Disclaimer: I do not own anything HP, but if I did, I would be oh so very rich!!!
Note: Yeah here is chapter 5. I hope I didn't keep you in too much suspense. You really have no idea how many times I would begin writing the chapter and then delete the entire thing. I was not satisfied with anything, and, to be honest, I think this chapter stinks. But oh well, at least I can make some of you happy. The Hufflepuff characters are not mentioned in this chapter, but I cross my heart that you will be in the next chapter. It's really hard to get each house in every chapter, basically because I don't want it to be so long that you become bored with the chapter. Oh well, anyway here is chapter 5, and when your done please review. Any questions, you know you can email me!
Chapter 5~ For the Sake of the Students
The morning air was chill and crisp and the autumn leaves had begun to change from lush green to beautiful oranges and reds. Classes had been rather tedious and most of the students smiled at the thought of a weekend. Nadine and Bianca slowly walked down the steps towards the common room and yawned simultaneously.
"Has Nicole come down yet?" Bianca yawned, looking around the room.
"I don't think so…Where's Seamus today? You're usually attached to his hip," Nadine smirked and laughed at her own pun.
"Shut up, Nade…I'm too tired to hit you right now." Bianca laughed and turned around at the sound of footsteps bellowing down the stairs.
"There you are!" Nicole said merrily as she skipped down the stairs. "I've been looking everywhere for you two!" Moving over to the fire, she smiled at a few first year boys who gave her curious looks.
"Why are you so chipper this morning?" Nadine asked, plopping down onto one of the many red couches.
"I had a wonderful evening…" Nicole blushed a bit and sat down next to Nadine.
"Oh do tell us about it," Bianca smiled and moved in closer.
"Well, actually, it was more of a-" her sentence was cut short by a shriek from the girls' dormitory. Willow and Hermione sprung down the steps in a flash and hurled themselves behind the couch.
"What's going on?" Bianca asked, but was soon pulled low behind the couch with Hermione and Willow.
"Get down! All of you! This is a matter of life and death!" Hermione yelled and the girls ducked behind the couch. "Parvati and Lavender are playing matchmaker again, and if I have to go through one more of their sessions I'm going to- " Willow threw her hand over Hermione's mouth as two voices sounded from the staircase.
"Willow? Hermione?" Paravti cooed.
"We just want to play…Come on, it's fun!" Lavender chimed in.
The footsteps stopped and the group of girls pressed their lips together tightly so as not to make any noise.
"I guess they went down to the Great Hall already," Lavender sighed, taking one last look around.
Parvati shrugged and turned towards the portrait of the fat lady to leave when another set of footsteps was heard from the staircase.
"Nicola! Keara!" Parvati cried as Nicola and Keara walked down the stairs.
"What?" Nicola asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes.
"We have the perfect match for you…Come on…" Lavender pulled her by the arm and smiled.
"But wait…Where is everyone else?" Nicola pleaded, looking over her shoulder at the common room.
"If anyone is hiding in here, you're dead later!" Keara yelled at the 'empty' room as the portrait door closed behind her.
Heads peaked up over the couch and began to form a fit of giggles. Soon the giggles broke out into a full-fledged roar of laughter and they found themselves rolling on the floor. Strider, Harry, Ron, Zoltan, Seamus and Devlynn strolled down the stairs a few minutes later and began to stare at the odd display. For a moment they kept quiet; they were a bit confused at the girls laughter.
"Are you girls all right?" Seamus asked, grabbing Bianca's hand to help her from the floor.
"We are fine…" Bianca managed to spit out in between giggles.
Harry rolled his eyes and looked over to Ron who was helping Willow and Nicole off the floor. Hermione was grabbing her stomach and Harry watched as Strider made his way over to her and helped her to her feet. Harry watched as they became deep in conversation and felt his stomach tighten. He remembered exactly what Strider had been saying in his sleep, and, for some reason, it bothered him tremendously.
"Jealously is an evil thing, isn't it, Harry…" Zoltan whispered in his ear.
"Huh? Oh no, I was just keeping an eye on Hermione, that's all," Harry offered, giving Zoltan a severe look.
They stood there and chatted a bit and Harry watched Strider place his arm around Hermione. His heart began to beat faster and he found himself giving Strider a look of death. Strider caught on to his stare and turned red, slowly he removed his arm from Hermione's shoulder and they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. 'It is one thing to feel sorry for her, but it was another to try and work his way into her life' he thought. Shaking his head, he sighed. Why in the world was he acting this way?
Shrugging it off as completely nothing, Harry followed the group down to the hall hoping that Strider wouldn't sit next to Hermione.
~~~~
"Can you believe this? I get to be captain of the Ravenclaw dance team!" Dana smirked and looked over to Maika and Hailey. "It's a shame I wasn't on the Gryffindor team; then I would be able to dance for George," she sighed.
"Give it up, Dana…It's becoming rather annoying how you drone on and on about George." Maika rolled her eyes and continued to eat her breakfast.
"Why do you always have to spoil everything, Mai?" Dana spat back. "Hey, Hailey, you made the team too so now we can spend more time together… I feel like I barely know you," she grinned.
"I know I'm excited…" Hailey barely whispered in a sarcastic tone.
Maika laughed and looked over to the other tables. They were beginning to fill quickly and she was glad she had come down early to grab a good seat. A huge group of Gryffindors began taking their seats and Maika noticed George looking over at the table. She grinned to herself; after all, if Dana knew that Hailey had secretly been meeting George in the library, she would have a litter of kneazles.
"What are you grinning about, Mai?" Ryo asked from across the table. "Something exciting happening that I should know about?"
"No, nothing…" she sing sang sweetly.
"George is looking at you again," Maika whispered to Hailey.
"What?" she mumbled nervously. "Really?" Looking over at the table nonchalantly, Hailey could see George give her a wink, which caused her face to turn an enormous shade of red. "What should I do?" she asked softly.
"I'm not sure, Hailey, but he's coming over here now!" Maika smirked again and shoveled some eggs into her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Hailey felt her fingers become numb and her feet go cold. This wasn't exactly they best time for this to happen, especially with Dana sitting right across from her.
'All right, remain calm and she won't suspect a thing…She will never know,' Hailey whispered to herself, taking a few deep breaths.
"Hey, Mai, Hailey…Dana." George squeezed in between Maika and Hailey, which caused Dana to stiffen a bit.
"How are things this morning?" He looked between the two of them and smiled.
"Oh, wonderful, George…and things just keep getting more and more interesting." Maika laughed to herself and continued to eat.
"Hello, George…" Dana batted her eyelashes and smiled a big goofy grin. "What brings you over to the Ravenclaw table?"
"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you, Hailey." George looked at Hailey, whom had turned a darker shade of red. " Privately…" He stood up from the table and ushered her over to the corner of the room.
"What could he want with her?" Dana spat, throwing her fork down on her plate stirring up some eggs that hit Ryo in the face.
"Hey, watch it!" Ryo defended, brushing some egg bits off of his face.
"I don't know, Dana…Maybe he has some questions about Defense Against the Dark Arts…I know they have that together." Maika tried to hide her smile but failed miserably.
"Nice try, Maika…" Dana replied coldly.
Maika turned herself around and looked over to George and Hailey who were talking. George was fiddling his thumbs and Hailey kept looking at the floor. It was a funny site and Maika couldn't help but laugh. Both of their faces were crimson and their body language reeked of nervousness, which was something she had never actually seen George Weasley have. A moment or two went by and George gave off a huge smile before walking away from the corner. He strolled back over to the Gryffindor table with a cocky grin and sat down next to Lee and Fred who were giving him high fives. Hailey, on the other hand, slowly made her way back to the table with a dumb glazed stare on her face.
"So what was that all about?" Dana asked, her eyes narrowing.
"Huh? Oh, nothing…He needs help with um his homework and I told him I would help him sometime," Hailey smiled sincerely and Maika choked on her drink.
"Really? That was it?" Dana asked. "And here I thought he was asking you out on a date. Ha!" She smiled and returned to her breakfast.
Maika gave Hailey a glance and Hailey smiled. "I think I'm going to go for a walk…I'll see you guys later." Hailey stood from the table and grabbed her bag; she was far too excited to sit and eat.
Walking through the corridors, she ran into Kaito and Renate whom were deep in a discussion on the dueling club.
"Oh, sorry, Hailey, we didn't see you there…." Renate smiled and picked up her bag, which she had dropped.
"Yeah, we were arguing over the new teacher….I think she is a spy for You-Know-Who but Renate thinks she is a Auror…What do you think?" Kaito asked, brushing off her robes.
"Oh, I'm sorry, guys, I really don't have time to argue over this stuff right now." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, come on, she has to be a spy…Why is she so weird then?" Kaito asked.
"Perhaps it is because you children make it impossible for someone to stay sane!" a harsh voice behind them sounded and the three turned slowly.
"That will be ten points from Ravenclaw for bad mouthing a Professor, Miss Taylor…Any more takers? I would be more then happy to continue this point onslaught." Aletta looked harshly at the three who remained silent. "As you were then..." After Aletta turned sharply down a far corridor, Renate laughed loudly.
"Oh, Kat! You had to see your face; I thought you were going to die!" she laughed more and Kaito hit her shoulder.
"Ow…It was funny!"
"I'll see you guys later," Hailey smiled and made her way out the front entrance and down onto the fields. Locating a large tree, she slumped underneath it and pulled out her journal. She had been making fewer and fewer entries since she had arrived, but today was a day she definitely needed to record.
Dear Diary,
Something amazing happened to me today. After all the study sessions in the library, he finally did it. He finally got the courage to do it…Merlin knows I wouldn't have been able to. The first Hogsmeade trip will be our official date! Yes, that's right…George Weasley asked me out!!!
Taking her quill off the parchment she sighed. This day couldn't get any better.
~~~~
The Great Hall began to clear out and Malfoy sighed. All the boring people in the room had begun to give him a headache. He watched Cho Chang and her cattery cousin Sabrina pass the table. Pansy and Isabelle made some kind of remark that ticked them off and they began to argue loudly. Soon Camielle and Zella joined the onslaught and Alina chimed in from time to time. Draco rolled his eyes and turned his back; he would much rather befriend a Gryffindor then listen to the utter stupidity of Pansy.
"So, have you decided yet? Want me to hex her?" Cassidy asked, eyeing Pansy from over Draco's shoulder.
"No, Cassidy, it's not necessary," he drawled.
"But think about how much fun it would be, Draco!" Ginger laughed, looking up from a buttered roll.
"Yeah, I would certainly love to put Pansy in her place," Macaroni scowled and then turned back to Americus, who was busy looking at some book.
"Pansy will eventually get hers…I can promise you that." Draco sighed and placed his fork down. "So, what do you girls have in store today?" he looked over at Amira whom was the obvious head of the group and she shrugged.
"I have plans to make…I was made captain of the dance team, therefore I need to plot out some kind of a schedule…I know Ginger is tied to homework, Americus and Mac are off in their own world…"
"Hey!" the two girls chimed at the same time.
"I have to go to the library today…" Cassidy sighed.
"Well then, that leaves Alanna…." Amira smiled. "What are you doing today, Alanna? Have time to entertain a lonely Draco Malfoy," Amira grinned and looked at Alanna, whose eyes grew big.
"Oh, I don't know…I mean, I have no idea…" stumbling over her own words, Alanna looked over to Draco, who was smiling.
"Ever play Quidditch?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"No…Well, I'm not very good," she replied.
"Well then it looks as though we have a date with the Quidditch pitch." Rising from his seat, Draco grabbed her by the hand and headed towards the door. Alanna looked back over her shoulder at the girls and Amira gave her two thumbs up. Pansy and her goons watched with hanging mouths and began chattering furiously.
Outside the door, Alanna felt her heart beat fast. "So…Is Quidditch hard? I mean, I'm not used to playing contact sports; I usually just watch from the stands."
"I promise your pretty face won't get touched," Draco smirked and continued to drag her outside.
Alanna felt her lips curl at the corners. 'He just called my face pretty' she thought in a giggly, girly manner. Rushing across the field, she was only aware of two things: She was with Draco Malfoy…alone…and she had no idea what to do!
~~~~~
The room was cold and calm. The tension in the air was high and Aletta did not like it, not at all. Dumbledore had asked all teachers into his office for a meeting, and each face was full of curiosity and fear. They knew it had something to do with Voldemort, the only trouble was they didn't know what. Dumbledore paced slowly around the room, stopping to glance out the window. The students ran around merrily outside, which made him smile. Turning back towards the teachers, he sauntered over to his desk and opened his top drawer.
"Before I begin, can I offer anyone a lemon drop? I quite fancy these things and I'm sure you would enjoy them." Looking around the room at the vacant stares, he placed the bowl aside and clasped his hands on his desk. "I know your all wondering why I called you here. I don't think I have had an official Professor meeting within the last ten years, but times are different now." He sighed and looked over to the window again. "These children are the foundation of our future, and I wonder sometimes if they really understand the amount of danger they are in."
"Professor, I hate to be rude, but what are you talking about?" Rex asked, receiving a severe look from Severus.
"Ahh, Mr. Chase, always cutting to the big picture. Well, if you must know right away, then I'll tell you. It is has come to my attention that Lord Voldemort has received full power again and I don't mean the fact that he is back…I mean his ultimate full power." There were a few short gasps but Dumbledore continued, "I know we thought we would have some time before it happened, but we were wrong…He has begun to search for the strongest allies to build up his army. From what I understand, he will most likely be calling back the witches and wizards whom aided him the most during his past reign." Dumbledore gave Severus a glance and Severus nodded. "With this understanding I feel that any one of these children could be put into danger…We already had an incident with Ms. Granger's parents and Mr. Lunas…. They want to rid the board of all the powerful light fighters before they attack…This is why I have decided to put the school in a lock-down." A few of the teachers looked around confused.
"What do you mean, Albus?" McGonagall asked, a look of worry in her eyes.
"It means that there will be no trips to Hogsmeade, no holiday…The children will remain here over the break…I will allow Quidditch games to continue but that's all…No one will be allowed to enter the castle or leave unless it is approved by me."
"But how will we explain this to them…Most of the first years won't understand …" Professor Flitwick chirped from the floor.
"I know…I will devise a way to tell them, but as of now please inform your houses that Hogsmeade trips have been canceled. Let them know everything is all right, but Hogsmeade trips are canceled. The days grow darker by the hour, and the more we prepare these children, the more chance they have for survival…I can assure you that- "
"Ahhhhhh!!!" a piercing scream broke the conversation and all eyes turned to Aletta, who slowly slummed to the ground and passed out.
~~~~~
"Are you certain?" Alina asked Camielle, sitting by the fire in the Slytherin common room.
"Of course I'm certain! My parents have been Death Eaters for years…They wouldn't owl me with lies!" Camielle shot back.
"Here, let me see the owl…" Zella grabbed the piece of parchment and began to read it aloud.
" Camielle, your mother and I wanted to be the first to tell you that it has happened: The Dark Lord has regained full strength. It will only be a matter of time before we reign again. Please inform your friends of this news, as I'm sure they would be happy to share the wonderful news with you. We will owl you again soon with more information. Your father…" Zella sighed and handed the letter back to Camielle.
"So, do you think everything will work out this time? I mean, judging from the past, nothing ever seems to work out for us," Isabelle commented.
"You dare question the Dark?" Camille quizzed.
"No, I was just curious… I mean, look at Potter, he has- "
"Drop it, Isabelle," Pansy hissed.
"So, when should we prepare?" Erika asked in a low whisper.
"Soon, soon and we will be running this entire school," Camille smirked and shoved the letter into her pocket. "But, for now, we keep this between us…" turning to Pansy, her face became very serious. "That means you don't even tell Draco…"
"I know, but he would be excited to hea- "
"No, Pansy! No! We have to wait until the timing is right." Camielle stood from her seat on the couch. "Let's get out of here…It's becoming a bit too stuffy." Walking towards the portrait door, the girls laughed in unison.
Mel stepped out of the shadows and smiled. It was much easier then she had expected; everyone flailed his or her business around, unaware that anyone would be listening…It was rather pathetic. Taking a seat on the couch where Pansy had been, she closed her eyes and focused. If the time were right, she would be able to communicate with her father…If not then, all she would receive would be a terrible headache.
"Father, are you there?" Mel asked mentally. The voice echoed inside her head. "Father…" She waited but no answer came. Opening her eyes, she rubbed her forehead. It was hard to communicate telepathically, but she had been doing it for quite some time. Only when it didn't work she was left with a headache. Rubbing her temples, she walked slowly up to her dormitory. 'I'll try again later,' she thought, dropping down onto her bed. Closing her eyes, she couldn't wait to tell her father the news. Soon she found herself in a deep sleep.
An old man stood in front of her and she smiled at the site of him. Running towards him, she embraced him in a tight hug.
"Oh, father! I have news for you…" she exclaimed, puffing her chest out proudly.
"Do you?" he asked in a cold tone.
"Father?" She gave him a quizzical look and screamed. Her father morphed into the Dark Lord and soon she found herself running. She promised she wouldn't get involved again, but the more he appeared in her dreams the harder it was to fight the need of the dark. She ran harder now; the darkness around her became thick and unnerving. And soon she stopped…She had no idea where she was.
"It's a dream, Aiwendil…Wake up!…It's a dream, Aiwendil, wake up!" she yelled to herself. And then she felt her true spirit looking down at her imaginary being. It was a bit unreal, but there she was standing in the dark. The figure of herself turned to face her. She looked into her eyes and saw emptiness…complete blackness. She watched herself throw her hands into the air and a bright flash of light thundered down from the sky. It hit the figure hard and when it stopped she knew what had happened. Her dream had accepted the dark…
Opening her eyes, Mel felt the sweat drip down her forehead. She looked at her hands and everything was normal; she hadn't accepted the dark…It really was only a dream. A noise from her left startled her and she jerked her head quickly to the side. She wasn't in the dormitory anymore…She had somehow walked into the Forbidden Forest. The trees around her blew softly in the wind and created a bustling that frightened her. She turned around; she didn't know which way was out, and the longer she stood there the more sounds filled her ears. A rustle from behind her caused her to turn quickly and she came face to face with a beast. She knew its name, a Chimaera (the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon): A creature known for its bloodthirsty habits. Aiwendil took a few steps back and stared the creature in the eye. Her heart thudded greatly and her legs were weak. It stood there, taking in the scenario. Its body moved with striking tactics and Aiwendil wasn't sure whether to run or wait for its attack. Running would only anger it more. She took another step backwards and pinned herself against a large tree.
Climbing wasn't an option; these creatures could climb well. She stared it straight in the eye and waited. It was waiting for the perfect attack and Aiwendil knew it. She took a deep breath and then it charged her. Throwing her arms up in defense she felt the creature hit her like a ton of bricks. Kicking and screaming, she threw her hands on the face of the beast, holding his mouth shut. She focused now and began to chant and it grew louder with each passing second. Her eyes became black and empty and in a flash the beast disintegrated into a pile of ashes. She sat there, a minor gash on her hand; the only noticeable battle wound. Looking at the gash and over to the ashes, she began to shake, and the tears fell from her face in buckets.
~~~~~
Ginny looked into the sky and smiled at the sun; it felt nice on her skin and it was exactly what she had asked for. She had been complaining to Wren recently that the sun never seemed as sunny anymore, and then, as though the sun had heard her, it began to shine brightly that day. Wren chattered eagerly next to her as they walked down by the lake. She was going on and on about a funny moment in Divination. Honestly, Ginny wasn't even paying attention; her mind was elsewhere, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Perhaps it was still the odd behavior that Malfoy had given her, or perhaps it was the three tons of eggs she had eaten for breakfast. She really wasn't sure. Taking a seat by the lake, Ginny turned to Wren, who was laughing like crazy.
"And then he told her she was crazy!…Oh, Ginny, it was so funny!" Wren laughed and fell back on the grass while Ginny shook her head.
"You're crazy sometimes…" Ginny laughed.
"No…not crazy, just eccentric," Wren smiled and sat back up. "What do you want to do today?" she asked, picking up a blade of grass and shredding it in her fingers.
"I don't know. Nothing exciting ever seems to happen around here," Ginny sighed.
"Can someone please help me…." a voice asked from behind them. Turning around, Ginny and Wren gasped at Mel, whom had stumbled out of the forest. "Can you take me to Madam Pomfrey? I think my hand is hurt." Her eyes were vacant and lost and Ginny felt almost scared to look at her.
"Oh, my…Where did you…did you…You came from the forest, didn't you?" Wren asked, a look of shock plastered on her face.
"Madam Pomfrey, please…"
"Wren, we can ask her questions later; we need to get her to the infirmary!" Ginny stood and placed her arm around Mel's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mel. We can help you." Wren grabbed the other shoulder and the two slowly dragged Mel towards the castle.
"And you were wondering when something exciting would happen….You had to go and say it, didn't you, Ginny…" Wren rolled her eyes.
"Shut up…" Ginny muttered.
~~~~~
Severus ran down the hall carrying Aletta back towards her room; he knew what this was about, and he didn't want any of the other teachers to catch on. Dumbledore had told them she had been sick earlier, but the only twit who actually bought it was Trelawney.
"Some Divination teacher…." Severus mumbled to himself.
Taking the stairs two at a time, he could hear Rex's footsteps not too far behind him. He was sure Mackenzie would be with him, as well as Dumbledore, but they wouldn't understand the pain she was in…only he would. Reaching her cold room Snape opened her door and placed her on her bed. A movement from the bathroom startled him and he drew his wand. A small house-elf appeared with some folded robes.
"Can I help you, Sir?" Emmy asked normally before noticing Aletta on the bed. "Missy!" she cried, running to Aletta's side. "What has happened to Emmy's Missy?" she asked, a panicked look on her face.
"She will be fine. Why don't you be a good house-elf and get her some tea from the kitchen," Snape scowled.
"Yes…yes... Missy likes tea, she does…" Emmy ran quickly from the room, almost knocking Rex and Mackenzie over.
"What was that?" Rex asked as he watched the elf run off down the hall.
"Aletta's house-elf…" Snape mumbled.
Snape carefully removed her robes, revealing a simple black dress that she wore underneath. He brushed the hair away from her face and sat down on the edge of the bed. Rex chuckled behind him.
"Never thought you'd be doing that again, did you?" he laughed before Mackenzie hit him in the shoulder.
"If you're going to stand there making asinine comments, then leave; this is more serious then either of you know!" Snape snapped at them.
"I was only kidding, Severus…I know it's serious. I was just trying to- "
"Trying to what? Do you have any idea what it is like to be summoned back to the Dark Lord?…Resisting his call is almost as painful as dying…" Snape looked back at Aletta who was still knocked out on the bed. Rolling up her sleeve, he looked at her Death Mark. He already knew what to expect, but seeing it burn so black almost made his heart ache to help her. He knew the pain all to well, and trying to resist it only made it worse…He had been there so many times before.
"Aletta?" He lightly tapped her shoulder. "Aletta, can you hear me?" She stirred a bit and her eyes fluttered open.
"Aletta, can you hear me?" he asked, closer to her ear this time.
"Yes, I can…Can you stop yelling in my ear?" She moved her head to the side and looked over at Rex and Mackenzie. "I'm glad my pain brings social gatherings…" She lifted her head off the bed and tried to sit up, but failed and fell back again. Her strength was gone…She was weak and Severus knew it.
"Aletta, you need to rest. I just sent your house-elf to get you some tea. I was hoping though that we cou- " Severus stopped and turned to the commotion by the door. Aletta's house-elf had returned and was now pushing Rex and Mackenzie out.
"She needs rest, she does…out, out, out." Emmy shooed them away and then walked over to Severus. "Missy will be grateful that you helped her, but Emmy is here now. Sir can leave." She pulled Snape by the hem of his robe and ushered him to the door.
"Aletta, we need to talk later," Snape stated over to her.
"We will, Severus…We will…" she answered. " Severus…." She called to him and he turned around at the door. "Thank you." She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.
Snape moved away from the door and walked over to Mackenzie and Rex.
"What did she say?" Rex asked eagerly. Snape gave him a look and moved towards his door. "Severus? What happened?" he asked again.
Opening the door to his room, Snape stepped inside and slammed the door in Rex's face.