Hi everyone and welcome to Chapter Four of "Do You Believe In Magic?". I have enjoyed writing this chapter, as it delves deeper into the past of both Christian and Savannah, and I can't wait until we find out more about them! So, I had help writing this chapter from an incredibly awesome person, nymphxdora! Thank you so much for helping me with this chapter hun, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The only thing I own is the plot, the OC's you will be introduced to throughout the story, and on occasion Oliver Wood, Fred and George Weasley, because they are just so hot! All known characters belong to the wonderful creator of the HP world, J.K. Rowling!
I blew through the forest like a tempest, my heart racing. I kept sprinting, occasionally throwing looks over my shoulder. Footsteps thudded behind me and the knot tightened in my throat as I fought through the mountainous oak trees that towered around me. Darting past outstretched branches that welcomed the spill of blood, I kept my focus steady, careful not to break my skin and satisfy their thirst. I ran, my legs never ceasing to stop their constant cycle of motion, my mind never straying from one, single thought: run. My lungs were on fire and my heart seemed to beat out of my chest. It was a strange sensation, I discovered, experiencing such excruciating pain but unable to stop moving. My bones felt like they were made of lead, but some unknown energy forced them to continue to work with my strained muscles and have me keep moving through the shadows.
I could no longer hear the pounding of footsteps, and the shouts of the Death Eaters that chased me. I was further now, but I couldn't care less. Not after what just happened. I tripped over what seemed to be a log lying on the moon-splattered forest floor. My perception, it turned out, was completely wrong.
I looked at the body that was strewn across the leaf-littered ground.
"O-Oliver?" I stuttered. I couldn't believe it. His head lolled to the side, his eyes struggling to remain open. They widened, as they landed on me, and his lips parted slightly. He took a staggered breath, and looked me over.
"Vannah. Run," he exhaled.
"No, I'm not leaving you here Oliver. I can heal you, please. Please, don't leave me." I sobbed, as I crawled over to his bleeding body.
"Savannah. I will not tell you again. Run," he whispered.
"Oliver, I will not leave you!" The calls of the Death Eaters were growing louder, and I knew that it would not be long until they were upon us. "I love you, Oliver Morgan Wood." I whispered, as I kissed his lips. I felt them move slowly against mine, as if there was nothing right in the world, as if there was no more time at all. He pulled away, as he looked into my eyes that were threatening to let the tears fall.
"I love you, Savannah Naida Chambers." He whispered, as he reached forward and brushed a stray piece of my blonde hair behind my ear, away from my cheek. His thumb slid ever so lightly past my ear, rubbing softly, caressing my cheek. His fingers supported the back of my head, as he pulled me to him, and he firmly, yet gently, placed our lips together. I felt myself quickly inhale pulling the air from his own lungs, as I trembled with desire. He pulled my body closer and embraced me, holding me tightly against him, as I felt the race of our hearts as one.
"Ah, young love. Isn't it so precious?" a sickly sweet voice asked, as I looked up.
"Sod off Lestrange," I spat. I was having no more of this.
"How dare you!?" she yelled as she pulled her wand. Out of instinct, I pulled my own wand and jumped in front of Oliver.
"No Bellatrix! The Dark Lord will kill you, if you kill her!" I heard a voice yell.
"I want to kill the boy," she whispered. Her voice had sing-song, almost mocking quality.
"No!" I yelled, as I sent the fire curse at her. "You will not kill the man I love!" I snapped, as venom laced my voice.
"Watch me," she laughed, with a sadistic smile on her face. "Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix cried, as a flash of green light came from the end of her wand, and met Oliver's already beaten body. The way his eyes stared at me, not blinking, was enough to unnerve me. His chest exhaled, as he breathed his last breath, and I knew for certain that he was gone.
"No!" I screamed, as the whole scene started to fade. No, I wouldn't leave him. I'm not leaving him with that pathetic excuse of a witch.
"Oliver!" I cried, as I sat up. I looked around in startled confusion. I was in my dorm room at Hogwarts, not a forest in the middle of nowhere. How could that have just been a bad dream? It had felt so real. So chillingly real! I took a deep breathe, and buried my head in my hands. I forced down the lump in my throat, and pressed my palms to my eyes in some sort of desperate action to keep myself from crying.
"Sivy, what is it?" Angelina cried, as her, Alicia and our other roommate, Eila, all came over to me. Eila was somewhat beautiful, stunning in other words. She had long brown hair, with streaks of hot pink in random places, and hazel eyes that could probably get her anything she wanted. Not that I was complaining. My blue eyes were somewhat "killers" in the words of Fred and George. I hadn't talked to her much, but I planned on changing that in the foreseeable future.
"It was nothing, just a bad dream." I whispered, as I flashed a fake smile toward them.
"Do you want us to get Oliver?" Alicia asked, concerned. She probably thought I wanted him, considering I did just cry out his name in the middle of the night. What time was it anyway?
"No!" I answered, almost too quickly. "No," I whispered. I looked around at all of their concerned faces, as they all shared a look.
"Sav, are you sure you're ok?" Eila asked, as she laid a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm ok Eila. I'm just going to sit in the common room for a while. I'll see you guys later, ok?" I smiled at them again, hoping it was at least believable, and made my way down the spiral staircase, and into the red and gold common room. The warmth from the fire instantly reached my freezing body, and I knew in that second, that this was going to be my favourite spot in the entire common room.
I walked over to a scarlet lounge, right in front of the fire, and sat down on it. My legs curled up underneath my body, my arms crossed across my torso, and my head resting gently on the armchair of the couch. I closed my eyes, and tried to forget about the images that seared the backs of my eyelids. I didn't understand. Was someone trying to warn me? Was somebody going to die? Was Oliver going to die? I didn't want this, and I sure as hell didn't need it. But then again, when you're a witch and you go to a fancy boarding school in Scotland for magically gifted teens, then you probably have to take it as it goes. It wasn't long before I felt the couch dup as someone sat next to me. I made my breathing look slow and deep, as if to portray the image that I was sleeping.
I felt fingertips brush a stray lock of hair out of my face, as they lightly skimmed my cheek.
"What's the matter Vannah?" I heard a husky, Scottish brogue whisper lightly. I stirred slightly, as some form of indication that I was waking up. I stretched my arms to above my head, yawned and then proceeded to rub the sleep from my eyes. I opened my eyes, to see the lovely red and gold of the Gryffindor Common Room, but what I wasn't expecting so early in the morning was to see Oliver standing over me, clad in nothing but boxers and a singlet. I blushed and looked away.
"Hey Vannah, are you ok?" He asked, as he sat down on the couch, next to my legs, taking as much space as he possibly could without me hogging it all.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Why?" I asked, as I sat up, and drew my knees to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my knees to keep them there, as I looked at Oliver. Oliver turned to face me, concern written all over his face.
"Angelina sent an owl to my dormitory. Annoyed Percy to no end, but she mentioned that you had a nightmare and woke up screaming my name. Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, as he laid two comforting hands on my arms, and rubbed them up and down in a way to make me feel better.
"Yeah, I did. But it was just a nightmare Oliver, there's not much I can do about them." I whispered, as I watched the embers that flickered in the fireplace, and the wood charring underneath the yellow-orange flames.
"Savannah," Oliver began. I looked to him in slight shock and confusion. He hardly ever used my full name. What was going on? "I will always be here for you if you need me. I know I haven't known you for very long at all, but I feel as if I can trust you, and I want you to know that you can trust me with anything you need. I'll always be here for you, you just have to let yourself understand that first," he finished, as he put an arm around my shoulders.
"I know Ollie. I know." I whispered, as I laid my head on his shoulder. That was how we stayed for the rest of the night. Oliver with his arm around my shoulder as he whispered comforting words into my hair, as he watched the fire silently flicker away, into a dull light. Myself, however? I couldn't take my gaze away from the fire, for if I did, I would worry about how good I felt next to Oliver, and that was something I wasn't ready for. Not yet. Not after that dream. But that was the start of my beautiful friendship with Oliver. I could feel myself slowly drifting back to sleep, Oliver's accent lulled me into unconsciousness. Luckily for me, it was a dreamless slumber.
I awoke the next morning, with my head on something extremely comfortable. The only problem? It was moving. I opened my eyes, to see that I was indeed, on Oliver's chest, and his arm was slung, what looked to be comfortably, around my waist. I shuffled a little bit, but I immediately stiffened, when I felt Oliver stir. Please don't wake up. Please don't wake up. Please… Oh great.
"Mornin' Vannah." Oliver greeted, in his husky morning voice.
"Morning Ollie." I greeted, with a slight yawn.
"How did you sleep?" He asked, as he reached out and tucked a stray piece of my hair behind my ear. "No more nightmares, I hope?" His face was twisted in concern, and I knew for a fact that I would never live this down.
"No, no nightmares." I grinned at him, hoping he wouldn't see through the façade.
"You're scared," he stated simply. I looked at him in shock. How did he know? "It's written all over your face Sav. Like I told you last night, this morning, whatever time it was, I will always be here for you. No matter what." Then, he did something I wasn't expecting. He kissed my forehead. Like, I know for some people it's not a big deal, but for someone like me, this was a huge deal! He kissed me on the forehead. Tell the Prophet! Alert the Ministry of Magic! Oliver Wood had just kissed me! Well, not technically.
I blushed a furious shade of scarlet that could rival Gryffindor itself, and stood up off the couch, and away from Oliver's warm embrace.
"Thank you, Oliver. I'll see you at breakfast." I smiled at him, before turning away to the girl's dormitory. I started the long ascend to my dormitory, and smiled to myself. It couldn't be possible. After all, I was only eleven. I couldn't possibly have a crush on Oliver Wood. I've only known him for a day, and a bit! There was no possible way, in Godric Gryffindor's wildest dreams, that I was crushing on Oliver Wood. No way!
I grumbled a little bit, as I pushed the door to my dormitory open. The girls all sat up in fright, as a blanket of sleep engulfed the room.
"Sorry," I whispered, as I walked over to my bed. I flopped down on it, and wrapped myself up in the duvet. Seriously, I don't know how I'm going to deal on the holidays. This was the most comfy duvet, I have ever had the pleasure of sleeping under. Seriously.
"How are you Sav?" I heard Eila ask, as she her feet pitter-pattered on the cold, stone floor towards my bed.
"I'm ok now Eila, but Angelina," I answered my friend, and turned to the other. "Never send an owl to Oliver in the middle of the night." I smiled as she blushed a deep red.
"I was hoping he wouldn't tell you about that." She whispered, as she played with the end of her ponytail.
"It's ok, but next time when I say not to get Oliver, don't get Oliver." I laughed, as I pulled my new friends into a group hug. I pulled away and smiled at all of them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pay a visit to Christian before breakfast," I laughed, but Angelina looked at me, still concerned.
"How is he? Your brother?" She asked.
"He seems to be ok. Apparently he hexed Flint, and one of Flint's mates hexed him back. But, I guess, Madame Pomfrey reversed the hex, and the teachers are trying to find out which one of Flint's mates did it. But, yeah he seems to be alright. Madame Pomfrey said that he would wake up this morning. So I'll see you guys later!" I cried, as I quickly dressed into my robes, threw my hair into a messy braid, ran out the door of the dormitory, down the spiral staircase, into the common room, than out the portrait hole into the sprucely lit hallway.
I did a series of twists and turns and came upon the stairs that led down into the Great Hall. At least I knew where I was now, but how did I get to the Hospital Wing again?
"Not lost are you, my dear?" An eerie but delicate voice whispered. It sounded like hollow whispers, sitting silently on the wind. I snapped my head around, the messy braid, whipped behind me. Standing, well rather floating, in front of me was none other than the Ravenclaw House Ghost, Helena Ravenclaw. She smiled a kind smile, as her long black hair floated behind her.
"I'm just looking for the Hospital Wing. My brother, Christian was admitted yesterday afternoon." I smiled back at her, as she looked at me in sympathy.
"Of course dear, I will take you there," she smiled, as we started to walk in the direction of the Hospital Wing. On the way there, I got to know Helena really well. I learnt that she was known as, "The Grey Lady", and that her mother was the founder of Ravenclaw. No wonder her name sounded familiar. I learnt that she was quite friendly with most of the students that took the time to talk to her, and of how she died. I wonder what she must be feeling to see the person who murdered her, every day and every night.
It wasn't long before we arrived at the Hospital Wing. The tall, dark double doors were enough to make me feel small, inadequate.
"Thank you for helping me find my way Helena. I promise, I will find time to talk to you again!" I smiled, as I pushed the doors open into the Hospital Wing. But my smile must have covered my entire face when I saw Christian sitting up, and drinking a glass of water.
"Christian!" I cried, as a smile adorned my face. I raced over to my brother's bed, and threw my arms around his neck.
"Oh," he groaned, but laughed, and hugged me back. I could practically feel the smile radiating off of him in waves. I pulled away, with slight tears in my eyes, as I looked into his equally blue eyes. I sat down on the chair that was next to his bed.
"What happened Christian?" I asked seriously. I saw the grin falter from his face for a split second before it regained its shining quality.
"Nothing happened Savannah. I'm fine," he grinned, as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms in a comforting gesture.
"Oh, bullfrog. You know, I know what happened Christian, so don't pretend that I'm oblivious to the world around me." I snapped back, quite aggressively, which was definitely out of character for me. Sure, I snapped at people that annoyed me, but I never snapped at family. I never snapped at Christian.
His grin really did falter this time. He sighed as he ran a hand through his short, croppy brown, black hair.
"Look, Sav, I was only trying to protect you. I didn't want anything to happen to you, like it did to…" Christian sighed again as he trailed off.
"Like it did to whom, Christian? Who was it? Merlin? Dumbledore?" I ranted on, sarcastically. Christian refused to look at me, but I knew that if I kept pushing he would crack.
"Who Christian!?" I yelled, as I stood up from the chair next to his bed.
"Like it did to Laurel!" He yelled as he snapped his head up to look at me.
"Laurel's dead, Christian! I know you're trying to protect me, but I don't need your help twenty-four seven, three sixty-five! I'm not two!" I cried. Christian sighed, and put his head in his hands, and I knew instantly that I had hurt him in some way.
I sighed, and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Christian, what happened to Laurel wasn't your fault. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Laurel was everything to us, but you have to know that it wasn't your fault, and it never will be. Now, what happened?" I asked, as I wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"I hexed Flint because he was saying stuff about you and Oliver. One of his friends sent a particularly nasty hex back," he answered. "Promise me something Sav," he sighed, as he looked at me with tears in his eyes.
"What?" I asked, as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Stay away from Flint, and Oliver. They're nothing but trouble, and I don't want anything to happen to you. Nothing at all," he finished. I opened my mouth to protest, but was cut off by a stern look.
"Savannah Naida Chambers. Promise me," he whispered, as I turned away. I knew I would regret this as soon as it came out of my mouth, but I looked at him, and knew instantly that it was over.
"I promise." I whispered, as I blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. The one thing that I thought over and over again was something I didn't want to ever think about again.
What have I done?
So, I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I am excited to see if I can get anymore reviews!? Please? I love constructive crticism, and I accept guest reviews, so if you guys could take a few minutes to leave a little review telling me if you liked it or hated it... Please? Thank you!
Kisses from Australia,
~Danger xx