Chapter Twenty-Seven: Beauty At Its Fullest

            The astonished girl sat with her mouth gaping open, trying to find words to say.

            "The whole time…you – how –"

            The god put a hand on her shoulder, quieting the disconcerted girl.

            "It was the most reliable way for me to ensure your safety," he explained, "There are certain things, certain people who could harm you very easily.  It was when I took the form of a peddler to bestow the wand to your Father, that I decided to take on the form of a dragon once again.  You see," he smiled softly at her, "The last time I was a dragon, I caused Albus Dumbledore many years of grief when I carried off the Shangri-La after he defeated Grindelwald."

            There was a rustling in the trees and footsteps were heard approaching.

            "Natalia," the god said quietly, "I must change back into my animagus form.  You must let no one know that I am Amicus or I will not be able to protect you."  Immediately, he transformed into the violet-eyed dragon.

            Professor Austerus appeared from behind a tree with worry in her eyes. 

            "Natalia!" she cried, relief flooding her voice.  "Come, we must hurry and leave the Forest.  I saw Mab apparating out of the woods, and there is a great possibility that she may come back."  Looking down, she saw the dragon smiling sweetly at her.  "Oh, Hello Amicus," she said, "It seems that your dragon has a better sense of danger than both of us."

            Grinning, Natalia got up and left the Forest with the professor.

            A woman stumbled blindly through the woods, her blood spilling onto the ground, leaving a crimson ribbon trailing behind her.  She was far too weak to apparate any further, and within moments, collapsed before a circle of hooded Death Eaters.  Voldemort strolled towards the unmoving body, bent down, and scooped her into his arms, frowning with worry as he laid her on a chair.  Gesturing to a Death Eater, he joined their hands, allowing the faerie to draw strength from the hooded man.  When she was fully restored, the Death Eater slumped onto the ground unconscious, his hood falling aside to reveal Severus Snape's deathly face.  The Dark Lord stroked Mab's brow like a child's, asking gently, "Who inflicted these injuries on you?"

            With great fear in her eyes, she replied, "SaDaga, he has sided with the bearer of the Shangri-La and is protecting her."

            Taken aback, the Dark Wizard hissed, "You lie.  You must be mistaken."

            The faerie stood up, meeting Voldemort's crimson eyes.  "I am not mistaken nor do I lie.  Only one with the power of an ancient god would have the ability to inflict so great an injury on me."  She narrowed her eyes, saying in a low voice, "There is no way we can win this now.  They have a god of immense power on their side."

            The Dark Lord sank into the chair, his red eyes burning.  After long moments of contemplation, a wicked smile stretched across his face as he quietly hissed, "There is still a way, there is still a way…"

            Morning crept into Natalia's chambers as she slowly awoke, greeted by the aching of her bones.  She sluggishly climbed out of bed, the cold ground making the soles of her feet tingle.  After a long lazy shower, she headed to breakfast, where her friends greeted her with broad smiles.

            "What are we all so happy about?" she asked the beaming Gryffindors.

            "You just missed Dumbledore's announcement," Hermione replied matter-of-factly, "Of the Halloween Ball next week."

            Natalia raised both eyebrows in delight.  "Really?"

            "Yeah, and you know what that means." Ron said with a wink.

            Rolling her eyes, Hermione snorted.  "What does that mean, Ron?"

            Sniffing haughtily, he replied, "Only that I will be smothered by hoards of crazed girls wanting a date."

            This sent Harry into a fit of laughter, doubling over with tears springing out of his eyes.

            "What?" Ron exclaimed, setting his fork down.  "You don't think I can get a date?"

            Turning red with laughter, Harry choked out, "No, not at all Ron, I'm sure every girl at Hogwarts will be lining up to ask you."

            The three friends chuckled away their morning as the redhead sat shaking his head, muttering to himself.

            The following week, Natalia sat in Charms, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk.  Time passed far too slowly as everyone waited anxiously for Halloween to arrive, which was only three days away.  Harry sat next to her, fidgeting nervously with his quill.  Frowning with concern, she asked, "Harry, what's wrong?"

            "Oh, nothing." he replied with a weak smile.

            Shrugging, she turned back to Professor Flitwick's lecture.  Five minutes later, a parchment slowly scooted in front of her.  It read:

           

Natalia-

            Will you go to the Ball with me?  If not, I would understand.  You probably have all the Slytherins lining up for you already.

            -Harry

           

            Grinning, she looked up at Harry, who was blushing like a cherry.  She leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, "Actually, no one has asked me yet, and yes, I would love to go with you, Harry.  Thanks for asking."

            A beaming smile spread across the boy's face as she sat back in her seat.  Tuning back in to Flitwick's lesson, he saw the professor give him a congratulatory wink.

            Underneath the full moon that night, a ghastly pale man stood on the edge of a cliff, chanting ancient incantations.  Slowly, a thin, murky mist rose from the abyss, producing a towering man, colossal in size beside the Dark Wizard.  Chains tore across his massive chest and arms, his face scarred with acid burns.  A snake lay atop his head, hissing and preparing to strike at the other man.

            "Who has summoned me?" he snarled.

            Voldemort's serrated teeth gleamed in a menacing smile.

            "Loki, I have a favor to ask of you."

            The demon turned to the wizard, his eyes burning with a life-devouring flame.  "What will I get in repayment for this favor?"

            Sneering, the Dark Lord hissed out, "On the day of the apocalypse, your chains will be broken."

            Narrowing his fierce eyes, he growled out, "Name the deed."

            In the quiet of the night, Voldemort slowly informed the fiend of the deadly plans he would carry out.

            That same night, a girl sat in the Potions classroom tapping her wand distractedly against the table, causing the Potions Master to look up in annoyance.

            "Stop that, will you?  If your mind is not working, it does not mean some other part of you has to."

            She sighed softly, unable to recall the ingredients for the Ganga Vanquishing Potion.  "I cannot remember –"

            "Well obviously," Snape cut in, "You've got bloody Potter written all over your face.  If you are not going to concentrate, I suggest you go do something other than waste my time."

            She buried her head in her hands, muttering helplessly, "I can't think of what to wear!"

            A deep scowl etched across the professor's face.  "Goodness child," he grumbled, "What is wrong with that mind of yours?  The apocalypse is not going to stand by waiting for you to choose a costume of the blasted ball.  Just for that, you will have to reorganize the ingredients tonight."

            Groaning, she trudged over to the cabinets and began to sort out the ingredients starting with Abyssinian Shrivelfig. 

            An hour and a half later, Natalia had reorganized and categorized the entire stock of ingredients, leaving the cabinets in absolute order.  She silently packed her quills and parchments, tucked her wand back in its carrier, and began to leave.

            "Natalia," Snape called quietly.

            Turning to the professor, she replied, "Yes?"

            He paused his writing, looking up at the girl.

            "You should go as an Occamy."

            Frowning slightly, she thought the suggestion over.

            "Actually, that idea is perfect.  How did you think of it?" she asked, relieved that she had finally found something to dress as.

            Snape chuckled, "Well, when one has an intellect, it usually functions to the benefit of the user…"

            She looked at him bemusedly, whispering, "Did you just chuckle?"

            He gave her the evil eye, feigning irritation.  "Get out," he said, grinning as she stepped out the door.

            A cloudless sky shone over Hogwarts on the day of the Halloween Ball.  Natalia descended to the dungeons after lunch to get her books for Potions.  As she reached her chambers, she found a peculiar looking woman waiting for her with a small box in her hands.  The woman had short, cropped, pink colored hair, a small stud in her nose, and expertly tailored black robes adorning her body.

            "Hello," she greeted, extending a hand, "You must be Natalia.  My name is Vaness.  You Mother sent me to make your costume." 

            "Oh, yes, I remember." Natalia said with a smile, shaking the woman's hand.  "However, is it possible for us to start after my Potions class?  That way we will have more time."

            Nodding, the woman replied, "Of course.  Shall I meet you here after your class?"

            "Yes, that would be fine." the girl said, gathering her books.

            Potions dragged on with each second extending itself into an hour.  Natalia lazily rolled her eyes around the room, stifling a yawn.  She felt someone staring at her as she looked at the Slytherins, and caught Draco's eye.  Her heart dropped and pounded in her ears as she forced her eyes away, the pained look from his face already burning itself into her mind.  Mercifully, the bell rang, freeing the students from their classes at last.  Hermione and Natalia headed out of the classroom, relieved that their lessons were over.  Stopping in the hallway, Natalia said, "Could you wait for a minute?  I have to do something really fast."  She turned and walked down another corridor, running to catch up with a blond boy.

            "Draco, wait," she said, slightly out of breath.

            The boy stopped and turned, his face drawn from weariness.  Natalia bit back a cry as she saw the bare grief on his face.

            "Yes?" he asked hoarsely.

            Finding her voice once again, she said, "Draco…I apologize for my actions the other week.  I completely overreacted and failed to think before I –"

            "Natalia," he whispered, almost gently, "Don't worry about it.  That was the least of what I deserve for what I did."

            "No…" she protested, "No, I know you don't meant to do any of the things you do."

            He looked sadly into her eyes.

            "But I still do them."     

            He turned to leave again, but the girl caught his hand, blurting out,

            "Draco, I know you are a good person and I understand your pain.  I know it frustrates you that everyone only sees Harry.  But," she whispered, "If it is any consolation to you, he may be the favorite of the people, but I know you are the one that truly understands compassion."

            He stared at her, unable to express the gratitude and longing he felt.  Tears brimmed his eyes as he struggled to blink them away.  She squeezed his hand gently, wishing she could remove his pain.  Raising her hand, she quietly caught a tear on her finger, wiping it away.

            "Thank you…" he murmured, unable to say more.

            Nodding, she squeezed his hand once more and walked away, leaving the boy to sink into anguish.

            "What're you going to be for the Ball?" asked Hermione.

            "Oh, an Occamy.  You know, the white snake with wings."

            "That's beautiful!" Hermione remarked with a smile.

            "What are you going to be, Hermione?"

            The brown haired girl smiled softly.  "Queen Guinevere."

            "Oh, that's wonderful, I can't wait to see it!" Natalia said as she headed down the dungeons. 

            Vaness was waiting for her in front of the private chamber when Natalia arrived in the Slytherin dormitory.  After saying her password, Natalia let her in, peering curiously at her box.

            "Don't you need any fabric?" she inquired.

            Vaness turned around and smiled.  "Oh, no.  I'm an artist, not a seamstress.  I'm going to paint the scales directly onto your skin."

            Opening the box, she revealed another box full of white scales, fragile and glistening under the light.  She instructed Natalia to remove her clothing, providing her with two skin colored pieces of undergarments.  Carefully, she used a brush to attach the scales onto Natalia's skin.

            It took nearly two hours to apply all the scales onto her skin in tastefully placed fragments.  Following this procedure, the artist took out another box full of gold and silver flakes.

            "These silver shavings," she pointed to the nearly white silver, "Are actually from Occamy eggshells.  We are going to dust your skin with both the gold and the silver."

            After covering her body with the shimmering flakes, the artist used a two-haired brush to paint intricate gold and pearl-white designs around Natalia's eyes and temples, creating a delicate mask on her face.  Stepping back to look at the girl, Vaness saw that she had been transformed into a luminescent Occamy nymph.  Smiling proudly, she gathered her things, saying, "I'll leave you alone to do your hair."

            Natalia stared at herself in the mirror, barely recognizing the snake goddess that looked back at her.  Taking out her wand, she said to it, "Well, you are the Shangri-La.  I'm sure with all the power you possess, you should be able to do something incredible with my hair."  Saying a quick spell, she waved the wand, enchanting her hair to style itself.  Half of her hair gathered together and wove itself into a delicate crown as a minuscule constellation streamed out from the wand, interlacing stars into her braided crown.  The rest of her hair cascaded down her back in shimmering waves, reflecting the gold and silver from her skin.

            Hearing a scratch on the door, Natalia went to open it.  Looking down, she saw Amicus with a small box in his snout.  She let him in and closed the door behind him, at which he automatically changed into SaDaga, dropping the box lightly into his hand.  He beamed at the enchanting girl in front of him. 

            "Never in my life," he said, "Has anyone impersonated the Occamy as beautifully as you do.  I suspect," he grinned, "That if the Occamy were to see you, it would die immediately from jealousy."

            He opened the small box, revealing a single pure white velvety feather.  It was so delicate that it nearly flew away at the god's gentle touch.

            "This is a feather from the Occamy that I acquired sometime ago." he said, turning her around.  He placed the feather in between her shoulder blades, at which it sank into her skin.  A moment later, two resplendent, downy wings nearly the size of her arm sprung from her shoulder blades, arching and pointing their tip feathers to the skies.  Standing back to take a look at her, he smiled, satisfied.  A knock sounded from the door.  Looking behind him, SaDaga said,

            "I believe that is your date."

            He smiled and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.  "Have fun tonight," he said before turning himself into a dragon once more.

            Natalia opened the door slowly, revealing Harry in a knight's suit of armor.  Seeing her, he caught his breath, his knees buckling from the extraordinary sight he beheld.