The Book of Carmen
Chapter VIII: A Fight in the Snow
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Sirius awoke to find Selene standing at the window. Her hand held the curtains back as she looked through the frosty glass into the Forbidden Forest. Sirius glanced over at the bed beside him and noticed that Harry still slept. He quietly got up from the bed and walked over to where Selene stood. "What do you see?" he asked her.
"Snow," she said. "It has been a long time since I have seen so much of it, I had forgotten its beauty," she said and then turned to Sirius. "Do you think it odd that I would find so much beauty in something so cold?" she asked.
He smiled, "A little ironic perhaps."
She turned back to the window, "I never had the chance to play in the snow."
"What?"
"It's true. When I was younger the cold would hurt too much for me to extract any joy from the snow. It wasn't until Lily gave me my dragon robes that I was able to be outside in cold weather for long periods of time. But she and James were killed and you and I were imprisoned shortly after that, so I never had the chance to build a snowman or even taste a snowflake."
Sirius paused briefly, "Well then let's go outside and build us a snowman."
"What about Harry?"
"We will leave him a note telling him where to find us," Sirius said handing Selene her dragon robes. She took them and put them on as Sirius scratched out a note to Harry. Soon, adorned in winter gear, the two left Gryffindor tower and headed outside.
As they walked out the door Sirius squinted as the sun's rays bounced off the snow and into his eyes. The air was cold, almost too cold for his taste. He glanced behind him to see how Selene was coping with the weather. He was surprised to find that she appeared not to notice the chill, her eyes filled with a child-like wonder and excitement. "Come on," he said taking her hand and pulling her into the Hogwarts' gardens.
Harry awoke to find the dorm empty. He panicked, believing he had been right in thinking that the delight of the previous night had been merely a dream. However, when he reached for his glasses he found a note laying beneath them. He put his glasses on and then opened the note, which read:
Harry-
Good morning and Happy Christmas! Selene and I are in the gardens. Get dressed and join us.
-Sirius
Sighing a breath of relief, and feeling a renewed excitement welling up inside of him, Harry threw on his clothes and robes and flew downstairs. He tore down the hallways, and very nearly tripped on Mrs. Norris who gave him a haughty snarl as he hurried towards the door. Harry slowed only when he was right outside the gardens and breathed in great gulps of the frosty air. "Selene?" he asked, entering the gardens. The night's snowfall had covered most of the foliage, leaving all the plants looking as if they had been born of the snowflakes that covered them. The branches of the trees were also laden with snow, but did not sag with the added weight of the ice. No trees in the gardens of Hogwarts were ever allowed to sag. Instead they looked all the more glorious covered with snow and ice, looking as if they were grand white sculptures that had been carved with the precision of an artist's hand. "Sirius?" Harry asked, and again received no answer. He passed by a large hedge and felt somebody pull on the bottom his robes. Harry looked down and was surprised to find his godfather crouched down behind the hedge. Sirius placed a finger to his lips, winked, and motioned for Harry to join him. Harry crouched down beside his godfather, "Sirius, what's going on? Where's Selene?"
"She's hiding behind that tree," he said, motioning towards a large oak that was on the opposite side of the hedge. Harry noticed that Sirius held something in his hand.
"Why is she hiding?" Harry asked.
Sirius opened his hand and revealed a snowball. Harry suddenly noticed an extraordinarily large pile of snowballs next to Sirius. He looked at his godfather in bewilderment.
"What? Are you above creaming your aunt with a snowball?" Sirius asked, offering Harry one from his ammunition pile.
Harry smiled, took the snowball, and peeked over the edge. He could see Selene's red robes cheating around the corners of the large oak, giving her location away. Harry also noticed that she had her own pile of snowballs at her feet. Harry moved quickly to another hedge and threw his snowball. It hit Selene in the back, leaving a wet trail down her robes. She turned around quickly and threw one in his direction. His seeker reflexes kicked in and he ducked just in time to avoid getting hit. Sirius returned her fire with his own, hitting her square in the chest. Both godson and godfather sank down behind their hedges and laughed.
Selene, although a little wetter, was just as amused, and even more so as a plan formed in her mind. She took her two largest snowballs and held them in her hands. She removed her hands, but the snowballs remained suspended in the air. Directing them with her hands she floated the snowballs over the two hedges. Harry laughed as he saw one centered over Sirius' head, unaware that another one was lingering only inches above his own. Selene snapped her fingers and the snow dropped, covering both Harry and Sirius.
"That's not fair!" Sirius yelled out, as he stood and tried to brush the snow off of his robes.
"Neither is two against one!" Selene yelled back.
"Who said he was on my side?" Sirius said and then took another snowball and looked at Harry threateningly.
"No. Sirius, don't do it!" Harry cried.
Sirius shrugged and threw the snowball at Harry, hitting him in the stomach.
"How dare you hit my nephew with a snowball!" Selene said and threw one of her own that hit Sirius in the face.
Harry roared with laughter as Sirius spat out half the snowball and then turned back to Selene, "Oh that's it." He reached down for another snowball, "This means war."
A snow fight of epic proportions followed as the three launched attacks on each other. By the time they were done, the gardens of Hogwarts were a little less pristine and a lot soggier. Finally the three participants called a truce and collapsed unto one of the park benches. Selene brushed off any remaining snow on her robes, and Sirius pulled a twig out of his hair. They sat there for a few minutes chuckling to themselves until Selene leaned over and whispered something into Sirius' ear. "Oh I almost forgot," Sirius said, pulling a wrapped box out from underneath the bench and handing it to Harry. "Happy Christmas," he said.
Harry opened the box and beneath the wrapping saw the top of glass globe. He pulled it from the box and noticed that the globed was fixed to a dark wooden stand. The inside of the globe held a small yellow house with snow falling down around it. The globe looked very much like the ones he had seen in the Dursleys' house. However, those needed someone to shake them in order for the snow to fall. This one did not. There was something about the tiny house that Harry recognized but could not place.
"Do you remember Harry?" Selene asked.
Harry nodded, "A little. I recognize the house, but I don't whose it is."
"It was your house Harry," Sirius said, "before James and Lily died."
Harry inhaled deeply as he looked into the globe. The house had a small Christmas tree lit in the window, and all the other rooms of the house were lit as well. Sudden flashes of memories appeared in Harry's mind. Since he had only an infant's memory of that house, the memories were unclear and more like sensations than memories, but Harry struggled to hold on to them nonetheless. His finger brushed across a small lever and he pressed it. A soft tune began to play and the snow in globe quit falling and the Christmas tree disappeared. Harry blinked, to make sure that he wasn't imagining it. However, as soon as the snow stopped the tiny bare trees that surrounded the house began to sprout with leaves. Soon the trees were full of leaves and the flowers were in full bloom. Then the flowers began to fade and the trees turned bright gold and red. Those golden leaves then blew away, replaced once again with the snow and the Christmas tree in the window.
"Where did you get this?" Harry asked, as the seasons began to change once more.
"It was your mother's," Selene said softly, "We had a hard time finding it, but when we did we knew that it had to go to you."
"Thank you," Harry said, looking at his aunt and godfather.
"You're quite welcome," Sirius said and smiled, but Harry noticed a touch of shadow in his eyes.
"What song is it playing?" Harry asked.
"Well that was our little touch," Selene said but stopped when she looked at Sirius. He was very still and the color had left his face. "Sirius?" she asked, but he didn't respond. She touched his arm, "Sirius? What is it?" she asked again.
"Get behind me," he said sternly.
She looked at him confused, and then followed his stare. She looked into the forest that created the back boundary of the gardens. At first she didn't see anything, but then she caught a reflection of light in two very large eyes.
"I said get behind me," Sirius said and withdrew his wand from his robes.
Harry, whose back was towards the forest, looked at Sirius curiously, "What's going on?" he asked.
"Harry, come stand by me," Selene said, her eyes now locked on the creature in the woods.
Harry tucked his gift within his robes and then did as he was told.
"What is it Sirius?" Selene asked.
"I'm not sure. I think it is a…" he was cut off as the creature lifted its head and shrieked. Sirius winced at the noise and Harry covered his ears. He looked at his aunt and saw that she too had gone white, and there was something in her eyes that filled Harry with fear.
"That's a Beithir," Selene said.
"It can't be," Sirius said, "No one has seen one in years."
The creature shrieked again, and Harry turned his face from it. But what he saw when he turned his head made him come to the brink of panic. "Selene…" he whispered.
"I think that it is far enough away for us to make it back to the castle," she said, not hearing Harry.
Harry pulled hard on her robes, unable to find his voice.
"You take Harry to the castle, and bring back help," Sirius said.
"And leave you alone with a Beithir? I don't think so."
"We aren't even sure it is a Beithir," Sirius responded.
"Selene!" Harry yelled. Selene and Sirius turned to Harry and saw what he was looking at, a second monster, which was standing no more then fifteen feet away from them.
"Okay, I'll admit I was wrong," Sirius said staring at the second Beithir.
The Beithir in the forest shrieked again and they could hear its heavy footsteps and the sound of cracking twigs. It was coming closer. Sirius, Selene, and Harry drew closer together. On Sirius' lead they started to walk back to the castle, but for every step they took the second Beithir matched it. Soon the first Beithir became clearly visible as it left the concealment of the forest. Harry fished around in his robes for his wand, but then remembered that he had left it his room. The Beithirs quickened their pace and came steadily closer to the three. "Harry," Sirius said, "Do you know about the hidden passage in the garden, the one by the fountain?"
Harry thought back to the Marauder's Map and remembered seeing a passage marking near one of the smaller fountains in the garden. He and Ron had never explored it, because it emptied into one of the staff lounges. "Yes."
"Can you get there?"
Harry nodded.
"You have got to run for it Harry. Selene and I will hold them back. Go and get help. Can you do it?"
"Yes."
"Good. Go," Sirius said, yet Harry held back. He didn't want to leave his family. The approaching Beithirs growled and started to run at them. "GO NOW!" Sirius yelled, and Harry took off running.
As soon as he did, one of the creatures started after him. "No you don't," Sirius snarled and yelled, "Impedimenta!" The Beithir chasing Harry began to act as if it had large weights tied to its legs, and the beast slowed down considerably. However, since the Beithir was quite large and heavy it took most of Sirius' concentration to keep the spell going.
Harry ran through the labyrinth of hedges and plants. He stumbled once, picked himself off the ground and hurried to the fountain.
Selene turned her attention to the second beast, which was about to attack Sirius. "Relashio!" she called out and bright sparks of red fire came from her hands and struck the beast. It stumbled and screamed, but kept moving nonetheless. "Relashio!" she repeated, but this time something went wrong. The fire that erupted from her hands was not red, but green. It traveled about halfway to the monster, but then turned and came rushing back towards her. It went through her body, and Selene felt as though all the air in her lungs had been sucked out. She let out a gargled scream and fell to the ground.
"Selene!" Sirius yelled, his concentration broken. The beast he had been holding broke through the spell and continued running after Harry. "Damn!" Sirius yelled. He heard a growl in front of him and turned just in time to see the second beast leap for him. The beast's wounds and Sirius' instincts enabled the wizard to dodge what would have been a fatal embrace. Before the beast could attack again Sirius raised his wand to the beast's eyes and shouted "Conjunctivitis!" A red mist shot out from his wand and into the eyes of his attacker. The beast screamed hideously as Sirius' spell blinded it.
Harry heard the shriek of the beast, although he could no longer see the spot where he had left Sirius and Selene. He reached the door of the secret passage and opened it. A damp dank smell filled his nostrils. He felt for his globe, but couldn't find it. "Oh no!" he yelled and searched frantically for it. He looked behind him and saw the globe laying in the snow about thirty feet away, next to where he had fallen only a few moments ago. He knew that the beasts were still out there, but he could not bring himself to leave his gift behind. Mustering up his fallen courage he ran back out into the snow. He had just picked up the globe when he heard a low snarl. He looked up and saw that one of the Beithirs was watching him. Harry slowly took a step back, then another, then another. He began to think that maybe the beast wasn't going to follow him. He took one more step back, and heard a pop as his weight crushed a small twig. At that instant the beast charged at him and Harry turned and ran back to the secret door as fast as he could. However, the beast was much faster then he and soon the sound of its heavy feet grew louder and louder in Harry's ears. I'm almost there. Harry thought, just a few more seconds. The beast was now so close to Harry that he could feel the heat of its breath on the back of his neck. He closed his eyes and urged his legs to run faster. Finally he reached the door to the passage and threw himself in, kicking the door shut behind him. As he lay in the dark he could hear the beast throwing itself against the door.
Sirius watched as the beast he had just blinded stood to its full height. Sirius backed up as the monster towered over him, its jaws gleaming as it searched for him. Sirius froze, trying to remain as still as possible. The beast swatted at him with a claw, which was dangerously close to Sirius' chest. Slowly Sirius backed up, and the beast paused upon hearing the footsteps. Sirius held his breath and looked over to where Selene lay. She still wasn't moving, but he could see the rise and fall of her chest. She was alive, and at the moment, in a better position than he was. The beast swung out again, this time hitting Sirius and sending him sprawling backwards into the snow. His robes were torn where the Beithir had hit him, and his right arm burned terribly. What concerned him the most, however, was that his wand had been knocked from his hand and he didn't have any idea where it was. With his adrenaline pumping, Sirius stood and looked for anything that he could use as a weapon. He tore a small branch from a tree, but the snap alerted the creature to his whereabouts. It attacked again, but Sirius managed to wedge the branch in its mouth, keeping the monster from killing him. Even though the monster was wounded it was still the stronger of the two and it forced Sirius back down on the ground, the small branch acting as the only barrier between Sirius and the jaws of the monster. Sirius felt his strength weakening, especially in his right arm. He cried out, in anger more than pain. Saliva from the beast's mouth covered the branch in Sirius' hands, making his hold on the branch all the more difficult to maintain. The branch began to crack, and Sirius knew that it would only hold up for a few more seconds.
Suddenly Sirius saw a brilliant red glow and the beast withdrew screaming. The shriek was so loud and so horrible that it invaded every one of Sirius' senses. Then the beast fell, dead. Behind it stood Selene. Sirius wiped his forehead on his sleeve and staggered over to his wife. Oddly, he noticed that the look of fear in her eyes had not diminished.
She looked at him, and at his arm. The area of robes on his upper arm was stained red, and she looked up at him, her face full of concern. "It's nothing," he said, "only a scratch. Are you okay?"
She said nothing.
"What happened back there?"
"It's gone," she whispered.
"What's gone?"
"My magic."
"What do you mean? You just killed the Beithir."
Selene shook her head, and pointed over to where another man was approaching. He waved to them and Sirius nodded back.
"It's gone Sirius. I can't feel the magic anymore," Selene said. Not knowing what to say or quite what to do, Sirius put his arm around her and drew her close.
The plot thickens.
The exposition is laid down, the characters are in position, so hang on to your pants ladies and gentlemen this is where the fun begins.
Would you like to see a picture of Selene? http://www.geocities.com/auryn2327/FT8.html
For those of you have not read the first story you might want to check out chapter four of Family Tree. It pretty much has all you need to know about Magmani. It might clear up a few questions about Selene's comments about snow at the beginning of the chapter. It is accessible both here and on my web page. Also in reference to the dragon robes, Selene's robes are made of dragon hide, which are impervious to the cold.
Thanks for the reviews S-nce and WeasleyTwinsLover1112! This chapter is for you.
Speaking of reviews, would you, kind readers, be so kind as to leave me one, or two, or three….