A/N: So, here's the next chapter, enjoy.
Chapter 38: Watch
I observed my hand for a while more, basking in the power surge that coursed through every vein in my body, the hallway's response echoing in my blood, my mind faintly recognising Serpen's distressed hiss.
All was silent in the hallway, the sound of fire flickering in the torches the only music allowed to our ears.
"Ooooh" Arielle spoke up beside me suddenly, her call sounding distinctly ominous in this dark place, scaring Daphne so that she stepped ever closer to me, now only an inch away "spooky."
I turned to see her grinning like a maniac, her mouth stretched to impossible lengths, but she could not fool me. I had seen better acting on her part, and the mirthless eyes that betrayed her sombre mood were a clear indication of her intentions.
She was scared, Gryffindor lioness though she was, the bravest of the brave, was scared. And she had every right to be, for had it been its intention, this hallway could have killed her in a moment's notice.
But Arielle was one other thing, she was protective, and this was possibly the only trait of hers that I fully approved of, and this was her attempt, as naïve and foolhardy as it might have been, to ease Daphne's mind. How very noble of you Hayes, how very noble.
"Indeed." I responded, considering this matter resolved, urgency once more claiming my mind. I reached forward, wrapping my hands around the torch on my immediate left, lifting it with some difficulty and raising it so that it illuminated our way down.
But this was no ordinary torch, and the moment my skin made contact with the metal, the fire flared, ember flames turning emerald before dying down to their usual intensity.
"As we only have two torches, Daphne is to walk behind me." I spoke, addressing no one in particular and everyone at once before turning to Arielle, my words now specific "Take the second torch and bring up the rear."
I turned my head from her, not waiting for an answer, knowing what it would be before it was even uttered, and making a step forward, stepping on the first step downward.
"Bossy, bossy" muttered Arielle, but I could tell that my words were well abided by the flare of intense orange light behind me, that turned emerald green in a moment, before vanishing.
I made another step forward, my hand stretched behind me and holding Daphne's, slowly descending down to the heart of the castle.
"Watch your step Daphne" I warned, knowing that she could not see much, my own vision rather impaired by the lack of light. Suddenly, a figure crept past me, causing adrenaline to course through every fibre of my being momentarily, before I recognised the shape as that of a cat, and before my mind managed to recognise said feline.
Naturally, Shadow could see in the dark, and was thus best allowed to walk forward, her vision much clearer than ours.
"Why don't you use that green flame like you did before Lindsy?" asked Arielle, descending after us, her voice distorted with the echo that rebounded off the stone walls, sounding as if it were coming from a deep, bottomless well.
"It isn't wise." Spoke Daphne just as I opened my mouth to respond, speaking up for the first time since we entered the hallway. "If it is as Linda claims, which I see no reason to doubt, the usage of Dark Arts could prove as dangerous as the usage of white magic. If this hallway feels…" she stopped at that, seemingly looking for the right word " threatened, it might try to defend itself."
"Maaan," responded Arielle, drawing out the word into a whine, only to have it distorted even more by the hallway, sounding like the cry of the ghost that haunts the second floor, wailing for days on end. "How troublesome."
I decided not to dignify that utterance with a response, and merely continued on my way wordlessly, stepping down seemingly endless stairs.
But Arielle would not be satisfied with silence, and spoke up a minute later again.
"So what is this place Lindsy?" asked she, interest clear to my ears. "What was that mirror you faced off against?"
"The mirror of Redise." I replied, judging that we were on the first floor about now, stopping momentarily in my steps to clear cobweb from my way before continuing on, "It is a Dark Artefact, dark indeed, created to prey on your insecurities and self-doubt. Its creator knew well that it is in human nature to try to conceal some matters, some even to yourself, and if you are to triumph over this test, brutal honesty is required."
There was a moment of silence, and I felt tightening in my stomach, sensing a question in the air, and fearing the moment in which I would hear it voiced.
Why did you choose Blaise?
What was I to answer to that, what answer could I possibly give to such a horrible, torturous question? I knew why, but I could not voice it, I could not force those three words to slip past my lips.
"Say Lindsy" I heard Arielle call again, and my shoulders stiffened, the call coming at the moment where I could already make out the wall on the other side of these steps, just when I had dared to hope to avoid this question.
But Arielle did not ask what I had guessed she would, continuing her inquiry in another fashion "What would have happened had you chosen the wrong one?"
"That was not probable." I responded, counting only four more steps.
"But let's say there's a one in a million chance you did, what would have happened?" pushed Arielle, and I supposed that it would have been only natural to wonder.
I would not have led her to peril consciously, but there was always the chance, no matter how little it may have been, that I made a mistake, that I miscalculated my own capabilities.
I answered as we came to a stop in front of another stone wall, finding a slot on each side of it meant for the torches that we now held in our hands.
"Then, once we reached this wall and opened it, we would not be in the Entrance hall, but in the place in Hogwarts that is furthest possible from it." I spoke, and placed the torch in its slot without another moment of deliberation.
Arielle appeared next to me, having Daphne step to the side to grant her passage, and followed my example by placing her own torch in the second empty slot.
The moment both torches were in their appointed places, their fires flared once more, and Arielle made an instinctive step backwards, after a spark almost made its way to those red strands of hers.
But I stepped forward, placing my open palm on the stone and closing my eyes. I took a deep breath, clearing my mind and seeing a picture frame appear in it. I had not called for the image, instead it was imposed upon me by the hallway, and I imagined a face within it, a dark skinned boy with a prominent jawline and black eyes.
A moment more, and I felt the bricks move, sliding to the side, some left and some right, opening a passage. As soon as the first brick moved, the sound of chattering voices and hurried steps broke the heavy silence that saturated the air of the hallway.
Another brick removed, and my line of sight, until that moment dominated by little more than rock slabs, broadened significantly. Instead of stone, all I could see now was a torrent of people, much alike the one I had abandoned on the third floor mere moments before, flowing past me in a murmur of excited voices.
I looked to my right, waiting for my chance to join the river whose stream would surely lead me where I needed to go, willingly or otherwise.
Focused though I was on the profiles of the people in front of me, flickering before my eyes, I had still managed to note that Serpen slithered to my right, coming to a stop beside my right leg, raising his head to the height of my hand.
I did not turn towards him, merely placed my palm on his head in a sign of recognition, a silent message conveyed. Soon.
The three of us stood silent for a moment more, observing as students passed us, not one head turning to observe three girls, a snake and a panther that suddenly appeared in a passageway that was most certainly not present mere seconds before.
I noticed a group of fourth year Slytherin girls heading from the direction of the dungeons, and I opened my mouth, careful to speak in the barest of tones.
"On the count of three, blend in." I hissed, speaking from the very corner of my lips, not moving them at all in my attempt to keep the message hidden from the ears of a sixth year Hufflepuff boy that was just passing us, walking an inch form the wall.
We could not be seen, that much I was sure of, but the magic that protected us from his eyes would not protect us from his ears. And a talking wall, one speaking in my voice, was an oddity even here.
"One" I spoke, observing the group as they made their way forward through the hall, giggling amongst themselves, most likely entertained with the prospect of Umbridge exercising her authority.
"Two." I spoke, watching them come ever closer, noticing from the corner of my eye that the crowd was somewhat thinner here, which could mean that we are either early for the show, or have missed it completely. The first option would have been preferable.
Daphne's hand tightened in my own as her eyes too followed the group, observing the girls as they passed us.
"Three." I spoke, making a step forward and leading Daphne with me, Serpen slithering in synchrony with our steps. We turned on our heels the moment we left the premises of the hallway, joining the crowd in its way up, through the archway and into the Entrance hall.
A fifth year Hufflepuff gave me a surprised glance as I fell into step beside her, but she diverted her eyes from my figure the moment she realised that her action had been noticed.
Daphne walked to my left, having tightened her hold on my hand, seeing something over the heads of our peers that I could take no notice of, my vision obscured by innumerable heads.
"Trelawney is coming down the stairs " spoke Daphne beside me, craning her neck lightly in her effort to gain better view. "I think she had something to drink."
Perfect, bloody perfect. Umbridge was a menace to that stupid woman even when said woman was sober, and choosing to drink when a meeting with the toad was completely inevitable was a downright idiotic thing to do.
I could not see her descend the stairs, my vision obscured by innumerable heads in front of me as we emerged from the small corridor that led to the dungeons, the students who flocked to see this unfortunate ordeal having formed a wide ring, standing close to the walls in two rows, with more idiots swarming from all directions each passing second.
We walked forward ever more, observing as the third circle of onlookers formed around us, and Daphne began to falter in her steps, assuming that we would be stopping.
I had no such intention.
I walked forward without even a second of hesitation in my steps, and saw a Slytherin second year in front of us, adjusting my steps momentarily to head towards her.
I stopped in front of her, tugging on Daphne's hand in an invitation to join me, and assumed a cold, emotionless voice, speaking up behind the girl.
"Move." I spoke up, my voice turning into a note that could only be interpreted as a command.
The girl spun on her heel, glancing at me for the barest of seconds before doing her best to scurry as far as she could from me, her four friends following her hasty retreat, my order obeyed instantly. But, the second years were not the only one to have heard my command, and the seventh year boy of our house that stood in the front row with his mate from Ravenclaw turned, looking down to my form.
I looked up, blue eyes meeting grey, the order remaining the same.
It was a second more that his brain used to process just who it was seeing, and he inclined his head lightly, bowing it shortly before patting his mate on the back and whispering something to him quickly.
The other boy turned around as well, his face turning pale as if he had seen a ghost, and he walked past me, following the example set by second year girls mere moments before.
The boy from my house once more met my gaze, before bowing his head and speaking "Queen."
I inclined my head in greeting, showing that I had recognised his actions and that they had earned my approval.
With that said, he too moved, walking down the third row in search of a better position. As far as I knew, the boy was teetering on the edge of joining the Dark Lord, most of his mates having done so months earlier, but had recently been reported to be experiencing second thoughts. Something had swayed his opinion, somehow persuading him to consider granting me his loyalty.
Whatever it may have been, I had no time to dwell on it at the moment, simply listing it in my mind as yet another thing that would require my attention that night. I sighed, understanding that I would experience little sleep that night.
But as occupied as my mind was, I could not miss the charm the drunken woman had placed on her second trunk breaking, said trunk coming crashing down to the floor, rattling and banging as it fell down the stairs, headed straight towards the feet of the drunken woman. But then, the trunk changed its direction in mid-air, falling against her first trunk that was located several feet away from the witch.
Most of the students, I was sure, had missed a blond girl pushing her way into the first row, the movement in which she had drawn her wand or the wordless charm that pushed the trunk away from its dangerous trajectory.
But that was not the case with me, and I narrowed my eyes at the figure of my sister, considering this by far too reckless a move. But there was something in her face, some sort of fierce determination that had me fear this was not the last casting of hers for this occasion.
Small relief was provided for me in the form of a short raven haired child that managed to push her way to my sister, taking a firm hold of her arm and drawing her back to the second row, where I had assumed them to be located mere moments before.
"Quite some casting" I heard a voice speak beside me, and Arielle materialised by my side, Shadow slowly following her, the feline's eyes never leaving the figure of the bug like woman who now stood stock still in the middle of the Entrance hall, a bottle of Sherry in her hand, with only the least bit liquid left, and a wand that she kept waving around as if it were little more than a stick she found in the woods.
I was just about to respond, warning Arielle that this manner of talk was not appropriate for the situation at hand, when the woman let out the highest scream I had heard in a while, attracting my attention immediately.
My eyes were now focused on her figure, watching as she took a swig from that bottle of sherry, gulping wildly, attracting more and more people from the Great Hall, dinner coming to an abrupt end. As she drank, her glasses slipped down her nose, now magnifying one eye more than another, only serving to further enhance her resemblance to a bug. This added with her hair that stuck up on one end, and various shawls that were hung about haphazardly on her person made for a truly frantic sight.
I noticed McGonagall swoop into the first rows, appearing from the direction of the Great Hall, before a figure clad entirely into bright pink robes appeared on the first floor, walking with unmistakable smugness to her step, a smile of pure, sick delight pulling on her lips. There was a slight skip to her steps, barely noticeable but quite telling of the happiness she simply glowed with.
At the sight of her, Trelawney let out another piercing, blood chilling scream, alerting anyone who happened to be oblivious to the horror of what was to come.
Daphne stood beside me, still holding my hand, but at the sight of this wicked woman, I had judged that this was not the most favourable of positions for her to be taking.
"Stand behind me Daphne" I whispered, releasing my hold on her hand and having my own hand drop to its place on my side.
I could see Daphne nod once, and as she stepped behind me, I was sure that she could still see the proceedings clearly, having at least ten centimetres more in terms of height than I did. I felt her take hold of my cape, squeezing it between her fingers and seeking comfort once more in me.
Arielle still stood beside me, but that was just as well, for even if Dolores decided to make her a tool for revenge against me, should things go wrong, Arielle would have means of defending herself.
Even if Daphne were in possession of such means, she could not use them without causing unspeakable damage to her reputation.
My eye now wondered back to Dolores, who was halfway down the steps by that moment, before my gaze shifted to my right on its own, past McGonagall, past student after student, and settling on a dark skinned boy who had just appeared from the premises of the Great Hall. I did not mean to look for him, but my eyes disobeyed my wishes, doing as they pleased, and as if he sensed them on his person, Blaise looked up, staring straight back at me.
His lips stretched into a smile, but not the kind that I was accustomed to seeing on his face, the flirtatious or teasing smirk, but a genuine smile, speaking of his delight at the sight of me. He inclined his head in greeting, making me look away from his person hastily, noticing in the action that he was not alone, this time enjoying the company of none other than Draco Malfoy. Draco seemed to be talking to him, but upon noticing his actions, turned in the direction he assumed his eyes to be looking, and met my eyes for the barest of seconds in passing.
I felt an unpleasant weight appear in my stomach as my eyes met those of the dark skinned boy, and this feeling only intensified as I chose to focus them on the tear-stained face of Sybil Trelawney, an average witch on all accounts, but a witch surely undeserving of the fate Dolores had chosen for her.
As I watched, the unfortunate woman turned, the bottle of Sherry that she had been grasping so tightly now lying empty in her hand, a look of pure terror appearing on her face as she faced Umbridge, the bloody frog now finding her residence at the very foot of the staircase.
"I'd like to smash that smirking face of hers in." muttered Arielle to my side, and I glanced to my right, only to see her observing the frog with the kind of expression one employed when finding dung stuck to their shoe.
"I hardly believe there would be much difference" I replied, speaking from the very corner of my lips. I briefly noticed an amused smirk form on Arielle's lips at my response, before my attention was diverted to Trelawney, who screamed once more.
"NO!" screamed she, her face morphing into a mask that managed to unite the expressions of agony and inexplicable grief into a perfect, terrifying whole. "NO! This cannot be happening,… it cannot … I refuse to accept it!"
My heart clenched in my chest at the sound of her voice, that unpleasant weight in my stomach growing ever heavier. Sybil Trelawney had been living in Hogwarts for sixteen years, and by firing her, Dolores stripped her of her right to dwell within these walls, throwing her out of her own home.
Now, Dolores had done much damage from the first moment those small, obnoxiously pink feet stepped one foot on Hogwarts grounds, and I was aware of it all. I had to be aware of it all.
But no matter what she did, save for very few occasions, she had received but one response from me, impassiveness. I had judged it best to stay on the side-lines, employing inhuman patience and fortitude.
Yet here, now, I feared that my patience would come to an end, my nerves by far too strained to handle cruelty of this extent. Home was the one thing I could not stand see violated.
"You didn't realize this was coming?" spoke up the toad, that horribly high, girlish voice simply dripping with pure, unspeakable joy, her tiny eyes glowing with delight as she observed the wreckage in front of her, still bearing a resemblance to a witch, but only so in form. "Incapable though you are of predicting even tomorrow's weather, you must surely have realized that your pitiful performance during my inspections, and lack of any improvement, would make it inevitable you would be sacked?"
"Bloody sadistic bitch, look how happy she is!" sneered Arielle, observing as Trelawney howled once more, her cheeks wet with tears that streamed relentlessly down those lensed eyes of hers "She's a bloody monster I tell ya, a poorly disguised troll in pink robes."
I felt Daphne's hand move against my back, as she relinquished her initial, light hold on my robes, now replacing it with a tighter hold, grabbing a fistful of fabric and clenching it between her fingers.
"Trolls were known to show more kindness" I heard her whisper, speaking at a significantly lower volume than that employed by Arielle, who responded promptly, those big ears of hers catching even the faintest tones.
"Well, I think it's because she's that ugly." Spoke she, wisely nodding her head to the side, "I'd be pissed off too if her face was the first thing I saw in the morning."
But I was not entertained in the least, hearing this short interaction with barely half an ear, my attention focused on the crying woman before us, who claimed these stone walls to be her home, a claim I could not help but find justified.
But Dolores, being sadly thick as she was, found sick pleasure in responding, her face simply radiating with pure pleasure : "It was your home."
That seemed to be the last straw, and the devastated woman fell onto her trunks, as disorderly as they were placed, nearly toppling over backwards, shaking with uncontrolled sobs.
My fist clenched on its own, the control over my anger slipping past my fingers slowly, like water escaping your palm, drop by drop. But that was the only sign of anger I allowed myself to display, keeping it well hidden by my side, my eyes wandering to the right on their own.
It was not a long search, with her standing out in a crowd so painfully, and I watched my sister, the gentlest soul I had meat in my life, push and elbow her way forward, trying to get to the first row, her wand clenched tight in her hand and her face morphed into a mask of pure rage.
She felt sympathy with the broken witch as vividly as I did, but found far less need to control herself or manage her anger, to tone it down to a sensible level.
Thankfully, my sister was always the kind of lucky witch to have a true friend by her side, and I observed as Claudia latched herself to my sister's arm, pulling her back, understanding that her interference could bring no benefit to Trelawney, only serving to endanger her person.
I think my sister understood that as well, somewhere at the very back of her mind, but in a battle of head and heart, emotion and reason, my sister was never the kind to choose sensibility.
Thankfully, as fragile as she looked, Claudia had some muscle to those small arms of hers, and managed to overpower my sister, dragging her back to the third row in spite of angry, and rather loud I was sure, protests voiced on the part of my sister.
I watched for a moment more, noticing the blond strands as they flew around her face, observing her huffing attempts to break free and lastly seeing the fire that burned in her eyes, speaking of her need to protect, before turning my eyes to the right once more, this time closer to the entrance of the Great Hall.
In spite of their late arrival and the density of the crowd on their end of the Entrance Hall, Blaise and Draco had somehow managed to push their way to the front row, now observing the scene unfold from first-hand, those brutishly strong arms of theirs surely aiding them in this unfortunate task.
Draco was turned towards Blaise, and had they been standing closer to me, there was every chance of me missing the barest twitches of Draco's mouth as he talked to his friend, moving only the very corners of his lips.
Yet, as limited as my eyes were in seeing things that were in their immediate proximity, they excelled in long-distance vision, and this interaction, as imperceptible as it may have been to some, could not possibly escape me.
From what I could gather in the brief moment of my inspection, the interaction that transpired between the two boys was rather one-sided, with Draco talking for a brief period of time, possibly posing a question, to which Blaise would offer a short reply, mostly one word.
As I observed them, the action lasting no more than twenty seconds, Blaise turned his head slightly, his eyes traveling from Trelawney, whom he had been observing with an impassive face, betraying no sign of emotion, to the stone floor beneath innumerable feet, before his eyes shot up, meeting my gaze. As his eyes suddenly looked up, meeting my gaze, a jolt appeared in my stomach, as if I had been hit by a buzzing hex, prompting me to look away momentarily.
I felt my breath hitch in my throat, and cursed myself in my mind, wondering when it was that he had acquired this strong a hold in my heart.
Instead of pain that I would face by turning right once more, meeting eyes that I knew to be observing me still, I chose the pain that I would feel by listening more closely to Dolores, who was currently boasting about her power, and observing Trelawney as she wandered slowly into insanity.
"… order for your dismissal. Now kindly remove yourself from this hall. You are embarrassing us." Finished Dolores, positively shining with the amount of happiness this cruelty granted her.
"You can stick that order right up your stuck-up pink ass." snapped Arielle, who had listened to the detestable woman more closely than I had and had no qualms about openly displaying her displeasure.
As I glanced at her, I noticed that Shadow had risen from her position on the floor, now slowly walking back and forth in front of Arielle's feet, assuming a protective stance in response to the anxiety, grief and anger that were now almost palpable in the air.
Serpen, on the other hand, had chosen to remain by my side, his emerald eyes leaving the scene before us not once, waiting.
We both knew this would not be the end.
"I wonder just how many buts she had to kiss to get this high" continued Arielle, venting her frustration by uttering the most vulgar things "or how much time she had to spend on her knees."
I felt Daphne's hold on my robes tighten momentarily in response to Arielle's words, possibly finding them amusing, and before I had time to wonder what on earth Dolores could have been doing on her knees, which could bring her any sort of benefit at all, Arielle saw it fit to slam her elbow into my upper arm.
"Uuuh Lindsy look!" spoke Arielle, indicating with her head like a bloody idiot, calling my attention to the scene unravelling before us as if I had not been paying attention already. "Some serious shit's about to go down."
Always so eloquent.
As it happened, I was paying attention, and I observed as none other than Minerva McGonagall, always the kind to fight for justice, however unwisely, stepped out from the first row, where she had stood, bearing witness to all this horrific torture, and briskly walked up to Trelawney, producing some fabric from her robes as she walked.
The fabric proved to be a handkerchief, which she handed to her colleague as soon as she reached her, before starting to pat her on the back firmly, possibly in an attempt to break her ribs, or, which was more likely, to provide some rough sort of comfort.
"There, there, Sybil… calm down " spoke she, trying to relieve her of her sadness and failing miserably, "blow your nose on this… it's not as bad as you think, now … you are not going to have to leave Hogwarts…"
Of all the foolish things to say to comfort the distressed woman, this ought to be the most foolish one yet. Minerva dearest had no authority to state such a claim, and Dolores knew it.
"Oh really, Professor McGonagall?" spoke the toad, her face still glowing but her voice turning deadly, reminding me of a predator who advanced on her wounded prey "And your authority for that statement is… ?"
Bloody non-existent it what it is, I thought, annoyed with McGonagall's recklessness. If she weren't careful, or alternatively, if a bloody miracle did not happen that very moment, Sybil would not be the only one sacked that night, and my interference would be proven inevitable.
As if on cue, I heard those old, oak front doors swing open, and watched the students around them scuttle out of the way, only to reveal the figure of none other than Albus Dumbledore, in all his mysterious glory, standing framed by a dark, misty night, a small smile playing on his lips.
What was amusing in this scene, I could not possibly fathom, registering that he had spoken, claiming the authority Dolores had so tartly demanded to be his.
As he moved, striding forward through the hall, towards its centre, the circle of onlookers breaking to allow him passage and then closing promptly after him, welcoming him in their midst, I thought that McGonagall had gotten that miracle that she so needed.
"Yours Professor Dumbledore?" repeated the toad rather densely, now resembling a toad and impersonating a parrot, a fact of the matters that could hardly be considered improvement, letting out that awful little laugh of hers, proceeding to explain the situation rather biasedly to the old wizard.
"Have you noticed that he hasn't been around as much this year?" I heard Arielle mutter, and knew the question to be directed at me.
I did not look at her once, observing the scene unfold before me, watching as Dolores produced so acclaimed order of dismissal, possibly meaning to change Dumbledore's mind by waving a piece of paper in front of his face. Her stupidity managed to amaze me more with each day.
A paper was only worth as much as the man who signed it, and Cornelius and her were, rather sadly, not worth that much.
"I have." I responded to Arielle, deciding to keep as little information in the message as I could, minding our surroundings. And Arielle knew well, or rather, she should have known, that I made it my business to know as much as was possible, and then some more, about all residents of this old castle. Teachers included. "The Dark Lord is not the only one preparing for a war."
I noticed Arielle's lips pull up into a sardonic smile as she turned her head to the left, lowering her voice to address only me, her eyes focused on a wiry fifteen year old boy: "And I am looking at his best weapon, standing untrained in face of danger, relying on pure, sheer, dumb luck."
I was silent for a moment more, observing as Dumbledore continued to smile, even if Dolores had rattled off every educational decree that could possibly aid her in this situation, and watching as his eyes travelled down, to his sobbing employee.
"How are your trainings going?" I asked, knowing that Arielle was listening.
"I have seen better." Sighed she, and I watched her bring up her hands to adjust her hair a bit firmly into its binding "He's a kid, and a malnutritioned one at that. He's got no mass, little muscle and average skill. I'm not sure what those crazy cousins of his are feeding him, but it ain't giving him enough proteins to develop into the man we need him to be."
"Do what you can." I responded, watching the situation escalate by the minute, "We need him ready to cast the last curse."
"Bossy, bossy" sighed Arielle, but I knew it to be theatrics, naught more, and as she turned towards me, she said something truly troublesome. "But I worry that he won't have what it takes to cast it in terms of mind, not of strength."
"Irrelevant." I snapped, annoyed by that kind heart of hers. He would cast the killing curse, or I would cast it at him. There was not time for his selfishness.
"You're going to make him cast aren't ya?" asked she after a moment more, turning her head to observe the scene once more.
"Yes." I replied, ending the conversation there, my attention attracted by a wild laugh that resembled a hiccup more than it did laughter, coming from Trelawney, still seated on the floor.
"No- no, I'll g-go Dumbledore!" exclaimed she once the man stated his wish for her to remain living within walls she had come to call home so long ago. One had to admit, in spite of all her faults, and Merlin knew there were many to go around, Trelawney had pride, this being her one redeeming quality in my opinion. "I sh-shall l-leave Hogwarts and s-seek my fortune elsewhere-"
She got cut off mid-sentence by the old wizard, who had for once, thankfully, dropped that annoying, fake smile of his, replacing it with genuine anger.
"No" interrupted the man, his voice turning rather sharp and his old eyes assuming vigour beyond their years "It is my wish that you remain Sibyll."
He then turned to McGonagall, who had been standing there all the while, glaring daggers at Dolores, but smartly choosing to keep those thin lips shut. However, she seemed to be unable to keep her mouth closed for a moment longer when Dumbledore asked her to escort his employee back to her chambers.
"Of course" responded she with one disdainful look back at her latest colleague, "up you get Sybil, let's get you to your bed."
She took a hold of her arm, pulling her up, when none other than Pomona Sprout came scurrying out from the second row, having stood not so far from us, to our left, approaching them and taking Trealwney's other arm. Together, they managed to put the woman back on her feet, however unstable they may appear to me, and guided her past Dolores, who stood stock-still in her place, her beady eyes following their departure, simply radiating malice.
Another second, and I saw Filius Flitwick push his way past a crowd of tall Gryffindors with no little trouble, his appearance a bit dishevelled, but he paid it no mind, pulling out his wand and squeaking "Locomotor trunks!"
Trelawney's trunks then rose into air, following the direction indicated by Flitwick's wand, and levitating gently after their drunken owner, the small wizard walking behind them with his wand raised, bringing up the rear.
"And what" whispered Umbridge, her anger adding a deadly undertone to her words, making them cary through the entire room, "are you going to do with her once I appoint a new Divination teacher who needs her lodgings?"
"Yes, I wonder if there will be enough rooms in a bloody castle." Commented Arielle, giving out a disdainful little huff "Her brain is ninety per cent air I tell ya."
"I wonder sometimes if she has a brain." Muttered Daphne behind me, as I listened to Dumbledore explain that he had, in fact, appointed a new teacher, who would require lodgings on the first floor. "We all know she has no heart."
"Neither, I'd say neither." Agreed Arielle, nodding her head wisely.
As Dolores expressed her outrage that a bloody headmaster dared do something as awful as hire a bloody teacher, my mind shut her awfully high voice out, calculating.
Dumbledore did not have enough time to do interviews, even if he could have guessed that Trelawney would have been sacked, so it must have been someone that he already knew to have the Seer's gift. The only trouble was that there were not that many people around in Britain, and even fewer were those who could take up the position in such a short time.
However, he had gone out of the castle, I had seen him enter just moments ago. Which did not necessarily mean he had to leave the school grounds.
Bloody hell, he couldn't have.
I had reached the only possible conclusion just as Dumbledore spoke up, asserting his authority, "And I am happy to say that on this occasion I have succeeded. May I introduce you?"
As he turned around to face the front doors, which stood open still, I turned my head as well, just in time to hear hooves clang against the stone steps. A murmur of incredulity rose from the crowd, and all eyes watched as a man with white-blonde hair, not so dissimilar in colour to mine, and startlingly blue eyes, with a head and torso of a man placed on the palomino body of a horse, appeared in the doorway.
His eyes focused on Dumbledore as he spoke up again, happily introducing him as Firenze, our new divination teacher.
A moment of shocked silence settled over the crowded room, all eyes focused on the figure of a lone centaur standing in the door frame, his face set into a stone mask, void of all emotion. Yet composed as he might have seemed at first glance, I knew him to be anything but, and my eyes travelled down, to his front left hoof momentarily, observing as he tapped it against the stone floor beneath him, once, twice.
I supposed it was normal to feel agitation when faced with so many curious eyes appraising you, especially in his position.
Albus Dumbledore could truly be a cruel man, I thought, observing the centaur's right arm, where, just beneath his elbow, a purple-blue bruise had recently began to form, and then moving my gaze , noticing scratch marks on the side of his face, extending from the very edge of his jaw upwards, behind his ear. He had been ousted by his herd, that much was undoubtable, and the fact that he stood here, bruised but alive, meant that he too had received a miracle.
But as much as we were appraising him, he too was appraising us. I observed as his eyes wandered briefly through the crowd, once or twice lingering on a face, before continuing on their way, scanning, searching.
I observed as he turned his head towards us, bit by bit, an ominous feeling settling at the very pit of my stomach. He was looking for someone indeed, and somehow, I felt like that someone was me.
Suddenly, my train of thought was broken by an elbow jabbed into my upper arm, as Arielle turned towards me, a wide, contagious smile spreading across her lips, her eyes shining with mirth.
"Look Lindsy!" called she, and I reached my hand to Daphne, grasping her arm just above her elbow, pulling on it lightly and having her step to the side a bit, shielded from the centaur's immediate line of sight. I could not tell at this point whether he would prove to be an ally or a foe. "It's a centaur!"
"I can see that." I responded, and in that moment, his cyan blue eyes met mine, settling on them and holding my gaze. I looked back, unflinching, trying to read through his expression, knowing him to be attempting to do the same thing.
This could prove to be rather complicated, I thought as his eyes finally left mine, watching as he stepped forward, having been summoned to the headmaster's side. The centaurs rarely took interest in the proceedings of the wizarding kind, even more rarely in individuals. And when they did, it usually meant no good for that particular, interesting, individual.
"Finally some equality" continued Arielle, and I registered that she had been speaking all the while "they are the best seers in the world, they should have been appointed ages ago!"
"They didn't want to be appointed." Muttered Daphne, a note of curiosity to her words, having me glance at her from the corner of my eyes, only to see that her attention was focused on the centaur. "From what I gather, they're not particularly well inclined to our kind."
"Nonsense!" spoke Arielle, waving that comment away. "We're all a part of this world, we can't go pulling out our wands at anything that looks or feels a bit different. Have some tolerance people!"
"Be that as it may" I spoke, observing as Dumbledore bid good night to one very red, very angry toad, "this will only complicate things further. Be careful."
Dolores was not tolerant to those of muggle birth, let alone those of a different kind. This appointment would only serve to further inflame Fudge's paranoia, numbering Dumbledore's days in this school. And once he was gone, all hell would bloody break loose.
I sighed, observing as Dumbledore vanished in a small hallway, walking side by side with the centaur.
"That is enough of that!" I heard a shrill voice exclaim, once more regaining my attention and diverting my thoughts from their dangerous wanderings. "There is nothing to be seen here, go!"
My eyes focused on the small woman whose red face now clashed horribly with the rest of her appearance, providing a sight even more repulsive than her usual, high standard.
Her beady eyes shone with unmistakable malice, and she turned her head from left to right, glaring daggers at all present, having some people from the very first row flinch, and others blatantly run from their place, in fear of the toad's wrath.
But it seemed that people were not moving nearly as fast as Dolores would like them to, and she let out another, high pitched exclamation. "Go!"
This time, her shrill demand had more effect, the word of her detentions having carried through these halls, and the fear of such an ordeal proving incentive enough for most, if not all students present in the first row.
But I had no intention of leaving, finding that it would be best to meet with my sister first.
"We stay Daphne" I spoke, knowing that she was listening for instructions, "there is a matter we need to address first."
But, aside from my intended recipient, it seemed someone else had managed to overhear the message, finding that she was not pleased with its content at all.
"I am terribly sorry to have to be the one to tell you Miss Kersey" spoke up Dolores, sounding like she was not sorry in the least, "but you will do as you are told, and leave this room immediately. You do not, sadly, have the kind of power you imagine to have!"
As she spoke, her tone rose with every word, only to turn into an exclamation of pure spite.
But in that moment, as I glanced to my right, several things happened at once.
Blaise and Draco had been in the process of leaving the room, just as they were bidden, possibly heading our way and into the common room, but at the sound of my last name, Blaise stopped in his tracks, turning around and focusing his slightly narrowed eyes on Dolores. Draco had heard the message as well, and after a short glance at Blaise, he too turned, appearing distinctly uncomfortable, but remaining in his place none the less.
They were not the only ones to have heard the message, and several students turned, glancing back at Dolores, possibly hoping for another scene, the like of which they had just witnessed. Others blatantly returned to where they stood moments ago, waiting for a sequel that I had no intention of providing them with. I noticed that there were even some teachers left behind, appearing to be uncertain of how to proceed.
Nearly half the audience from before still remained in the hall, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw my sister fight her way back to the first row, an expression of murderous rage on her features. Thankfully, Claudia was right on her heels, but as I watched, she overtook my sister, opening that small mouth of hers, causing cold sweat to wash over me.
"It seems ,professor," snapped the girl, rage in her voice "neither do you."
There was a shocked, collective gasp from the crowd as nobody, not even I, could guess that this otherwise very rational and wise girl could in a moment turn into a bloody imbecile.
"Oh-oh." I heard Arielle speak, but could pay her no mind as Dolores had snapped out of her shock, only to turn to Claudia, who now stood two feet from the first row, with hate the like of which she rarely displayed in public.
"Detention miss Beck-" exclaimed she, and I knew that there would be no way for Claudia to escape a blood replenishing quill this time, that fact alone prompting me to speak up.
"Will not be necessary." I finished her sentence, having Dolores snap her head to the side, to observe me ,with such speed that one could reasonably hope that she had suffered a neck injury.
No such luck was to be had that day, and she opened her mouth, this time speaking in a lower, deadlier tone.
"Miss Kersey I-" she started to say, but got interrupted once more by me, rather rudely I must admit. For it were not only her eyes that settled on me this time, but the eyes of every person present in the room. It was time to show Dolores where it was that she belonged, in no uncertain terms.
"Five twenty, PM." I spoke, watching as her face lost that awful redness rapidly "Five thirty PM, Six thirty PM, Six forty-five PM."
Her face had turned pale by the time I finished my little speech, and her mind sped into overdrive as she desperately tried to find a way to regain her upper hand.
But it was not to be , it could not be, and by telling her the exact times at which her beloved minister had received, signed and sent that order she so cherished, the time at which it arrived, and the time of this little show, I had demonstrated the kind of power she could never hope to have.
"H-how could you-" started she, but I could simply, at that time, not be bothered to wait for her to form a coherent sentence. There was so much more to be done that night.
I smiled at her, responding in a way that was sure to chill the blood in her veins: "Incapable though you are of managing one class, you surely were not as foolish as to believe that, while you had the audacity to watch the professors of this notable school, no one was watching you?"
By this time, Dolores appeared to be on the verge of fainting.
"Oh, but you did not realize this, did you?" I asked, and allowed my lips to pull into one more, poisonous, smile "I shall show you mercy ,the kind of which I deem you incapable of, and give you a very useful piece of advice. The only reason, my dearest Dolores, that you were able to "sack" as you so eloquently put it, Sybil, is because I allowed you to."
A moment of shocked silence followed my words, but the final part of my message still remained to be said.
"Were you to prove to be downright idiotic and try to dismiss a teacher I respected, for example, Filius Flitwick, well, standing by and watching that scene, as I had done today, would simply not be an option. Do that Dolores, " I spoke, taking Daphne's hand at that moment once more "and I can promise you that you will be the one leaving this hall with your suitcases packed."
For a moment, all was still, not a breath was taken in that great room, each person taking in my words and recognising them for what they were. A declaration of war.
I then turned around, pulling on Daphne's hand and leading her away from the scene, judging that it would be wisest to meet with my sister at another occasion.
"I-is that a threat miss Kersey?" asked Dolores, her voice ringing horribly through the wide room.
I stopped in my steps, turning only my head so that my eyes were allowed to meet those infernally annoying ones of Dolores Umbridge.
"Why Dolores," I smiled once more, "yes, yes it is."
I turned around once more, meaning to leave the scene of this unnecessary conversation, knowing that Dolores was rendered utterly powerless.
"Linda, Linda, she's raising her wand!" I heard an urgent whisper from Daphne, who had snapped her head back, only to watch in fear as the toad acted on impulse, daring to threaten us.
"Worry not" I responded, squeezing her hand in reassurance. "She is not as stupid as to actually cast a curse at us."
Daphne did not seem convinced, and she whispered once more "But she looks furious!"
"Nah" I heard Arielle say, and once more saw her wave the comment away, "Lindsy dearest is right, she won't cast at a student, that's a no-no."
From the corner of my eyes, I could see her wiggle that stupid finger of hers in Daphne's face, seemingly needing to depict the scene more clearly, but my attention was diverted as I caught sight of another conversation, this one posing much more interest to me than the one happening behind my back.
"Linda!" exclaimed Daphne, stepping forward, behind me, as if trying to take the curse in my place, but it did not worry me, for I knew that there would be no curse coming.
Instead, I observed as Draco , whose torso was turned towards Blaise, and whose eyes seemingly could not find the strength to look away from the three of us, asked his friend a question. I could not, in spite of every effort on my part, guess as to what the question was, but as Blaise looked over to me, and my eyes lowered to his lips, finding them easier to observe than his eyes, I made out that one word that he uttered in response.
"Yes."
"She lowered her wand" I heard Daphne whisper in relief.
"I know." I spoke, another smirk pulling on my lips.