Harry Potter Book 7 The Final Battle (All Welcomed)

[ManicZero]

They reached the carriages, Jazz shuddering at the Dementor's draining effect. It was stifling. The lights of the castle glowed ahead, beaking into the choppy darkness around them. Funny... When Dumbledore had been here, the lights were always welcoming. Now, under the rule of He who must not be named, the glow was only a sinister reminder of how their beloved headmaster no longer roamed the halls.
The loss of Dumbledore had struck all of the students hard. The thought of returning without him had been enough, but then the ministry fell. Control went haywire, the whole wizarding world collapsing around them. Attendence to Hogwarts was compulsary for those who had nothing to hide. Failure to show put you straight down on the snatchers' list. That's why attendance was necessary for people like Jazz, who's blood status was a wee bit murky.
She left her belongings by the gates, as per, so that they could be transported into their dormitories during the welcome feast. She doubted it would much of a welcome feast though... given the new rule. But what choice did they have. The fighting would have to wait. For now it was blind obedience.
The carts rumbled up to the castle. The trip was unusually quiet. There were low murmers from all the carriages, a far cry from previous years where the air would be filled with excited chatter. It all felt so much different now. Hollow.
Greeting them at the great hall door were more cloaked wraiths. Dementor's stationed everywhere. It was sickening. All chatter was squashed out here and the students were bustled ito the hall in silence.
The tables were still there, but any usual warmth from the room was gone. No floating candles and enchanted plates, no laughter from students or mouth watering smells wafting from the kitchens. Only grey. Grey enchanted ceiling, grey stone walls, grey dais, grey teachers. Everything monotone, as if the Dementors had already applied their kiss. Jazz and Charles sat next to each other in silence. Eyes down.

[Spartacus]

][@The_Knights Sorry for the late reply… I was waiting to see if there’d be a plot advancement. ^_^][

Her green eyes closed ever so slightly, and she felt herself dozing off and on. As she rested, visions from her nightmares came to play, and Kait couldn’t help but fidget in her seat. Though she was use to the nightmares, it didn’t make it any easier to deal with them, especially after the attack on the train. To make matters worse, she began to have visions of her neighbors being slaughtered, but that was probably due to her imagination since she didn’t actually witness the killings. She couldn’t help but remember all the times she played in her neighbor’s backyards or in their houses back when she would sneak away from home in order to have some form of normalcy with the other neighborhood children. Things were never simple, but compared to what was to come, the past seemed a lot simpler than life was now.

At least most of the old set of teachers is still around. That makes me feel a little safer.

Opening her eyes once again, Kait released a long sigh as she glanced around at the other tables. No one seemed to feel confident, though the Slytherin’s appeared to be the least worried about things. That wasn’t all that surprising considering who the new headmaster was. Also, Kait had inclinations that most of the Slyther student body had at least one parent that was a Death Eater. Technically she should be at the same table, but she begged the sorting house to put her in Gryffindor. Luckily it listened to her, and took her wishes into consideration. The first years looked to be frightened of what was to come, and Kait wished she could hug them all and let them know that things would be okay. The problem was… she had no idea if anything was going to be okay ever again. Glaring at the Carrow twins, Chambers rolled her eyes and glanced instead at Hagrid who appeared to be uncomfortable where he sat as did the other teachers.

She vaguely felt Alex’s arm wrapping around her, and twitched her lips up into a slight smile. The dreary room fit the mood of the students, and Kait thought about using her wand to bring up the dim lights, but knew better. Being punished this early in the day wasn’t exactly on her top ten things to do, especially since she still felt pain shooting through her body upon occasion. Shifting her attention back to Alex as he gently kissed her forehead, Kait sighed softly.

"I don't think the new teachers like us much."

“That’s okay, I don’t much like them either. There’s going to be a fight, and they’re going to lose… I’m going to see to that.”

Kait didn’t care if her voice was heard by the Carrow twins. She really didn’t like the way they were looking at the weaker and younger students, and she wasn’t about to stand around and let them harm anyone, let alone the first years or those they deemed to be tainted. She knew that her year was going to be filled with pain and agony, but in the end as long as Voldermort was destroyed and good triumphed over the evil… it would be worth it. She would risk her life to save her friends, especially Alex.

[The_Knights]

@Faithy - let's keep this going

Alex chuckled at Kait's insistence that Snape and the other Death Eaters were inevitably going to lose; there was a fierce determination in her eyes that gave him no cause to doubt her assertion.

"That will send them running, I'm sure," he replied with a wry grin, "You-Know-Who will wet himself when he hears you coming. He'll probably go straight to Harry and beg Harry to kill him rather than face your wrath."

Neville had noticed their arrival. Turning to Ginny and Seamus, he muttered something before the three of them moved down the table, further away from the staff table. Alex thought it was so they could talk further away from Snape's scrutiny, but as the three passed by, Neville clapped him on the back, and a thin piece of parchment fell into Alex's lap. Quickly palming it, Alex glanced up and he and Neville nodded to each other. Ginny lightly grasped Alex and Kait's shoulders in turn as she breezed past in silent greeting.

Under the table, Alex unfolded the parchment, holding it out so Kait could see.

Common Room, after the Feat.

Alex had barely read the message when the parchment abruptly caught fire, disintegrating silently into atoms in moments. Glancing up at Kait, Alex's face was grim. The resistance had begun.

[Crowley]

The ghosts glided pearly white among the students that made their way around the Great Hall; the tables were still empty, there was no food although there was a fragrance coming from beneath the floors of the Great Hall that brought promises of a grandiose feast, some bellies were already growling but others, mainly older students were busy trying to figure out who were those black robed people seating at the High Table. Some of this people didn’t look like teachers at all, they were clad entirely in black and their faces were not the welcoming kind, it was certain some of them were new teachers but what about the others roaming outside the Castle?

The ceiling of the Great Hall was dark and overcast, it reflected the night sky outside which was not bathed by the moonlight but obscured by the fog created by the hundreds of Dementors which were already swarming around the castle. Snape had talked to them again, and he felt as if he had been submerged in icy water, his hands were still shaking with cold as he put the little furry bat inside his robes; he was traversing the many secret passages avoiding the students and making heist to the High Table, it was time to speak to the students, to make them feel both afraid and intimidated so he could keep them inside the castle and properly safe. His forehead was covered in a thin film of cold sweat, many of the students had no idea of what had happened the previous year, but the sons and daughters of members of the Order of the Phoenix would know and they would look at him with accusatory eyes calling him murderer.

If they only knew.

“You will be the one to kill me…”

Snape cursed under his breath as he pushed the final tapestry aside and he found himself in the Great Hall, right behind the High Table; he moved with fluent precision and without hesitation seating himself in Dumbledore’s chair, a pregnant silence fell upon the tables as he sat there silently. Even the ghosts were staring at the High Table. The Bloody Baron had positioned himself right beside the High Table and he was staring at the new teachers with white empty eyes; Snape finally rose and started his speech.

“Times change and indeed this is a new age, we now have a new Minister of Magic and new Headmaster at Hogwarts; both of these new authorities are here to protect and serve the Wizarding Community, by doing so there is a need to implement new rules and regulations. You may have noticed already that there are many changes here and around you, many of your classmates have not returned this year, and many might depart from here; I assure you that everything that has been done inside and outside the castle has been done to secure your integrity and to keep you from harm.”

Lying has never been so truthful -Snape thought almost smirking with pleasure, students stared at him like he was going mental, Snape talking about carying and protecting the students?

“No one is allowed outside the castle unless escorted by my new deputy team,” he waved his hand in the general direction of the Carrow brothers who were grinning maniacally with unhidden pleasure. “Amicus and Alecto Carrow, new additions to our staff; I will not resume my teaching as Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Amicus Carrow would take on that lead and his sister Alecto will take Muggle Studies after the … unexpected resignation from Miss Charity Burbage.”

Snape swept the four tables with his cold eyes and he focused on the Slytherin table which was fuller than others. He returned his eyes to the Griffindor table wich were shooting disgusted looks at him already.

“All secret passages that communicate the Castle with various locations had been shut and are carefully monitored by Dementors and Ministry workers (he was not saying the word Death Eaters inside the Great Hall) so I advice you all to relent on your wishes to desert the castle. Hogsmade is now forbidden and there will not be any visits to it through the year. Follow the rules, obey your teachers and you will be safe. That is all.”

Snape sat oblivious to the daggers of hate he saw in the eyes of many, the tables filled with a delicious feast which was now bitter after the previous announcements. The new Headmaster served himself a full goblet of wine and ignored everything and everyone around him, thankfully he was flanked by McGonagall and Flitwick and they were in no mood of talking to him. The food on his plate steamed and he nearly gagged, he was not hungry, he really didn’t want to be seating in front of everyone playing the executioner part, he’d rather be alone in his room, reading and pretending that Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter didn’t exist.

[Elvira]

occ: very sorry to everyone.

Solomon opened his eyes and made his best effort to stand even though Samael was helping, he heard Annette leave, stumbling and trying very hard not to pull Samael under him again he started to walk more steadily.

"Im .... sorry," he started slowly. "I never faint."

He smiled at his own joke, faint? he would probably need his head fixed by Madam Pompfrey and maybe a lie down while recuperating for the loss of blood. Samael was helping and he felt that this was indeed a true friend, other people would have left him in the train to be found by Hagrid... or maybe not Hagrid, maybe the Death Eaters.

[Spartacus]

][@The_Knights =P][

Kait shifted her body a little, trying to get a little more comfortable against Alex. She had a feeling that if she kept leaning against him, one of the teachers that actually cared about the students would send her to Madame Pomfrey. She wasn’t ready to leave Alex or the first years alone, so with a yawn, Chambers finally sat up and glanced at the food. None of it was appealing, and she pushed her plate away from her. Sighing heavily, she thought about Snape and how he was responsible for the death of Dumbledore. She knew that not a lot of people knew that, but those that did were fired up to exact some vengeance when the time was right. Glaring at the twins, she seriously thought about hexing them consequences be damned.

Look at them up there, acting like they own us and this place. I can’t wait to prove them wrong.

She almost voiced her thoughts out loud, but decided to do so at another time when there wasn’t a chance she would be overheard. Then again, she was in a foul mood and didn’t really care if she was punished. Scowling a little, Kait tapped her fingers against the table, her green eyes fixated upon Snape and the Carrow Twins. She almost forgot that Alex was even near her until he spoke after chuckling.

"That will send them running, I'm sure. You-Know-Who will wet himself when he hears you coming. He'll probably go straight to Harry and beg Harry to kill him rather than face your wrath."

“Damn straight.”

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and nonchalantly watched as Ginny, Seamus, and Neville walked down the table, passing by them. Ginny squeezed her shoulder as a greeting and Neville patted Alex on the back before they took their seat down the table. Picking up her fork, she started to poke at the table while reading the parchment that had been dropped by Neville. The note disappeared just like those messages did on the Mission Impossible show that the muggles were always watching. Her expression matched Alex’s, and Kait couldn’t help but feel sick to her stomach. The feeling worsened the moment Snape stood up and began addressing the student body.

Keep us from harm? Yeah, right. I’ll be damned if those two disgusting Carrow’s are going to be escorting me anywhere.

Kait could feel her anger rising with each word spoken, especially when it was revealed who was to be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts and Muggle Studies. There was no way she was going to let them teach her a damn thing! She could sense that there was going to be a lot of trips to the medical wing this year. Wonder what they would think if they knew who her … supposed parents were. Hah! A child of Death Eaters in Gryffindor, what an embarrassment. She couldn’t wait until they figured it out, it was going to be most delectable.

“Follow your rules and obey the Carrow Twins and you? Hardly.”

Snorting under her breath, Kait climbed to her feet, moving away from the table. Glaring hard at Snape and the Carrow Twins once more, she turned around in order to head out of the Great Hall. She didn’t care whether or not they were dismissed because she was leaving. Her fingers clenched against her side, and she could feel her wand pulsating in desire to be used. What if she killed them all right now? That would solve a lot of problems, but she wasn’t sure if she was skilled enough to take on the three without getting killed.

I can’t wait until they come back…

[Aziraphale]

Her book was her sanctuary. Snape rose, spoke, introduced Amicus and Alecto Carrow, and urged them to trust him to keep them safe. Avari did not trust any of them. If she wanted to leave the campus, she would. Neither Death Eater nor Dementor would keep her from her adventures.

He said nothing of Quidditch, so Avari was left to wonder. Would there be a season this year? She had her Captain’s badge, and that had to mean something. There could not not be a quidditch season. She had to fly. She had…her friends had…there was a lot riding on her last year. Scouts would want to know how she captained, and she had made and fulfilled a promise. A promise that had taken months to address, magic to uphold and ended with an irrevocable change within that was, for her own safety, a secret from everyone except those included in the contract.

Avari pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing deep and trying to focus. She did not want to look at the head table. Not even to see her Head of House, not to look at the two new “teachers”, not to assure her teachers that she would never bend her knee to Snape, or to the Death Eaters, or to Voldemort. She was indomitable, unyielding and right.

She looked to her left and right, across the table and down. Here was her family now, she knew. The Ravenclaw house would be protected with the ferocity of Gryffindor, the cunning of Slytherin, and the unending loyalty of Hufflepuff. There would be nothing that would harm her house. She would keep them all safe. It didn’t matter to her if there were Death Eaters. She had dealt with Death Eaters on the train. She had killed men.

Avari’s brows arched in tandem as she realized she really had killed someone. Or at least, contributed to the loss of their souls. What was most surprising to her, however, was that she felt nothing. By all rights, she should be in shock, like everyone else. But she was not.

Her gaze dropped back down to the yellowed pages, the black ink, and the old glue of her book. The words swam in her vision, blurring together. Before her tears could fall and stain the pages, Avari swiped at her eyes with her sleeve. The heavy ring on her hand hit her nose and she winced. Her eyes watered a second time, out of pain this time. She rubbed her nose with her non-ringed hand, ignoring the pricks of pain that radiated out from the slightly injured extremity.

“Ow. Not used to that…” she whispered into the binding of her book.

[The_Knights]

@Faithy

Alex listened with mounting hatred as Snape laid down the new rules of Hogwarts, seeing all too clearly the looks of glee on the faces of the Carrows at the prospect of being alone with students in the grounds, where those students would be cut off from any help. Did the Head-no, murderer really think that the students were just going to roll over and submit to this? Most would, of course, for one reason or another. But there were others who would fight, the DA amongst them.

He was listening so intently to Snape's speech that he nearly missed Kait leaving her seat beside him. Turning sharply, Alex saw her shoot a scathing look at Snape before turning on her heel and stalking from the hall. Seeing "Ministry workers" moving to intercept her, Alex scrambled from his seat and hurried to stop the closest one.

"Where does she think she's going?" the Death Eater demanded. Alex glared back at him.

"It's been a long day; she was caught in the crossfire on the train," he explained, omitting the fact that Kait had been in the thick of the fighting, "I'm taking her back to the common room to rest." The man stared at him for a long moment before nodding gruffly.

"Fine, help her up - but you'd better be right back!" he snapped. Nodding, Alex hurried to catch up with Kait, putting an arm around her as if to support her walking as they left the hall together. Neville and Ginny watched them anxiously as they passed by.

"Causing a scene on day one won't help anyone," he muttered to Kait as they headed for the common room, "Our best chance is to keep our heads down and fight back when no-one is watching; if we play our hand too soon, they'll be watching us like hawks all year and we'll be useless."

[Spartacus]

][@The_Knights ][

Kait felt eyes on her, but she was far too angry to care. She had a clear enough thought process to realize that not only would she be taking on Snape and the Carrow twins, but she would have to fight off the most of the Slytherin’s, and she definitely wasn’t fit enough to take them on, and she wouldn’t let anyone else put themselves in danger for her. No, there was already enough danger on the train, and the first years were still shaking in their seats. That angered her even more, and she could feel the call of the wand beckoning to her. Nearly walking into a Death Eater, Chambers hissed beneath her breath. Luckily Alex showed up at that time and saved her from doing something that would probably have gotten her killed or sent straight to Voldermort to be killed slowly.

I will destroy you, you bastard Death Eater.

Alex was speaking to another ‘ministry worker’, and she kept her gaze on the jerk in front of her. Her fingers twitched towards her wand, and she had wrapped them around it just as Alex caught up towards him, placing his arm around her waist. Allowing him to help her towards the doors of the hall, she found herself leaning on him more than what was really needed. Briefly catching Neville and Ginny’s gaze, she shrugged, and closed her eyes a little bit. If she was going to be honest with herself, which she never was, the attacks on the train were really starting to get to her, and she was feeling nauseous and dizzy once again. The minute the doors to the hall were closed, she let out a soft groan.

"Causing a scene on day one won't help anyone. Our best chance is to keep our heads down and fight back when no-one is watching; if we play our hand too soon, they'll be watching us like hawks all year and we'll be useless."

“I know… I just… this is just some bull, Alex… I’ll keep a low profile from now on, promise…”

The trip to the Gryffindor common room took forever, and she found herself tripping every few feet. Her body felt heavy, and she didn’t want to go to the medical ward, because she wasn’t really in the mood for a lecture. As the steps did their famous moving thing, Kait realized they were alone, as far as she knew. Grinning, she leaned up a little, kissing Alex softly on the lips. Her face turned bright red, and despite the spots in front of her eyes, it felt romantic. It wasn’t long before they were standing in front of the Fat Lady, and she quietly spoke the password. As the door opened her knees buckled, and she felt her entire body dropping towards the ground.

[Crowley]

Later that evening as the feast and the sorting ended all new students were taken to their common rooms by the Head Boy and Girl of each House and the other students moved to their respective bedrooms to enjoy a good night’s sleep. Snape did not even stayed for the sorting, he left before that happened, both Flitwick and MacGonagall shot him with a few venomous glances which he ignored with a rather nasty grin on his face. He actually enjoyed their contempt, it would keep them both attentive and it will be an advantage to their own houses. The many corridors up the steps were empty, and the few students that traversed their obscure depths were properly overcast and scuttled away the moment they saw him; he was taking his time to get outside the castle -again he needed to address the small army of Death Eaters patrolling the castle. All of them were not only proficient in the Dark Arts but bloodthirsty and edgy to kill as many Mudbloos and blood traitors as they could find. There was no stopping them of course, that would be very stupid, all he could do was steer their bloodthirsty appetites elsewhere and use them in the best way possible.

Outside, a thick fog enveloped Hogwarts castle, the grounds were cold and there was a thin film of frost forming upon the grass, it was of course the Dementor’s doing; there were hundreds of them swarming outside maybe thousands, it was impossible to estimate how many had been summoned to the castle. They floated a few meters up and glided about like skeleton phantoms their shriveled bodies covered with ragged black robes and their gaping mouths open and sibilant as they swarm around the castle walls. Snape shivered the moment he stepped outside, they would not stop him of course, their orders had been given before the students arrived and they knew who they should be detaining. Quickly he reached the edge of the forest and disappeared among the dark trees, the fog was ticker here as it tends to be among vegetation and now fueled by the Dementors it was a milky sort of fog that obstructed his view very efficiently; Snape took out his wand, the tip illuminated and he was able to look ahead of him for a while, he was careful with his footing, roots and fallen branches would be a risk and he was in any rush to break his neck today. A small clearing opened up right next to the Black Lake where a large group of Death Eaters stood talking and waiting for him.

“About fucking time,” said Rabastan stomping his feet upon the group and trying to get warm.”We’ve been here ages Snape.”

Snape sneered and observed the large group of hooded Death Eaters, their beady eyes shining with malice through the eyeholes of their white masks; today the Headmaster of Hogwarts was not wearing a mask, there was no need for it.

“I already spoke with the Dementors, their instructions are very specific,” started Snape without further ado. “I will advice all of you to not wonder alone into the Forbidden Forest or leave your posts before the scheduled time, students will try to get out of the castle although I consider it unlikely now that there is nothing to do outside. Flying lessons have been canceled and Quiditch is no more.”

“Blimey,” said one of the hooded Death Eaters. “Have you told them that Snape?”

“It was not necessary,” answered Snape smirking, “there is a notice plastered in every single house, all brooms were taken from their luggage before they arrived to their dormitories and they are all locked in the Dungeons, not even the most experienced student will find them.”

The Death Eaters laughed, it was like a pack of Hyenas chortling and cavorting with glee.

“The will hate it,” said Rabastan very pleased.

“I hope so,” answered Snape and he continued to speak with them, making them feel secure with their new freedom and also giving them the wrong idea of what was required of them. He had promised safety for every student and he was going to achieve it even if he had to chain and gag every single one of them to the Dungeon walls.




OOC: Plot advancement: I’ve no idea if Quiditch was canceled but Im guessing this was the case since the castle was guarded by Dementors and last time that happened, the Quiditch match almost ended in disgrace. So here is a notice that’s been posted in Every House Common Room.

Quitditch season has been cancelled, as well as flying lessons, it is strictly forbidden to go outside the castle, and therefore your brooms have been removed from your luggage and will be returned at the end of therm.

[Aziraphale]

OOC: Quidditch, noooooooooo!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Avari had an uneventful dinner. When she wasn’t reading, she was eating. When she wasn’t eating, she was conferring in hushed tones with a few faceless people who stopped by behind her for a moment to whisper a word in her ear. She gave no outward indication of if she heard, not bothering to look back to see who was talking to her or if they were speaking truthfully. It was not her business just yet.

When the sorting was done and the new students to Hogwarts were properly indoctrinated into their respective Houses, Avari looked up. Across the hall in both directions, all she could see were the faces of those who would eventually cause for mischief to happen.

Few liked Snape. The few that liked him did not entirely trust him. The Weasley’s own antics in rebellion against the last regime were fresh in the minds of those who remembered. There would be many a similar acts, she figured. There would be punishments, for sure. Snape and his new…staff would undoubtably react poorly, but if there was some honor amongst the rioters, they would look after their own.

Dismissed from dinner, Avari hefted her book once again and completely on autopilot, walked all the way back to the Ravenclaw common room. The stairs moved beneath her, rotating and twisting as they always did. A few paintings greeted her. She would always look up when they did, waving or talking to a few of her favorite paintings. It was not an odd occurrence in Hogwarts.

She did not linger overlong at any of the paintings, moving quickly to get to her home for the term. Still, she was one of the last Ravenclaws to get back to their tower.

Avari crossed the threshold after answering her question. The common room was silent. Her teammates from the last year looked to her and parted to show her the rather dire message tacked to the wall. She looked up from her book and read the message.

Her book snapped shut with a muffled thump.

“They have our brooms.”

“So they do.”

“There’s no Quidditch.”

“I’m still Captain.

“What are we going to do?”

Avari blinked.

“Whatever it takes, I think. That would make sense.”

[The_Knights]

@Faithy

Alex was so focused on getting Kait back to the common room that it caught him completely off-guard when she paused on the staircase. For a moment, he reasoned that she was only waiting for the stairs to stop moving so that they could continue, but then she turned and kissed him. Properly. On the lips.

Oh. Oh, my gosh.

The staircase stopped with a shudder, and Alex hurried to help Kait to the top, noting that she was still pale and drawn. They reached the common room without incident, to his relief. The moment the door opened, however, he felt Kait's legs buckle, and he had to scramble to catch her, hooking an arm under her knees so that he could carry her through the portrait hole. Despite his concern, he could not help but smile down at her.

"Carrying you over the threshold...didn't expect to be doing that for a few years yet," he joked, the mirth not quite reaching his eyes. The fire was roaring brightly as he carried Kait across the room, allowing them both to sink to the floor as one, his back against one of the large squishy armchairs as he pulled Kait against him.

"You're fine, you're fine," he said gently, running a hand through her hair to try and soothe her - and calm himself down as much as anything. Kait was hurting, he knew, but she was so stubborn, she would never allow Madam Pomfrey to have a look at her wounds. For now, all he could do was be there for her.

"Last time I checked, this damned war wasn't over yet," he said quietly, "but that kiss on the stairs..are we not waiting, then?" He curled a finger under her chin so she would look at him.

"We could keep it a secret."

[Spartacus]

][@The_Knights ][

Kait felt her whole world slowing down as her face neared the floor. However, the impact never occurred, and she was confused. Glancing up, she noticed that Alex had caught her, and lifted her up like a groom would a bride. Blushing, she shifted her eyes towards the ground as he stepped into the common room over the threshold. It was very awkward, and his comment didn’t really help the blush lessen any. She couldn’t comment, and instead chewed on her bottom lip. He stopped in front of the fire, and lowered her down to the ground as he slid down at the same time. Curling up against him, Kait felt her body trembling slightly. It wasn’t just the pain, but the whole scenario causing her to shake. It was uncomfortable, and the Carrow twins were really pissing her off.

“I know I’m fine… you worry too much.”

Shrugging a little, she found herself staring at the fire. It was strangely entrancing and without realizing it, she found herself leaning forward. Her fingers stretched out, but before she touched the flame, she dropped her hand down against her side. It took her a few minutes to realize that he had been running his fingers through her hair, which was surprisingly soothing. Sighing softly, she shifted a little in order to find a more comfortable spot. It was difficult, and she was quite sure there were at least one or two broken bones inside of her body.

"Last time I checked, this damned war wasn't over yet, but that kiss on the stairs... are we not waiting, then? We could keep it a secret."

Kait’s chin was lifted up a bit courtesy of Alex, and she found her face growing hot once again. She wasn’t sure how to respond towards his comment. Why did she kiss him? She didn’t have an answer, and shifted uncomfortably against him. Just as she started to answer him, her eyes drifted towards a notice that must have been there all along. As she quickly read it, she couldn’t help but growl in anger, her fists clenching against her side.

“THEY CANCELLED QUI TDITCH?!?!?!?! I’ll destroy them! I finally made captain this year!”

Kait struggled to stand up, and staggered towards the door just as it opened. Ignoring the other students as they filed in, she attempted to find a path, her rage apparent towards those that knew her from the previous year. She was going to find a blunt object and bludgeon Snape until his breath violently left his body. The other Gryffindor’s saw the notice, and they too were outraged, but perhaps not as much as their captain was. Hissing in pain, she forced her body to continue to move despite the spots appearing before her eyes.

[Aziraphale]

OOC: I’m just going to move my character further into night-time. Alululu, sorry if you wanted to keep the time back a bit longer. I can change it if you need me too. Also, I may have taken some liberties with a not-quite-canon part of HP lore near the bottom. I’ve been reading too much of the Song of Ice and Fire series…

++++++++

Avari dealt with things in her own way.

She had made a promise to get her broom. A promise on bone, and flesh, and magic, and the very essence of who she was had been made. Quietly, she stole up to her own room, a rather lonely tower room without any roommates. She supposed they had either decided against coming, were rooming elsewhere, or had been taken from the train. Avari was not displeased with the outcome. She needed her privacy for this term. There were things to do, and she would rather not be seen doing them.

As much as she may hate Snape for cancelling Quidditch, she was still the Captain. She had to protect her team, lead them to victory, and ensure that they finished the season with a minimal amount of injuries. She respected Snape, only begrudgingly so. The decision to cancel was probably the correct one, what with his Dementors skulking about in the sky. Avari had never flown against a Dementor, and had no want to do so. Sure, it may have been his previous decision that had lead to the cancellation of her beloved sport, but it still showed at least some passing concern for the students he was supposed to keep safe.

She could not grudge him that much.

She may have still wanted to, but she could not. He was, at least, not trying to kill them outright.

Her trunk and duffle had been rifled through. With a sigh, Avari went about setting everything right, and ensuring her various false bottoms and hidden compartments hadn’t been found out. One or two had been broken into, but they were supposed to have been. That was their purpose. The secrets in them looked bad, but they were a pittance of information compared to what had actually been hidden.

She had controlled substances, tinctures and potions that no one of her age had any right to have. Galleons and a small fortune of gems, ingredients for potions that she did not want it to be known she could execute, heirlooms and items of incredible power, all stashed safely within her trunk. No one would know her secrets. Not yet, at least. Avari Tas had a game to play, and showing her hand early would most definitely put her on the losing end.

Avari did so hate to lose.

“Alright, Stick Witch. I don’t have the broom anymore, but I know I can’t just give up.”

She whispered her words to a swatch of fabric at the very bottom of her secretes of compartments, the one booby-trapped with a vicious needle and a very dangerous poison. Avari dared not to touch that little piece of fabric just yet. There was a meeting to tend to, and she could not be late.

The Quidditch captain, alone in a dormitory for four, climbed into the very Ravenclaw bed she had been assigned to, still in her dayclothes. It was raised up off the floor, and slightly more rounded than most other beds – more like a nest than a bed proper. They were in the Ravenclaw Rookery, so it made sense. A few people objected to the beds, saying that the odd curvature of their bed made it hard for them to bring blankets from home, but they were rather quiet once it came time to actually sleep.

The bed was as soft as ever. Firm where it needed to be, and cradling as anything could ever hope to be. It was home.

She closed her eyes, curling up underneath the warm covers of her bed.

And opened them, up in the Owlery of Hogwarts.

Roden’s body was familiar to her now. It was easy to slip into his skin when he needed to, and though he was usually grumpy in the morning afterwards and she, a rather nasty hunger for some mice, he still allowed her in.

Roden and her hopped along the Owlery, heading towards one of the great launching points. His…her talons were sure in their grip, the elongated inner talon helping immensely. A few of the other owls looked at Roden oddly, but s-he just clacked their beak at them and took flight. Their great wings beat the air soundlessly, and together, they flew off into the night, Avari taking note of everything around her. The Dementors hardly paid her any attention. She was just an owl.

An owl. That’s it.

Roden wheeled through the sky, climbing high to give Avari a good aerial view of Hogwarts, before diving down and going on a hunt. There was nothing else for her evening, so Avari stayed on, sharing Roden’s body and enjoying every moment of it. If she couldn’t fly, she would still fly. And in the nights to come, she may gather the courage to venture out into the black night on her own four paws.

It may be necessary…but not tonight.

No, tonight, she would fly.