Authoress Ramble: Wow. It took forever to get this chapter up. Ugh—it was all my fault too. I seem to have a—ah—knack for procrastination. /guiltily scratches head/ Anyways, it's here. P.S. – big thank you to Blonde Dragon for being an awesome beta and loyal reviewer! MUCH appreciated!
Note: This chapter was beta-ed—woo!
Note: Eventual slash. Not yet though. Sheesh.
Note: /sigh/ It's not mine. It never will be. Get over it, don't sue, and keep reading. :D
Chapter 6/ Dark Flower
Dark rain was falling fast and heavy outside, fat droplets rolling down the window of the compartment. The night sky held a certain gloominess to it—one filled with apprehension and anxiousness.
The quiet rumbling of the Hogwarts Express was soothing; a steady rhythmic noise.
The compartment was empty, save for a lone figure in dark purple. The folds of a dark purple cloak were wrapped around a small petite feminine figure; her head resting gently against the window. A lock of dark brown, almost black, hair fell from beneath the hood, curving slightly around her chin. Her eyes were opened, but hidden beneath the cloak's shadow.
A booming crash of thunder shook the heavens, but the figure didn't move—except for her eyes. Her head turned towards the sky outside, exposing her eyes through the darkness of her hood.
Dark purple irises glowed with the wisdom and knowledge witnessed by a scant few. Her eyes were captivating, drawing all focus away from anything else. Different shades of purple swirled in her eyes, hues ebbing and flowing with the coming of her emotions.
She blinked slowly and pulled the cloak further over her head, effectively throwing her face into shadow once again.
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Her name was Melanthe Carr. No one knew very much about her, except that (maybe "save" instead of 'except that'?) she was in her mid-to-late 20's and had trained specially in Korea in many forms of martial arts. She wasn't a full human—some type of magical being's blood was flowing in her veins.
Melanthe—the Greek name for 'dark)—was currently on the Hogwarts Express heading for Hogwarts. The supposedly 'jinxed' position of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was going to be filled by her this year.
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The soft padding of the old wizard's footsteps sounded through the dimly lit corridor. The torchlight flickered and made his white hair glow slightly. Dark blue boots padded along, followed by the silent feline-like walk of Professor Carr. The night was cold, and the soft light of the waxing moon just barely graced the stone windows set highin the wall.
Albus Dumbledore stopped in front of a mirror placed on the wall. The mirror was tall; it was nearly six feet high and three feet wide. It seemed inconspicuous enough—for a magical castle at least. There was a wood border around the mirror, made of dark ebony wood with inscrutable letters around the edges flowing gracefully and mysteriously in silver ink.
The ancient figure clad in dark blue paused before the mirror, pondering quietly.
"Latens Intellegentia," he said softly but clearly—and waited.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the mirror trembled softly, and the reflections of Albus Dumbledore and Professor Carr rippled. The images shivered and swirled, becoming a softly moving blur. The image cleared to show…nothing. There was no reflection of the two people standing before it. Neither Professor Dumbledore nor Professor Carr showed any signs of surprise, but the latter raised her chin subtly in a sign of admiration and appreciation.
The mirror rippled again and a faint reflection of a stone archway appeared. The archway seemed to be leading towards utter darkness.
The old man smiled softly and gestured towards the mirror, looking at his new employee. She glanced at him, a wordless question of invitation. He nodded—just a simple action of approval.
"I hope you find your quarters comfortable and sufficient," Dumbledore began calmly. "Your belongings should be in there as well. If you need anything, simply ask for Dobby the house-elf. I believe you know where my office is. Good night, Professor Carr." Dumbledore nodded again and walkedawaywithout a further glance behind him.
Professor Carr watched him leave, her eyes now a medium purple hue. She blinked and turned back to the mirror. Taking one last look at the 'reflection', she stepped through.
Inside was a cozy sitting room, complete with a crackling fire. The walls and furniture were a deep orchid, and the wood of the furniture was polished ebony. Around the fire were two armchairs and a loveseat. On the wall facing the archway was a black iron spiral staircase leading up to a second level not seen from the sitting room. Behind the armchairs was a long bookcase running along the entire side of a wall.
She calmly walked over to the bookcase, immediately drawn to the old titles and faded covers. As she walked along the lengthy bookcase, she ran a finger over the old and fraying titles.
She pulled one off the shelf and gently dusted the cover off. Faded gold lettering was raised under her long fingers. She gracefully sat down and continued reading long after the moon faded and the sun awakened.
Authoress Note: Why is it that the chapters just get shorter and shorter/pokes monitor/ Grr. By the way, Latens Intelliga, I believe roughly translates into 'show your intelligence/secrets'. Erm…I think. Anyway—on to review responses! Yay!
Sinsoftheflesh98: Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, sucks that you couldn't review for the other chappies but oh well—you reviewed! I'm satisfied. Thanks!
Blonde Dragon: Yay! New chappie! Much fun /dances around with you/ Thank you so much for betaing and reviewing—it makes me very happy to write!
Jessijewels: Thanks for reviewing. Hmm…well, in the end, they might be gay or they might not. Eugh—it's kinda hard to explain without divulging everything. Let's see—what I'm trying to say is, that Harry and Draco might eventually get together, they just don't know it yet. Pffttt…does that make sense?
Midnight's Rose: Thank you for reviewing! Here's your chappie!
Review darlings—review/pointed glare/
