Chapter 8 - Equinox

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Cold sweat soaked the sheets, and the damp covers stuck to her body as she thrashed about in her sleep, tangling her limbs and restraining her jerky movements. Every now and again a soft whimper would escape her lips as her face contorted with horror and pain. Her dorm mates were none the wiser as they continued to sleep peacefully. The girl's face now turned into a grimace, her teeth clenched tightly and her knuckles white in strong fists. A moment later and she was suddenly awake, sitting up abruptly and breathing heavily. After getting her bearings, and checking to see that she was the only one awake, she cursed herself quietly and thoroughly. Then, thinking it over again, cursed her father soundly.

The girl checked the clock on the night table, and was dismayed to discover it was only 1:20 in the morning. Raven knew she'd never be able to get back to sleep. The air around her suddenly felt stuffy, and she felt that she needed some fresh air and time to regroup and meditate. It was too enclosed and crowded in this dormitory, she thought and she grabbed her blue cloak from off the bed post and carefully swung her pale legs over the side of the mattress. Being cautious about making too much noise, she slid her boots on and hesitantly planted her feet on the floor. Taking a short moment to swath herself in her cloak and fasten the clasp, she silently swept to the door and, using her telekinesis powers, opened the door without a squeak or creak. After she had exited the bedroom, she raised her eyebrow in self-directed irony that she had even bothered using the door. She could have teleported outside and saved her the long walk through the castle, but she figured that this was her subconscious telling her to get some exercise and walk off her anxiety. Not to mention, it was an effective method of learning her way around Hogwarts.

Raven traveled down the short hallway and down the stone stairs leading into the Gryffindor common room. She was taken aback by the fact that the fires were still lit even at this hour, and she debated whether to continue on her journey outside, or simply remain here and curl up in front of the blazing fireplace. But the entire reason for leaving her room was because she felt too warm and suffocated, so lounging in a large leather armchair would have defeated the purpose of her departure. The sorceress pushed the portrait of the fat lady open and stepped through the small hole, landing in a very large and open hallway. At each end of the hallway there were two large windows, which allowed a small amount of moonlight to illuminate the hallway just enough for Raven to see by.

Getting an inexplicable sense of foreboding, the dark empath raised her hood and tightened her robe about her as she walked in a randomly-chosen direction. All road lead to Rome, she figured, and eventually she must find some stairs that led to the exit. Raven had to forcibly keep herself from being startled by the moving portraits adorning both walls, and more than once she jumped when the movement tricked her into thinking someone was following her. Every so often a character in one of the paintings would scold her for walking around after dark, or ask her where such a mysterious person was going. She would either ignore them, or tell them to mind their own business, which only provoked them further. At long last, the half-demon discovered a few flights of stairs that spiraled downward and presumably out of Gryffindor Tower. Raven endured about half-way down before she became bored with the tedious stepping. Hoisting herself onto the wide rail, she debated whether to fulfill a childhood fantasy of sliding down the banister, or to simply fly down. She quickly quashed her childish foolishness and threw herself off the stairway, hurtling to the ground at increasing speed. Only when she was in danger of not pulling out of the fall did she use her powers and break her descent, coming to a landing at the foot of the flight of stairs. After straightening her ruffled cloak and hood back into place, she noticed a pale light glowing just around a corner, and she stealthily approached it out of curiosity. Rounding the corner, she was astonished to see a transparent figure floating just near the ceiling. Raven had never seen a ghost before, and apparently, this ghost had never seen a Raven before, for they both stood in mute shock as they regarded each other appraisingly.

Raven was the first to speak. "A ghost, I presume?" she asked, raising an invisible eyebrow.

At this icebreaker, the figure puffed up noticeably - clearly indignant of her choice of description. "Not just any ghost, madam. You happen to have the honor of be beholding none other than Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington; resident ghost of Gryffindor house!"

"Uh huh."

"And who might you be? A new student out of bed at this hour?"

"Actually, I'm not exactly a student. And I couldn't sleep. I was just on my way out of the castle for a moonlight stroll to get some fresh air. Perhaps you could direct me on the shortest route to the Main Entrance Hall?"

"Of course, madam. Simply alternate left and right turns at every corner you find heading in this direction. You'll be there in no time, though I feel it is my duty to warn you that the staff doesn't take too kindly to students being out after curfew."

"I'm not a student!" Raven protested even as Sir Nicholas bent down and gave her pale knuckles a parting (and very chilly) kiss. Her eyes widened as the ghost's head tipped over as he bent it over her hand.

Cursing loudly, he dropped her fingers to righten his head and scowled at the girl's stricken face. "My executioner was a bone-headed clot who didn't bother to sharpen the axe he used, and look at the result! I'm nearly headless! Oh I do regret you having seen that, oh I do!" The disgruntled and humiliated spirit floated away, mumbling to himself.

The young sorceress placed her hand over her heart in a vain attempt at reducing her heartbeat, which had skyrocketed out of control, and followed the directions Sir Nicholas had given her. When she came to the first four-way intersection, she turned left, and right when she found the next opportunity, alternating left and right every time she found another hallway. Sometimes the turns would lead down stairs, while others would lead up stairs. Raven had just decided that the ghost was playing tricks on her, when she spotted the Great Hall. Now she had some knowledge of where she was, and how to get to the Main Entrance from here. She silently padded past the long tables and made her way to the large double doors that led out of the Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall. Not wanting to risk the chance of creating an unforgiving noise by opening the door, she phased through it without breaking stride.

Just as she turned the last corner, Raven collided with another moving body going perhaps double her speed. The impact threw both persons off balance, and they tumbled down to the floor, the lighter of the two being on bottom.

Raven groaned and opened her eyes to see a black-robed figure sprawled out on top of her. The person fumbled around, obviously taken by surprise, and finally managed to roll off of her. She sat up and rubbed her head, which was no longer shrouded by her hood, and looked over at the person who ran into her. Whoever it was, was clothed in a heavy black robe, and as the figure sat up, she caught sight of a bright white mask under the thick hood.

The figure stood quickly and stood over her prone form. "You!" the man's voice snarled. Raven immediately recognized the deep baritone...even if it was hissed venomously.

"Professor Snape," she said mildly, also standing up. "We seem to be running into each other a lot these days...no pun intended."

The Potions Master quickly looked around for anyone else who might have witnessed him. "What in the nine levels of hell are you doing here? Fifteen points from Gryffindor! Go back to your dormitory at once!"

"Not that I'm an expert or anything, Professor, but don't I have to be a student for you to take points from me? And on a different note, what in blazes are you wearing, sir? I didn't take you as a Phantom of the Opera fan."

Severus instantly became self-conscious of the fact that he was dressed up like a Death Eater, and for a moment thanked heaven that the girl didn't know the meaning of his attire. Had it been any other student, they'd have run screaming that You-Know-Who himself was attacking the castle, and his cover would have been blown. As it was, he could easily Obliviate the young woman and sneak off before she had a chance to register anything was amiss, and he subtly withdrew his wand from his sleeve. "You of course are correct. I cannot take points from you. As for my clothing, I have been Summoned to another one of the Dark Lord's Death Eater meetings. Unfortunately, you will not remember anything of the past five minutes, and then will return to your dormitory a bit dazed and confused. You will shrug this feeling off as night-time drowsiness and think nothing more on it." At this, Snape pointed his ebony wand right between Raven's eyes. "Obliviate!"

A bright power surge crackled in the air and struck the sorceress right on her blood-red chakra, dissolving into it completely. Snape lowered his wand, searching the girl's face for the tell tale sign of confusion and glassy-eyes.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Was something supposed to happen?" she asked in a bland sarcasm.

Severus frowned behind his mask. "Obviously it didn't work."

"Obviously."

The pair stood staring at one another for a short while - Snape contemplating his next move, and Raven waiting for Snape to make the next move. A sudden jerk and inhalation from the Potions Master brought him out of his reverie, and he clutched his left forearm tightly, grunting in suppressed pain.

"I need to go. The Dark Lord is getting impatient and that was my warning," he mumbled. Snape turned to look at Raven sharply, realizing the full scope of what her knowledge of him could mean. "We'll discuss this at another time. In the mean time, do not tell anyone of what you have seen here tonight. The fate of my status as a spy depends on your silence. Now I must go." Severus whirled around and quickly descended the few steps leading to the large doors, all the time squeezing his left arm spastically. Within an instant, he had slipped through and was gone.

Raven stared after him. Shaking her head a little, she also went to the door and went out into the night. The girl made sure that Snape was long gone before she walked out onto the lawn, which was just starting to become damp with dew. Clouds overhead had just drifted in front of the moon, and everything around her was subjected to even more darkness. A chilly breeze blew in every which way and rippled through her cloak and hair. Raven quickly raised her hood, which had fallen down during the scuffle in the castle, and checked her surroundings to ensure she was alone. Floating into the air about three feet off the ground, she folded her legs under herself and began to chant. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Her mind cleared, and Raven thought back on the incident that had just happened.

It was clear by his emotions that he was resigned to whatever fate might bring him at this meeting. But that couldn't restrain the irrational fear that shot through him regularly, and that had only tripled when he had grimaced in pain. The girl deduced that whatever mark this Voldemort had placed on his servants was not only a brand, but also a communications pathway of some sort. When the pain had flared, that obviously meant something - and nothing good if the emotions radiating from him were anything to go by. And what of him being a spy? Which side was he spying on? Well that question was easy to answer - judging by his emotions and willingness to share that information with her he was on Dumbledore's side. The man was a pawn...being used by Dumbledore as a spy, and used by this Voldemort as a loyal follower - or Death Eater, as he had called it. It was somehow through that mark on his arm that he was tied to the Dark Lord 'till death, and if she was going to serve Dumbledore, that most likely meant destroying his enemy - and subsequently Severus along with him. The professor had said that he would explain a few things later, and Raven hoped it would be soon, because she was growing more alarmed by the minute. The girl shook herself mentally. Why am I so reluctant to inadvertently kill this man? she thought.

A yellow-cloaked Raven wearing big-rimmed glasses appeared in her mindscape. "Well, let's reason this out," Logic said. "Serving Albus Dumbledore will most likely mean that you will be asked to destroy the Dark Lord for him. And you just remembered that killing Voldemort would mean also killing Professor Snape. All that's left is to find out why you'd have trouble causing his death."

"And you've certainly never had trouble killing before..." a dark-red cloaked Raven emerged, and beneath her hood glowed four red eyes.

The real Raven slammed her eyes shut. "Get out!"

"Remember Dr. Light?" Rage snickered evilly. "You had no problem with killing him...or our father. Or even -"

"Stop!" Raven's face twisted.

"- your dear, beloved Azarath."

She choked back a sob in her throat. "Go away. Leave me!" She forced Rage back into her cage and buried her deep within her mind. As she forced Rage into submission, a gray-cloaked Raven appeared and patiently waited until the real Raven had gotten rid of her demon self. "What do you want, Wisdom?" Raven asked wearily.

"It seems to me, you still have no answer for the question you ask."

Raven nodded.

"Severus Snape shows qualities similar to your own. He too, is trapped against his will...and his personality compliments your own very well. You might view him as yourself, and to kill him would mean ending any hope of you finding happiness."

Raven frowned. "I gave up on hope long ago, Wisdom. There could never be a happy ending for something like me."

"Nevertheless," Wisdom held up a hand. "You see a lot of yourself in this man. And whether you have any chance left of happiness or not, you might feel that you're giving yourself a second go at life through him."

The meditating girl mentally rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You can do your psychobabble all you want, but for now I need to meditate."

The gray Raven shrugged indifferently. "You asked," she said. The figure vaporized, and Blue Raven was left alone.