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Dead of Night
It was as the sun was just beginning to dawn over the tops of the distant mountains that the four travellers were jerked awake. Having been rushed out of Hogwarts so late in the night they had fallen almost instantly asleep. As they gazed out the windows of the carriage they took in their stunning surroundings.
Although it was winter, the misty grey pre-dawn light was filtering through beautiful green leaves. They heard birds singing their first song of the day and saw glimpses of beautiful creatures, never before seen by most of them. As they stretched, their bodies' stiff from sleep, their attention was brought back to their fellow travellers. Suddenly overwhelmed by curiosity they slowly lowered their hoods.
Before they could so much as react the door slammed open of it's own accord. As they emerged, blinking in the harsh early morning light they saw before them the most beautiful house. If it could be called a house. It was positively gigantic! As they looked up at the house they saw two figures standing in front of the doors, presumably waiting for their arrival.
They proceeded up the winding path made from white pebbles, stopping a few paces from the couple. The man, tall and strong looking, wore billowing robes of the finest dark blue silk. He had thick dark hair in waves and clear blue eyes. His tanned skin was smooth with a few lines near his eyes and mouth. The woman had lighter brown hair hanging down to her lower back. It had natural blonde highlights and looked as soft as the robes she wore. They were long, flowing and cinched at the waist. The deep red colour highlighted her bright green eyes perfectly. They both held a look of kindness and strength.
"Welcome children. My name is Fabius and this is my wife Annalise," he spoke in a deep mellow voice.
"Now, Fabius, they're hardly children, just look at them. I don't suppose you remember us, the last time we saw any of you was when you were babes in arms," Annalise spoke in a soothing melodic voice.
"Even then we could feel your power. You four have been marked since your birth. You have been brought up separate from each other and very differently, we know," continued Fabius
"But now it is time for you to come together. We ask, not for your understanding, as this explanation leaves a lot to be desired," continued Annalise
"We only ask that you give us the chance to teach you. We cannot explain anymore without your consent. So I ask you in turn," he gestured toward Annalise who was now holding a small black velvet box
"Draco Lucius Malfoy. The eldest. Are you willing?"
"I am," he replied confidently as Annalise placed a ring on his finger. The stone was large and crystal clear. It was set into a pure silver band.
"Blaise Roydon Zabini. Are you willing?"
"I am," he replied with equal confidence and Annalise placed a matching ring on his finger only with a clear blue stone.
"Luna Perenelle Lovegood. Are you willing?"
"I am," she answered with unusual assurance. Annalise placed a ring on her finger. It was a finer version of the boys' with a small green stone.
"And last, but definitely not least, Ginevra Molly Weasely. The youngest. Are you willing?"
"I am," she replied firmly and Annalise placed the last ring on her finger, an exact copy of Luna's only with a red stone.
"Goodness, we must get you inside. Fabius, if you could show the boys to their quarters and I'll take the girls?" asked Annalise
"Of course dear. We'll meet later in the courtyard."
As Annalise set off with the two young women in tow, she couldn't help but notice that not one of them had said a word since arriving. She glanced over at Ginevra to see her gazing raptly at her ring.
"Lovely aren't they?" Annalise asked her kindly
"It's stunning. I just can't believe all this is happening. In fact, I'm not even sure what this is!" she replied quietly
"Not to worry my dear, all will be explained in due course," she said with a laugh. "And you Luna? How are you?"
"I'm fine thank you. I was just wondering about the creatures I saw in the wood we passed through. I'd swear I saw a short snouted kaleet," Luna said dreamily.
"I think you'll find, dear, that we have many creature here, both on our land and in the surrounding wood that you will find most intriguing. Oh, look, we're here," she said as they stopped in front of a set of double doors.
"Although very few people know the whereabouts of this manor, we still have security measures in place on certain rooms, this one included. We have to enter you into the system now, so please place your palm on this plaque," she said pointing to a small silver square beside the doors. "Ginevra, you first"
Annalise watched as Ginevra timidly placed her palm on the plaque. It glowed briefly beneath her palm and Annalise said the incantation to override the magical system. As Ginevra removed her palm words glowed on the plaque:
New EntryName:
Age:
Sex:
Ring:
Annalise tapped the plaque with her wand and the correct information was entered. The plaque glowed again and showed the words:
Ginevra Molly Weasely16
Female
Fire Opal
The same process was repeated with Luna, the plaque showing:
Luna Perenelle Lovegood16
Female
Tsavorite Garnet
The plaque glowed a final time and the doors swung open. Annalise led the girls into a huge room. The ceiling was similar to the Great Hall at Hogwarts, only it showed the night sky. There were two large beds, one on either side of the room. There were four doors, two on each side of the room, leading to a wardrobe and bathroom for each girl. The floor was scattered with comfortable looking cushions and the carpet was a deep purple. The walls were a light purple at the bottom and darkened towards the ceiling. Annalise stood back and watched the two girls wander into their room.
"I hope you like it. We had to prepare on rather short notice you see. Ginevra yours is the green bed, Luna yours is the blue."
"My favourite!" they exclaimed in unison, then burst out laughing.
"This is so generous Annalise! Just how big is this place?" asked Ginevra
"Well, your room is in the east wing, the boys are in the west…" Annalise trailed off at Ginevra's look of shock. "Let's just say big. We have huge gardens and…other grounds as well. But you'll see those later. In the meantime, I believe the boys are waiting for us in the courtyard. Ginevra, Luna, your things should already be here, but if you have any problems you can always ask either Fabius or I."
"Please, call me Ginny. Annalise, how did you know the boys were already in the courtyard?" asked Ginny
"You tell me. Luna? Any ideas?"
"It's the rings isn't it? We can contact each other through them. We're linked," Luna replied.
"Bingo. You'll learn to use them over time here, but I'm betting you can already sense the others if you focus."
"Annalise?"
"Call me Anna"
"Ok, Anna, what are these rings?" Ginny asked.
"All in due course, dear. Here we are. The courtyard."
As Ginny emerged into the garden she almost died of shock for about the 50th time that morning. It was heaven on earth. The lush green grass that made her itch to take off her shoes and socks, the exotic flowers in just about every colour known to man. Beautiful weeping willows, small benches with intricate stone carvings and a fountain. It was on the edge of this fountain that she saw Malfoy, Zabini and Fabius sitting. Fabius was talking to them as Malfoy stared into the crystal clear depths of the water and Zabini examined his ring. Ginny was under the impression they'd just learned the secret to these rings. At that moment Malfoy looked up and for once in his life, didn't glare at Ginny, at which point Fabius noticed them standing there.
"Ladies! Nice of you to join us!" he exclaimed. "Take a seat Ginevra, Luna."
"It's Ginny," she replied without thinking. Fabius nodded his agreement as the three ladies sat in various positions on the grass.
"I think it is time we fully explained why you are here. You have been awfully patient with us, but I can tell from the look in Draco's eyes he's very close to hexing me into oblivion. Many years ago I had a vision. I suppose you could say I'm kind of like a seer; only difference being a seer can have any number of visions in a lifetime. I can only have one. But I will explain more about that at a different time. So many years ago, just after Draco's birth, I had a vision. There was horrific bloodshed. Pain, anguish and suffering all over the world, with no one to stop it. Then there was a bright light, and four figures descended from above. I was not shown their faces at the time; I was simply told what I had to do,"Fabius paused slightly to gauge their reactions. Once sure they were following him he continued his explanation.
" All went black and a voice spoke to me. It was the most beautiful voice I had ever heard, and it told of the saviours of this world. There was one born already, to parents who would not appreciate him. Parents who would lead him wrong and cause him nothing but pain. One Draco Lucius Malfoy. There was another, already conceived and to be born two months later. Born to a mother, recently widowed, but very wealthy. He would be shown no love and remain and outsider. Blaise Roydon Zabini named for the father he'd never meet. The third was to be born one year and three months later. She would have loving parents, but suffer an early and traumatic loss. Luna Perenelle Lovegood. The last would be born just a few days later. She would be born into poverty, but have much love and kindness surrounding her. She would later suffer a fate close to death from the hands of one Tom Marvolo Riddle. Ginevra Molly Weasely. You, Fabius, must find them within two days of their birth. It is your responsibility to mark them. There is a potion, in the Book of Calcifer, known as Recifius Alleius. Place no more than one drop on each child's forehead. There will be a time for them to band together. You will know when to call them,"Fabius stopped to allow this information to sink in.
"But, why us?" came the dreamy voice of Luna
"This we haven't been sure of until very recently," replied Anna. "I promise you, all will be revealed, but first you need to hear the rest." The four children nodded as Fabius continued.
"It was not hard to reach you Draco. While your parents are very demanding, they are also careless. I was able to mark you in the nursery of St. Mungo's, in your fathers presence. He thought I was blessing you. You, Blaise, were slightly more challenging, as you were born at your home. Luckily for me, your mother was not very attentive of you. She took you shopping and left you on a counter just one day after your birth. Luna, I think you will find your father remembers your mother asking for you to be blessed? Yes, well I simply blessed you at the same time. And Ginevra. You were my biggest challenge of all. I had to go through Dumbledore himself to get to you! There was no way to lie to get to you. I had to tell the whole truth, but it payed off."
"In answer to your question, Luna, we had no idea why you were chosen until a week ago," Anna continued smoothly from Fabius. "Exactly one week from today, I had my vision. I saw the same thing as Fabius and then when it went black the voice asked me if Fabius had succeeded in his task. I told it he had, and we had since devoted our lives to preparing everything for the chosen four. It thanked me and told me that Fabius and I were to be your guardians when the time came. We were to answer your questions, and provide you with both knowledge and training. It then told me one final thing before my vision ended. Another marked the four chosen in a different way. When it chose you four it had seen your futures. All of you have been affected by the one who calls himself Lord Voldemort,"Anna finished looking around at the four teens.
"I'm sorry Anna, but I don't think I've been affected more than anyone else," Luna said.
"Luna, you witnessed your mother's death, yes?" Fabius asked
"Yes, but that had nothing to do with…" she trailed off
"I'm sorry to say Luna, but that was no accident. Lord Voldemort killed your mother," Fabius stated gently.
"I always thought he might have. She was very talented. She would never have done one of her spells wrong," Luna said quietly.
"I think that's quite enough for today," Anna said quickly, "you four must be starved! Come into the dining room. We'll have some brunch then gave you a proper tour."
The six of them headed indoors silently. It was unusual for the four teens to be this quiet, especially in each other's company, but they were still processing everything that had happened on this very strange morning.
A/N: Thank you to Ginny278 for your review! It made my day. Oh, and also wolfonaleash, but i've already thanked you oli! So, if you like it PLEASE review. It's one thing to know people are reading, but another to know they like it enough to review for me. So, i hope you like this chapter. If you have any suggestions/questions dnt be afraid to ask. Next chapter, the teens will start talking again!
Pixie
