Chapter 2
Cold
The creature was hot, so hot. It was burning out here, under the sun. It had been too long since she'd been out in the sun. The night was so much nicer; there were shadows, and coolness, and that was when she hunted. The night was beautiful, subtle, flowing; the day was stark, hard, ugly, exposing all the things you wanted hidden. But these creatures, these human, worshipped the day. She was glad she was no longer one of them. But she had to speak with the one called Albus Dumbledore today. She approached the heavy oak doors at the front of the building. An old woman, with a pinched-looking mouth and a large pointed hat approached her.
"Can I help you?" the old woman asked tightly.
The creature watched the veins in the woman's neck throb with every heartbeat, but did not stir. It was too hot for hunting. "My name is Joanna," said the creature in a dark, rasping voice. "I have come to speak with the one called Dumbledore."
"What business do you have with the Headmaster?" the woman asked. "He's a very busy man, you know."
Joanna let out a low growl of frustration. It was too hot for questions, too hot for explanations. But it was also too hot for arguing. "I come from a colony deep within the forest. I was sent to retrieve one of our number who was stolen from us last night."
"Oh," said the old woman, apprehension dawning in her eyes as she took a step back. Joanna could smell her fear and inwardly chuckled. Fear was so commonplace to her now, it was amusing. Especially in the day, when no one was hunting. "I will take you to the Headmaster," said the old woman.
Joanna inclined her pale head in gratitude, her long, matted dark hair falling further into her eyes.
"You have a visitor, Albus," said the McGonagall as she opened the door the Dumbeldore's office. "She was very insistent. Claims one of her number was lost."
"Not lost," said Joanna in a low voice. "Stolen."
"What are you doing here?" snapped Dumbledore.
"I have every right to be here, when one of our number is missing," said Joanna.
"It was our agreement that you wouldn't step foot on Hogwarts grounds," Dumbledore said. McGonagall quietly slipped out of the office, closing the door behind her.
"We have a Child of Darkness within your walls, or we would not have come near this place," Joanna said, ducking her head, drawing her curtain of hair further around her face.
"One of your number attacked a student last night in the Forest. Is that why you're here?"
"Yes," said Joanna. "I apologize for Morgen. He is too young, he has not learned our ways, or our boundaries yet. But that does not change fact that you are holding one of us."
"She isn't one of you, yet," said Dumbledore.
Joanna smiled, showing her sharp, yellowed teeth. "Yes, she is. I feel her thirst, smell her hunger, taste her longing. And she can feel mine as well. The same dark curse that resides within my people has made its home in her as well."
Hermione sat up in her bed, quickly, eyes wide open. "I need her," she said.
"Need who?" asked Snape, he was sitting beside her bed, in case she became hungry again.
"She's here," said Hermione.
"Who's here?" demanded Snape.
"I don't know," said Hermione. "But I feel her. She thirsts. She's . . . hot. She's burning. Like I was burning."
"She is too young for you to take her," Dumbledore insisted.
Joanna laughed, a deep, dark, menacing laugh that echoed off the stone walls. "We have taken younger than her into our midst. I was merely a child when I arrived at the colony," Joanne sobered and stared at Dumbledore. "She needs to be with her own kind, old man. She cannot survive on her own."
"No, she can't," Dumbledore said. "But she can survive with us. I will not let you take her back."
"Then let me teach her," said Joanna. "At least let her know how to feed, how to hunt, how to use her curse."
"If curses were meant to be used, they wouldn't be curses, would they? She has no reason to hunt, she had a donor."
Joanna laughed again. "A donor!? A donor does not satisfy the Thirst. This thirst, this hunger, is for more than just blood. It is for flesh. For life. For warmth. If you do not allow her to come to me, she will hunt of her own will, unable to stop until her thirst has been satisfied, until her hunt fulfilled. You are damning yourself and this school if you keep her here."
"I am willing to take that chance. You need to leave now, before all bonds between our peoples are broken."
"You cannot stop what is inside her, Dumbledore," Joanna said.
"You're wrong. You and your kind choose to live in darkness, in cold, in isolation. There are others who choose the light."
"They are traitors to their own species."
"No, Joanna," said Dumbledore. "You are the traitor to what you know is right."
Joanna let out and angry growl and a hiss and left the castle, fleeing back to the forest, to the cold.
A/N: Oooh, what do you think? Is it spooky, or what? Review please!
The creature was hot, so hot. It was burning out here, under the sun. It had been too long since she'd been out in the sun. The night was so much nicer; there were shadows, and coolness, and that was when she hunted. The night was beautiful, subtle, flowing; the day was stark, hard, ugly, exposing all the things you wanted hidden. But these creatures, these human, worshipped the day. She was glad she was no longer one of them. But she had to speak with the one called Albus Dumbledore today. She approached the heavy oak doors at the front of the building. An old woman, with a pinched-looking mouth and a large pointed hat approached her.
"Can I help you?" the old woman asked tightly.
The creature watched the veins in the woman's neck throb with every heartbeat, but did not stir. It was too hot for hunting. "My name is Joanna," said the creature in a dark, rasping voice. "I have come to speak with the one called Dumbledore."
"What business do you have with the Headmaster?" the woman asked. "He's a very busy man, you know."
Joanna let out a low growl of frustration. It was too hot for questions, too hot for explanations. But it was also too hot for arguing. "I come from a colony deep within the forest. I was sent to retrieve one of our number who was stolen from us last night."
"Oh," said the old woman, apprehension dawning in her eyes as she took a step back. Joanna could smell her fear and inwardly chuckled. Fear was so commonplace to her now, it was amusing. Especially in the day, when no one was hunting. "I will take you to the Headmaster," said the old woman.
Joanna inclined her pale head in gratitude, her long, matted dark hair falling further into her eyes.
"You have a visitor, Albus," said the McGonagall as she opened the door the Dumbeldore's office. "She was very insistent. Claims one of her number was lost."
"Not lost," said Joanna in a low voice. "Stolen."
"What are you doing here?" snapped Dumbledore.
"I have every right to be here, when one of our number is missing," said Joanna.
"It was our agreement that you wouldn't step foot on Hogwarts grounds," Dumbledore said. McGonagall quietly slipped out of the office, closing the door behind her.
"We have a Child of Darkness within your walls, or we would not have come near this place," Joanna said, ducking her head, drawing her curtain of hair further around her face.
"One of your number attacked a student last night in the Forest. Is that why you're here?"
"Yes," said Joanna. "I apologize for Morgen. He is too young, he has not learned our ways, or our boundaries yet. But that does not change fact that you are holding one of us."
"She isn't one of you, yet," said Dumbledore.
Joanna smiled, showing her sharp, yellowed teeth. "Yes, she is. I feel her thirst, smell her hunger, taste her longing. And she can feel mine as well. The same dark curse that resides within my people has made its home in her as well."
Hermione sat up in her bed, quickly, eyes wide open. "I need her," she said.
"Need who?" asked Snape, he was sitting beside her bed, in case she became hungry again.
"She's here," said Hermione.
"Who's here?" demanded Snape.
"I don't know," said Hermione. "But I feel her. She thirsts. She's . . . hot. She's burning. Like I was burning."
"She is too young for you to take her," Dumbledore insisted.
Joanna laughed, a deep, dark, menacing laugh that echoed off the stone walls. "We have taken younger than her into our midst. I was merely a child when I arrived at the colony," Joanne sobered and stared at Dumbledore. "She needs to be with her own kind, old man. She cannot survive on her own."
"No, she can't," Dumbledore said. "But she can survive with us. I will not let you take her back."
"Then let me teach her," said Joanna. "At least let her know how to feed, how to hunt, how to use her curse."
"If curses were meant to be used, they wouldn't be curses, would they? She has no reason to hunt, she had a donor."
Joanna laughed again. "A donor!? A donor does not satisfy the Thirst. This thirst, this hunger, is for more than just blood. It is for flesh. For life. For warmth. If you do not allow her to come to me, she will hunt of her own will, unable to stop until her thirst has been satisfied, until her hunt fulfilled. You are damning yourself and this school if you keep her here."
"I am willing to take that chance. You need to leave now, before all bonds between our peoples are broken."
"You cannot stop what is inside her, Dumbledore," Joanna said.
"You're wrong. You and your kind choose to live in darkness, in cold, in isolation. There are others who choose the light."
"They are traitors to their own species."
"No, Joanna," said Dumbledore. "You are the traitor to what you know is right."
Joanna let out and angry growl and a hiss and left the castle, fleeing back to the forest, to the cold.
A/N: Oooh, what do you think? Is it spooky, or what? Review please!