"Should we really be having a feast? With everything that's happened?" Scorp voiced his disapproval at lunch on Halloween.
Rose sighed, "I know but it'll boost moral. Merlin knows we need it."
It was true, the school was terrified, and everyone was convinced they would be next.
The first one turned up a few days after the 'Ann fiasco'. A first year completely magically drained. She was worst than a muggle, her magical core had been sucked out. She was in St Mungos slowly dieing of what the Healers were calling 'abrupt magical detox'. Then in the weeks after three more students had been attacked. Stricter curfews had been emplaced, no one allowed out of class by themselves and Care of Magical Creatures was taught inside, far away from the forest. The paranoia was killing them all.
"What do you have after lunch?" he asked.
"Arithmancy, you?"
"Divination." Rose pulled a face. "Oh lay off, it's good. You know now I could Gaze at someone and they wouldn't know it, no matter how good their shields were?"
Rose narrowed her eyes and Scorp chuckled. "Don't worry I wouldn't do it to you." Scorp slid out of his seat and picked up his bag. "See you at the feast."
He sighed as he climbed the stairs up to the divination tower. He got a chilling feeling from the whole thing. He'd tried to Gaze at the victims to find out what happened but they didn't see anything. He couldn't find out with out a face or a name either. The boy who could find out anything about anyone was stumped.
He groaned and pushed the door open. What hit him first was the smell. The heavy perfume, the next thing was the heat.
Selena smiled at him, "Welcome Mr Bloom, how are you today?"
"Fine," he said stiffly. The attacks had given him more ammunition against her. Wasn't that mentioned? All the victims had two vampire teeth prints on their neck, yet no blood taken.
Selena widened her smile to show her fangs as if sensing his discomfort. Today she was wearing a blue sari and her white hair was pulled back in a braid. Her eyes were glowing red.
He narrowed his eyes. "You feed recently."
"Of course. I was… thirsty." Her eyes twinkled with laughter.
Scorp gazed around and room. "What's with the candles and incense?"
"Halloween is one of three days in the years where magic is at its height. Even better is that tonight we have a blood moon."
He narrowed his eyes, "And this is part of our lesson how…"
"You'll be entering a coma like state to view your magic's true form," she said cheerfully.
"Okay…"
The silence that followed was beyond awkward.
They
jumped when there was a knock at the door. Evanna pushed the door
open grinning. "Hello Selena! What's on the agenda for
today?"
Selena and Scorp flinched; the old Evanna never used
words like agenda. She had gotten back her airy voice and weir…
different beliefs but the words she used were different, more worldly
than otherworldly.
Selena explained what they would be doing. They were supposed to lay back and inhale the scent of Neoqua flower.
"The Neoqua flower is a flower that blooms about once every four to six years, but surprisingly there are many all around the world, mostly in mountainous rainforests. They have a lot of concentrate magical properties and if inhaled in its raw state it will induce a coma that sends you into your magical core." (A/N: anyone else getting the feeling of a relation to marijuana?)
"And what would be in your magic core?" asked Scorp sceptically.
"A world. Each magic core has it's own world in it with one being."
"Like your animagus form?" asked Evanna.
Selena shook her head. "No. This is different. Your animagus form is your soul animal. It can only be a normal animal. Your core inhabitant could be a person, an animal, a magical creature, a talking wardrobe even!"
So that was how Scorp ended up laying on his back with a silver coloured flower in his face.
"This isn't going to have any side affects is it?"
"You may be a bit groggy for the rest of the day. Worst case scenario you'll have a minor headache for a couple of hours." He nodded and sniffed at the flower deeply.
The most amazing sensation went through his body. He closed his eyes and it felt like he was floating like time and space. His whole body tingled with positive energy. (A/N: Like I said, marijuana)
When he opened his eyes he was standing in from of a huge boulder cluster. At the top stood a lion. It roared at him and ducked away. Scorp looked around. Trees surrounded him. He was in a forest. Slightly put out that his magical core wasn't a bit more interesting he figured he should probably follow the lion. Boring as it may be it was still the inhabitant of his core.
He reached up to a crack in the boulder and pulled himself up. It couldn't be too hard. Five cracks later and his hands were screaming for mercy but he pressed on. Finally his arm stretched up and reached the top and he hauled himself over the edge. Gasping he looked up and looked out on the most amazing sight he had ever seen. Thousands of miles of forest and mountains and a small river that spread through the middle. Something brushed against his side and he jumped.
"Beautiful isn't it," growled the lion.
"Err yeah…" said Scorp surprised at a talking lion… but it wasn't a lion. It had the body and head of a lion but the tail… of a snake.
He scoffed, "Of course. Ninety percent lion but it all comes from a snake."
The snake at the end hissed, "I resent that."
Scorp rolled his eyes. "So you two live here… In me, in my magical core."
They both nodded. "Well at least you have each other for company. I mean other people's core inhabitants must be pretty lonely…" They both gave him a look that clearly said they'd rather they were alone.
There was a long pause.
"So how long do I stay here? And what's the point?" he asked.
"To see is to know and to know is power," rumbled the lion.
"Which means that if you know what is inside you then your magic will flow smoother. You'll heal magically because nothing will block the flow except very powerful curses. Spells will be easier to learn and the possibilities with your Gazing will be endless," hissed the snake.
Scorp pursed his lips and thought deeply to himself. He didn't want more power, he just wanted to be a normal wizard with normal abilities. The sky rumbled and rain began to fall down on them.
The snake hissed violently. "Stop that! I hate the rain, I hate it, I hate it!"
Scorp blinked, snapped out of his thoughts and the rain eased up until it was gone, but the clouds remained.
"I made that happen?" he directed the question at the lion since the snake was still shaking itself dry.
"Of course. We are, after all inside you. This world works with and around your emotions. Those three months in America," the lion shuddered, "The river over flowed and the sky… it always dark. Horrible, horrible."
"Sorry," he mumbled.
The lion gave what looked like a smile, "Do not be Gildor, do not be. A little rain is good for forest. It keep them alive."
Scorp started. "What did you call me?"
The lion blinked at him. "Gildor, your name."
"That's not my name! My name is Gildor!" he froze. He had said Scorp but it had come out as Gildor.
The snake gave a hissed laughed. "Ah the buffoon has not realised we were talking in his ancestor's tongue."
"Huh?" now he was completely lost.
The lion explained. "We have been speaking Elvan this entire time. This is an elvan world of course since your blood is elvan."
"No I'm not. I'm no longer part of the Malfoy family so I don't have that blood anymore."
"Ah but the Bloom family also stems from elvan royalty. Let me think, ah yes, the youngest of the King and Queen's children Riel (A/N: pronounced rail), had an affair with an Irish witch who became pregnant. He then ran off only sending money every month. I do not think the royal family even knew the baby existed."
Scorp put his head in his hands, "Why can't everything just be simple? Why does everything have to have a hidden meaning?"
"Because you're a wizard," said the sake as if it explained everything.
The floating feeling went through his head again and the tingly feeling returned.
The lion lifted its head, "I fear this is goodbye for now. Come back again if you can." "Keep the rain away," was all the snake had to say. Scorp took it as 'stay happy.'
Just before he was going to close his eyes he stopped. "Hey what are your names?"
The lion blinked in surprise. "I am Astald and he is Ondo."
With his realisation of the language Scorp knew what they meant in English. "Brave and Stone… farewell."
He closed his eyes and opened them again to meet the Divination room. Evanna sat beside him rubbing her eyes.
"How'd it go?" he asked her.
"Oh! Wonderful! I was by a beautiful misty lake and a Winter Fae was there! Her name is Elva!" Evanna gushed the information out with a big grin on her face. Scorp was please to see her happy. "What about you?"
"It was a forest. I had to climb this huge boulder but it was worth it. And there was a Chimera, Astald the lion part and Ondo the snake tail. They spoke Elvan."
Evanna's eyes went wide as saucepans. "Really? That's so amazing." The bell rang. They quickly thanked Selena and rushed out, laughing happily at their experiences. Scorp left out his elfish name translation.
A/N: Quite a few things today.
1. Yes I know Elva is the name of the little girl from Eldest, I figured that out after I typed it and decided not to change it. It fit.
2. For anyone interested, a winter fae is something a got from a friend who was reading a fairy book (a real book not a children's one). Basically there are Summer Fae, who are earth and fire and Winter Fae who are air and water.
Good news! I am being dragged down south (umm, Australian slang for going into the bush, I think. I've used it so much I have no idea what the real translation is!) with only my dad for company and no Internet. So the only thing I'll have to do is steal his laptop and type up new chapters. So in fours day's time there should be at least two new chapters up.
Review! Let me know what you thought of Scorp's thing being a Chimera! Criticise my grammar! Tell me the real translation for 'going down south'! Anything, just please review!