I stood, staff in hand looking through the portal showing me children around the age of 14 and 15 sitting at long tables covered in food. With just a thought, the image focused on 3 students in particular.
'So these are the ones.' The image then focused even more on one boy in particular. His emerald eyes looked up for a moment and it seemed as though he was looking directly at me, but I knew better by now. After all, thousands of years spent in one place, especially one of such knowledge tended to teach you a few things.
'It's time' and in a flash of silver light I was gone.
Dumbledore looked around at the students as they ate their breakfast, the other professors on either side of him talking amiably, albeit loudly.
Suddenly though all conversation ceased when the double doors leading into the Great Hall swung open. As all eyes took in the figure in the shadows of the door, worried whispers broke out before Dumbledore halted them.
"Quiet" Turning towards the figure in the shadows he surveyed him carefully.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
In reply the person stepped into the light and the students gasped as they look at the chestnut colored centaur as he walked in between the tables to stop in front of Dumbledore.
"Albus, I have urgent news. The forest is in disarray. It seems that last night we had a...'unusual' visitor in our words. She told me to give you a message."
Before he could even have a chance to repeat the message to Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall stood up.
"She? Who is she?"
Professor Dumbledore let out a sigh of exasperation. "Minerva please, all will be explained later, but right now I really wish to know what this message is." He focused his attention once again on the centaur that had quietly stood throughout the exchange.
He cleared his throat before giving Dumbledore a look that contained an obvious message. "She said 'It is time, the battle for life is drawing near. You must start preparing now or everything will be lost.'
A pin could have been dropped and it would have seemed as though someone had dropped a bomb. The room was deathly quiet. The professors looked wide eyed at Dumbledore while the students just looked plain horrified.
"Albus...what is the meaning of this? What haven't you been telling us?" Professor McGonagall had turned and faced Dumbledore; white faced and tight lipped.
All eyes were focused on Professor Dumbledore now, that they didn't notice as the centaur had turned and walk out of the great hall.
Professor Dumbledore stood from his seat and addressed the students and teachers. "Prefects, I want you to escort your houses back to their dormitories. Professors I want you all to meet me in my office."
And with that he turned and walked out of the Great Hall through a side door.
SCENE CHANGE
I let out a small laugh as I watched through the portal as I was once again back on this endless plane of knowledge and isolation. 'Mortals will never learn that sometimes you just have to accept facts.'
Suddenly though, the smile that had graced my lips disappeared as I felt it. Immediately the portal that was open closed and another took its place. This time it showed a deathly pale man, with blood red, snake like eyes. He was talking to a man cloaked in a long black cloak that seemed to be made of the very shadows themselves.
"Chaos" That one word would send chills down the spine of anyone having crossed the path of this...thing.
I watched as in the portal, the man reached out his hand to that of the cloaked figure as though closing a deal, and as they shook hands, the pale man let out a scream of pain. Slowly the cloaked man began to seep into that of the pale faced, snake eyed man. When the transition was complete, the man from before was no more, he was now nothing more then a host for a entity so evil that he had no body other then that which belonged to a living being.
As though this new 'thing' could see me, it turned and let out an evil laugh. It pulled out a stick of wood and suddenly the portal in which I was viewing all this became extremely bright and I could not see what was happening for a while.
When I could see again, the 'thing' was gone.
'I will find you again Chaos, you have my word on that.'