Chapter Three

The Castle of Hogwarts and Her Room

Lenore fell out of the fireplace with a thump, coughing and then scurried to her feet. "Ow," she muttered rubbing her buttocks. She hated traveling by floo no matter how 'convent' it was she simply didn't possess grace when coming from a fireplace. She coughed and went to wipe hair from her face when she saw that her hand was covered in ash, in fact her entire black outfit was covered in a thin layer of gray soot.

Dumbledore stepped through the fireplace moments later with an ease that she longed for. "Still hate floo?"

"I'm filthy, of course I do." She snapped laughing.

He had sent her things to the school earlier and they were currently in her room for the time being. Remus had yet to return and see her but she was okay with that, right now she just wanted to get clean. Dumbledore had promised her a room to herself in the short while she'd be staying at Hogwarts before she'd be living with 'the Weasleys'. She had never heard of them before in her life but she was going to leave Hogwarts and spend the summer with them 'if' she and her 'father' (the mere word conjured up bile in her throat) didn't get along. She had told Dumbledore that there was no 'if' in that sentence. She didn't want to be anywhere near him. He had just smiled at her.

That was the thing she hated most about him, he always smiled. She tried in vain to dust off the ash but ended up moaning, sending Dumbledore a pleading look. "Go on, I've had it worked out with the new Minister of Magic that, though underage, you'll be allowed to do magic."

She pointed her wand at herself and whispered a cleaning charm. Immediately her black clothes were cleaned and now a rich color. "So how long do I have to stay here before I get to go to the Weasleys?"

"Lenore," he said in a scolding voice as they walked from Dumbledore's office, down the revolving stairs, and into the hall. "You promised me you'd—"

"I promised you that I would come here and not kill the man I have to call my father, nothing more." She growled as they moved down the hall. She looked around, smiling at the portraits on the wall, captured by the beauty of the hall in general. She looked at Dumbledore with a grin. "A real, honest to good castle. This is amazing." She said her head swiveling around, looking like a kid in a candy store. "Are there secret passages and stuff here?" Her dark eyes gleamed with excitement, the dark brown changing to a lighter shade at her wild thoughts and inventive imagination.

"I was wondering if you would ask me that, yes there are plenty of them here. But do not think I will tell you where they are." He warned with a smile.

"I wouldn't think to ask. What's the fun in that?"

"Don't get into trouble, Lenore."

"I won't." she said quickly.

They walked by a set of large double doors. "That is the Great Hall where—"

"Sshh, don't tell me this stuff! I want to find these things for myself!" she said waving her hand at him. "Come on, what's the fun of having a huge castle to explore if you know where everything is?"

"Well you need to know where the Great Hall is because that is where we eat and you'll be expected there in a half hour." He said seriously. She ignored him. "What happens if you get lost while exploring?"

"If you don't hear from me in a week call a search party."

He chuckled. "Deal." He said as they arrived at a door with a moonlight scene on it, a unicorn drinking from a small lake with a pensive brown-haired girl staring dreamily at it. "The password at the moment is Lemon Drops but you can change it when you see fit."

She made a face as the portrait opened. "You really like those treats don't you?"

He followed her into the room. "They are my favorite."

She stuck out her tongue in disgust. "I don't like many things that taste like lemon so I think whatever nut created a candy tasting of lemons must be out of their minds. Much like anyone who enjoys them." She spoke smirking before she looked about the room.

Albus laughed. "I see." He said as she glanced around the room.

Her eyes widened at the sight of it. The room was made to look like her home, complete with the window seat sticking out with the window showing the scenery of a 'backyard' (magically spelled in the castle) that was remarkably similar to the backyard in her old home. Well the furniture was…different. The room was large and almost like a miniature house in itself. The first thing she spotted (after the window seat) was the fact that the entire floor was made of a dark, hard wood that looked rich and beautiful. At corners were tiny flower-like designs in gold creating almost a mural on the floor. But everything else clashed with each other. There were two couches directly beside the door in, on a puke green the other a vibrant orange (she merely glanced at Albus before sweeping the room). Two armchairs (bright pink and dull brown) sat in a wall-like manor creating a sitting area. There were two large rugs in the room, on in the middle of the sitting room (bright red) and the other in front of the fireplace (eye-hurting blue). The fireplace was next to the sitting area and—she gasped looking Albus. Hidden in the corner near the fireplace (next to the window seat) was a piano. She scanned the room again and found five bookcases filled with the books from her house next to a beautiful redwood desk (the chair being a tolerable hunter green) with a lamp Lenore had packed from home. There was a door next to the bookcases and on the other side of the desk was several strings of beads.

She grinned and raced towards it. She stepped through, the dark blue beads with silver moon beads and gold sun beads clicking together. The bed, though a beautiful burgundy oak with a gorgeous creamy white canopy over it, had a vivid lime green comforter with lemon yellow pillows. A dark blue rug (one she had had back home) was spread under the bed so when she stood up in the morning she would not touch the cold wood floor. A closet that resembled a gorgeous wardrobe sat next to one of her two beside tables. She turned and found a table of black-marble and wood with a set up that reminded her of…Good Merlin, they've given me a tiny potion lab in my own room! She thought, tears of joy springing to her eyes. She would not like to have to go to Snape for her potions.

Lenore looked back at Albus, who seemed to be enjoying her pleasure at the room. She went through the last door and stopped dead in her tracts. She got her own bathroom. The bathroom seemed to at least match. The tile on the floor was varying shades of black and were tiny almost like glass. The large bath (one that looked more like a Jacuzzi) was made of a jade-green-like marble. The rug on the floor was the same color as was the trim on the shower. The sink was a white marble sitting on a black marble counter. In the middle of the room (probably placed there for one not to slip) was a blue-green rug. The toilet was the same white marble as the sink.

She walked through the other door and found herself in the main room again. Albus smirked at her. "My word, this…I mean…how can I ever…." She looked around again, few boxes remained, only the once filled with her knickknacks and pictures. She shook her head. "Thank you."

He smiled. "Your welcome."

"Um," She winced slightly as her eyes found the mismatching furniture, her smile growing to a weak grin. "I will be able to change the colors and transfigure some of these things…right?"

He chuckled at her. "Yes. I thought this room rather nice with all the colors,"

"Yeah if I'm with a traveling circus." She muttered with a smirk. "This is wonderful, though, thank you so much."

"The fireplace is connected to the Floo network but it has the same protective wards on it as your fireplace at home does. The only way a person can step through is if they have your permission unless—"

"Yeah, yeah, unless I'm in mortal danger or the castle feels that I should be helped." She waved it off, pulling her wand out of her sleeve. "What colors to use…hm…."

"Lenore, unfortunately you only have a half hour before lunch, as I did mention before." He reminded her gently. She froze, her muscles tensing. Her eyes darkened immediately and, if one looked closely, her hair (which was pulled into a tight bun held in by chopsticks) went slightly shinier, changing just as her eyes did with her mood. Dumbledore's smile wasn't as bright this time. "Yes, you will meet him."

"Do I have to dress or anything?" she asked curiously, though a frown was clear on her lips.

"I'm sure Severus would prefer if you wore wizard's robes rather than Muggle clothing but it is entirely up to you—just don't show up in anything too," He seemed to be searching for the word. "Revealing."

She giggled. "Ah, you remember dear Jennifer," she said speaking of her friend who wore clothes that left next to nothing to the imagination. "Have no fear, Albus, I would never wear such clothing."

Dumbledore smiled. "Lenore," she looked at him. "Wear a robe at least,"

"Do I have to?" She had been planning on pissing him off and wearing the most rebellious-looking clothing she owned (a dark army green top with rips in it with the word Rebel scrawled across it with fishnet under it showing the fishnet where the holes were along with a pair of jeans that had dozens of holes in them that she had gotten from skating and just roughhousing).

"Lenore, please." Dumbledore asked with a kind smile. "Your father is looking forward to meeting you."

"If he were my father he wouldn't be meeting me for the first time when I'm fifteen." Her voice was steady but her eyes betrayed her venom.

"Lenore."

"Fine!" she snapped, refusing to look at him. "I'll wear the damned robe. Now get out so I can change."

"Please try to be civil." He said before leaving.

As soon as the portrait shut she kicked the wall. "Foul old man, I hate it when he does that!" she said bitterly yanking the chopsticks out of her hair and stomping into her bedroom. "Why do I have to conform to his 'preferences'?" She asked no one really as she yanked her sweater off and throwing it into a laundry hamper. She did the same with her pants and shirt. She grabbed a cute black skirt that came to just above her knees and flared out slightly. "I don't care what he thinks of me. I hate him." She muttered to herself yanking her lace-up black combat-like boots onto her feet. She reached for a blue shirt that had two yellow ducks on it and one goose (duck-duck-goose) when she stopped. "Wait…I know." A devilish smile hit her face (her hair becoming less greasy the moment it popped into her head.

She wanted desperately to piss Snape off and what better way? She grabbed her ruby-red shirt and immediately duplicated it. She spelled a gold lion to appear on the shirt before pulling it on. She grabbed her black robe and yanked it on. She hated wearing robes, though they always reminded her of trench coats. She moved to the full-length mirror that was next to the dresser and began brushing her hair. She pulled her hair back into a half ponytail before transfiguring one of her chopsticks into a clip with a lion on it.

Her dark eyes changed into the natural color of hazel as she smirked at her reflection. She stuck her wand behind her ear (another thing she knew would anger him for no 'proper' witch or wizard would want a wand behind their ears.) She half-skipped from her room, her boots clicking slightly on the wood floor. She turned to the portrait and smiled at the girl. She was much happier now because, despite being forced into wearing a robe, she would still piss off Snape.

"Hey there," The dreamy looking girl looked at her with faint smile. Lenore wondered for a fleeting second if portraits could do drugs because this girl looked high. "I'm going to change the password, 'kay?"

"Excellent, I despise that Muggle treat, the Headmaster always reeks of it." The girl said smiling, the dreamy look disappearing slightly.

"That makes two of us." She said laughing. "Let me think…" Her mind flashed through numerous things that she could use. She didn't want to be obvious and she didn't want it to be two hard. Then she remembered reading somewhere a saying that always made her laugh. It was in French and rather morose but she loved the sound of it. "Mort est dans le vent."

The girl in the portrait studied her. "Very morbid isn't it?"

"You know French?" Lenore said surprised.

"Yes. My painter was a Frenchman therefore my first language was such but I have not been to France nor heard the beautiful language in many years."

She nodded smiling. "Well I think that the password is funny."

"Suit yourself."

"I could have used the password: Voldemort is a snake's arse." The girl winced at the name. "What's your name? Do you have one?"

"Cassandra." The portrait answered gazing back up at the moon.

Lenore took this as a hint to leave. "See you." She said backing away.

She glanced at the watch on her hand, she had a few minutes to explore. She made her way towards the main hall of staircases and watched in amazement as a few shifted and moved. After a couple minutes of staring she made her way through the halls, examining pictures and suits of armor. She peeked her head around a corner, leaning against the stonewall as if she was spying. A jolt of magic went through her, startling her. She closed her eyes as warmth radiated around the area that was touching the wall. A sweet melody seemed to play in her mind yet echo in the halls. The castle was talking to her! She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, allowing the magic and music to flow through her veins and mix with her own magic.

She knew after a few minutes that she had to leave but she didn't want to. The castle was giving her love and peace she hadn't felt since…since her mother had died. Stef was the only one who could ever make her feel like this and now the castle was doing it. She took a step away and felt the peace and safety come with her but the beautiful melody stopped. She smiled without any malice or lies as she looked up at the ceiling and then at the walls.

"Thank you, Hogwarts, I needed that." She whispered before going back the way she came.

She wasn't hyper now or giddy. She was simply there and strangely at peace as she made her way towards the Great Hall. She caught a glimpse of her eyes in the reflection of a suit of armor. She nearly gasped, she had never seen her eyes such a green-hazel before. It was almost like looking at the eyes of a stranger. A weak smile tickled her lips as she skipped down the hall. Her school back home never made her feel like this. Maybe it was because people and things with such great and powerful magic calmed her…she didn't know but she knew that the castle was alive. No matter how many inanimate objects had created it, the castle, because of the magic in it, had a soul…a mind…a heart.

She stopped in front of the double doors and smiled. She wondered what prank she was going to play on her 'father' first. Maybe something to do with a Gryffindor…or with the Boy-Who-Lived, Dumbledore did say there was some sort of rivalry between the two. She shrugged, she'd think about it later. Now, what type of entrance should I make? Silent stealthy one? Or loud and rebellious? She thought to herself, knowing that she was late. Loud and rebellious, it'll go with the Gryffindor look I have going. She decided magically shoving the doors open. They hit the wall with a loud thud as she walked in. She flashed a smirk at the startled faces of the only three people in the room.