Chapter 14: The Attack
Blood. I want it. I need it. I must bite. Claw. Tear. Rip. Shred. Flesh, give me human flesh. I can smell it. I can almost taste it. Give it to me. GIVE IT TO ME NOW! These thoughts were punctuated by a long angry howl.
Sairina sat up abruptly in her bed, covered in beads of cold sweat gasping for air.
She groped about in the dark for her wand and upon finding it flicked her wrist lighting a candle that always sat on her bedside table. It flickered to life and cast long shadows on the walls of her room. Sairina sat in her bed breathing deeply and rubbing her temples. Her visions had been occurring more and more over the summer, each one more vivid than the last. This last one in particular was extremely violent.
"Accio robe," Sairina breathed and her warm blue robe flew across the room and she snatched it out of the air. Wrapping it around her, she clamored out of her bed, grabbed the lit candle, and walked silently into her study. She sat down at her semi-organized desk and pulled out a large leather bound book. Flipping through many pages that had her neat scrawling, she came across her last entry. After noting the date and guessing at the time, Sairina began to record what she had seen and felt in her vision.
After several minutes of writing she concluded and began to look back over the other visions she had recorded to see if there were any similarities between this and other visions. Sairina frowned when she could only find one other entry. It was dated about a month ago, and was the same as she had written for this most recent vision. Sighing she cracked her knuckles and closed her eyes.
"What is the connection?" she asked herself, "There has to be some sort of connection." She closed her eyes and pondered this in silence. The thoughts were definitely not human; they seemed very primitive and beast like. For some odd reason, Sairina could not shake the mental image of a wolf from her mind. She didn't know for sure, but she had a hunch that these visions dealt with the one she had had in third year while she was in the hospital wing from her Quidditch injury.
She was almost positive that there was a werewolf at Hogwarts. But what didn't make any sense to Sairina was why she was having these visions. It wasn't like someone she knew was a werewolf. Right?
Shaking her head, she closed her vision journal and picked up one of the ancient spell books her grandfather had left her because she knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep that night. Sairina had been having visions almost every night after her coronation, and every time, she could not will herself to go back to sleep. So, she had been going through the spell books of her grandfather and practicing their magic; in her opinion, she was becoming quite formidable in the art of light magic.
She was currently in the process of examining a conjuring spell, a complex one. It would allow Sairina to conjure anything she focused on. The incantation, however, was about two pages long, and she had been studying it for the last few times she had been awakened by a vision. Closing her eyes, she began muttering the incantation and focusing on the form of a book. Sairina furrowed her brow in concentration as she could feel magical energy pool in her hand. Sairina finished the incantation and slowly cracked one eye open.
There was nothing in her hand.
Sighing in frustration, she began to go over the spell again. Before she knew it, she had set her head down and fallen asleep on the spell book.
/0/0/
The breeze blew gently through the open balcony doors as Sairina sat and poured over her the spell book she had fallen asleep on a few nights before. She was determined to get this spell, come Morgoth or high water. A knock on her door interrupted her and she once again let out a frustrated sigh.
"Enter," she said and began looking over the spell for the millionth time. Eldarion entered the room wearing a large smile. Sairina peered at him over the top edge of her spell book, "What do you need brother?"
"I was merely curious if you would like to have a spar later in the afternoon?" he asked jovially. Sairina shrugged.
"I don't see why not," she said eventually and Eldarion gave her a half-hug before leaving the room. Sairina stared after him in confusion. He had been acting out of character as of late and Sairina was beginning to wonder about his mental state.
Sairina turned back to the spell book once more, but she didn't get very far before there was another nock. This time, it was the familiar tapping of an owl at the mirror. Jumping up from her chair she moved to the mirror; saying the incantation, the mirror opened and two owls flew in. She took the letters from them and instantly recognized the envelope from the school and a letter from Lily.
Noticing that the school envelope was heavier than usual, she opened it first. As she slid the letter out, a heavy metal badge fell out into her lap. She picked it up examining it curiously. She smiled as she realized that it was a prefect badge. Dumbledore had made her a prefect. She quickly looked over her other lists of things she needed and set the letter to the side and quickly opened Lily's letter.
It was at this juncture that her door opened once again. Looking up she smiled as she saw Hallien enter and walk towards her. The girl climbed onto her sister's lap.
"What are you reading?" she asked innocently looking at the letters. Sairina smiled at her sister.
"Well this is a letter from my lady in waiting, Lily," Sairina explained holding it up, "You remember her right?" Hallien nodded shyly.
"What does it say?" she asked squinting at the neat lettering of Lily's script.
"Well," Sairina said quickly reading through it, "She asks me how my summer has been, and that her summer has been fun. She also says that she has been made a school prefect, and she asks if I have been made one too."
"Were you?" Hallien interrupted. Sairina reached over to the badge and picked it up to show her sister.
"Yes, I was," Sairina said before setting the badge down once again before turning back to the letter, "She also asks if I want to meet up at Diagon Alley to do our school shopping, and she also extends an invitation to stay at her house the rest of the summer."
"Are you going to?" Hallien asked. Sairina shrugged.
"I know not," Sairina said simply, "I have to ask mother and father first."
"Can I come too?" Hallien asked causing Sairina to smile, "I like Lily a lot, especially when she stayed after your coronation. She was fun to play with."
"And I'm not?" Sairina said with mock anger. Hallien's eyes went wide with shock.
"No, no, no," she protested and Sairina laughed.
"Don't worry," Sairina said, "I was just joking. I do not think you will be able to come with me this time, maybe when you're older." Hallien nodded and picked up her sister's badge.
"Are you going to tell father and mother?" she asked looking to her sister. Sairina nodded and scooped her little sister up so that she was seated on her hip.
"Would you like to come with me?" Sairina asked and Hallien nodded with fervor. This sent Sairina into another peal of laughter. With that, Sairina carried Hallien off with her to go speak with her parents.
/0/0/
Sairina smiled as she strolled through the now familiar sights of Diagon Alley. She was supposed to meet Lily at Flourish & Blotts in thirty minutes, and decided to just walk around for the time being. As she walked, she leaned heavily on her staff. She could tell that she was getting strange looks from some of the other people in the alley, but she pointedly ignored them. She trusted the Elvish magic she had taught herself as much as the magic she had learned over the past four years.
"Hey Sai," Lily's familiar voice called. Sairina turned and smiled as she saw her flame-headed friend approach her.
"Hey Lils," Sairina replied, "You ready for some back to school shopping."
Lily opened her mouth to answer, but a loud explosion cut her off. The panic was instantaneous. People were fleeing, screaming, and sheltering their children. The explosion seemed to come from behind the Magical Menagerie. Lily and Sairina watched in horror as tall, black hooded figures swarmed the streets.
"Death Eaters," Lily breathed grabbing Sairina's hand, "We need to get out of sight, now!"
The two girls ran for a side street, but one of the Death Eaters saw them and gave chase. The girls realized this and began to run as fast as their legs could carry them. Sairina paused for a moment and turned to their predator.
"Daro!" she cried holding out her staff and the Death Eater froze in his tracks. Sairina turned back to Lily, "Where should we go?" Lily looked at a loss for words. A side door to one of the shops slamming open startled both of the girls. They turned to the source of the sound and let out a sigh of relief.
The two girls had never been so happy to see the Marauders.
Sairina rushed forward embracing Remus who held her tightly. Lily followed her friend almost hesitantly, but she figured dealing with James Potter was better than being killed by a Death Eater.
"Are you girls alright?" Sirius asked pressing a bit of torn robe to his forehead to absorb the blood from a cut he had received. The girls nodded silently. Sirius looked to James.
"We're going to the next street over to find a grate then we're flooing back to my house," James said steadily, "My father's an Auror and he's out there trying to get the situation under control along with some others. He told us to go back to the house." Sairina nodded while Lily looked timid about the whole thing.
"Follow me," Sirius said taking the lead. He was then followed by Remus and Sairina, then Peter and Lily, and James brought up the rear constantly looking over his shoulder to see if they were being followed. Sirius burst out of the side street and into another main alley thoroughfare. Lily and Sairina stared in wonder at all of the shops. There were shops wholly devoted to crystal balls, telescopes, and star charts.
"Where are we?" Sairina asked as the group made their way through the stands. The sounds of the fight in Diagon Alley were steadily growing louder.
"Celesti Alley," Remus replied as they followed Sirius into a shop for Tea Leaves, "It's the main centre for all things needed for divination, astronomy, and astrology." Sirius had by this time run up to the proprietor of the shop and was talking hurriedly to him. James had entered the shop and shut the door when Sirius came back to the group.
"He says he is connected to the floo network," he said slightly out of breath, "and that we can use his fireplace." The owner came over.
"I'll see you kids off before I go out and to see if I can help," the man said holding out a large tea cup that had floo powder in it. Every body took a pinch of it and walked back to the fire place.
"How do you use this?" Lily asked looking at the others. Some of the others looked at her but Sairina just smiled.
"Follow their lead," she said motioning to the boys, "Remember to speak loud and clear." James was the first one to step into the fireplace.
"Godric Hallow," he said loudly and clearly while dropping the powder into the small flame that was still burning. In a flash of green flame he had vanished. Lily looked at Sairina with worry etched into her face as Peter stepped forward.
"Godric Hallow," he said and he too vanished in a flash of green flames.
"Go next Lily," Sirius said as he looked worriedly at the door. The sounds of fighting kept growing louder, "It is more important for you and Sairina to get out of here next. I'm a pureblood and Remus is a half-blood, we'll be fine if they get in here." The girls looked at each other darkly as Lily stepped into the fire place.
"Godric Hallow," Lily said copying the procedure as she had seen the others do. She too vanished. Sairina stepped up next.
"Godric Hallow," she said and was instantly swept away in green fire. It hadn't been the first time she flooed, but it was always an exciting experience. She was surrounded in green flames as she soared past thousands of different grates before eventually landing in one and tumbling out of an unfamiliar fireplace.
"That just leaves Remus and Sirius," Sairina heard James's voice before she actually saw him. Standing up she tried to regain her bearings when she saw a fairly beautiful older lady and Lily rush forward to help her. As they helped Sairina out of the way, Remus was next to land in the grate.
"They had blown open the door when I flooed," he said shakily to James and Peter, who rushed forward to help him up, but somebody landed on top of him before he could stand. "Bloody hell, Sirius," Remus said groaning under the other teen's weight.
The woman and the other boys helped Remus and Sirius get to their feet. The woman then ushered the six teen into a sitting room to the right of the kitchen.
"You dears wait here," she said kindly, but worry still in her face, "I'll be back with some tea."
"Thanks, mum," James said taking off his glasses and wiping the soot off with the edge of his shirt. Lily's head popped up.
"This is your house?" Lily asked warily causing everybody else to smile. James put his glasses back on his face.
"Yes, Lily flower," he smirked, "it is." Lily started wringing her hands and looked at Sairina.
"I need to contact my parents," she said and Sairina could tell she was forcing back tears, "They'll be going back to Diagon Alley in about an hour to come get us, Sai. What if there is still fighting, they're muggles . . ." She let her voice trail off. James jumped out of his seat.
"Mum," he called jogging out of the room, "what's the quickest what to contact muggles?" There was silence for a few moments, and the others could tell that James and his mother were talking. James then came back into the room, "Lily, follow me. My mum has a way for you to contact your parents." Lily got up and followed James. The other teen boys smiled slyly at each other.
"This could be the year," Sirius said clapping and rubbing his hands together. Remus shook his head.
"I hope not," Peter groaned sinking down into his chair, "I had them pegged for sixth year." Once again, Remus shook his head.
"What are you boys talking about?" Sairina asked curiously. Sirius smiled, and Sairina could tell he was all to willing to explain.
"Since about second year," he began as he perched himself on a window sill, "Little Jamsie has been ogling over Lily and kept on about how one day she will be his. Well the rest of us made a little wager with one another about when they will actually start dating. I'm in for fifth year, Pete's in for sixth, and Remus is in for seventh."
"You boys need something more constructive to do with your time," Sairina said standing and stretching. She began to examine the room.
"Something wrong?" Remus asked moving to where Sairina was standing. Sairina closed her eyes and gently touched the wall with her finger tips.
"This house has so much history," she said distantly, "You can feel it in the . . ." she trailed off. Remus stepped forward worriedly.
"Sai?" he asked unsure. Sairina didn't hear him. Instead all she heard was screams.
"Lily," the voice of James bellowed, "it's Voldermort. Take Harry and run. Get out of here; I'll try to hold him off. I can't believe he betrayed us, he was one of my best friends." These last words had been muttered, and were drowned out by the sound of a door being blown off its hinges.
"Well, well, James Potter," a sinister, cold voice taunted, "You and that mudblood can't hide the boy from me anymore." Then there were sounds of a duel. They kept shouting curses at one another until there was the sound of someone falling to the floor.
Someone began walking upstairs. There was once more the sound of a door being blown off its hinges.
"You'll have to kill me first," Lily's voice said firmly.
"My pleasure," the cold voice said once more, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" There was a scream and the sound of someone falling to the floor. "To think, that old fool Albus thought a baby could bring about my downfall. Avada Kedavra." There was a scream this time, but it was the cold voice that was screaming in pain. Once the scream faded, it was replaced by the cooing and giggling of a baby.
Sairina ripped her hand away from the wall and gasped for breath. She began slowly backing up What had that been? Sairina didn't know anything for sure, only that it had been one of the most terrifying things she had ever felt. She hadn't seen anything; she had only heard the sounds and voices. She had chills through out her body as she sunk down into a chair.
Lily, James, and James's mother reentered the room. Mrs. Potter was holding a tray that was loaded with tea cups and a teapot. A small withered creature with blonde hair falling to the level of her chin followed her in carrying a tray filled with different cakes and biscuits.
"House elf," Remus murmured in Sairina's ear. She nodded wordlessly and Remus looked in concern at her, "Are you alright?" He held onto her trembling hand. What had her so frightened was all Remus could wonder at. She stood abruptly.
"I . . . I . . . I need some air," she stammered and began towards the door. Remus and Lily exchanged worried glances.
"Of course dear," Mrs. Potter said after setting down the tray then seeing her out of the room. The five remaining teens could hear patio doors opening and closing. Mrs. Potter entered the room again and began serving tea while the house elf plated food.
"Mrs. Potter," Remus asked taking a cup from the older lady, "is Sairina alright?" Mrs. Potter smiled benignly.
"I think she will be, Remus," she replied, "She just seems shaken up about this whole attack. It's understandable." Once all the tea was served, there came the sound of someone entering by floo.
"Hannah?" a voice asked from the kitchen. Mrs. Potter quickly got up and left the room.
"Coming dear," she said as she vanished. The five teens sat in awkward silence for a moment sipping their tea. Lily cautiously turned her gaze to Remus.
"What happened to Sai?" she asked softly, "When I left she looked perfectly fine, but when I came back she looked like she had seen a ghost."
"It was the strangest thing," Sirius spoke up, "She was saying something about this house having history. Then she touched the wall and went all silent for like five minutes. It was like she was communicating with the house or something . . ." Lily jumped up from her seat and quickly walked out of the room.
"I wonder what's going on," Peter murmured aloud as Remus stood and followed Lily. The rest of the boys shrugged and followed suit.
Sairina leaned on her staff as she looked out over the gardens of Godric Hallow. They were in full bloom, and Sairina felt at home in the naturalness of it all. She took a staggering breath. Could she believe what she had seen when she touched the wall? Were James and Lily going to die protecting their son? Who would betray them? These thoughts raced around in her head.
"This is the last thing I need," she murmured to herself as she rubbed her temple with her free hand, "I already have a dark lord I need to thwart and another who is terrorizing this world without having to worry about the safety of my friends." She heard the doors behind her open and shut. Lily walked up and stood beside her friend.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly not daring to look at her friend, but stared into the horizon instead. Sairina nodded.
"I'll live," she said eventually, "I just wish I could control this foresight." Lily looked at her friend in curiosity.
"Foresight?" she asked, "As in being able to see the future? I thought you said it was just visions . . ." The doors opened once again and the four boys stepped out onto the patio.
"Sai, are you ok?" Remus asked worriedly. She responded with a weak nod.
"I've got enough to handle already, but the gods see it fit to make my life even more stressful than it already is," she responded cryptically. Remus took her hand in his and began rubbing it soothingly.
"Another vision?" he asked and again Sairina nodded, "Of what?" She opened her mouth to respond, but never got the chance. Her vision began to swirl and pain smashed into her brain. She fell to her knees; it was just too much. The others came to her, but she didn't see them.
When she opened her eyes, she was in a seedy bar. She recognized the clothing style and atmosphere of being that of her homeland of Gondor. This was possibly a pub on one of the lower levels.
"So whots this he needs us to do again?" a gruff voice asked. Sairina turned to watch a corsair down half a pint of ale. He was a gruff man with wild untamed hair and eyes to match. Next to him was a pale lanky man who had a Haradrim air about him. An assassin and a pirate, a deadly combination. The third member of this party was cloaked in shadow.
"We're sneaking into the princess's room, going through some portal, and retrieving the lost palantir," his comrade replied with a hiss showing his growing frustration.
"And we're getting paid big for this right," the assassin and the pirate turned to the shadow. He nodded his head almost imperceptibly.
"Right then," the pirate said, "We'll do it." Sairina's vision swam once more and she woke up this time in the strong arms of Remus Lupin.
"Sairina are you alright?" he asked with a great deal of worry. Sairina nodded her head and Lily stepped forward holding a glass of water.
"Were the two visions related?" she asked as Sairina took the glass from her. Sairina cocked an eyebrow.
"Two visions," she asked confused, "I only remember one . . ." Lily explained what had happened in the house, but Sairina couldn't remember if there had been a vision. Her head only swam with the information that this one had given her. Standing up, she saw the other three boys standing and looking on with crossed arms.
"Are we going to get any sort of explanation as to what is going on?" Sirius asked with a lofty tone. Sairina looked to Lily and Remus.
"I don't think so," she said eventually, "At least not yet."