Close on Omniscience ** Chapter 8
Sara Cairns spent Halloween like she always did: dueling the precocious fifth-year Vera Riggles of Slytherin. Vera wasn't half as bad as some of her dorm mates. She was just defensive. They weren't exactly friends because Sara wasn't keen on being seen with a Slytherin and Vera felt likewise. But occasionally they got together to duel, namely on Halloween. They were dueling in the rain on Ravenclaw Terrace (Vera had come in by special invitation). Several students and teachers not attending the dance were watching the intense action.
"Aeranette!" Sara called out, sending a swirling column of green wind falling down upon Vera. Several observing teachers mused and whispered to one another.
Vera slashed her wand above her head, leaving a red 'x' lingering in the air. The wind column broke upon the x, and both faded away. Since Vera had chosen a defense move, it was Sara's turn to attack again.
"Avinata!" Sara cried out again. She thrust her wand into the air, a violet eagle spouting out of the tip and trailing purple glitter. It dove toward Vera from the stormy clouds. Vera countered by drawing an orange symbol that looked more or less like a hook with a circle. The eagle connected with the orange trap symbol and began wrestling it. The hook pierced a wing and the circle twisted around its neck, making it impossible for the eagle to move without strangling itself. The eagle faded away with the trap. Since Vera played defense, she was forced into offense with Sara on the defense. This sort of switch was an opportunity to use hidden symbol spells for later use.
Sara traced a silver symbol that looked like an acorn and a gold symbol that looked like an eye. The two symbols lingered in the air a moment before disappearing. Vera herself drew one silver symbol quickly as well.
"Equinus!" she chanted, a blue stallion galloping out of the tip of her wand, galloping the length of the terrace toward Sara. Silver was trailing in his mane.
"Dex!" Sara's wand slashed the air like a lightning bolt. A red medieval shield appeared with a silver acorn glimmering as the coat of arms. The horse disintegrated on contact with the shield, and the silver dust wrestled with the silver acorn before disappearing.
"Opticus!" Sara whispered. The gold eye shimmered into view and flew high above their heads. It gave Sara a glimpse of Vera's next attack. Only Sara could see Vera's final move: a black symbol, the cloaked demon. There were very few spells that could block it.
"Noiren!" Vera's voice traveled to the other side. She could see black smoke seeping out of Vera's wand. The demon, not looking much different than the grim reaper, slowly moved toward Sara, letting suspense build. She waited until it was halfway there.
"Expecto Patronum!" Sara yelled out. A gigantic white dog, almost too large for its half of the Terrace, began chasing the demon away, and fading when it reached Vera. Vera stumbled and fell. The rain had soaked her through and through. Sara had won. The onlookers politely clapped. Everyone moved toward the Ravenclaw common room and out of the rain.
"Nice," Vera commented to her later, drying her short, choppy hair with an old towel. "I'll have to remember the Patronus Charm."
"You did well too," Sara said. She always looked people in the eye when she spoke to them. It intimidated some people, but not Vera.
Sara's gray eyes burned with victory. She climbed the old stone steps to the 6th year girl's dormitory. Brigetta sat at the shared vanity brushing her hair. She had spent hours conditioning it before the dance, but now, because of the rain, it was tangled and snarled. Black mascara had dried in streaks down Lotus' face. Beryl was lying miserably in her bed.
"Oh, look, it's the prophet now," Brigetta snarled. "Could it hurt just to tell us about the rain?"
"I did," Sara remarked shortly.
"Oh, excuse me," Brigetta stood up menacingly, "but I thought it might matter that it would ruin my evening. My boyfriend broke up with me." Brigetta rubbed her temples exaggeratedly. Skinny little Lotus came forward and rubbed her shoulders.
"And that's the weather's fault?" Sara asked, plopping uncaringly on her bed.
"You ungrateful beast!" Brigetta screeched. She stood and shrugged Lotus off. "I ought to report you straight to Professor Dumbledore, for stealing Sickles! My family worked hard for those, you know!" Inwardly, Sara rolled her eyes. She supposed someone in Brigetta's long line of pureblooded ancestry had worked for the money. Maybe two hundred years ago. But the rest was probably sitting in Gringotts rotting and gaining compound interest.
"A load of good that'll do you," Sara said calmly. She had walked down this path a couple of times before. "I'm sure it will sit well with your family that you've been using your money to employ an amateur psychic." Brigetta glared but backed off. She sat huffily down on her bed, Lotus hurrying over to her with a hairbrush. It was actually quite entertaining sharing a dormitory with a drama queen. "Anyway, the lot they care that you got a bit wet during a stupid dance."
"At least I was asked to that dance. You, however, could be bottled and sold as boy repellant," Brigetta said with her nose in the air. Despite her silly dig, she had gotten a claw in. Sara had an odd aura that seemed to push away boys. She was shorter than all of the girls in her dorm, even Lotus. Though her last name usually provoked a reaction, a quick look told everybody to label her as anyone else. She was in her sixth year and had never been kissed, except once at a silly 'spin-the-bottle' game back in her hometown. And that didn't count, did it?
Sara kept her mouth shut. There was no further reason to provoke Brigetta. If she got the last word in, she would be less unbearable in the morning, or ever.
Sara lied down on her back and closed her eyes. She heard the other girls settle down for the night. She was still in her school robes, but they would do. They candles had already been blown out.
Her thoughts drifted to Sirius Black. What a character, that one. He was wrapped up in his own little world, though. So what if she made some predictions? She was still just another player in his game. He seemed a bit superficial for her taste.
Sara mentally bonked herself on the head. Who was she to say she had a 'taste'? She had no friends, never had a boyfriend, and her only family relation was a grandmother in an old folk's home. She was lucky if someone even noticed her, let alone talk to her.
Oh, great, I'm giving myself an inferiority complex, she thought. No more thinking tonight. She rolled over, still in her school robes, and closed her eyes. The rain outside the window stopped.
Sara Cairns spent Halloween like she always did: dueling the precocious fifth-year Vera Riggles of Slytherin. Vera wasn't half as bad as some of her dorm mates. She was just defensive. They weren't exactly friends because Sara wasn't keen on being seen with a Slytherin and Vera felt likewise. But occasionally they got together to duel, namely on Halloween. They were dueling in the rain on Ravenclaw Terrace (Vera had come in by special invitation). Several students and teachers not attending the dance were watching the intense action.
"Aeranette!" Sara called out, sending a swirling column of green wind falling down upon Vera. Several observing teachers mused and whispered to one another.
Vera slashed her wand above her head, leaving a red 'x' lingering in the air. The wind column broke upon the x, and both faded away. Since Vera had chosen a defense move, it was Sara's turn to attack again.
"Avinata!" Sara cried out again. She thrust her wand into the air, a violet eagle spouting out of the tip and trailing purple glitter. It dove toward Vera from the stormy clouds. Vera countered by drawing an orange symbol that looked more or less like a hook with a circle. The eagle connected with the orange trap symbol and began wrestling it. The hook pierced a wing and the circle twisted around its neck, making it impossible for the eagle to move without strangling itself. The eagle faded away with the trap. Since Vera played defense, she was forced into offense with Sara on the defense. This sort of switch was an opportunity to use hidden symbol spells for later use.
Sara traced a silver symbol that looked like an acorn and a gold symbol that looked like an eye. The two symbols lingered in the air a moment before disappearing. Vera herself drew one silver symbol quickly as well.
"Equinus!" she chanted, a blue stallion galloping out of the tip of her wand, galloping the length of the terrace toward Sara. Silver was trailing in his mane.
"Dex!" Sara's wand slashed the air like a lightning bolt. A red medieval shield appeared with a silver acorn glimmering as the coat of arms. The horse disintegrated on contact with the shield, and the silver dust wrestled with the silver acorn before disappearing.
"Opticus!" Sara whispered. The gold eye shimmered into view and flew high above their heads. It gave Sara a glimpse of Vera's next attack. Only Sara could see Vera's final move: a black symbol, the cloaked demon. There were very few spells that could block it.
"Noiren!" Vera's voice traveled to the other side. She could see black smoke seeping out of Vera's wand. The demon, not looking much different than the grim reaper, slowly moved toward Sara, letting suspense build. She waited until it was halfway there.
"Expecto Patronum!" Sara yelled out. A gigantic white dog, almost too large for its half of the Terrace, began chasing the demon away, and fading when it reached Vera. Vera stumbled and fell. The rain had soaked her through and through. Sara had won. The onlookers politely clapped. Everyone moved toward the Ravenclaw common room and out of the rain.
"Nice," Vera commented to her later, drying her short, choppy hair with an old towel. "I'll have to remember the Patronus Charm."
"You did well too," Sara said. She always looked people in the eye when she spoke to them. It intimidated some people, but not Vera.
Sara's gray eyes burned with victory. She climbed the old stone steps to the 6th year girl's dormitory. Brigetta sat at the shared vanity brushing her hair. She had spent hours conditioning it before the dance, but now, because of the rain, it was tangled and snarled. Black mascara had dried in streaks down Lotus' face. Beryl was lying miserably in her bed.
"Oh, look, it's the prophet now," Brigetta snarled. "Could it hurt just to tell us about the rain?"
"I did," Sara remarked shortly.
"Oh, excuse me," Brigetta stood up menacingly, "but I thought it might matter that it would ruin my evening. My boyfriend broke up with me." Brigetta rubbed her temples exaggeratedly. Skinny little Lotus came forward and rubbed her shoulders.
"And that's the weather's fault?" Sara asked, plopping uncaringly on her bed.
"You ungrateful beast!" Brigetta screeched. She stood and shrugged Lotus off. "I ought to report you straight to Professor Dumbledore, for stealing Sickles! My family worked hard for those, you know!" Inwardly, Sara rolled her eyes. She supposed someone in Brigetta's long line of pureblooded ancestry had worked for the money. Maybe two hundred years ago. But the rest was probably sitting in Gringotts rotting and gaining compound interest.
"A load of good that'll do you," Sara said calmly. She had walked down this path a couple of times before. "I'm sure it will sit well with your family that you've been using your money to employ an amateur psychic." Brigetta glared but backed off. She sat huffily down on her bed, Lotus hurrying over to her with a hairbrush. It was actually quite entertaining sharing a dormitory with a drama queen. "Anyway, the lot they care that you got a bit wet during a stupid dance."
"At least I was asked to that dance. You, however, could be bottled and sold as boy repellant," Brigetta said with her nose in the air. Despite her silly dig, she had gotten a claw in. Sara had an odd aura that seemed to push away boys. She was shorter than all of the girls in her dorm, even Lotus. Though her last name usually provoked a reaction, a quick look told everybody to label her as anyone else. She was in her sixth year and had never been kissed, except once at a silly 'spin-the-bottle' game back in her hometown. And that didn't count, did it?
Sara kept her mouth shut. There was no further reason to provoke Brigetta. If she got the last word in, she would be less unbearable in the morning, or ever.
Sara lied down on her back and closed her eyes. She heard the other girls settle down for the night. She was still in her school robes, but they would do. They candles had already been blown out.
Her thoughts drifted to Sirius Black. What a character, that one. He was wrapped up in his own little world, though. So what if she made some predictions? She was still just another player in his game. He seemed a bit superficial for her taste.
Sara mentally bonked herself on the head. Who was she to say she had a 'taste'? She had no friends, never had a boyfriend, and her only family relation was a grandmother in an old folk's home. She was lucky if someone even noticed her, let alone talk to her.
Oh, great, I'm giving myself an inferiority complex, she thought. No more thinking tonight. She rolled over, still in her school robes, and closed her eyes. The rain outside the window stopped.