The First Revelation
Soon Madam Pomfrey was back with Professor Dumbledore right behind her. Remus followed in as well. The two young men shot angry glares at each other, without uttering a single word. Remus just took in Severus' naked torso with obvious disdain. Severus just raised his eyebrow and silently dared Remus to make a comment.
"What's going on, prey tell, Severus? I'm afraid Poppy was too much out of breath to tell me." "Of course. Miss..."
Dumbledore looked at Snape just over the brim of his spectacles. Snape cleared his throat.
"Professor Heartilly has a severe case of potion-poisoning. Two potions have been administered to her with two opposite effects. One of them being the Dreamless Sleep potion."
Dumbledore started to feel a bit nervous. Certainly Severus couldn't be implying that... but Snape's next worst distroyed his faint hope.
"... and the other one being Evoke. And I wasn't the one who gave it to her, nor was I the one who supplied someone else with that potion. In fact, it has been several years since I last made it."
"Well, you are quite eager to prove your innocence. Maybe you're not so innocent at all," sneered Remus.
"And what, exactly, might you be implying with that, Lupin?" asked Snape with a deadly voice.
"I'm just saying you are a bit too eager to me to convince the headmaster of your innocence. If not from you, where else did that potion come from?"
"How should I know? For all I care you were the one who gave it to her, or maybe she got Evoke herself. Heaven knows you've both been searching the library for some unknown, dark reason. Maybe you used Evoke to jog her memory for some reason related to whatever it is you are searching for."
Dumbledore was startled at the accuracy of those words. He would have to keep a fine balance here.
"Come come, children. There's no need to argue. I'm sure that Severus already has the solution for our problem at hand." Dumbledore's voice sounded hopeful.
"Actually, I just mentioned to Poppy that with your permission, I'd like to use a Cleansing potion." His voice sounded hesitant and Dumbledore wondered why.
"A Cleansing potion? A potion that will neutralise both the other potions?"
"Simply put that way... yes. But we have to act quickly, the longer we wait, the more dangerous it gets."
"The more... dangerous? Isn't there another solution, another potion that's not dangerous?"
At this moment, he couldn't help himself, Snape felt a bit of disdain towards the older wizard. He knew very well that he shouldn't blame Dumbledore for not knowing, after all, this was highly advanced potions talk, but the fact that Dumbledore showed this much lack of knowledge in the field of potions, made Snape feel a bit superior... and a little annoyed.
"No, headmaster. There is not. It's going to be critical enough as it is. The Dreamleass Sleep potion and Evoke are each others antipodes. The first represses dreams and memories, the latter evokes them. The ingredients in both potions are very strong and are continuously batteling each other, building up an immense pressure in her brain, until the point the pressure gets too high, and..."
"Than you should give her the Cleansing potion right away!" insisted Remus.
"It's not that simple, Lupin. Poppy, why don't you explain, maybe he'll take it from you." said Snape, his voice broken and weary. Madam Pomfrey sighed deeply.
"You can't relieve all the pressure at once, you might cause severe braindamage that way. It has to be administered in certain doses, so the pressure is released slowly and evenly. All in all, it might take a few weeks until she is completely recovered, if the procedure succeeds that is."
Dumbledore paled visible and staggered slightly. Madam Pomfrey shot forward to support him.
"A few weeks? By Merlin, we don't have that long," whispered Dumbledore.
Snape shot a quizzical look at Remus, but he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Are you sure?" Is there no other way?
It almost sounded like a plea. "I'm afraid not, Professor Dumbledore."
"Than I suggest you hurry up and start the treatment. This instant! We already lost too much time!"
Dumbledore left them alone with those words. Madam Pomfrey eyed Snape nervously and wrenched her hands.
"Severus, I... I don't have... I mean, it's been years ago since..."
"Don't worry, Poppy. If I'm not mistaken there should be some in my private supply. What's left is for you, in case you should need it again," said Snape softly.
"Thank you, Severus," said Madam Pomfrey relieved, not only because Snape had the potion, but also because he didn't scold her for not having it.
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In the meantime, Lierin was completely oblivious to what happened at her bedside. Oblivious to the comforting hand of her brother, soothing her face. Oblivious to the care of Madam Pomfrey and oblivious to Snape gently administrating the first doses of the Cleansing Potion. It did help, it did sooth her. Now that the sharp edges of the Dreamless Sleep potion and Evoke were gone, Lierin was yet again engrossed in a very vivid dream but without the horrifying images.
A soft gentle breeze was playing with her hair while she watched huge foreboding clouds draw neerer, with eerie purple and green swirls of myst through them. She knew what they were and she wasn't afraid. They were the Clouds of Time. She vaguely remembered that there was something important about them. At least she remembered writing something down about them. The Clouds of Time. The only means of time travelling, allowing you to relive a certain period but without effecting the outside world, unless you fullfill the reason why the clouds were summoned at the first place. Theoratically speaking because according to her the clouds were never summoned before. Still she recognised the clouds as just that. But wasn't this her dream? Her vision? Allowing her to make them look whatever she wanted them to look like?
Looking down she realised she was standing atop one of the turrets of a castle. Hogwarts. It wasn't old current day Hogwarts, but the very first one. The grounds of the newly founded school stretched out in front of her for as far as her eyes could see. Students were playing outside, checking the surroundings far below. A soft smile played around her lips and she breathed in the fresh air of an agreeable summer afternoon. She closed her eyes to relish the vaguely familiar feeling of pride, enthusiasm and anticipation and when she opened them again to look at the horizon, the clouds were gone. She looked down at her golden robes and her white, silver- rimmed tunic. They looked very chique on her and gave her the look of someone important. She clasped her hands together behind her back and turned around to finish her rounds.
As she made her way down the several flights of stairs, she first encounterd a long thin man, with long jet-black hair. He wore a sour expression on his face, which softened somewhat when he got her in his sight. He winked at her as he strolled by and a huge grin appeared on Lierin's face as she turned around to watch him ascend the stairs. His emerald green robes flowed behind him and a large candle in the staircase illuminated a beautiful embroidered silver snake on his back.
On her way through the brightly-lit hallways, she soon neared two women walking in the same direction as her at a leisurly pase. They were talking animatedly with each other. One woman was a short chubby looking witch with shoulder length brown hair, wearing a yellow gown with an embroidered silver badger on her back. The other woman was taller and leaner, with gorgeous straw-blonde manes, wearing a marine silver-rimmed gown with an embroidered silver raven on her back. Lierin greeted them politely and they brightly greeted back before they resumed their conversation.
It was a long trip through the huge castle before she finally reached the outdoors. She walked through the gardens surrounding the school, and once and again a student greeted her with respect. Finally she reached her destination. A peaceful spot near a large crystal blue lake. She sat down on a sweet looking bench and pulled her knees up. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder but it didn't startle her. She turned around and smiled to a handsome young wizard dressed in bright orange robes.
"Don't be late for our meeting," said the handsome wizard before he turned around, reveiling a large silver lion on his back. Lierin smiled and rested her head on her knees, silently watching the serenity of the lake. On her back too was a large silver embroidery. That of a large shining sun and a moon, merged into one magnificent design.
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It was night, the time that students were supposed to be in bed. Keyword; supposed. Though no one was to be seen, the soft pitter-patter of feet could clearly be heard through the isolate hallways. Someone was sneeking around using an invisibility cloak. Clearly, someone was afraid of being detected. In pursuit of the two small house-elves wandering through the hallways maybe? A door opened and slyly the creatures slid in and so did the imposter under the invisibility cloak. The two house-elves closed the door and quietly weant to work, and the imposter watched them from a short distance, carefully making sure not to get caught. The elves cleaned the entire room and finally they started to tidy up the large wooden desk.
"Oh, it's a real shame it is, Purgy," said the smallest of elves.
"What is, Yawnie?" asked the other one gently.
"Look, a small poem, but half of it is missing."
"Then it rubbish it is, you can throw that away."
The imposter listened with interest and felt sorry for the small elf whose ears drooped a little. Quietly she threw the scrap of paper away and started to sort out the large stack of papers on the corner of the desk. Suddenly her ears straightend again.
"Look, Purgy, it's the other half of the poem it is. Yawnie is sure about it."
Purgy cast an uninterested glance at the other small scrap of paper and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll will fix it for the Professor. Professor Heartilly will be very pleased if she sees it's fixed again."
"The poem wasn't torn apart for no reason, Yawnie. You should throw it away."
"If it was so it was torn for a reason, than it would have been thrown away for the same reason. Yawnie will fix it anyway."
Purgy sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"Fine, you fix it then. Now hurry, there's still a lot to do there is, in the castle."
Yawnie wriggled her nose with glee and snapped her fingers. The first scrap of paper dissapeared from the trashbin and appeared next to the other. The large rip between them dissappeared and suddenly Yawnie was holding a neatly written poem in her hands. Carefully she laid it atop of the stack with other papers and parchments and quietly she left the room with Purgy.
The imposter removed the cloak and suddenly Hermione Granger appeared in the middle of Professor Heartilly's study, releasing the breath she'd been holding. Carefully Hermione left a notebook on the desk. She had been meaning to give it to the Professor in person, but she had already been a week in the Hospital Wing. She could have given it to Professor Lupin of course, or Professor Dumbledore, but she was afraid they would notice she had been reading in it, while it was none of her business. Still, the questions remained in her mind. Why was Professor Heartilly jotting down notes about time-travelling? Why had she accentuated the part about the Clouds of time? What were they anyway? Why had she largely put the words: Grim, Beast, Sun and Moon and Severe soul in the notes? And why were there question marks behind those words?
Without intending to, her eyes fell on the poem on top of the papers. Curiously and with trembling fingers, Hermione picked it up and read the poem.
When the Beast is released from blame When the Grim is freed from shame When Sun and Moon are merged in one When she and the severe soul come together This shall be your token The power of the other shall be broken
Understanding dawned in her mind. Still, she wanted to make sure she was right. Not that she had a clue about what was going on, but she did know where to find a prophecy that used the same key words as in the poem. Maybe Rowena Ravenclaw's diary could tell her more. Quietly she slipped out of the study and dissappeared right back under the cover of the invisibility cloak.
Five people were seated behind a large dark oak diamondshaped table, in what seemed to be a large throneroom. Five different coloured drapes flowed down behind each person, each embroidered with a magnificent looking animal, except for a drape embroidered with a large sun-moon design.
Each person was wearing a robe uniform to the drape behind him or her. At the head of the table sat a handsome young wizard with golden-brown manes cascading down his broad shoulders, dressed in his bright orange robes, looking very serious and solemn at a piece of parchment in front of him. There was a woman seated to either side of him; the woman on the left wearing dark blue robes and the woman to his right wearing canary yellow robes. Both of them were very stern and dertemined looking, and both stared at some imaginitive point right in front of them. Sitting at the right hand of the woman in yellow, sat a man in forest green robes; his face was rested in his hands and an unholy dark stare in his beetle-black eyes betrayed his annoyance. To his right sat Lierin, feeling very nervous and deliberately avoiding the annoyed glances that the other two women shot at her every once and again. The atmosphere in the room wasn't a friendly one. A storm was brewing. After tonight, nothing would ever be the same again.
"I think that we have reached an impasse here. All decisions should be taken unanimous and until this evening, we have always succeeded in that field. We have faced and countered many differences, always able to somehow find a golden solution. But, if all parties remain with their belief..."
"We do!" said three people in union. All agreed, save one.
"Lierin, you must give us your opinion, right now."
"Goderic, I..." Lierin sighed, "You ask me to take a side in a war, because this is not just a common disagreement anymore. If I take a side, I lose one or even more friends, esteemed colleagues."
"Don't forget your sworn duty, Lierin. We all agreed that when it might come to this choice, school or friend, school comes first. That is were your duty lies and your responsibility. Now, where do you stand in this matter?"
"I... can understand Salazar's point of view. We are not just any school for witchcraft and wizardry. We train the elite, the crème de la crème, the bees knees, to create a powerful army against the Dark Lord. The magic that runs through the veins of pureblooded students is usually stronger than that of none-pureblooded students. Salazar is merely afraid of weaker students due to a weak bloodline..."
Goderic Gryffindor crossed his arms and a defensife look appeared in his eyes. The other two witches, none other than Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, shot angry glares in the direction of Lierin. Salazar seemed very pleased with the turn of events and placed his bony fingers together.
Lierin hesitated before she continued. "However..."
Salazar furrowed his eyebrows and Goderic, Rowena and Helga held their breaths in anticipation.
"... I can't deny that some of our none-pureblooded students show an extremely high talent in the crafts of magic and they shouldn't be denied the chance to study here at Hogwarts. There are still far more pureblooded families than there are none-pureblooded families and I think that the weakening in the magic flow is a worry for the future. So, the way I feel in this matter..."
Here Lierin closed her eyes and sighed deeply, for she knew she was about to lose an appreciated friend.
"... is that, though we should never underestimate the dangers of weakening bloodlines, we should not deny talented none-pureblooded students the chance to study at Hogwarts."
Goderic, Rowena and Helga sighed in relief. Lierin was with them, thank heavens. Hopefully this would aid them in pursuading Salazar. Last mentioned person remained still in his seat. He too had hoped for Lierin's support. Them being close friends and young Snape's, Lierin's boyfriend, open admiration for him, had only convinced him in the matter that she would choose his side. Together they would have succeeded in convincing the others of the importance of only teaching the pure of blood. But now... now that she had turned against him... Well, he couldn't blame her of course, he certainly didn't hold it against her, she just wasn't made of the right material to fight headstrong Goderic, determined Rowena and plain stubborn Helga. Well, he knew what he had to do. He only had one option and it sure as hell wasn't giving up.
"Well, I suppose you all want to make this unanimous?"
"Salazar..." Goderic said apologetic.
"Do not interrupt me!" Salazar spat, "You want to make this unanimous, I will make that very easy for you. I'm leaving. Tonight." With those words Salazar got up and stalked out of the room.
"Salazar!" Goderic cried in dismay, for he too was losing a dear friend. Or at least they used to be friends before this... this... idiotic dispute.
"Goderic!" Rowena called Goderic back in line, who was half way up from his seat, and put her hand on his shoulder to force him back down.
"Leave him, Goderic, he's made up his mind, there's nothing you can do!"
"But we need him to be here when Voldemort decides to attack again! He belongs here, he created the copy of the Goblet of Might with us!"
"I know you used to be friends and when we defeat Voldemort we'll make sure he gets his place in history. But the goblet is finished, the elixir of life is waiting inside it for us to drink, thanks to Salazar I grant him. Thanks to him the Potion of Spirits isn't needed in our copy of the Goblet of Might. But that's it, we've done our part and he's done his part. This is were the road seperates us. Let it go."
Goderic didn't reply as he watched the last slip of Salazar's robes dissappear out of sight.
A tear rolled down Lierin's cheek. It had been three days after the horrendous clash between the two potions. Snape and Madam Pomfrey took excellent care of her and repeatedly treated her with the right amount of Cleansing Potion. The potion did its work marvellously and slowly the sharp edges of both the potions vanished. The Cleansing Potion allowed the other two potions their work at a controled pace, and Lierin found herself recalling more and more of another lifetime. Though a faint understanding was forming in her head, she didn't allow herself to think much past her newfound memories. Determined to find out what exactly was going on, Lierin kept the newfound knowledge to herself, holly convinced it was up to her to solve the mystery around Hogwarts.
*********************************************************** On Saturday morning, a new Hogsmeade weekend awaiting, almost every student (third years and older) thundered down the stairs to leave for Hogsmeade. Almost every teacher went out for Hogsmeade as well. Except for Lierin. The time she had spent in the hospital had enabled her to contemplate certain aspects of the current events. Now she was back in her study sorting out the big mess on her desk and in a way the even larger mess in her head. To her great surprise, her notepad was back, but not in the place where she had left it. She had left it in the library, but now it was back in her study, on her desk. She knew for certain that Remus hadn't been the one to put it there. He certainly would have mentioned it. She could only guess who had been bold enough to breech the wards of her private quarters to return a personal notebook.
Hermione Granger. That name was the first to pop into her mind.
She didn't spend much time on that matter though, because an even bigger surprise was awaiting her.
Neatly on top of all her papers, was the lost poem out of Rowena Ravenclaw's dairy. But even more astonishing, it was complete. The moment her eyes caught sight of the poem, her heart started to hammer in her throat. With trembling hands she carefully lifted the paper from the stack and read the words written on the ancient piece of parchment. With a puzzled look in her eyes, she read the lines again and again and again, until finally the meaning of it dawned to her. The poem spoke of the exact same persons as Rowena Ravenclaw had mentioned in her diary! With a puzzled look in her eyes, she read the lines again until finally a few more bits of the proverbial puzzle fell into place.
Before the Clouds of Time, she and her companions had searched for the Goblet of Might, but never found it. Convinced they were able to do so; they had created a goblet themselves. Goderic had chosen and found the goblet. Helga had enchanted the goblet. Salazar had produced the Elixir of Life when the Potion of Spirits was no longer needed thanks to Helga's enchantment. Rowena had forged a magical setting and Lierin was the one carrying the one item that could activate it, the original Nightfall's Gain or - the Dark Ruby-. They had wanted to drink the Elixir from the goblet, feeding it to all their students as well, and fight Voldemort in what was to be the grimmest war ever to have taken place.
But something must have gone wrong. If they had been able to conquer Voldemort, Lierin wouldn't be here right now inside the barrier of the Clouds, there wouldn't be a reason for her to be here. So, that meant, that whatever had gone wrong outside the barrier, it had something to do with her, Remus and Severus. Somehow, the four founders had guided them back to Hogwarts. But for what reason?
Lierin again looked at the words scribbled on the parchment. By now she knew the words by heart.
When the Beast is released from blame When the Grim is freed from shame When Sun and Moon are merged in one When she and the severe soul come together This shall be your token The power of the other shall be broken
When Sun and Moon are merged in one... Lierin looked up, she could still hear Trelawney's words... the child from sun and moon. And another voice, a voice from long ago, echoed in her head:
"Well, you don't have to worry about your parentage, Lierin," said Goderic laughingly, "You have the most noble parents of all with the Sun as your mother and the Moon as your father. You may belie your heritage, but your hair can't. But seriously, why don't you let the bodies of the heavens be the sign of your house? It fits perfectly, you will be linked to those, who are noble of heart, gentle in their ways and an inspiration to others in times of need, when it really matters."
Goderic... When had he said those words? Wasn't it in the first week when they discussed the way in which they would run the school? When each of them had to choose a sign to represent their house?
Lierin picked up her hair and studied the unusual mixture of her bright golden and pale silky manes. When Sun and Moon are merged in one... Her eyes traveled back to the poem. Dear Merlin, it was referring to them! She read the poem again, and in her opinion it made perfect sense. The Beast; Remus, victim of a diabolical decease that robbed him of everything that made him human once in a month. When Sun and Moon are merged one; herself with the unusual strands of hair, partly spun by the last rays of the sun and the first rays of the moon. When she and the severe soul come together; Severus, a man with a severe soul, chastised by destiny for a mistake he made in his years of youth and naivity. But the poem spoke of a fourth person, the Grim. Who was this Grim? She had to find him because all four of them formed the key to the solution of Hogwarts Mystery.
Lierin read the line again about 'she and the severe soul' and she threw her head back in laughter. Destiny really was a bitch sometimes. According to this poem, she and Severus belonged to each other. Destiny had placed the key to her happiness in the hands of the one man who could not, would not love. But after just a few barks of laughter, the smile around her lips died a painful death, when sadness pulled them into somber line. Hadn't they been together as well when she was still one of Hogwarts founders? When he held the position of his now so desired duty as a teacher of Defense against the Dark Arts? They had been happy then...if only for a short period of time. What had happened between them? Lierin furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't quite remember, only that she had been very... very... very angry with him.
Soon Madam Pomfrey was back with Professor Dumbledore right behind her. Remus followed in as well. The two young men shot angry glares at each other, without uttering a single word. Remus just took in Severus' naked torso with obvious disdain. Severus just raised his eyebrow and silently dared Remus to make a comment.
"What's going on, prey tell, Severus? I'm afraid Poppy was too much out of breath to tell me." "Of course. Miss..."
Dumbledore looked at Snape just over the brim of his spectacles. Snape cleared his throat.
"Professor Heartilly has a severe case of potion-poisoning. Two potions have been administered to her with two opposite effects. One of them being the Dreamless Sleep potion."
Dumbledore started to feel a bit nervous. Certainly Severus couldn't be implying that... but Snape's next worst distroyed his faint hope.
"... and the other one being Evoke. And I wasn't the one who gave it to her, nor was I the one who supplied someone else with that potion. In fact, it has been several years since I last made it."
"Well, you are quite eager to prove your innocence. Maybe you're not so innocent at all," sneered Remus.
"And what, exactly, might you be implying with that, Lupin?" asked Snape with a deadly voice.
"I'm just saying you are a bit too eager to me to convince the headmaster of your innocence. If not from you, where else did that potion come from?"
"How should I know? For all I care you were the one who gave it to her, or maybe she got Evoke herself. Heaven knows you've both been searching the library for some unknown, dark reason. Maybe you used Evoke to jog her memory for some reason related to whatever it is you are searching for."
Dumbledore was startled at the accuracy of those words. He would have to keep a fine balance here.
"Come come, children. There's no need to argue. I'm sure that Severus already has the solution for our problem at hand." Dumbledore's voice sounded hopeful.
"Actually, I just mentioned to Poppy that with your permission, I'd like to use a Cleansing potion." His voice sounded hesitant and Dumbledore wondered why.
"A Cleansing potion? A potion that will neutralise both the other potions?"
"Simply put that way... yes. But we have to act quickly, the longer we wait, the more dangerous it gets."
"The more... dangerous? Isn't there another solution, another potion that's not dangerous?"
At this moment, he couldn't help himself, Snape felt a bit of disdain towards the older wizard. He knew very well that he shouldn't blame Dumbledore for not knowing, after all, this was highly advanced potions talk, but the fact that Dumbledore showed this much lack of knowledge in the field of potions, made Snape feel a bit superior... and a little annoyed.
"No, headmaster. There is not. It's going to be critical enough as it is. The Dreamleass Sleep potion and Evoke are each others antipodes. The first represses dreams and memories, the latter evokes them. The ingredients in both potions are very strong and are continuously batteling each other, building up an immense pressure in her brain, until the point the pressure gets too high, and..."
"Than you should give her the Cleansing potion right away!" insisted Remus.
"It's not that simple, Lupin. Poppy, why don't you explain, maybe he'll take it from you." said Snape, his voice broken and weary. Madam Pomfrey sighed deeply.
"You can't relieve all the pressure at once, you might cause severe braindamage that way. It has to be administered in certain doses, so the pressure is released slowly and evenly. All in all, it might take a few weeks until she is completely recovered, if the procedure succeeds that is."
Dumbledore paled visible and staggered slightly. Madam Pomfrey shot forward to support him.
"A few weeks? By Merlin, we don't have that long," whispered Dumbledore.
Snape shot a quizzical look at Remus, but he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Are you sure?" Is there no other way?
It almost sounded like a plea. "I'm afraid not, Professor Dumbledore."
"Than I suggest you hurry up and start the treatment. This instant! We already lost too much time!"
Dumbledore left them alone with those words. Madam Pomfrey eyed Snape nervously and wrenched her hands.
"Severus, I... I don't have... I mean, it's been years ago since..."
"Don't worry, Poppy. If I'm not mistaken there should be some in my private supply. What's left is for you, in case you should need it again," said Snape softly.
"Thank you, Severus," said Madam Pomfrey relieved, not only because Snape had the potion, but also because he didn't scold her for not having it.
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In the meantime, Lierin was completely oblivious to what happened at her bedside. Oblivious to the comforting hand of her brother, soothing her face. Oblivious to the care of Madam Pomfrey and oblivious to Snape gently administrating the first doses of the Cleansing Potion. It did help, it did sooth her. Now that the sharp edges of the Dreamless Sleep potion and Evoke were gone, Lierin was yet again engrossed in a very vivid dream but without the horrifying images.
A soft gentle breeze was playing with her hair while she watched huge foreboding clouds draw neerer, with eerie purple and green swirls of myst through them. She knew what they were and she wasn't afraid. They were the Clouds of Time. She vaguely remembered that there was something important about them. At least she remembered writing something down about them. The Clouds of Time. The only means of time travelling, allowing you to relive a certain period but without effecting the outside world, unless you fullfill the reason why the clouds were summoned at the first place. Theoratically speaking because according to her the clouds were never summoned before. Still she recognised the clouds as just that. But wasn't this her dream? Her vision? Allowing her to make them look whatever she wanted them to look like?
Looking down she realised she was standing atop one of the turrets of a castle. Hogwarts. It wasn't old current day Hogwarts, but the very first one. The grounds of the newly founded school stretched out in front of her for as far as her eyes could see. Students were playing outside, checking the surroundings far below. A soft smile played around her lips and she breathed in the fresh air of an agreeable summer afternoon. She closed her eyes to relish the vaguely familiar feeling of pride, enthusiasm and anticipation and when she opened them again to look at the horizon, the clouds were gone. She looked down at her golden robes and her white, silver- rimmed tunic. They looked very chique on her and gave her the look of someone important. She clasped her hands together behind her back and turned around to finish her rounds.
As she made her way down the several flights of stairs, she first encounterd a long thin man, with long jet-black hair. He wore a sour expression on his face, which softened somewhat when he got her in his sight. He winked at her as he strolled by and a huge grin appeared on Lierin's face as she turned around to watch him ascend the stairs. His emerald green robes flowed behind him and a large candle in the staircase illuminated a beautiful embroidered silver snake on his back.
On her way through the brightly-lit hallways, she soon neared two women walking in the same direction as her at a leisurly pase. They were talking animatedly with each other. One woman was a short chubby looking witch with shoulder length brown hair, wearing a yellow gown with an embroidered silver badger on her back. The other woman was taller and leaner, with gorgeous straw-blonde manes, wearing a marine silver-rimmed gown with an embroidered silver raven on her back. Lierin greeted them politely and they brightly greeted back before they resumed their conversation.
It was a long trip through the huge castle before she finally reached the outdoors. She walked through the gardens surrounding the school, and once and again a student greeted her with respect. Finally she reached her destination. A peaceful spot near a large crystal blue lake. She sat down on a sweet looking bench and pulled her knees up. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder but it didn't startle her. She turned around and smiled to a handsome young wizard dressed in bright orange robes.
"Don't be late for our meeting," said the handsome wizard before he turned around, reveiling a large silver lion on his back. Lierin smiled and rested her head on her knees, silently watching the serenity of the lake. On her back too was a large silver embroidery. That of a large shining sun and a moon, merged into one magnificent design.
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It was night, the time that students were supposed to be in bed. Keyword; supposed. Though no one was to be seen, the soft pitter-patter of feet could clearly be heard through the isolate hallways. Someone was sneeking around using an invisibility cloak. Clearly, someone was afraid of being detected. In pursuit of the two small house-elves wandering through the hallways maybe? A door opened and slyly the creatures slid in and so did the imposter under the invisibility cloak. The two house-elves closed the door and quietly weant to work, and the imposter watched them from a short distance, carefully making sure not to get caught. The elves cleaned the entire room and finally they started to tidy up the large wooden desk.
"Oh, it's a real shame it is, Purgy," said the smallest of elves.
"What is, Yawnie?" asked the other one gently.
"Look, a small poem, but half of it is missing."
"Then it rubbish it is, you can throw that away."
The imposter listened with interest and felt sorry for the small elf whose ears drooped a little. Quietly she threw the scrap of paper away and started to sort out the large stack of papers on the corner of the desk. Suddenly her ears straightend again.
"Look, Purgy, it's the other half of the poem it is. Yawnie is sure about it."
Purgy cast an uninterested glance at the other small scrap of paper and shrugged his shoulders.
"I'll will fix it for the Professor. Professor Heartilly will be very pleased if she sees it's fixed again."
"The poem wasn't torn apart for no reason, Yawnie. You should throw it away."
"If it was so it was torn for a reason, than it would have been thrown away for the same reason. Yawnie will fix it anyway."
Purgy sighed and shrugged his shoulders.
"Fine, you fix it then. Now hurry, there's still a lot to do there is, in the castle."
Yawnie wriggled her nose with glee and snapped her fingers. The first scrap of paper dissapeared from the trashbin and appeared next to the other. The large rip between them dissappeared and suddenly Yawnie was holding a neatly written poem in her hands. Carefully she laid it atop of the stack with other papers and parchments and quietly she left the room with Purgy.
The imposter removed the cloak and suddenly Hermione Granger appeared in the middle of Professor Heartilly's study, releasing the breath she'd been holding. Carefully Hermione left a notebook on the desk. She had been meaning to give it to the Professor in person, but she had already been a week in the Hospital Wing. She could have given it to Professor Lupin of course, or Professor Dumbledore, but she was afraid they would notice she had been reading in it, while it was none of her business. Still, the questions remained in her mind. Why was Professor Heartilly jotting down notes about time-travelling? Why had she accentuated the part about the Clouds of time? What were they anyway? Why had she largely put the words: Grim, Beast, Sun and Moon and Severe soul in the notes? And why were there question marks behind those words?
Without intending to, her eyes fell on the poem on top of the papers. Curiously and with trembling fingers, Hermione picked it up and read the poem.
When the Beast is released from blame When the Grim is freed from shame When Sun and Moon are merged in one When she and the severe soul come together This shall be your token The power of the other shall be broken
Understanding dawned in her mind. Still, she wanted to make sure she was right. Not that she had a clue about what was going on, but she did know where to find a prophecy that used the same key words as in the poem. Maybe Rowena Ravenclaw's diary could tell her more. Quietly she slipped out of the study and dissappeared right back under the cover of the invisibility cloak.
Five people were seated behind a large dark oak diamondshaped table, in what seemed to be a large throneroom. Five different coloured drapes flowed down behind each person, each embroidered with a magnificent looking animal, except for a drape embroidered with a large sun-moon design.
Each person was wearing a robe uniform to the drape behind him or her. At the head of the table sat a handsome young wizard with golden-brown manes cascading down his broad shoulders, dressed in his bright orange robes, looking very serious and solemn at a piece of parchment in front of him. There was a woman seated to either side of him; the woman on the left wearing dark blue robes and the woman to his right wearing canary yellow robes. Both of them were very stern and dertemined looking, and both stared at some imaginitive point right in front of them. Sitting at the right hand of the woman in yellow, sat a man in forest green robes; his face was rested in his hands and an unholy dark stare in his beetle-black eyes betrayed his annoyance. To his right sat Lierin, feeling very nervous and deliberately avoiding the annoyed glances that the other two women shot at her every once and again. The atmosphere in the room wasn't a friendly one. A storm was brewing. After tonight, nothing would ever be the same again.
"I think that we have reached an impasse here. All decisions should be taken unanimous and until this evening, we have always succeeded in that field. We have faced and countered many differences, always able to somehow find a golden solution. But, if all parties remain with their belief..."
"We do!" said three people in union. All agreed, save one.
"Lierin, you must give us your opinion, right now."
"Goderic, I..." Lierin sighed, "You ask me to take a side in a war, because this is not just a common disagreement anymore. If I take a side, I lose one or even more friends, esteemed colleagues."
"Don't forget your sworn duty, Lierin. We all agreed that when it might come to this choice, school or friend, school comes first. That is were your duty lies and your responsibility. Now, where do you stand in this matter?"
"I... can understand Salazar's point of view. We are not just any school for witchcraft and wizardry. We train the elite, the crème de la crème, the bees knees, to create a powerful army against the Dark Lord. The magic that runs through the veins of pureblooded students is usually stronger than that of none-pureblooded students. Salazar is merely afraid of weaker students due to a weak bloodline..."
Goderic Gryffindor crossed his arms and a defensife look appeared in his eyes. The other two witches, none other than Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, shot angry glares in the direction of Lierin. Salazar seemed very pleased with the turn of events and placed his bony fingers together.
Lierin hesitated before she continued. "However..."
Salazar furrowed his eyebrows and Goderic, Rowena and Helga held their breaths in anticipation.
"... I can't deny that some of our none-pureblooded students show an extremely high talent in the crafts of magic and they shouldn't be denied the chance to study here at Hogwarts. There are still far more pureblooded families than there are none-pureblooded families and I think that the weakening in the magic flow is a worry for the future. So, the way I feel in this matter..."
Here Lierin closed her eyes and sighed deeply, for she knew she was about to lose an appreciated friend.
"... is that, though we should never underestimate the dangers of weakening bloodlines, we should not deny talented none-pureblooded students the chance to study at Hogwarts."
Goderic, Rowena and Helga sighed in relief. Lierin was with them, thank heavens. Hopefully this would aid them in pursuading Salazar. Last mentioned person remained still in his seat. He too had hoped for Lierin's support. Them being close friends and young Snape's, Lierin's boyfriend, open admiration for him, had only convinced him in the matter that she would choose his side. Together they would have succeeded in convincing the others of the importance of only teaching the pure of blood. But now... now that she had turned against him... Well, he couldn't blame her of course, he certainly didn't hold it against her, she just wasn't made of the right material to fight headstrong Goderic, determined Rowena and plain stubborn Helga. Well, he knew what he had to do. He only had one option and it sure as hell wasn't giving up.
"Well, I suppose you all want to make this unanimous?"
"Salazar..." Goderic said apologetic.
"Do not interrupt me!" Salazar spat, "You want to make this unanimous, I will make that very easy for you. I'm leaving. Tonight." With those words Salazar got up and stalked out of the room.
"Salazar!" Goderic cried in dismay, for he too was losing a dear friend. Or at least they used to be friends before this... this... idiotic dispute.
"Goderic!" Rowena called Goderic back in line, who was half way up from his seat, and put her hand on his shoulder to force him back down.
"Leave him, Goderic, he's made up his mind, there's nothing you can do!"
"But we need him to be here when Voldemort decides to attack again! He belongs here, he created the copy of the Goblet of Might with us!"
"I know you used to be friends and when we defeat Voldemort we'll make sure he gets his place in history. But the goblet is finished, the elixir of life is waiting inside it for us to drink, thanks to Salazar I grant him. Thanks to him the Potion of Spirits isn't needed in our copy of the Goblet of Might. But that's it, we've done our part and he's done his part. This is were the road seperates us. Let it go."
Goderic didn't reply as he watched the last slip of Salazar's robes dissappear out of sight.
A tear rolled down Lierin's cheek. It had been three days after the horrendous clash between the two potions. Snape and Madam Pomfrey took excellent care of her and repeatedly treated her with the right amount of Cleansing Potion. The potion did its work marvellously and slowly the sharp edges of both the potions vanished. The Cleansing Potion allowed the other two potions their work at a controled pace, and Lierin found herself recalling more and more of another lifetime. Though a faint understanding was forming in her head, she didn't allow herself to think much past her newfound memories. Determined to find out what exactly was going on, Lierin kept the newfound knowledge to herself, holly convinced it was up to her to solve the mystery around Hogwarts.
*********************************************************** On Saturday morning, a new Hogsmeade weekend awaiting, almost every student (third years and older) thundered down the stairs to leave for Hogsmeade. Almost every teacher went out for Hogsmeade as well. Except for Lierin. The time she had spent in the hospital had enabled her to contemplate certain aspects of the current events. Now she was back in her study sorting out the big mess on her desk and in a way the even larger mess in her head. To her great surprise, her notepad was back, but not in the place where she had left it. She had left it in the library, but now it was back in her study, on her desk. She knew for certain that Remus hadn't been the one to put it there. He certainly would have mentioned it. She could only guess who had been bold enough to breech the wards of her private quarters to return a personal notebook.
Hermione Granger. That name was the first to pop into her mind.
She didn't spend much time on that matter though, because an even bigger surprise was awaiting her.
Neatly on top of all her papers, was the lost poem out of Rowena Ravenclaw's dairy. But even more astonishing, it was complete. The moment her eyes caught sight of the poem, her heart started to hammer in her throat. With trembling hands she carefully lifted the paper from the stack and read the words written on the ancient piece of parchment. With a puzzled look in her eyes, she read the lines again and again and again, until finally the meaning of it dawned to her. The poem spoke of the exact same persons as Rowena Ravenclaw had mentioned in her diary! With a puzzled look in her eyes, she read the lines again until finally a few more bits of the proverbial puzzle fell into place.
Before the Clouds of Time, she and her companions had searched for the Goblet of Might, but never found it. Convinced they were able to do so; they had created a goblet themselves. Goderic had chosen and found the goblet. Helga had enchanted the goblet. Salazar had produced the Elixir of Life when the Potion of Spirits was no longer needed thanks to Helga's enchantment. Rowena had forged a magical setting and Lierin was the one carrying the one item that could activate it, the original Nightfall's Gain or - the Dark Ruby-. They had wanted to drink the Elixir from the goblet, feeding it to all their students as well, and fight Voldemort in what was to be the grimmest war ever to have taken place.
But something must have gone wrong. If they had been able to conquer Voldemort, Lierin wouldn't be here right now inside the barrier of the Clouds, there wouldn't be a reason for her to be here. So, that meant, that whatever had gone wrong outside the barrier, it had something to do with her, Remus and Severus. Somehow, the four founders had guided them back to Hogwarts. But for what reason?
Lierin again looked at the words scribbled on the parchment. By now she knew the words by heart.
When the Beast is released from blame When the Grim is freed from shame When Sun and Moon are merged in one When she and the severe soul come together This shall be your token The power of the other shall be broken
When Sun and Moon are merged in one... Lierin looked up, she could still hear Trelawney's words... the child from sun and moon. And another voice, a voice from long ago, echoed in her head:
"Well, you don't have to worry about your parentage, Lierin," said Goderic laughingly, "You have the most noble parents of all with the Sun as your mother and the Moon as your father. You may belie your heritage, but your hair can't. But seriously, why don't you let the bodies of the heavens be the sign of your house? It fits perfectly, you will be linked to those, who are noble of heart, gentle in their ways and an inspiration to others in times of need, when it really matters."
Goderic... When had he said those words? Wasn't it in the first week when they discussed the way in which they would run the school? When each of them had to choose a sign to represent their house?
Lierin picked up her hair and studied the unusual mixture of her bright golden and pale silky manes. When Sun and Moon are merged in one... Her eyes traveled back to the poem. Dear Merlin, it was referring to them! She read the poem again, and in her opinion it made perfect sense. The Beast; Remus, victim of a diabolical decease that robbed him of everything that made him human once in a month. When Sun and Moon are merged one; herself with the unusual strands of hair, partly spun by the last rays of the sun and the first rays of the moon. When she and the severe soul come together; Severus, a man with a severe soul, chastised by destiny for a mistake he made in his years of youth and naivity. But the poem spoke of a fourth person, the Grim. Who was this Grim? She had to find him because all four of them formed the key to the solution of Hogwarts Mystery.
Lierin read the line again about 'she and the severe soul' and she threw her head back in laughter. Destiny really was a bitch sometimes. According to this poem, she and Severus belonged to each other. Destiny had placed the key to her happiness in the hands of the one man who could not, would not love. But after just a few barks of laughter, the smile around her lips died a painful death, when sadness pulled them into somber line. Hadn't they been together as well when she was still one of Hogwarts founders? When he held the position of his now so desired duty as a teacher of Defense against the Dark Arts? They had been happy then...if only for a short period of time. What had happened between them? Lierin furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't quite remember, only that she had been very... very... very angry with him.