Prologue
Harry Potter found himself in the same situation as he had been for the last eight months or so: lying awake in his four-poster, staring upwards into space, his mind blank. Since his godfather's death, he had somewhat moved on. The Second War was still underway, Voldemort keeping a low profile while the dementors and any free Death Eaters did his work, and the Order was busy keeping up with the Dark Lord. Harry and his friends had found themselves running odd errands for those in the Order over the summer holidays. It had been useful in helping him get his mind off Sirius, yet now that he was back at school there were far too many things that reminded him of his late godfather that was no longer an option. Even his schoolwork could not distract him as often as he wished, prodding the nervous bundle in his stomach to churn so much that sleep never found him when he wanted it.
Harry sighed, sitting up. There was no way he could get to sleep now, it would take hours before he even felt the slightest bit sleepy. Quietly, he put on his invisibility cloak and crept out of the dorm. He made his way to the owlery to see Hedwig, thinking he would either stay there or visit the Astronomy Tower in hopes that the long way to walk would aid in bringing sleep sooner. When he reached the owlery, he scanned the near- empty perches for Hedwig. She was not there.
"Out hunting," he said to himself. He shrugged, turning around and walking out. He was halfway to the Astronomy Tower when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He turned but saw nothing. Nevertheless, he was certain that someone had been behind him. Walking on, it happened several more times. Still he saw nothing.
Harry reached the Tower, shrugging off his cloak and climbing onto the ledge. He had just seated himself down when a timid sound came from behind him. He spun around, not wanting to miss who or what it was this time. He nearly fell off the ledge.
Standing behind him, Hedwig perched on her shoulder, was a girl no older than Harry wearing a formless black robe that shimmered green in the pale moonlight. Her breath fogged in front of her, blocking a direct view of her face yet her eyes seemed to glint from within the confines of her hood.
She jumped when he turned to see her, hands flying to cover her face as she lowered her head. "S-sorry!" she said in a soft voice. She turned around, sprinting toward the stairs.
"Wait!" Harry found himself calling after her. He did not know why he did so. It might have been the fact that Hedwig was with her and acting as if the owl knew her, or that there was a symbol of woven vines surrounding a strange rune on the back of her cloak that caught his eye, or that her reaction caught him off guard like that.
She stopped, one hand grasping the edge of the door cut into the stone, and slowly turned back towards him. "Wh-why?" she said, her voice shaking.
Harry hesitated, then said, "I...I just don't want to be alone. Please, stay."
The girl raised her head slightly, still angling it so that Harry could not see her face clearly. "Why would you want to be with me?" she said slowly. "You came up here in the middle of the night--when everyone else in the castle should be asleep--and you knew that no one would be up here. It's obvious that you want to be alone."
Harry blinked, momentarily surprised, then said, "I don't know....it's not something I can explain. But please stay a while."
The girl turned fully around, one hand clutching her cloak closed, and stared at him from under her thick hood. "You don't even know me," she whispered, panic underlying her voice.
Harry's eyes flicked over to Hedwig, who was preening herself contentedly on the girl's shoulder. "Hedwig seems to like you, so I know you're a good person," he said with a smile.
The girl raised her head, her mouth visible now; she was smiling slightly. "She's a good owl," the girl said, brushing the back of her hand against Hedwig. Even in the pale light Harry noticed the sharp contrast being his owl's snow white feathers and the girl's tanned skin. "You treat her well. She speaks highly of you." She stopped as if she had said something wrong.
"What's the matter?" Harry said.
The girl's hood moved to the side; she was cocking her head. "Didn't-- didn't you find that odd?" she said at length.
"Find what odd?"
"I said that your owl 'speaks.'"
Harry rubbed his neck self-consciously. "I know what it's like to hear things other can't," he said. "So no, I don't find it that odd."
The girl broke into giggles. "You're just like they said you were!" she gasped after a while. "So charming and easy to talk to!"
"Who said that?" Harry said in mock shock.
"All the professors do," the girl said, a few last giggles escaping her. She crossed her arms behind her back, walking slowly towards him. "McGonagall says you're the spitting image of your father, and I can see that. Flitwick raves on and on about how you're so easy to have a conversation with. It seems almost all of them like you, even Professor Dumbledore."
"What year are you in?" Harry asked, shifting so he could look at her better. It seemed that she knew a lot about him yet he knew so little about her. Was she in any of his classes? He couldn't remember.
"My sixth, technically," she said hurriedly. "But I'm not allowed near any of the other students so they've been--" She stopped, becoming very still.
"Been what?" Harry said, wondering why she was acting so afraid.
"I shouldn't be here!" she said, her voice shaking as she backed away from him, jarring Hedwig so roughly the owl flew off her shoulder, landing on a nearby ledge and hooting irritably. "I shouldn't! You'll get in trouble because of me!"
Harry was ready when she started to run to the door again. He jumped off the ledge, reached out, and grabbed her by the arm. "What is so wrong about you and I talking to each other?" he demanded, briefly wondering why this girl got to him so.
"I shouldn't be here!" the girl said again, voice growing in volume and fear. "I shouldn't be here! You'll be expelled with they find us!"
"What is so wrong about being in the Astronomy Tower at night?" Harry said. Though he had to admit that two sixth years, alone, on top of the Astronomy Tower at night did not look very....pure, so to say, why was she acting this way?
"Because I'm a freak!" the girl yelled, ripping her arm away from him. "I'm a freak of nature! That's why they've kept me away! They don't want me around other students! I've seen what I look like! I know I'm a freak!" As she shouted, she gestured wildly in her obvious worry and frustration. At last she threw her hands up, her arms knocking her hood off and revealing her face to Harry.
Time seemed to still for them both, the girl in shock at what she had done and Harry stunned at what he saw. They did not speak--they hardly breathed. Then, as the clouds passed over the moon, the silence was broken.
"What are you talking about? You're beautiful."
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Harry Potter found himself in the same situation as he had been for the last eight months or so: lying awake in his four-poster, staring upwards into space, his mind blank. Since his godfather's death, he had somewhat moved on. The Second War was still underway, Voldemort keeping a low profile while the dementors and any free Death Eaters did his work, and the Order was busy keeping up with the Dark Lord. Harry and his friends had found themselves running odd errands for those in the Order over the summer holidays. It had been useful in helping him get his mind off Sirius, yet now that he was back at school there were far too many things that reminded him of his late godfather that was no longer an option. Even his schoolwork could not distract him as often as he wished, prodding the nervous bundle in his stomach to churn so much that sleep never found him when he wanted it.
Harry sighed, sitting up. There was no way he could get to sleep now, it would take hours before he even felt the slightest bit sleepy. Quietly, he put on his invisibility cloak and crept out of the dorm. He made his way to the owlery to see Hedwig, thinking he would either stay there or visit the Astronomy Tower in hopes that the long way to walk would aid in bringing sleep sooner. When he reached the owlery, he scanned the near- empty perches for Hedwig. She was not there.
"Out hunting," he said to himself. He shrugged, turning around and walking out. He was halfway to the Astronomy Tower when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He turned but saw nothing. Nevertheless, he was certain that someone had been behind him. Walking on, it happened several more times. Still he saw nothing.
Harry reached the Tower, shrugging off his cloak and climbing onto the ledge. He had just seated himself down when a timid sound came from behind him. He spun around, not wanting to miss who or what it was this time. He nearly fell off the ledge.
Standing behind him, Hedwig perched on her shoulder, was a girl no older than Harry wearing a formless black robe that shimmered green in the pale moonlight. Her breath fogged in front of her, blocking a direct view of her face yet her eyes seemed to glint from within the confines of her hood.
She jumped when he turned to see her, hands flying to cover her face as she lowered her head. "S-sorry!" she said in a soft voice. She turned around, sprinting toward the stairs.
"Wait!" Harry found himself calling after her. He did not know why he did so. It might have been the fact that Hedwig was with her and acting as if the owl knew her, or that there was a symbol of woven vines surrounding a strange rune on the back of her cloak that caught his eye, or that her reaction caught him off guard like that.
She stopped, one hand grasping the edge of the door cut into the stone, and slowly turned back towards him. "Wh-why?" she said, her voice shaking.
Harry hesitated, then said, "I...I just don't want to be alone. Please, stay."
The girl raised her head slightly, still angling it so that Harry could not see her face clearly. "Why would you want to be with me?" she said slowly. "You came up here in the middle of the night--when everyone else in the castle should be asleep--and you knew that no one would be up here. It's obvious that you want to be alone."
Harry blinked, momentarily surprised, then said, "I don't know....it's not something I can explain. But please stay a while."
The girl turned fully around, one hand clutching her cloak closed, and stared at him from under her thick hood. "You don't even know me," she whispered, panic underlying her voice.
Harry's eyes flicked over to Hedwig, who was preening herself contentedly on the girl's shoulder. "Hedwig seems to like you, so I know you're a good person," he said with a smile.
The girl raised her head, her mouth visible now; she was smiling slightly. "She's a good owl," the girl said, brushing the back of her hand against Hedwig. Even in the pale light Harry noticed the sharp contrast being his owl's snow white feathers and the girl's tanned skin. "You treat her well. She speaks highly of you." She stopped as if she had said something wrong.
"What's the matter?" Harry said.
The girl's hood moved to the side; she was cocking her head. "Didn't-- didn't you find that odd?" she said at length.
"Find what odd?"
"I said that your owl 'speaks.'"
Harry rubbed his neck self-consciously. "I know what it's like to hear things other can't," he said. "So no, I don't find it that odd."
The girl broke into giggles. "You're just like they said you were!" she gasped after a while. "So charming and easy to talk to!"
"Who said that?" Harry said in mock shock.
"All the professors do," the girl said, a few last giggles escaping her. She crossed her arms behind her back, walking slowly towards him. "McGonagall says you're the spitting image of your father, and I can see that. Flitwick raves on and on about how you're so easy to have a conversation with. It seems almost all of them like you, even Professor Dumbledore."
"What year are you in?" Harry asked, shifting so he could look at her better. It seemed that she knew a lot about him yet he knew so little about her. Was she in any of his classes? He couldn't remember.
"My sixth, technically," she said hurriedly. "But I'm not allowed near any of the other students so they've been--" She stopped, becoming very still.
"Been what?" Harry said, wondering why she was acting so afraid.
"I shouldn't be here!" she said, her voice shaking as she backed away from him, jarring Hedwig so roughly the owl flew off her shoulder, landing on a nearby ledge and hooting irritably. "I shouldn't! You'll get in trouble because of me!"
Harry was ready when she started to run to the door again. He jumped off the ledge, reached out, and grabbed her by the arm. "What is so wrong about you and I talking to each other?" he demanded, briefly wondering why this girl got to him so.
"I shouldn't be here!" the girl said again, voice growing in volume and fear. "I shouldn't be here! You'll be expelled with they find us!"
"What is so wrong about being in the Astronomy Tower at night?" Harry said. Though he had to admit that two sixth years, alone, on top of the Astronomy Tower at night did not look very....pure, so to say, why was she acting this way?
"Because I'm a freak!" the girl yelled, ripping her arm away from him. "I'm a freak of nature! That's why they've kept me away! They don't want me around other students! I've seen what I look like! I know I'm a freak!" As she shouted, she gestured wildly in her obvious worry and frustration. At last she threw her hands up, her arms knocking her hood off and revealing her face to Harry.
Time seemed to still for them both, the girl in shock at what she had done and Harry stunned at what he saw. They did not speak--they hardly breathed. Then, as the clouds passed over the moon, the silence was broken.
"What are you talking about? You're beautiful."
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