Disclaimer: MINE!!!!!!!! IT'S ALL
MINE!!!!!!!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... ::ahem:: *looks around furtively
in hopes that no on saw that* hehe... not really. The only things I own in this
are part of the storyline, Hope, Harry and Athena Weasley (not Potter) and a
few house-elves.
~*Beauty is Found Within*~
The next morning, after dressing and eating breakfast, I went out to the gardens again. This time, I found a beautiful greenhouse, filled with millions of beautiful roses. Why the beast needed a greenhouse and a garden was beyond me. Perhaps this greenhouse was reserved only for his roses.
Inside was just how Ron had described it. Thousands upon thousands of roses, climbing up trellises, wound around ancient sundials, blooming from gigantic bushes. The fragrances mixed and blended into a beautiful perfume of a million scents.
I walked around, delighting in the many lovely flowers blossoming all around me. But then, something caught my eye. It was a small rosebush, shriveled and dying. And upon it, a single rose, still bravely hanging on. I dropped to my knees before it and examined it closely. The bush was definitely dying; there was no doubt about it. Suddenly I felt a strong sense of determination. I needed to save this flower bush. I didn't know why, but I just had too.
I ran back to my room and asked Fizzy where I could find some gardening tools. Confused, but still willing, Fizzy led me to a small gardener's shed where there were enough tools to keep even me happy.
I worked on the bush all day, watering it, pruning it, fussing over it so much that I reminded myself of mum (not really a good thing).
Finally, my growling stomach told me that it was lunchtime. I stood up, stretching my aching knees and headed back to my room, where I found a delicious lunch waiting for me. After eating more than I could ever remember eating in my life, I began poking around the castle once again.
Soon, I found myself in a long hallway, lined with countless giant windows. As I looked outside, I wondered why I had never before noticed that the castle was surrounded by a vast, dark forest. Distant ice capped mountains gleamed in the sunlight. Strangely, there were no birds or animals to be seen in the forest. A thought struck me. I had never seen any animals around the castle. There were no birds, no squirrels, and no bees even!
Still pondering the thought, I reached the last door in the walkway, a huge golden door, covered with delicate gilt engravings.
Curious, I pushed open the door and gasped. It was the room from my dream! The same large gallery, filled with the many paintings and images. And in the center, just like in my dream, was the portrait of the boy. This time, he was no longer smirking. His face was that of a lost child, forlorn and abandoned.
His eyes still held the haunting pain and sadness that I had seen before. Before I could stop myself, I reached out a trembling hand to touch the painting. At that exact moment, I felt a shadowy presence behind me and jerked my hand back, fear washing over me immediately.
I turned slowly and saw the beast standing there, just looking at me. His face was hidden from the light, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
He came toward me and I shrank back automatically. He stopped and I felt ashamed. He wasn't doing anything to you I admonished myself.
The beast came toward me. I could now see his eyes. But they were hooded, shielded from the world. I stammered out an apology.
"There is no reason for apologizing", he said softly. "I told you that you are allowed to do as you wish."
Hesitantly, I said, "Who is the boy in the portrait?"
After a long, tense silence, he answered, "The boy was. He is no longer."
He then turned and began walking away, leaving me standing in the middle of the gallery. He said over his shoulder, "I can show you something that may be a better place to spend the day."
He started walking again and I followed, wondering where he planned to take me.
We wandered the infinite corridors, turning occasionally only to encounter yet another endless passage. Finally, the beast halted before a large wooden door with giant silver doorknobs. He opened them and beckoned me inside.
I gasped. The inside of the room was extraordinary. It was an enormous room, filled from wall to wall with shelves and shelves of books. Towering stepladders stood at attention, waiting to be used.
Elated though I was, I felt a pang of homesickness hit me. Hermione would have loved this place. She probably could have stayed in here for days, not even leaving to eat or sleep.
I turned to thank the beast, but he was gone. Oddly, I felt almost disappointed at his leaving.
Shaking it off, I began slowly
examining the bookshelves. The books on them were all spellbooks. Leather-bound
volumes with golden letters, and black, sinister-looking tomes covered with a
horrible red colored substance.
My fingers skimmed over the books, pausing slightly over a few.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small, dust-covered book. I pulled it out slowly, wiping away the dirt and grime, in search of a nonexistent title. The brittle paper crackled as I flipped through the pages.
A single page caught my eye. Bold letters at the top stated clearly, The Mystery of Seers. I recalled, as if from another life, the doctor telling Ron and Hermione about Hope. He had mentioned seers. Could there possibly be a connection?
I read hungrily, anxious to find an answer to this puzzle.
The Mystery of Seers
Seers have long dwelt in the realm of mystery. There is very little known about how they come to be. Unlike other abilities, the inner eye is not hereditary. Seers can be born from a long line of wizards without the gift.
Throughout the years, historians have studied ancient scrolls from all civilizations. Nearly every early culture has shown evidence of seers. In ancient Rome and Greece, oracles, soothsayers, and prophets were as common as flies.
Young seers have been proven to have extraordinary amounts of natural magic. However, the reason is unknown. Several theories have been developed. One, that seems the most likely, is that
I looked eagerly at the next page.
When bitten by a floozie, it is best to run around a beech tree, covered in the trees sap and leaves. This is the only way to stop the poison from going into effect. However, several reputations have been severely tarnished due to this practice. (see It was the Floozie's Fault! By Rot N. Luk)
Huh? I glanced quickly back at the last page, then again to the next page. I checked the page number and my suspicions were confirmed.
A page had been torn out.
I examined the nearby shelves, fiercely hoping that it had simply been misplaced or dropped. My search yielded no results.
Sighing, I began looking around at the millions of books. Of course, I thought, There's so many books… there's bound to be another one about seers.
I started combing the bookshelves once again. After hours of futile searching, I came across something that looked hopeful. It was entitled Origins of Magical Persons and creatures.
I riffled through the pages excitedly. I was so close to finding the answer. My eyes skimmed the words quickly and stopped on a separate sheet of thin paper.
Gently,
I pulled the delicate slip of paper from the book, careful not to tear or
damage it. I settled myself into an comfy armchair that I conjured with my wand
and began to read.
Metamorphoser Feru
Metamorphoser Feru? Why did that sound so familiar? Where had I heard it before? I shook off the thought and continued to read.
Metamorphoser Feru is one of the deadliest and darkest spells in existence. As a result, very few know of it. The spell will transform any living, breathing organism, be it human or animal (though no spells have been legitimately tested on animals), into a hideous beast. The recipient of the curse stays the same in every other way. Victims of the curse tend to keep to themselves. Therefore, not much is known about the aftereffects of the enchantment. The creator of the spell is often thought to be Lucifer Malfoy (ca. 1246-1304). Ironically, legend tells that he himself was subjected to his own curse, leaving behind a wife, several mistresses, and many children. It is believed that the only way to remove the curse is if the creature falls in love and is loved by another.
I gazed down at the paper, filled with a mixture of horror and amazement. This was the spell in my dream! Could the boy have been Lucifer Malfoy? No, it couldn't be, I muttered to myself. Real smart Ginny, Lucifer Malfoy was the creator of the curse… he couldn't have been a boy when he discovered it!
I sat in the chair for hours, pondering over the two strange passages. Could they possibly be related?
I must have dozed off, because I was soon deep in a startling vision.
I was standing in a giant stone room. From the look of it, it was a dungeon. No… forget that… it was a torture chamber, full of cruel instruments of pain and punishment, but empty of all human life.
A sudden movement caught my eye. My gasp reverberated around the bleak cavern as I saw a horrific image.
A teenage boy was chained by his wrists and ankles to the wall. He sagged forward piteously, his limp, golden hair hiding his eyes from view. He groaned as he stirred, lifting his head to look at the room. He gasped painfully and I felt tears spring to my eyes.
Why? Why? Why did I have to dream of this? I can't stand this! I can't stand to see this boy in so much pain!
I buried my face in my hands as the boy breathed painfully. I could see that he was agonizingly emaciated, nearly skeletally thin. His light gray eyes were empty of all emotions save pain, and his light frame shivered at the chill of the room.
Oh how I wanted to help him. I would do anything in my power to save this poor boy. But I knew I couldn't. I was merely a phantasm, invisible and insubstantial.
I froze as I heard heavy footsteps trudge down the steps. Momentarily forgetting my invisibility, I tried to hide behind an iron chair.
A hooded, masked figure cloaked in black stepped in front of the boy. He stretched out one long, pale finger and lifted the boys chin.
"Our Lord is displeased with you son!" he snapped, "I hope now you'll stay away from that trash!"
The boy glared at him, dull eyes beginning to burn with a smoldering flame.
"She isn't trash!" he growled.
The man raised his hand to strike, then, after a moments consideration, lowered it. Instead, he ran his hand softly against the boy's face. The boy tensed and shuddered away from the hand that was slowly stroking his bloodstained face.
"So beautiful, yet so stubborn and foolish." His hand paused above the boys cheek, poised and ready to strike. "You'd better do as I tell you, my Dragon, if you wish to live."
He whipped out his wand and bellowed "Crucio!"
Agony filled shrieking filled my ears. The room soon dissolved into a deep, velvety black.
I awoke with a jolt, causing the heavy books to fall off my lap onto my feet.
"Shit!" I cried, to no one in particular. This simply isn't my day. First I have this horrible dream. Then, I miss dinner. Then, I manage to kill my feet!
I shuddered, remembering every vivid detail of the dream and plodded off wearily toward my room, eager to get some real sleep.
A/N: YES!!!!!!!!!! MY RENAISSANCE PROJECT IS FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!! THE STORY IS UP AT LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe… FF.net must really hate me… I haven't been able to sign in for the past 3 days! ;-( So I had the chapter written, but I couldn't upload it… poo… well I hope you like this chapter! It's got a little bit of everything! D/G contact, explanations, a dream…
Now… I need some help for the next few chapters… should the castle be Malfoy manor or not? How should D and G bond? (I don't want a wolf scene b/c I want to stick with the traditional story) How should G find the missing page? Any suggestions are welcome!
On to reviewers…
*Arella Hallo* I tried to combine both Beauty and Rose Daughter but it ended up being more Rose Daughter… oops… anyway… you're completely right! ALL ARE MY SLAVES!!!! I command everyone to REVIEW! ^.~
*gohansfan* I made the beast laugh b/c he's still the same person inside, even though he's changed on the outside. FF.net is there… even tho they didn't let me sign in for three days! ::grumble grumble::
*Angie* Are you sure you read the right A/N???? Because my other story, A Midwinter Night's Dream, is the only fic that mentions ending the story… but that's cuz I finished it… and it's the only one that has anything to do with the Weasley twins… but it's probably all a big misunderstanding!
*Iden's Garden* Don't worry… I'm getting there!
REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^.^
