One Year Later

A Story of Time

Written by PDMD

Disclaimer: I do not own any references to the magical world and muggle world referred to in the remarkable Harry Potter series by the magnificent J. K. Rowling. I do not own any references to any books or fan fictions of others that I use to create my very own original characters, books such as My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, or the Claidi's Journals series, by Tanith Lee to any other books and stories I have forgotten to mention, for I have lost track during the process of creating my most defined characters used in this story. I am in fact not making money of the production of this, so please don't sue me, for I do not have anything that's worth anything to you, if that makes sense. XD

Author's Notes: For Padfoot, Bubbles, Soapy, Celes, Giz, and everyone who is forced to listen to me think out loud. It gets annoying, I know, but sooner or later, it will all pay off. Most likely in the form of a fanfic. Lolz! XD

You may have read a story on Sugar Quill involving a woman named Viviane Chance coming to teach additional DADA durring Harry's third year. I cannot recall the author, nor the title. I give credit, though, for the little dispute between Claidi and Sibyll to the author, for I may be skirting around plagerising in a few places, but this is just because I wanted to create an exact replicate of the episode, but only in a few aspects. Please, don't shoot me.

Oh, and one note: Beware of bitches with pointy hats and sticks!

Chapter 2: Getting Away With Murder

"Honey, wake up dear."

"Hrrph…"

"Claidi, please wake up, you're going to oversleep."

"Grrummerrumph…"

"Miss Falcon, wake up, now! Do not make me yell!"

"…"

"PROFESSOR FALCON! WAKE UP NOW! I'M WARNING YOU, I-"

"Fine! Goddess, what's gotten into you?" Claidi pulled her head out from underneath her pillow to sleepily groped for her glasses. When she finally laid her fingers on the titanium frames, she smiled slightly and slipped them on to look at the alarm clock that was dancing about her bedside table, its face screwed up in annoyance. Smirking slightly, she muttered, "Meh old clock wasn't so demanding."

She stretched and let her gaze come into focus as she stared around the room. She was sitting up in a large, four-post bed - a real bed, one that contained all of her limbs - with a great, scarlet, down comforter. The pillows that she had been using were scattered around the head of the bed. She could hardly draw herself to dragging her toned body out of the divan.

The alarm clock sighed in exasperation, "Remind me to warn the grandfather on the fourth floor about you, will you, dear?" Claidi giggled as she slipped out of bed. She then took the time to study the room that she occupied. The walls were the same hue as the quilt, if not a shade deeper. Bookshelves full with books and documents, both her own and those belonging to the school, were built into the walls themselves. There were several touchier that stood around the room, shedding just enough light.

She stood there in her skivvies, as she seemed to have lost her undershirt during her nightly tormenting. Reaching under the comforter to search for it, she resurfaced moments later. Quickly, she jerked her pants on and threw a sweatshirt over her head.

The sweatshirt…

Where did that come from? She asked herself that as she picked up the discarded note:

Claidi-

Welcome back! Wear this, and I hope to see you soon. Ask Remus who I am, if you don't already know.

Karo

Karo? Why was that name so familiar? She continued to mill over that question as she slipped the note into the front pocket of her denims, and her wand into her back one. This seemed like a common enough gesture, yet so alien to her. No matter. She quickly strapped on her sheath and hurried out the door, pulling the gray Quicksilver hoodie down in the front.

It had been so long since she had left here last. She smiled as she passed Sir Cadigan's portrait, sticking her tongue out at him over her shoulder as he began to babble on about challenging her.

She continued down the hall until she reached its mouth and slid down the railing of the marble flight of stairs, all the way down to the first floor. Hopping off as she reached the front hall, she walked around to the side entrance to the Great Hall that was used by the faculty.

Cursing under her breath as she stubbed her bare toe, Claidi half limped to her seat next to Remus. Her lips curved up in a smile as she looked over at her, well, friend she should say. "Good morning," she said brightly as she turned her head back to look at her plate. Her eyes widened at the sight of real food. Mmm… bacon. Slowly, as if to make sure it was all real, she took her time eating the breakfast before her. Through out the meal, her concentration was distracted by the murmurs and whispers filling the halls, the gazes burning her skin as she ignored the scrutiny.

"Claidi?" Swallowing a mouthful of food, her head swiveled to meet Remus' question. There was hindering in his gaze, which she saw even before his amber irises. This made her tense, a state of unease whipping through her body. Slowly, her hand began to reach for her blade. His hand quickly reached out and rested on hers, stopping her from grabbing at her weapon. Jerking her hand away from him, she leaned a bit away. There was attentiveness with something akin to fear in her eyes.

In a slow, calm voice, Remus quietly said, "Claidi, we need to talk." This did nothing for her nerves. Rubbing his thumb over the length of her hand, he continued, in the same defenseless manner, "Would you stop by my office around two this afternoon for tea?"

Tea, she assured herself. It's only tea, no fight, no poison. It's just tea with Remus… Her shoulders relaxed, as well as her gaze, although, her muscles still remained somewhat tight. "I would be delighted to, Remus," she replied, her tone matching his. Her heart sped at his smile, and she returned her own.

"YOU!"



Remus' head whipped up at the angry scream. Claidi jumped out of her chair, sending it clattering back. Her sword seemed to appeared from nowhere she had drawn it so rappidly as she whipped to her feet in a deffensive stance. Body rigid, her gaze traveled to where the shrill cry had come from. "You," she spat back at Sibyll Trelawney. Sword raised in her hands, Claidi glared deeply at the other woman with a unforgiving loathing.

What a sight it was; a dirty, gaunt woman with silvery hair, muggle clothing, dainty glasses, and a rather large sword, ready to fight, and a thin witch in floaty pastel robes and infinate ropes of beads, topped by her enormous specticals resting on the bridge of her narrow nose.

The woman wearing robes the shade of an Easter egg took a step foward, already standing a good forty feet from the table; the divinations teacher seemed to have just come in through the main entrance to the dining hall. "You," Sibyll hissed, yet her voice remained loud enough for everyone across the suddenly silent hall. "You bring danger! Your inheritance cannot be refused! Where you go, your past follows!"

Remus pushed his chair a significant distance away from the table at what happened next. Claidi's face went white and she snarled loudly in a barbaric manner as she leaped to the table top. She seemed not to notice that her left bare foot had been planted in the center of a bowl of black and white pudding. Given the situation wasn't so mysterious or rash, Remus would have laughed about that later. But right now, he was too intrigued by what Professor Trelawney had said.

Just as it looked as though Claidi were to leap at her oposer, Professor McGonagall rested her grip on her colligue's ankle. Claidi yanked her leg away, turning her fiery gaze on the Transfiguration professor. The older woman seemed unfazed by this, and went so far as to inform the falconer, "There is no murder allowed before lunch, Claidissa."

With a sneer that challenged Severus', she spoke, "Meh name is Claidi, and dan dere should be anoder rule about predictions over breakfast." Hopping off the table on the opposite side than she had mounted it, she stormed out of the hall, leaving a one-footed trail of pudding behind her. Only after she had slammed the faculty door rather loudly, and Professor Trelawney had taken her seat and served her self, the noisy chatter of the students roused again.

Remus scooted his seat back to the table, still occupying it during this process. Leaning over to Professor McGonagall, who had just taken her seat to his right, he asked, "What do you think that was that about?"

The older woman sighed. "I don't know," she confessed, "but I have a feeling that sooner or later we're going to find out." After frowning upon the mussed pudding, she disposed of it with of a flick of her wand and turned back to Remus. "You seem to be the closest of us to Claidissa, or Claidi, rather," she corrected herself. "Would you mind going to see if she's alright?"

Slowly, Remus nodded and pushed his seat back again. Having already finished his breakfast, he didn't mind the task at hand one bit as he left the great hall through the side door, following the footprints. As he plodded down the hall, he contemplated over what Professor Trelawney said. He knew why Claidi had been so angry, or atleast to some extent in the begining.

When Claidi had first started harboring feelings towards the mild-mannered DADA teacher, Sibyll had decided to take action on her own emotions. Claidi, being the short-tempered bull-headed fiend that she was, began to grow an imediate loathing towards the Divinations teacher. Eventually, though, Claidi had won him over when she had her miscarrage. When Remus was at her side comforting her, Sibyll was trying to get him to follow her to her tower.

"Great," Remus muttered as the trail stopped at an open window. Grasping the stone window sil, he leaned out and looked up and all around. Coming to the conclusion the Claidi had taken the shape of a falcon and flown out, as was how she normally traveled to visit him from across the school, he leaned back inside and shut the glass. If anything, Claidi wanted to be alone.


"Why are you so quiet?" the falcon by her side asked.

Looking up at her, Claidi just shook her head and turned it to gaze out on the horizon. Crouching beside her friend, Frightful, Claidi rested on one of the highest parapets of the castle. She had been here for around ten minutes already with her friend who she had found in the sky.

The falcon cocked her head to the side. "Why?" the falcon asked again.

Sighing, Claidi turned to the bird again. "I don't think I should have come back," the human replied in Falconish.

Frightful creeed in surprise. "What do you mean,'you shouldln't have come back?'"

Claidi plowed her fingers through her hair with a deep sigh. "Everything's different; nothing's the way it was."

"Maybe it's you that's changed," suggested the falcon.

Slowly, Claidi's gaze returned to the landscape far out infront of her. "Maybe," she aggreed. "But Remus tried to kiss me last night, and he's never been that straight forward."

"Maybe he just had to lose you to realize that he had you."

"What are you, Dr. Phil or something?" Claidi retorted, followed by a snort of laughter.

The falcon just shook her head with a chuckle. "I'm just speaking my mind."

Again, Claidi snorted. "Birdbrain. Hey," she laughed as Frightful clawed at her arm.

The bird rolled her eyes. They laughed together for a few moments more, before a serious silence fell over them.

Finally, Frightful asked, "But I thought you liked kissing Remus."

Again, Claidi sighed. "I did," she admitted.

"So what happened?" the bird wanted to know.

Shaking her head, Claidi replied honestly, "Things are just different for me now, I guess."

"Did you love him?"

This question caught her off guard, and for a split second she lost her ballance. Wide-eyed, she turned and faced her faclon, mouth agape. "WHAT?"

"Did you love him?" Frightful repeated calmly.

Still Claidi stared at her. She had no idea how to answere this question. Did she love him? Had she loved him? The questions were endless.

After a few minutes, Frightful worridly raised a wing and waved it infront of Claidi's dazed face. Automatically, Claidi snapped out of it and shook her head to clear it. "Sorry," she appologized.

"Well?" Frightful asked, finally becoming the least bit impatient.

"I don't know," she answered, truthfully. "I might have been, probably was too bulheaded though."

"Then why is it so hard for you?" Frightful asked.

Claidi shook her head. "I don't know, truly, I don't."

The falcon nodded, turning to look out over the castle grounds. Claidi then noticed the position of the sun, and cursed in another tongue. "I told Remus I'd have tea with him this afternood," Claidi said, standing.

Frightful smiled. "You two love birds have fun," she teased. Claidi smiled down at her and shook her head as she lept into the air. Feathers sprouted out of her pores, her body shrinking down a bit. And the falcon flew off towards the DADA teacher's office.