Voldemorte's Downfall
Chapter five: Ciara
Harry paced nervously around the common room. Loki sat in an armchair, thinking. Zofka sat on Ron's lap on the couch and Rice perched anxiously on the table. Every time the portrait hole had opened, they expected to see Hermione, and each time they were disappointed. They had just about given up hope when Hermione finally burst in, panting. Loki leapt up and a fixed a glass of water, offering it to Hermione, along with the chair she'd been sitting in. Hermione sat down, caught her breath and then turned to Harry. Harry immediately asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "Hermione, where's Chica?" Hermione glanced around nervously. "Guys, Chica is...he's..." Her voice failed her. Loki coaxed her gently. "Hermione, we need to know. Please tell us." Hermione nodded. "He's dead." This proclamation was followed by the loudest silence any of them had ever heard. Then Harry gasped, Loki paled, Ron's eyes widened, Rice fell off the table in shock, and Zofka fainted. Loki spoke first, eyes wide, breathing heavily. "De-Dead? He's dead?" Hermione nodded, eyes shining with tears. "But how?" Harry asked. Hermione turned to him. "Voldemorte killed him." Harry froze, unable to speak. He'd been dreading this moment for nearly two years now. Ever since Sirius had died, he'd feared losing another friend to Voldemorte. Loki turned her attention to Zofka, helping try to wake her. She was at a loss for words. She, too, was thinking of Sirius' death. Zofka sat up suddenly. She was breathing hard. "I can't believe..." she began, but was cut off by the portrait hole opening. Dumbledore walked in, followed by the prettiest girl anyone had ever seen. She was almost taller then Loki, the tallest at six foot one, and she had raven black shoulder-length hair, and deep eyes of intense violet. Her skin was white as ivory, and her clothing was all black. A black tube top, black miniskirt and black spiky heels graced her slender body. She wore no jewelry, except a beautiful diamond ring on her right hand. She smiled at them, revealing exceptionally sharp pearl white teeth, though a couple had a reddish tint to them. Dumbledore turned to them. "This is Ciara," he said. "I expect you to make her feel welcome her." He walked out. Ciara turned to them, and all the boys jaws dropped. Ciara grinned and dropped into a fake curtsy. "Hello, I am Ciara Sorcha Siobhan." Loki smiled softly and extended her hand. "I'm Loki. Loki Lily Black. It's nice to meet you." Zofka jumped up, dragging Ron with her. "I'm Zofka, and this is Ron, my boyfriend." She stressed the word 'boyfriend.' Rice stood. "And I'm Rice Clantona." Harry and Hermione stood together. Harry smiled without meaning it. "I'm Harry Potter." Hermione couldn't even muster a fake smile. "Hermione Granger." Out of habit, she added, "This is Erick Chica." Ciara looked confused. Harry touched Hermione's shoulder gently. "He's gone, Hermione. Gone. He's not coming back." Hermione burst into tears and ran from the room. Ciara smiled in confusion. "Did I miss something?" Loki nodded. "Yeah, her boyfriend just died." Ciara's grin faded. "Oh," she said softly. Then her expression hardened. "So what? I've lost people in my life. You don't see me bawling my eyes out." Harry stared at her. "Id think you'd be a little more sensitive." Ciara laughed bitterly. "Think again, Sharku." Harry frowned in confusion. "What in the Nine Hells does that mean?" Ciara smiled evilly. "That's not for the ears of little boys to know." Loki jumped in, mostly to keep them off each other's backs. "So, Ciara, where is it you come from?" she asked. Ciara shrugged. "Nowhere, really. I don't much care for thinking about the past." Loki smiled. "Come on, you can tell us." Ciara whipped around, violet eyes aflame. "No, I can't! I don't care for revealing my private affairs to innocent young ears such as yours! I don't want to spoil you!" Loki stood, blue eyes icy cold . "Watch who you're calling innocent, Ciara. I've seen things you cannot even begin to comprehend." Ciara's eyes narrowed. "And where in the Nine Hells did you get that idea?" Loki paused. 'Should I tell her?' she wondered. Ciara smirked. "I knew it. You haven't ever seen anything horrible." That did it. Loki snapped. "You don't know the half of what I've been through!" she screamed. Ciara remained stoically calm. "Really? Then please, enlighten me." Loki shook her head, but then changed her mind. "Fine," she said coolly. "Fine, I will. Have you ever been forced to watch someone die? Watch them die and know that you're powerless to save them? Well, have you?" Ciara remained silent. Loki smirked. "Well, I have. And do you know the worst part? The person I had to watch was my own father. My own father!" Her voice rose, shaking slightly. "Do you have any idea what it's like to lose someone that close to you?" Ciara bit her lip, drawing blood. "Actually, no, I don't. I've never lost my parents. But I've lost people I've been close to, and if you don't mind, I don't care to talk about it, okay?" Loki nodded. "Okay. Hey, give me a second to change into something a little more stylish," she said, indicating her worn out robes, "and I'll show you around the school." Ciara nodded. "That would be great, sure." Loki disappeared upstairs, then reappeared wearing a blood-red corset and black ankle length skirt, complete with red boots with three inch heels. Her dark black hair was down around her pale face. "Okay, let's go." Ciara looked her outfit up and down approvingly. "I like. Okay, let's go." They left the room, and Harry's jaw dropped. "Have any of you ever seen Loki look that good?" Everyone shook their heads. "Okay," Harry replied. "I thought it was just me."
