Hi everyone! Sorry for the late post - I've been busy at school, and my goddess of fantasy and imagination took a vacation XD

Anyways, there you go - a continuation of Clarie's story. Enjoy ;)

Dear Mr Fred and George Weasley,

Your detentions shall take place in the Hospital Wing at 3pm on the coming Wednesday. There shall be no excuses for your absence accepted. If there should be any time clashes with other lessons on the scheduled detention, please contact onto your teachers for permission to leave class.

Professor S. Snape

'That sucks,' George said loudly. 'Wednesday afternoon? That's our first flying lesson!'

'Hey, dude, chill,' Clarie said in a rather indifferent tone, as the people around them were either busy having breakfast or receiving their morning owl posts. 'That's just the first one. We still have quite a couple coming up!'

'You're not us, Clarie,' Fred said. 'C'mon! It's flying lesson! Even worse, we're having them with the Slytherins! Can you imagine Rookwood's face?'

Clarie turned to the Slytherin table, only to see Rookwood unwrapping his enormous family parcel filled with treats, and was busy showing off to students around.

'Smuggish show-off,' she grumbled. 'I'll knock him off his broom when he first takes flight.'

'Gotta find a more legalized way,' Lee joined in with a glint of mischief in his eyes. 'Say, we'll go for beaters, and the pe-can Slytherins are going down.'

'There you go, I'm in.' Clarie grinned and gave Lee a fist bump.

'Ho, ho, slow it down, guys. You wanna go for Quidditch team? Like seriously, Clarie, do you even know anything about Quidditch?' George challenged with a playful tone.

Clarie just beamed. Then she made a paper ball out of a piece of used parchment in her backpack and threw it at Angelina's arm. 'Hey Angel,' Clarie called. 'What did we talk about last night?'

'Last night?' Angelina said thoughtfully. 'Quidditch fouls. You want to have a recap? You're always welcomed.'

'I'm good with that, thanks.' Clarie waved back. 'You see? I know that too.'

'Alright, you win,' George laughed. 'Even so, do you have the strength for beaters? Do you have a good broom?'

'Shut up, she doesn't even have a broom, we're not allowed for our own brooms, remember?' Fred said through his mouthful of cereal.

'Yeah, I'm being to idealistic,' Clarie sighed and turned her focus back on her pumpkin juice.

As the wave of owl posts started to make their way back to the owlery, a big, majestic and fierce-looking brown eagle owl soared in and landed on Clarie's shoulder.

'Hey, Artemis,' Clarie said, as the owl hooted softly and rubbed her head on Clarie's cheek. 'Want a bacon? Good girl.'

Artemis nibbed the bacon Clarie offered as she held her leg out, which had a little piece of parchment attached. 'What, you got something for me?' with a rather astounded feeling, Clarie detached the note from Artemis' leg.

Dear Clarie, (it said, in a messy scrawl)

It's Saturday, and I know you're having weekends off. Would you like to come round and have a cup of tea with me at three this afternoon? I want to know about your new year's start. Send me a reply with Artemis.

Hagrid

'Guys – what homework do we have over the weekend?' Clarie asked.

Lee was busy stuffing his mouth with omlettes. 'A review and analysis on the cure for boils potion, research on how to improve the antidote of common potions from old batty Snape, an essay about the discovery and rise of magical powers within wizards, two essays for transfiguration and an extra reading for charms,' he managed to recite what he remembered. 'Oh and – a constellation chart due next Tuesday.'

'Dang, that's a damn lot,' she cursed. 'Hmm… I'll forget that reading, Flitwick won't ask anyway. The astronomy chart's due on Tuesday, I'll do that on Monday. I write some garbage for old Snape and Binns, and I'll just work on the transfiguration essays. Yep, deal.' She reached for a quill from her pack and scribbled 'Great, sure, see you at three' on the back of Hagrid's note. She attached the note onto Artemis's leg and tossed her some egg before sending her off again.

It turned out her envision of shortcut to homework wasn't going as smoothly as she thought would be: by two, she has finished one transfiguration essay only when she realized it wasn't as easy as Fred and George, as they didn't even thought about achieving goals as Clarie did.

'Chill, douche.' George looked up at Clarie with a sleepy gaze from his afternoon nap, only to see her sweating over piles of books looking for a better explanation on techniques of transfiguring a small item to an object of a larger mass. 'As long as you get a pass, you're promoting next year.'

'Yeah, but I want something a bit more than pass,' she snapped and almost tore the page from the library book. She quickly took a nervous glance over her shoulder, but the librarian, Madam Pince was busy arranging the books in the restricted area.

'You want any help on the essay?' Fred asked a matter-of-factly sat up straight in all of a sudden.

'Say, seriously?' that caught Clarie's attention.

'Trade me all your promised history notes, plus another week's worth of history notes, I might be able to persuade Perce for help.' His eyes glinted with a hint of slyness.

Instead of rolling her eyes as she'd normally do, Clarie blushed slightly with guilt. 'I'll write that essay by myself then.'

'What, why! Perce's the best human model answers generator you can find unless… hold on a second.' Fred is suddenly caught in deep thoughts, realizing what she actually meant. 'Don't tell me you slept through history again.'

She bit her lip and managed an embarrassed little smile. 'Yes I did.'

The twins dropped their jaws in disbelief. 'You didn't…' Fred murmured.

'You little pathetic piece of scrap,' George said blankly. 'I swear by Merlin's largest pair of pants – no, come back here, you!'

But Clarie had run out of the library, giggling all the way as soon as George grabbed up the largest Hogwarts: a History in wizarding history in venture of belabouring Clarie in the head with the book.

Their catching game didn't last long when Clarie ran into a soaked wet Lee, apparently returning from the bathroom with an unexplained wetness on his cloak. George bumped into them with the heavy book and smacked all three of them down.

'Okay, Clarie Potter, you'll expect at least a week – what the bloody hell is happening?'

The three of them struggled onto their feet with George still swearing badly about Clarie's 'empty brain' and zero contribution, when Fred came huffing and puffing down the corridor at Lee.

'Well I – accidentally ran into a girl's lavatory,' Lee smirked and emphasized at the word 'accidentally'. 'Look what souvenir Moaning Myrtle gave me.'

'Dang, what sort of water is that?' Clarie suddenly backed away from Lee as if he was infected with a strange virus.

'Freshly collected from the water closet, although it should have been abandoned for years.'

'Eww! That's gross, you moron.'

'Ha ha, not funny at all.' Fred folded his arms crossly.

'Okay, I'm sorry, what can I do in return?' Clarie pleaded and shook his sleeve.

'I bet you won't have enough sanity to stay awake in history classes.'

'So if you agree - '

'Bring us to Hagrid's this afternoon.'

'So that's the deal?' she almost laughed out loud. 'That's not a problem – I was about to ask if you want to come!'

'Yo, can I come too bro?' Lee nudged her shoulder playfully.

'Not until you've washed up and get changed.'

'Oh well. Deal.'

It was a quarter to three when Clarie, Lee, Fred and George showed up at Hagrid's house. He welcomed them with warm greetings, stone cakes and hot tea, plus a bit of the overly-excited licking from his dog, Fang.

As much as they wanted to give up on the hard-core stone cakes, they told him it was tasting just fine and had their conversation casual and all, everything about their week.

'And I can't believe Snape's actually favouring her!' Lee said with a sip of tea.

'Who?' Hagrid asked blankly.

'I'm not sure if she's been stuffing Snape with love potions, but he's showing great exceptions for Clarie,' Fred joined in.

'Great exceptions, that's not his normal attitude towards Gryffindors as I heard it,' George added.

'Hey, have I sunk so deeply that I have to force-cripple that git with love potions?' Clarie protested.

'Well then, that's really weird, because he never liked any Gryffindors except…'

He force-stopped himself from spilling more. However, the four were eager to know more.

'Except from whom?' Clarie asked quickly.

'Shouldn't have said that. Shouldn't have said that,' Hagrid murmurs, and turned back to brew some more tea.

'Yeah, tell us, Hagrid, we won't tease you,' Clarie said to his gigantic back.

But we'll tease Snape, George mouthed. She suppressed a giggle.

'Gah, just – someone from his year!' Hagrid waved up.

'Oh, so that's the one…' Clarie nodded slowly.

'We'll check the year book then,' Lee suggested.

'Bam. Deal.' Clarie gave him a fist bump.

'No – don't,' Hagrid almost spilled all the tea as he spluttered. 'Yeh – yeh won't like it.'

'Why? Is there someone special that year?' Fred asked eagerly. 'Like, McGonagall?'

'Not her, wiseass, she's too old,' George poked Fred's big head.

'Just – listen to me. Don't do that.' Hagrid set the refilled kettle on the table. 'Yeh won't want ter know, Clarie.'

He pointed Clarie out especially, which left her thinking, why me of all?

It was dusk when they realised they should be in the castle instead of Hagrid's hut. They grabbed their belongings and said goodbye to Hagrid before they left.

'Damn, I hope no more stone cakes next time, they're cracking my teeth,' Clarie issued a complaint to Lee on his shoulder.

'Touch wood, don't make it come true,' he patted his chest.

'Say, we've made is this far…'

'Care to have a casually little stroll in the forest?'

George finished Fred's line as if they've practised saying so for a thousand times, so fluent that Hagrid could've suspected either one of them said that single line if he heard it.

'Um, not now, we'll be in trouble…' Lee hesitated.

'It's just six.' Clarie took a glance on her watch. 'Say, it won't be long. C'mon, Lee, just a walk! We won't go deep into the forest, alright?'

He gulped hard as he stared into the dark depths of the bushes and trees, as if imagining the possibilities for things to happen in there. 'Alright, but not too far into that.'

Without further hesitation, the four dauntless little first-years ran – and disappeared from anyone's sight into the forest.

'Well I must say, this could've been a comfy place for an afternoon nap, but the creep's getting on me.'

Clarie took a nervous glance at her surroundings as a breezy wave of wind blew onto her back, and the hair on her neck crept up. 'What's in this place, did you say?'

'Like, werewolf, you mean?' Lee suggested.

'Or maybe a couple of mania,' Fred said in a spooky tone. 'A mad spirit… maybe even – '

'RAGHHHHH!'

'ARGHH!'

With a high-pitched shriek Clarie fell onto the slightly damp, cold grass, gasping with panic resulted from the surprise attack. She turned backwards, only to see George Weasley, brushing his robes with a look of wild satisfaction on his face.

'And that, my friend, I call a banshee attack.' He grinned widely at his work, appreciating the shocked looks on Clarie's face.

'Nailed it, you big dumpster,' Clarie cursed, but couldn't keep the big beam off her face while saying it. George pulled her back on her feet.

'Is there anyone here who doesn't wish to go on?' Lee asked, taking a few careful steps deeper into the forest.

'I'd say, I've seen nothing so far,' Clarie concluded.

'You mean… trees aren't "things"?' George questioned.

'Or we're invisible?' Fred joined in.

'Oh hey, Lee, you saw anyone around in here?' Clarie asked, walking right towards Fred with her eyes unfocused on him. With a slightly shocked face he gave way to Clarie, and she simply walk by without casting him a look towards Lee. 'No one! Just you and me! Did I run into anyone else? No!'

'You got me,' Fred snorted, and Clarie casted him a winning look.

Suddenly something nudged her arm. She withdrew it quickly, and thought it was Lee who was attempting to play a trick behind her. She turned, only to see – a bony creature, almost fleshless, with black leather-like skin tightly draped over their skeletal bodies, with strange resemblance of an overly-abused horse.

Alarmed, she took a step away from the winged creature. 'What is that?'

'Very funny,' George rolled his eyes, crossing his arm. 'That's really the worst joke I've ever heard from your mouth.'

'No – I'm not joking! This animal, I don't know what you call them, underweight leather horse?'

'What in Merlin's longest strand of beard are you talking about?' Fred eyed at her with a hint of concern. 'Losing your mind, dude?'

'This!'

Impatient, Clarie dragged his hand and brought him before the horse-like creature. Lee stared at her on the other side as if she was the biggest freak in the world. She ignored the stare, and moved Fred's outreached palm back and forth across the creature's back, which felt just like a piece of leather over bare spine. Fred's normally jovial dissipated.

The creature looked up at Fred, its pupil-less black eyes glittered. It took a careful sniff on Fred's palm and nudged it.

'Okay, you are freaking me out,' Fred concluded and took a step backwards, glancing at Clarie and the creature that he obviously couldn't see.

'Really, you of all, getting freaked out?' Clarie jeered. 'It's either you or me who's losing the mind.'

'Can you see anything at all?' Lee turned to Fred with a worried look.

'Nothing, but I can swear I felt… something icy,' Fred tried to describe. 'It was like… getting your hand over a slimy slug, except it felt thin as a twig.'

'Eww.'

'What?!' Clarie squinted her big black eyes. She no longer felt humourous or funny – really, she felt like a freak like what she'd always felt in muggle schools. 'It's standing right here, I swear by Merlin's beer belly.'

'Stop making things up, we don't even know if Merlin had a beer belly,' George managed a laugh, but couldn't suppress the hint of worry in his tone.

At the word belly the creature raised its dragon-like head, and sniffed the air. Clarie scanned the forest along with its sight, and without warning – it galloped away, the sound of its hooves thudding on the grass ground clearly heard.

'Okay, that really creeped me out,' Fred panted, his face slightly paler than before. 'I can swear I heard that sound.'

'So did I,' George looked at the path where the animal galloped away, suspecting there was something standing there he couldn't see.

'Me too,' Lee echoed, also staring blankly.

'Okay, guys, you are scaring me,' Clarie concluded, her arms were covered in goosebumps. 'Time we go back, it's either you three or I'm the one hallucinating.'

She strode towards them, and they walked back along the way they came in. The little party lost its liveliness, as they marched in silence.

'Blood… I want blood… revenge… life…'

A high-pitched male voice hissed, and Clarie's ears gave a faint buzz. She shook her head, deciding she was the one hallucinating: she recognised that voice, something that haunted her dreams almost every night, except the owner of the voice was speaking of different content.

'Great Scott – I can't believe it, it's eight already.' Lee took a quick look at his watch. 'We'd better run, if anyone catches us missing dinner they'd suspect - '

'Oh, yeah, fries awaiting,' George sighed dreamily. 'We better go now, I want some warm fuzzy soup down my stomach right now.'

'Something's here.'

A moment of dead silence. 'Clarie, are you – alright?' Fred asked uncertainly, scanning her paler-than-ever face with discomfort and worry.

'Listen.'

They kept quiet, as panic grew in the boys' heart. For one moment, they held their ground and turned backwards to the only girl in the team, and they heard nothing – until there came a hissing sound, as if a reptile was crawling across the grass, as if a snake was hissing, approaching them…

'Blood.' Clarie's eyes widened, as she gasped the words. 'It wanted blood.'

'Clarie?' George shook her arm, but her gaze was unfocused, her eyes were looking into the endless depths of the woods. 'We'll take you to Madam Pomfrey's ; you don't look… quite like yourself.'

She withdrew herself from her trauma suddenly. She shook her head vigorously as if she wanted to shake something tangled in her hair off. 'Yeah, right – think I'm just hallucinating. C'mon, guys, I want some pizza.'

Sounding so normal and confident left the three boys even more shocked. A moment ago it was like something got into her, and a moment later – she was asking for pizzas like her normal self.

Too much to handle when the boys' friend appeared to be just going through some kind of multi-dimensional world they couldn't see.

'Pizza,' Lee echoed, rubbing his stomach. 'We'll go – this instant.'

When they turned back to the not-too-far-away exit of the forest, they all gasped, in shock and mostly, in unnamed fear.

'You!' Clarie faltered, managing a squeak at sight of the figure: the boys saw it too, this time – not some weird creature Clarie declared to had seen, but a figure of a tall, pale man, whose image was slightly more blurred and unrealistic than ghost, and merely more visible and real than a shadow. His features were horrifying: he was even paler than Clarie's already snow-white face, and in the place where his eyes should had been were two tilts, with an unusual colour they couldn't tell.

The less-than-ghostly figure's thin lips quavered open, and hissed – just like a snake. The boys faltered, but Clarie actually looked as if she wanted to throw up any time. 'Run. Run!'

Her icy palm clutched George's, and dragged him into another path along with the others.

The figure zoomed behind them like an automated artificial fog commanded to stick to someone's back, chasing them like they were his prey, and they ran for their lives, screaming.

Soon they were out of the dark forest, and that was when Clarie fell to her knees, huffing and puffing on the ground, with her black eyes still wide with fear and alert at the forest behind her.

'C'mon! we've gotta go!' Fred cried, attempting to drag her up with Lee as the misty figure came into pursuit.

At the moment they thought it was about to run into the group, the figure was force stopped at the front line of the forest, as if there was an invisible force field blocking his way. He swayed at the border line they couldn't see, and was gone – as if disappeared into thin air.

They sighed in relief, but Clarie made a sound, as if hurted, as if sobbing.

'Hey, Sunshine, let's get you back.' George sat on the grass and shook her shoulder, which was shuddering uncontrollably. But when he looked into her face, she wasn't crying, simply – overwhelmed.

'He will have blood, he said.' She trembled and gripped her bicep, attempting to take control over her emotions with force. 'He will have blood.'

'What blood? Who is "he"?' Lee asked abruptly, and felt stupid.

She looked up miserably, her lips still quavering with fear, her clear black eyes glistened with tears welling under the moonlight, ready to fall, as she whispered something that shook them so deeply that it was beyond their wildest imagination: 'Voldemort.'