, she shook her head and said, "It was a simple shrinking potion. What could have changed the color of your caldron?" Hope bit her lip, and then gave a happy smile. "I think it is pretty! I don't mind this color at all." Her smile broadened as a black cat slinked into the classroom, and sauntered over to her desk and jumped in her lap. 'Exavier!' She said to the cat through telepathy. 'Where did you come from?' The cat as usual ignored her normal curious questions and eyed her caldron with a bemused look, as bemused as a cat can look that is. 'Hope, how did you managed that?' Exavier asked patronizingly. Hope took no notice of his tone and said sheepishly, 'I don't really know.' The cat shook its head. Professor Crowell watched the two of them with a calculating look. Hope noticed and her sheepish look became even more so. She cleared her throat and began to pet Exavier. "Professor, This is my cat Exavier. I don't think he can properly introduce himself, he can only talk to me." The Professor nodded understandingly. "You are a telepath, Hope?" she half-asked, half-stated. Hope nodded, her look far away. "It is a magic that I share with my sisters and we inherited it from our mother." The teacher smiled and put her hand on Hope's shoulder. "That is a special power, Hope. You can help a lot of people and touch a lot of lives. Go on up to the Great Hall. You have a thirty-minute break until your next class and you have already spent to much of it with me down here!" She picked up the mutated caldron and looked at it still clueless. "Anyways, I figure this out for you. And I'll fix it." Hope shook her head ferociously. "Oh no, please don't! I like it that! It is cute! But if it will effect it's efficiency I understand," She added hastily. The Professor smiled and patted the little girl on the back. "I'll take care of it Hope. Go on now, go meet up with your classmates." Hope jumped off the stool, and grabbed her bag, almost skipping out of class. "Bye!" The Professor smiled at the retreating pigtails and the black cat that leaped after her, and gave another strange look to the caldron.
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Ceaylabelle grabbed her chocolate frog and tried to be nonchalant as she crammed it into her mouth, the warmth it brought spreading through her body mercifully. She glanced at Liz, who rubbed her eyes and unwrapped her chocolate frog more slowly. Absentmindedly, she touched her sister's mind and asked, 'Cal, you okay?' Cold met her and she turned to see her sister laying on her desk her chocolate untouched. Ceaylabelle grabbed her books and motioned Liz to follow her. They both hurried to the back of the room as the boy Calcria was sitting with began to shake her. Calcria shook her head and he unwrapped her chocolate frog. Ceaylabelle stormed over and grabbed it out of his hands. Blue eyes clashed as the two turned on each other. "I was unwrapping it for her!" The boy said contemptuously. Ceaylabelle snorted. "I can take care of my twin, Gante!" Amni recoiled, as Ceaylabelle continued. "Yes I know who you are, and that you have no idea who we are." Amni decided to ignore the challenge in that statement and said, "Fine! I didn't realize that you had it under control." Calcria looked up and Ceaylabelle was shocked to see how bad the dementor had effected her. She quickly helped her stand and handed her the chocolate frog. Calcria ate it slowly and Liz commented, "Wow, I have never been exposed to one of those creatures before. It is terrible isn't it?" Calcria looked over Ceaylabelle's shoulder and smiled at Liz. "Yes, I have always hated them." Ceaylabelle was suddenly jealous that Calcria and her new friend were getting along so well and took control of the situation. Putting her arm around Calcria's shoulder she said, "Come on, Cal. Let's go down to the Great Hall. We have a thirty minute break, now." Ceaylabelle felt like she could spit needles as Amni said, "You may, but we don't. Gryffindors have Herbology in ten minutes!" Ceaylabelle turned on him. "Well, Cal can find her own way there! She doesn't need you at all! So leave!" Ceaylabelle picked up her sister's books and steered her to the door. Calcria weakly jerked away from her and Ceaylabelle stopped and lashed out at her, "What do you think you are doing!?" Calcria looked at her pleadingly and said, "Don't be like this Ceaylabelle! I have to go with Amni to my next class!" She went over to her sister and took her satchel off her shoulder. She walked over to where Amni was watching the girls. "I'll talk to you at lunch! Say hi to Hope if you see her!" Amni tugged her sleeve and they exited out the other door. Ceaylabelle fumed and Liz said, "Well. She is ungrateful. After all you are trying to help her. I can't believe she would choose a boy she just met over her twin. But he was cute." Ceaylabelle sighed and walked out the door behind her. "Don't talk about that." She looked down at the wizard card that came out of her Chocolate Frog. "Hmm, Grindewald. Wow! This a Dark Wizards series pack!" Liz looked at hers. "Mine's Morgana. Another of the dark series. The teacher must have bought a couple of boxes of Dark Wizard series. Cute for a DADA class." Ceaylabelle grinned at Liz. "I do like Professor Desdemona. She is so magnetic. If she was a few years younger, we could be friends." Liz laughed and the two of them quickly walked to the Great Hall.
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Ranza Bical loved the smell inside the green houses. She turned to her friend Catherine Smith and smiled. "Your sister has done a wonderful job restoring the school. It looks as if the plants in here have been growing a while." Ranza nodded looking around.
"She has been working in tandem with Professor Rosette for a year now to get the greenhouses into shape. She and many people have been working very hard to bring this school back to it's old glory. I'm proud of her efforts." Cat smiled at Ranza's obvious pride in the Headmistress. She looked around. "Ranza? Isn't this supposed to be DOUBLE Herbology? I don't see any Gryffindors." Ranza looked at her watch and then the door. "Well we still have 5 minutes, Oh look!" She watched as a boy and a strange- looking girl walked inside. Professor Rosette, the head of Ravenclaw, assigned them as partners and the worktable next to Ranza and Cat. The pair walked over to the worktable and sat. Both looked incredibly tired. Ranza decided to strike up conversation. "Hi! I'm Ranza Bical, and this is Cat Smith." Cat waved. "What class did Gryffindor just come from? You two look tired." The boy took control of the conversation. "I'm Amni Gante and this is Calcria Riddle. We have just come from DADA, and we are studying dementors. Watch out. Professor Desdemona has no mercy. She showed us one already. It is horrible." Ranza knew what dementors did and can do. She felt a lump in her chest as she realized the moment that she would relive. "Wow," She whispered to Cat. "Those things make you remember the worst moment of your life." Cat looked at her and she let her true feelings spill. "The night the deatheaters came and killed my parents." Cat nodded and said, "The day my mom told me that my grandmother had died." Amni was listening and volunteered his memory, too. "The moment my older brother died. I almost broke down in class." The girl beside him didn't say anything. Seeing the expression in her red eyes, Ranza decided she didn't want to know. She changed the subject abruptly. "So, how do you like school other than DADA class?" Amni shook his head and shrugged. "I still don't know. Things are happening in such a blur." Calcria finally spoke. "I like the castle. It is so unreal, being here. I never thought I could get away from home." Amni laughed and everyone stared at him. He shrugged and said, "Well if your sister is like that all the time, I can see why you want to get away from her." Ranza smiled when she saw that Calcria smiled. She changed the topic again. "Did any of you bring pets?" Cat nodded and Ranza and her giggled. The other two students looked at them questioningly. Cat explained. "I brought my little kitten, Star. She was so funny in the dorm room." Calcria nodded and said, "My little sister, Hope, brought her cat Exavier." Ranza smiled brightly and her and Cat looked at Calcria astonished. "That little girl is your sister? She is sooo sweet! HEY!" Ranza turned to Amni looking horrified. "Why do you think Calcria wants to get away from her?" Amni hastily said, "No! I meant her twin sister! I haven't met Hope." Ranza let out a sigh and smiled. Cat said, "Good. We won't let you pick on her. She is already a favorite in our dorm. Her cat is cute, also. So," She looked at Amni, "Do you have a cat?" Amni shook his head and said, "I don't have a pet." He looked back at Calcria. "Do you?" She nodded. "I have a raven for mail." Ranza could tell that she wasn't going to elaborate and said, "I have an owl also. She is a tawny brown." Right about that time Professor Rosette called the class to order. Ranza winked at the two Gryffindors and turned her attention to the teacher.
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Katrina smiled at the students before her. Everyone's first day had been a success, all the teachers had given her good reports of their classes in the faculty meeting that afternoon. Now they were sharing their second dinner with their houses. She smiled at her assistant headmistress, who sat quietly, if not a little broodingly next to her. The pretty young girl, always had a sense of mystery around her, and a sarcastic sense of humor to boot. She wore fitting silk black robes that gave her waist dimension because of the belt around her waist, which held an ornate sword and scabbard. She wore an outer red robe that looked like a trench coat. Katrina looked down at her own purple robe and felt very unsophisticated sitting beside the beautiful sorceress. Her own red hair and brown eyes were pretty, and she wore a purple hat. Looking out over the children at dinner, her eyes fell on the Hufflepuff table and her eyes met Ranza's. Ranza looked a lot like her, but she was wearing long black robes of a student. All students wore then over a uniform. Pleated skirt and sweater for girls, trousers and sweater for boys. Ranza was talking lively to a girl next to her. They also turned around and talked to two Gryffindors behind them a boy and a girl, one of the Riddle twins. Katrina sighed thinking of the darkness she harbored at the school. The Ministry and the Dark Lord had declared a stalemate, but they agreed that Hogwarts would stay out of it, this time. Evil forces would just run amuck for the time being, she guessed. She wasn't allowed to be involved. She looked at the teacher beside her and said, "I kind of wished that I had a class. I heard about yours though. I hope you don't mind me asking but, Are the dementors well contained?" Demetria's eyes flashed as she said, "Yes of course. I'm am taking all of the appropriate safety precautions." Katrina blushed and said, "I'm sure you are. But how are you feeding them? And. and. where do they stay?" Demetria smiled and said, "Ah that. Well I have only one and he is sent by floo back to Azkaban every night." Katrina nodded feeling a little stupid. "Of course I should have known you weren't sleeping with a dementor in your room." Demetria's eyes widened and Katrina's heart fell as she realized how wrong that sounded. But Demetria stood and looked at the door. Katrina looked also but saw nothing. She looked down at Katrina and said, "I must excuse myself. I. I. forgot something." With that she swept away from the head table leaving Katrina very confused indeed.
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Calcria gazed into the fire and not at her homework. She felt so overwhelmed by her first day, and the fact that after two classes of hanging out with him, Amni seemed to decide to become a permanent fixture as her friend. Besides him, the two Hufflepuff girls, Ranza and Cat were her friendly with her. She was in a state of shock, she had never felt so accepted. She looked over at Amni who was chewing on his quill and looking at his Herbology worksheet. He must have felt her gaze, for he looked up and met her eyes. "What is it, Cal?" He had taken to calling her "Cal" during lunch, when Hope sat with them instead of her new friends. "Do you want to practice your patronus spell?" Calcria shook her head and looked down. Amni sighed and said, "Are you still upset because of the dementor?" Calcria looked up at him mixed emotions on her face. She stood abruptly and put her hands on the table and leaned down looking into his eyes. "No! This is how I always act! What? Do I depress you? Do I frighten you?" Her voice was scathing and she reminded him sharply of Ceaylabelle. He shook his head at her bewildered. "No, Cal. You don't bother me at all." Calcria felt immediately sorrowful. She sat down and looked away from him. "I'm sorry. I'm not very good company and I am not used to having friends. I understand if you want to ditch me and find someone else to hang out with." Amni smiled at her. "No. I don't want to ditch you. You look smart and I need all the help I can get." He stood and closed his books. "Come on. Let's forget this and go to bed. It's late and you don't feel well I can tell." Calcria was grateful and she stood also and loaded her book satchel. They walked up the stairs to the dorms slowly and at the top of the stairs Amni stopped her. "Listen Calcria. I understand that you are a loner. But then again I am too. If you don't ask questions, I won't. I'm not one to pry." Calcria was astonished. 'How does he know what I'm thinking?' She wondered. She smiled at him and put her hand on the door to the girl's stairway. "Thank you Amni. I think we can be friends. Goodnight." "Goodnight, Cal." She walked up the steps and the door shut behind her. Amni's retreating footsteps seemed to hesitate, before she heard the door to the boy's stairway shut. Calcria rolled her eyes and thought, "Wistful thinking girl."
****************** Cal's Notes: Whoo hoooooooooo, hack hack hack cough. I think I strained something. Oh well, for your reading enjoyment, here is the second chapter! Sorry about the delay!
Editor's (Demi's) Notes: Yay Cal! You finished! Now hurry up with chapter 3. No pressure huh? lol