SHARING THE SUNLIGHT WITH THE FREE - THE DAWN
Chapter Thirteen
Christmas was a bleak affair. Aurelia awoke in the morning feeling chilly although she was buried under her covers. The cold was inside her, as well as an eerie, implacable feeling. Something had happened last night.she had had a nightmare.but strangely, this once she could not recall it. All that remained was a tingling feeling of power - traces of magic.
Well, dreams were magic, weren't they? Brushing her confused thoughts aside, Aurelia sat up and drew back the bed curtains. The other beds in the dormitory stared back at her, neatly made and devoid of their usual occupants.
Aurelia sighed and lay back down again, feeling hollow inside.
Missing Kière.
'No I am not!' She sat bolt upright again. Suddenly, she laughed at herself. Talking to herself - she must be going crazy. And she could do without Kière. She had other friends now - Ethel, for one. And she would spend Christmas happily with Ethel today! Aurelia got up and walked to the window. The world outside was dark and gloomy. Grey clouds hung overhead, but no snow had fallen as of yet. The very sky seemed to have a sinister look. Her resolve to be happy nearly crumpled there and then.
'You are one of Professor Ravenclaw's House. Be logical. The weather cannot affect you - not unless you let it,' she told herself firmly.
She got dressed and went down to the Great Hall. The other students were mostly there already, chattering as they ate.
'Good morning, Aurelia!' called Aleta Barnes cheerfully from the Gryffindor table. The little girl was sitting with Ethel, who looked up and immediately ran over to Aurelia.
'Finally yer awake! Come eat with us today.' She grabbed hold of Aurelia's arm and steered her towards the Gryffindor table. Her two fellow students in Professor Ravenclaw's House - Lyle and Conroy - were also there, grinning at her, as were the Arthrop twins.
'Will you spend the day with us?' asked Aderyn hopefully.
'I - of course,' said Aurelia, grateful for the welcome. It would not have been that fun sitting alone. She reached for her porridge. 'Thank you.'
'If you had not come down by now, we would have gone up into your dormitory,' declared Conroy. 'Even though t'is the girls'.' He blushed slightly as he said this, but looked so determined that no one teased, although all laughed.
'Excuse me - may we join you?'
The seven at the table looked up in surprise. Three girls of Professor Gryffindor's House - the only pure-blood students to be staying over at Hogwarts for the break - had moved up from their old positions.
'C-certainly,' stammered Arthfael, glancing around the group. All were smiling and nodding. The three sat, and Aurelia thought at first the day was going to be all right after all.
The professors finished before them, and headed out of the Great Hall, smiling indulgently at their students as they left. Aurelia diligently avoided looking at them; she still had no intention of talking things over with Professor Ravenclaw and did not wish to give an inadvertent sign that she did.
Professor Gryffindor stopped by at their table as he passed.
'Wonderful.nobody should be alone during Christmas,' he said. 'Happy Christmas, all of you. Do have a great day - no working, now, all Rowena's illustrious students.today is a day for celebration!' He chuckled and left them.
Aurelia's spirits sank - the image of Kière suddenly crossed her mind. Kière, alone on Christmas day.
'But he deserves it. He and his parents - they can have a miserable Christmas for all I care,' she told herself stubbornly.
There was no snow, so they could not have snowball fights, or build snowmen, or any of the other fun things a group of children can do in fluffy white snow. They had to make do with games in the Great Hall - the three pure-blood witches, Rosa, Torie and Griselle, were very interested in the Muggle games the others were introducing. Aurelia declined taking part, preferring to watch - which she did half-heartedly. The spirit of Christmas was certainly not there for her this year.
'I am going for a walk,' she said abruptly.
'Do ye want me ter go with ye?' Ethel looked up anxiously.
'No - t'is fine, you stay and continue the game.' She had to be alone.something was compelling her to be. She forced herself to smile at them before she left.
Absent-mindedly, she walked along the lake. The air felt lighter than usual. For some reason, it made Aurelia think of Samhain. How long ago that seemed. The threshold.
She was standing in the very spot. Was nature's magic strong today? She stood motionless, and stretched her hands out. She could feel it, the tingling feeling of strong magic. Yes - magic must be as strong on Christmas day. Only.it was a different kind of magic - there was a distinct difference in the quality. At Samhain, the magic had been thick and spread over a large area. Now it was intense, concentrated where she was. So close to her, it was almost a part of her.
She started to walk on, but her next step sent her plummeting down.
'The threshold,' she whispered, expecting to see the stones again. But not this time. She was in a village, she could tell by the houses about her. She had never seen the place before, but there was something about it that was familiar.
She realized what it was when she turned around.
A crowd, gathered around a crude set-up that could only be one thing - a stake.
Her breath caught sharply in her throat and she took a step back, looking around wildly. How could she have come here? She had to get back to Hogwarts somehow - the place reeked of danger. And hatred. And.death.
'A witch,' spat a harsh voice. Aurelia cringed, but no one was paying attention to her. All the villagers' eyes were fixed on a well-dressed man standing before the stake, his hand grasping that of a young girl's firmly. She looked to be about six, with long dark hair and wide blue eyes that looked remarkably like Aurelia's own.
'N-no!' gasped the girl. 'Let me go!'
'This girl has been tried and proven a witch,' growled the man. 'And the boy that calls himself her brother undoubtedly too. We do not have him now, but no matter - we shall deal with this one first.'
It was a witch-hunter. On a witch-hunt.
'Burn!' screeched a woman from the crowd. 'Burn the witch!'
The whole crowd was chanting now. Aurelia felt sick to the stomach.
'No! Please! Let me go!' the girl was pleading. She struggled harder against the man.
'Burn the witch! Burn the witch!'
They were tying her to the stake now.the flame was being readied in a corner. Aurelia could stand it no longer. She ran to the front, to the girl.but to her horror, she did not seem to be solid.
'Stop it!' she cried. 'Let her go!'
But no one heard her. It was as though she was invisible. What was happening?
The last rope had been tied. The girl was struggling madly now. The ropes suddenly broke free of their own accord. The crowd gasped.
'You see! Proof! A witch!' roared the witch-hunter. 'Do not let her escape!'
The girl had tried to bolt, but the villagers caught her immediately and dragged her back up to the stake.
'Tighter! She must not break free again!' ordered the witch-hunter. 'Hurry!'
She was weeping now. Aurelia watched, stricken and helpless, as the villagers brought the burning flame and touched it to a pile of straw at the girl's feet.
Then an inspiration - her wand! Even if she seemed to be no more than a ghost, maybe her magic would still work. At any rate, she had to try. She reached into her robes - but before she could draw out her wand, she heard a distinct male voice shout a spell.
'Eaus!'
A fountain of water dropped from the heavens to extinguish the fire. It hissed and went up in smoke, setting everyone coughing.
'No! Do not touch her!' A young man came running, brandishing his wand.
'Witch!' sneered the witch-hunter. 'This one has to be burnt too. Seize him! And that stick of his too!'
'Expelliarmus!' screamed the young man, sending the witch-hunter flying backwards. But the other villagers rushed forward and acted upon the witch- hunter's orders. His wand was wrestled away from him.
'Finish burning the girl now, and then we can do him,' snarled the witch- hunter, panting as he got up. 'Go on, now! Burn her!'
'Burn! Burn, witch!' The crowd was in a fevered frenzy now.
'No - Samantha!' The young man made a lung for the stake, to save his sister, but five burly men held him back. Without his wand, he was powerless.
Samantha - the little girl - was coughing now. They had lit the flame again and it was blazing fiercely.
'Eaus!' cried Aurelia, remembering the wand in her hand.
It was a terrible moment when she realized that she was powerless to work a spell in this time rift.
Samantha was crying louder and louder now, screaming as the flames consumed her. Her brother was struggling so hard that two more men had to be dispatched to restrain him. Someone had snapped his wand in half; the witch- hunter was burning the halves gleefully along with Samantha. The smug look of triumph on his face made Aurelia feel nauseous. She looked away.only to have her gaze fall on Samantha.
In that moment, the young girl looked straight back at Aurelia. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes. Aurelia could have sworn that the girl could see her.
Then Samantha gave a last tortured wail, shuddered and fell silent.
'NO!' roared her brother. The people around him were blasted back. 'You murdered her,' he said, a deadly whispered. 'I swear, you will PAY!'
He leapt forward into the flames and emerged with his sister's limp body in his arms.
'Seize him!' yelled the witch-hunter. The young man turned and ran, carrying his dead sister with him. The crowd continued the pursue him down the road.
Shocked by the entire scene, Aurelia took a step backwards. The world before her was tilting and rocking.the surroundings were swirling around her.
The spinning stopped after a few seconds. Shaking her dizzy head, she blinked and found herself in a clearing. At the edge, the young man - Samantha's brother - was huddled by a large rock. Aurelia approached cautiously, not sure if she was still as invisible as before.
The young man was weeping over his sister's dead body, which he had laid before him. The corpse was burnt and empty - Samantha's soul had left it. It was but an empty shell now. Aurelia watched sorrowfully as the young man laid his hand on the forehead, brushed his fingers over the hair a last time, then stare up at the heavens, as though trying to see his sister up there, as an angel.
After what seemed an eternity, he stood and turned away, towards Aurelia, leaving his sister's body. For the first time, Aurelia got a good look at his face.
Dark, hollow eyes with a small glint of red, a thin, sallow face, sharp nose, thin mouth. Aurelia gasped in shocked surprise.
It was Salazar Slytherin.
Chapter Thirteen
Christmas was a bleak affair. Aurelia awoke in the morning feeling chilly although she was buried under her covers. The cold was inside her, as well as an eerie, implacable feeling. Something had happened last night.she had had a nightmare.but strangely, this once she could not recall it. All that remained was a tingling feeling of power - traces of magic.
Well, dreams were magic, weren't they? Brushing her confused thoughts aside, Aurelia sat up and drew back the bed curtains. The other beds in the dormitory stared back at her, neatly made and devoid of their usual occupants.
Aurelia sighed and lay back down again, feeling hollow inside.
Missing Kière.
'No I am not!' She sat bolt upright again. Suddenly, she laughed at herself. Talking to herself - she must be going crazy. And she could do without Kière. She had other friends now - Ethel, for one. And she would spend Christmas happily with Ethel today! Aurelia got up and walked to the window. The world outside was dark and gloomy. Grey clouds hung overhead, but no snow had fallen as of yet. The very sky seemed to have a sinister look. Her resolve to be happy nearly crumpled there and then.
'You are one of Professor Ravenclaw's House. Be logical. The weather cannot affect you - not unless you let it,' she told herself firmly.
She got dressed and went down to the Great Hall. The other students were mostly there already, chattering as they ate.
'Good morning, Aurelia!' called Aleta Barnes cheerfully from the Gryffindor table. The little girl was sitting with Ethel, who looked up and immediately ran over to Aurelia.
'Finally yer awake! Come eat with us today.' She grabbed hold of Aurelia's arm and steered her towards the Gryffindor table. Her two fellow students in Professor Ravenclaw's House - Lyle and Conroy - were also there, grinning at her, as were the Arthrop twins.
'Will you spend the day with us?' asked Aderyn hopefully.
'I - of course,' said Aurelia, grateful for the welcome. It would not have been that fun sitting alone. She reached for her porridge. 'Thank you.'
'If you had not come down by now, we would have gone up into your dormitory,' declared Conroy. 'Even though t'is the girls'.' He blushed slightly as he said this, but looked so determined that no one teased, although all laughed.
'Excuse me - may we join you?'
The seven at the table looked up in surprise. Three girls of Professor Gryffindor's House - the only pure-blood students to be staying over at Hogwarts for the break - had moved up from their old positions.
'C-certainly,' stammered Arthfael, glancing around the group. All were smiling and nodding. The three sat, and Aurelia thought at first the day was going to be all right after all.
The professors finished before them, and headed out of the Great Hall, smiling indulgently at their students as they left. Aurelia diligently avoided looking at them; she still had no intention of talking things over with Professor Ravenclaw and did not wish to give an inadvertent sign that she did.
Professor Gryffindor stopped by at their table as he passed.
'Wonderful.nobody should be alone during Christmas,' he said. 'Happy Christmas, all of you. Do have a great day - no working, now, all Rowena's illustrious students.today is a day for celebration!' He chuckled and left them.
Aurelia's spirits sank - the image of Kière suddenly crossed her mind. Kière, alone on Christmas day.
'But he deserves it. He and his parents - they can have a miserable Christmas for all I care,' she told herself stubbornly.
There was no snow, so they could not have snowball fights, or build snowmen, or any of the other fun things a group of children can do in fluffy white snow. They had to make do with games in the Great Hall - the three pure-blood witches, Rosa, Torie and Griselle, were very interested in the Muggle games the others were introducing. Aurelia declined taking part, preferring to watch - which she did half-heartedly. The spirit of Christmas was certainly not there for her this year.
'I am going for a walk,' she said abruptly.
'Do ye want me ter go with ye?' Ethel looked up anxiously.
'No - t'is fine, you stay and continue the game.' She had to be alone.something was compelling her to be. She forced herself to smile at them before she left.
Absent-mindedly, she walked along the lake. The air felt lighter than usual. For some reason, it made Aurelia think of Samhain. How long ago that seemed. The threshold.
She was standing in the very spot. Was nature's magic strong today? She stood motionless, and stretched her hands out. She could feel it, the tingling feeling of strong magic. Yes - magic must be as strong on Christmas day. Only.it was a different kind of magic - there was a distinct difference in the quality. At Samhain, the magic had been thick and spread over a large area. Now it was intense, concentrated where she was. So close to her, it was almost a part of her.
She started to walk on, but her next step sent her plummeting down.
'The threshold,' she whispered, expecting to see the stones again. But not this time. She was in a village, she could tell by the houses about her. She had never seen the place before, but there was something about it that was familiar.
She realized what it was when she turned around.
A crowd, gathered around a crude set-up that could only be one thing - a stake.
Her breath caught sharply in her throat and she took a step back, looking around wildly. How could she have come here? She had to get back to Hogwarts somehow - the place reeked of danger. And hatred. And.death.
'A witch,' spat a harsh voice. Aurelia cringed, but no one was paying attention to her. All the villagers' eyes were fixed on a well-dressed man standing before the stake, his hand grasping that of a young girl's firmly. She looked to be about six, with long dark hair and wide blue eyes that looked remarkably like Aurelia's own.
'N-no!' gasped the girl. 'Let me go!'
'This girl has been tried and proven a witch,' growled the man. 'And the boy that calls himself her brother undoubtedly too. We do not have him now, but no matter - we shall deal with this one first.'
It was a witch-hunter. On a witch-hunt.
'Burn!' screeched a woman from the crowd. 'Burn the witch!'
The whole crowd was chanting now. Aurelia felt sick to the stomach.
'No! Please! Let me go!' the girl was pleading. She struggled harder against the man.
'Burn the witch! Burn the witch!'
They were tying her to the stake now.the flame was being readied in a corner. Aurelia could stand it no longer. She ran to the front, to the girl.but to her horror, she did not seem to be solid.
'Stop it!' she cried. 'Let her go!'
But no one heard her. It was as though she was invisible. What was happening?
The last rope had been tied. The girl was struggling madly now. The ropes suddenly broke free of their own accord. The crowd gasped.
'You see! Proof! A witch!' roared the witch-hunter. 'Do not let her escape!'
The girl had tried to bolt, but the villagers caught her immediately and dragged her back up to the stake.
'Tighter! She must not break free again!' ordered the witch-hunter. 'Hurry!'
She was weeping now. Aurelia watched, stricken and helpless, as the villagers brought the burning flame and touched it to a pile of straw at the girl's feet.
Then an inspiration - her wand! Even if she seemed to be no more than a ghost, maybe her magic would still work. At any rate, she had to try. She reached into her robes - but before she could draw out her wand, she heard a distinct male voice shout a spell.
'Eaus!'
A fountain of water dropped from the heavens to extinguish the fire. It hissed and went up in smoke, setting everyone coughing.
'No! Do not touch her!' A young man came running, brandishing his wand.
'Witch!' sneered the witch-hunter. 'This one has to be burnt too. Seize him! And that stick of his too!'
'Expelliarmus!' screamed the young man, sending the witch-hunter flying backwards. But the other villagers rushed forward and acted upon the witch- hunter's orders. His wand was wrestled away from him.
'Finish burning the girl now, and then we can do him,' snarled the witch- hunter, panting as he got up. 'Go on, now! Burn her!'
'Burn! Burn, witch!' The crowd was in a fevered frenzy now.
'No - Samantha!' The young man made a lung for the stake, to save his sister, but five burly men held him back. Without his wand, he was powerless.
Samantha - the little girl - was coughing now. They had lit the flame again and it was blazing fiercely.
'Eaus!' cried Aurelia, remembering the wand in her hand.
It was a terrible moment when she realized that she was powerless to work a spell in this time rift.
Samantha was crying louder and louder now, screaming as the flames consumed her. Her brother was struggling so hard that two more men had to be dispatched to restrain him. Someone had snapped his wand in half; the witch- hunter was burning the halves gleefully along with Samantha. The smug look of triumph on his face made Aurelia feel nauseous. She looked away.only to have her gaze fall on Samantha.
In that moment, the young girl looked straight back at Aurelia. Time seemed to stand still for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes. Aurelia could have sworn that the girl could see her.
Then Samantha gave a last tortured wail, shuddered and fell silent.
'NO!' roared her brother. The people around him were blasted back. 'You murdered her,' he said, a deadly whispered. 'I swear, you will PAY!'
He leapt forward into the flames and emerged with his sister's limp body in his arms.
'Seize him!' yelled the witch-hunter. The young man turned and ran, carrying his dead sister with him. The crowd continued the pursue him down the road.
Shocked by the entire scene, Aurelia took a step backwards. The world before her was tilting and rocking.the surroundings were swirling around her.
The spinning stopped after a few seconds. Shaking her dizzy head, she blinked and found herself in a clearing. At the edge, the young man - Samantha's brother - was huddled by a large rock. Aurelia approached cautiously, not sure if she was still as invisible as before.
The young man was weeping over his sister's dead body, which he had laid before him. The corpse was burnt and empty - Samantha's soul had left it. It was but an empty shell now. Aurelia watched sorrowfully as the young man laid his hand on the forehead, brushed his fingers over the hair a last time, then stare up at the heavens, as though trying to see his sister up there, as an angel.
After what seemed an eternity, he stood and turned away, towards Aurelia, leaving his sister's body. For the first time, Aurelia got a good look at his face.
Dark, hollow eyes with a small glint of red, a thin, sallow face, sharp nose, thin mouth. Aurelia gasped in shocked surprise.
It was Salazar Slytherin.