None of the songs I use in this or subsequent chapters belong to me, as
much as I wish they did. Ah well. Oh and if anyone knows Madam Hooch's real
name please tell me and I'll change it.
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For some reason or other that Halloween night was a restless one for several of the inhabitants of Hogwarts castle. Ghosts of the past and harbingers of the future were making their presence felt with surprising force.
Storm was not the least of these. She was now comfortably ensconced in the dungeon next to the Potions classroom. She laid down on the fleecy blanket that Hagrid had thoughtfully provided, but every time she closed her eyes she was haunted by faces she would never see again. She rolled over and the sound of her slight movement echoed through the dungeon. She didn't like being alone. She hummed to herself to try and keep her spirits up.
If there was one thing that Storm loved it was music. Her most prized possession in her last home had been a small Muggle radio with enchanted so it never needed batteries. She'd stolen it from her owner's young son years ago and hidden it. The child had so many toys that he didn't notice anyway. She'd spent countless hours listening to it turned down so quietly that it was barely a whisper and no one else would notice it. If she could have done she'd have brought it with her - what a comfort it would have been on the nights she'd spent huddled under bushes fearful of being found. But she'd left in too much of a hurry to think of bringing anything with her. It wouldn't work here anyway, so she'd have to make her own entertainment. One particular song came immediately to mind simply because of the appropriateness of the lyrics, so she sang in her own way with Elaine Paige's voice joining her in a duet in her mind:
"Midnight Not a sound from the pavement Has the Moon lost her memory She is smiling alone."
Storm stared up at the slit-like window through which her only vision of the moon and stars came, so she closed her eyes and let her imagination bear her away to the open air.
"Memories All alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then. I remember the time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again."
By the time the instrumental part came, the rith was up and dancing, the dungeon walls having melted around her. She was light and graceful on her feet, seeming to float above the floor, and she could almost see the imaginary partner in her arms.
She sang to him now, tears carving deep furrows in her furry face, thinking that perhaps it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all as her glorious vision faded.
"It's so easy to leave me All alone with my memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me You'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day has begun."
She sang until dawn, all her favourite groups and artists over the years coming back to her: Phil Collins, Roxette, Enya, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Queen and countless others all putting in an appearance, their popular songs echoing through the deserted passageways, howled by one lonely wolf.
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Professor Severus Snape was also finding sleep elusive. His talk with Albus earlier on only served to resurrect old ghosts, painful memories and bitterness.
Enyana, Enyana, the name kept turning over and over in his mind along with the confused feelings it always aroused in him. In all the world she had been the one thing that he wanted more than life itself, he would have given anything to have her, for her to say she loved him. But what had she done? Laughed at him with her so-called friends - Potter and the like.
When he heard that she'd got engaged to Sirius Black it had crushed him. It had been the main reason why he had joined the Dark Lord, as an outlet for all the hate he felt. But just as she'd been the reason why he joined, she was the reason why he turned away.
They'd killed her. Killed her and his chances of ever having her. He felt betrayed by the act and turned spy against them. He hadn't cared if he'd been found out and murdered, for then all the pain would have been over. Instead he'd learnt to bury his hurt deep inside.
Instead of dwelling on his anguish in his room he decided to take a short walk around the castle, trying to convince himself that it was just to make sure that no students were wandering the halls on a Halloween prank.
Every hallway was cloaked in darkness and he could almost fool himself that he was alone. Alone but for the echo of his own footsteps. When he approached the Astronomy Tower he was sure he could hear voices. Preparing himself to confront the miscreant, he came face to face with Madam Hooch and a pale young first year. The older woman had her arm around the girl's shoulders and smiled at Severus when she saw him as if to warn him not to make a fuss. The girl looked slightly flushed, but her eyes were darkly rimmed from exhaustion. Snape accompanied the pair back to the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.
'You'll be all right now, Aisling?'
'Yes, thank you, Madam Hooch.'
Aisling Finnigan whispered the password to a large stone eagle that swung aside to let her in.
'What was that all about?' Snape muttered darkly.
'Poor girl, caught her sleepwalking. It's not her fault Severus,' she added, noting the disbelieving hardness in his eyes. 'What are you doing prowling the passageways this late?'
'Much the same you are, I'd imagine, Diana.'
Diana Hooch laughed, 'It's not a night for sleeping, is it? I was on my way up to the Astronomy Tower to watch the stars when I met young Aisling. It's a clear night, you're welcome to join me, if you'd like.'
'Thank you, but no thank you. All this 'prowling', as you put it, has made me rather tired. If you'll excuse me.'
'Of course.'
Severus strode off back towards his rooms. It wasn't that he didn't like Diana, but she made him rather uncomfortable. There was something unworldly about her, something unnatural. He supposed it was those piercing yellow eyes that seemed to strip your soul bare if she looked at you long enough. Yellow eyes always made him think of wolves and wolves were one thing that Severus Snape loathed.
He laid back down in bed but sleep was a long time in coming to the Potions Master.
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For some reason or other that Halloween night was a restless one for several of the inhabitants of Hogwarts castle. Ghosts of the past and harbingers of the future were making their presence felt with surprising force.
Storm was not the least of these. She was now comfortably ensconced in the dungeon next to the Potions classroom. She laid down on the fleecy blanket that Hagrid had thoughtfully provided, but every time she closed her eyes she was haunted by faces she would never see again. She rolled over and the sound of her slight movement echoed through the dungeon. She didn't like being alone. She hummed to herself to try and keep her spirits up.
If there was one thing that Storm loved it was music. Her most prized possession in her last home had been a small Muggle radio with enchanted so it never needed batteries. She'd stolen it from her owner's young son years ago and hidden it. The child had so many toys that he didn't notice anyway. She'd spent countless hours listening to it turned down so quietly that it was barely a whisper and no one else would notice it. If she could have done she'd have brought it with her - what a comfort it would have been on the nights she'd spent huddled under bushes fearful of being found. But she'd left in too much of a hurry to think of bringing anything with her. It wouldn't work here anyway, so she'd have to make her own entertainment. One particular song came immediately to mind simply because of the appropriateness of the lyrics, so she sang in her own way with Elaine Paige's voice joining her in a duet in her mind:
"Midnight Not a sound from the pavement Has the Moon lost her memory She is smiling alone."
Storm stared up at the slit-like window through which her only vision of the moon and stars came, so she closed her eyes and let her imagination bear her away to the open air.
"Memories All alone in the moonlight I can smile at the old days I was beautiful then. I remember the time I knew what happiness was Let the memory live again."
By the time the instrumental part came, the rith was up and dancing, the dungeon walls having melted around her. She was light and graceful on her feet, seeming to float above the floor, and she could almost see the imaginary partner in her arms.
She sang to him now, tears carving deep furrows in her furry face, thinking that perhaps it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all as her glorious vision faded.
"It's so easy to leave me All alone with my memory Of my days in the sun If you touch me You'll understand what happiness is Look, a new day has begun."
She sang until dawn, all her favourite groups and artists over the years coming back to her: Phil Collins, Roxette, Enya, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Queen and countless others all putting in an appearance, their popular songs echoing through the deserted passageways, howled by one lonely wolf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------
Professor Severus Snape was also finding sleep elusive. His talk with Albus earlier on only served to resurrect old ghosts, painful memories and bitterness.
Enyana, Enyana, the name kept turning over and over in his mind along with the confused feelings it always aroused in him. In all the world she had been the one thing that he wanted more than life itself, he would have given anything to have her, for her to say she loved him. But what had she done? Laughed at him with her so-called friends - Potter and the like.
When he heard that she'd got engaged to Sirius Black it had crushed him. It had been the main reason why he had joined the Dark Lord, as an outlet for all the hate he felt. But just as she'd been the reason why he joined, she was the reason why he turned away.
They'd killed her. Killed her and his chances of ever having her. He felt betrayed by the act and turned spy against them. He hadn't cared if he'd been found out and murdered, for then all the pain would have been over. Instead he'd learnt to bury his hurt deep inside.
Instead of dwelling on his anguish in his room he decided to take a short walk around the castle, trying to convince himself that it was just to make sure that no students were wandering the halls on a Halloween prank.
Every hallway was cloaked in darkness and he could almost fool himself that he was alone. Alone but for the echo of his own footsteps. When he approached the Astronomy Tower he was sure he could hear voices. Preparing himself to confront the miscreant, he came face to face with Madam Hooch and a pale young first year. The older woman had her arm around the girl's shoulders and smiled at Severus when she saw him as if to warn him not to make a fuss. The girl looked slightly flushed, but her eyes were darkly rimmed from exhaustion. Snape accompanied the pair back to the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room.
'You'll be all right now, Aisling?'
'Yes, thank you, Madam Hooch.'
Aisling Finnigan whispered the password to a large stone eagle that swung aside to let her in.
'What was that all about?' Snape muttered darkly.
'Poor girl, caught her sleepwalking. It's not her fault Severus,' she added, noting the disbelieving hardness in his eyes. 'What are you doing prowling the passageways this late?'
'Much the same you are, I'd imagine, Diana.'
Diana Hooch laughed, 'It's not a night for sleeping, is it? I was on my way up to the Astronomy Tower to watch the stars when I met young Aisling. It's a clear night, you're welcome to join me, if you'd like.'
'Thank you, but no thank you. All this 'prowling', as you put it, has made me rather tired. If you'll excuse me.'
'Of course.'
Severus strode off back towards his rooms. It wasn't that he didn't like Diana, but she made him rather uncomfortable. There was something unworldly about her, something unnatural. He supposed it was those piercing yellow eyes that seemed to strip your soul bare if she looked at you long enough. Yellow eyes always made him think of wolves and wolves were one thing that Severus Snape loathed.
He laid back down in bed but sleep was a long time in coming to the Potions Master.