A/N: Most of the Quidditch team are the real one from HBP. I know Dawn should be eighteen but for the purposes of the story she's 19. That part about London I meant no offence I myself am a Londoner and LOVE London it just adds to the story…and London is a bit grey! LOL.
Disclaimer: Poem by Mary Oliver. The rest aint mine either.
Chapter sixteen, Dawn brakes in the abyss.
Poem (the spirit likes to dress up)
The spirit
likes to dress up like this:
ten fingers,
ten toes,
shoulders, and all the rest
at night
in the black branches,
in the morning
in the blue branches
of the world.
It could float, of course,
but would rather
plumb rough matter.
Airy and shapeless thing,
it needs
the metaphor of the body,
lime and appetite,
the oceanic fluids;
it needs the body's world,
instinct
and imagination
and the dark hug of time,
sweetness
and tangibility,
to be understood,
to be more than pure light
that burns
where no one is --
so it enters us --
in the morning
shines from brute comfort
like a stitch of lightning;
and at night
lights up the deep and wondrous
drownings of the body
like a star.
A bitter wind was coming from the east sending crisp brown leaves across the pavements and making frosty nights settle over London. Weeks had passed since the day when Angel and Giles flewed into Dumbledore's trinket filled office; it was now October 29th two days before Halloween.
In this time Quidditch tryouts had been held making Deon beater, Ginny chaser, Ron Keeper, Katie Bell Chaser, Jimmy Peakes beater, Damelza Robins chaser and Harry seeker. The first match of the season was played by Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff, (won by Ravenclaw) and it was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin next.
Faye was starting to find her life was Heroin, every night she and Conroy spent together in their sanctuary where freedom comes with a jab and it's easy to forget the bleak string of days surrounding them. She found her daytime world was knitting together so she couldn't distinguish one day from the previous, they were all the identical.
The Scoobies had continued their research on all things wizarding, the at first hollow house they were staying in now feeling like home and the once exciting and exotic London now seeming grey, dismal and pessimistic.
The Scoobies had come full of hope, bright couler and excitement, London would be a new life but the dismal city was taking it's toll on them each day a little of their brightness was taken away, especially Xander. London was interesting full of culture and things to do but there was a darker side, suburban and discouraging. The only place that had a little couler left seemed to be Dawn's room and herself.
Dawn was sitting cross legged on her C.D and clothes strewn bed her Apple Mac laptop blaring "The Subways, Rock n Roll Queen," as load as it could. She was feeling increasingly bored lately all the "older people" were so rapped up in this war they seemed to have forgotten about her.
She new she could help research and she had at first but soon got tired of the relentless ennui. She decided to take initiative, it was Halloween in a few days and she wasn't going to sit around watching "scary" films for the evening. Dawn decided she was going clubbing.
When she had thought up this plan the idea thrilled her she'd never really been clubbing, only to the Bronze and a couple bars. But this time she was really going out, she was going to a place called "Empire Lounge" in "Leicester Square."
Ginny new he must be out to get her, every time she turned a corner he was there in the most unlikely places and always when she was alone. He never spoke to her just smirked in that sexy way of his, sexy what am I talking about I love HARRY! She thought.
Someone must really hate me out there because he's tormenting me with his eyes his steely grey deep eyes. However she had some luck which was that he was never around when she was in an embarrassing situation. Only, in her mind every time she went over their 'encounters' she thought up some erroneous humiliation on her part to have happened.
Well this time it was a real humiliation, Ginny was wondering absentmindedly down a twelfth floor corridor when she fell onto the floor below, the stairs which had been there last night had vanished. The red head landed sprawled out with her legs comically in the air, right at the feat of none other than Draco Malfoy and his steely grey eyes.
"Bugger!" She yelled.
"As much as I appreciate beautiful young lady's begging on their knees in front of me, I have to ask what the bloody hell were you doing flying through the air? Don't tell me some feeble prank to win me over?" He sneered sardonically.
"Shut the fuck up Malfoy, like I'd ever stoop that low," she retorted heaving herself up.
"Well it looks as if you've stooped preety low already sweet."
"You're a sleazy git! Ye know that Malfoy!"
"Well I wouldn't expect you to understand my…"
"Is there a problem here?" The voice came from Ginny's ear, she whipped round to see gorgeous, prince in shining armour Harry!
"No everything's fine…now you're here!" Ginny exclaimed she smiled a cheeky grin and flounced of, her robes bouncing up with every step she took.
Halloween night finally came with much persuasion Buffy had agreed to let Dawn out alone. The night was themed thus she was somewhat dressing up in a ridiculously short purple, satin dress of Lola's (the only person with easy access to the rest of their wardrobes, she still hadn't moved out her old flat.)
The dress was sixty's vintage, the front was high necked but had a backless back and it puffed out slightly at the bottom. Dawn had also found black vintage stiletto heals, black coat and black bag to match.
She timidly walked through the light and music filled streets. Cold and full of drunken strangers. As she hastily made her way through Soho she saw a leering old man veer into one of the less respectful shops, laden with revealing lingerie and kinky sexy toys.
Dawn quickened her pace taking a left and going strait down a lively road she found herself in the Cinema strewn "Leicester Square".
"The Empire Lounge" was packed with young men and women clad in their different costumes but they had one thing in common all of them were covered up by the brightly glittering outfits they were decked out in. They were now strangers even to them selves; this was a night to escape to find a happy body to hold their broken sprits in.
Dawn carefully navigated her way over to the bar she was nineteen so in England she was aloud to drink. Her high stilettos were proving uncomfortable accordingly she wished she had worn pumps. The bar man had brilliant hair in pink dread locks, his muscular arms were covered in tattoos and he was wearing Helicopter pilot goggles round his tanned neck.
Dawn smiled at the sight of him; he looked good, eccentric but good. "Hi could I have a Beer please?"
The bartender gave her a look of deride horror, "Beer? What no you can't have Beer! It's Halloween, free spirits until 12 o'clock! Go on be a dare devil!"
Dawn laughed "What do you recommend?"
"Well personally I would have the Tequila," the voice came from behind Dawn it was smooth and slightly posh.
"Excuse me but who are you?" She asked.
"The names Ray. Two Tequilas please," Ray ordered the bartender who winked at Dawn mocking a salute, she smiled and winked back. Looking closely at this Ray she saw he had blond floppy hair almost white, grey startling eyes and a placid face. He was really quite attractive, somewhat angelic.
"Well then tell me about your self…" He trailed of not knowing her name.
"Dawn. There's not much to tell I just moved here from America and that's about it really."
"How old are you?"
"Nineteen, you?"
"I'm twenty so what collage do you go to?"
"Well I was going to start UC Cleveland this year but Buffy, (my sister) said I could take a gap year because we have business to attend to here."
Ray went slightly tense when he heard the name Buffy then smirked and asked her graciously if she wanted to dance. Dawn nodded and soon she was pulled up close against his lean body, she grinded against him and his hands roamed over her body. As the techno beat sped up so did their dance, she was lost she did not know how long they danced for but it was an infinity of ecstasy.
Ray smiled slyly against her hair line; yes she was most defiantly the one. She was even better than he could hope for she was the key.
In the green mountains of Scotland Hogwarts still lay unseen unbidden by non magical kind but still it lay there always there but never seen. It was a phantom of a school just ghosts and dreams to the muggles.
Vanessa thought this as she stared at Aiden across the library table. If most of the population of the world had no idea they existed maybe they didn't and the people that did know of them were really the crazy ones in the muggle society.
Folds in time had overlapped their time was different to the muggles. Perhaps the theory of 'does a tree falling in an empty forest make a sound?' was true if no one could see nor hear them how could they exist? They were just a time fold a speck of metaphorical matter pressed into the time loop of an actual reality.
"Helooo any one home?" Aiden waved a hand in front of her glazed face grinning doggedly.
"Woe yeah sorry," Vanessa smiled at him.
"Uh oh you were having one of those philosophical moments weren't you," he grinned like an ape his pale skin stretched up to his ears.
Aiden was like that ever since they'd been little kids in nappies he was not unlike a soft puppy but had the temper of a lion and the intelligence of a scholar, he would pretend to be stupid so Vanessa didn't feel so bad but really he was top of their year well he was now that Faye had started to skip classes with Conroy.
Vanessa suddenly felt a pang of something she didn't know what but lately when ever Aiden talked or smiled at her she felt all tingly and warm almost giggly. But she couldn't fancy him it was Aiden the guy who she had known all her life the guy who saw her naked in a paddling pool, the guy who stuck by her when her mum did a runner.
She sighed and settled for finishing her homework, anyway if I do like Aiden that would be double gross because I think my dad might be with his mum. This was true Vanessa new her dad was getting re married he just hadn't told her who too only that she new them and had done for a very long time.
Dawn sat bleary eyed and swaying on Ray's knee she had had one too many drinks moreover she felt elated and influential. Her long brown hair was brushing over his face as she whispered seductively in his ear.
Ray was tempted to do it right then but he new he had to wait until the day when Draco completed his tasks. So the blond wizard took Dawn up in his arms and sent her home in a Taxi. She waved hysterically out the window whilst it drove away her hands almost got caught in the window as it began to shut.
Ray grinned like a maniac then in the dim yellow light of a street lamp he disappeared to his lowly flat in East London. He needed to have a word with that hoar Kaiya.