Lalalala....i own nothing!!!
This chapter is dedicated to soupofthedaysara
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A World Unknown------- Chapter 9: Keeper of The Keys------------------------------------
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This time, she was in a dark forest in the dead of night. She squinted into the darkness but no one could be seen through the thick trees, a twig snapped off to her left, and when she parted through the canopy of branches, she was stilled by a chilling sight.
In a dark clearing, a black robed man towered over a smaller groveling one. Surrounding them were dark cloaked figures, their faces shrouded in shadow. The tall one in the center reached forward and touched a single finger to the smaller one's forehead. The dark cloak slipped away, revealing a pasty white forearm with blue veins straining against the surface. A few murmurs were issued from the surrounding onlookers as a black haze enveloped both of the center figures.
A bloodcurdling cry was torn from the throat of the small one as he writhed in agony at the touch of his master. Animalistic moans and cries issued from each of the surrounding figures. Many fell to their knees and clutched their left arms in pain. Without warning, the black haze whipped away and revealed the small one, with the hem of his masters robe clutched in his hands like an anchor to life.
After a few moments of silent sobbing on his part, the man rose to his feet and pulled back the sleeve of his right arm. The skin was pink, raw and shiny around a black tattoo embedded deep in his skin. When Maggie looked closer, she thought she could almost make out a skull and a snake, but she had leaned in to far and stumbled, casing the branches to rustle.
The heads of all the figures snapped around and rested on her hiding spot. They advanced slowly towards her, and in a blind panic, she ran. The branches and foliage whipped her face and bare legs, causing her to flinch at every step. When she finally thought that she had lost them, she slowed her pace and glanced behind her.
A root jutting out at a sharp angle from the ground hooked around her ankle and sent her crashing face-first into the forest floor. She rolled over and propped herself up on her elbows, and when she opened her eyes, the cold, pale, veined hand was holding a wand leveled straight at her heart.
Maggie let out a dry sob before the words, grating and harsh on her ears proclaimed once more:
Avada Kedavra.
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Saturday morning came all to soon for Maggie's tastes but nevertheless, she pulled herself out of the pile of blankets and donned the black cloak she "borrowed" from the boy on the train.
The early morning was slow and most of Maggie's work consisted of scrubbing down various objects: dishes, floors, tables......... It was not as eventful as last night, but Rosie Warned of the lunch hour rush they got from surrounding patrons and, to Maggie's interest, Hogwarts professors.
When lunch finally did roll around, So much was required to tend to that Maggie didn't even have time to try and pick up any more information on how to get to the school, and therefore, Harry Potter. Rather, she concentrated on serving the interesting folks who swarmed the little pub to their satisfaction.
Around 12:30, when the crowd had begun to settle, a towering, heavyset man who was almost as wide as he was tall entered the pub. He had a wiry black beard and untamed hair to match. His shoulders filled the doorframe and when he spotted Rosie, his face broke into a wide grin. Rosie greeted him like an old friend, so before even meeting him, Maggie was inclined to trust him. For the first time since she had arrived, Maggie witnessed Rosie sit and drink with a customer. Her and the massive man conversed for well over an hour about trivial things, like the weather and the businesses in town. It wasn't until Maggie heard the man mention Hogwarts that she tuned in fully on the conversation.
".......my hands full with all the new firs-years runnin 'round the grounds like a lot 'o wild hinkeypucks. They're more trouble than all them Weasley boys put together!!" He guffawed. " And with You-Know-Who on the loose, I've got-ta be all the more careful That I don't lose a one of them near the forest. Especially not young 'Arry or his friends!!"
Maggie craned her neck nearer to the table under the guise of having dropped something on the floor.
"Aye, I know as well as you do the dangers 'o that Reubus!" Rosie nodded. "I only Hope that Headmaster Dumbledore can keep them away from the school. If anything happened to those children........." She cut of with a protective look in her eyes.
"I know Rosie, I know." Hagrid patted her on the shoulder with one of his massive hands. "But we both know, that Dumbledore would never let anyone touch 'is students, not while he can do anything 'bout it."
They both took deep sips of their Odgens Old fire-whisky before Rosie went on.
"I have a new young girl on staff, she showed up here the other night and i ouldnt turn her down." Rosie started. "Shes was a big help with the Friday crowd last night."
Maggie pretended not to have hear a word said and moved on to the next table, picking up Mugs and wiping off stains as she went. After a few minutes, Rosie beckoned her over so she slid up sheepishly behind her.
" Maggie, I would like to introduce you to Reubus Hagrid." Rosie beamed. "He is the keeper of the keys and grounds at Hogwarts."
Maggie smiled and offered her compareitavley tiny hand to his waiting massive one. He shook hands so hard that Maggie swore she could feel her teeth loosen in her jaw. She smiled when Mr. Hagrid remarked what a pretty young lady she was. It was a lie, not to mention a tad degrading being referred to like a 6 year old, but it was nice to hear anyways.
Hagrid described the official opening of the school year feast at the castle last night. He was a big help when he answered all of her questions about the classes and magic courses. It seemed that he possessed a certain flair for raising dangerous animals that she had never heard of but found fascinating nonetheless. When it was time to leave, Maggie was sure to say that she was sorry to see him go but he promised to be back the next Monday anyways.
That night was no less slow and customers were demanding, but Maggie found that she enjoyed the bustling tavern and its atmosphere.
In the midst of her serving, several old men pulled her to the floor and tried to teach her a quickstep dance to the rowdy fiddle music provided by the same reedy man as the previous night. She had nearly mastered it by the end of the evening and found that the time with this friendly crowd passes all too quickly. She was exhausted by the time Rosie called out that It was closing time for the day.
Again tonight, The two shared a bottle of butterbeer over a chat about the customers. Rosie was delighted with how well Maggie had managed today and warned that if she wasn't careful, it would be a full time job that she had on her hands.
Maggie laughed, but the words reminded her that by staying here she was wasting her time and the sooner she got to Harry Potter, the better off she would be. She hoped with all her heart that her Aunt and Uncle were alive and well and was anxious to get back to them before they thought she was the one who had passed in the 'incident' as she had come to think of it.
That night, after she had bid goodnight to Rosie, she came to the descision that before the week had passed, she would be at Hogwarts. Of course, she would miss Rosie, but it was a secondary matter compared to the dilemmas' she was facing. Monday, she would get Mr. Hagrid to take her to the school. With any luck, the Headmaster that he and Rosie had spoken so highly of would understand her predicament and offer her a means of solving this problem without to much trouble.
With luck.
That was all she had going for her, and considering the 'luck' she had encountered latley, things were not looking their brightest.
With luck. Yeah, Right.
And with that, she slept once again.
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TBC
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This chapter, Like i said, is for soupofthedaysara, who has been such an awesome reviewer and who is truly, one of the best Harry Potter Fanfiction writers on ff.net.
Thanks for all your support!
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