Dana Dancer: lol…just keep trying, it'll get through eventually! (which it did)
Karen: Even though you didn't review, I still feel the need to give you a bit of my precious Author's Note. ^.^ You got your wishes in this chapter.
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~Draika~
Chapter Fourteen: In Terms of Density
"Hey." Someone was shaking her. Where was she? She didn't know that voice. "Draika."
Her eyes blinked open. A beaked face was staring down at her. "Grindenwald?" Draika asked, sitting up sharply. "Thanks." She looked around. "That was weird."
She was still in the gryphon's den. The sun was still shining brightly through the little pin-sized holes.
The echoes of voices still cascaded, quietly tapering off. The other gryphons had begun to ignore the three gryphons at the podium, and were going about their business with hushed whispers. Snape stood by the exit, observing with an expressionless face.
"You're welcome." Grindenwald sounded confused, like he didn't know exactly why he was being thanked. "Ready to go back?" He seemed overall too happy for someone who had just experienced something like…that.
"Not yet." Draika shook her head, lowering her head back onto the ground to stare at the ceiling.
"Are you all right?" The gryphon asked, peering into her line of sight.
"Yep." She replied. "Just thinking. How come you're not….sad?"
"Things happen." He sighed. "When you live for as long as we do…you learn to accept these things. It was something that I'd rather have not had happen, but there are many things we can't control." He sat back, looking around. "I wonder if he'll try to come back…"
Draika absorbed all this, blinking up into the blinding miniscule rays of light. There were too many threads to follow, too many things to try to piece together. It made her head spin. She couldn't think. Too much happening.
"What do you mean by "come back"? Isn't he…" She asked hesitantly.
"Oh no!" Grindenwald smiled, holding back a laugh. "He was sent away."
"Sent away." Draika repeated skeptically. "To where?"
He shrugged. "I have no idea. Probably somewhere in the Sahara. But then again, Crevyl could have chosen to kill him…"
"So you don't really know what happened."
"Nope." He sighed again, lying down. "It's a continual mystery."
Draika rolled her eyes mentally. Too confusing. What made them think she could understand all of this? She just wanted to take a century-long nap, followed by a few seconds of living. And then death. Which wouldn't be so bad, really, just something new…or whatever. Better than that life, at least. She clenched her teeth, biting her tongue. This was getting too deep for her tastes.
"I'm going back up." Draika said, standing. "See you, I guess." She walked across the cave towards the den's exit with a small wave to Grindenwald. For a moment Snape moved as if to stop her, but changed his mind in the middle of his action. He stepped back, letting her pass. Draika nodded to him, wondering why he hadn't mentioned detention. Was going through this supposed to be punishment enough? He gave her a searching look, turning his head to watch her go down the tunnel. Someone had healed his black eye, his face was once again uniformly sallow.
Twice on the long, dark walk back she stopped, listening for his steps. But either he was very quiet or was not following at all. She could only see a bit, a dim yellow haze in night vision. Seeing the tunnel's exit in the distance, Draika sighed in relief. She was hungry, and it was time for supper. She could hear the students making their way to the great hall, bustling about with their usual level of noise.
Trying to remain congruous to the crowd Draika stepped out of the dungeons, joining the throng of chattering students. Hufflepuffs, mostly, by who she could see. Prattling on about some assignment they'd gotten last week. No one seemed to notice her, for once. She smiled, taking a seat at the Slytherins' table.
A boy she'd never noticed before was seated across from her. He had dark brown eyes, and his longish hair was dyed a dark shade of blue. He looked at her for a moment, before turning back to his stew. Draika rolled her eyes, glaring over his shoulder at the Gryffindor table. He laughed, and Draika noticed that one of his ears was pierced, sporting a large stud colored to look like an eye.
"Yeah, those Gryffindors are bags of wind, aren't they?" He was stating it more than asking. "We should chuck 'em all out."
"Ah." Draika continued to eat her ham.
"Don't know what's the matter with you.." He made a face. "I see you around a lot. You're always so gloomy."
"Any why shouldn't I be?" Who was he, anyhow? Little smart-ass. "Maybe that's just what I'm used to."
"Yeah? Well, too bad for you." He popped a grape into his mouth, smiling. "You don't know what you're missing, you really don't. Name's Blaise, by the way. Zabini. Hate it when people call me by my last name." He shuddered. "Like taking your name away, just like that." Blaise snapped his fingers, leaning forwards a bit.
"I see." She nodded, only vaguely interested. Continuing to look over his shoulder, she watched Hermione say something to another Gryffindor in a whisper. She didn't see Ron. Good..maybe Linwe had really hurt him.
"Oh, I get it." Blaise scoffed. "Ignoring the crazy guy." He grinned. "Well, I am crazy, then."
"Good for you…" Draika blinked, not really sure what to say. He was actually trying to be nice…but not in a forced way. Like he actually wanted to be nice. "…watch this." She said with a conniving glint in her eye. Picking up her spoon, she placed a hunk of ham ever so carefully in it, and then flicked it over Blaise's shoulder.
It hit a Gryffindor in the ear. Blaise erupted into a torrent of laughter, causing several conversations to falter and die. He picked up a hunk of bread, and hurled it at the Gryffindor closest to him without any subtlety whatsoever. Draika hid a laugh. She was going to have to teach him a thing or two about being sneaky.
Several Slytherins caught on quickly to the new game, flicking little bits of food at the rival House, and then turning away quickly. The secrecy wouldn't last that long, however. One particularly brash second year Gryffindor turned around, chucking his broccoli at Blaise. Who would blame him? Broccoli wasn't all that nice of a food anyhow.
Almost everyone started moving at the same time, throwing food at their opposing House. The air was filled with food and an immeasurable level of noise, both friendly and not. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs edged away, giving each other sideways glances.
Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by the teachers, especially McGonagall. She was there in an instant, fuming. The only one there, as a matter of fact. Snape had not showed up for dinner, and the other teachers seemed amused by the situation.
"Stop this moment. You're acting like little children." She ordered, eyes narrowed. The Gryffindors backed off considerably, but then a piece of chicken cordon bleu hit her in the nose. "Who did that?!" She whirled around, and Draika wouldn't have been surprised if she'd have drawn her wand on the new attacker.
A little cough came from the teachers' table. Dumbledore was grinning, twiddling his wand between his fingers. Pointing it at his jello, he sent it flying onto a very unlucky (or lucky, whichever way you'd look at it) Gryffindor.
A moment of stunned silence followed while everyone waited for the Gryffindor's reaction. He wiped the dessert off his face, looking around. It was Fred Weasley. Or maybe it was George…or Fred. George. Whatever. I'm not going to waste any more time on that. He winked at Fred (or George, whatever he wasn't), sending his milk into Draco's face.
Now THAT sparked something. McGonagall barely had time to move out of the way before she would have been covered in food of all sorts. Someone (presumably Fred. George. Didn't we go through this already?) had returned Dumbledore's blow, splattering him with gravy.
Even the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws started to come around, joining the Gryffindors to try to beat Slytherin…the methods needed to 'beat' someone in a food fight have not been discovered since then, but it probably has something to do with surrender and whatnot.
Draika grinned. She couldn't remember when she'd had this much fun. There were still the Slytherins who were 'too good' to join in the lowly fight, but hey, that was really their problem. Blaise had completely lost control, if that even covers all of it. He was having the time of his life, shouting and waving his wand at the first year Gryffindors, who were easily scared…but actually throwing very little food.
She glanced over at the idle Slytherins. Didn't they know how to have fun? It wasn't very often that this kind of thing happened. Pocketing her wand, she looked around, ducking behind a table to avoid a spray of cheese whip. It was chaos! It was mayhem! All in all, pretty good. The rest of the teachers had left the hall, even Dumbledore, who had actually been the one to reinitiate the fight.
Blaise looked around. Where was she? Stupid girl…he peered under the tables. She wasn't afraid of food, was she? Typical.
Draika peered over the edge of the table. Seeing a Gryffindor with his back turned to her, she grinned and tried to approach as stealthily as possible. Not that anyone would notice her; they were all too busy throwing stuff. Very few students were still seated, and even a few were attempting to finish their meal.
Seizing a bowl of mashed potatoes from the table, Draika raised it dramatically above the unwitting boy's head. With a satisfying glomp, she turned it upside-down and smashed it on his head, amongst a hysterical fit of laughter from the Slytherins who saw.
He turned around immediately, drawing his wand. Draika had to keep from laughing…it hadn't been a Gryffindor at all! In the confusion he must have gotten all the way to the Gryffindor side…and the school robes all looked the same from the back…Hehehehehehe…poor Draco. What? She really didn't know it was him! Honest! I swear to drunk I'm not God!
"Don't mess with me, V'tana." He grated, apparently not at all amused by the fact that he had been potatoed.
Draika shrugged, turning around to be promptly smacked in the face by a glob of pudding. Wiping off the chocolate mess, she whirled around, trying to see who had hit her. Seeing only one person watching her, she scowled. It was an older Gryffindor…seventh year, probably. She looked mad.
"What did you do?!" She yelled, barely heard above the raucous noise. "I heard you set a gryphon on Ron Weasley!"
"Do you believe everything you hear?!" Draika yelled back. "She did it on her own!"
"Well, you were involved, that's enough for me!" She sneered.
Draika sighed angrily, climbing over a chair to approach the girl. "I don't care what you heard, I didn't do anything!"
"I don't care either. You're just not right. I've heard things. You think no one watches you?" The girl drew her wand again, at the same moment that Draika did.
"I know they do. With good reason." Draika grinned evilly. "You never know when I'll try something…" Her heart pounded. A bolt of pain ran down her back, jolting her legs.
"Some say you're making it all up for attention." The Gryffindor hissed. "You wouldn't believe some of the rumors…"
~How did SHE get into Gryffindor?~ Draika wondered, half-panicked. The girl would be an excellent Slytherin. She was just opening her mouth to say so, when the girl hit her square on with an impedimenta curse. Draika blinked. She was slowing…somehow. Great. It only lasted a few moments, though…when those moments were over, the Gryffindor girl was still there. Smirking. Draika growled, slapping her across the face. Normally she wouldn't have reacted so mildly, but hey, she was trying.
No one noticed them..which was probably a good thing for the moment. The Gryffindor touched her face, fingers coming away bloody. With a lunge, the two girls collided, hitting and pulling hair and overall having a general catfight. Why is it that girls fight like that only when they fight other girls? The world may never know.
A few Slytherins wandered over to watch, losing interest in the food fight. The Gryffindor's friends rushed over, being all Gryffindor-like, trying to be brave…ffft. Someone hauled her away from the older girl, arms hooked under her shoulders. Looking towards the Gryffindor, she saw McGonagall had dragged the girl away as well.
"Lemme go." Draika tried to flail her arms as she was carried vertically. She couldn't even turn around.
"Stop that, you foolish girl." Snape's cold voice met her ears. "I take a short leave and this is what happens…though I hold Dumbledore in the highest regards…I am shocked that he allowed something of that nature to continue unsupervised." He still had a stronghold around Draika's arms, like she would run away if he put her down. Which is probably what would have happened. "Especially after today, you still choose to pull a stunt like this."
Draika wondered briefly how heavy she was. And how Snape could carry her upright and walk at the same time. And where they were going. Where WERE they going? She'd never been down this hallway before. She'd never even seen it. It was right after the sixth floor's moving stair…but she'd never noticed it. She wished he would put her down…her back hurt enough already without him stretching her out.
They turned down a dark corridor, and then he stopped. The wall was bare here.
"O83K5X29." Snape said, walking forwards through the wall.
Draika blinked. Through the wall? And that had to be one of the oddest passwords she'd ever heard. The wall had just gotten…transparent. In terms of density, really. It was there, but not really. He set her down, and she immediately went back to the wall. It was solid again. Running her hands over it, Draika blinked. Weird.
It was a fairly large room; apparently up in a tower, seeing as the ceiling was high and peaked. Large gothic-style arches framed the stained glass windows. Pretty. Three walls were decorated with patterned tapestries in dark reds and greens, the other wall covered by a large bookcase. A fire was lit in the fireplace, but it was burnt almost all the way down. There were several armchairs around a large, circular table in the center of the room.
Snape walked over to the fire. He waved his wand over it, and it immediately leapt up again from the glowing embers. The firelight cast eerie shadows around the room that danced and flickered with the fire's movements.
"You're not here for punishment." Snape informed her, taking a book out of the bookcase. He flipped through it, removing a folded sheet of paper before bending down to yank a trapdoor open that Draika had not spotted. "I am going to fetch Ardror." He said shortly, stuffing the paper into his robes. "Stay here, and don't try to leave."
A large shadow passed over the room. Something was blocking out the moon…probably just a cloud.
"Do you understand?" Snape pressed.
"Huh? Oh, yeah." She said vacantly, wandering over to the window. Something was out there…at least it looked like it…
"Hm." He descended through the trapdoor, vanishing from sight.
As soon as he was gone, the shadow passed. Squinting her eyes, Draika could see a form flying through the sky. It quickly vanished from sight. She sighed, turning her back to the window to watch the fire. A loud tapping sound made her jump in surprise.
Sraelyth was outside the window, clinging to a stone gargoyle. He grinned, making a gesture for her to open the window. Combing her eyes over the patterned glass, Draika found a rectangular panel that hinged inwards. Prying it open with some difficulty, (it had obviously not been used in a long time) she managed to poke her head out.
"Hello!" She whispered, grinning. "Did I keep you waiting?"
"Not for long." The dragon shifted, looking around warily. "News travels fast among creatures of the forest. It took him forever to leave you alone, didn't it?"
It took a moment before Draika realized he meant Snape. She nodded.
"Yeah…he's gone to get Ardror."
"Ardror…the name sounds familiar."
"Do you know any of the gryphons?" She asked. "I guess he's going to take Steppenwolf's place."
"Ah, yes, I knew the name of Steppenwolf. Is it true that Crevyl has taken the clan?" He unfolded his wings and folded them again, shifting his grip on the stony perch.
"Does news actually travel that fast?" Draika marveled at her ability to talk in a civilized way around Sraelyth. He understood her, that was it.
"Indeed it does, young human." He smiled. "But I did not come here for idle chatter. Take this." He held out one of his large talons, wrapped around a small bundle. It could hardly fit through the panel, but somehow Sraelyth got it to fit. "I think that…." He trailed off, eyes narrowing as he gazed into the room. "He's coming back! I'll get in touch." And with that, he let go of the gargoyle, freefalling some twenty feet before opening his wings to glide quickly out of sight.
Draika listened hard…she could hear voices down below. Quickly stuffing the bulky package into her robes, she sat down in an armchair, hoping Snape wouldn't notice the bulge.
"…and I'm sure that will be no trouble to fix." Snape said, emerging from the trapdoor.
A gryphon followed him, squeezing through the narrow space. Although he was a foot taller than Snape, the gryphon (obviously Ardror) was on the small side for gryphons. His jet black feathers were greyed around his crest. Ardror's most unique feature would have been his single eye. It was bright emerald green. The other eye was long gone, the socket obviously bare beneath it's feathered lid.
"…hello…" Draika said from the armchair, not sure whether she was supposed to greet him. Snape gave her a sharp glance, and she quickly stood, hands behind her back to hold the package up. Bowing quickly, she waited for either to say something.
The old gryphon watched her, his one eye seeming to bore straight through her. She blinked, looking away. Ardror said nothing.
Snape watched the two for a moment.
"Ardror will be keeping an eye on you…"
Draika nearly snorted at the unintended pun, but bit her tongue. Feeling the taste of blood in her mouth, she made a mental note to herself: Remember teeth are sharp.
"…but not in the usual way. He will not follow you around, but your activities will still be known. You needn't worry about private things, he's not a peeping tom." Turning briefly to Ardror to make sure that was all, he nodded to Draika.
"You may go now, Draika." He waved his hand dismissively, taking a seat in an armchair.
Draika paused. "Um…sir?" She winced mentally 'sir?'. Gods. "The wall?"
"Hm? Oh, yes. The wall." Snape murmured distractedly, gazing into the fire. If he thought anything was odd, he did a good job at keeping it hidden. "Don't worry about it."
"Er…okay. Thank you." She turned and walked quickly to the wall, sticking a hand out. The wall was transparent again. She rushed through it before Snape turned around, heart pounding for some reason. Her back still hurt so much…maybe she should go to Madam Pomfrey. No. She wouldn't. Not unless she was sent. She wasn't one of those weak little children who cried at pain and immediately sought relief.
After a few minutes of walking down deserted corridors, Draika took the package out. Who would think anything of a student getting a package? The common room offered little refuge. Several students were scattered about, talking and studying. There wasn't an empty chair, but she sat down anyways by the fire, back against the stone brickwork.
Draika opened the package carefully, not wanting to damage anything. The contents were rather simple…more packaging than merchandise, to put it simply. A wire-toothed comb about the length of her hand dropped onto her lap, followed by a small leaflet and a fang on a cord.
She blinked, examining the comb. The teeth were not sharp, but would be useful for cleaning out her scales. The leaflet was titled 'Physics of Flight'. Flipping through it, Draika smiled. Sraelyth had brought Christmas early. On the back was a small note, scribbled in unruly writing, in that same rust-colored ink.
'Couldn't wait. Try not to get yourself in trouble anymore.'
A small grin flitted across her face. She looked up, and was immediately met by a pair of huge blue eyes. They blinked once before Draika realized they were attached to a young girl.
"Hello! I'm Miaka."
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Hehehehehe…I actually wrote a long-ish chapter! It just started rolling out, ne? Sorry to bother you with such a trivial fact, but I mostly wrote this to "Peace on Earth" by U2, "Dust in the Wind" by Duchicela (has anyone heard of them besides me?) and "Rain" from the Spirit soundtrack. Meh…not that it fits most of the text or anything…unless it does and I'm too stupid to notice…*blink* Eh. Christmas is postponed from chapter 15 to chapter..uh…not 15, sorry! Still haven't got the fifth book. -.- 30 bucks at Wal-Mart?! No thank you.
Karen: Even though you didn't review, I still feel the need to give you a bit of my precious Author's Note. ^.^ You got your wishes in this chapter.
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~Draika~
Chapter Fourteen: In Terms of Density
"Hey." Someone was shaking her. Where was she? She didn't know that voice. "Draika."
Her eyes blinked open. A beaked face was staring down at her. "Grindenwald?" Draika asked, sitting up sharply. "Thanks." She looked around. "That was weird."
She was still in the gryphon's den. The sun was still shining brightly through the little pin-sized holes.
The echoes of voices still cascaded, quietly tapering off. The other gryphons had begun to ignore the three gryphons at the podium, and were going about their business with hushed whispers. Snape stood by the exit, observing with an expressionless face.
"You're welcome." Grindenwald sounded confused, like he didn't know exactly why he was being thanked. "Ready to go back?" He seemed overall too happy for someone who had just experienced something like…that.
"Not yet." Draika shook her head, lowering her head back onto the ground to stare at the ceiling.
"Are you all right?" The gryphon asked, peering into her line of sight.
"Yep." She replied. "Just thinking. How come you're not….sad?"
"Things happen." He sighed. "When you live for as long as we do…you learn to accept these things. It was something that I'd rather have not had happen, but there are many things we can't control." He sat back, looking around. "I wonder if he'll try to come back…"
Draika absorbed all this, blinking up into the blinding miniscule rays of light. There were too many threads to follow, too many things to try to piece together. It made her head spin. She couldn't think. Too much happening.
"What do you mean by "come back"? Isn't he…" She asked hesitantly.
"Oh no!" Grindenwald smiled, holding back a laugh. "He was sent away."
"Sent away." Draika repeated skeptically. "To where?"
He shrugged. "I have no idea. Probably somewhere in the Sahara. But then again, Crevyl could have chosen to kill him…"
"So you don't really know what happened."
"Nope." He sighed again, lying down. "It's a continual mystery."
Draika rolled her eyes mentally. Too confusing. What made them think she could understand all of this? She just wanted to take a century-long nap, followed by a few seconds of living. And then death. Which wouldn't be so bad, really, just something new…or whatever. Better than that life, at least. She clenched her teeth, biting her tongue. This was getting too deep for her tastes.
"I'm going back up." Draika said, standing. "See you, I guess." She walked across the cave towards the den's exit with a small wave to Grindenwald. For a moment Snape moved as if to stop her, but changed his mind in the middle of his action. He stepped back, letting her pass. Draika nodded to him, wondering why he hadn't mentioned detention. Was going through this supposed to be punishment enough? He gave her a searching look, turning his head to watch her go down the tunnel. Someone had healed his black eye, his face was once again uniformly sallow.
Twice on the long, dark walk back she stopped, listening for his steps. But either he was very quiet or was not following at all. She could only see a bit, a dim yellow haze in night vision. Seeing the tunnel's exit in the distance, Draika sighed in relief. She was hungry, and it was time for supper. She could hear the students making their way to the great hall, bustling about with their usual level of noise.
Trying to remain congruous to the crowd Draika stepped out of the dungeons, joining the throng of chattering students. Hufflepuffs, mostly, by who she could see. Prattling on about some assignment they'd gotten last week. No one seemed to notice her, for once. She smiled, taking a seat at the Slytherins' table.
A boy she'd never noticed before was seated across from her. He had dark brown eyes, and his longish hair was dyed a dark shade of blue. He looked at her for a moment, before turning back to his stew. Draika rolled her eyes, glaring over his shoulder at the Gryffindor table. He laughed, and Draika noticed that one of his ears was pierced, sporting a large stud colored to look like an eye.
"Yeah, those Gryffindors are bags of wind, aren't they?" He was stating it more than asking. "We should chuck 'em all out."
"Ah." Draika continued to eat her ham.
"Don't know what's the matter with you.." He made a face. "I see you around a lot. You're always so gloomy."
"Any why shouldn't I be?" Who was he, anyhow? Little smart-ass. "Maybe that's just what I'm used to."
"Yeah? Well, too bad for you." He popped a grape into his mouth, smiling. "You don't know what you're missing, you really don't. Name's Blaise, by the way. Zabini. Hate it when people call me by my last name." He shuddered. "Like taking your name away, just like that." Blaise snapped his fingers, leaning forwards a bit.
"I see." She nodded, only vaguely interested. Continuing to look over his shoulder, she watched Hermione say something to another Gryffindor in a whisper. She didn't see Ron. Good..maybe Linwe had really hurt him.
"Oh, I get it." Blaise scoffed. "Ignoring the crazy guy." He grinned. "Well, I am crazy, then."
"Good for you…" Draika blinked, not really sure what to say. He was actually trying to be nice…but not in a forced way. Like he actually wanted to be nice. "…watch this." She said with a conniving glint in her eye. Picking up her spoon, she placed a hunk of ham ever so carefully in it, and then flicked it over Blaise's shoulder.
It hit a Gryffindor in the ear. Blaise erupted into a torrent of laughter, causing several conversations to falter and die. He picked up a hunk of bread, and hurled it at the Gryffindor closest to him without any subtlety whatsoever. Draika hid a laugh. She was going to have to teach him a thing or two about being sneaky.
Several Slytherins caught on quickly to the new game, flicking little bits of food at the rival House, and then turning away quickly. The secrecy wouldn't last that long, however. One particularly brash second year Gryffindor turned around, chucking his broccoli at Blaise. Who would blame him? Broccoli wasn't all that nice of a food anyhow.
Almost everyone started moving at the same time, throwing food at their opposing House. The air was filled with food and an immeasurable level of noise, both friendly and not. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs edged away, giving each other sideways glances.
Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by the teachers, especially McGonagall. She was there in an instant, fuming. The only one there, as a matter of fact. Snape had not showed up for dinner, and the other teachers seemed amused by the situation.
"Stop this moment. You're acting like little children." She ordered, eyes narrowed. The Gryffindors backed off considerably, but then a piece of chicken cordon bleu hit her in the nose. "Who did that?!" She whirled around, and Draika wouldn't have been surprised if she'd have drawn her wand on the new attacker.
A little cough came from the teachers' table. Dumbledore was grinning, twiddling his wand between his fingers. Pointing it at his jello, he sent it flying onto a very unlucky (or lucky, whichever way you'd look at it) Gryffindor.
A moment of stunned silence followed while everyone waited for the Gryffindor's reaction. He wiped the dessert off his face, looking around. It was Fred Weasley. Or maybe it was George…or Fred. George. Whatever. I'm not going to waste any more time on that. He winked at Fred (or George, whatever he wasn't), sending his milk into Draco's face.
Now THAT sparked something. McGonagall barely had time to move out of the way before she would have been covered in food of all sorts. Someone (presumably Fred. George. Didn't we go through this already?) had returned Dumbledore's blow, splattering him with gravy.
Even the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws started to come around, joining the Gryffindors to try to beat Slytherin…the methods needed to 'beat' someone in a food fight have not been discovered since then, but it probably has something to do with surrender and whatnot.
Draika grinned. She couldn't remember when she'd had this much fun. There were still the Slytherins who were 'too good' to join in the lowly fight, but hey, that was really their problem. Blaise had completely lost control, if that even covers all of it. He was having the time of his life, shouting and waving his wand at the first year Gryffindors, who were easily scared…but actually throwing very little food.
She glanced over at the idle Slytherins. Didn't they know how to have fun? It wasn't very often that this kind of thing happened. Pocketing her wand, she looked around, ducking behind a table to avoid a spray of cheese whip. It was chaos! It was mayhem! All in all, pretty good. The rest of the teachers had left the hall, even Dumbledore, who had actually been the one to reinitiate the fight.
Blaise looked around. Where was she? Stupid girl…he peered under the tables. She wasn't afraid of food, was she? Typical.
Draika peered over the edge of the table. Seeing a Gryffindor with his back turned to her, she grinned and tried to approach as stealthily as possible. Not that anyone would notice her; they were all too busy throwing stuff. Very few students were still seated, and even a few were attempting to finish their meal.
Seizing a bowl of mashed potatoes from the table, Draika raised it dramatically above the unwitting boy's head. With a satisfying glomp, she turned it upside-down and smashed it on his head, amongst a hysterical fit of laughter from the Slytherins who saw.
He turned around immediately, drawing his wand. Draika had to keep from laughing…it hadn't been a Gryffindor at all! In the confusion he must have gotten all the way to the Gryffindor side…and the school robes all looked the same from the back…Hehehehehehe…poor Draco. What? She really didn't know it was him! Honest! I swear to drunk I'm not God!
"Don't mess with me, V'tana." He grated, apparently not at all amused by the fact that he had been potatoed.
Draika shrugged, turning around to be promptly smacked in the face by a glob of pudding. Wiping off the chocolate mess, she whirled around, trying to see who had hit her. Seeing only one person watching her, she scowled. It was an older Gryffindor…seventh year, probably. She looked mad.
"What did you do?!" She yelled, barely heard above the raucous noise. "I heard you set a gryphon on Ron Weasley!"
"Do you believe everything you hear?!" Draika yelled back. "She did it on her own!"
"Well, you were involved, that's enough for me!" She sneered.
Draika sighed angrily, climbing over a chair to approach the girl. "I don't care what you heard, I didn't do anything!"
"I don't care either. You're just not right. I've heard things. You think no one watches you?" The girl drew her wand again, at the same moment that Draika did.
"I know they do. With good reason." Draika grinned evilly. "You never know when I'll try something…" Her heart pounded. A bolt of pain ran down her back, jolting her legs.
"Some say you're making it all up for attention." The Gryffindor hissed. "You wouldn't believe some of the rumors…"
~How did SHE get into Gryffindor?~ Draika wondered, half-panicked. The girl would be an excellent Slytherin. She was just opening her mouth to say so, when the girl hit her square on with an impedimenta curse. Draika blinked. She was slowing…somehow. Great. It only lasted a few moments, though…when those moments were over, the Gryffindor girl was still there. Smirking. Draika growled, slapping her across the face. Normally she wouldn't have reacted so mildly, but hey, she was trying.
No one noticed them..which was probably a good thing for the moment. The Gryffindor touched her face, fingers coming away bloody. With a lunge, the two girls collided, hitting and pulling hair and overall having a general catfight. Why is it that girls fight like that only when they fight other girls? The world may never know.
A few Slytherins wandered over to watch, losing interest in the food fight. The Gryffindor's friends rushed over, being all Gryffindor-like, trying to be brave…ffft. Someone hauled her away from the older girl, arms hooked under her shoulders. Looking towards the Gryffindor, she saw McGonagall had dragged the girl away as well.
"Lemme go." Draika tried to flail her arms as she was carried vertically. She couldn't even turn around.
"Stop that, you foolish girl." Snape's cold voice met her ears. "I take a short leave and this is what happens…though I hold Dumbledore in the highest regards…I am shocked that he allowed something of that nature to continue unsupervised." He still had a stronghold around Draika's arms, like she would run away if he put her down. Which is probably what would have happened. "Especially after today, you still choose to pull a stunt like this."
Draika wondered briefly how heavy she was. And how Snape could carry her upright and walk at the same time. And where they were going. Where WERE they going? She'd never been down this hallway before. She'd never even seen it. It was right after the sixth floor's moving stair…but she'd never noticed it. She wished he would put her down…her back hurt enough already without him stretching her out.
They turned down a dark corridor, and then he stopped. The wall was bare here.
"O83K5X29." Snape said, walking forwards through the wall.
Draika blinked. Through the wall? And that had to be one of the oddest passwords she'd ever heard. The wall had just gotten…transparent. In terms of density, really. It was there, but not really. He set her down, and she immediately went back to the wall. It was solid again. Running her hands over it, Draika blinked. Weird.
It was a fairly large room; apparently up in a tower, seeing as the ceiling was high and peaked. Large gothic-style arches framed the stained glass windows. Pretty. Three walls were decorated with patterned tapestries in dark reds and greens, the other wall covered by a large bookcase. A fire was lit in the fireplace, but it was burnt almost all the way down. There were several armchairs around a large, circular table in the center of the room.
Snape walked over to the fire. He waved his wand over it, and it immediately leapt up again from the glowing embers. The firelight cast eerie shadows around the room that danced and flickered with the fire's movements.
"You're not here for punishment." Snape informed her, taking a book out of the bookcase. He flipped through it, removing a folded sheet of paper before bending down to yank a trapdoor open that Draika had not spotted. "I am going to fetch Ardror." He said shortly, stuffing the paper into his robes. "Stay here, and don't try to leave."
A large shadow passed over the room. Something was blocking out the moon…probably just a cloud.
"Do you understand?" Snape pressed.
"Huh? Oh, yeah." She said vacantly, wandering over to the window. Something was out there…at least it looked like it…
"Hm." He descended through the trapdoor, vanishing from sight.
As soon as he was gone, the shadow passed. Squinting her eyes, Draika could see a form flying through the sky. It quickly vanished from sight. She sighed, turning her back to the window to watch the fire. A loud tapping sound made her jump in surprise.
Sraelyth was outside the window, clinging to a stone gargoyle. He grinned, making a gesture for her to open the window. Combing her eyes over the patterned glass, Draika found a rectangular panel that hinged inwards. Prying it open with some difficulty, (it had obviously not been used in a long time) she managed to poke her head out.
"Hello!" She whispered, grinning. "Did I keep you waiting?"
"Not for long." The dragon shifted, looking around warily. "News travels fast among creatures of the forest. It took him forever to leave you alone, didn't it?"
It took a moment before Draika realized he meant Snape. She nodded.
"Yeah…he's gone to get Ardror."
"Ardror…the name sounds familiar."
"Do you know any of the gryphons?" She asked. "I guess he's going to take Steppenwolf's place."
"Ah, yes, I knew the name of Steppenwolf. Is it true that Crevyl has taken the clan?" He unfolded his wings and folded them again, shifting his grip on the stony perch.
"Does news actually travel that fast?" Draika marveled at her ability to talk in a civilized way around Sraelyth. He understood her, that was it.
"Indeed it does, young human." He smiled. "But I did not come here for idle chatter. Take this." He held out one of his large talons, wrapped around a small bundle. It could hardly fit through the panel, but somehow Sraelyth got it to fit. "I think that…." He trailed off, eyes narrowing as he gazed into the room. "He's coming back! I'll get in touch." And with that, he let go of the gargoyle, freefalling some twenty feet before opening his wings to glide quickly out of sight.
Draika listened hard…she could hear voices down below. Quickly stuffing the bulky package into her robes, she sat down in an armchair, hoping Snape wouldn't notice the bulge.
"…and I'm sure that will be no trouble to fix." Snape said, emerging from the trapdoor.
A gryphon followed him, squeezing through the narrow space. Although he was a foot taller than Snape, the gryphon (obviously Ardror) was on the small side for gryphons. His jet black feathers were greyed around his crest. Ardror's most unique feature would have been his single eye. It was bright emerald green. The other eye was long gone, the socket obviously bare beneath it's feathered lid.
"…hello…" Draika said from the armchair, not sure whether she was supposed to greet him. Snape gave her a sharp glance, and she quickly stood, hands behind her back to hold the package up. Bowing quickly, she waited for either to say something.
The old gryphon watched her, his one eye seeming to bore straight through her. She blinked, looking away. Ardror said nothing.
Snape watched the two for a moment.
"Ardror will be keeping an eye on you…"
Draika nearly snorted at the unintended pun, but bit her tongue. Feeling the taste of blood in her mouth, she made a mental note to herself: Remember teeth are sharp.
"…but not in the usual way. He will not follow you around, but your activities will still be known. You needn't worry about private things, he's not a peeping tom." Turning briefly to Ardror to make sure that was all, he nodded to Draika.
"You may go now, Draika." He waved his hand dismissively, taking a seat in an armchair.
Draika paused. "Um…sir?" She winced mentally 'sir?'. Gods. "The wall?"
"Hm? Oh, yes. The wall." Snape murmured distractedly, gazing into the fire. If he thought anything was odd, he did a good job at keeping it hidden. "Don't worry about it."
"Er…okay. Thank you." She turned and walked quickly to the wall, sticking a hand out. The wall was transparent again. She rushed through it before Snape turned around, heart pounding for some reason. Her back still hurt so much…maybe she should go to Madam Pomfrey. No. She wouldn't. Not unless she was sent. She wasn't one of those weak little children who cried at pain and immediately sought relief.
After a few minutes of walking down deserted corridors, Draika took the package out. Who would think anything of a student getting a package? The common room offered little refuge. Several students were scattered about, talking and studying. There wasn't an empty chair, but she sat down anyways by the fire, back against the stone brickwork.
Draika opened the package carefully, not wanting to damage anything. The contents were rather simple…more packaging than merchandise, to put it simply. A wire-toothed comb about the length of her hand dropped onto her lap, followed by a small leaflet and a fang on a cord.
She blinked, examining the comb. The teeth were not sharp, but would be useful for cleaning out her scales. The leaflet was titled 'Physics of Flight'. Flipping through it, Draika smiled. Sraelyth had brought Christmas early. On the back was a small note, scribbled in unruly writing, in that same rust-colored ink.
'Couldn't wait. Try not to get yourself in trouble anymore.'
A small grin flitted across her face. She looked up, and was immediately met by a pair of huge blue eyes. They blinked once before Draika realized they were attached to a young girl.
"Hello! I'm Miaka."
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Hehehehehe…I actually wrote a long-ish chapter! It just started rolling out, ne? Sorry to bother you with such a trivial fact, but I mostly wrote this to "Peace on Earth" by U2, "Dust in the Wind" by Duchicela (has anyone heard of them besides me?) and "Rain" from the Spirit soundtrack. Meh…not that it fits most of the text or anything…unless it does and I'm too stupid to notice…*blink* Eh. Christmas is postponed from chapter 15 to chapter..uh…not 15, sorry! Still haven't got the fifth book. -.- 30 bucks at Wal-Mart?! No thank you.