WL1031: This is the disclaimer.
(Jade comes on stage holding a sign) We don't own the Harry Potter Universe (Jade starts to cry) but, I do own Zeporiap Luz, any other character that's not recognizable, and the story
Jade: So don't sue WL, she's just a broke (okay, well not really broke) college grad. (runs off stage crying)
WL1031: (sighs) Carry on.
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Chapter 3: Afternoon Arrival
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.Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in September. Classes had started for the seventh- years, the school getting back into the normal swing of things. The sun was shining brightly in the clear sky, warming the school grounds to perfection. The day was unhurried as there was an unusually light load of homework was passed out by the teachers, as if they too were still in vacation-mode. Lunch had just been served and now many of the students began to trickle out of the Great Hall to the lush grass around the lake to relax. They sat around talking and laughing amongst themselves, enjoying the fine weather. It was just another typical Saturday.
It was so typical, that Professor Severus Snape was taking his usual solitary stroll around the lake. He sauntered menacingly, a dark look etched onto his face. He smirked as the students scattered out of his way, trying to avoid the mean Potions Master. The less they got in his way, the better.
Making his way to his customary perch beside the lake, he sat down. He looked on as the squid catapulted itself gracefully around the lake causing small ripples to lap at the shore. A soft gust of wind brushed across the lake and caressed its way through his hair. Irritated, Snape lifted his hands to brush it back. It's getting too long, he thought as he flipped the now bicep-length locks back. I'm going to have to have it cut. He knew he should have cut his hair, but things had been so busy that a hair cut ranked low on his "To Do" list. The way things in his life were going having longer hair was the least of his worries.
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Zeporiap felt like she was falling. She knew that at some point she would strike the ground that should be rising up underneath her, but she just couldn't bring herself to care. After she faded away from that man's evil grasp, she could only think about how tired she was. She wanted to sleep, but her body would not let her. Or rather, the power coursing through her veins would not let her.
Opening her eyes, she saw the sky speeding around her. "Where is this place?" When she tried to reach out and touch one of the clouds that rushed past a silver barrier stopped her. She expected to feel some kind of shock and was surprised when she only felt welcoming warmth under her hand. Resting her hand back on her side, she realized that she was still wearing the robe of the blond-haired man who raped her.
"It wasn't a dream." Zeporiap felt a rush of anger scorch through her veins. "It wasn't a dream" she said again. Turning her head to the side, she saw her reflection. Her lip was swollen and cut, an ugly bruise marring her cheek from where he struck her. The anger she felt became more pronounced. Now, she cared. She was going to get the bastard if she had to run to the ends of the earth to catch him. Her eyes rose from her damaged cheek, moving up to the reflection of her eyes. Zeporiap's eyes glinted in a luminous silver color, the irises glowing startlingly out of her face. But, she didn't realize it, being so focused on seeking her revenge. She would think about her eyes later. What was most important now was getting to the place where that man could be.
Unbeknownst to Zeporiap, the barrier that she brushed her hand against was actually protective shield, more like a vessel, taking her to safety. As it raced through the sky, it caused a patch of clouds to move around it, protecting it from suspicious eyes looking towards the sky down below.
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Another gust of wind flowed across the lake. It was a calming sort of breeze, soothing the hearts of the people it touched, relaxing them into a state of bliss.
"It's a very nice day." Harry said, leaning back against the soft grass. He rested his head on Ginny's lap; they had been going out since the last term ended. "It's not too hot and not even close to being cold."
"Yeah, it's great." Ron said smiling at his friend. "It's a great day for sit—"
"Studying." Hermione said, turning another page in her book.
"Geez, Mione! It's only the beginning of the term!" Ron whined. "It's not even close to any test day, and NEWTS are months away!" Ron turned to the lounging Harry. He shoved him when he saw that he was dropping off to sleep. "Hey, you git! We've got to convince her that she doesn't have to study today!" Harry only smiled, relaxing into the feel of Ginny's fingers caressing his hair. Ginny laughed at her brother's antics to get his girlfriend to loosen up.
"Come on Ron, you should have known that she would bring her books out. It's a perfect day to study." She exclaimed, laughing again. She leaned down and kissed Harry on his scar. "In fact, I was going to study myself." She patted the small bag she had brought along with her when she came outside. "You know, it does help to be prepared because you never know when a quiz might be dropped on us."
Ron looked flabbergasted, opening and closing his mouth in a fish-like manner. "Ginny? You're scaring me!" This time Hermione did look up from her book. She winked at Ginny then, laughed at Ron's expression. She leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek.
"I've been helping her with her study habits over the summer, Ron. She asked me to help her out. Even though her NEWTS are over a year away, she's still got finals at the end of this year." She patted Ron on the cheek she just kissed. "You would have better grades if you would just study more." Ron could only shake his head. He loved Hermoine, loved her before they got together at the end of their sixth year, but studying was just something that wasn't his forte. He grumbled about her obsessive study habits, but loved it all the same. It was, after all, what made Hermione her and deep down, he didn't want her to change. Just as he was about to tease her about her endearing qualities, a shadow fell over him.
"Well, well, if it isn't the lovely Golden Trio." Draco Malfoy sauntered up with his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. "Ah, I see the Weaselette is also in attendance. Hmm, finally get Potty to notice you?" Malfoy and his two stupid cronies laughed as Ginny blushed.
"Shut up, Ferret- boy." Harry said, not opening his eyes. "Just go away, you prat. It's too nice a day to be ruined by you."
"Sod off, you stupid git!" Ron said as he jumped to his feet. Hermione looked up again from her book and shook her head.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Tired Scarhead? Don't think you can beat me in a duel?" Draco's mouth twisted into an ugly snarl as he looked down at his adversary. He became red in the face when Harry ignored him, turning his head to the side.
Draco whipped out his wound and pointed it at Harry. "Are you just going to lay there like some stupid prat?" He was yelling now, not paying attention to the students around him turning to look at the scene he was making. "Or maybe you're more worried about that little whore of a girlfriend that you're—"
Harry was up on his feet in a flash, pointing his wand at Draco's chest. Hermione and Ginny were also on their feet, aiming their wands at Crabbe and Goyle. "I told you go away." Harry's emerald green eyes flashed angrily. "If you want to ruin a perfectly nice day by getting hexed on to your ass, be my guest."
"Why you—"
"What is going on here!?" Snape had been sitting on his perch when he heard the shouting. Irritated at having to break up another fight, he strolled over to the group, making his way through the crowd. "Potter! Weaseley and Granger, stand down now!" He roared so loud that even the lookie-loo students froze in their tracks. "No, I don't care who started this little scene Potter, twenty-five points from you and your little lion pals!"
"But, Professor—" Hermoine tried to defend their actions, but Snape cut her off.
"Stop right there Miss Granger or it will be fifty points each!" Snape had had enough of their little shenanigans. "You should be very glad that you weren't given detention for your silly actions!" Snape's scowl became frightening, curling into a nasty smile "Oh, but it would be just the thing to teach you a lesson. Alright then: detention for all of you starting on Monday!"
Malfoy laughed and made faces around Snape's back. Ron tried to grab him, but Hermione held tightly onto his arm. "Don't Ron! You'll only make it worse!"
"You should listen to your little Know-it-all, Weaseley. You might be able to learn something before your NEWTS." Snape turned, smirking and began to make his way back towards his dungeons.
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Zeporiap felt herself getting tired. While she was still angry, her body was beginning to slow down. She was going into shock. I can't stop now, she thought, I can feel that I am getting close. She turned her eyes to look out of the barrier and saw that the sky was slowing down. The clouds that had been moving by fast earlier seemed to be drifting down towards something. She closed her eyes, too tired to keep them open. She only hoped that she didn't die when she hit the ground—if she wasn't already dead.
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Turning back towards the castle, Snape frowned when the wind suddenly picked up to a dangerous level. Startled, he turned around to see the students running and screaming, trying to seek cover in castle. Those that didn't make it that far were hiding under the trees that dotted the shore of the lake. The lake wasn't faring much better, looking storm tossed and choppy, splashing with angry waves. Even the squid took cover, diving under the surface to avoid the ugly swirling water and winds fighting over its home.
The sky, having been clear and blue earlier, had turned an odd gray color as a patch of clouds approached on the horizon. His eyes widened as the clouds seemed to be heading straight for the castle, moving down instead of in a usual pattern across the sky.
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Albus Dumbledore looked out of the window, stroking his beard and frowning in concentration. Fawkes ruffled his flame-colored feathers as he settled on his perch. He sung out a beautiful note before nestling down to sleep.
"The girl is making quite the entrance, my friend." Dumbledore's eyes suddenly twinkled at the show about to occur outside.
Minerva McGonagall rushed into Dumbledore's office. She was a bit out of breath, panting to calm down. "Albus, the winds are getting more difficult!" She panted again, laying a slim hand on her heaving chest. "It is getting very dangerous outside and some of the children couldn't make it back into the castle!"
"Calm down my dear." Albus turned and patted her hand. "Everything will be fine in due time." He smiled at his life long companion. He summoned a chair and levitated it to rest near the window. He summoned another chair for himself.
Minerva looked at him questionably. "Albus, my dear, what is going on?"
Albus patted her hand again. "Oh, nothing, just that we've got balcony seats to a fantastic show."
"What?" Minerva shook her head. "Albus, that doesn't make any sense—"
"Just relax, my dear, and enjoy the show." Albus smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Lemon drop?"
Minerva sighed and turned to the window.
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Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and ran towards the castle. Ron and Hermione were right behind them, making a mad dash towards the main doors. They didn't make it that far. There was a crowd of students trying to rush into the castle at the same time, making it impossible to get indoors.
"We've got to find somewhere else to take cover!" Harry yelled, frantically looking for a place to shelter them.
"Harry, all of the good places are taken and we can't even get inside!" Ron turned around, scanning the scene behind him. "Even the trees by the lake are crowded. Maybe we should try and make it for the greenhouses—"
"No, that's too far!" Hermione yelled, having to shout over the commotion being made by the winds and the screaming students. "Wait, over there, look at Snape!"
They all turned to look at Snape. He seemed to be completely unaffected by the winds, standing on the edge of the lake with his head turned towards the sky.
"I think he cast a shield charm around himself!" Hermione shouted louder this time. "Come on, let's go over by him!"
Ron grabbed her arm. "There's no way that I'm going to cuddle up to Snape for protection. There's got to be another place—"
"No, there's nowhere else to go!" This time, Hermione grabbed his arm, pulling him towards Snape. Harry and Ginny followed, quickly shoving their way through the crowd of students fighting to get inside.
Draco and his goons ran towards Snape, having listened to their whole conversation. He shoved Harry out of the way, trying to get to Snape before he did. Ginny hexed him with a short leg-locking charm, gluing his feet to the ground. Crabbe and Goyle stopped, lifted Draco by the arms, and kept running. They all made it to Snape at the same time.
"Professor!" They all shouted at once, clambering for his attention. Snape turned around with an irritated look on his face. His eyes looked darker than ever, but no one seemed to notice.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" The screaming kids quieted immediately, shocked at the outburst. "Now, go over there and stand behind the rock near the shore. That should provide enough cover." They all looked at the rock, at Snape, then back at the rock again. "MOVE IT NOW!" The kids scrambled over to the rock, falling upon it in a jumble of arms and legs. They began to shove and push at each other, trying to separate themselves.
Snape shook his head in disgust. He couldn't believe that they couldn't even get that right. Just as he was making his way to over to the jumble of students, the strong winds stopped. Looking up at the sky, he saw that same strange patch of clouds, lowering down to the lake. A light shot out from the bottom of the cloud, then began moving over the surface of the lake.
"Whoa...." Ron had come out from behind the rock and stood with his mouth wide open. Hermione was at a loss for words, unable to describe what she was feeling. Ginny, helped up from the ground by Harry, was shocked into silence by the strangeness of the whole situation. Harry was just as shocked as Ginny was. Draco and his cronies scrambled up from the ground, their faces white with fear; but instead of running off, they darted forward to get a better view.
Colin Creevy scampered forward with his camera taking pictures all over the place. "Wow, would you look at that. It's amazing."
The beam of light stopped just before the shore of the lake, pulsing brightly. Everyone looked up as something seemed to be coming down in the beam.
"What is that?" One student asked, having come out from underneath one of the trees by the lake.
"I don't know, but I want to get a closer look." Another said. "Who cares if it's something bad, I've never seen anything like it." Others agreed and rushed forward.
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Meanwhile, Snape stood transfixed as the object in the beam drifted closer and closer to lake. Whatever it was, it was making a spectacular entrance. He leaned closer as the object touched the lake. It was a... woman?! It was a woman!
When the woman's feet touched the water, the beam completely disappeared. She began to slosh through the shallow water, stumbling in her efforts to get to shore. She held an arm over her stomach, holding a strange robe closed. Her head was bowed and she held her free hand to her forehead as if she was trying to clear it. Her eyes were closed, probably in too much pain to open them. Reaching the shore, the woman wobbled for a few steps, then caught her balance. She raised her head and opened her eyes.
Snape and everyone around him gasped. The woman's eyes showed a bright silver color: a startling contrast to her brown skin. She turned her eyes Snape, trying to focus them on her surroundings. She mumbled something as Snape rushed forward to catch her.
"El Castillo." Snape could barely understand what she was saying. "¿Dónde está este lugar?" The woman's voice was hoarse, as if she had been screaming; he couldn't place where her accent was from.
The woman collapsed just as Snape wrapped his arms around her. The students stood in awe of the whole scene. They'd never seen Snape touch anybody, least of all a woman. Snape picked the woman up in his arms. She was a lightweight, fitting easily into his arms. He brushed back the soft black curls that had fallen into her face. Looking down at her robe, Snape recognized it instantly. It was the robe of a Death Eater, but why was she wearing it?
Saving that thought for later, Snape turned around and began to head for the school Hospital Wing. The students parted out of his way as he moved past, and for once, Snape was glad that he didn't have to yell at them to move. As he rushed towards the castle, Snape noticed that the sky was once again, a clear undisturbed blue. Looking down, he saw the woman's slightly open eyes fade back to a silver color before closing.
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As Snape hurried with his burden, Dumbledore and McGonagoll turned from the window. Minerva had a questioning look on her face, but it began to change into one of awe. "I've never seen anything like that in my life." She was dumbfounded at what she had just witnessed. "Albus, what was that?"
Albus only smiled. He looked a little awestruck himself. He shook his head. "Let us make our way to the Hospital Wing, my dear. We will get our answers then." He took her arm and placed it in the crook of his elbow.
"But, Albus—"
"Come along, dear, it's time to meet the afternoon arrival." Minerva sighed.
"It was such a nice day." Albus laughed and patted her arm as he led her towards the Hospital Wing.
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WL1031: Well, I am back again.
Jade: Don't you mean "we", WL?
WL1031: (clears her throat) Okay, we are back again. (turns to Jade) Happy now? Anyway, please read and review because we'd like your opinions!
Jade: Yeah, please do because... you know that you want to. Maybe we'll even give you something if you do... (grins slyly)
WL1031: Jade! Don't bribe the reviewers! (shoves her off the stage) Those dang muses think they can just do anything. (shakes her head) Be on the look out for chapter 4!
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Translations:
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"¿Dónde está este lugar?": Where is this place?