Sorry about the wait guys but its not been a good week for me and I just haven't found the time to update with all the stuff that's going on right now. I really appreciate all your comments, and to Summer Rosewood with regards to your last review, OMG that is awesome, and thank you, it means a lot. :) I'll do my best to update soon, but please be patient if the wait's a little longer than you want. Again, sorry, and enjoy.
Valkyrie was about to meet up with Fred and George after the last lesson of the day to go to the Great Hall when she was approached by the pale haired Slytherin named Draco Malfoy, flanked by two larger boys Valkyrie hadn't bothered to learn the names of, also in Slytherin robes.
"Professor Umbridge would like to see you." He smirked.
"Professor Umbridge can wait, I'm busy." Valkyrie shrugged, continuing her walk down the corridor. Draco moved in front of her, blocking her path.
"I don't think you understand. The Professor really would like to talk to you. Now."
"I don't think you understand. Maybe I should say it slower. The. Professor. Can. Wait." Valkyrie strode around him, and for a brief moment she thought they had given up, before the two larger boys slipped in front of her path, Draco moving around her to stand at the front of them. He smirked.
"Sorry, detective, but I've been instructed to make sure you meet with the professor." Valkyrie sighed falsely and put her hands in her pockets, shrugging as she subtly slipped on her necromancer ring, feeling the cold wrap itself around her hand.
"Well, I'm sorry to have to disappoint you, but I'm not going anywhere." Valkyrie didn't bother to smile, but instead rolled her eyes and parted the shadows on the wall, stepping sideways through them, shadow-walking towards the Great Hall. She travelled with such speed that she almost missed the red headed twins walking in the opposite direction to meet her. She stepped out of the shadows directly in front of them.
"Hi guys." She grinned as they screamed, leaping backwards. Fred had practically jumped into George's arms, bridal style, as Valkyrie laughed.
"In Merlin's name!" George exclaimed, dropping Fred who landed to the ground with a thud.
"How did you do that?" Fred groaned as he picked himself up off the floor. Valkyrie shrugged.
"Necromancy."
"I thought you were an elemental."
"I'm both." Valkyrie responded "Until I'm 19 anyway."
"I do think we've seen you using it before." George said thoughtfully.
"Probably. Anyway, are we going to get food? I'm starving." Valkyrie grinned, before she was swarmed in darkness.
Valkyrie opened her eyes slowly. Her head was aching as she rolled over before she realised she was in bed. She sat up quickly.
"Bad dreams again?" A velvety voice asked from across the room. She turned her head to see Skulduggery sat in the corner, as always. She mumbled a reply. She felt unbelievably tired, as if she hadn't slept, as if it had been just another normal night at Hogwarts, filled with nightmares of burning cities and her family and friends dying at her feet. So why didn't she remember any of it? She wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a god-send, but she did know it wasn't normal. But then, when was anything in her life normal?
"Are you alright? Valkyrie?" Skulduggery stood. Valkyrie nodded quickly.
"Yeah," she muttered "I'm fine." She swung her legs from the bed and let her toes touch the floor. Just standing she found she was already exhausted.
"I'm gonna take a shower." She muttered again, disappearing into the bathroom. Stepping out of her pyjamas and into the shower, the hot water felt good on her skin. It took away some of her stress, even if it was just the tiniest bit, but it didn't take away any of her confusion. What was happening? If she was just passing out, she could understand – after all she hadn't slept properly in months, not to mention she was still very active during the day with the teaching and the training Skulduggery was making her do with water. But she wasn't. If this time was anything like the last time, she would have carried on as normal, even after the blackout, but she wouldn't remember anything.
"Are you doing something?" She asked.
"None of the things you're worried about." Darquesse replied, startling Valkyrie slightly. Darquesse hadn't been talking to her as of late, and seemed to be just creating a hum in the back of Valkyrie's mind, as she was doing now.
"Like I'd believe you." Valkyrie thought. She could almost visualise Darquesse shrugging.
"Whether you believe me or not is your choice." And Darquesse was quiet again. Valkyrie cursed in frustration before turning off the shower and stepping out. She was dried and dressed in minutes and stepped back outside of the bathroom. Skulduggery had departed to his own room, so Valkyrie quickly scrawled down a note for him and left it on the desk before heading to the Great Hall. Harry, Ron and Hermione were just about to go in when she got there.
"Hi," she smiled slightly, trying to mask her tiredness.
"Hi Valkyrie." Harry replied immediately, Ron's response quick behind him. Hermione mumbled a stiff 'hello' as the four of them went in together. Valkyrie sat next to Harry and reached for a drink, feeling a headache begin to form in the back of her mind.
"So Valkyrie, what are you doing today?" Harry asked her. Valkyrie looked at him.
"Should I be doing anything?" She asked.
"Well it is Saturday." Ron said, shovelling toast into his mouth.
"It is?" Valkyrie muttered a curse, earning a disapproving look from Hermione, who still didn't seem impressed by the incident with Umbridge. "Well, in that case I'll probably be training with Skulduggery." She ran her fingers through her hair.
"You're a combat teacher, shouldn't you already know everything?" Hermione scowled.
"Firstly, I'm a detective, not a teacher. Second, you can never know too much combat, and third, it's probably sorcery, not combat, that I'll be practising." Valkyrie said. Harry looked up in interest.
"You'll be practising sorcery?" He asked.
"Yeah, maybe." Valkyrie said, sipping her drink.
"Can we come watch?" Harry asked eagerly. Valkyrie put her drink down on the table and thought about it, tilting her head slightly. She brushed her hair behind her ear and shrugged.
"Yeah, sure, why not?" Harry smiled slightly.
"Great. Hey Ron, are you going to come?"
"Hmm?" Ron mumbled through a mouthful of food before nodding, his cheeks bulging.
"Hermione, are you coming?" Harry asked her. She narrowed her eyes.
"No, I don't think so. I'm going to the library."
"Maybe you'd appreciate how difficult sorcery is if you saw it in action." Harry suggested. Valkyrie didn't really care either way – Hermione wasn't happy with her at the moment and Valkyrie wouldn't be all that comfortable being watched while she concentrated. Hermione made a 'hff' kind of noise with her mouth before Valkyrie turned to Harry.
"You'd better not laugh at me while I'm practising." She scowled.
"Why, I thought you were good?"
"With fire and air, but why would I practise something I can already do? I'm not as advanced with water – it's really difficult to manipulate."
"I'll try not to."
"If you do I'll set your hair on fire."
"I definitely won't laugh."
"Good move." Hermione scowled again at the conversation as Valkyrie and Harry went back to their breakfasts, the threat bearing no weight at all between the pair. Soon enough, after Ron's third helping, Valkyrie stood.
"Well, I'm going. We'll be by the BlackLake when you're ready." She said.
"I'm ready now." Harry said quickly, standing "Right Ron?" Ron looked up, his mouth full, before he swallowed and nodded.
"Yeah sure." They stood, Harry waving a quick 'goodbye' to Hermione before leaving the Great Hall. Hermione sat for a moment by herself, her plate mostly empty before her. She scowled and stood quickly.
"Fine," she muttered angrily, before she picked up her bag of books – books she had been intending to pour through for more information on the Darquesse sorceress – and ran after them.
Valkyrie met Skulduggery, who was leaning on the wall, just outside the corridor, Harry, Ron and Hermione behind her. He turned his skull to her slightly as she smiled.
"Hey, is it ok if they watch?" He glanced to them.
"I don't see why not. Come along then." Valkyrie smiled at the trio quickly before following Skulduggery, who had pushed away from the wall and begun striding across the courtyard towards the BlackLake. Valkyrie kept pace easily, but the trio were nearly jogging to catch up. By the time they reached the lake edge, Ron was already tired. Hermione had a permanent scowl plastered onto her face and seemed to be developing an obsession with rolling her eyes.
The dark water lapped slightly. Valkyrie's headache was increasing, but she tried not to let it show. If she messed up in front of Skulduggery, it would mean a few days worth of teasing before she'd try again. Id she messed up in front of the Hogwarts students, especially Hermione, she might loose any or all respect she had gathered from them – and it would be a permanent weapon for Hermione.
Valkyrie brushed her hair behind her ears – not that it stayed there – and bent down to the water, resting her hand of the surface. Skulduggery stood slightly to the left, arms folded, the trio to the right, Harry watching eagerly. Valkyrie concentrated, focusing all her energy on her palm, thinking of how instinctual it was for her to conjure fire or manipulate air. She curled her fingers so the tips dipping in the water, and pulled. The water pulled away with her as a stream. Valkyrie's other hand moved underneath it as she stood, breaking the stream so there was almost a tunnel of water between both her palms. Carefully, furrowing her brow and concentrating as she gritted her teeth together, she pushed her hands towards each other. This was the moment where it all usually fell apart, where the water lost all shape and fell to the ground to rejoin the lake.
But the water shifted to a sphere shape in her hands. Valkyrie felt a grin form on her face as she manipulated the water. She could barely hear Skulduggery giving her a small compliment through her concentration. But then, as before, it began to get harder, her arms began to get tired, all the energy draining from them. Before it could fall apart in her hands, Valkyrie pushed against the air and sent the ball of water skimming across the lake, bouncing 3 times on the surface before breaking up into a thousand tiny ripples.
Valkyrie grinned.
Harry watched in amazement as Valkyrie seemed to pull the water away from the lake as she stood, drawing it back with her. The concentration was clear on her face. Harry couldn't begin to imagine the amount of effort it must have been taking her to keep the water in her palms – he had had enough trouble trying to push a tiny paperclip, and she was manipulating a sphere of water straight from the BlackLake? Valkyrie seemed to spin it in her hand slowly.
"Well done, Valkyrie." Skulduggery said quietly. Harry saw that Valkyrie didn't seem to register the compliment, but the sphere of water wobbled slightly, as if it were beginning to break up. Harry watched as Valkyrie suddenly brought the ball of water up to her chest and pushed it away from her with a snap of her palms. The ball was a blur as is shot across the surface of the lake, almost disappearing over the landscape. Harry just managed to see it break apart, forming ripples across the water's surface. Valkyrie grinned.
"That was wicked!" Ron grinned. Hermione's scowl had shrunk slightly – probably through interest, but she still didn't look happy. Valkyrie, on the other hand, looked almost ecstatic, but, Harry noticed for the first time, unbelievably tired. He saw a glimpse of the dark circles under her eyes against the pale tone of her skin, and he noticed the way her movements were just a little too fluid, as if she were trying to hide the fact that she was tired. Harry wondered just how much he hadn't noticed about Valkyrie Cain.
