FOREWARD
Okay everyone I've decided I want a beta to edit my chapters becuase I keep going over them again and again and find a ton of mistakes! Ack! Please review with your e-mail adress so I can send you drafts if you want to be my beta reader! Thanks!!!
Lily
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...I feel it all around / I feel it in my bones My life is on the line / When I'm away from home When I step out the door / The jungle is alive I do not trust my ears / I don't believe my eyes I will not fall in love / I cannot risk the bet Cause hearts are fragile toys / so easy to forget...
Winnifred poured over a large worn book in a small alcove near the dungeons. She skimmed down the page with her navy eyes, taking in every detail quickly and quietly. She had vowed to herself that she would learn as much as she could before the end of summer so here she was, learning the dark arts. She was not learning them, though, to join the Dark Lord, but to wage a battle against him. No one knew. Not even her dear cousin Severus, the arrogant bastard.
She breathed deep and brushed a long strand of black hair that had fallen in her face out of the way. Soon she heard footsteps growing faintly louder as they approached her hiding place. Winnifred gripped her wand tighter and shifter her eyes to look up through her long eyelashes. Regius Avery stood opposite her, gazing down at her interestedly and observing the thick book in her lap. He smirked.
"Doing a bit of light reading, eh? For the Dark Lord. I daresay he could do with a few more supporters." Avery laughed coldly. "My dear Winnifred, we'll be Deatheaters in two years' time. You can wait to learn it all from our Lord himself when you come of age.
Winnifred sweetly up at him. "Ah, but unlike all his other followers, I am not a useless tagalong and I can handle myself, thank you very much." Avery shrugged and continued to walk down the hall. "Oh, and Avery." He turned to look at her. "Congratulations on being beat up singlehandedly by a Gryffindor." She smirked. Lupin had not attacked her or Snape, seeing as they had nothing to do with it, but he did give them a few words about it. Avery gawked at her and whipped around, stalking down the hall, his steps echoing eerily.
Winnifred sighed and gathered up her things. She flung her cloak over her shoulder and left the dungeon halls to find a quieter place to read, not that the dungeon wasn't quiet, she just needed somewhere to practice. She slipped outside into the bright sunlight and gazed over at the Forbidden Forest. There was smoke billowing out of the Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid's, chimney, but no one was outside. She could slip into the forest to be alone.
She strode across the sloping lawns in front of the castle and into the dark forest, careful to go unnoticed. Sighing, she looked up at the trees above her. It was still rather light inside this part of the forest but if you traveled too deep into it, night came upon you.
Winnifred stopped inside a clearing nearby. Everything was still as she gazed at the bright green mosses on the trees and the mushroom patches at their bases. A few white butterflies and moths flitted about like tiny faeries and all that could be heard was the gentle chirping of a bird and a cricket. The navy-eyed girl sighed as she took in her surroundings. This was better. Much better. She stepped to the middle of the clearing and knelt on both knees, resting her hands gently in her lap and closing her eyes. She had laid the book open in front of her to an advanced dark magic spell.
Winnifred was not an ordinary girl. Despite her riveting looks and the fact that she was a witch going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Winnifred was a magess. She could do magic without her wand, though she preferred to use it. She had never told anyone, but had a feeling that the Lord Voldemort knew...he had the power to find out...eventually. That was why Winnifred was so sought after by Voldemort. That was why she was not afraid of him. She was not afraid of anything, except fear itself. She had extraordinary powers that she could use to become the greatest sorceress in history, but she didn't dare use her powers now. The threat of Voldemort, he would surely find out about her.
Winnifred willed power to her fingers. It was a very trying task and so far she could only do it a couple of times a day. But she was getting stronger as well. She had mastered some very difficult spells already, but none so more than the one she was about to attempt. Her eyes flickered open as she scanned the page quickly.
...It's just another day / There's murder in the air It drags me when I walk / I smell it everywhere It's just another day / Where people cling to light To drive away the fear / That comes with every night
It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day...
The Death Spell, more commonly known as one of the Unforgivable Curses, the Killing Curse. Any witch or wizard who performs such spell on any other faces a life sentence in Azkaban Prison. The Killing Curse is most infamous for its use by the Dark Lord Voldemort and his legion of Death Eaters.
This was all Winnifred needed to know. She would never use this curse save for one person: Tom Marvalo Riddle. Lord Voldemort himself. He was a puny Mudblood to her, nothing more, and if he thought he could win over her, he was wrong.
...It's just another day--When people wake from dreams With voices in their ears--That will not go away...
Winnifred hummed a bit to increase the flow of magic to her fingertips. They were buzzing with delight of being used again. She concentrated hard on the spell and aimed it towards a small squirrel that had poked its head into the clearing. She bit her bottom lip from the pain and concentration. And then, it was like a heartbeat, she opened her eyes, panting slightly and shifted her eyes to the squirrel, now dead at the base of the tree. She looked up. The sky was darkening rapidly, clouds speeding over the sun. The sky turned a blood red color. And then she heard it. It was eerie singing, like a banshee, but worse. She squirmed inside, trying to think of what could be causing this. Everything had burst into sound and it was overwhelming to her. All at once. Then came the smoke. The forest was on fire. Ashes were already falling around her and red orange sparks flew into the clearing. Winnifred gasped for breath, trying desperately, willing herself to breath deep. She coughed into her hands and looked down at them to see them covered in liqued red.
Blood.
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Enerything was going black, but she willed herself to stay awake. If she fell unconcious, she would not make it out of the forest alive. Big throbbing noises, a magnified heartbeat. She scooped up the worn book, smearing blood over the covers and pages inside. She stumbled out of the clearing, trying to navigate through the glowing forest and make it outside. A stream. She knew there was one close by....
...I had a dream last night / The world was set on fire And everywhere I ran / There wasn't any water The temperature increased / The sky was crimson red The clouds turned into smoke / And everyone was dead (but) There's a smile on my face . . . For everyone There's a golden coin . . . That reflects the sun There's a lonely place . . . That's always cold There's a place in the stars . . . For when you get old...
She ran coughing. She couldn't find anything to stifle the rapidly growing fire. She had to find a way out. Winnifred bent low to the ground and finally made it to the sloping lawns in front of Hogwarts, but what she saw there made her heart rate increase even faster...and it was not her doing....
[A/N: to end here or not to end here...that is the question. This would make a great cliffhanger...hmmm....]
...There's razors in my bed / That come out late at night They always disappear / Before the morning light I'm dreaming again / Of life underground It doesn't ever move / It doesn't make a sound And just when I think--That things are in their place The heavens are secure--The whole thing explodes in my face...
It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day...
The castle was ablaze. Time seemed to fast forward as she ran, stumbling and coughing, towards the large crowd gathered in front. As she lurched through them, a teacher ahead turned around and spotted her. It was Professor McGonagall. The teacher gasped when she saw Winnifred's pale, shaking frame. There was ash smudged across her cheek and her navy eyes were deeply reflecting the fires around them. The professor pulled Winnifred over to another, yet smaller, group of people who were watching as Madame Pomfrey healed those who had been injured. Madame Pomfrey looked up as they approached and stopped what she was doing instantly to heal Winnifred.
"Come here, dear," she said in a soothing voice. Winnifred shook her head with tears gently forming in her eyes.
"I've got to find him," she said, trembling.
"Who, dear?" asked Madame Pomfrey.
"My cousin. I promised him, whatever happened, that I'd always help him. And...and I can't, don't you see?" Madame Pomfrey looked very worried at the girl's odd behavior. Winnifred was sounding deranged. "He is the only one who knows my secret...and I promised, I did...I'd save him from the Dark Lord. I've got to. Let me go!" Winnifred struggled, trying to get out of Professor McGonagall's strong grip.
"Poppy, this girl needs help. Please, what should I do with her," McGonagall asked worriedly.
"Tie her up if you have to. Anything to keep her away from the fires.
"She came out of the forest fire.
"I started it," said Winnifred quietly.
"What?" both McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey asked, shocked.
"I must have. Dark magic. Let me go! I did something wrong. Killed it. Fire started. The sky was blood red and I was dying, but then I came out here and I'm alive again. Let me go! I have to save him!" Winnifred fought and fought, but finally stopped, seeing as it would be no use to try and get away now. Half of the school was ablaze and if Severus was alive, if he still was alive, if he survived the fire....
AFTERWORD
Just so you all know, you will find out what happened to the rest of Hogwarts before, during, and after the fire in the next chapter. I just thought I'd add a bit of drama with the story and with Winnifred. By the way, I'm thinking of changing her name, but I'm not sure yet. And: the song in the italics and the dot dot dots is 'Just Another Day' by Oingo Boingo.
Lily
Okay everyone I've decided I want a beta to edit my chapters becuase I keep going over them again and again and find a ton of mistakes! Ack! Please review with your e-mail adress so I can send you drafts if you want to be my beta reader! Thanks!!!
Lily
--------------------------------------
...I feel it all around / I feel it in my bones My life is on the line / When I'm away from home When I step out the door / The jungle is alive I do not trust my ears / I don't believe my eyes I will not fall in love / I cannot risk the bet Cause hearts are fragile toys / so easy to forget...
Winnifred poured over a large worn book in a small alcove near the dungeons. She skimmed down the page with her navy eyes, taking in every detail quickly and quietly. She had vowed to herself that she would learn as much as she could before the end of summer so here she was, learning the dark arts. She was not learning them, though, to join the Dark Lord, but to wage a battle against him. No one knew. Not even her dear cousin Severus, the arrogant bastard.
She breathed deep and brushed a long strand of black hair that had fallen in her face out of the way. Soon she heard footsteps growing faintly louder as they approached her hiding place. Winnifred gripped her wand tighter and shifter her eyes to look up through her long eyelashes. Regius Avery stood opposite her, gazing down at her interestedly and observing the thick book in her lap. He smirked.
"Doing a bit of light reading, eh? For the Dark Lord. I daresay he could do with a few more supporters." Avery laughed coldly. "My dear Winnifred, we'll be Deatheaters in two years' time. You can wait to learn it all from our Lord himself when you come of age.
Winnifred sweetly up at him. "Ah, but unlike all his other followers, I am not a useless tagalong and I can handle myself, thank you very much." Avery shrugged and continued to walk down the hall. "Oh, and Avery." He turned to look at her. "Congratulations on being beat up singlehandedly by a Gryffindor." She smirked. Lupin had not attacked her or Snape, seeing as they had nothing to do with it, but he did give them a few words about it. Avery gawked at her and whipped around, stalking down the hall, his steps echoing eerily.
Winnifred sighed and gathered up her things. She flung her cloak over her shoulder and left the dungeon halls to find a quieter place to read, not that the dungeon wasn't quiet, she just needed somewhere to practice. She slipped outside into the bright sunlight and gazed over at the Forbidden Forest. There was smoke billowing out of the Gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid's, chimney, but no one was outside. She could slip into the forest to be alone.
She strode across the sloping lawns in front of the castle and into the dark forest, careful to go unnoticed. Sighing, she looked up at the trees above her. It was still rather light inside this part of the forest but if you traveled too deep into it, night came upon you.
Winnifred stopped inside a clearing nearby. Everything was still as she gazed at the bright green mosses on the trees and the mushroom patches at their bases. A few white butterflies and moths flitted about like tiny faeries and all that could be heard was the gentle chirping of a bird and a cricket. The navy-eyed girl sighed as she took in her surroundings. This was better. Much better. She stepped to the middle of the clearing and knelt on both knees, resting her hands gently in her lap and closing her eyes. She had laid the book open in front of her to an advanced dark magic spell.
Winnifred was not an ordinary girl. Despite her riveting looks and the fact that she was a witch going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Winnifred was a magess. She could do magic without her wand, though she preferred to use it. She had never told anyone, but had a feeling that the Lord Voldemort knew...he had the power to find out...eventually. That was why Winnifred was so sought after by Voldemort. That was why she was not afraid of him. She was not afraid of anything, except fear itself. She had extraordinary powers that she could use to become the greatest sorceress in history, but she didn't dare use her powers now. The threat of Voldemort, he would surely find out about her.
Winnifred willed power to her fingers. It was a very trying task and so far she could only do it a couple of times a day. But she was getting stronger as well. She had mastered some very difficult spells already, but none so more than the one she was about to attempt. Her eyes flickered open as she scanned the page quickly.
...It's just another day / There's murder in the air It drags me when I walk / I smell it everywhere It's just another day / Where people cling to light To drive away the fear / That comes with every night
It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day...
The Death Spell, more commonly known as one of the Unforgivable Curses, the Killing Curse. Any witch or wizard who performs such spell on any other faces a life sentence in Azkaban Prison. The Killing Curse is most infamous for its use by the Dark Lord Voldemort and his legion of Death Eaters.
This was all Winnifred needed to know. She would never use this curse save for one person: Tom Marvalo Riddle. Lord Voldemort himself. He was a puny Mudblood to her, nothing more, and if he thought he could win over her, he was wrong.
...It's just another day--When people wake from dreams With voices in their ears--That will not go away...
Winnifred hummed a bit to increase the flow of magic to her fingertips. They were buzzing with delight of being used again. She concentrated hard on the spell and aimed it towards a small squirrel that had poked its head into the clearing. She bit her bottom lip from the pain and concentration. And then, it was like a heartbeat, she opened her eyes, panting slightly and shifted her eyes to the squirrel, now dead at the base of the tree. She looked up. The sky was darkening rapidly, clouds speeding over the sun. The sky turned a blood red color. And then she heard it. It was eerie singing, like a banshee, but worse. She squirmed inside, trying to think of what could be causing this. Everything had burst into sound and it was overwhelming to her. All at once. Then came the smoke. The forest was on fire. Ashes were already falling around her and red orange sparks flew into the clearing. Winnifred gasped for breath, trying desperately, willing herself to breath deep. She coughed into her hands and looked down at them to see them covered in liqued red.
Blood.
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Enerything was going black, but she willed herself to stay awake. If she fell unconcious, she would not make it out of the forest alive. Big throbbing noises, a magnified heartbeat. She scooped up the worn book, smearing blood over the covers and pages inside. She stumbled out of the clearing, trying to navigate through the glowing forest and make it outside. A stream. She knew there was one close by....
...I had a dream last night / The world was set on fire And everywhere I ran / There wasn't any water The temperature increased / The sky was crimson red The clouds turned into smoke / And everyone was dead (but) There's a smile on my face . . . For everyone There's a golden coin . . . That reflects the sun There's a lonely place . . . That's always cold There's a place in the stars . . . For when you get old...
She ran coughing. She couldn't find anything to stifle the rapidly growing fire. She had to find a way out. Winnifred bent low to the ground and finally made it to the sloping lawns in front of Hogwarts, but what she saw there made her heart rate increase even faster...and it was not her doing....
[A/N: to end here or not to end here...that is the question. This would make a great cliffhanger...hmmm....]
...There's razors in my bed / That come out late at night They always disappear / Before the morning light I'm dreaming again / Of life underground It doesn't ever move / It doesn't make a sound And just when I think--That things are in their place The heavens are secure--The whole thing explodes in my face...
It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day It's just another . . . . . . . It's just another day...
The castle was ablaze. Time seemed to fast forward as she ran, stumbling and coughing, towards the large crowd gathered in front. As she lurched through them, a teacher ahead turned around and spotted her. It was Professor McGonagall. The teacher gasped when she saw Winnifred's pale, shaking frame. There was ash smudged across her cheek and her navy eyes were deeply reflecting the fires around them. The professor pulled Winnifred over to another, yet smaller, group of people who were watching as Madame Pomfrey healed those who had been injured. Madame Pomfrey looked up as they approached and stopped what she was doing instantly to heal Winnifred.
"Come here, dear," she said in a soothing voice. Winnifred shook her head with tears gently forming in her eyes.
"I've got to find him," she said, trembling.
"Who, dear?" asked Madame Pomfrey.
"My cousin. I promised him, whatever happened, that I'd always help him. And...and I can't, don't you see?" Madame Pomfrey looked very worried at the girl's odd behavior. Winnifred was sounding deranged. "He is the only one who knows my secret...and I promised, I did...I'd save him from the Dark Lord. I've got to. Let me go!" Winnifred struggled, trying to get out of Professor McGonagall's strong grip.
"Poppy, this girl needs help. Please, what should I do with her," McGonagall asked worriedly.
"Tie her up if you have to. Anything to keep her away from the fires.
"She came out of the forest fire.
"I started it," said Winnifred quietly.
"What?" both McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey asked, shocked.
"I must have. Dark magic. Let me go! I did something wrong. Killed it. Fire started. The sky was blood red and I was dying, but then I came out here and I'm alive again. Let me go! I have to save him!" Winnifred fought and fought, but finally stopped, seeing as it would be no use to try and get away now. Half of the school was ablaze and if Severus was alive, if he still was alive, if he survived the fire....
AFTERWORD
Just so you all know, you will find out what happened to the rest of Hogwarts before, during, and after the fire in the next chapter. I just thought I'd add a bit of drama with the story and with Winnifred. By the way, I'm thinking of changing her name, but I'm not sure yet. And: the song in the italics and the dot dot dots is 'Just Another Day' by Oingo Boingo.
Lily