SHARING THE SUNLIGHT WITH THE FREE - THE DAWN
Chapter Fifteen
'Come.' He was calling her again. She started to rise, but this time, something held her back.
A girl was crying.
'Help him.please, help him.'
Samantha was sitting on a flat rock, weeping into her hands. Aurelia went up to her and she looked up with pleading eyes.
'Help him - you must help him!'
'Help who, Samantha? Who?'
'Do not let him do this! It is wrong.'
'Do what? Who?'
'Stop him. I will help you.' Samantha suddenly stopped her crying and spoke firmly.
'I cannot stop anyone or help anyone if I know not who it is! You must tell me!'
'Save our powers.I do not want him to yield it anymore.'
'What do you mean? Samantha.Samantha!'
The girl was fading away.
'Help him.'
'Samantha! Tell me what to do!'
'Aurelia! Wake up!'
Someone was shaking her roughly by the shoulders. Aurelia opened a bleary eye.
'Wake up, Aurelia, hurry!' It was Anna Grimsby.
'What is wrong?'
'The professors want us in the Great Hall right away. So hurry up.'
Mystified, Aurelia dressed at top speed. When she and Anna arrived at the Great Hall, most of the other students were already there, looking sleepy and confused, with the exception of the students at the Gryffindor table. Their expressions were worried and sad.
Something terrible must have happened, she thought, anxiously searching the Gryffindor table for Kière. Yes - he was there. Relief washed over her - then anger at herself. What did she care about Kière anyway? She continued to search the Gryffindor table - Ethel was there, crying openly. Shocked, Aurelia leapt to her feet and crossed the distance to the Gryffindor table in a few bounds.
'Ethel!'
Her friend was crying to hard to reply. Aurelia put a comforting arm around her.
'Ethel, what has happened? Please tell me!'
It was not Ethel who answered, but Kière.
'Aleta Barnes has been turned to stone.'
~
The following moments were a complete haze. After Kière's announcement, she dimly remembered falling back into a chair - she had closed her eyes for a few moments; when she opened them again, Kière and Ethel (who had stopped crying) were looking at her strangely. The professors had arrived too.
It was Professor Gryffindor who made the actual announcement - 'Aleta Barnes of my House has been found Petrified.' Confused murmuring broke out among the students, the word 'Petrified' not having much meaning to them.
'It means,' said Professor Gryffindor heavily, 'that she has been paralysed - turned to stone. Now, for everyone's own safety -'
His next words, however, were drowned out by the cries of panicking and hysterical students - a scene resembling that which had ensued after the announcement of Merlin's death. Worse, perhaps, as this was a danger still present in the school.
Amidst the noise, no one noticed as Aurelia, Kière and Ethel slipped out of the Great Hall. Or rather, Kière and Ethel marched Aurelia out into the hallway.
'What are you doing?' Aurelia shook herself free. Kière caught hold of her arms and held her firmly.
'We have ter talk ter ye - just now -' started Ethel.
'Let go of me, Kièran,' Aurelia said fiercely, ignoring her friend.
'Stop it Aurelia -'
'Stop what? Suddenly you need to talk to me? Am I not beneath you?'
'Aurelia I really do not know -'
'Stop it, both of ye,' cried Ethel, near tears. 'Will ye not argue? We must know about Aleta! Aurelia, tell us!'
'Tell you what?' Aurelia stared at Ethel uncomprehendingly.
'You were talking about Aleta just now,' said Kière.
'I was not! What are the two of you talking about?'
'Aurelia! Were you - were you seeing -'
'Of course I am seeing - I am seeing that both of you seem completely out of your minds! Can we go back and hear what the professors have to say?'
'I mean Seeing,' cried Kière. 'You know what I mean! I know you are a Seer, Aurelia.'
'And so what if I am, Kièran Banning? What is that to you?' she glared defiantly at him.
'I do not care about you,' said Kière curtly. 'But you talked about Aleta.'
'Yer voice was all strange,' said Ethel timidly. 'And yer eyes - they went dark! And ye said to help someone, stop someone, or Aleta would be the first!'
'I - I did?'
'Yes! What did ye mean?'
'I - I do not know! I really do not remember at all!'
Ethel looked at her, the disappointment avid in her eyes. Aurelia felt a wave of sorrow - she knew how close Ethel and Aleta had become, and wished she could help, but everything Kière and Ethel were telling her now was foreign to her. If she had indeed Seen something, she could not remember.
'I am sorry,' she whispered. Ethel was crying again. Aurelia reached out tentatively to the girl. 'I truly am.' She felt near tears herself. 'Why do I not remember so much now?'
Kière opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and looked away. For a fleeting second, his face seemed full of concern, but Aurelia thought she must have imagined it, because next thing she knew, his expression hardened.
'Well, since it was a false trail, I might as well go back and see how I can help Professor Gryffindor.' He turned and left Aurelia standing there with a weeping Ethel.
'Do not cry, please, something will be done.' she tried to soothe Ethel. But Ethel wrenched herself away.
'I was there,' she sobbed. 'We found her - Kière an' I.there was a voice.it hissed.an' - an' it said that I would be next!'
'What?' Another piece of surprising news.
'It did, it did! It said 'ye got lucky this time, ye have a pure-blood with ye.but ye shall be next, Mudblood'.it meant me.'
'Ethel, calm down.nothing will get you -'
'Ye said so too, ye said Aleta would be the first.'
'Ethel, you have to calm down! Please!' Not quite sure what to do, Aurelia did the only thing that made sense - brought Ethel back into the Great Hall. The other students were more or less calm now, and Professor Ravenclaw was talking. Heads turned as Aurelia led Ethel to the Gryffindor table and sat her down.
'- will be searching for the culprit, and doing all we can to ensure your safety. In the meantime, please be careful, and report any suspicious going- ons to one of us, or to your Head Boy or Girl.' Her eyes lingered over Aurelia, still trying to comfort Ethel, and Kière, in conference with Professor Gryffindor. Aurelia watched Kière and wondered - was he mentioning her supposed vision to Professor Gryffindor?
'You will stay in your common rooms for the rest of today,' ordered Professor Slytherin. 'There will be no heroics or sneaking out to see the Petrified girl in the hospital wing. The professors will be busy; if the same should happen to anyone, there will be no help. I trust no one has any desire to become a statue?'
Professor Hufflepuff sent him a reproachful look.
'Please be careful as you return,' she said in her gentle voice.
Aurelia returned to the Ravenclaw common room with a crowd of Ravenclaw students - Professor Hufflepuff had taken charge of Ethel, who was still in hysterics, and sent Aurelia to watch over her Housemates.
The seventeen or so Ravenclaw House pupils obediently returned to the common room. Most elected to disappear into their dormitories in groups, discussing the unexpected event worriedly. Aurelia left them to it; her duty was simply to ensure that they did not venture out of the common room. She headed over to the fireplace, ready to collapse into the large armchair before it - the only problem was, there was already someone there.
She was a tiny girl, pale and translucent and staring up at Aurelia with imploring eyes. Her hair was long, straight and dark - or at least, as dark as it could be, given her ghost-like appearance.
'S-Samantha?' said Aurelia weakly. What a day for shocks this was turning out to be.
'You must help,' said the ghostly Samantha. 'We must help.'
'I still do not understand,' frowned Aurelia. 'Who am I to help? And how?'
'Come,' said Samantha. She rose and held out her hand. 'I will explain.'
Aurelia was not certain how she could touch Samantha, but she reached out nonetheless. Samantha's hand was cool and smooth - and the moment she touched it, the common room dissolved.
They were in the open field with the flat rock. Samantha settled down on it and watched as Aurelia self-consciously on the grass.
'You will understand all now, Aurelia Bland, and when you do, we must go to help him.'
Aurelia opened her mouth to ask, yet again, who Samantha meant by 'him', but decided the better of it. No doubt the girl would tell her in her own time.
'My name is Samantha Slytherin. I - I died twenty years ago. I was six, and I was burnt for being a witch. My brother - Salazar.he saw me die. And so did you, Aurelia Bland. Although it was before your time.' She gave Aurelia a piercing look, and Aurelia remembered the awful burning she had witnessed. Samantha closed her eyes momentarily, then continued her tale.
'I was born into a wealthy pure-blood family with a grand house in the countryside. But there was an illness. No amount of potions could cure it. We, Salazar and I, the children - survived. There was no one to care for us then - our parents were from a country far away, and we had no one here. Salazar was only sixteen. He was brilliant - smart and ambitious, and he had great plans. But he had me to care for. So he settled us in a small Muggle village first, and he searched for work in the nearest Wizarding household.
'He was the most wonderful brother. I loved him.' Samantha sighed and closed her eyes again. 'But so did a girl - a Muggle girl who fell in love with his looks. She was jealous that he cared for no one but me. He would not have looked twice at her anyway; he had grown up with my parent's decree that Muggles were of no consequence. It was not that he hated them, nor did he believe them inferior; he was simply indifferent.
'The girl - she spied on him, on us. She was watching when I performed magic accidentally. She reported us. They tried me - Salazar had gone to work - and declared me guilty. I was burnt. Salazar came back and tried to free me, but failed. It was not his fault, but he blamed himself. And he blamed the Muggles.
'He has grown bitter now, and I fear his bitterness has transformed into hatred for all of Muggle-kind.'
Samantha opened her eyes again, and stared straight into Aurelia's.
'It has gone too far. My death was no more your fault or any other Muggle- born's fault than it was his. He cannot be allowed to continue with his plans - and I - you - must stop him.'
'Please -' Aurelia asked timidly, 'what plans are these?'
Samantha sighed yet again. 'Aleta Barnes was the first. He will not stop. I must go to him - but I cannot!' Her face looked agitated. 'You must go, or I cannot do a thing.'
'Me? But.why?'
'I chose you, Aurelia. When you were six years old, I saved you. I have been with you ever since. I am the Second Sight that makes you a Seer. Our powers are combined. And I can do nothing except through you.'
'If - if you have been with me since I was six.why did I not know? Why only now, have you appeared?'
'The time threshold; it awakened me. I was.resting, shall we say? And immediately after, something was blocking me, pushing me away. I suspect - am quite sure, actually - it was Salazar. It has not been easy to get to you, Aurelia. But now that I have.' Samantha let her sentence trail off expectantly. Aurelia's mind swam with the sudden load of new realizations, but Samantha's unspoken plea was clear.
'W-will you force me to go?' Her voice was trembling slightly. But she knew she was going to agree anyway, even if Samantha did not make her.
'No. But I beg you, Aurelia, stop my brother. Go and stop him. Please - I will be with you.'
Aurelia nodded, her throat tight with fear at the thought of what she was agreeing to.
'Thank you,' whispered Samantha, as their surroundings melted into the common room once more. 'We go now?'
'How? No one is to leave their common rooms.I am Head Girl, furthermore, how can I - oh!' Samantha was looking at her exasperatedly. 'All right, I know how. But.can the rest see you?'
'Only you, I believe. And Salazar will see me too, I will make sure of that.but that will be different. Later.'
Aurelia did not answer directly, but rose and strode over to the common room entrance.
'I must report to the Professors,' she offered as an explanation, hoping that no one would question this. Luckily, no one did; a few students glanced warily at the door, as though expecting a monster to burst through; others sent her looks that clearly said 'better you than me'. Mustering up her courage, Aurelia marched out of the common room.
Chapter Fifteen
'Come.' He was calling her again. She started to rise, but this time, something held her back.
A girl was crying.
'Help him.please, help him.'
Samantha was sitting on a flat rock, weeping into her hands. Aurelia went up to her and she looked up with pleading eyes.
'Help him - you must help him!'
'Help who, Samantha? Who?'
'Do not let him do this! It is wrong.'
'Do what? Who?'
'Stop him. I will help you.' Samantha suddenly stopped her crying and spoke firmly.
'I cannot stop anyone or help anyone if I know not who it is! You must tell me!'
'Save our powers.I do not want him to yield it anymore.'
'What do you mean? Samantha.Samantha!'
The girl was fading away.
'Help him.'
'Samantha! Tell me what to do!'
'Aurelia! Wake up!'
Someone was shaking her roughly by the shoulders. Aurelia opened a bleary eye.
'Wake up, Aurelia, hurry!' It was Anna Grimsby.
'What is wrong?'
'The professors want us in the Great Hall right away. So hurry up.'
Mystified, Aurelia dressed at top speed. When she and Anna arrived at the Great Hall, most of the other students were already there, looking sleepy and confused, with the exception of the students at the Gryffindor table. Their expressions were worried and sad.
Something terrible must have happened, she thought, anxiously searching the Gryffindor table for Kière. Yes - he was there. Relief washed over her - then anger at herself. What did she care about Kière anyway? She continued to search the Gryffindor table - Ethel was there, crying openly. Shocked, Aurelia leapt to her feet and crossed the distance to the Gryffindor table in a few bounds.
'Ethel!'
Her friend was crying to hard to reply. Aurelia put a comforting arm around her.
'Ethel, what has happened? Please tell me!'
It was not Ethel who answered, but Kière.
'Aleta Barnes has been turned to stone.'
~
The following moments were a complete haze. After Kière's announcement, she dimly remembered falling back into a chair - she had closed her eyes for a few moments; when she opened them again, Kière and Ethel (who had stopped crying) were looking at her strangely. The professors had arrived too.
It was Professor Gryffindor who made the actual announcement - 'Aleta Barnes of my House has been found Petrified.' Confused murmuring broke out among the students, the word 'Petrified' not having much meaning to them.
'It means,' said Professor Gryffindor heavily, 'that she has been paralysed - turned to stone. Now, for everyone's own safety -'
His next words, however, were drowned out by the cries of panicking and hysterical students - a scene resembling that which had ensued after the announcement of Merlin's death. Worse, perhaps, as this was a danger still present in the school.
Amidst the noise, no one noticed as Aurelia, Kière and Ethel slipped out of the Great Hall. Or rather, Kière and Ethel marched Aurelia out into the hallway.
'What are you doing?' Aurelia shook herself free. Kière caught hold of her arms and held her firmly.
'We have ter talk ter ye - just now -' started Ethel.
'Let go of me, Kièran,' Aurelia said fiercely, ignoring her friend.
'Stop it Aurelia -'
'Stop what? Suddenly you need to talk to me? Am I not beneath you?'
'Aurelia I really do not know -'
'Stop it, both of ye,' cried Ethel, near tears. 'Will ye not argue? We must know about Aleta! Aurelia, tell us!'
'Tell you what?' Aurelia stared at Ethel uncomprehendingly.
'You were talking about Aleta just now,' said Kière.
'I was not! What are the two of you talking about?'
'Aurelia! Were you - were you seeing -'
'Of course I am seeing - I am seeing that both of you seem completely out of your minds! Can we go back and hear what the professors have to say?'
'I mean Seeing,' cried Kière. 'You know what I mean! I know you are a Seer, Aurelia.'
'And so what if I am, Kièran Banning? What is that to you?' she glared defiantly at him.
'I do not care about you,' said Kière curtly. 'But you talked about Aleta.'
'Yer voice was all strange,' said Ethel timidly. 'And yer eyes - they went dark! And ye said to help someone, stop someone, or Aleta would be the first!'
'I - I did?'
'Yes! What did ye mean?'
'I - I do not know! I really do not remember at all!'
Ethel looked at her, the disappointment avid in her eyes. Aurelia felt a wave of sorrow - she knew how close Ethel and Aleta had become, and wished she could help, but everything Kière and Ethel were telling her now was foreign to her. If she had indeed Seen something, she could not remember.
'I am sorry,' she whispered. Ethel was crying again. Aurelia reached out tentatively to the girl. 'I truly am.' She felt near tears herself. 'Why do I not remember so much now?'
Kière opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and looked away. For a fleeting second, his face seemed full of concern, but Aurelia thought she must have imagined it, because next thing she knew, his expression hardened.
'Well, since it was a false trail, I might as well go back and see how I can help Professor Gryffindor.' He turned and left Aurelia standing there with a weeping Ethel.
'Do not cry, please, something will be done.' she tried to soothe Ethel. But Ethel wrenched herself away.
'I was there,' she sobbed. 'We found her - Kière an' I.there was a voice.it hissed.an' - an' it said that I would be next!'
'What?' Another piece of surprising news.
'It did, it did! It said 'ye got lucky this time, ye have a pure-blood with ye.but ye shall be next, Mudblood'.it meant me.'
'Ethel, calm down.nothing will get you -'
'Ye said so too, ye said Aleta would be the first.'
'Ethel, you have to calm down! Please!' Not quite sure what to do, Aurelia did the only thing that made sense - brought Ethel back into the Great Hall. The other students were more or less calm now, and Professor Ravenclaw was talking. Heads turned as Aurelia led Ethel to the Gryffindor table and sat her down.
'- will be searching for the culprit, and doing all we can to ensure your safety. In the meantime, please be careful, and report any suspicious going- ons to one of us, or to your Head Boy or Girl.' Her eyes lingered over Aurelia, still trying to comfort Ethel, and Kière, in conference with Professor Gryffindor. Aurelia watched Kière and wondered - was he mentioning her supposed vision to Professor Gryffindor?
'You will stay in your common rooms for the rest of today,' ordered Professor Slytherin. 'There will be no heroics or sneaking out to see the Petrified girl in the hospital wing. The professors will be busy; if the same should happen to anyone, there will be no help. I trust no one has any desire to become a statue?'
Professor Hufflepuff sent him a reproachful look.
'Please be careful as you return,' she said in her gentle voice.
Aurelia returned to the Ravenclaw common room with a crowd of Ravenclaw students - Professor Hufflepuff had taken charge of Ethel, who was still in hysterics, and sent Aurelia to watch over her Housemates.
The seventeen or so Ravenclaw House pupils obediently returned to the common room. Most elected to disappear into their dormitories in groups, discussing the unexpected event worriedly. Aurelia left them to it; her duty was simply to ensure that they did not venture out of the common room. She headed over to the fireplace, ready to collapse into the large armchair before it - the only problem was, there was already someone there.
She was a tiny girl, pale and translucent and staring up at Aurelia with imploring eyes. Her hair was long, straight and dark - or at least, as dark as it could be, given her ghost-like appearance.
'S-Samantha?' said Aurelia weakly. What a day for shocks this was turning out to be.
'You must help,' said the ghostly Samantha. 'We must help.'
'I still do not understand,' frowned Aurelia. 'Who am I to help? And how?'
'Come,' said Samantha. She rose and held out her hand. 'I will explain.'
Aurelia was not certain how she could touch Samantha, but she reached out nonetheless. Samantha's hand was cool and smooth - and the moment she touched it, the common room dissolved.
They were in the open field with the flat rock. Samantha settled down on it and watched as Aurelia self-consciously on the grass.
'You will understand all now, Aurelia Bland, and when you do, we must go to help him.'
Aurelia opened her mouth to ask, yet again, who Samantha meant by 'him', but decided the better of it. No doubt the girl would tell her in her own time.
'My name is Samantha Slytherin. I - I died twenty years ago. I was six, and I was burnt for being a witch. My brother - Salazar.he saw me die. And so did you, Aurelia Bland. Although it was before your time.' She gave Aurelia a piercing look, and Aurelia remembered the awful burning she had witnessed. Samantha closed her eyes momentarily, then continued her tale.
'I was born into a wealthy pure-blood family with a grand house in the countryside. But there was an illness. No amount of potions could cure it. We, Salazar and I, the children - survived. There was no one to care for us then - our parents were from a country far away, and we had no one here. Salazar was only sixteen. He was brilliant - smart and ambitious, and he had great plans. But he had me to care for. So he settled us in a small Muggle village first, and he searched for work in the nearest Wizarding household.
'He was the most wonderful brother. I loved him.' Samantha sighed and closed her eyes again. 'But so did a girl - a Muggle girl who fell in love with his looks. She was jealous that he cared for no one but me. He would not have looked twice at her anyway; he had grown up with my parent's decree that Muggles were of no consequence. It was not that he hated them, nor did he believe them inferior; he was simply indifferent.
'The girl - she spied on him, on us. She was watching when I performed magic accidentally. She reported us. They tried me - Salazar had gone to work - and declared me guilty. I was burnt. Salazar came back and tried to free me, but failed. It was not his fault, but he blamed himself. And he blamed the Muggles.
'He has grown bitter now, and I fear his bitterness has transformed into hatred for all of Muggle-kind.'
Samantha opened her eyes again, and stared straight into Aurelia's.
'It has gone too far. My death was no more your fault or any other Muggle- born's fault than it was his. He cannot be allowed to continue with his plans - and I - you - must stop him.'
'Please -' Aurelia asked timidly, 'what plans are these?'
Samantha sighed yet again. 'Aleta Barnes was the first. He will not stop. I must go to him - but I cannot!' Her face looked agitated. 'You must go, or I cannot do a thing.'
'Me? But.why?'
'I chose you, Aurelia. When you were six years old, I saved you. I have been with you ever since. I am the Second Sight that makes you a Seer. Our powers are combined. And I can do nothing except through you.'
'If - if you have been with me since I was six.why did I not know? Why only now, have you appeared?'
'The time threshold; it awakened me. I was.resting, shall we say? And immediately after, something was blocking me, pushing me away. I suspect - am quite sure, actually - it was Salazar. It has not been easy to get to you, Aurelia. But now that I have.' Samantha let her sentence trail off expectantly. Aurelia's mind swam with the sudden load of new realizations, but Samantha's unspoken plea was clear.
'W-will you force me to go?' Her voice was trembling slightly. But she knew she was going to agree anyway, even if Samantha did not make her.
'No. But I beg you, Aurelia, stop my brother. Go and stop him. Please - I will be with you.'
Aurelia nodded, her throat tight with fear at the thought of what she was agreeing to.
'Thank you,' whispered Samantha, as their surroundings melted into the common room once more. 'We go now?'
'How? No one is to leave their common rooms.I am Head Girl, furthermore, how can I - oh!' Samantha was looking at her exasperatedly. 'All right, I know how. But.can the rest see you?'
'Only you, I believe. And Salazar will see me too, I will make sure of that.but that will be different. Later.'
Aurelia did not answer directly, but rose and strode over to the common room entrance.
'I must report to the Professors,' she offered as an explanation, hoping that no one would question this. Luckily, no one did; a few students glanced warily at the door, as though expecting a monster to burst through; others sent her looks that clearly said 'better you than me'. Mustering up her courage, Aurelia marched out of the common room.