Disclaimer: Blah blah... you know it by now
Author's Note: Yay! 'Nother chapter up! Whoo! Go me. Yeah, okay. I hope you like it!
Chapter Twenty-one
Realization Concurred
Thorn awoke at her regular before dawn time, and quickly dressed. She set the still sleeping Sparkie onto her shoulder, locked her trunk with her spell, and descended into the common room. She saw as few students up as she had the previous year as she left the room. First, to check on Fang and all of them, then to Severus's…
She left the Slytherin common room and climbed the stairs to the entrance hall. Then she was out on the grounds, running the length to the forest. Sparkie was sleeping soundly in her pocket. She flung herself into the forest and called to Shadow in her mind. The pegacorn, accompanied by her mother, father, and friends came to her at once. Then they lead her to where Fang was confined. When she reached him, he growled in happiness and she stroked his back.
"You are the owner of the dragon, then?" a strange voice said behind her. She turned to face a group of three centaurs. One had a chestnut colored body and a reddish tail, another was black, and wild looking, and the last, the speaker, was palomino, and white-blonde, who seemed youngest of the three.
Thorn nodded. "Yes, I am. My name is Thorn Rose. And this is Sparkie," she pulled the useless lump from her pocket, "Shadow, Shooter, Feather, Talon, Fell, and Fang." She pointed to each as she said their name. She placed the now semi-awake lizard on her shoulder, where he clung as he tried to rid the drowsiness from himself.
The young one nodded. "I am Firenze, and this is Bane, and Ronan."
The black one, Bane, snorted in annoyance. "Firenze, stop being so noble! We're here for one thing! Now get to business!" One of his black hoofed feet struck the earth under him.
Firenze sighed, then said, "Though Dumbledore has made this possible, we can't help but feel troubled. He himself has said that only you can speak to this dragon. We need to be assured that we are safe from his hungry fangs."
Thorn nodded. "Yes, of course." She gave a curt, respectful nod to the three of them, then turned to Fang. "Fang?" she hissed, "When you are hungry, and need to hunt in this small part of the wood, that has been marked for you," she said this as more of a threat that if he left his boundaries, she would know. "You must remember not to hunt unicorns, thestrals, hippogriffs, or, especially, centaurs. If you do, these fellows will not cease to kill you. Do you understand?" Fang nodded and the Slytherin turned to face Firenze, Bane, and Ronan again. "He will not attack you."
Bane gave a skeptical snort. "We'll see, human," then he trotted away, Ronan following in his wake. The palomino centaur sighed and turned back to face them.
"Please forgive Bane; he is not a fan of witches and wizards. He does not believe that they show centaurs much respect. You, however, show us more respect than many others have." He bowed for her, then turned away. "Farewell."
As he galloped after his fellows, Thorn turned to see all of the creatures watching her. "No worries," she muttered, "Fang will be safe. Now, I must go, breakfast will start in fifteen minuets." She gave each of them a stroke before she took off again.
She got to the great hall just as the food was beginning to appear. Amazingly, Maken, Cade, and Celestial were already there, and Maken was fully clothed, his tie secured about his neck. "Hey, Thorn!" he said as she sat behind him, "I was surprised when you weren't already here."
"I had to go check on Fang and the others," she stated simply, "They're doing just fine, a few of the centaurs had a problem with him being there, however. I had to smooth things over with them." Sparkie, now fully conscious, began to pile bacon onto her plate.
"Ah," was all that Maken said as Piper came to sit next to him. They became engaged in conversation as Thorn thought quietly to herself. Sparkie proceeded to stuff his little lizard belly with food. I didn't get to speak to Severus this morning… After classes, then. Yes, this can not go unknown.
First she had History of Magic. Once again, as in the previous year, she was one of the few people who stayed awake and retained information. Then she had to head to the greenhouses for Herbology with the Ravenclaws. Then was lunch, where she ate quietly, listening to the conversation that Maken and Cade were having. Something or another about Quidditch. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to face the tall figure of Raleigh Sawyer.
"Hello," she said calmly, her eyes showing the kindness that her face could not. "Mind if I sit here? The morons that were placed into my year along with me are driving me up the wall." Thorn nodded and Sparkie dove under an empty goblet, hiding himself from the girl whose ear he tried to pull off. Raleigh laughed and said, "Don't worry, little guy, I'm not mad. Many people have asked me about my pointed ears." He carefully lifted the wooden shield, that hardly covered him at all, and began to calmly eat a grape.
Then Maken's attention was suddenly brought to the newcomer as he realized that she was there. "Oh, hello!" he said, "I'm Maken… Sorry… Kinda dozed off in the sorting… what is your name again?"
"Raleigh," the elf muttered, and, at the strange look on Cade's face she said, "If you are wondering why my ears have this strange… pointy look, its 'cause I'm an elf, okay?" He nodded, then shrugged.
"Pointy is perfectly fine, I got a whole head of points," he pointed to his hair and Raleigh smiled. Then the sound of high heeled boots clicking loudly on the cold, stone floor caught all of their ears.
Thorn shook her head as Taffy Trelawney sat next to Celestial, across from Raleigh. "Ooh! You're a new face!" she said as she studied Raleigh from head to foot, taking note of her spiky short-but-halfway-long hair. "Well, I should warn you…" she leaned in close, trying, and failing, to make sure that Thorn didn't hear her, "Thorn, that girl over there, she's evil! Trust me, I know…"
Raleigh's eyes gained a purely disgusted gleam and she said, "Why don't you go and jump in the lake? After all, I hear that the giant squid is hungry. Then we can be rid of your ugly face once and for all."
Taffy crossed her arms over her chest and stalked off. Thorn chuckled while Maken, Cade, and Sparkie went into a dead-set laughing attack. Celestial sighed and shook her head. "Taffy's not that bad, guys. Sure, she's annoying, but still…"
The Ravenclaw snorted in her way of disagreement. "Whatever you say, well, I should get going, I have to get to Charms." She stood, gathered her things, and walked off with a wave. Thorn stood as well, Sparkie climbing onto her shoulder.
"We should to head off as well, we have Defense Against the Dark Arts." They nodded and followed after her. Time to find out if my suspicions are correct.
What suspicions? Sparkie asked offhandedly as he flicked a piece of bread from his scaly tail towards Maken. He missed.
She shook her head and continued on her way. It's nothing, and if it turns out to be something, then you'll know what that thing is. She smirked to the lizard, who was obviously confused.
He watched her and then thought, Thorn… you GOTTA stop speaking in riddles. She shrugged and opened the door to the classroom. Many Slytherins were already there, and all of the Gryffindors were. They took seats at the front of the class and waited for Quirrell to come in.
When he did Thorn sighed. He was stuttering like mad, and seemed almost afraid of everything around him. Something was different. Okay, sure, he was never the most confident person in the world, but he was never this terrified either. "O-okay, c-cl-class, welcome b-back to Ho-Hogwarts. I h-hope that y-y-your summer was a-as g-good as m-m-m-mine was." He let a small, quivering laugh escape from his throat and he continued with the lesson in a rather nervous manner. Thorn sighed. Something was wrong with him.
Yet Thorn would not get to speak to her uncle for a while yet. She went through the first week without doing so, both of them being rather busy. She didn't even get to speak to him during her potions class, she did not want others to discover what was going on. She didn't want to scare them, and her suspicions might be false. So it was Friday when she finally got to speak to Severus.
So she sped down the corridor to the Potions Master's office, Sparkie on her shoulder begging her to tell him what was so urgent. She ignored him as she took the ever familiar path to the ever familiar room. She reached the chamber and pulled the door open. Severus sat at his desk, calmly looking over some reports that the third years had turned in. "Thorn," he acknowledged, "I had Potter in my class today…" he muttered, "He hadn't a clue on what a Bezoar was." He clicked his tongue in disappointment, then seemed to notice the serious look on her face. "What has happened?" he asked with sudden concern.
Thorn sat next to him in a chair that had been designated as hers. Sparkie glided to Severus's shoulder to listen as well. "Something is wrong with Professor Quirrell," she said boldly, "I'm sure that you have noticed his sudden change. He's always been nervous, but this is just ridiculous." Severus nodded and motioned for her to continue. "Well, the night of the sorting, Potter looked up towards him, and you. I was curious, so I opened our connection a little bit, not enough to be noticeable. Well, no sooner than I had…" she paused, trying to figure out what exactly had happened. "A sudden… pain, if you will, shot through me, more like shock, while I sensed it pulse through his scar." Severus's eyes widened.
"That means…" he muttered.
"That Quirrell has a connection with Voldemort." She nodded, "At least I suspect so. I may be wrong…" Severus disagreed.
"Have you ever been wrong before?" he asked. She shook her head. "There you have it. I'll keep an eye on him. If that is the case, then he'll be after Potter…" Severus shook his head, "Trouble does seem to follow that child, doesn't it?"
Thorn smirked, "Indeed…"
By the next week Thorn discovered that Draco Malfoy was the scum of the earth. He was often caught bragging about his skill on a broom, or exclaiming how pathetic the school was, or how horrid Albus was as the headmaster. Sparkie would often curse him out to his face, though he never understood what was being yelled at him. One morning Thorn walked down into the common room in her early hours and looked to the notice board. She sighed. Flying lessons. That had been the one class that she hadn't been top in. Gryffindor and Slytherin working together. Often times Thorn wondered what made people think that combining the two classes would ever bring them closer. As far as she knew, since her mother and father, she was the only Slytherin with Gryffindor friends and vise versa.
Well, it wasn't her concern, not then, at least. When Thursday came Thorn was sitting quietly in Charms, Taffy and her friends Ellen Marsh, Alice Leona, and Celia Teek, babbling on behind her. Their whispers were all but quiet and constantly saying something about the mysterious girl in front of them. Sparkie was sitting at the window, watching the people down below. It was the flying lessons. He quietly pointed out Harry, Harry's friend with the red hair who had a strange rat, the annoying poofy haired girl, and many other people in Thorn's own house.
Ten minutes into class Thorn heard Sparkie think, The dumpy one just fell! Ooh that looked painful! Thorn rolled her eyes and concentrated on the unlocking charm that they were learning. Not long later he said, Now that freaky blonde kid with the over-stuffed ego is holding something shiny, and Potter's tellin' him off… Now he's flying, I don't think he should be doing that, Madame Hooch isn't there.
Thorn shushed him as she swiftly opened a tightly locked chest and relocked it, You don't need to give me a play-by-play, Sparkie.
Are you sure? he insisted, Harry's flying now, too, and he's going after that Malfoy guy. Woah! He just freaking threw that shiny thing! AND HARRY'S DIVING FOR IT! He's gonna crash into McGonagall's window! Thorn was now listening acutely. Was Potter insane? He even if he didn't die he would be in a lot of trouble, due to the fact that Madame Hooch wasn't present.
He caught it! Sparkie said as he leapt in the window, knocking off a small vial and causing it to crash to the floor. The whole class looked to him, as if noticing for the first time that he was there. He didn't seem to care, though, for he continued, I woulda caught it ages before, and I wouldn't have almost landed in a heap on Minerva's office floor, but hey, he still did well. Oh, speak of Minerva… he suddenly went quiet. Thorn's eyes darkened.
"Class!" the squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick suddenly chipped in, "Back to work! Miss Rose, would you please gather that lizard of yours!" She nodded and quickly pulled Sparkie from the window sill. He struggled, insisting that he wanted to see what was going on, but she won and he collapsed into her pocket.
We'll find out later, Sparkie… She thought to him, the she sighed. Nice job, Potter. Only the second week and you could already be in more trouble than you bargained for.
It was much later in the day when she figured out anything, though. It was passed dinner time. She had already asked Maken, Celestial, and Cade if they knew anything about what had happened to Harry. They hadn't known. Now she was sitting in her common room, reading one of her countless books, Dangerous Mountain Beasts. Suddenly Draco Malfoy strode in, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him as they always did.
"Potter sure is in for it," the blonde bragged, "That midnight duel is all a joke. He'll go there and find Filch, not me. Then he'll really be out of this crack-pot place." Sparkie rolled his little black eyes and Thorn's eyes stopped moving over the words about the mountain troll.
That little… she thought quietly to herself. Well, we'll show him, right, Sparkie?
Huh? He asked in a rather bewildered way. Whatcha talking about?
You'll see.
