**~** One **~**
"Imagine now, if you would, that Voldemort is back in power. Stronger and more terrible than before. You don't know who your friends are, you don't know who's out to get you. People, both muggles and wizards die everyday in mass killings, the dark arts is rife! It's my job to take as many of those dirty traitors and make sure they don't get away with it!"
Freddicus Snippit, the new defense against the dark arts teacher gestured dramatically to the class and went boldly onwards with his rather self flattering speech. "So you see class, that is why we must teach you now. The darks arts is a foul and dirty magic, and these fools who follow Voldemort won't play fair! No wizard's duel! No warning! They will most likely get you in the back..BANG! Like that!"
The whole class jumped as one, and then nervously resumed taking notes. All except one. One student wasn't taking notes. He stared blankly up at Professor Snippet with his chin resting in one hand, the other hand was doodling on parchment absently. His usually shining blue ice eyes looked faded and dull. Over his eyes was the occasional wisp of his silver gray hair, which always seemed messy and some days spiky. Most students found his silver hair so unusual, and joked when he was young he was frightened almost to death, and that's why his hair was now 'gray'. His skin was a soft white, smooth and pale. It was often rumored he had Vila somewhere in his family bloodline, but nobody could be sure. His name was Saul , 6th year Hogwarts student. Eldest in his year at 17, he was a loner. Sure he was most attractive and many girls admired him, but not enough to bother with being his friends (too scared to approach?), and the boys in his class resented his good looks and took his shy side to be snobbish.
"And that." Snippet wafted his wand menacingly at an imaginary dark wizard "is how you use the Entrapment Spell. I caught many a Death Eater with this! Sent them right to Azkaban, oh yes!" He boasted. Saul thought how unlikely it was he really caught many Death Eaters. The Professor looked, well, for want of a better word, weedy. He was tall, his robes hung off him like a badly fitted sack, and he could only manage to muster a few whispers of beard on his very weak chin. Saul thought he looked pathetic.
"Sir?" A girl in his class, a Gryffindor called Granger lifted her hand and waved it urgently.
"Err, Yes Miss Granger?"
"Sir, I read that a lot of dark wizards went to Azkaban without even a trial. Well, how did you know, for sure? What if you send an innocent to Azkaban?"
Saul turned about in his chair and stared at the Granger girl. This where exactly his own thoughts at the time. He often treated Ministry members with contempt and scorn, many of his family, friends and his parents where in Azkaban. Being in Slytherin it seemed was sometimes good enough evidence on its own to throw a wizard or witch into Azkaban.
"Well," Snippet fingered the end of his wand, and spoke slowly, as is choosing each word with the greatest care. "In those days, Miss Granger, and yes, even now in these dark times we live in. We have to protect what is good. You let an 'innocent' go free today, and tomorrow you could have mass Muggle killings, like those supposed 'terrorist bombs' in London last week. So you see! We must take a risk at the cost of one, to protect the many."
"Sir?" Her hand was up again. "Why is dark arts banned? Surly it's the dark wizard who makes it bad and not the magic itself?"
Saul gaped. Was this Gryffindor some sort of mind reader? He thought it safe not to think any bad or rude thoughts whilst she was about, just in case.
"Dark arts is forbidden! That is all you need to know! Now enough irrelevant questions. Open your books to chapter 18 and take notes."
The class lapsed again into a suffocating silence. Saul took notes, but his mind buzzed at what the girl had said. It made him so angry that he had to practice his dark arts in the dead of night and alone. And if he was caught they would throw him into Azkaban. Those hot heads at the Ministry, if only they could see that Dark Arts is just as relevant as White Magic. In the muggy classroom Saul yawned and lay his head on his hands, thoughts of his parents swimming through his minds eye.
**
"Mummy! Mummy look! Isn't he pretty?"
"Why Darling! Come look at little Saul! Oh Gods honey! Look!"
A little boy no older than five stood in a sunny garden in what looked like a well lived in country cottage. The cottage was wrapped in white and red roses. The smell of honeysuckle mingled in the soft summer breeze. His hair a soft white with touches of silver, his eyes two blue diamonds, and his smile of excited childish glee. His hands where held out palms up, and above his palms danced a hot orange glow, like pale flames dancing in a ring. But it wasn't the swirl of flames that excited his parents, it was the small faded dragon that writhed inside. No bigger than a fox terrier the dragon snapped it jaws aggressively, but never to the young boy. It was brilliant orange in colour, and its back was covered in a thousand spikes that looked soft to the touch.
"Saul!" The boy's mother hovered close by, but was too frightened to approach. "How, how do you do this?"
"Mummy! The boys in the village where making fun of me. Calling me names again because of my hair. They pushed me over and they kicked me! It really hurt! I got really angry and next thing I knew Satsuma just came from magic and scared them all away!"
"Satsuma?" Asked the father.
"He told me his name is Satsuma. He said I'm his Master. I think he means we are friends!" He chuckled, smiling lovingly at the dragon.
"Darling," The mother turned to the father "Our baby has such talent! And now he can summon! He's only five! We can never let the ministry know. They would kill him!"
"But Honey! We can't let Saul abandon his gift! He was born with the ability to summon, to deny him that would be a greater crime than to let him continue."
"Then we teach him in secret. No one shall ever know!"
The small boy only half listened to the boring conversations of grown ups. He reached out a finger and ran it over the cool scales of the dragon. Then it suddenly writhed and it seemed as if all the fire and the dragon where sucked into the boys palms. He closed his hands and smiled.
"Satsuma, you won't make fun of me."
**
"Wake up already idiot." A boy kicked Saul's chair, and then walked out of the classroom laughing. Saul yawned again and looked blearily about the room. Professor Snippit was packing up his teaching aids (including what looked like a small sprite in a jar) and most of the students had left. He often had that same dream, it was a memory from a life that seemed so long ago.
"Umm. Are you going to Transfiguration?" Came a rather timid voice. Saul looked around, it was that Gryffindor girl.
"I, ah. I think I'll skip it." He said sleepily.
"Me too. I want to talk with you. Let's go to the library." She stood impatiently and waited for Saul to gather his things. Saul glowered at her on the way. Why should he have to go to the library, he didn't fancy talking to anybody right now. They eventually arrived at the library and the Gryffindor girl sat them down in a private study corner, away from any other students.
"My name is Hermione Granger." She said.
"So?" Saul really wasn't interested, his dream still lingered on his thoughts. He soon took interest when Hermione threw an old and musty newspaper onto the study desk before him. He looked at her then to the paper.
"I found it in Hogsmead Library Its 12 years old. Read this." She flipped it open and stabbed her finger at a small article. Saul picked up the paper and eyed it closely.
... DRAGON WOUNDS VILLAGE BOY..... Locals, in the village of Agalsham, where shocked to hear of a young boy who claims to have been bitten by a Dragon.
"That Saul kid has one, he pulled it out and set it on me." Says young Master Crabbitch, 6 years old.
Ministry officials conducted a thorough search of the accused property, but nothing was found.
"I put it down to childish rumor." Said an official at the scene.
Rumor or fact? Whatever happened something attacked that boy.
...........................
Saul went white as a sheet, and he was pale skinned enough. The effect was quite worrying. This girl, she has been digging up information on him? Does she know about his dark arts? What the fuck is she playing at? He rose threateningly. Hermione held up her hands and laughed nervously.
"Now look! It's not what you think!" She gabbled, getting worried.
"Why are you digging this up? You went to Hogsmead Library specifically to get this? Why?" Saul growled, sitting sown and shaking the paper.
"Look. I'm not going to tell anybody. I know you can summon." Hermione said in a hushed tone. Saul's heart leapt into his throat and his eyes where as wide as saucers.
"Shut the fuck up!" He hissed, and he stormed hurriedly out the library. Hermione smiled apologetically to Madam Pince and rushed out after him.
"Go away!" Saul shouted over his shoulder.
"Wait! At least here me out!" Hermione caught up to him and grabbed his arm.
Saul swirled about and shot her a look that was deadly. This wasn't funny! In this day and age using dark arts could get you thrown into Azkaban, being able to Summon could get you killed. Those idiots at the Ministry are so fucking scared of their own damn shadows that even a hint of dark arts will push them to act rashly. Like with his parents. Saul sighed sadly. "Go on then."
"There is this girl. In Ravenclaw. She came to me for help." Hermione said, in a very low voice, barley a whisper. "She's terrified! Two months ago she said she was sitting in her common room alone, when a rat ran over her foot. She is mortally afraid of them, and she said as she fell back off her chair a water spirit flew from her hands and killed it! Of course she had to explain to another Ravenclaw why his familiar was dead."
"She summons?" Saul pulled Hermione into a shadowed corner.
"Yes. She of course had no idea what happened, so she came to me. Her friends told her I was supposedly clever I guess. Anyway. I remember reading about the ability to summon! I remember reading about a supposed case about it ages ago! Imagine my shock to discover it was you!"
"Your shock? For fucks sake! Tell me about this girl!" Saul gripped her even tighter. Up until now his day had been pretty much as dull and repetitive as every other day at this school. But to learn of another! He ached to talk with her, find out about her summoned guardian and find out about her.
"Why don't you come and meet her!" Hermione snapped, shaking her arm free of Saul's now vice like grip. Saul nodded, and Hermione led him away.
**
They walked quickly, but as silently as possible. They where after all supposed to be in lessons and getting caught would delay them no end. Soon enough Hermione led the impatient Saul to a large painting of a gilded cage of birds. Saul had seen it many times but not really paid much attention to it.
"Under the red ones bill." She said, reaching up and scratching a red song bird under its elongated beak. It chirped softly and the painting swung open. Hermione climbed through and motioned Saul to follow.
What was inside looked like it had been forgotten for centuries. It was dark and gloomy, the windows dulled by ages of dirt and cobwebs. Statues of the four house mascots lined the walls. A vast and dirty bird hewn from stone shadowed them under the spread of its massive wings, marble badgers where piled in the corners, lions engraved on stone shields cluttered under the windows and an impressive stone serpent with what looked like ivory fangs snaked its way up a column next to the far wall. Saul was dumbfounded, and he had to assume this was a storage space for statues no longer needed or past their prime. In the darkness the silhouettes of the many creatures was haunting, and he fancied in the corner of his eye he saw them shift. Looking up he saw that the ceiling was so far off he couldn't even see it. Spooky!
"Tabitha? Are you in here?" Hermione looked about. And Saul saw from behind a large lion a small girl stepped out. She was dressed strangely, even for a Hogwarts student. A black collar hung about her dainty neck, she was squeezed into a tight but smart sleeveless jacket that just stopped about her naval. She wore very short shorts that put Saul more in mind of swimming hot pants. The Ravenclaw Emblem on a shield was stitched onto a back pocket, thigh socks ran down her legs and she wore rather chunky boots. Over all this was draped a black witches robe. But if her odd dress was surprising then her features more so! Saul had to double take, extruding from her short and scruffy blue hair was what looked like a pair of small silky canine ears! Her eyes looked like two wide diamonds and her smile was nervous and meek. Saul figured she was roughly the same age as he was, maybe a little younger.
"Are you the boy Hermione told me about?" She said. Her voice had a hint of a Scottish accent.
"You have ears!" Saul stammered, not minding his manners at all.
"Idiot!" Hermione punched him roughly on the arm. "Have you never noticed her about before? Tabitha is part werewolf."
"Oh." He said, still staring at Tabitha.
"I want to show you something." Tabitha stepped forward and Saul was sure he saw a tail swishing inside her robes. She held out her small hand. "Watch!" And suddenly a translucent blue water like a ghostly liquid mercury spiraled from her palm. From inside the water there was what looked like part dragon part wolf, composed entirely of water and with a mane of purest white spikes. She looked up into Saul's eyes. His gaze was fixed squarely on the creature in Tabitha's hand.
"It's a.." Saul swallowed "Water guardian!"
"Her name is Suzette." Tabitha closed her palm a little and Suzette danced back inside her hand with a light splash. "At first she scared the living hell out of me! I mean, she killed a rat!"
"Yeah. You gotta watch em." Saul said, still staring at her now empty hand. Hermione stepped out of the shadows and stood before Saul, a confrontational expression on her face.
"Saul!" She said roughly "You have to help her! You have lived with your since you where five! You must know something we don't! How to control it, how to keep it hidden!
"I'm so scared Suzette will come out in public! Or if my parents found out! They would hand me to the ministry right away!" Tabitha sobbed.
"It took me a while to convince her not to hand herself in!" Hermione said "We both believe whole heartedly that dark arts must be eliminated! But Tabitha isn't doing this through her own free will!"
Saul scoffed. So, they where just as foolish as the rest of those misguided ministry wizards. Scared shitless of the dark arts. Scared shitless of her own amazing power. Saul hated them both already! "If they catch you, they will destroy Suzette and lock you away in Azkaban. I heard they do terrible things to girls in Azkaban, one as pretty as you wouldn't be overlooked." He said, sneering at their shocked expressions. He swept his hair from out of his eyes and looked hard at her. She was an idiot not to see her own abilities, but he couldn't walk away from another summoner.
"Will you help me or not?" Tabitha gritted her teeth and balled her fists. This Saul guy was a stuck up asshole, just as the rumors about him said.
"Alright."
"Will you show us your guardian?" Hermione asked.
"I'll show her. I won't show you!" Saul spat. "And I can't show you here anyway. It's far too risky."
Tabitha exploded "What? I showed you! If its okay for me to do it here, then it should be okay for you too!"
Saul growled. What a pain in the ass! He looked up, and then held out his palms. "I would get back if I where you." He said. The two girls shifted a few paces back. "Farther! Right back!" Saul barked. They scowled at him and they walked all the way back next to a statue of a badger rearing up on its hind paws. Satisfied that they where out of harms way Saul concentrated. His whole hands glowed and a transparent orange fire flickered about his hands, it traveled up his arms and his whole body seemed to glow. Then with a tremor of energy a gigantic dragon burst from a ball of heat and strived upwards and upwards into the room. Fire fairies swirled and swarmed in the aurora about them, and as the dragon curled itself in the air its tail diminished into the fire that cracked coldly in Saul's palm.
"Oh Gods!" Tabitha fell back and Hermione gaped at the fearful scene.
"This is Satsuma. Don't worry. He won't hurt you." Saul said. Tabitha got shakily to her feet and walked tentatively towards Saul and the vast Satsuma that loomed behind him. She held out her hand again and Suzette spiraled fourth, tiny and gentile in comparison. Hermione watched in awe and disbelief as the minute blue dragon reached upwards with it muzzle, and the huge fiery dragon reached down and touched the little guardian.
"Looks like they are friends." Smiled Saul. He looked composed on the outside, but inside his heart was racing. All his life he had believed he was the only one, and now this girl and her tiny guardian come to find him and Satsuma for help.
"Thank you for agreeing to help us." Tabitha said. Saul had a feeling this was going to be far more trouble than this girl knew.
"Imagine now, if you would, that Voldemort is back in power. Stronger and more terrible than before. You don't know who your friends are, you don't know who's out to get you. People, both muggles and wizards die everyday in mass killings, the dark arts is rife! It's my job to take as many of those dirty traitors and make sure they don't get away with it!"
Freddicus Snippit, the new defense against the dark arts teacher gestured dramatically to the class and went boldly onwards with his rather self flattering speech. "So you see class, that is why we must teach you now. The darks arts is a foul and dirty magic, and these fools who follow Voldemort won't play fair! No wizard's duel! No warning! They will most likely get you in the back..BANG! Like that!"
The whole class jumped as one, and then nervously resumed taking notes. All except one. One student wasn't taking notes. He stared blankly up at Professor Snippet with his chin resting in one hand, the other hand was doodling on parchment absently. His usually shining blue ice eyes looked faded and dull. Over his eyes was the occasional wisp of his silver gray hair, which always seemed messy and some days spiky. Most students found his silver hair so unusual, and joked when he was young he was frightened almost to death, and that's why his hair was now 'gray'. His skin was a soft white, smooth and pale. It was often rumored he had Vila somewhere in his family bloodline, but nobody could be sure. His name was Saul , 6th year Hogwarts student. Eldest in his year at 17, he was a loner. Sure he was most attractive and many girls admired him, but not enough to bother with being his friends (too scared to approach?), and the boys in his class resented his good looks and took his shy side to be snobbish.
"And that." Snippet wafted his wand menacingly at an imaginary dark wizard "is how you use the Entrapment Spell. I caught many a Death Eater with this! Sent them right to Azkaban, oh yes!" He boasted. Saul thought how unlikely it was he really caught many Death Eaters. The Professor looked, well, for want of a better word, weedy. He was tall, his robes hung off him like a badly fitted sack, and he could only manage to muster a few whispers of beard on his very weak chin. Saul thought he looked pathetic.
"Sir?" A girl in his class, a Gryffindor called Granger lifted her hand and waved it urgently.
"Err, Yes Miss Granger?"
"Sir, I read that a lot of dark wizards went to Azkaban without even a trial. Well, how did you know, for sure? What if you send an innocent to Azkaban?"
Saul turned about in his chair and stared at the Granger girl. This where exactly his own thoughts at the time. He often treated Ministry members with contempt and scorn, many of his family, friends and his parents where in Azkaban. Being in Slytherin it seemed was sometimes good enough evidence on its own to throw a wizard or witch into Azkaban.
"Well," Snippet fingered the end of his wand, and spoke slowly, as is choosing each word with the greatest care. "In those days, Miss Granger, and yes, even now in these dark times we live in. We have to protect what is good. You let an 'innocent' go free today, and tomorrow you could have mass Muggle killings, like those supposed 'terrorist bombs' in London last week. So you see! We must take a risk at the cost of one, to protect the many."
"Sir?" Her hand was up again. "Why is dark arts banned? Surly it's the dark wizard who makes it bad and not the magic itself?"
Saul gaped. Was this Gryffindor some sort of mind reader? He thought it safe not to think any bad or rude thoughts whilst she was about, just in case.
"Dark arts is forbidden! That is all you need to know! Now enough irrelevant questions. Open your books to chapter 18 and take notes."
The class lapsed again into a suffocating silence. Saul took notes, but his mind buzzed at what the girl had said. It made him so angry that he had to practice his dark arts in the dead of night and alone. And if he was caught they would throw him into Azkaban. Those hot heads at the Ministry, if only they could see that Dark Arts is just as relevant as White Magic. In the muggy classroom Saul yawned and lay his head on his hands, thoughts of his parents swimming through his minds eye.
**
"Mummy! Mummy look! Isn't he pretty?"
"Why Darling! Come look at little Saul! Oh Gods honey! Look!"
A little boy no older than five stood in a sunny garden in what looked like a well lived in country cottage. The cottage was wrapped in white and red roses. The smell of honeysuckle mingled in the soft summer breeze. His hair a soft white with touches of silver, his eyes two blue diamonds, and his smile of excited childish glee. His hands where held out palms up, and above his palms danced a hot orange glow, like pale flames dancing in a ring. But it wasn't the swirl of flames that excited his parents, it was the small faded dragon that writhed inside. No bigger than a fox terrier the dragon snapped it jaws aggressively, but never to the young boy. It was brilliant orange in colour, and its back was covered in a thousand spikes that looked soft to the touch.
"Saul!" The boy's mother hovered close by, but was too frightened to approach. "How, how do you do this?"
"Mummy! The boys in the village where making fun of me. Calling me names again because of my hair. They pushed me over and they kicked me! It really hurt! I got really angry and next thing I knew Satsuma just came from magic and scared them all away!"
"Satsuma?" Asked the father.
"He told me his name is Satsuma. He said I'm his Master. I think he means we are friends!" He chuckled, smiling lovingly at the dragon.
"Darling," The mother turned to the father "Our baby has such talent! And now he can summon! He's only five! We can never let the ministry know. They would kill him!"
"But Honey! We can't let Saul abandon his gift! He was born with the ability to summon, to deny him that would be a greater crime than to let him continue."
"Then we teach him in secret. No one shall ever know!"
The small boy only half listened to the boring conversations of grown ups. He reached out a finger and ran it over the cool scales of the dragon. Then it suddenly writhed and it seemed as if all the fire and the dragon where sucked into the boys palms. He closed his hands and smiled.
"Satsuma, you won't make fun of me."
**
"Wake up already idiot." A boy kicked Saul's chair, and then walked out of the classroom laughing. Saul yawned again and looked blearily about the room. Professor Snippit was packing up his teaching aids (including what looked like a small sprite in a jar) and most of the students had left. He often had that same dream, it was a memory from a life that seemed so long ago.
"Umm. Are you going to Transfiguration?" Came a rather timid voice. Saul looked around, it was that Gryffindor girl.
"I, ah. I think I'll skip it." He said sleepily.
"Me too. I want to talk with you. Let's go to the library." She stood impatiently and waited for Saul to gather his things. Saul glowered at her on the way. Why should he have to go to the library, he didn't fancy talking to anybody right now. They eventually arrived at the library and the Gryffindor girl sat them down in a private study corner, away from any other students.
"My name is Hermione Granger." She said.
"So?" Saul really wasn't interested, his dream still lingered on his thoughts. He soon took interest when Hermione threw an old and musty newspaper onto the study desk before him. He looked at her then to the paper.
"I found it in Hogsmead Library Its 12 years old. Read this." She flipped it open and stabbed her finger at a small article. Saul picked up the paper and eyed it closely.
... DRAGON WOUNDS VILLAGE BOY..... Locals, in the village of Agalsham, where shocked to hear of a young boy who claims to have been bitten by a Dragon.
"That Saul kid has one, he pulled it out and set it on me." Says young Master Crabbitch, 6 years old.
Ministry officials conducted a thorough search of the accused property, but nothing was found.
"I put it down to childish rumor." Said an official at the scene.
Rumor or fact? Whatever happened something attacked that boy.
...........................
Saul went white as a sheet, and he was pale skinned enough. The effect was quite worrying. This girl, she has been digging up information on him? Does she know about his dark arts? What the fuck is she playing at? He rose threateningly. Hermione held up her hands and laughed nervously.
"Now look! It's not what you think!" She gabbled, getting worried.
"Why are you digging this up? You went to Hogsmead Library specifically to get this? Why?" Saul growled, sitting sown and shaking the paper.
"Look. I'm not going to tell anybody. I know you can summon." Hermione said in a hushed tone. Saul's heart leapt into his throat and his eyes where as wide as saucers.
"Shut the fuck up!" He hissed, and he stormed hurriedly out the library. Hermione smiled apologetically to Madam Pince and rushed out after him.
"Go away!" Saul shouted over his shoulder.
"Wait! At least here me out!" Hermione caught up to him and grabbed his arm.
Saul swirled about and shot her a look that was deadly. This wasn't funny! In this day and age using dark arts could get you thrown into Azkaban, being able to Summon could get you killed. Those idiots at the Ministry are so fucking scared of their own damn shadows that even a hint of dark arts will push them to act rashly. Like with his parents. Saul sighed sadly. "Go on then."
"There is this girl. In Ravenclaw. She came to me for help." Hermione said, in a very low voice, barley a whisper. "She's terrified! Two months ago she said she was sitting in her common room alone, when a rat ran over her foot. She is mortally afraid of them, and she said as she fell back off her chair a water spirit flew from her hands and killed it! Of course she had to explain to another Ravenclaw why his familiar was dead."
"She summons?" Saul pulled Hermione into a shadowed corner.
"Yes. She of course had no idea what happened, so she came to me. Her friends told her I was supposedly clever I guess. Anyway. I remember reading about the ability to summon! I remember reading about a supposed case about it ages ago! Imagine my shock to discover it was you!"
"Your shock? For fucks sake! Tell me about this girl!" Saul gripped her even tighter. Up until now his day had been pretty much as dull and repetitive as every other day at this school. But to learn of another! He ached to talk with her, find out about her summoned guardian and find out about her.
"Why don't you come and meet her!" Hermione snapped, shaking her arm free of Saul's now vice like grip. Saul nodded, and Hermione led him away.
**
They walked quickly, but as silently as possible. They where after all supposed to be in lessons and getting caught would delay them no end. Soon enough Hermione led the impatient Saul to a large painting of a gilded cage of birds. Saul had seen it many times but not really paid much attention to it.
"Under the red ones bill." She said, reaching up and scratching a red song bird under its elongated beak. It chirped softly and the painting swung open. Hermione climbed through and motioned Saul to follow.
What was inside looked like it had been forgotten for centuries. It was dark and gloomy, the windows dulled by ages of dirt and cobwebs. Statues of the four house mascots lined the walls. A vast and dirty bird hewn from stone shadowed them under the spread of its massive wings, marble badgers where piled in the corners, lions engraved on stone shields cluttered under the windows and an impressive stone serpent with what looked like ivory fangs snaked its way up a column next to the far wall. Saul was dumbfounded, and he had to assume this was a storage space for statues no longer needed or past their prime. In the darkness the silhouettes of the many creatures was haunting, and he fancied in the corner of his eye he saw them shift. Looking up he saw that the ceiling was so far off he couldn't even see it. Spooky!
"Tabitha? Are you in here?" Hermione looked about. And Saul saw from behind a large lion a small girl stepped out. She was dressed strangely, even for a Hogwarts student. A black collar hung about her dainty neck, she was squeezed into a tight but smart sleeveless jacket that just stopped about her naval. She wore very short shorts that put Saul more in mind of swimming hot pants. The Ravenclaw Emblem on a shield was stitched onto a back pocket, thigh socks ran down her legs and she wore rather chunky boots. Over all this was draped a black witches robe. But if her odd dress was surprising then her features more so! Saul had to double take, extruding from her short and scruffy blue hair was what looked like a pair of small silky canine ears! Her eyes looked like two wide diamonds and her smile was nervous and meek. Saul figured she was roughly the same age as he was, maybe a little younger.
"Are you the boy Hermione told me about?" She said. Her voice had a hint of a Scottish accent.
"You have ears!" Saul stammered, not minding his manners at all.
"Idiot!" Hermione punched him roughly on the arm. "Have you never noticed her about before? Tabitha is part werewolf."
"Oh." He said, still staring at Tabitha.
"I want to show you something." Tabitha stepped forward and Saul was sure he saw a tail swishing inside her robes. She held out her small hand. "Watch!" And suddenly a translucent blue water like a ghostly liquid mercury spiraled from her palm. From inside the water there was what looked like part dragon part wolf, composed entirely of water and with a mane of purest white spikes. She looked up into Saul's eyes. His gaze was fixed squarely on the creature in Tabitha's hand.
"It's a.." Saul swallowed "Water guardian!"
"Her name is Suzette." Tabitha closed her palm a little and Suzette danced back inside her hand with a light splash. "At first she scared the living hell out of me! I mean, she killed a rat!"
"Yeah. You gotta watch em." Saul said, still staring at her now empty hand. Hermione stepped out of the shadows and stood before Saul, a confrontational expression on her face.
"Saul!" She said roughly "You have to help her! You have lived with your since you where five! You must know something we don't! How to control it, how to keep it hidden!
"I'm so scared Suzette will come out in public! Or if my parents found out! They would hand me to the ministry right away!" Tabitha sobbed.
"It took me a while to convince her not to hand herself in!" Hermione said "We both believe whole heartedly that dark arts must be eliminated! But Tabitha isn't doing this through her own free will!"
Saul scoffed. So, they where just as foolish as the rest of those misguided ministry wizards. Scared shitless of the dark arts. Scared shitless of her own amazing power. Saul hated them both already! "If they catch you, they will destroy Suzette and lock you away in Azkaban. I heard they do terrible things to girls in Azkaban, one as pretty as you wouldn't be overlooked." He said, sneering at their shocked expressions. He swept his hair from out of his eyes and looked hard at her. She was an idiot not to see her own abilities, but he couldn't walk away from another summoner.
"Will you help me or not?" Tabitha gritted her teeth and balled her fists. This Saul guy was a stuck up asshole, just as the rumors about him said.
"Alright."
"Will you show us your guardian?" Hermione asked.
"I'll show her. I won't show you!" Saul spat. "And I can't show you here anyway. It's far too risky."
Tabitha exploded "What? I showed you! If its okay for me to do it here, then it should be okay for you too!"
Saul growled. What a pain in the ass! He looked up, and then held out his palms. "I would get back if I where you." He said. The two girls shifted a few paces back. "Farther! Right back!" Saul barked. They scowled at him and they walked all the way back next to a statue of a badger rearing up on its hind paws. Satisfied that they where out of harms way Saul concentrated. His whole hands glowed and a transparent orange fire flickered about his hands, it traveled up his arms and his whole body seemed to glow. Then with a tremor of energy a gigantic dragon burst from a ball of heat and strived upwards and upwards into the room. Fire fairies swirled and swarmed in the aurora about them, and as the dragon curled itself in the air its tail diminished into the fire that cracked coldly in Saul's palm.
"Oh Gods!" Tabitha fell back and Hermione gaped at the fearful scene.
"This is Satsuma. Don't worry. He won't hurt you." Saul said. Tabitha got shakily to her feet and walked tentatively towards Saul and the vast Satsuma that loomed behind him. She held out her hand again and Suzette spiraled fourth, tiny and gentile in comparison. Hermione watched in awe and disbelief as the minute blue dragon reached upwards with it muzzle, and the huge fiery dragon reached down and touched the little guardian.
"Looks like they are friends." Smiled Saul. He looked composed on the outside, but inside his heart was racing. All his life he had believed he was the only one, and now this girl and her tiny guardian come to find him and Satsuma for help.
"Thank you for agreeing to help us." Tabitha said. Saul had a feeling this was going to be far more trouble than this girl knew.