Indigo by C C
Summary: When loyalties clash and their hearts are torn apart, how will the students of Hogwarts ultimately choose? Read to discover what is hidden beneath all the masks, deceit, and lies, but, most of all, how strong friendship and, ultimately, love, truly is.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling
Chapter III "Déjà vû "
Slowly, the supple drapes called night are drawn aside by the ghost of (Christmas) past and a novel scene is begun …
Creeping silently along the lofty towers that sheltered the slumbering students, smiling gently at her pleasant reflection in the silvery lake, peeking into the homely gamekeeper's cabin, Dawn made her nimble way across the once murky sky, trailing her rosy train behind her. But she too was not able to foresee the day when she would rise, bloody and terrible, over a world that no longer needed her scarlet dye.
Cold sweat poured down Harry's trembling form as he jolted to consciousness and swept his dilating eyes across the silent chamber. Raising a clammy palm to rub at his aching scar, he willed his pounding heart to calm down. He couldn't be here, he just couldn't. But the dream, it had been so vivid … with a jolt, he remembered the death of the old man from his fourth year – could it be … ?
Gradually stirring into wakefulness, Blu felt a velvety paw batting softly against her nose, time and time again. As she groggily opened her eyes she saw a snowy, blue-eyed cat, rapping a white foot on her face to capture her attention.
"Alba?" she murmured groggily, "what are you doing here?" before turning over to try to catch the ends of her disappearing dreams. The tapping became more insistent and the blue eyes gazed imploringly into her grey ones. "Okay, okay, I'm up!" Blu muttered, wandering towards the bathroom, eyes screwed shut against the morning light. Alba followed. Shutting the door just as her cat slipped through, Blu twisted the hot water tap, savoring the sensation of the steaming water rushing through every strand of her hair, across her scalp, down her back before massaging her vanilla scented shampoo into her dripping locks. Now, she didn't remember bringing Alba here …
The hallways were still with the peace that belonged to only the daybreak as Harry strolled towards the prefects' bathroom, mulling over what had happened in his nightmare.
There was a green flash, a scream, and then, nothing …
Grabbing a thick, fluffy towel, Blu bundled her drenched hair in its folds turban style and drew open the bathroom curtains. Immediately, the dazzling morning light streamed in, sparkling in beams of pristine light off the crystal droplets that made their way down her ivory skin. Inhaling sharply, Blu allowed her gaze to sweep across the panorama before her – the broad green lawn glittering with morning dew countered a dark forest that lay to one side. Hagrid's simple cottage stood like a brave sentinel before the dark pines and the empty Quidditch fields were played at by only the ghosts of the past throwing the morning wind through the metal hoops. It was a beautiful landscape that met her eyes that morning, but to keep it that way, many, many lives were lost.
Smiling at the animal friend beside her, realization suddenly came to her.
"Alba! I thought I told you to look after mother and father! What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed reproachfully, "Not that I'm not happy to see you," she added in response to the cat's hurt expression. There was something in the cat's gaze that unnerved her – could something be wrong back home?
Draco sat silently in the green and silver common room as the other students slowly meandered out of Slytherin tower and to the Great Hall for breakfast. Smirking, he stood as Blu finally came down dressed in an off-white lace V-neck and black silk-tiered skirt that swept softly around her ankles as she walked with an odd necklace of braided black lace, beads, and ribbon. Pulling a traditional black Hogwarts robe over her attire as she walked towards him, Blu greeted him with a small smile.
"So, finally decided to grace us with your presence, princess?" Draco offered her his arm. Blu put on an arrogant, haughty manner as she fake strutted past him.
"Of course, my lowly servant."
"Now is that the way to talk to your prince?" Draco reprimanded.
"Prince? I don't see one …" she laughed softly as they merged into the crowds of black cloaked students. Draco became serious again.
"Now, to business. Professor McConagall wants me to give you a tour of the school grounds after Charms, what do you think?" Blu shrugged.
"Sure. Now, let's hurry up, I'm starving." Together, they entered the Great Hall.
As they settled down at the Gryffindor table, Harry debated about whether or not to tell Hermione and Ron about his dream. Ron jostled Harry's elbow while biting into a slice of toast coated in sweet strawberry jam.
"Hey, Harry, anything on your mind?" Hermione looked up from her Arithmancy textbook worriedly.
"It's nothing, I'm fi –" Harry's response was interrupted by the arrival of the post owls. A particularly large brown barn owl dropped a monochrome newspaper before Hermione. Holding her waffle with her mouth, she quickly unrolled the Daily Prophet. Then, the waffle dropped onto the metal fork lying upon her porcelain plate. The fork clattered to the ground with a hollow ringing sound. Hermione gasped and pointed with a trembling hand at a grotesque image printed on the cover. Harry and Ron leaned over. In bold capitals across the cover they read:
TWO OF BEST AURORS FOUND DEAD – KILLER UNKNOWN
Below it was a photograph made even more terrible because the image did not move as most photographs in the wizarding world did. All that they saw was two gray corpses lying upon a white floor.
Professor Flitwick's Charms class was a noisy affairs as students attempted to charm their quills to write 'I am charmed'. Having hidden underneath his desk due to unpleasant remembrances of the Banishing Charm, Professor Flitwick apprehensively watched Neville Longbottom, a particularly hapless wizard, wave his wand around. The students were giggling with fun and a handful of them had been able to master the spell. Of them, Blu and Hermione were amusing themselves by signing their names on each other's parchment while chuckling at the other students' failed attempts – Draco's parchment currently read 'Draco Malfoy has a big head'. Passing by, Harry snorted into his hand as Draco glared at him.
"Read your own parchment first," he snapped. Grinning, Harry held up the paper reading 'I am charmed' for Draco to see. Ron also wandered over to join the fun, and together, he and Harry laughed at the humiliated Head Boy.
The second hand never moved more slowly, surmised Blu as she stared at the clock's glassy countenance. Ten more seconds, nine more seconds, eight more seconds, seven more seconds – she silently ticked them off in her mind – three more seconds, two more seconds, one more second, class is –
" – dismissed!" tiny Professor Flitwick finished her thought and the eager students hurried out, happily discussing their plans for the evening. Waving a goodbye to Hermione, Blu quickly made her way to where Draco was standing. He smiled as he whispered in her ear
"Ready?" She nodded her affirmative.
"Yes, sir!" Laughing, they began their tour of Hogwarts School.
" – and that," Draco pointed at Hagrid's cabin, "is the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid's house. You mayn't know, but he's a half-giant, and like them, he is bloodthirsty and terrible. His favorite food – lovely young women – like you!" He roared and chased after Blu. Blu giggled even as she colored angrily.
"Don't say things like that about Hagrid!"
"Why? I nearly got killed in his class – a hippogryph attacked me. And Hagrid was like this," Draco swaggered impressively and imitated Hagrid's deep voice, "Eff Buckbeak ever hurts anyone, the' must've deserved it, Buckbeak woul' never hurt anyone for no reason." He then added in a low voice, "Too bad he didn't die, tha' Draco, not had a bit o' human meat fo' a while, me."
"Hagrid would never say that, and you're still alive and well, aren't you?" snapped Blu.
"Not for long, I won't be," Draco said in an ominous voice.
"Well then, you'd deserve it, what with what you're saying about Hagrid!" Blu stalked away towards the shadowy forest only a few feet away. Feeling hurt, Draco walked in the opposite direction.
Having walked a good distance towards Hogwarts, Draco looked up as wet droplets fell from the once clear sky. Turning around, he told Blu
"It's raining, we better hurry –" only to find that she was no longer following him. Scanning the grounds anxiously, he just saw her petite figure disappear into the eaves of the Forbidden Forest. "Blu! Blu! You can't go there! It's the Forbidden Forest!" She ignored him and vanished from sight. Cursing underneath his breath, Draco chased after her. The rain intensified. And the ghost of (Christmas) past rang down the hoary curtain of unwept tears …
Bonjour! This chapter is sort of short … --; … but I wanted to end it here. Don't worry, everything will match up. As to where this fic is placed, it's sort of the sixth book and sort of not – Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione are together, but the whole Dumbledore, Horcruxes thing didn't happen. (Dumbledore dies … T.T) ooh … that reminds me – I need to bring Ginny in more. Props to Reyy.-, thanks for the comment! Haha … well, drop a comment for this crazy authoress.