Draco: Very good. I see you've discovered my little secret. Thanks for being the spur in my side making me update!
Panuru4u: Thanks for the compliment. I think you'll like what continues on.
Stefyne: Your writings are fabulous and I wanted to thank you for writing and the help earlier! It's greatly appreciated!
Miss Raven: What else do I have to say? Thanks for being there from the beginning!
***
Alona shoved the pillow over her face. A renegade beam of light was trying desperately to ruin what was left of her morning. She groaned as she turned over in a last ditch effort. It was hopeless. Reluctantly she threw the covers off of her body and let them fall haphazardly to the ground. She had yet to move any other part of her body. It just took too much energy in the morning. She rolled her head to the side. Some girl, What was her name again? She thought, Oh yeah, Pada, or Padme, or Padma, something like that, was sleeping effortlessly in the next bed over. She was in shadow. Typical she thought with a raised eyebrow. Slowly, she rolled herself out of bed. The dorm was so different from anything that she had encountered before. It was light. She wasn't used to light surroundings. The tower walls almost sparkled as the day light filled the airy space. Bronze and blue accented every nook that Alona looked. Even her blankets were the same shimmering colors. She was not used to it at all. Durmstrang had been dark. Even when the sun did not set, it was dark.
She estimated that she had a good three hours before classes started. She felt the dire need to get out of the stuffy dorm room. Quickly, she grabbed her broom and slipped out of the dorm. She made no particular effort to stay quiet. It wasn't her problem if they woke up early. Her footsteps barely echoed as she ran down the hall.
She knew the Quidditch Pitch well. She spent many an afternoon there in the past two weeks, trying to stay away from that crazy Snape and his annoying game of 50 questions. That is where she now headed.
The morning was invigorating to say the least. Though the sun shone, the morning was crisp and cool. A thin fog hovered slightly above the ground. Alona pulled her robes closer around her to block out the dampness. She smiled. It would be a fine morning, even if it was morning. She kicked off the ground and rose swiftly into the air. She did not notice the broom whizzing dangerously close in her proximity nor the person atop it. "Watch it, you!" A menacing voice called out. Alona turned quickly to face the disembodied voice. She gave the owner a good, long glare.
"Oh really? And I suppose that you own the sky and all you survey too." Her voice was hard.
Draco Malfoy instantly regretted what he had said, if regret was an emotion that a Malfoy could feel. Staring at him in intense hatred was the one girl that he had dreamt of meeting, literally. His body grew warm as he recalled that dream. Quickly, however, he snapped back to reality. His mind searched for the best solution on how to handle the situation. He was speechless, for once in his life.
"Feel like answering, or are you incapable of such an act?" Alona inspected him carefully. It was really too bad that he was apparently flawed, mentally. Physically, he was definitely very exquisite. She had never seen anyone like him before. His pale skin almost glowed. His face was crowned by his wind-tousled sliver-blond hair. Up here, the wind blew his robes away from his body revealing a well-chiseled, but slender chest. Quidditch had been good to him. It was his eyes, though that attracted her attention. They were like the surface of the ocean, grey and stormy. "Well, apparently the latter." She began to fly away.
"Wait!" Draco called out. Mentally he hit himself on the forehead. Be a Malfoy, Draco! He sneered in challenge. "If you think you're so amazing, how about a bit of a contest?" Alona stopped her progression forward and tipped her broom toward the Slytherin. "Who ever bests the other on their broom wins the other's name, and a date." He deepened his sneer. Everyone knew about Draco's flying ability. He was second only to Potter and that was only because that git had luck on his side.
Alona slowly turned her broom around. Her face was a mask of concentration except for the small, confident smile that spread across her lips. "I agree to your terms, but I give you fair warning, I'm no slouch."
"I truly hope not." As Draco uttered the words, he took off on his broom with amazing speed. Alona took off after him, hot on his heels. Turn for turn, spin for spin, Alona matched the Slytherin perfectly. Draco began to feel a bit concerned. The girl really was good. Furthermore, the girl seemed at ease. She hadn't even begun to sweat. She pulled up along side him. "Is that all you've got?" She called out, taunting him. Something about that girl made his pulse race. She could be so maddening, yet so enticing. Damn her! Draco flattened out and urged his broom faster in annoyance. Alona laughed. He wanted her more.
The answer came to Draco in a flash. Like lightning, it popped into his brain. He would dive. If he got closer to the ground that she did, which was obviously going to be the case, he would win. He dove. The ground came racing toward him quickly. Draco began to pick out the individual flowers in the grass, and they were growing larger fast. At what Draco thought was the last minute, he pulled out of the dive an impressive four feet above the ground. Alona was hot on his heels however. Draco turned around a look of satisfaction on his face. The look quickly faded as he saw the girl. She was traveling very fast. Too fast, Draco thought. She'd never make the turn. His breath quickened. He started to race towards the spot that she was sure to impact. He became aware of eyes on him. Alona's bright violet eyes were looking straight at him. Draco watched the sequence of events in what seemed like slow-motion.
It looked as if the girl barely did anything. It was as if the broom simply responded to her thoughts. It pulled up beautifully a mere foot off the ground. Alona reached down and grabbed a flower as she passed over the lush grass. She flew over to Draco. "Here, Draco, this is for you." She handed him the flower. "and no, I won't be needing that date." She smiled and flew away toward the castle. Draco landed and stood, motionless in the middle of the pitch. She hadn't even let him tell her his name. She had already known it. For the second time in five minutes, he cursed the girl. For the second time in five minutes, he wanted her more than ever.
Alona smiled to herself. The plan was working. In no time at all, Malfoy would be dying to see her. What she didn't know was that he already was. She laughed. If only her father could see her now and see what she had become in the short time she had been here. He would be so pleased. She was no longer the simpering good girl. Compared to these louts, she was a master. Manipulation was easy here. No one expected it, especially not from some girl sorted into Ravenclaw. She clenched her teeth together. Those of wit and learning…blah blah blah…She had never been able to escape the horrible label given to her at Durmstrang, Elamu enne Valge, the House of Light. She closed her eyes trying to shut out the images that were now pouring through her mind.
The ritual was very ancient. To those not familiar with it, it appeared barbaric. Alona Karkaroff walked into the clearing clad only in the robes of a common profit. Her body was anointed with oils and perfumes. A thought ran into her mind causing her to laugh silently. In history, a profit was generally a witch or wizard without any training. They wielded their powers without warning. She was going to become more. She was nervous. The dark forest closed in around her. She closed her eyes and found a small amount of comfort in the rich smell of the woodland. Her heart pounded in her chest and seemed to echo in the great expanse of the clearing.
It was amazingly dark. Not even the moon provided light. She arrived at the designated area and knelt in reverence to the pool. Slowly, she stood up and turned her head to the moon. Light began to swirl about her. It began at her feet, every color imaginable, and worked its way skyward. Soon, the column extended from the forest floor to the heavens above. Beyond the lights swirling about her, Alona could only see blackness. They were out there. This she knew. They were always out there for this, the most important ceremony in a witch's life. A voice boomed out of the black void. "Alona Karkaroff, do you come here out of your own free will?"
Alona tried to find the source of the voice, a place to give the answer to. Finally, she simply spoke into the nothing. "Yes, I do."
The voice began again, "And do you, Alona, trust in the power of those who have come before you to direct you?"
Alona knew this meant her ancestors. She thought of the mother she had never known, Olga Karkaroff. "Yes, I do."
"Alona, if those aforementioned should fail you, do you trust in those with you to guide you?"
"No, I do not." The ritualistic words were always harsh to her. It seemed sad that this should be the way it is. It's sad that we are not allowed to trust those around us. It's not right. She took a breath and continued the script. "It is written above in the heavens that we are to trust those before us, and in the power of that which flows through all things. It is not for us to know our path, but to discover it on our way to greatness. I will not be lead astray."
"Alona Karkaroff, approach the pool as did Katarina did so long ago." Alona's body went rigid. It was time. Her heart pounded in her ears as she slipped off the only thing covering her body. Katarina Alona smiled weakly. Katarina was royalty. The witch had no last name that anyone could recall. She was the protector of the human soul, mistress of nature, and guardian of the sacred. Women did not approach her pool clad in clothing. It was disrespectful to do so. Women approached her pool naked, communing with the power of nature. The cool night air bit at her breasts. She struggled to keep from shivering. Alona walked over to the reflecting pool and bent over it. For a moment, she thought she had done something wrong for the water did not stir. Then, as she was about to make her concerns known, the surface began to swirl gently.
A soft kind voice filled Alona's mind. "Welcome, child. You do me honor by coming to me free from the trappings of the outside world. Take a moment's peace." Alona's eyes closed and her body motions stopped. Warmth spread throughout her body. To the outside world, Alona had just entered the measuring trance. Old magic hung in the air, thick, almost tangible. The voice returned. "Tell me your fears, your loves, you life. What is it that you most desire?" The pool began to shift. Pictures streamed across the surface quickly. At one moment, there was a car, the next only a smoldering ruin of the automobile, a baby was crying. There was a man wearing the dark robes of Durmstrang, a skull with a serpent roving around it was very prominent on his forearm. It was Igor Karkaroff. Suddenly, there was a Quidditch pitch, a horse, strong and gleaming white, an eagle and a mountain of books. There were two boys, much older than Alona was now, perhaps 16. One appeared silver, tall, muscular, and beautiful. The other was brown haired, green eyed and awkward. He wore glasses. A tall dark man in a cloak of the darkest black strode across the surface. Green sparks erupted from the tip of his wand. He was walking straight toward Alona.
Then there was only this, grief. Alona felt her heart being ripped out of her. She longed to sob wildly, but with no reason why. She began to claw at herself to remove her heart. It hurt, it hurt so much. She did not want to feel this way. It was weak. It was vulnerable. If she could remove her heart, it would stop hurting. She tried desperately, scratching at her bare breasts until blood streamed down her stomach. Then, suddenly, the pool erupted into a single color, bronze. Light emanated from it and enveloped Alona, engulfing the colors previously encircling her. Alona stopped and stared transfixed. She felt a sudden peace. Her lips curved into an understanding smile before she fainted. The glow dimmed until it faded completely. Her fellow students gathered her body and headed for the school.
She had woken up later in the hospital wing. A bandage was wrapped around her chest. She looked up and saw her father there. "Father! It was awful! What did all those pictures mean? Who were those people?" She paused for a moment, her stomach dropping further. "Everyone saw me didn't they? Everyone saw me acting like a crazed animal."
Igor smiled indulgently. "Alona, my precious, it is a part of the measuring and nothing to be ashamed of. Many students experience powerful images that cause them to do things that they normally would not do. You will find that many here understand." He stroked her hair gently. A shaft of white hair had begun to grow from her temple in the week that Alona had been in the hospital. He sighed mournfully. She had undergone more than most did in the measuring. She would be marked forever by her measuring. He desperately wanted to know what she had seen, but knew that it was not for him to know. "Alona, what images appeared on the pool are for you to see only. However, the crystals found you were suited for Elamu enne Valge." He tried to smile, but he could not hide his disappointment from his daughter. She was in the outcast house, the house of light. It was an embarrassment to the family.
Many students ended up in the hospital after the measuring. It was a difficult time. Upon entering the trance, four representatives would rub the sand of three crystals about the body of the measuree, one for fear, one for loves, and one for life. It was the life crystal that drove most people mad. It told of the future, and not always in the nicest light.
A sharp pain bit at her chest. Her hair was not the only thing to be affected by the measuring. She had not scarred because of her attempt to remove her own heart. But when she thought of those images, her chest hurt where her own nails had once dug into her flesh. She clutched her broom in her hand and ran off to the showers, trying desperately to outrun the memories chasing her.