Melody Aira Snow; Hogwarts Assistant!:))

Please post your feedback for this story here (http://www.cosforums.com/a/showthread.php?threadid=7603).


Hi everyone! :grouphug:
First of all, this fanfic is set AFTER Harry & Co have graduated, so that makes Harry 18. It's from Melody's (main character) POV.
Next, you should know that I have NEVER read the books. If everything seems wonky & messed up, I'm really sorry. I don't really even know where's where & what's what at Hogwarts! :sorry: This is another reason why I had to set it after graduation. Don't worry, Harry's still in it, though I can't say the same for Ron & Hermione.
Please give me feedback if you read this story, everyone & BE HONEST,please! If I get bad feedback, I promise to stop the fanfic (as not to bother everyone, you know what I'm saying?? ;) )

PS:The beginning is boring, I know, but I PROMISE it is going to get WAY more interesting soon.

Anyway, enough of that. Here's my fanfic:

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History...eww :grumble: . More, more & even MORE students doze off with each boring lesson! I remember clearly wanting to jump up in class & go berzerk, jumping up & down & screaming my head off (dancing on the tables would have been a bonus). And when Professor Binns asked what was the matter, I would coolly answer, "Just a little something to keep me from rotting of boredom." Oh, that would have been SO sweet, honestly! :p

Hold on...I forgot to introduce myself! Really, where are my manners these days?? Anyway, I'm Melody. In full, Melody Aira Snow. Yes yes yes...I know a lot of people say it's a nice name. But honestly, the gentle, mythical sound of it all doesn't even give a HINT of my personality. I, for one, detest skirts & dresses (which is why I'm wearing pants), makeup, flirting, and all the fuss of being a prim,proper lady. Detest it all. And by the way, please take note that 'Aira' rhymes with 'Myra'...just so you know. And anyway, I'm tired of people pronouncing it as 'era'... :grumble:

You may have noticed that I'm not dressed like the other students, unless you are visually impaired...just kidding! :lol: Simple explanation, really: I'm not a student. NO, I'm not a Professor either...OR a caretaker...and NO, I am most definitely NOT someone's pet! What could possibly have made you think that is beyond me... :rolleyes:

Well, see, I graduated last year. This year, I'm here with one of my friends, Harry Potter (you just MIGHT have heard of him), as... well...'assistants'. You know, going around, helping out all day, making ourselves useful...the like. 'Assistants'. Well...maybe I should define myself a little more.

Hmm...let's see...ok, here's an example of things we do: Help the Professors mark homework papers (trust me, we do that a LOT), help Hagrid out whenever he's tending the garden (we do that a lot also), watch students in detention to make sure they don't run off...alright, I admit! I don't really know yet ALL the things that we're going to have to do. We just started as assistants about 3 days ago. It's like a temporary job (Funnily enough, we still have to eat at the Gryffindor table & sleep in the Gryffindor dorms. Don't ask me why...).

Anway, I was walking past the History classroom when I saw a familiar figure waving cheerfully at me from further down the corridor. He was smiling from ear to ear. That smile...everytime I looked at that innocent 11-year-old face, I saw Harry's almost exact 11-year-old clone, minus the scar & glasses. He even ACTED almost exactly like the 11-year-old Harry, except maybe he was a bit on the clumsy side. So Potter-like, and yet...he was a Malfoy. :wow:

Surprised? SHOCKED, even?? Oh, don't worry. You're not (and trust me, you never WILL be) the only one. But the fact unfortunately remains: This perfectly likeable, decent, friendly, brave little boy comes from a family of perfectly detestable, rude, arrogant, cowardly purebloods. I'm not saying purebloods are bad, by the way (why would I?? I'm one myself!), I just hate :angry: the Malfoys...past experiences have drilled THAT into me firmly.

Eranoy Rovan Malfoy is a First-year Slytherin student. Exactly WHY he's stuck in Slytherin...well, he practically begged the Sorting Hat to place him in Slytherin, having received strict instructions from his father to 'carry on the Malfoy tradition with pride' (urgh...). But take my true word for it, he should NOT, and I repeat, NOT be there. A pure gem of a Malfoy, this one. One in a million. The white sheep in a family of blacks. The angel among the devils. The Gryffindor among the Slytherins. The... Ok, I suppose I've made my point.

I stopped & let him run up to me. He was holding a rather thick textbook in his hand. "Hello, Eranoy," I greeted, "What's all the excitement about?"

He shook his dark head. "Nothing...I just wanted to ask if...if you're off to see Anya," he said, obviously hopeful. Anya is my pet; a physically lovely white winged horse of the miniature Abraxan breed. An 18-th birthday present from the Weasley twins (how they got her is one of my life's greatest misteries). Eranoy simply adores her.

Rolling my eyes in amusement :rolleyes: , I smiled. "Eranoy..." I crooned, "The school year started three days ago, and for three days, I've been telling you that you don't need ME to go see her. You can just march over there & see her yourself."

He grinned :D & gave me an apologetic shrug. "Sorry...I know you're always telling me that, but what with all this 'beginning-of-year' fuss, I keep forgetting." He fidgeted with his robe.

"So go see her already."

"I can't."

"Why ever not?"

"Because," he tapped his textbook, "I have to go practise my spells. 'Wizard's not much better than a Muggle if he don't know any spells'," he quoted.

"Where'd you get THAT from?"

He chuckled. "My cousin, Blair," he answered. "Not exactly the 'cool' thing to say, in my opinion, but I think it's very true. Don't you?" I just nodded slowly; I couldn't help wondering what horrible catastrophe had caused the poor souls' parents to give him such a name as...Blair Malfoy. Hopefully, that was not his last name.

Eranoy spoke again. "Do you think you could help me? ...Or are you busy?"

At that, I smirked. "Being school-famous for my genius in spells isn't easy," I bragged playfully. I slung my arm around his shoulder & led him off. "Let's go."

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So...what do you think? Think I should go on? It really IS going to get better, but you have to forgive the boring into. :)

Feedback please! Thank you!

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Not wanting to sound like Hermione Granger ('It's LeviOsa, not LevioSA...'), I decided to demonstrate the spell again. "Alright, Eranoy, see here," I began, "I propose that you stop worrying about your wrist movement," I pointed to his hand," because it's fine already." I avoided the word 'perfect', in case it got to his head. "It's fine," I repeated.

"So why can't I get it right??" he sighed :sigh:, staring at his wand a bit dejectedly. Eranoy, like me, had a very VERY deep interest in Spells & Charms, and wanted to learn every single one on the planet. But UNLIKE me, he had difficulty getting the chanting exactly right (I heard him pronouncing 'Accio' as 'Akkio' yesterday).

I laid his Spells textbook on the table beside him. "It's not entirely about wrists movements, Eranoy. In fact, wrist movements aren't all that important. What IS important is..."

"Chanting?" he suggested.

"Smart boy. Close that door, would you?" I pointed. Ever obedient, he hurried to the big wooden doors & shut them, then hurried back. Sunlight streamed in through the two big windows, giving pleasant light & warmth to the empty room. No one else was around, and my guess was that Eranoy was glad of that. It would have been a trifle embarassing if a crowd was there to hear him blabber 'Wingardem Levisa' over & over again.

I tapped my fingers patiently on the table. "I won't lie, Eranoy. Your chanting is almost ENTIRELY off. A spell has to be said right to work right." I shook my finger at him. "Remember what I told you about Seamus Finnigan?"

Eranoy giggled, tapping his chin. "Yes."

"Good. Now follow my every tone: WinGARdium LeviOsa. Come on now, try it. Properly please," I added.

He nodded slowly. "Wingordium Levi..."

"It's WinGARdium, not WinGORdium!" I cried. Then, I realized something; Darn it, was that ME sounding like Miss Granger?? :wow: Oh, no matter, I decided to simply shrug it off. "Try again, Eranoy," I sighed, gesturing with my hands.

Eranoy gave a small smile, as if he understood what I had just realized (which was, of course, impossible, since he has never even known Hermione). Clutching his wand, he turned to a candle in a corner of the room. "Wingar..."

"Not that, Eranoy, it's already floating."

Embarassed & a bit flustered :o , he turned to a matchbox I had put beside his book, going red in the face. "Don't worry Mel, I'll get it right THIS time," he grinned apologetically. Like I haven't heard THAT before...

A raise of his arm. A point of the wand. Swish & flick. "Wingardium Leviosa!"

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Madam Pomphrey helped me lay him down on one of the beds. "Heaven help us! :wow: What happened here??" she enquired anxiously, adjusting the pillow. I heaved a sigh. "Levitation Spell," I muttered, "Had his wand pointing the wrong way & somehow found himself 20 feet in the air. I don't know HOW I missed that mistake." :grumble:

Madam Pomphrey examined the big beauty of a bruise on his head. "No concussion, that's good," she nodded with a sigh of relief. She started checking him all over. "Nothing broken either," she said, with another nod of satisfaction.

"Unlikely." I lifted his limp, badly swollen wrist.

"OH, now THAT does NOT look good," she gasped, "Come come now, let me see it." She turned his wrist gently, feeling it. "Oh my, this is definitely twisted," she sighed, shaking her head. "Oh well," she stood up straight & adjusted her cap. "It could have been worse, for all we know. No, don't touch it Snow, this is easily fixed in the hands of Poppy Pomphrey. Now you run off & leave this to me." She bustled off, muttering something about if it wasn't a rude Malfoy, it was a clumsy one. :grumble:

I headed for the door, knowing that Eranoy was in good wrists...I mean, hands. Madam Pomphrey prided herself on being an exceptionally good (and fussy) nurse, with hardly a healing failure in the past. Well...maybe except for the 'permanent' paralysis that that evil witch Rhondella had inflicted on me during my first year. Still, all that was over now. All those years of suffering were gone. Rhondella was long gone, long dead, long finished. She can't come back...she can't hurt me anymore...she CAN'T & she WON'T!!

I closed the door to the hospital wing & started running for the stable.

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I was right; riding half-mad (or rather, FLYING half-mad) around the school DID make me feel better. I closed my eyes, enjoying the wind & thrills of it all. Anya (my pet winged horse that I had mentioned earlier) was clearly enjoying herself too, judging by the way she neighed & whinnied in pure delight. I heaved a sigh of satisfaction & opened my eyes...

"WATCH OUT!!!" I heard myself scream. Anya made a crazy quick dive to the right, missing Hufflepuff Tower by mere millimeters. I hung on for dear life & she swerved out of control, spinning a full 360 degrees repeatedly before slowly & shakily coming to a stop in mid-air, hovering above all the glory of Hogwarts. "My...my God..." I gasped, panting & gasping for breath. A few drops of sweat ran down my face as I tried to steady myself. Holding on the way I was, I was probably choking my horse to death. But instead of coughing or spluttering, she started...neighing amusedly. Oh No... Realization dawns.

"You did that on PURPOSE?!? How COULD you??" I yelled. "You scared the living MAGIC out of me!! Get me down NOW, or..." I stopped, searching for a threat horrible enough to scare the whinnies clean out of her. Aha! :D

"...or you're not getting your eggnog next Christmas!"

That did it. Down we promptly flew. If a horse could have cravings, Anya's was food.

Ground sweet ground :smooch:, I thought to myself, stepping off thankfully onto the grass. "Alright then, eggnog's on next Christmas," I nodded at the horse, dusting myself off with one hand & crossing my fingers behind my back with the other, "If I don't give it to you, either Eranoy or Harry will anyway..."

"At least it's not poison or rat bile."

I turned my head in the direction of the voice. No one. "Harry? Is that you?" No answer. No one was in sight. Unless...

I looked up."Gotcha," I grinned. Harry, decked in Quidditch attire, grinned back at me from his hovering broomstick. "Good Lord, how did you find me?" he grinned sarcastically :rolleyes: , touching down.

"Well, I WONDERED what that draught behind me was," I answered cheekily. Harry patted Anya's head, receiving an affectionate grunt in return. Anya had a big liking for Harry, and she practically worshiped Hagrid & Eranoy, since they spoiled her & brought her treats from day one. I, on the other hand, am her constant target to annoy the very wits out of (funnily enough, when food is concerned, she becomes quite the little sucking-up angel).

"She's become quite a stunt-devil," Harry said.

"I'm going to KILL Fred & George; they gave me the killer horse!!" I muttered, "But anyway...how was practise today, Coach Potter? Did anyone...oh, I don't know, DIE?" :D

"Not yet," he laughed. I suppose I forgot to mention that besides being an 'assistant', Harry had also managed to nab the position of Quidditch coach, being extremely good at it. How THAT came to pass is a mystery to me...

I scratched my head. "Really?? That's odd..." I said naughtily.

"Practise was cancelled."

That got me. "WHAT? CANCELLED?? But it's the first match of the year tomorrow; why on earth did you cancel?"

Harry raised a hand. "Relax...practise was delayed, to be more specific. And anyway, I wouldn't cancel Quidditch practise, would I?"

"Guess not, unless you're chicken."

"Am not...my animagus wouldn't be a chicken!"

I took Anya's reigns, laughing. "So why was practise cancelled?" I asked.

"Put the horse away & follow me."

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We stepped briskly down the hallway. "So why does McGonagall want to see us, anyway?" I asked, turning to look at Harry.

"I don't know," he answered, "Hagrid came out onto the field & told me that she wanted to see us now. Important."

"Ah, good day there, Harry, Melody. Quite a show that horse of yours put on there." It was St. Nick. He floated in front of us, an amused smile crossing his face. "Good day, St. Nick," we greeted in reply. Something puzzled me, though. "St. Nick," I began, "HOW did you know about..."

"I should tell you, dear girl," Nick interrupted, "When you're 68 feet up in the air, screaming for all you're worth on a flying horse which apparently seems to have a death wish, and then screaming eggnog threats at it...well, you're bound to attract attention from the ground. Well, must go. Good day." He nodded at us & floated off. I looked at Harry. "I screamed?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't blame you."

Snapping out of it, I started hurrying down the hallway again. "Come on, Harry, you know McGonagall doesn't like to be kept waiting." Harry followed quickly.

Soon, we were knocking in the big old doors that led to the Professor's office. An authoritative voice answered, 'Come in'. We stepped inside.

McGonagall's office was, as usual, spotless; everything in place, not a dust speck to be seen...TOO spotless. Why, even the Cornish Pixies would have to work like house-elves to make a mess of the place! A few candles bobbed & floated in the air. They were unlit, since glorious bright sunshine already shone in through the single but massive square window behind the Professor's desk, which was piled high with homework books. Her poor students had been doing essays, by the looks of it.

"You wanted to see us, Prof..."

Harry & I couldn't finish. We found we were struck dumb by what we saw in the middle of the floor.

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Keep posting those feedbacks, guys! :D

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A small white horse stood there, staring at us through deep midnight eyes filled with curiousity. It's mane & tail were of a glimmering pearly white, and it's hooves gleamed a deep, deep black. You could easily see beauty radiating from it, not to mention daintiness. It was far smaller than Anya & looked liked a fragile porcelain figure. Definitely still a baby. But what struck us most was...

"Wings AND a horn??" Harry plucked the words right out of my stunned mind. "Professor..."

"Is that a Nixus??" I gasped, my eyes wide :wow:. A Nixus is a cross between a Unicorn & a Pegasus (winged horse). Nixai are really, REALLY rare nowadays. They have a natural habit of moving around from place to place every few days, never favouring a specific spot for habitation. They have far greater magical powers than ordinary unicorns & pegasai, especially in their elusive horns. Very few witches & wizards have ever actually SEEN these creatures, so you can imagine how breathlessly fascinated we (or, at least, I) was.

"Exactly, Ms. Snow. It was found eating the school turnips." McGonagall rose from her desk, putting down her quill & shooting a sharp look at the creature, which was still staring at us with a slight frown on it's brows. Maybe it was just me, but the Professor didn't sound (or look) too fascinated...or pleased. "Hagrid found it when he was passing the school garden. And speaking of the garden..." Her eyes turned to mine. "You'll have to control that flying horse of yours, Snow; it's eating the carrots & cabbages by the handful! If you're not careful, I will have to send it back to your family."

I nodded humbly. "I'm sorry, Professor...I'll try to control her more, and I WILL put her on a diet. Honestly, I will." :shrug:

Harry blinked & turned his wide-eyed gaze away from the Nixus, who had settled quietly on the rug, the frown on it's face growing deeper. "If I may ask, Professor," he said quietly, "Where did it come from?"

"According to her, the Forbidden Forest."

Although we had been expecting that (where else could she have come from?) we were still surprised. "The forest?! Does this mean, " I said, "that herds of Nixai are hiding out there, right beside the school??" My eyes shone.

"Well, what did you expect?? Horned apes?!" spoke a high, girly, irritated voice.

Harry & I stared at each other. Slowly, we turned to the horse.

It got up, swishing it's long tail, the frown replaced with a look of scorn. "You, uh...talk," I whispered, taken aback. To think that all this time, we had thought that a Nixus' ability to speak was nothing more than a mythical rumor.

My words seemed to irritate it even more. "No, of course I don't, missy, I just curse & howl in the blue moonlight!" it snapped rudely, almost scowling at me. "For a 'great & legendary' witch & wizard, you two know practically NOTHING, do you??" My past incidents with Rhondella had made me famous in the magical world, if you must know.

I snapped out of my stunned state immediately, my feelings of awe & mystique quickly replaced by anger. "ExCUSE me..." I began. "Spare me the bore," it yawned :yawn:, turning it's rear end to us rudely. "I'm in no mood for boring lectures today." And with that, it settled down on the furry rug, all cosy. I stood there open-mouthed, choking with cries of disbelief. "Of all the...Professor, it...I...argh!!" I balled my hands up into fists, glowering :angry:. Harry looked utterly disgusted. He looked like he was holding back a string of words best unheard :censored:.

Professor McGonagall shook her head & sighed with a disapproving look :no:. "I forgot to warn you that it's manners might not exactly be your cup of tea."

Harry winced unpleasantly. "I suppose you sent for us because of...THAT, Professor?" He gestured towards the bloody beast, who turned & gave us a rude look.

"Absolutely right, Mr. Potter. You see..."

"I'll have you know," the creature interrupted, lifting her head, "that I have a perfectly good name; 'Kientra'. In the future, please take note of that & address me properly." A smug smile crept across her face. "Personally," she continued, "I think that anyone would agree that it is a FAR better name than 'Melody' or 'Harry', or..." She caught the Professor's stern eye. "Umm...I guess that 'Minerva' isn't TOO bad a name," it slurred with somewhat obvious sarcasm.

"I take it you are QUITE finished??" the Professor snapped. 'Kientra' lowered her head, muttering & grumbling as loudly as she dared :grumble:. My guess was that just because it was a rare & elusive Nixus, it had expected top-quality VIP treatment. What, after THAT display of rudeness? Hah! Forget it!

The Professor sat us two enraged souls down at her desk & told the story. Kientra had wandered away from the herd by herself to explore the forest (what kind of morbid devil would want to eplore the Forbidden Forest?!? :??: ) and a Devil-Maid (I'll explain much, much later) had chased & hunted her mercilessly. Couldn't say I felt sorry for her when I heard that...

Anyway, she got lost & somehow wandered into the school grounds by mistake. And according to Kientra, the herd never stayed in the same forest for long (told you). "They conceal their whereabouts with their own form of magic," the Professor continued, "They left yesterday & there is practically no magical way to find them. Which means..."

"Professor!" I blurted out. "You...you don't expect me to take this...this...MONSTROSITY under my wing?!" My mouth was open in disbelief. :wow:

Kientra raised her head again, this time in disgust. "Monstrosity??" she growled, "Ms. Snow, I don't care WHAT the word means, but judging by your insufferable tone, I believe..." She caught the Professor's eye again. "...that I am quite finished," she muttered, lowering her head. :grumble:

The Professor turned back to us. "Only temporarily, Ms. Snow. Professor Dumbledore & I have discussed the matter & we believe it is best you two take care of it, considering Hagrid has other responsibilities."

Harry coughed politely. "Excuse me, Professor...but did you say, 'you two'?" :shrug:

"Did you think you were not a part of this, Potter?"

Harry sat there, gripping his chair & trying to hide his mortification :scared:, while the Professor continued. "It is only temporary, Potter, Snow. I will be writing a letter to the Ministry of Magic later on, and once they have decided the appropriate thing to do with it...well, we'll see."

"Couldn't we just release her into the Forbidden Forest again?" Harry suggested, "I don't see much harm in it."

I looked at the Professor hopefully, the words 'PRETTY PLEASE' written all over my face.

"No."

I groaned & my shoulders sagged :sigh:. McGonagall fixed me with a sympathetic but stern look. "The number of Nixai in this world are enough to consider them highly endangered, Snow. By releasing a young, helpless lone one into the untamed wild, we would be considered to be commiting a crime, and therefore..." she paused, "have legal action taken on us. Else, I would have done so without a moment's hesitation the minute it opened it's mouth." Clearly, it hadn't given the Professor a good first impression.

I saw no way out. Sighing, I forced the words out of my mouth. "Alright...I'll take care of her."

"WE will," Harry chipped in. "Although..." he glanced at Kientra, who immediately stuck her tongue out at him :rasp:, "it won't be very pleasant."

"And make sure she is never out your sight. You especially, Snow, since Potter will be busy with Quidditch at times. We can't have her roaming around the school." Oh Good God...I was not hearing this! :wow:

And idea flickered in my mind. "Professor, could I..."

"And leaving her in the stable is out of the question, Snow."

"What if I..."

"As I said, Hagrid has other responsibilities to take care of."

"How about..."

"And there is NO WAY you are locking her in the underground dungeon, Snow."

Ideas crushed. Harry gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"You know, this rug is quite a luxury," the bloody beast crooned. "I could get used to all this." She snuggled down comfortably. :eyebrows:

"Oh, really? Well, what if I told you that it is made out of Nixus manes?" McGonagall said calmly.

THAT got the wretched snob to her feet.

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Keep those feedbacks coming! :p

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"It's not...REALLY made out of Nixus manes, is it?" Harry whispered to me as we made our way up the stairs.

"Don't be silly; of course it isnt'!" I whispered back. "McGonagall just wanted to scare her. It's artificial fur." In front of us, Kientra trotted grandly, looking around with a mixture of curiousity & arrogance.

"Good morning, both of you!"

"AAAAHHH!!" :wow: Kientra shot up the stairs like a whirlwind & stayed at the top, quivering like a leaf.

Harry & I started laughing & slapping our knees :rotfl:. "Good morning, Mr. Smokey," I replied to the portrait, still laughing, "You just scared our snobby little guest right out of her snobby little wits! I salute you!" I grinned. :D

Mr. Smokey stared at us through his pale grey eyes & puffed at his pipe thoughtfully. "Guest...? What 'guest'?" he enquired.

Still chuckling, Harry climbed up the steps & knelt down beside the shaking Nixus, who had covered her eyes with her wings. "Come on, Kientra, it's only Mr. Smokey," he assured, grinning. "He's a friend of ours." :D

Cautiously, Kientra peeped out. "Are...are you sure??" :scared:

Harry nodded. "Absolutely, no need to be afraid." :yup:

"But...but he gave me a scare, and..." And then she caught sight of me leaning against the wall, still laughing hard :lol: while Mr. Smokey looked on amusedly :smile:. Immediately, a nasty frown crossed her face. "Mr. Potter..." she said slowly, "You must be somewhat mad to think that I am EVER scared of ANYTHING." :wacky: Spreading her wings, she flew down the stairs with arrogant grace, sticking her nose up. "So YOU," she scowled at me, touching down, "can just be quiet." Harry quickly turned his laughter into a disgusted frown.

"WHY, you little...!" I cried, shaking my fist at her. It is a well known fact in Hogwarts that Melody Aira Snow simply CANNOT tolerate rudeness! :no:

"Ahem...and this is our...'guest'?" Mr. Smokey interrupted.

I lowered my fist, muttering. "Unfortunately, yes." :grumble:

The thin but jolly old man in the portrait observed Kientra for some time, puffing his pipe & probably thinking about her manners. Finally, he spoke. "Well, my beauty, I'm very sorry to have scared you like that. Hope you forgive old Smokey here." He tipped his grey-striped, floppy hat politely. :smile:

Kientra, however, didn't seem to appreciate his grace, for she merely rolled her eyes & slurred, "Whatever...can we all get a move on now?? I see no reason whatsoever to stay here talking to an unintelligent PICTURE that goes around scaring people whenever he likes."

Mr. Smokey looked aghast. "I BEG your pardon??" :wow:

"I'm exTREMEly sorry, Mr. Smokey," I gasped, equally aghast. "I apologize profusely on her behalf. Now," I started pushing Harry & that...that...CREATURE up the stairs again, "I think we'd better leave."

Safely up on the second floor, Harry & I turned angrily to the little horse, our eyes blazing :angry:. "LISTEN HERE, you little spawn of Satan!" I yelled, "Hogwarts has never SEEN such rudeness since that Malfoy manure-pile (Draco) and I sure as HELL am not going to let you shock the hair-roots out of everybody here! If you don't WATCH IT, I'll...I'll..."

"You might not have noticed," Kientra sneered, "but it is YOUR peppery temper that's shocking the hair-roots out of everyone." A look of smug triumph crossed her face :evil:.

Seething, I looked around. True, everyone in that hallway was staring wide-eyed & open-mouthed, even though they'd seen my temper before. Some terrified First-Year newcomers who had peeked out their classroom doors hurriedly ran back inside the minute they caught my gaze, while some others quickly looked in another direction, pretending to look busy.

I faced Kientra again, still sizzling, my eyes glowing red. No, REALLY glowing. As in fiery, striking RED. You see, when Rhondella tried to possess me during my first years here, she accidentally left a 'mark'; the ability to change my eye colour. This is because whenever she...how do I put this...'attacked' me, my eyes would turn a frightening, horrifying blood-red, scary even to the most morbid of beings. NOW, of course, there's not a colour in the universe I can't change them into. Harry was left with a scar, I was left with THIS! HAH! In your FACE, Potter! :D

But anyway...back to my sizzling senses... :angry:

Kientra seemed completely unmoved by my anger. In fact, she stuck her tongue out at me! :rasp:

THAT'S IT!! I thought to myself. I raised my hand, ready to slap that smug white mug sore. However, Mr. Saint Potter stopped me. "Mel!" he hissed, frowning slightly, "we'll be rid of her before you know it! Now calm down."

"Hello, fuming Gryffindors & a horse."

I hardly had to turn around. That kind of greeting could only, and ONLY, have come from well-known Christopher Louis Barog.

"Hello, Chris..." I muttered half-heartedly through gritted teeth. :grumble:

Chris was a Fifth-Year Gryffindor student well-liked for his cheery, funny personality (like ME, hehe :D). He was tall, with a mop of blond hair that was always immaculately neat. His strange bottle-green eyes had earned him the nickname 'Bottles' years ago. His was a face of cheeky matureness, and he always hung out with me & Harry.

"So," he began, "what's all the fuss abou...holy BOG-MONSTERS, is that a NIXUS??" he exclaimed, cutting his own sentence off :wow:. His tone had clearly indicated disbelief, which was what prompted me to say, "Believe it, Chris (I never called him by his nickname), you are staring at the rudest, most arrogant, snobbish Nixus that ever graced this blessed Earth! Oh, and guess what?? It TALKS, unfortunately!" I threw my hands up in disgust, getting worked up again.

Harry nodded & smartly added, "Yes, and all in one tiny package! Some things are just not worth being free..."

Chris raised his eyebrows doubtfully. "It talks??" he said. Then, he grinned. "You really think my common sense is the size of baby bacteria? Everyone knows that talking Nixai are just a rumor."

"There is truth in rumors, Mr. Brainless," Kientra huffed, making Chris jump. "And I'll have you know that I have a..."

"Mane...I mean, NAME! She has a NAME, did you KNOW?" I mocked, sizzling again. " 'Kientra', it seems...oh, and 'in the future, please address me properly'," I said, mocking the monstrosity's high voice. Clearly, I didn't exactly regard her as the apple of my eye. Sour apple maybe...no, 'rotten' is better.

Chris nudged a still frowning Harry & whispered discreetly, "She's funny when she's in a temper." :D

"I heard that, Barog."

Kientra huffed at me again. "You're very irritating, did you know?" she scowled.

"Oh, SHUT UP, you bloody abomination!!" I hollered, shaking my fist again. Everyone stared for the third time (the second time was when I mocked Kientra), and the First-Years came running to their classroom doors once more to behold the scene. Considering the classes were only a few feet away, it was amazing that I hadn't been told off by the Professors teaching in there yet. ('We could've been killed! Or worse...expelled!')

"Mel...come now..." Harry said gently, patting my shoulder. "Calm down, will you?" I could see that he was holding back a fit of laughter. Wonder what happened to HIS anger...

Chris laughed lowly. "Oh, great & legendary Melody Snow," he snickered, "you do realize that you're letting a mere horse get to you." He shook his head in amusement. :smile:

Kientra snorted. "A mere HORSE?! Excuse me, I am..."

"A bloody abomination! How many times must I repeat myself?!"

"MEL!" Chris laughed :lol:, his lip quivering, "It is JUST a HORSE! Besides," he added, "you were the one who..."

"Ahem," Kientra interrupted, "I think I prefer the term 'elusive Nixus'." She shook her long mane grandly.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Chris dismissed. "Mel, I thought you were the one who put down 'pet Nixus' on your wishlist every birthday & Christmas."

I frowned. "True, but I CERTAINLY didn't wish for the spawn of the Satan of all Satans!" :devil:

That did it. Harry & Chris burst out laughing & had to lean back against the wall for support :rotfl:, making the peeping First-Years jump. "Can we not start cursing again??" they laughed. Don't you just hate it when you're throwing a fit & the people around you just LAUGH?

I drew a long breath & tried to calm my sizzling senses (I LOVE to say that, don't I?). "How'd you...get her...anyway?" Chris managed to say, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

Before I could answer. Harry piped in. "Long story. Mel, you go on to Hagrid's, and I'll join after I've explained to Bottles here." He started ushering me off. "But Harry," I protested, "you KNOW that I might just impale her on Anya's horn if you're not there to stop me!"

Harry just smiled. "You wouldn't do that," he said.

"Oh, and why ever not??" I challenged.

"Because," he grinned, "Anya doesn't HAVE a horn. Nice try, though. Now go on."

Grumbling, I started to stalk off, the bloody beast trotting reluctantly behind. :grumble: Passing the STILL-peeping First-Years, I stopped & flashed them a look. "Back...in...CLASS," I hissed through gritted teeth. In they ran & slammed the door. From behind me, I heard two voices almost shouting in laughter.

Hi guys! First of all, you should know that I changed my username. It's still me, Jay-Ann, but under 'Jessie'.

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I sat with Hagrid on the few smooth rocks beside his hut, watching Anya & the little devil trying to interact...maybe even get along. I had been grumbling softly :grumble: to myself, and now Hagrid looked up at me. "Well, blimey, Melody, yer the one who wished fer a Nixus a few yeers back," he stated, rubbing his beard. It is another well-known fact in Hogwarts that Melody Aira Snow has always wanted a pet Nixus almost more than anything else.

I sighed :sigh:. "I KNOW, Hagrid, but not one that...BAD." I pointed to Kientra, who was flying around Anya's head, scrutinizing her every inch. Not surprisingly, Anya seemed irritated. :stuckin:

Hagrid gave a grunt of affection. "Well now, yer gonna 'ave tuh give 'er time tuh grow out of it, then. She's just a baby, after all. No need to be so hard on 'er, alright?" he winked ;), then continued sharpening the knife he used to trim tiny plants.

"Hello," came a familiar voice beside us. I turned, slightly surprised. "Eranoy??" I laughed, "When did YOU get out of hospital??"

He shrugged. "About 10 minutes ago." Then, he smiled. "Hello. Hagrid."

"Hello there, Eranoy. See yer wrist's all fine now," greeted the gentle giant. "Well," Eranoy smiled, climbing up to sit on the rock beside me, "Madam Pomphrey IS a miracle." He watched the two animals in fascination. "Harry told me all about Kientra," he whispered, "She's a beauty." :crush:

Hagrid coughed. "Well, uh, looks can be quite the decieving little devils, young Malfoy, and in this case..." He paused. "Well...yer gonna 'ave tuh see fer yerself. And yuh won't 'ave tuh look close tuh see what I mean," he added, nodding. :yup:

"Speaking of Harry..." I said, "Where is he?? He was supposed to join us."

Eranoy fidgeted with his robe, like he always did, and looked at me. "He told me to tell you that he has to go, uh, 'kill some players'...and he said that you would know what he meant."

I grinned. "Quidditch practise. Tomorrow's the first game." :D

The three of us sat in silence for a while, watching, as an obviously bored Anya made her way back to her stable (Hagrid built it, by the way), yawning :yawn:. Shooting a bored look at Kientra, she shut the door, pulling it with her teeth. The Nixus was outraged, and threw a fit.

"ANYA!!" she bellowed, "Open this door NOW, for pity's sake! I can put up with your mistress's yelling, but I'll have you know RIGHT NOW that I will NOT be IGNORED!! Anya...Anya, do you HEAR me?! I KNOW you do, so OPEN UP! Are you not much HONOURED to have me as an acquaintance?! How DARE you do this to me!! This is dishonour!! I COMMAND you to OPEN THIS DOOR! This is KIENTRA you're being rude to!! I'll have you know that I'll..."

As she ranted & raved on, I shot Eranoy a look. "There you have it...she's a beauty." :D

Eranoy grimaced & shook his head, while Hagrid stared & commented, "I'm telling yuh, Melody, that horse o' yers can be stone deaf when she wants to."

"You are putting the name of all Abraxans to DISGRACE, missy! I bet Hogwarts has never SEEN such ATTITUDE!! I'm pounding on the door now...you hear it?? Anya, you're worse than your mistress, and I can ASSURE you that that isn't a very good thing!For the millionth time, OPEN THIS DOOR!!!!"

I sighed. "A Nixus has many magical powers...and I suppose one of them is not being able to run out of breath."

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So...what do you think so far??
Quidditch match coming up next!! You'll have to forgive me if it seems so boring & messed up, because I've NEVER read ANY of the books, as I've said so before. Feedback please! :)

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"Another 10 points for Hufflepuff!!" Enthusiastic Gryffindor announcer Ernest Smith reached down & pushed the right side score button, recieving an equally enthusiastic response from the Hufflepuff supporters. :clappy: :clappy: :clappy:

Chris clapped his hand over his eyes. "Do me a favour, all of you," he groaned, "Until this match is through, don't tell me the..."

"Just GREAT, we're behind 40 to 60!" exclaimed Amanda Byrnes above all the noise. Chris flashed her an irritated look. "...score," he finished through gritted teeth.

Harry, standing next to Amanda, looked around. "Well, at least they're making good effort," he sighed, but his tone clearly betrayed his growing worries. :( "Yer tellin' me," nodded Hagrid, getting a good view from his trusty old binoculars. "They're really goin' downright mad!"

"Come on, Gryffindor," I whispered softly.

A long, pearly-white tail brushed against my nose for the 3rd time. I swiped it away roughly & looked up. "Kientra!" I cried, "Get down here at once! We don't need tails as head-decorations!" Grumbling, she hovered lower until she was level with my shoulder. :grumble: She had been complaining earlier on about being dragged to the Quidditch field, but after Harry threatened to put her in place of the Quaffle, there was less noise...ESPECIALLY after she discovered that the Quaffles get hit.

A loud cheer arose from the Hufflepuff side of the field. No doubt, something good had happened, but WHAT?

"Blimey, what are THEY so happy about NOW?" Hagrid puzzled, searching the entire Quidditch field with his binoculars. The four of us craned our necks, trying to spot what all the fuss was about. I had hoped that my guess was wrong, but no...

"That!" I pointed, "Hufflepuff's seeker is after the Snitch!"

A few Gryffindors behind me gasped :wow: . "Where's OUR seeker, then??" someone cried. Hagrid grunted. "Hold yer horses, now," he said, "I'm lookin'!"

"Bernie's over there!" Amanda yelled, brown eyes wide, pointing to...the other side of the field?! Oh, great. Anyway, my worries were short-lived...for a while.

"He's spotted it!!" hollered Chris excitely, pumping his fist in the air (yes, we Hogwarts people really DO love our Quidditch matches). All of us, even Kientra, watched, wide-eyed & leaning so far out we could've fallen, as Bernie Smith blazed across the field, dodging Bludgers & players left & right.

Hold on, I thought, Isn't that a...

"BERNIE, WATCH OUT!!" yelled Harry at the top of his lungs. So he'd spotted the speeding Bludger too! It was coming fast from behind Bernie, and judging by the speed of it, it was highly possible that there would be a VERY nasty collision soon.

It was impossible for Bernie to hear Harry, of course, but someone else did; Ferdania Ferbott, one of the Gryffindor beaters. "Don't worry," she cried, flying past us, "Freakin' Fantastic Ferdania's on it!" She flew off fast, dark ponytail streaming behind her. Chris coughed. "She'd better BE Freakin' Fantastic!" :stuckin:

Harry, Chris, Amanda, Kientra, Hagrid & I watched in suspense as Bernie flew straight on, determined to catch the Snitch... OBLIVIOUS of the approaching Bludger! "HURRY, Ferdania!!" Amanda shrieked. Hurry she did, waving wildly at the players to get out of her way. NEVER have I seen a Silver Arrow broomstick go that fast!

Kientra frowned & rolled her eyes. "I don't see what ALL this FUSS is about...it's not like that THING is going to harm him." :grumble:

"Oh, shut up!" said Amanda, not bothering to hide her dislike. Kientra's mouth dropped open. :wow:

Bernie was flying on...
The Bludger was flying closer...

"This is NOT good!" I cried. In my calculation, Ferdania might be too late; she was quite a distance away! But then...

"YES!!" Happy cries emerged from a few Gryffindors as Ferdania gave a burst of speed & made a rocket dive upwards behind Bernie, beating the yapping Bludger out of the way just in time! Alright then...I was wrong. But then again, I've never been good in Arithmancy... :p

"Talk about the last second!" clapped Harry. "GO, GRYFFINDOR!!" cheered Chris excitedly. Loud hoots & whistles emerged from us Gryffs as Ferdania waved her beater's bat in sweet triumph. :clappy: Bernie, meanwhile, had turned around in surprise & now gave Ferdania an appreciative nod & a thumbs-up :tu: . Kientra merely rolled her eyes. "Anyone could have done THAT," she slurred. :rolleyes:

I was watching the dear seeker so closely that I didn't realize something else had happened...something 'good'...something that mde Ernest Smith holler into the mic, "Gryffindor scores!! 10 points!" Surprised cheers, but cheers nonetheless, arose again, only to stop abruptly at Ernest's flustered words, "Sorry...sorry! I meant 'Hufflepuff'!" Hufflepuff's cries of protest quickly turned into happy ones, followed by loud groans from us. The score was now at a difficult 40-70. :(

"Blimey," muttered Hagrid, lowering his binoculars, "Ernest had better watch what he says, or there could be a real riot!" For a while, the five of us stared at the circle marks the binoculars had left on Hagrid's eyes. Think 'giant panda'... :p

Chris turned back to the field. A surprised look crossed his face. Straightening himself up, he nudged me. "What does Smith think he's doing?"

I shot a quick look. "Keeping score, like always."

"Not THAT Smith," Chris groaned, "THAT one!" he pointed. "Oh," I said, and looked.

Indeed, what was Bernie doing?? He had stopped in mid-air & was looking around frantically, a panicked expression on his face. It dawned on me then; That could only mean one thing. "I think he's lost the Hufflepuff seeker...AND the Snitch!" I cried.

"DARN YOU, SMITH!! He's near the HOOPS!!" yelled ever-wild Amanda, pointing crazily & jumping up & down.

It might have been a miracle of some sort, but amazingly, Bernie seemed to hear, for he zoomed straight to the three tall hoops, where the other seeker was chasing the Snitch around & around the poles. He flew on faster, robe & blond hair streaming behind him, dodging the Quaffle, a player, the Snitch...hold on, the Snitch?!

"DARN YOU, SMITH!!" yelled Amanda again.

Hagrid gave a snort. "Ye might have thought that he had SEEN the other seeker flyin' toward 'im, but NO... That boy needs glasses!" :coolblue:

Realizing his mistake, Bernie made a speedy U-Turn, his broom skidding sideways roughly from the sudden force. He JUST managed to brake to avoid smashing into some of the Professors in their seats (I saw Professor Sprout crossing her heart in shock). Regaining control of the broom, he flew out into the middle of the field & blazed on determinedly, eyes on the Snitch, wherever it was...I couldn't see it.

A slow feeling of despair crept into me as Johnny, the Huff's seeker, flew up behind Bernie & overtook him quite easily. Bernie wouldn't have it; he looked up, frowned, leaned further out & overtook Johnny impressively. Johnny wouldn't have it either; he sped on remarkably fast.

Overtake after overtake happened until Johnny finally got irritated & knocked Bernie hard to one side, sending his broomstick flying off & spinning in the air rather harshly. It must've been horrifying, especially since Bernie once had to bear with the name 'He-Who-Is-Scared-Of-Heights'. :wow:

Harry gasped & Hagrid looked through his binoculars again. "Alright now, it's slowin' down..." He peered anxiously into them. "Slowin'...."

"Look; the seeker's going to fall!" I heard someone cry. Too true, he WAS going to fall, and VERY soon at that! The broom had been spinning in the air and was now slowing down...and finally coming to a halt. Bernie didn't look so good, though. He was swaying slightly, dazed, and his head was hung in dizziness :dead: . He put his hand to his head.

While the other players continued their jobs, Bernie's broomstick suddenly started to dip low, jerking & swaying dangerously. The poor boy's mouth dropped open & he hung on for dear life, desperately trying to control the broom. It didn't seem to work; the broom continued it's scary descent.

Kientra huffed. "Well, that's what comes of having nothing better to do than to chase a stupid golden ball." How heartless can you get?! :grumble:

Down he went! "SEEKER OVERBOARD!!" yelled Harry, signalling wildly to someone on the field. That 'someone' was Kirk Crane, Gryffindor team captain, who was closest to us. With a nod, he sped off.

It was amazing; Kirk managed to fly halfway across the field in two seconds flat (Speed all around today!), zipping left & right, dodging the scattered players & balls expertly. Speeding, he made a diagonal dive downwards...JUST in time to catch the doomed youth on his broom! "An AMAZING rescue!" Ernest yelled, not caring if he made anyone deaf. "Let us all salute him!" Relieved eyes watched as Kirk brought a pale & shaking Bernie down to solid ground, while amazed cheers erupted from the enthralled audience. :clappy:

While all this was going on, what else had been happening? Well, guess for yourself...

"HE'S GOT IT!!" Ernest shrieked.

Heads turned in his directon. Even Kirk & Bernie looked up, surprised, Bernie growing paler for some reason. "Eh??" Hagrid looked confused. "Who's got what? Who's got what??" his question was soon answered by our overly-excited announcer. "Johnny Erlong catches the Snitch, scoring 150 points for Hufflefupp...I mean, Hufflepuff! This match is OVER!"

What?
WHAT?!

A shrill whistle blew. "Hufflepuff wins!" Screams of joy were heard from the Huffs as they jumped up & down happily, waving their house flags & hugging each other :grouphug:. On the field, Johnny Erlong's back was being patted sore.

It was no question that Gryffindor was disappointed; shoulders sagged & heavy sighs emerged :sigh:. Amanda clapped Harry's shoulder (this she had to stand on tiptoe to do) & gave him a reassuring smile :smile:. "Don't worry, coach," she grinned, "Gryffindor's teamwork will always be a million times better than Hufflepuff's guts...or Slytherin & Ravenclaw, at that. We all know that." She grinned again, braces showing, and clapped his back again.

"That's right, Harry," nodded Hagrid affectionately. "Teamwork's a lot more important than winnin'..." He flashed Chris, who was teasing Kientra, a look, since Chris had bet someone two Knuts that Gryffindor would win, "...and I bet ye can drill that into 'em even more." He patted Harry's shoulder. "Just ye...uh, remember that now, eh?" he winked ;). "Now come one." He lumbered off.

Following Hagrid down the wooden steps, I nudged Harry. "You seem to be proud of yourself...COACH." I grinned. :)

He shook his head. "No...I'm just glad that Bernie wasn't hurt. And besides," he added, "I'm proud of THEM, not of myself."

Chris grinned & turned to Kientra, who was looking sulky as usual. "And YOU," he said, "should remember that no matter what you say, the spirit of Quidditch can never be dampened. Now," he laughed, "Let's go see that unfortunate seeker of a Smith."

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So...what do you think? If I have to repeat myself a million times, I will: I've NEVER read the book. Please forgive me if everything seems wrong & wonky. But hey... :p

Yet another chapter, guys! :D

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I blinked sleepily & looked around. The Gryffindor common-room was completely empty, with not a student in sight. Good. My wish had come true. ...But then again, no one would really be here at 5.30 in the morning, now would they? They're all definitely still snoring...

Rubbing my hands together, I shivered. COLD. Hurriedly, I made my way to the fireplace, squinting to see. My slippers sank into the deep, soft carpet as I walked. I knelt down & whipped out my crystal wand (one of my dad's crazy experiments had turned it into unbreakable crystal... :wacky: ) & pointed it at the still fireplace. "Incendio," I whispered. Yellow flames rose up & blazed with the kind of soft whoosh that only fires make, illuminating my face in the dark.

Yawning :yawn:, I made my way to a comfortable armchair & sank gratefully into it's velvety depths. I sat still for a while, taking the comfort in. Then, my half-opened eyes slowly slid to what I was clutching in my other hand. It was the reason I had slipped down here at this hour; to have a consultation with myself.

I raised the Me-rror & stared straight at my own self, thinking how sleepy I looked, and how my hair seemed in a rather 'nice' disarray :smile:. My reflection stared back at me rather curiously, then spoke.

"And why aren't you...or, WE, asleep yet?" it asked, raising an eyebrow, just like I love to do. :huh:

I yawned again :yawn:. "I tried. Kientra snores!" I looked at the Me-rror's frame, thinking for the millionth time how pretty it was, all sparkly & silvery-white. :crush:

My reflection yawned too, and shook her head. "Don't do that; it's contagious!" :no: She smoothed out her hair. "Anyway, you didn't have any trouble sleeping yesterday."

"That's because the bloody beast chose to DROOL yesterday... :drool: and drooling is a silent habit," I added. "Unlike, snoring, of course." :grumble:

My reflection nodded. "Darn disgusting it was to wake up & find the pillow saliva-stained, wasn't it?"

I gave a sigh of relief. "FINALLY, someone who doesn't 'reproach' me for complaining about her!"

"You forget; I'm you. I'm everything you've got hidden in your heart, so of course I know what you do & think like you do. So, any word from the MoM?"

I fiddled with the velvet on the armchair. "Not a whisper! Some ministry THEY are..." I grumbled. "Oh, knock it off," my reflection scolded, "Deep inside you know that you can't expect them to reply in half a blink of a dragon's eye."

I blinked. "True, true. Anyway, I need your help."

"I know," she smiled :smile:. "You really should be a tiny bit more patient with her, you know."

"Argh!" I cried softly, "I KNOW! It's really bugging the nightlights out of me! I mean, I know I shouldn't yell at her so much, but then again, she's very rude, and..."

"And there's not much point in apologizing to her, is there?" my reflection interrupted.

"NO."

She shook her head again :no:. "Remember what Hagrid told you? About making allowances...?" She fidgeted with the collar of her pyjamas.

"I gave up on even CONSIDERING that."

She gave a mocking snort. "Oh sure...and yet, you're here at this hour seeking advice from me on how to make things better between you two." I rolled my eyes. "What is THAT supposed to mean?" :rolleyes:

"Never mind. Anyway, knowing you...I mean, MYSELF, I know that Hagrid's right. And I know you try to control yourself, but..." She shook her finger at me. "...you just can't stand her rudeness, can you?"

I turned my gaze outside the window. The whole world seemed covered in a light really-early-morning mist, making everything look so mysteriously 'frosted' and beautiful, especially the trees. "You know everything," I mumbled.

"Of course I do; I'm you."

My gaze drifted off again, this time to the fire. It crackled merrily, dancing & leaping as if it were alive. It's warm homey sight was making me sleepy again. I held back another yawn. "So what do you think I should do?"

"What do YOU think?"

I gave a small laugh. "Honestly, I'm too sleepy to do any heart-digging for an answer. YOU'RE my heart, YOU tell me."

She huffed. "You can never be tired to search your soul," she said, in a tone that was almost poetic, "Answers that lie in your heart are answers that are most true; why lock them up?"

I raised any eyebrow. "Nice to know I'm this virtuous." :huh:

"Don't let it get stuck in your head."

"Hey," I said, "Both you & I know that realizing one's good points to a good limit is merely confidence. And there's..."

"A fine line between confidence & arrogance. I know." It was her turn to roll her eyes. :rolleyes:

I sighed slightly :sigh:. "Well, I guess that after 30 seconds of heart-digging, I've decided to..." I grimaced. "...to..."

"Just say it!" she snapped, "You're going to go easy on her, try to be nice to her, and even apologize if she does." She gestured with her hands dramatically.

I sighed again. "If I must, I must. Goodnight." I put the Me-rror down, thinking how completely opposite-like my reflection was, and yet...she was really me. The REAL me. "I have to get to know myself better," I yawned. Curling up comfortably, I went to sleep.

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Feedback plz! Thanks! :)

Yet another update! :clappy:

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I can do this, I can do this, I assured myself. For the 20th time, I glanced at Kientra, looking around with a rather bored look on her face & dragging her hooves along.

I had decided on a truce. If she could stop being so rude, I would be nicer & stop yelling, even be patient with her if I had to. Thinking about it, it just wasn't right if I made the first move & apologized for yelling at her rudeness; she deserved it. Besides, an unexpected apology would probably make her more arrogant, and honestly, I was getting a sore throat from screaming at her everyday, and I HATE her smug looks... :grumble:

She coughed. "So...where are we going?" she asked, reluctantly turning to look up at me.

"To keep an eye on some students in detention," I replied blankly, striding through the corridor with tired steps. "Well, well, well," Kientra snorted, "For once, SOMEONE didn't call me 'a bloody beast' or 'an unbelievable abomination', or..."

I sighed. "Alright, you, let's have a deal."

"No."

"Hey..." I frowned, "Just listen, will you? You stop being so rude, I'll not scream so much. Deal?"

"No. I'll be as rude as I like." :rasp:

The fact that I didn't throw a fit or slap her there & then showed how tired I was. "Have it your way," I mumbled, knowing she wasn't going to BE here much longer.

We stopped in front of the massive doors that led to the Great Hall. Kientra pulled a face. "Why are were HERE? Breakfast was only half an hour ago!" she said

"You'll see," I mumbled, and pushed the doors open.

Everything was still; the candles in the air were motionless & unlit, the rows & rows of tables were empty, devoid of any cutlery, the ceiling showed a cloudless blue sky, no students on broomsticks were zipping past the windows. No sign of life anywhere.

I walked up to the table where the Professors usually sat, puzzling over why there was nobody there. "That's strange..." I said, "They should be here by now." :??:

Kientra flew around the room, sliding along above the tables. "Humph," she scoffed, "I don't blame them...spending detention with YOU, indeeed!" She pulled a face that suggested a desire to vomit.

I ignored her; something had caught my attention.

"Well..." I grinned, "Whatever it is, SOMETHING tells me that they're here. Although," I coughed, "I don't...*cough*...SEE them anywhere..." :)

I went around the table & grinned. "Hello, boys."

Two groans escaped them as they stood up, dusting themselves off. "What ARE you," said Eric Gorm, "A runaway from the cast of 'Sixth Sense'?" He scratched his head, puzzled. :??:

I held up my hand. "Spare me; I hate that movie! Anyway, it wasn't hard to spot the robe..." I pointed, "...and the foot sticking out from the side." :D

Jacob Forr dug his companion in the ribs. "I TOLD you to pull them in," he whispered. Then, he grabbed my arm. "By the way, the...'thing' isn't here, is she?" he said softly.

"Unfortunately," I answered, "She's right over..." I looked around. "Aha, there," I pointed.

The two boys looked up. There she was, flying around the ceiling, puzzled as can be. After 3 days at Hogwarts, she still couldn't figure out whether the ceiling was the sky, or just...well, the ceiling.

Eric the Cheeky grinned. "Ahoy there, Your Snobbiness," he called out, "How's the weather like up there?? Any rain to wash the rudeness out??" :p

"Shut up or I'll ram you with my horn," she said, sticking her nose up...and promptly banging into the ceiling nose-first.

Happy laughter escaped us as we slapped each other high-fives :lol:. The Nixus merely huffed & flew on proudly, her nose resembling Rudolph's. Our laughter was cut short when the great doors burst open & a flushed, gasping young boy ran in, clutching a broomstick. An old Nimbus model, by the looks of it. "That's the reason we were hiding," Eric whispered to me. "To scare HIM."

"S-Sorry I'm late," the boy stammered. "I...I...misplaced my broomstick." He pushed his square-shaped glasses up his long nose. His puffy, curly brown hair was in complete disarray, and his BLUE braces stuck out rather grotesquely. What a nerd! :)

Well-built Jacob laughed. "I'll help you with that, Andrew," he grinned, plucking the broomstick away from the boy's arms rather easily. It was then I noticed that the broom was rather big for the tiny boy. Completely unsuitable...

"Andrew, hmm?" I smiled. "Don't believe I've seen YOU around." I extended my hand.

Adjusting his robe rather akwardly, he shook my hand, looking a bit flustered. "A-Andrew Pixel," he stammered, looking at the floor. He had a rather 'clumsy' look around him, I must say.

Eric nudged me. "Of course you don't see him around," he whispered, "That geek-freak loses himself in the library, reading all day!"

I laughed. "Alright, alright, down to business. Professor Sprout tells me you made fungus-infested vines grow out of Ms. Morsha's ears. Is that true?" I crossed my arms & stared at them calmly but expectedly. "Completely by accident," said Andrew, pushing his glasses up his nose again. "We never meant it!"

"HE didn't," whispered Eric, and Jacob nodded mischieviously. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Kientra making rude faces at them. :rasp:

"Must have been a sight," I smiled :smile:. "Now, you all have your broomsticks? Good. Do you know what you're going to do?"

Slow shakes of the head. "Professor Sprout wasn't in a good mood, and she yelled at us a bit too fast for us to hear our fate," Jacob said rather cheekily. "She DID say something about the Great Hall & bringing our broomsticks & that you'd be watching us."

"Well, boys," I smiled, "Get ready for a most Muggle-like detention! Today, you're going to..." I grinned, " WASH THE WINDOWS!"

Dismay crossed their faces as the three Third-Year Ravenclaws stared at the massive window, completely aghast. :wow: "B--but--but--bu--but..." stammered Andrew, his jaw nearly touching the floor. "But it's HUGE!" Jacob finished for him. "Bigger than my sister's rear end!" piped in Eric, "And believe me, I thought NOTHING could beat it." ;D

"Oh, stop whining & follow me." We walked up to the window, where the boys discovered that there were three buckets on the floor. "Those buckets are already filled, so everything is set," I said. "Move move move!" I clapped my hands together once.

The three muttering boys stepped up to the wooden buckets & whipped out their wands reluctantly. They cleared their throats. "Wingardium Levio..."

"HOLD IT!" I cried, "Are your wands pointing the right way??"

Silence. Then, bursts of laughter :lol:. "Honestly, Mel," laughed Jacob Forr, "What do you think we are?? Of COURSE they're pointing the right way." The other two were still giggling. I let out a sigh of relief, even though I knew I sounded stupid. "Carry on," I said, gesturing.

Kientra watched with some mild amusement as the boys cast the spell, hopped onto their broomsticks & took different positions at the window; top, middle & bottom. Each grabbed a wet rag from the floating buckets & started wiping, grumbling slightly :grumble:. "This is going to take at LEAST 2 hours!" moaned Jacob, his sandy hair already slightly sprinkled with water drops. "You're telling ME..." muttered Eric.

"Make that four," I said, smiling in sympathy.

The boys turned to me at once, horrified. "WHAT??" :wow:

"Simple really," I answered, "A window has to be washed on both sides, now doesn't it?"

"ExCUSE me??" a high, horrified voice cried. With a frown, we turned around.

Her Royal Rudeness Kientra was hovering at one end of the Slytherin table (how SUITABLE!), shocked disgust all over her face. "You do NOT mean to tell me," she gulped, "that I am about to waste FOUR whole hours out of my precious life stuck here with..." She made a face, "...YOU?!"

Eric rolled his eyes :rolleyes:. "On the contrary, little Nixy," he said, raising his eyebrows, "WE should be saying that." :eyebrows:

"Mel," Pixel called, "Did you let Anya out?"

I looked up, confused. "She's always out. Why?" He shook his head :no:. "Um...I just thought I saw her flying around over..."

I rushed to the window. "WHAT? WHERE??"

He looked alarmed at my reaction & pointed. "Just down there."

"But she KNOWS she's not allowed to fly around unless I'm with her! She's going to get us both in trouble!" I cried, looking around & feeling a bit frustrated. It wasn't enough that my horse had attitude, now it was developing Harry's 'certain disregard for the rules'! :evil:

"She's white, isn't she?" said Jacob suddenly. "Obviously," I said, turning to look at him. "Then why did I see her as grey...?" he said. "Me too!" Andrew piped in. "I didn't," said Eric, sounding a bit disappointed to be left out, "And of COURSE Anya's white. It must have been a trick of the sunlight," he dismissed.

Maybe, I thought. Maybe not.

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Post feedback plz! I need to know what ppl think. Thank yew! :p

Here's a hint; this chapter is going to lead to a bit of a tragedy...

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"Melody, Melody, wake up! Melody!!"

"Wha-?" I yawned & rubbed my eyes. I was so sleepy! :yawn: Kientra seemed like a blur. "Mmf...leemeealone..." I mumbled, pulling the covers up higher. "But Mel..." she protested, pulling them down with her teeth. I groaned. "Iwantastayasleep..." I pulled the covers up again & turned on my side, irritated.

Kientra's patience (if she HAD any) ran out. "It's my MOTHER, you idiot!" she hissed.

My eyes flew open. "My dear Nixus..." I whispered, "What did you say?"

"My mother's outside!" she rasped. "She's come to get me!"

I sat bolt upright. The most beautiful realization ever had dawned on me like a holy light. "Does this mean..." I whispered, "that you'll finally be going off??"

Kientra rolled her eyes, muttering :grumble:. "YES. Now if you..."

"HALLELUJAH, the Lord LOVES me!" I cried, jumping out of bed :crush:. Kientra looked absolutely horrified :wow:. "SHH!" she hissed, frowning. "Sorry," I grinned, taking a quick look around to make sure I hadn't woken anyone up. My eyes had started flashing from one colour to another, indicating how excited I was.

Kientra looked at me. "Well??" she demanded. Snapping out of my happy reverie, I stepped up to the window which was beside my bed, trying my best to be silent. I clutched my wand tightly. Even in my happiness, I couldn't help but pray to God that her mother wasn't as horrible as she was...or worse.

Both of us peeped out. The pale, silvery moonlight was shining bright & radiant onto the peaceful land below. Not a soul was seen, not a shadow moved. All of Hogwarts was silently slumbering. And then I saw her.

A magnificent adult Nixus stood on the grass below, gently fanning her powdery grey wings. She was looking up at us with a gentle expression on her face, and her shiny white mane gleamed radiantly, like a pearl. Such majestic form...I was entranced. :wow:

My eyes (which weren't flashing anymore, by the way) followed her as she flew, silent as an owl, up to the window. She stopped at our level, hovering not a foot away from my face. I stared in complete awe. I realized then that this was the horse that the boys had spotted in detention. No wonder Anya seemed confused when I gave her that lecture earlier on! Great, now I felt guilty... :grumble:

A light breeze billowed around my head as Kientra, with a BIG sigh of relief, flew past me & hovered beside her mother. "What TOOK you so long, mother??" I heard her whine.

The adult Nixus slowly turned to look at the little one. "Hush," my child," she whispered in a voice so willowy & gentle, like an elfen queen. She turned to me. "Melody Snow," she said softly. "You are much respected & honoured among us creatures of the magical wild, my lady. I feel I am not worthy of such an honour." She bowed her head low. Kientra merely rolled her eyes. "Mother..." she hissed through gritted teeth, "Isn't this a little...degrading?" :grumble:

Her grumbles were simply ignored. The mother lifted her head & continued speaking. "It is my great pleasure to thank you, my lady, for guarding my young one," she said.

"Oh no,no" I stammered, finding my voice again, "she wasn't... er, MUCH of a problem." I found myself staring at my feet, bewildered that I might say something wrong. Goodness knows could happen. :scared:

The magnificent creature gave an amused laugh. "I know, my lady. Many times have we tried to cure her of her spitefulness...to no avail." She shot the 'young one' a frosty look. Hehehe... :elaugh:

She turned back to me, her long nose so close it made me jump back in alarm. "My lady," she began, "I feel my gratitude is not complete until I give you a few things."

I was surprised. "Things??" :??:

Kientra groaned. "Mother, this REALLY isn't necessary," she muttered again. :grumble:

"You will answer to your father later, young lady," the older Nixus said calmly, not turning her gaze away from me. Doom crossed Kientra's face :wow:. HEHEHE... :elaugh:

"Now, my lady," she continued, "if you would just outstretch your hand." Blankly, I did as I was told slowly, wondering what in the name of pygmy shrews was going to happen.

Slowly, she lowered her head, the gleaming white horn pointed at my hand. In a moment of pure frightened reaction, I pulled my hand back with a gasp of dismay.

Her eyes stared deep into mine as she shook her head slowly. "My lady," she whispered gently, "know only that by no costs, be it treasure or all of the great Lord's heavenly powers, would I ever harm you. No, I would never bring myself to do so." :no: She fixed me with a warm, trusting look that somehow completely banished my fears.

I let out a long breath & nodded. "I trust you." :yup:

That seemed to please her very much, for she smiled broadly & gave a soft, happy neigh. "How wonderful it is," she smiled :). She lowered her head again, horn pointed. This time, I felt no fear, just curiousity. What was she going to do??

I saw her flash me a quick, warm glance. Then she shut her misty blue eyes tight. It looked like she was concentrating fiercely on something, focusing hard. Her horn...it started to glow brightly, shine with all the radiance of a thousand moons, the purity of a thousand doves, and all the sparkle of a thousand stars. Completely indescribable. I was dazzled, not being able to look away from it, my hand still outstretched. It felt slightly warm & quite pleasant.

My already wide eyes grew wider as I watched the heavenly light grow smaller & fade away...until only the tip of the long, pointed horn shone. And just when it seemed like it was going to vanish...it poured out.

For a while, the room was filled with beautiful bluish-white light, that grew dimmer until it was only bright enough for us to see what it was in my hand; Frosty blue 'things' that looked like liquid stars, pleasantly warm. I let out a gasp at the feeling of pure peace & bliss I felt when they touched my hand, growing as more of the light poured out & sparkling mystically. :crush: I couldn't say a word; my voice had been lost again.

The Nixus raised her head. Her horn had stopped shining. "My lady," she said, still hovering in the still night air, "I now must ask you to close your hand." Her face was illuminated slightly by the blue light, as was Kientra's, who was staring with a tiny bit of interest.

I did so, covering the light, and felt the liquid stars harden. They seemed to take shape into something. When I opened my hand, I could not believe my eyes :wow:. I staggered a few steps backwards in amazement and dropped my wand, hearing it clang when it hit the floor. The Nixus said something, but in my stunned state, I couldn't make it out, except that I could keep it or something like that. "Thank you," I whispered breathlessly.

Kientra groaned again. "Are we DONE, mother??" she whined. "The mark, Kientra. Be patient," was the reply. The little one started grumbling again, but considering what was now in my possession, I couldn't have cared less. But then the older Nixus said something that surprised me.

"There is one more thing to give, my lady."

I looked up. "One more thing?? But...but..." I stammered, "You... have done enough. There's no need, really. D-Don't trouble yourself," I babbled stupidly. It didn't discourage her. She smiled :smile:. "All the great treasures of man nor nature can never be enough to repay a kind deed done purely from the heart, my lady," she said.

"You really don't have to," I mumbled, feeling guilty again. 'A kind deed'? 'Purely from the heart'?? Unlikely. :rolleyes:

Suddenly, I realized that her horn had started glowing again, this time with a soft, pearly shine. "I do not tell untruths, my lady," she said, "This WILL hurt, but indeed, it will be a small price to pay for what comes with it. I pray you will forgive me."

I gulped. That's a HORN, for God's sake! I thought to myself :wow:. She leaned closer. As much as I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut or run away screaming, I simply couldn't. I was staring, terrified, at the sharp tip pointed right at the very middle of my forehead, inching closer...closer...

This time, there was no feeling of bliss; just a spark of pain at first, which grew into a horrible RUSH of dizzying pain, banging down on me so hard I felt like my head had exploded. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling myself gasp & tremble uncontrollably. My head started spinning & the pain travelled throughout my whole body. My breath felt like it had been knocked completely out of me; like someone had punched me straight in the chest. Repeatedly. I felt a tiny stream of blood run down my face, trailing between my eyes. Another rush of pain banged down on me. So intense it completely blurred my vision of the two Nixai & everything else. Everything was dimming...there was almost nothing I could see or feel, except the horrifying pain. I knew it; I was going to die.

I let out a long, painful scream & blacked out.

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Suspense?? :p Feedback plz! As I warned, the next chapter will bring a bit of a...'tragedy'. :evil: All feedbacks & ratings welcome! :)

Aw, come ON, guys, I need those feedbacks, ya know! Alright, I'll stop being whiny & update this story... :rolleyes: And I hope I keep u all in suspense!! haha, ok, don't kill me. *innocent face*

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"Ow..."

I remember saying that a few seconds before I even opened my eyes. Slowly at first, but they grew wider when I sat up, looked around, and saw where I was.

:scared: Nowhere :scared:.

Honestly, that's all I could call it. NOWHERE. What would YOU call a place made up entirely of swirling purple-pink mist, with nothing & no one in sight, devoid of any life? What would you call a place that sparked no memory of having heard of it, of having seen it, or having even dreamt it? What would you call a place that seemed to have no limits, no bounds, no borders, exit or entrance; a place that gives no hope, emotion or feeling to one unfortunate enough to set foot in it's realm? Nowhere.

But that's where I was. I had no clue whatsoever where I was or how I had even GOT here in the first place. I had no memory! I remembered nothing! This was probably due to the fact that I was still dazed & in a blur from the pain earlier on, though. And that WAS basically all I remembered then; the pain.

I looked around. No, not a soul to be seen. I brushed my hair away from my face. Blinked. Looked around again. Still nobody. The slowly swirling mist was making me cold. I shivered. I felt numb. Completely numb. Mustering up my strength, I managed to call weakly, "Is anyone here?? Is there someone to help me?? Hello??" I was surprised at how sad I sounded :(. Was there an inner realization or feeling inside that I was yet to feel, but couldn't in my emotionally-paralyzed state? My voice was that of a child, innocent & lost, ripped away from the safe world she had known & plunged into nothingness. My voice was that of a child that had no one to love her, no one to care for her, no one she knew around her, NO ONE around her, and she had been crying for quite some time without realizing it. :'(

Weakly, I got to my feet, swaying from my dizziness. "I have to find someone," I whispered. Somehow, I managed to walk, even though every tiny movement brought a sharp stab of pain to my every nerve. My vision was blurry & my head throbbed. I was so weak! What made me weaker was the thought that I might never find a way out of this...this...nothingness.

A drop of what I thought was sweat trickled down my nose. How can I be sweating in THIS temperature? I thought to myself, utterly weary. I reached up tiredly & wiped it off...

BLOOD!! :wow:

The back of my hand was covered in blood!! It wasnt' sweat at all! I stared, horrified, as a series of terrifying thoughts & realizations flashed through my mind;

Blood trickling from my forehead...a sharp, glowing horn...an unbearable feeling of horrible pain...

THE NIXUS HAD PIERCED MY FOREHEAD.

Hagrid's words...
"Ye better be watchin' yerselves there, Melody, Harry...a Nixus can kill yuh anytime it wants with that horn o' theirs."

THE HORN KILLS.

Chris's joked warning...
"You think Erumpents are dangerous?? Hah! That Nixus is close to a Basilisk & a Nundu, Mel. One prick of it's horn, and you're off to meet your Maker. Save me a seat in Heaven, alright?" :p

THE HORN KILLS.

THE NIXUS HAD PIERCED MY FOREHEAD WITH HER HORN.

THE HORN KILLS!!!

Now I realized exactly what was that 'inner realization' that I had not managed to feel earlier on. The realization was that I was dead.

I was DEAD.

"NOOO!!!" I screamed. I sank to my knees, shivering & shaking uncontrollably. My fingers gripped at the misty, swirling ground, which was stained with drops of my blood. Shocked tears welled up in my eyes & streamed down my horrified face, while my breathing turned into choked gasps. I was dead! "No...no..." I sobbed. :'(

You will never know what it feels like to suddenly realize that you are dead. Just like the brilliant light that first glowed from the horn, it is indescribable. The shock that suddenly washes over you like a tidal wave is filled with such force & intensity that the impact leaves your head spinning & your chest aching terribly. Your body, like your breathing, becomes horribly shaky & unstable. Soon, the shock is joined by something far more powerful & intense; Fear. I can honestly say that the fear I felt then was the greatest & most painful fear that I had ever felt before. The moment that the fear hits you, all thoughts of Heaven & Hell race blindly through your terrified, aching mind. You know that they await you, you know that they are ahead. You can't go left, right, or back. You can't go back, which means that it is time to face either one.

Somehow, you just KNOW that Heaven is out of reach, and that the merciless fires of Hell are what you might be doomed to face. No matter how saintly you may have been in life, you can't help thinking of this terrifying possibility. All the horrible stories of torture, grief & pain in Hell dance about your brain, mocking & taunting mercilessly, about to claim your soul as one of their victims. The very thought you, YOU, being part of their torture, unable to escape or even cease the pain throughout all eternity, saddens yet scares you so much at the same time that you feel you can't breathe anymore & your chest pounds & aches again. Hot tears race down your face, accompanied by your heavy yet silent breaths. As you stand completely rooted to the spot by the shock, another heart-wrenching emotion appears; Regret.

Suddenly, you regret everything even slightly bad that you have ever done, and you feel like the most sinful person on earth, undeserving of forgiveness. The great God's divine light & mercy seem so far away, out of sight & unreachable to your crying, helpless soul. The tears flow faster down your grieved face as you realize that when it comes to this, there is no more asking for God's forgiveness. The Saviour you have turned to all this while cannot help you anymore...WILL not help you anymore, for it is He himself that you will be facing. No amount of praying, sobbing or begging will bring you back. Your mind, body & spirit are suddenly & swiftly drained of all courage & hope, leaving you weaker, helpless & devoid of strength & will. You are scared, you are fearful, you are helpless, you are just...well, DEAD. I was dead. Now that the painful realization had hit, there was only the matter of what was coming up ahead.

Now, try as I may, I have never been good at putting my emotions onto paper. What I have told you so far is just PITIFUL compared to what I really felt then. Reading it may not have shook you up, but eventually, you'll feel it too...one day.

So there I was, sobbing alone, the shock overwhelming me. I couldn't help wondering what had happened to my physical body. Had they found it already? Sure enough, because I remember blacking out by the window. Were they sitting around it crying? Did they write a letter to my family? Did they...did they...BURY me already?! At that thought, I shivered & started crying again, but comforted myself by the fact that if I MUST be dead, at least I will be remembered...I hope.

All of a sudden, amongst my fear, sadness & grief, something else emerged from the darkness of my mind. I started to feel ANGER. My heart & chest burned & pounded with a white-hot fury, more white-hot than any other fury I had ever felt before. My lips quivered & my breaths quickened, hurting my chest. I had only ONE thing I needed to say...ONE thing I needed to ask...and ONE thing I needed to know. Now I stood up shakily, my face red, and yelled it out loud into the nothingness & emptiness of the place; "WHY DID YOU KILL ME?!?"

I stamped my foot on the barely-there ground & let out an extremely frustrated cry. What did I DO that was so horrible & evil to get me MURDERED?? What filthy crime did I commit to be standing here in this empty place without my LIFE?? What...

I spun around & stared. I could've SWORN I heard a footstep or something behind me. I frowned. "Who goes there??" I cried, "Show yourself!"

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Sorry for the completely dramatic feel to this chapter, guys, but why would I joke about death? Anyway, this was based on one of my own experiences...but better not ask. And let me know if any of u cried reading this...just kidding! :)

AAAHH!!! My ratings have gone down!! :wow: Lol, ok I'll stop being hyper. :D At least ppl DO rate it, right? Ok then, UPDATE! *drumroll*

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I searched the mist, turning left & right, seething. There was someone else here! I heard them! "WHO IS IT?!" I yelled again.

"No one but I, my lady."

That voice! Growing angrier, I scanned the nothingness frantically. It had to be her! That heartless, evil...

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a shadow emerging from my left side. I turned & saw her; the Nixus!

Her form became clearer, clearer as she came closer, until I could see the whole of her. I found myself backing away, glowering. This BEAST had taken my life away! And now she dared to walk up so calmly & cooly to me like this, pretending nothing had happened?? Why, she looked so calm!

"Hello, my lady."

The fires sparked & rose up, blazing within me. "BLOODY HELL, YOU!!!"

Enraged, I ran at her like a mad creature, hands outstretched, screaming while the tears continued to stream down my face. I wanted to mutilate her! Send her off to Hell!

The split second before I reached her, I saw a bright white flash, blinding me & making me skid for a while. I turned my head away & lost my footing. Next thing I knew, I stumbled & fell palms-first onto the ground...onto the spot where she should have been!

Letting out a pained groan, I picked myself up & looked around for her. That creature is going to die! Suffer! Like she did to me! I thought fiercely.

"Your frustration & anger is unnecessary, my lady."

WHAT?

I looked around, then looked up. My murderer was flying about 10 feet above my head! My patience had run out & my temper was beginning to take control. I picked myself up, clenched my fists & stamped my foot. "COME DOWN HERE, YOU MURDERER!" I screamed.

She stared at me for a moment, stunned, then sighed, almost regrettedly. My blazing eyes turned blood-red, unblinking, as I watched her fly slowly down, landing in front of me. She seemed sad, somehow. It showed in her eyes. Gazing at me, she started to speak, with a tone of one filled with sympathy. "My lady," she sighed, "Why do traces of tears stain your young face?"

I could not BELIEVE she was actually ASKING me this! Sizzling, I screamed, "Because you freakin' KILLED me, you heartless murderer!!" My chest & throat heaved & hurt from screaming so much, but I HAD to let her have it.

The Nixus stared, unblinking, at me for a moment...then laughed. My mouth dropped open. :wow: She...she was LAUGHING?! She was...AMUSED that I was...was DEAD?! I couldn't say anything; I just stood there feeling my blood boil. :angry:

Calming down, she shook her head. "Oh, my lady," she smiled, "what ever has occured to make you think such an absurd thing?"

My eyes turned a deeper, firey red; I was so angry! "You," I hissed, "pricked me with your...your..." I took a deep breath. "...fatal, murdering HORN!" I finished, teeth gritted & cheeks hot.

All at once, her face turned serious. Her eyes held mine with pity as she remained silent for a while, as if drinking the truth in. "Rest assured, my lady," she said, her mane & tail slightly billowing from the wind that surrounded the place, "You need not be so scared or angry...for let me tell you now that you are not dead."

"HUH?!" My mouth dropped open again. It couldn't be! "What...what are you saying??" I stammered. I dimly realized that my forehead was growing more painful.

The Nixus neighed softly. "My words bring the meaning that death is not what has brought you to this mortally-unknown realm, my lady," she said. "You are merely...in a dream. Your mind is here while your body remains in a state of none-conciousness."

I looked around, confused." A...a dream??" I stammered, "But I...I..."

"Unconcious, my lady. Death," she began, "has not touched you in any way. When you wake, my daughter & I shall have left you already. That is why you are here...for me to tell you what you have the right to know."

"Darn right you will," I muttered. Behind my hostility, I couldn't help feeling relieved & thankful to God for giving me 'a second chance'. And now I waited for her explanation.

"I touched your forehead with my horn, true," she said, fanning her wings slightly, "But not to kill you, my lady. To harm you in unthinkable to me."

The pain in my forehead was still growing. I could tell that it was bleeding a bit more. Wincing, I put my hand to my head to try & stop the pain, feeling the warm, wet blood. Ugh! But wait...what did she say??

"I thought that the horn of a Nixus kills instantly," I whispered, surprised now at how tired I suddenly sounded. She shook her head. "Only with intent, my lady. In other words, only when we want it to," she finished. "You shall wake soon, so I must tell you quickly."

My eyes turned back to their own clear turquoise, meaning that I had managed to calm down inside. "Tell me what?" I said blankly.

"I left a mark on your forehead, my lady."

"WHAT?" I squeezed my eyes shut & groaned. "Don't tell me that I am going to grow a horn...!" I said, not believing what I was hearing. Hornhead! NOOO!!! :wow:

The Nixus laughed. "No no, my lady, I have not disfigured you in any way," she assured me, "In fact, I am quite certain that some of your friends would label my little 'gift' rather...'cool'," she smiled. :)

I didn't laugh, although I wanted to. It had suddenly got very difficult & painful to breathe now, and my forehead felt like it was being burnt! I started coughing & trembling, wondering what on earth was going on NOW. My head drooped wearily. The Nixus, though, didn't seem to notice anything wrong. She just continued speaking.

"What you feel now is the growth of the mark you will bear on your forehead, my lady. It will grant you a great power that allows you to summon any one of us from my herd in times of need. You need only to touch the mark & pray. Know now, my lady, that Nixai everywhere recognize it as the Symbol of Trust. I have looked into the passages of your heart & have unsurprisingly found you much worthy of it. You are much known, honoured & respected, my lady, and now you shall be much obeyed."

All this I heard through a blur. I had dropped to my knees from the pain that was slowly blocking out all other feelings or emotions. My eyes were squeezed shut, my head was bowed & my hand was at my forehead, soaked with perspiration. My forehead...it had started overflowing with blood, and the blood had streamed down my face, getting into my eyes, streaming down my arm, flowing into my mouth (YUK!) & dripping onto my pyjamas, staining the front part red all over. I breathed heavily & painfully as the disgusting blood dripped eerily onto the swirling misty ground in huge drops. What is happening to me?? I thought tiredly. And then I collapsed.

Just before my eyes closed, I heard the Nixus's whispered words in my ear; "And the Sphere...it is now yours, my lady."

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Happy? Bet some of u were really questioning Mel's death. :p Well, u know what to do! Feedback / rating plz! Thankies! :lol:

Ok guys, I know I may sound a little whiny or something...but could u guys rate this ficcy more, plz? :p And thanks to everyone that read/gave feedback/rated my story!! :grouphug:

Ok ok ok...UPDATE!!! Bada bing bada BOOM!

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I winced & squeezed my eyes shut, turning my head away. "Oh God...close that curtain!" I cried. 15-year-old Zoe Geller jumped up immediately, closed the windows & pulled the curtains shut, then dropped down on her knees beside me on the floor again. "Mel..." she panted, "S-speak to me...are you...alright??" she gasped.

Now that the moonlight wasn't glaring directly in my eyes, I could look around clearly, but in a daze. I was lying on my back, my feet facing the window, and a crowd of the Gryffindor girls were huddled all around me, pale & scared. They were still in their nighties & were staring at me silently, obviously very worried.

"Mel!" Zoe spoke again, her brown eyes frantic, "Say something!!! Are you..."

"OH MY GOD, she's DEAD!" :wow: Hysterical Cynthia Mould grabbed me by the shoulders & started shaking me violently, making my brain rattle & my teeth chatter. "Mel!" she sobbed hysterically, making the other girls jump back, "are you dead?? Oh, please don't tell me you're dead!!" :'(

Horrified, I raised my arms & tried to defend myself. "Get off me or I WILL be!" I screamed. 'Again'! I added silently. She dropped me a like a red-hot coal & gulped. "Oh Mel," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry! I was just so worried!" she moaned. I ignored her & sat up, groaning. She had cleverly managed to drop me on my head, making me dizzier. :grumble:

Zoe waved her hand in front of me, making me snap out of my daze. "Mel, what happened??" she asked. "We heard you scream, and saw you pass out...and...and we saw that small Nixus flying away with a bigger one!! What is going on??" she demanded, worried, but puzzled. :??:

Her words made me stare. "I...I don't know!" I whispered, putting my hand to my head, trying to remember. Something major had happened...something that would give me a certain power...something...

I drew my hand away from my head. That's it!

The girls stared & gasped, not at me...but at my forehead. Yes, that was it! "The Symbol!" I cried. I jumped up & ran for the nearest mirror. Although it was slightly dark, I could still see.

There my reflection was...everything was normal, except for that DESIGN on my forehead. There was no sign of a prick mark ANYWHERE! No pain, no blood...even my pyjamas were spotless! Only the Symbol remained...as smooth as if it were part of my own skin.

The mirror showed the other girls running up & huddling all around me, staring at my reflection in amazement. Several different whispers arose:

"What IS that thing??"

"Oh, it's so awesome! When did you get it done??"

"Who DID this to you?? That CREATURE?? What IS it?!"

"But Mel, tattoos aren't allowed in school! Especially on your head!"

"Its...the Symbol of Trust," I whispered. "The WHAT?" they cried simultaneously. I didn't answer; I was staring at it, touching it lightly, feeling it over. There were no bumps; it was, like I said earlier, like a part of my own skin. It had a simple design; two golden 'wings' side by side, sharp-pointed yet elegant, with a shining quality to the gold. In between the 'wings' was a circle...a misty blue one, with a sparkling silver star in the middle. The wings seemed to be guarding...or embracing the blue circle in the middle.

I grinned. Some of my friends really WOULD label this rather cool, I thought to myself. Staring at the blue circle in the middle, something else occured to me...

I turned to the girls. They backed away, staring goggle-eyed at the Symbol, as if it were some sort of alien sign. Well, maybe it was, for them. Silence. Then, one of them spoke up. "So what is it??" Nods of agreement from the others. "What is it??"

"It's the Symbol of Trust," I repeated, my voice a half-whisper, "Kientra's mother gave it to me...along with..."

I looked down at my right hand. I was still holding it; the first 'gift'. When I opened my hand, they all got another surprise.

:wow: "The Sphere of Paradisal Bliss!" :wow:

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This one is rather short, I know, but hey... :p Ratings/feedback welcome! :clappy:

Whoa...2 updates in a day! :D Well, I wouldn't be so mean as to leave u guys questioning about the 'Sphere', now would I? :evil:

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" 'Nixai & Nixun Legends'...ah, here it is!" I announced, pulling a pearly-blue hardcover book out of the shelf. I scanned the cover. "By Alanaster B. Rongbus," I added, "Funny name." Harry turned away from the other shelves & stared, while Chris, leaning against the bookshelf, nodded in approval. "Nice skin," he commented. :yup: I nodded too. "Well, come on then," Harry said, "let's go sit down somewhere."

We made our way past other tables & students, most of them reading in genuine interest, others taking notes, while others were yawning in complete boredom :yawn:. We approached a table that had only one person sitting there.

"Hello," Zoe Geller greeted us cheerfully as we walked up to her. "Hello, CurlyLocks," Chris grinned, giving her extraordinarily curly brown hair a playful tug, "May we invade?" :D

Zoe grinned, adjusting her hairband. "Oui, Monsieur Bottles," she laughed, gesturing towards the chairs. Zoe Delafonte Geller is half-French, but having moved to Wales at the tender age of 3, she still insists that the only sentence of French she knows is 'Voulez vouz coucher avec moi ce soir?'. :p Can't be bothered about French, she. 'Too slippery'. :stuckin:

"Oh, Mel," she said, leaning forward as I sat across her, "Mould says she's very sorry for shaking you & then dropping you on your head like that earlier. Got a bruise?"

I dismissed it with a wave of my hand, opening the book. "No, and tell her it's alright. I'm just happy I was ALIVE to feel it." Chris, sitting beside Zoe, chuckled. "No wonder I felt taller standing next to you!" he joked. "Ole!" laughed Zoe, slapping him a high-five. :lol:

Some other students turned & frowned. "SHH!" they hissed.

Harry & I grinned at each other & smirked. "Ole!" :evil:

"Okay..." slurred Zoe, rolling her eyes :rolleyes:. "Let's get on with it. What have you got there?" she asked, pointing. I picked up the small, thick book. "This, mon amie," I grinned, "is hopefully the answer to THIS," I finished, pointing to my forehead. I was so proud of my new 'tattoo' :D. Zoe stared blankly. "Umm...the human brain?"

"Uh, no...the Symbol of Wisdom," Harry corrected.

Zoe smiled :smile:. "Come on, Potter, I was only joking."

Chris interrupted. "What's wrong with Snow?" :huh:

The three of them stared at me. "Mel," Harry said, "why are you laughing to yourself?"

"Because," I grinned, my lip quivering in amusement, "it's called the Symbol of TRUST, Einstein!" I was trying not to laugh out loud, considering we were in the library.

Harry, a little shame-faced, took the book & started flipping through it. "Symbol of Trust...Symbol of Trust..." he muttered, searching, eyes darting from page to page behind his glasses. "Look under 'Nixun Treasures' or something like that. You might find it," Zoe suggested, ever-willing to help. Harry nodded & continued searching, finally coming to stop at a page. He scanned through it briefly, but after a while, he frowned. "Something wrong, Potter?" quipped Chris. "Well..." Harry scratched his head. "Take a look at this." :huh:

He turned the book around so that Zoe & Chris could see. I had to lean forward, supporting myself on my elbows. "According to this book," Harry pointed with his finger, "there's only ONE Nixun Treasure, and THAT," he turned to look at me, "is the Sphere."

"That's alright," I said, "I was going to look that one up too." I reached into my pocket & pulled out the elusive Nixun Treasure, setting it on the table. The legendary Nixun Sphere of Paradisal Bliss was indeed a beautiful & wonderous sight to behold. It was as big as a normal tennis ball, and looked as if it were made of the most beautiful, clearest crystal ever, a pale, pale blue in colour. Inside it shone a soft heavenly light, almost as beautiful as the light I had first seen shining from the horn, only this light had many different sparkling colours, changing from time to time, reminding one of a beautiful galaxy with each star visible & clear. Little shining silver stars floated all around inside the Sphere, twisting, turning, and glowing softly. The four of us simply HAD to stop & stare for a while, breathless, even though we'd been looking at it countless times.

Chris snapped his fingers sharply after a while, bringing us back to earth. "Alright already," he said, "What does the book tell us?"

"Allow me," said Zoe, pulling to book closer to her. She cleared her throat & began to read, tracing her finger along the lines as she went.

" 'One of the strongest myths about the Nixai is the myth of the One Nixun Treasure. This great Treasure is supposedly known to Nixai & wizards everywhere as 'The Nixun Sphere of Paradisal Bliss', or 'The Utopian Nixun Crystal', with the word 'Utopian' meaning 'Paradisal' (Utopia = Paradise), sparking comments from wizarding researchers that the second name was completely unnecessary'." Here, Zoe paused & glanced up at us. "Any questions?" she prompted, raising her eyebrows :huh:. We glanced at each other, than shook our heads. "No, but we'll stop you if we have any," I replied, "Now go on."

Zoe nodded & continued. " 'From what modern researchers know, this mystical Sphere is a dazzling sight, glowing & sparkling forevermore, with the amazing power to bring heavenly peace & bliss, as the name suggests, to whoever holds it in their hand. Rumors remain that this Sphere is not merely a tool to bring one happiness, but also holds an unknown power yet to be unleashed. Of course, there has never been any proof of this'."

Chris had been listening intently, as had me & Harry. "Is that all?" he asked. Zoe scanned the rest through briefly. "Basically, Nixai honour it greatly & will not harm ANYONE who possesses it." She shut the book. "And origin is unknown." :no:

Harry tapped his chin thoughtfully & turned to me. "Aren't you the lucky one," he smiled ;). I laughed. "No more gabbering," I said, "let's try this thing out!"

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Anyone got any questions? ;)

Yay yay, update!! :clappy: Darn, what a dork... :p

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I had just finished telling the story to the excited Gryffindor girls AGAIN. They were giggling & talking excitedly about whatever might happen next & when I might have to use the Symbol. And then Harry & Chris came in.

"Mel," Harry called, "We've got some work to do."

Groans escaped the girls when they heard that. They had so many questions that I was getting weary just by answering them! I put the Sphere back in my robe & followed Harry out of the common room, leaving the girls gossiping wildly. :grouphug: Eranoy was waiting outside, a rather worried look on his face.

"Eranoy??" I said. "What's wrong?? What's going on, Harry? What do we have to do?" I asked, puzzled :??:. What could have come up now?

Eranoy shook his head. "I don't know," he mumbled, "but I don't like the look of it..."

Harry simply muttered something & said, "Follow me." Apparently, he didn't seem too happy about what we had to do...whatever it was. :grumble:

I shut my mouth & followed obediently. Our journey through hallways, corridors, and staircases soon brought us to another hallway...which was wet. Flooded. The water was coming from the end of the corridor. "That's what our job is," Harry pointed, making a face :stuckin:. "Eranoy passed this hallway & noticed the floor," he continued. I looked in the direction of his finger; the deserted girl's lavatory.

I pulled a face too. "Moaning Myrtle," I said with a groan. Eranoy frowned. "Who??"

We walked quickly down the corridor and were soon in front of the door. Cautiously, I opened it, and the three of us peeped inside, while Harry walked in, muttering something. Soft sobbing & moaning could be heard, as always. At the sound, Eranoy frowned again. "Who is that, Mel?" he asked. "Myrtle," I replied simply.

We stepped inside carefully, not wanting to get our shoes too wet. We had guessed right; she had flooded the place again! Already the sinks were close to resembling the Niagara Falls and the taps were still running full-blast. We looked around. Where was she?? :??:

"Myrtle?" Harry called softly. Before anything else could happen, a high-pitched voice let out an angry cry & screeched, "What do you WANT?!?"

Moaning Myrtle's head peeped out from one of the cubicles, sniffing. Her distraught expression vanished into a shy smile when she saw Harry. "Oh..." she crooned, "Hello, Harry..." She started giggling again, floating out immediately.

Eranoy gasped slightly. He had never seen THIS ghost around before, THAT was for certain. "Mel!" he whispered, "Who is THIS?"

"THAT'S Moaning Myrtle, Eranoy. Watch what you say," I added, "She's a little sensitive." Eranoy nodded, but still looked a little uneasy. :stuckin:

Chris walked to the sinks & started turning them off one by one. "Myrtle, WHAT is the..." He turned around & gave a surprised cry that echoed around the room when he saw Myrtle's angry, glaring face floating not a foot away from him. "Don't DO that!" he glared, putting his hand to his heart. Muttering, he turned away. :grumble: Myrtle watched him for a while & gave a loud humph. "Come to tell me off??" she said, "Well, isn't that a little typical of everyone?? Say whatever you want to Myrtle, DO whatever you want! She won't feel it!" She started crying again.

I left Eranoy's side & turned off the last tap. Myrtle had floated above our heads, moaning away loudly. I looked up at her. "Myrtle, do you mind explaining all this??" I said. At that, she stopped moaning & fixed me with a 'look'. Then, she floated over to the sinks & started turning on all the taps again "Let them flow..." she gulped,"Even this is not enough to represent the tears I have to cry!" Discreetly, we pulled our robes up to avoid the water.

I nudged Harry. "YOU ask her," I whispered. "She likes you."

Harry gave me an uncertain look, then turned back to Myrtle, floating around the sinks aimlessly, moaning & sobbing again. He sighed. "Myrtle," he began through gritted teeth, "tell us what happened. If there's anything we can do to help, we'll try. But for now, you have to calm down and..."

"OH, for the love of sweet JESUS, what the bloody Hell HAPPENED?!" an aggravated Chris yelled, making all three of us jump. He had apparently lost patience. :scared:

Myrtle stopped her noise at once & stared stonily at Chris. She suddenly floated dangerously slow towards him, sniffing all the while, looking like she was going to DO something to him. Chris's eyes grew wide, but he stood his ground. "Come on then," he challenged, "Tell us!"

Transparent tears were running down her face, but her expression was a mixture of hatred, anger, and bewilderment. In a word, DANGEROUS.

Harry & I rolled our eyes :rolleyes:. We were used to her. I suppose the same can't be said for Eranoy, for he gripped my hand & whispered, "What's she going to do to him?" He sounded rather fierce. I shook my head, signalling 'nothing'.

She floated silently in front of him for a while, searching his face. He stood there with a tight-lipped, hold-your-ground expression. Neither spoke a word, until Myrtle finally spoke, in a sniffing, hissing whisper. "You want to know why I did this?" She took a deep breath. "IT'S BECAUSE OF RUDE, UNPITYING PEOPLE LIKE YOU!!!"

The four of us jumped back as she flew, screaming, past us into the wall between the two rows of cubicles at the end of the lavatory, and disappearing...just like that. Her screams filled the room exasperatingly loud, making the whole place tremble with her high, quivering screeches. Grimacing, we clapped our hands over our ears, trying to shut out the horrible noises. Gradually, the din faded, and the floor & walls stopped trembling.

Harry lowered his hands with a relieved sigh. Chris started grumbling, and Eranoy muttered, "I really don't like her much." Harry nodded in agreement :yup:, then turned to me. "I think someone upset her...besides Bottles," he added quickly. I nodded, turning off the taps again. "Someone probably just said something MILDLY bad to her," I shrugged :shrug:.

A willowy voice spoke; " 'Advice' is more like it."

We spun around. There in the doorway floated a ghost Eranoy HAD seen before. A young girl, very pretty with her long billowing Camelot-style gown. She held her constant companion in her hands; a little crystal heart that was hanging from a shimmery string. It was Celia Mist.

"Hello, Celia," we greeted politely. Eranoy smiled :smile:. He liked Celia. She nodded at us, smiling. Floating in, she looked around. "Looks like Myrtle made another pathetic, sympathy-begging disappearing act." She shook her head in obvious disgust. :no:

Fiddling with my long, dark hair, I asked her, "What exactly DID you say to her, Celia?" The young female ghost huffed. "All I said was that she should stop her endless moaning & whining & let this place be USABLE for once! Apparently, that was too much for the poor soul to take, bless my shocked heart." :grumble: Celia hates whiners. Always has.

"Liar!" Myrtle's head popped up from the floor at our feet, making us jump back. "You told me that I should SHUT UP & go somewhere else where I wouldn't get on everyone's NERVES anymore!" she shrieked.

Celia rolled her gray eyes. "Only when you started whining again." She shook her long wavy hair. :rolleyes:

Myrtle floated up, sniffing & gulping. "I know what you're planning," she said, voice unsteady. She pointed at the four of us. "You're planning to sweet-talk THEM into turning against ME!" she screeched, still pointing.

Chris raised his hands slightly, as if under arrest. "Refresh my decaying memory," he whispered to Harry, "WHEN did we ever take HER side in anything??" :huh:

"Yes," Myrtle continued, "You'll use you miserable gift of sweet gab to convince them AND everyone else to drive ME; poor, miserable, dead, Moaning Myrtle OUT OF HOGWARTS!!" she screamed. Chris only got more confused. "Where does this all make sense?" he whispered again. :??:

Celia stared, then laughed. "Myrtle, Myrtle, Myrtle," she laughed. "Which ghost at Hogwarts do YOU know isn't ALREADY dead, hmm? And my intentions are good ones; no one ever said anything about driving you away." :lol: She crossed her arms, waiting for an answer, still smiling in amusement.

Myrtle stared at the floor, sniffing, her ponytails drooping. "Well..." she said, "well..." She obviously couldn't come up with a retort. She suddenly looked up at Celia again, angry as angry goes :angry:. "See?! You're doing it already!! Sweet-talking them into taking your side! Oh, you don't fool ME, missy! I can see RIGHT THROUGH YOU!!" she screamed. Turning, she flew back into the floor, screeching again. And again, her screams shook the room, then faded.

Chris lowered his hands from his ears & turned to stare at us. This time, Eranoy spoke his words. "Really, WHERE did everything make sense??" We just shrugged.

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Ratings plz! :D I had to squeeze in this update today in the midst of tons of work that had to be done, but hey...I updated, didn't I? :lol:

Update! :clappy: But first, thanks to everyone who read/posted feedback/rated this story! Love u all! :smooch:

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From the window in Professor Flitwick's office, I could clearly see all that was going on at the Quidditch training field. I didn't have to look close to see that Harry was training the Gryffindor team today. Bludgers were being hurled at the two Beaters from 15 feet away, who hit them expertly & sent them flying off into the air, only to come yapping back. Harry stood beside the Beaters, nodding & encouraging them on with a satisfied smile on his face :). The other players sat a safe distance away, tossing the Quaffle back & forth beween them, laughing & talking to one another. I saw Hagrid pass by & greet them. I saw a Bludger hit the team's Keeper in the bread basket. I saw a Chaser counting the broomsticks carefully. I saw...

I jumped to my feet with a gasp, dropping my quill. No...it couldn't be! She left a week ago! I squinted my eyes. It WAS! :wow:

"Oh dear, something the matter, Ms. Snow?" Professor Flitwick enquired anxiously, looking up at me through his glasses. I stared out the window, past the training field & players at some neatly trimmed rose-bushes not far from them. She was gone.

I frowned, shaking my head. I slowly sat down, a very puzzled & confused expression plastered on my face. :??:

"Ms. Snow?" Professor Flitwick followed my gaze outside the window, turning in his chair. We were sitting at his desk, marking homework papers, the Professor sitting across me. Late-evening sunlight lit the room dimly, making everything yellowish & adding to the light of the candles. "Ah yes, Quidditch practise," the Professor nodded, "Oh my, they'd better be careful with those things," he said, referring to the Bludgers, "One wrong move & someone could be seriously hurt." I nodded blankly, picked up my quill & continued marking the papers, my mind in a blur.

Why has she come back?? I wondered to myself. It had been a whole week! A possibility lit up my mind; Maybe they couldn't find the herd & have come back to ask for help! That's it! I exhaled a tiny sigh of relief.

"Oh look," the Professor mused, his eyes twinkling with amusement :). "Amanda Byrnes put down 'Alohomora' for 'Dancing Spell'. Funny little thing." :lol:

Whatever it is, I thought to myself, I just want to know why she's back.

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Harry looked confused. "Kientra??" He scratched his head. "When did SHE come back?" :??:

"I don't know, but she was right there!" I pointed to the bushes. "Didn't you or any of the other players SEE her??"

"No, not a thing."

I frowned & started fiddling with my hair. I was thinking. It was Harry's voice that interrupted my thoughts. "You could be hallucinating, you know."

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, Potter??" :huh:

Harry shrugged. "Well, I caught sight of that bush many times, and there was never anything there," he said simply :shrug:.

"He's right," little Crystal Byrnes whispered. With her pale, milky white skin, her long, straight blond hair, and her pale blue eyes, she was a natural ethereal beauty. She always reminded me of Rain, my close friend, who was equally, if not more, lovely. First-Year Hufflepuff Crystal was NOTHING like her wild & crazy twin Amanda (she's the one who cursed at Bernie Smith during Quidditch), who was a dark-haired, dark-eyed Gryffindor girl. Probably the only similiarity they have is the extraordinarily straight hair.

"I watched the whole practise, and there was never anything there," she whispered again. Being very shy & quiet, she spoke very softly. Sheesh. :rolleyes:

"Anyway, why would she come back?" Chris piped in, "She definitely doesn't miss YOU." The four of us were the only ones left on the field. No sign of a Nixus anywhere; not even a shadow. "You could be seeing ghosts :ghost:," Chris added, laughing :lol:.

"I am NOT!" I cried, "She & her mother probably lost the herd & need our help; THAT'S why she came back!"

"That's impossible, Mel," said Harry, shaking his head :no:.

"Why SHOULD it be? Her mother must've wandered off away from the herd to find Kientra in the first place, and..."

"No, Mel." Chris shook his head too :no:. "Adult Nixai never lose their own herds; they detect them with their own form of magic in their horns."

I sighed :sigh:. Chris loved magical beasts & knew a lot about them, much like Hagrid. He was probably right. Besides, why would they come back after a whole week, even if they DID lose the herd? It wouldn't have taken them that long to figure out that they were lost.

"Alright," I sighed, rubbing the cut on my arm (which I had obtained by searching the prickly rose bushes earlier), "I must be hallucinating."

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"I am NOT hallucinating!" I gasped to myself. It WAS...no, it wasn't Kientra, it was ANOTHER Nixus! Same size, but of a different colour. In the dim moonlight, I could just make out that it was snow-white, with a frosty, light pink mane, tail, horn, wings, and even hooves! And it was hovering right outside the window!

I sat bolt upright & scrambled silently out of bed. I stepped up to the window, thinking that if this went on, I'd have winged MERMAIDS or Heaven knows WHAT appearing at the window next.

The Nixus had been tapping softly on the window with it's nose. It wanted to get in. It's appearance somehow made me feel that mystic & magic were all around, more than ever. It was very beautiful & sweet.

I gulped. Blinking, I shook my head. Nope, she was still there, looking all innocent. But by golly, no matter HOW innocent she looked, I wasn't about to freely open that window & risk getting pricked AGAIN, for the love of God! I could DIE this time & frankly, I think I am way too young to be owning a tombstone of my own, thank you very much. :D

I stared into her clear brown eyes for a while. Finally, I came back to earth & mouthed clearly the words 'What Do You Want?'.

It cocked it's head to one side, probably thinking of something. Then, it's eyes turned back to me...and it's horn glowed.

I gasped & stepped back, thinking it was going to ram into the window, break it...and come after me! ...but it didn't. Instead, it moved it's horn about in the air, waving it in a strange way. It looked like it was forming shapes or something in the air. After a while, it stopped, and then I saw something take form in the air; Floating white letters, icy-looking, slowly & mistily appearing, forming a full sentence! And it said:

'PLEASE LET ME IN, MADAM'

I stared, then exhaled a big breath. Something was nagging me that I should...that I MUST let her in. Looking around to make sure that no one was awake or watching, I opened the window slowly.

Giving me a grateful nod, it flew into the dormitory, passing inches from my face & hovered a foot above my bed. And then it spoke.

"Do you mind?"

Not taking my eyes off the creature that was in front of me, I shut the window quickly, since the freezing night wind was starting to blow in. Silence passed between us for a few seconds. Finally, it spoke again in it's tinkling, crystalline voice, "Do you mind, madam?"

I bit my lip. "Um, no, of course not...please do," I stammered akwardly, plopping down on the bed myself beside her. The creature touched down daintily on her tiny hooves & gave me a humble smile.

"Melody Snow," it whispered, "such a great honour to be in your presence, madam. I am Arowyn." It bowed it's head low. "Oh no, please, no need for that," I said gesturing.

It smiled :smile:, lifted it's head & sat demurely, staring up at me with obvious respect & interest. "You have been found worthy of the Symbol, madam," it smiled, looking at it. "That does not surprise me." I laughed softly, touching the Symbol. I really did love it. :p

I caught sight of the window from the corner of my eye. I turned to look at it. Whoa, where'd those floating letters GO? I wondered to myself :??:. I turned back to 'Arowyn', slightly puzzled.Obviously, it was here for a reason, but what WAS the reason? And then I thought of something else...

"Madam..." it whispered, "Why do you smile at me like that?"

I stood up. "Come with me," I said, "You're going to help me prove that I am NOT crazy."

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So go on...tell me what u think already... :p

Another update...sorry, but I'm not in a good mood... :'(

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"Wait here," I whispered. "I'll be right back." I turned around & started heading up the stairs again...when something warm rubbed against my leg.

I jumped & looked down. "What is it??" I hissed. I could hardly see her in the dark.

Arowyn stared at the floor, tapping it lightly with her hoof. "It shames me so to say to this madam, but I am...afraid of darkness." She hung her head, embarassed :o. How could I have failed to notice that the common room was darker than dark :wacky:. "Alright, alright," I whispered. I groped my way towards the fireplace, straining my eyes to see.

THUD!

"Ow..."

"Madam, are you alright??"

I groaned picked myself up & rubbed my throbbing knee. "I'm fine, I'm fine," I replied. Counfounded coffee table...that hurt! :grumble:

I knelt in front of the fireplace & pulled out of my pocket. A little 'Incendio' spell & yellow flames blazed merrily. "Is that better?" I asked.

"Yes, thank you madam." :yup:

"Alright." I stood myself up, putting my wand back. "STAY HERE & don't go ANYWHERE," I said. The Nixus nodded & tail swishing, she settled down comfortably in front of the fire in a demure position.

What is she, 'My Lady Polite'?? Amusing, I thought to myself as I climbed up the stairs again, going up & up. The door to the girl's dormitory appeared into view. I walked straight past it.

I must be mad, I thought, as I approached the boy's dorms.

I stopped in front of the big oak door. Hesitated. Immediately, my sub-concious burst into lecture;

'Melody Snow, there is absolutely NO reason for you to be scared like this. You're not stepping into some thorn-filled Banshee's lair, now are you?? Oh SURE...the rules have been tightened somewhat, but how sure are you that THIS one applies to you?? You're no student anymore, you're practically part of the staff!! Who's to say you're going to get in trouble? WHY would you get into any trouble?? McGonagall would understand! Just tell her that yet ANOTHER Nixus had appeared at the window & that you felt a raging desire to prove to Mr. Potter that you're not some lunatic seeing things! This is nothing to be scared of! Ok, try calming down. Take a few deep breaths...cleanse your mind...block the fear...step out of the circle...you know, just like people in yoga do!'

"This is getting bloody ridiculous!" I muttered to myself :grumble:. Slowly, I pushed the door open & boldly stepped in.

Everything was dark except for the moonlight, shining in softly through the windows. Not surprisingly, it was a bit messy; things scattered on the floor, and blankets & sheets in disarray. Snores of every variety & breed could be heard. I winced. They were probably DROOLING too :drool:. Silently, I thanked the Lord that the light wasn't on; it wouldn't have been a very pretty sight.

A slight shiver ran through me. COLD. I rubbed my hands together. Harry's bed was in a far corner of the room & also beside a window, like mine. I stepped slowly & silently towards him, picking my way through the mess like...like...like a cat tiptoeing through a garbage dump :rolleyes:. I passed Elroy whats-his-last-name's bed, making a mental note to get him a nice strong Snore-Catcher on his birthday. I stepped over a glass bowl (HAH! Someone's been having a late night snack!), an open Arithmancy textbook, and someone's sleeping pet toad (ugh!). Finally, I stumbled over to Harry's bed.

His covers were pulled up to his neck, since it was a chilly night. I couldn't really see whether he was awake or not, but my guess was that he was, seeing that he was tossing & turning. Or maybe he was dreaming. I looked around again to make absolutely sure that no one was awake (not that I could really see, of course). Coast clear. Everyone was still snoring. I bent down & gripped Harry's shoulder.

He sat bolt upright, scaring 10 years out of my life. A cry of surprise escaped him when he saw me :wow:. "SHH!" I hissed.

Too late.

"Harry?" a sleepy voice called. Neither of us answered. We were staring at each other in panic. "Under the bed," Harry whispered, "quick! And don't worry," he added, "I've just cleaned it out!" Oh SURE, Potter...SURE. :rolleyes:

A bedspring creaked and faint footsteps approached. I saw no other choice. I dived & scrambled under the bed, which was thankfully covered by well...covers.

Sleepy Sixth-Year Gordy Custer appeared into view. Well, Harry's at least. I only heard his voice. "You alright there, Harry?" he yawned. Gordy is SUCH a mother hen, I swear.

"I'm fine, Gordy, I just...uh...fell off the bed. I'm alright!" Harry assured him, stumbling over his words. Darn it darn it darn it!!

Gordy was silent. "What is it, Gordy?? Why are you looking at me like that?" I hear Harry say.

"Harry, who were you whispering to?"

DOOM. COOKED. DONE FOR. Thoughts of big trouble whisked through my head. I caught my breath. Don't panic,I thought to myself, actually FEELING my heart race like a mad machine. :scared:

"Whispering...?" Harry paused. "I wasn't, um...uh...w-whispering to anyone..." he stammered. I rolled my eyes. PERFECT time to forget all your acting skills, Potter!! :rolleyes:

Gordy spoke again. "Yes you were. I heard you. You told someone to...get under the bed." My eyes would've set a Guiness record had they opened any wider. I didn't know Gordy had a dog's sense of hearing! Can I panic NOW??

Harry started to protest. "Gordy, you're still half-asleep. I...look, you must be hearing things, I most certainly..."

"Harry, you didn't sneak some...CREATURE in here, did you??" I heard Gordy say in disbelief. CREATURE?? Why, that Custer... :grumble:

"If you have, I'm going to have to report this to Professor McGonagall. I'm sorry, Harry," he continued. I braced myself. Sweating slightly, I gulped. The covers were pulled up...

"MEL?!?" His mouth dropped open, mortified :wow:. I saw Harry wince. I saw Gordy's horrified expression. How I got so into control, I simply do NOT know. But I do know that I heard myself saying, "Gordy, listen to me. A Banshee is loose in this school & is heading towards Gryffindor tower at this very minute. Unless Harry & I go stop it right now, someone...heck, YOU could be seriously hurt! What I want you to do," I continued, "is to get into bed & STAY THERE. Don't say a word about this to ANYONE, or it could mean pandomenium!"

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Another update! Two so far today...

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"A NIXUS?! Mel, I thought you said that there was a Banshee loose??" Harry gasped in a piercing whisper. I pulled him farther down the stairs. "I know, but I had to say SOMETHING to throw Gordy off-course!" I replied. We stepped into the dimly lit common room, where the fire could be heard hissing & popping.

"Going somewhere, Ms. Snow??"

We froze. Again, I repeat; DOOM. COOKED. DONE FOR. We turned around...

"CHRIS!!" I gawked. I swear, if I didn't have a heart of pure, uncontaminated gold, I'd have wrung his Adam's Apple out! :angry:

He stood on the stairs, laughing softly. "Quiet down," he grinned, "You'll wake up the whole tower!" :D

"Chris," Harry hissed, "What are you DOING down here??" He sounded slightly...well, ******.

"Relaaax, Harry." Chris strolled casually down the stairs & stood in front of us. A mischievious grin broke out on his face. "I was awake the whole time. I saw, I heard, I wasn't fooled. Loose Banshee indeed." He did a sarcastic little finger gesture & laughed :lol:.

I stared at him with the most serious face I could put on, which wasn't hard since I was slightly mad at him for scaring us. Staring back at me, his smile faded slowly. "Uh, heh heh..." he laughed weakly, "There isn't REALLY a...a...Banshee, right?? Because, well...you know I just don't like them..." :scared:

I groaned. "No, but trust me, if there WAS one, I'd set it straight after the both of you! You," I pointed to Chris, "for scaring ANOTHER 10 years out of my life (Harry had taken care of the first 10), and YOU..." I turned to Harry, who jumped back in surprise :??:, "YOU, for lying about cleaning under the bed!" I finished :angry:.

Harry's confused expression faded & he smiled :). "I had to say something 'to throw you off-course'," he grinned with obvious mockery. "ANYway..." I slurred, "Do you want to see the Nixus or not??"

Chris frowned. "Why would we want to see that 'bloody abomination' again?? And wait...she came back?!" :??:

"Yes, Mel," Harry said, "She really DID come back??"

I turned to the fireplace. "Arowyn?" I called, slowly stepping to the fire. "Arowyn??" I frowned, surprised. Where did she go?? :??:

Silence. Then, Chris coughed. "So, um...where is she? And who on earth is Airwind??" Both of them were looking around, expecting to see Kientra.

"AROWYN IS the Nixus that came to me! The one I kept seeing! I wasn't hallucinating at all! But...wh-where is she??" I was completely flustered, my eyes scanning the room all around. "She was right there when I came to get Harry!"

The two boys looked at each other, then stared at me again. No doubt they thought I had gone mad. Chris stepped forward & gently put his hands on my shoulders, looking me straight in the eye. "Mel, listen to me. I think you're feeling a bit...unsteady," he said, "Now, I don't blame you, seeing as it's practically 3 in the morning, so why don't you um...go back to sleep?" he suggested. Harry nodded in agreement, but his eyes still searched the room :scared:.

I wasn't looking at Chris. I wasn't looking at Harry. I wasn't looking at anything at all except the small, white, frosty pink form that had suddenly appeared in a faint pink mist & was now hovering behind the boys' heads. I grinned. :)

Chris shivered. "What's that draft??" he frowned. He turned his head. "Oh," he said, "it's just a Nixus." He turned back to me. "Now Mel, as I was saying...a NIXUS?!!" He spun around again, his face merely 5 inches from Arowyn's nose. "Holy monkey," he whispered. Harry backed away, flabbergasted. :wow: But then he frowned.

"Kientra??" he breathed. Our eyes watched her as she flew gracefully down to Harry's feet. "Arowyn, sir," she smiled, bowing, "It is a great pleasure and an even greater honour, Harry Potter sir." She bowed again, then turned to me. "I am very sorry I disappeared like that, Madam. I heard someone coming down the staircase & made myself invisible...just in case it was somebody else." :sorry:

The two boys were blinking in astonishment. Chris had his hand to his heart and was shaking his head in complete surprise :no:. I chuckled. "Hah! See? I'd like to know who's the unsteady one NOW."

Chris stepped forward. "So...Mel WASN'T just seeing things..." he whispered. He looked at me. "Alright alright...I'm sorry," he muttered. Harry kneeled down & examined the Nixus. "Something tells me," he said, "that this one has nothing to do with Kientra..." He scratched his head, then looked up at me. "Do you know her, Mel??"

I shook my head. "No, of course not. She just...APPEARED at the window, and speaking of which..." I turned to Arowyn who had been standing there patiently, waiting for us to finish. Sitting down on the couch, I asked her the question I had wanted to ever since she came; "Why are you here?"

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U-P-D-A-T-E! Man...I'm actually getting worried about the time when this story will end. I'm gonna miss it! :'(

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"You mean a Devil-Maid is out there?!" I gasped, almost choking :wow:, "How could this be??" :scared:

Harry stared at me in complete surprise. "I thought you knew that; McGonagall told us that one chased Kientra, remember??" he said.

"I know, but...I don't know! I...somehow didn't believe it then, I suppose...oh, I just don't know, ok??" I cried, somewhat exasperated. Devil-Maids are extremely dangerous creatures; they resemble nothing more than shadows...shadows of a demon mermaid that slither slowly around on the ground. They have an insatiable appetite for meat, swallowing & smothering creatures whole, but will not eat humans. Since these demons are hard to see, people occasionally step on them, and stepping on a Devil-Maid brings instant painful death by a heart attack, or maybe only a mild heart attack if you're lucky. Many 'mysterious' deaths in the Muggle world have been reported to be doings of this evil creature. And now one was out there right beside the SCHOOL?! Even though I knew it wouldn't actually COME to Hogwarts, I couldn't help feeling worried & somewhat scared :scared:.

Arowyn nodded, tears misting her soft brown eyes. "I saw the whole thing right in front of my eyes. I was invisible, so it couldn't get me," she whispered. She was close to sobbing. "I saw it...saw it kill my family, my friends, and...and everyone. It was so fast. They...they didn't stand a chance..." She broke down, crying softly :'(. The three of us exchanged uneasy, sympathetic looks. Chris shook his head in sadness. :no:

The little Nixus lifted her head. She sniffed. "It took the whole herd. No one was left. No one except me. Then, it disappeared into the forest. Not a sound, not a trace."

"So..." I paused. "So, how did you meet the other herd?"

"Well, I was left all alone after that, of course. I was scared that it might come back, and wandered all night around the forest until I spotted another Nixus by a stream. She was so kind." Arowyn smiled through her tears :smile:. "She took me back to her herd, and they took me in. Until..." She stopped & sighed softly :sigh:.

Harry leaned forward. "Until what, Arowyn?"

"Zandaloth."

"Zandaloth?! Who's Zandaloth??" the three of us asked at the same time. Arowyn sighed again. "The leader of the herd. A wise, old Nixus. King of them all. He didn't like me because...because of some reason that he wouldn't speak of. But everyone knew that he didn't want me in the herd. I found that out too when he ordered me to leave immediately." Her voice was pained, not to mention hesitant.

"Leave?? Why?" I asked.

Arowyn shook her head. "I don't know, but Dreia told me..."

"Whoa, whoa, hold it. Who's Dreia?" Chris queried.

"The Nixus I saw at the stream. She was the one who brought me to the herd. She was the Queen. She told me that Zandaloth would...would...KILL me if I didn't leave soon. She knew why, but couldn't or wouldn't speak of it. I think the rest of the herd knew why too. They all seemed sorry for me, but they told me that it was best I go."

Harry shook his head. "This Zandaloth doesn't seem very sympathetic to me," he grumbled. :grumble:

"He must have his reasons for wanting me out, sir. But anyway, at that moment, the herd had already started to move on. I ran a distance away, turned invisible & followed them. I was too scared to do anything else; I didn't want to be left behind. I was lucky no one found me. The next night, I spotted Dreia sneaking back the way we came, when all the rest of the herd were asleep. I followed her for some time before she turned & spotted me, for I had fallen over a rock & was forced to show myself. She was shocked that I was still there, but told me that she was going back for her daughter, Princess Kientra, who had gone missing a few days ago."

The three of us gasped & choked. "PRINCESS Kientra?!" we cried :wow:. Chris groaned. Harry slumped back in his chair in disbelief. "That explains the snobbiness!" I cried, "and Dreia's the name of her mother....I was wondering about that!". Arowyn nodded. "I never knew her...Kientra, I mean...but from what I heard from the other Nixun babies, she was detestable." Then, she turned red :o. "Madam, please forgive my harsh language," she mumbled, looking at the floor.

"You haven't heard anything from US yet, Arowyn, so it's alright," I replied, winking ;).

Arowyn smiled & continued with her story. "Dreia told me that she knew where the Princess was & that she was going to bring them back. She also told me to go back, that it was dangerous & all, but I refused. I knew she was the only one I could trust right now, and I personally was getting terrified of being found out. I insisted on following her until she relented. When she found her daughter, they went back to the forest without me. I knew that Dreia probably thought she could sneak off without me, that maybe I'd be safe here."

"So you were left here by Dreia...I see...but are we getting anywhere near the point?" asked Chris rather impatiently. He was looking slightly sleepy :yawn:.

Arowyn turned to me, her brown eyes lighting up. "I need help, madam. From you."

"ME?" I was surprised. "What help do you need from ME?" :??:

Harry interrupted. "You want her to find a safer place for you, don't you?" he said. Arowyn looked at him guiltily. "Yes sir, I do," she nodded, "but only if possible madam," she said, turning to me with an apologetic expression, "I don't wish to trouble you. If it is not possible, I will remain in the forest, invisible, so that the beast doesn't get me. I'm sure I can take care of myself." She was starting to sound a little more confident.

I stood up. "You've got spunk, Arowyn, I respect that. But with a Devil-Maid out there?? You must be mad. I'm sure McGonagall will have an idea."

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Wha- ANOTHER update?? :D

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The silence was almost eerie. Harry, Chris & I stared at McGonagall, who was pacing up & down the floor of her office, eyes on the floor, and a 'at-wits-end' expression on her face. She stopped. "Snow." She caught me completely by surprise. She turned to me. "I trust that you already had an idea in your head when you walked in that door?" She fixed me with an expectant stare.

The three of us exchanged troubled glances. Sighing, we slowly shook our heads, staring at the floor :no:. Chris wiped a slight sheen of sweat from above his lip.

The Professor muttered something & walked to her desk. Our eyes followed her rather nervously as she sat down. "Very well then, I will just have to write a letter to the Ministry AGAIN," she raised her eyebrows at me, "and explain this 'new situation'. And in the meantime..." She paused & looked at Arowyn with a look that I can only describe as 'defeated'. Arowyn, realizing the silence, turned her gaze away from the floating candles to look at the Professor, also rather nervously. The Professor didn't seem too happy about things...in fact, she seemed rather hesitant to decide on anything. Finally, she coughed & straightened herself up on her chair, wringing her hands together on the table in an authoritative manner. "Potter, Snow, this time I trust you will have no objections. Do not let her..."

"Out of our sight, Professor?" I grinned. :)

"Exactly."

Chris coughed politely. "Professor McGonagall...couldn't Professor Dumbledore help in any way?" he asked. Four eager faces stared & waited for a response.

"Well..." Professor McGonagall stared at her desk, as if thinking. "I am afraid that Professor Dumbledore is not here at the moment," she said, "He left late last night on some urgent business in Wales, and won't be back until the next full moon arises."

"That's next month," Harry said slowly, "but why the full..."

"Don't ask, Potter."

I smiled :). "Well, you were right Professor; I've no objection to taking care of this one." I turned in my chair & patted Arowyn who was beside me on the floor, secretly hoping that I would be able to take care of her, partly because I liked her a lot, and partly because I was worried about where she might end up. A sudden thought struck me. "Professor," I said, looking up again, "What about the..."

"Devil-Maid?" A worried look crossed the Professor's face. She exhaled a sigh :sigh:. "I'll have it looked into," she said simply, "And in the meantime, I would recommend that all of you look out for yourselves in case...'something'...should happen. ALL of you," she repeated, looking at Arowyn. She had been staring at Harry & I as if there was something she needed to say. We were right.

"Now, if you two don't mind, I would like to have a word with Mr. Potter & Ms. Snow...in private," she finished, referring to Arowyn & Chris. Chris got up at once. "Come on, Arowyn," he said. They abruptly left the room. I didn't turn around, but I knew they had left when I head the door shut. Now, the Professor leaned forward. "Potter, Snow, I..."

"Chris!" came Arowyn's somewhat angry voice. We spun around in our chairs, only to see Arowyn's pink tail stuck in the door. "Sorry, sorry!" came Chris's flustered voice. The door creaked open slightly, and the tail disappeared. Chris peeped in rather sheepishly. "Sorry for the interruption," he grinned :sorry:. The door closed again.

We turned back to the Professor, amused smiles on our face, but those smiles were immediately wiped off when we saw the Professor's anxious look. We could tell that something bad was going to reach our ears. Minerva McGonagall would never get us worried & in a fluster for nothing.

"There is something," she said to us, "Something that I feel I should tell the two of you. It's about the Devil-Maid." That made me catch my breath. I had been expecting that, but had hoped not.

"You see," the Professor began, "when it comes to Nixai, Devil-Maids are...how do I put this...unstoppable. In other words, they won't hear of ever ONE Nixus in a herd getting away from their attacks...not even an infant. It is supposedly the Devil-Maid's pure hatred for the Nixai that causes it to act this way." She stared at us for a while, noticing our questioning looks. "Devil-Maids are, as you know, evil," she said, "and Nixai are one of the purest creatures in all of the magical world." We nodded slowly.

"As I said, they are...unstoppable." The Professor raised her eyebrows at us. A chilling realization hit me...and Harry too, apparently, for he let out a startled gasp. "Professor," I whispered, "please don't tell me that the Devil-Maid will actually COME to Hogwarts and...and..." I gulped, "KILL Arowyn??" :wow: I tried to sound calm, but it was hard.

"You may not have noticed, Snow, but I was extremely reluctant to let the both of you take care of her, even if it's only for a day." She was tapping her fingers on the desk. "By now, that beast has probably found out that Arowyn is here, safe. For all we know, it could be heading towards Hogwarts at this very minute, and once it gets into the school grounds...well, let's just say that Arowyn won't be the only one in grave danger."

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Ooh...scared?? :scared: Hahahaha...I'm just kidding. :lol: Feedback & ratings welcome!

Ok guys, I remind u again; if u rate this story, plz say so. Seven ppl have already rated this & I can't thank them personally! So...'if u rate it, state it.' ;) Thanks!

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"WHAT?!" Chris was horrified :wow:. "But...didn't McG mention ANY way of beating it...or even keeping it away??" he added hopefully. Harry & I stared at each other. "McG??" :??:

Chris rolled his eyes :rolleyes:. "Well??"

Harry shook his head :no:. "She didn't mention any defense against it. You would've thought she didn't care...but she does, of course," he added quickly, "But whatever it is, we have to find out how."

"Wait a minute..." I said. I had just noticed something. "Chris...where on earth is Arowyn?!"

"Hagrid insisted on minding her for a while. He said she'll be quite safe with him, not to worry."

I nodded & sighed in relief :yup:. "Let's just hope she doesn't throw a fit at Anya." *cough* :p Harry grinned. Then, he snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute!" he cried, "That's it!"

"What??" I said, surprised. :??:

"That's it!" Harry cried again, "We'll ask Hagrid! He'll know how to beat that Devil-Maid! Out of all people, Hagrid will know!" he said happily. :) "Good point," Chris nodded, "But at the moment, I've got a Potions master to bear with. See you after my class, ok?" he said, turning around. "Tell me how it goes!"

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Nightfall. All was calm & peaceful at Hogwarts. Most students were alreay in bed in their respective house dorms. Harry & I made our way back to Gryffindor Tower, having spent the last few hours helping Madam Pomphrey mix up some magic medicines. Gillyweed...NEVER AGAIN.

We hadn't had a chance to visit Hagrid after our meeting with Professor McGonagall, what with all the jobs that we had to do after that. We had been transferring some Mandrakes about, helping Snape get a few missing ingredients (darn darn darn), spent a frustrating time de-gnoming the school garden (Hagrid was on another job), and then had spent HOURS helping Madam Pomphrey. Needless to say, we were questionably weary.

The common-room was dimly lit by the merry, crackling flames of the fire. The familiar homey smell of burning logs filled the room. The deep, sinking armchairs looked so inviting. Harry immediately sat down in one of them with a content sigh. I suddenly remembered something. "Harry," I said, "Do you mind if I borrow Hedwig later?" I asked. "I forgot to write to Aaron today."

Harry propped his head on his hand, his eyes half-closed. "Sure, go on," he mumbled with a yawn :yawn:. I smiled & sat at the desk, which was stained with tiny drops of ink here & there. "Thank you," I said gratefully, "if I forget to write, the poor heart-throb will start thinking I don't love him anymore." No ideas, please, Aaron Nedgon Snow is my TWIN, not my...you know. He doesn't look like me, really. He has blond hair & one of the handsomest faces you'll ever see. We do have the same turquoise eyes, though. Wreaked MAJOR havoc with the hearts of Hogwarts school girls, he. Still, like me, he's not interested in dating.

I picked up a piece of empty paper, dipped a white quill into the ink & started to write:

Dear Aaron,

I think I can hear your happy sigh of relief all the way from here! Sorry I didn't write earlier, I was really very busy. We had to help Snape, Sprout & Madam Pomphrey, not to mention those gnomes we had to handle! Harry got a hearty nip on the finger, while I tripped & fell chasing one. I have a bruise on my leg now. Ouch...

If I ever forget to write for some reason, don't start thinking that I don't love or miss you anymore, because yours truly really does. Can't help it; when you have a twin, you love him. It's a curse. Haha, I'll stop being mean now.

How are Mom & Dad? I sincerely hope that Dad hasn't been getting anymore ideas from Mr. Weasley...remember the time when Aurora started cursing in Chinese when he gave her the potion that was supposed to make her sing?? Harry actually came running in, thinking it was Cho Chang!! And remember the time he painted a hole in the wall with the paint that was supposed to make it sparkly clean?? Argh...I don't want to THINK of the damage I might see when I get home! (Dang it, I said I'd stop being mean!) Well, send them both my love.

You know, I dare say that Hedwig misses Aurora very much. Harry said that she doesn't seem to be very lively these days. Doesn't look forward to anything much like she used to. To tell you the truth, Aaron, I wish I didn't have to send her home. Still, I can't take care of a flying horse, a Nixus, AND an owl at the same time! I have enough work to do already!

OH! I forgot to tell you about Arowyn! Well, another Nixus came to me yesterday. She's small, white & pink. Apparently, the poor thing's herd was eaten by a Devil-Maid & she needs help. Can you BELIEVE that a dangerous beast is out there right beside the school?? I never thought that there'd BE one out there!! McGonagall said...and please keep this a secret...that the beast might come searching for Arowyn. Might actually COME to Hogwarts!! Oh, Aaron, I admit it; I'm scared. I don't want to see Arowyn die. And think of the students!! THEY could die too! We're still to find out how to keep it away. For the moment, I'm taking care of Arowyn until we get word from the Ministry. I sincerely hope I can keep her. She's so nice, polite & demure. Not like SOME others...

Eranoy is doing good too. He's becoming really interested in Spells & Charms. Some students told me that Eranoy had said that he wanted to be just like me! Oh, pride don't overwhelm me, please! I am starting to think that Eranoy was adopted. HOW could he POSSIBLY be a Malfoy?? I re-refuse to believe it! Speaking of Eranoy, he's yet to meet Arowyn. I'm sure he'll start hanging around her after this. Soft as a melted marshmallow he is when it comes to creatures! He couldn't even bring himself to tell Kientra off when she was here!

How's Rain? I heard that she got a job caring for creatures in Diagon Alley. Good for her! It's what she's always wanted! Tell her I'll write to her soon, maybe tomorrow. But for now, I really must stop; I'm so sleepy! Harry's already dozed off in his armchair (we're in the common room), and I'm in danger of falling headfirst into the ink bottle! Good night, sleep tight, dream of doing what's right.(HUH?) Miss & love you all!

Your twin terror,
Mel

PS

Tell Mom to send me some blueberry pie! Yum!

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Another update! Thank u all again for reading/rating/posting feedback! :smooch:

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I let out a loud yawn :yawn:, making Harry stare. "What makes YOU so tired today??"

I shook my head. "Nothing...nothing much." :no: In truth, I hadn't slept well at all last night, having had nightmares of Devil-Maids & dead Arowyns & scared students...the like. I had spent half the night awake in fear, watching the shadows as if expecting that murderous mermaid shape to appear. I was even half-afraid of my OWN shadow now!

Hagrid greeted us cheerfully as we neared his hut. "Hello, there, Harry, Melody. Lookin' fine & well, both of yuh." He was sitting on the rocks again, playing a strange little flute-like instrument that produced lovely, melodious bird-whistles. "Hello, Hagrid," we greeted. I've GOT to learn how to play that thing, I thought to myself.

Sitting beside the giant, I looked around. No frisky small white form anywhere.

"Hagrid, where's Arowyn?" I asked. Hagrid looked confused :??:. "Arowyn??" he said. "Who's tha...ohh, the Nixus! Arowyn...yes..." He stroked his beard, nodding :yup:.

Harry laughed :lol:. "Still haven't got the hang of her name yet, eh Hagrid?" he grinned. ;) Hagrid shook his finger at him. "I will soon enough, Harry, it's just a matter of...remembering." He sat up straighter, fiddling with the 'flute' thingy. "Lil' angel's in the stable. Played with Anya the whole of yesterday, now I reckon they're catchin' a few extra winks. Better not disturb 'em, eh?" he winked ;). He patted a rock, motioning at Harry to sit down.

"So," Hagrid started, as Harry sat down between Hagrid & I, "Where's that little devil of a joker?" he asked affectionately. Harry took off his glasses & started polishing them clean with his robe. "Chris's got an Arithmancy class, or so he says," he replied. I watched as he produced his wand from his robe & pointed it at his glasses. "Oculus Reparo," he said. Small fragments of dust were immediately sucked into the wand, leaving his glasses sparkling clean when he put them on with a nod of satisfaction :yup:.

I turned around, hearing a door creak loudly. Arowyn's head peeped out from Anya's tiny stable (Hagrid built it, by the way). She yawned :yawn:. Catching sight of us, she smiled sleepily & trotted over briskly. She looked so cute with the morning rays of the sunshine illuminating her whole figure & making her mane & tail glisten.

"Good morning, madam, sir," she greeted, obviously still half-asleep. She blinked a few times, yawned again, and sat down demurely at my feet, front legs crossed. Oh, don't you just LOVE her?? :D

Hagrid suddenly yawned too :yawn:. Shaking a finger at Arowyn playfully, he said, "Ye should never yawn in front o' ME, little Nixus. It's uh...contagious," he winked. "Now," he looked at Harry & me, "what's been happening so far for you two today?"

It was still nagging at my mind how Arowyn had no idea of the danger she was in. Harry, Chris, me, Hagrid, McGonagall & the other Professors were the only ones in the whole school to know about it. We figured it would be best if she didn't know, for who knows, something might turn up. The Ministry would know what to do...if they ever replied. :sigh:

Moaning Myrtle suddenly flashed in my mind. "Well..." I began, "Not today, but we DID have some trouble with a few ghosts the other day." I began telling the story, with Harry chipping in every now & then. Halfway-through, I saw Eranoy running towards us from the school.

"Eranoy!" I cried, as she stopped in front of us, panting & all red. "What's going on??"

He hung his head low, one hand on his knee to support his bent figure. He raised his other hand. "Wait..." he gasped, "let me...BREATHE..." he panted. After a few deep breaths, he finally said, "McGonagall...wants to see you...both...both of you...very...very urgent," he wheezed.

A cold chill ran down my spine, turning into a stream of ice. Harry had jumped to his feet, a low gasp escaping him. We slowly turned our frightened gazes toward each other. "The Devil-Maid," we whispered. Next thing I knew, were were running madly towards the school, Hagrid & Arowyn calling out to us.

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Fine, so this one's a little short, but well...hehehe.... :elaugh:

Sorry for the delay,guys...especially u, loz! ;D
Anyway, keep 'em feedbacks/ratings coming! :grouphug:

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"Banshee, indeed!" snapped Professor McGonagall. She turned away from the window, hands behind her, to look fiercely at Harry & me, but particularly me. I hung my head low, not really wanting to look at her face. :scared:

She stared at us coldly for a while, finally heaving a sigh.

"Custer," she snapped at Gordy, who was standing beside us, "You may leave. And not a word about this to ANYONE!" she added sternly. Gordy stole an angry look at me, then hurriedly rushed for the door, not bothering to hide his obvious relief. That tell-tale slime-rat! I TOLD him not to tell anyone!! :angry:

The door closed. Professor Snape stood up. "Forgive me, Minerva," he muttered, brushing his black cloak away. He strided slowly towards us, studying us as if we were juvenile delinquents or something. We stared back, wondering what kind of say HE had in this. Oh, Snapey, I hate you! I thought to myself, frowning slightly. :grumble:

"Ahem," he coughed, still staring at us, his head slightly raised & his eyes low, "I don't rightly think that Ms. Snow even realized what kind of words tumbled out of her mouth then, Professor," he said. "After all...she was in a rather excited state." Harry's eyes grew wide in surprise. I could only stare. Professor Snape actually UNDERSTANDING??? I thought he was BEYOND all human feelings (ok, I'm exaggerating)! Oh, Snapey, I ADORE you! I thought, appreciatively but mockingly. :rolleyes:

"A Banshee is one of the things most feared by our students. I'm sure she realizes THAT," countered McGonagall, fixing me with a stern glare. Alright, I was NOT going to let myself stand here like an idiot! I had to say SOMETHING!

"I'm sorry, Professor," I mumbled, "but I was in all of a fluster... You know I wouldn't REALLY do that on purpose..." I clamped my mouth shut. 'REALLY'?? Very convincing, you idiot! I scolded myself. Harry muttered something to me that sounded like, 'Smart, very smart.' :grumble:

McGonagall shook her head disapprovingly. "Lying about a dangerous beast being loose in the school grounds is ONE thing, Snow...and so is sneaking into a boys' dormitory in the dead of night!" she said. "Put two & two together, and..."

"I would suggest...detention...immediately, Minerva," Snape said, with a nod at McGonagall. The hypocrite! I thought he was going to DEFEND us before!

"But then again..." He paused, staring at us again, "You're not really students anymore..." My stare met his like a steel knife. I felt so angry at him suddenly!

"And therefore, safe from detention," McGonagall finished his sentence, nodding. Harry & I let out tiny sighs of relief. "BUT," she went on, "it does not mean you are safe from fair punishment." Our sighs of relief turned into gasps of dismay. Snape gave a small, satisfied smile...which turned into a smirk :evil:. Although he was trying to hide it, I could see that he wanted to laugh at us, mock us with twisted pleasure :elaugh:.

McGonagall sat down at her desk. "Severus," she said to Snape. He turned around, that satisfied smirk still on his pale mug. "Would you kindly get someone to run down & inform our caretaker?" said McGonagall. "Tell him he won't be the one cleaning out your dungeon next week."

"Cleaning out HIS dungeon?!" Harry cried out, almost angrily :angry:. The two Professors stared at him sharply. I felt like I was slowly being reduced to microscopic size under their stares & wondered if Harry did too. "I take it you have an objection, Mr. Potter?" said McGonagall calmly, "because if you do, I'm sure I can find you something else to do..."

Harry didn't say anything. When it came to punishing students, he knew Minerva McGonagall would not take sides or anything of the sort. And judging by her tone, he would end up doing something worse. "Never mind, Professor," he mumbled. :grumble:

"Very well," McGonagall said, "It's settled. Severus, would you be so kind?"

"Certainly, Professor," he slurred, flashing us a look that was just SO Snape. Harry & I both found ourselves cursing under our breath :grumble:.

HIS dungeon! I thought to myself, feeling hot with anger.

"And there'll be NO magic," Snape said as we left the room.

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Harry & I watched as the class of Second-Years filed out of the dungeon, whispering & talking to themselves excitedly. Some of them waved & greeted us happily, while some stared at us curiously, giving pointed looks :huh:. Harry nudged me. "I bet Snape told them about our degrading little task today," he hissed, obviously displeased. I shrugged & muttered, "Well, it IS our job, Harry."

The last students soon walked out. Snape was inside, waiting for us. He was probably imagining us scrubbing the floors, wiping the mould off the pots, scouring the walls & all that with a big grin on his face. "Well, just come in already," we heard him say from inside. We made our way in, careful not to look too sour as he might add on some more work for us to do. :angel:

He smiled at us coldly as we walked in & stood in front of him. "Something tells me..." he said, "that you're going to be proper little 'assistants' today," he drawled. "Follow me."

He led us to the tables where the students usually sat & pointed. "You can start off by cleaning those," he said. "They've been making more of a mess today for some reason..."

I scowled. Trying to rub it in, Severus?? I thought, feeling rather ******. Harry was tapping his foot on the floor, heaving angry sighs now & then. Snape was clearly enjoying our dislike. I could feel it. "When you're done wiping them clean," he continued, "you can start on the rest...which is the whole place, of course," he finished.

I spied some rags already laid out for us. There were buckets of water too. I couldn't believe we were going to spend the rest of the day HERE, cleaning THIS dump! "Alright then," Harry mumbled, "I suppose we'll start. Alone," he added, flashing Snape a glance. Snape looked at him, his eyes piercing. "You don't want to get me started, Potter. You should know that by now. And by the way," he added, "I don't believe you'll be needing..." He extended his hand. "...your wands."

I stepped back. "Professor, I really don't think we'd be stupid enough to get caught using magic," I said. "Your wands," he repeated, gesturing with his hands. "Now."

"Fine then!" said Harry, pulling out his wand. I wondered why he was so uptight today. I mean, he wasn't usually like this. I found myself staring at him while I pulled out my wand.

"Make sure you do a good job," Snape said as he took our wands, "After all...you DO want to keep your job." He turned around & walked off, black cloak & greasy hair swishing. Harry stared. "Hmph," he muttered, "I'd have his head."

I smiled & nudged him. Swishing my hair around like Snape's, I said, " 'L'oreal...because you're worth it." Swish swish.

It worked; Harry burst out laughing, the sour look gone from his face. "You riot!" he laughed, leaning against my shoulder for support :rotfl:. "Glad I could help," I laughed, pushing him away, "Now let's get started or we'll never be out of here!" :lol:

Harry, still chuckling, walked over to the rags. "Do you really think we should do the easy parts first??" he asked, picking one up. "Yes," I replied, "For all you know, Snape might come in (swish swish) & demand to know why we're not doing the tables first."

Harry started laughing again. "I won't be able to stare at his head without laughing after this, you know!" :D

About 15 minutes into thoroughly cleaning the tables, I thought I saw something. I looked up towards the wall where I thought I saw it. The dungeon was only dimly lit & our shadows moved around on the walls...

Shadows!

I dropped my rag & ran across the room to Harry, scared out of my life. "Harry!" I hissed, There's...there's..." I found myself unable to speak with fear. Shaking, I was suddenly hugging him tight as if for dear life; I was so scared! "There's...there's..."

Harry coughed suddenly & went red :o. "Mel..." he whispered, "why are you hugging me like this??" he asked, in a tone of worry. "Are you alright??" he asked. "There's...a...the..." I whispered, stammering. Harry disentangled himself from me & grabbed me by the shoulders. "Mel!" he hissed, "there's a WHAT?"

I gulped...and slowly pointed.

Harry looked. The cold, stone wall showed our shadows, still except for my shaking one. "What is it??" he whispered, leaning close to me to speak. Then, he stood up straight with a low gasp. "Mel," he said, "it's..."

"I know!" I gasped. The slowly moving shadow...that SHAPE! A hunch-backed mermaid! Whatever Gryffindor bravery the Sorting Hat saw in me has always taken it's time to show itself in times of crisis...and THIS is what I call a crisis! :wow:

"Our wands!" I gasped, "Snape took our wands!" Harry slipped his hand into mine & started pulling me away slowly. "Watch it carefully...don't step on it. And don't worry," he added, "we'll be fine as long as we don't step on it." His grip on my hand tightened.

I gulped. I was sweating already. My eyes watched it as it became bigger... It wasn't moving off the wall towards us, but I was still scared. "Harry..." I whispered. "Shh," he shushed. He was watching it too.

The Devil-Maid had found us. Without our wands.

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Dun dun duuununnn *suspence music* Credit goes to GrintSistah for that! ;D

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Yes, that's right. WITHOUT our wands. What could we possibly do now??? :scared: I pressed against Harry, practically shaking. "Harry," I whispered, "I don't want to die..." Tears built up in my eyes. This was one of the times where I would get so scared I would earnestly cry, all the while building up bravery to face whatever problem or crisis was looming ahead. :'(

"We're not gonna die!" he whispered back, squeezing my hand, "Don't worry." He flashed me a smile. Affectionate & somewhat scared smile, but a smile nevertheless. I sniffed. "Harry Potter, you KNOW I tend to exaggerate when I'm scared!" I hissed back.

That evil shadow was growing bigger...

I squeezed my eyes shut & hung onto Harry tight. My bravery was still taking it's time & that shadow was slowly growing bigger! I wondered what it would be like to suffer a heart attack & just die. NO!!! Oh please, God...

"Harry?? Melody??"

We gasped. "HAGRID?!" :wow:

The shadow grew as Hagrid stepped in, holding a lamp. He stared at us, huddling in the dark corner together, and stepped back with a cough."Oh, uh..." he stammered, "Didn't mean tuh disturb yuh...I'll just be, uh, leavin' now..." He started to turn around, looking slightly embarrased :o.

"NO, Hagrid!" Harry cried, running forward, still gripping my hand, pulling me along as he went, "You've got it all wrong! We thought you were the Devil-Maid!"

"The Devil-Maid??" a tiny voice squeaked.

We looked down at Hagrid's feet. "Arowyn!"

The little Nixus stared up at us with fear on her face. The dim orangy light from Hagrid's lamp reflected her shiny eyes that were wide in fear. "Madam..." she whispered, "the beast is here, is it not??" she asked, completely frightened, looking like she was going to cry. Instinctively, I dropped down on my knees, letting go of Harry's hand, and took Arowyn in my arms, soothing her. "No, no, Arowyn," I whispered, "It's just that you & Hagrid's shadows somehow resembled it...a hunch-backed mermaid, that is. It's not here...don't be afraid." I stroked her mane gently. I felt guilty for saying what I said, but in a way, I guess it was half-true. We didn't know for sure that the beast was in Hogwarts...did we?? :(

"That's right," Harry nodded :yup:, "and we were hiding in that corner as so not to step on it." He flashed a glance at Hagrid, who smiled back apologetically. :smile: I let go of Arowyn & looked into her eyes. "It's alright," I whispered. She nodded, sniffed & shook her mane lightly. "Madam would never lie about this, would she?" she sighed slightly. Another pang of guilt hit me.

I tried to change the subject. I stood up & looked at Harry. "Harry," I said, "I somehow think Snape's got something to do with this beast being around."

Harry frowned. "But...no, wait, Snape??" He scratched his head. "Why?" :??:

Hagrid seemed a little put off by that. "Why would Snape endanger any of us by lettin' that THING in?" he said, "He knows better than that! He's a professor."

"Hagrid," I protested, "Snape took our wands away before he left us! He's never done that before; It's like he was expecting that thing to come find us."

"That thing that was actually Hagrid & Arowyn," Harry corrected. "Even SO," I insisted, "why would he take our wands away like that?"

"Now now," Hagrid began, "You've never really done a job like this fer Snape before all the time you two 'ave been workin' 'ere; I should think that 'e was just tryin' to make sure you'd do yer jobs right, eh?" he said. "Anyway," he continued, "I just decided to check on you two...and Arowyn 'ere insisted on followin'."

A neigh followed his sentence.

Hagrid turned around. "Oh, an' Anya too."

"Anya!" I cried, surprised to see my flying horse behind the two of them. Harry laughed. "What are YOU doing here too, old girl?" he smiled :). Anya, though, didn't seem her cheeky happy self today. She looked worried. I stepped up to her & began stroking her mane lightly, sensing that something was wrong. "What is it, Anya?" I asked softly, "What's wrong??"

She stayed silent, harrumphing softly every now & then. "The way I see it," Hagrid said, "She's probably just worried 'bout this whole Devil-Maid business. She'll be fine." The way I see it, I thought to myself, She knows something. Animals always do.

Hagrid patted Anya affectionately. "Well then," he said, "I guess you two'll be awright down 'ere?"

We nodded confidently :yup: :yup:.

"Right, we'll be off now. No mucky business, you two." He shook his finger playfully at us with a wink ;), making me laugh :lol: & Harry grow red again :o.

The three of them walked off, their shadows bobbing about in the light. We watched them go. Anya turned around suddenly to glance at me, then hurried off with the others.

"Well," Harry sighed, "Guess we'd better continue the job." :sigh: He seemed a bit worried...or disappointed. I couldn't decide which. We picked up the rags we had dropped & continued cleaning the last of the tables.

Oh, Anya, I thought to myself, What is it that you know??

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So here's the missing chapter! :D

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"Those Mandrakes are going to be the living death of me!" Amanda muttered, "I mean, I can't BELIEVE mine actually bit my nose off!" :grumble:

Crystal stared. "But it's still there, Mannie," she said softly, with a small smile :smile:. "Oh come ON, Miss Manners," said Amanda, "I was only being sarcastic! At least...I'm CAPABLE of it," she added under her breath.

"I heard that, Mannie."

I grinned. "Why am I suddenly so thankful that Aaron & I get along so well?" I said :D, making the twins stare at each other :rolleyes:.

Our footsteps echoed lightly in the hallway as we walked, intending to go see Anya. The twins had asked if they could ride her for a while & I had agreed, on condition that there was to be NO flying. Amanda had whined, "But that squishes the whole POINT!" No, I was not giving in. :no:

A door burst open loudly, making the three of us jump. Right there in front of us, Harry came scurrying out of a room, stumbling along as he went, like he was running away from something, or like he had been pushed roughly. He was positively COVERED in grayish cat fur & had a scratch on his cheek. From inside the room he had just come out of, there was a loud hissing & wild meowings from what sounded like a deranged cat. We stood there in complete shock & watched as he picked himself up off the floor, muttering something & looking absolutely miffed :angry:.

"Harry POTTER!" I cried, running towards him, holding back a desire to laugh :lol:. Oh, evil me! He had turned back to the room & was now standing there, pointing at something inside & hurling mad insults at it with his other hand clenched into a shaking fist. "You possessed feline!" he screamed, "I swear, I would tie you up with your own TAIL & stuff your own mouth with your own eyes if I wouldn't lose my job because of it!!! You..."

"HARRY!" I cried again, pulling his pointing hand down. "WHAT?!" he yelled. He turned around & was surprised to see me. His mouth dropped open :wow:. "Mel!" he said, "I...I didn't know it was you! I...I'm sorry I yelled..."

"What on earth is going on??" I demanded, plucking small fluffs of fur out of his hair. Behind me, I could hear Amanda laughing softly :lol:. "It's that...that...MUTANT inside!" he yelled, pointing again. I peeped inside the room & saw...

"Mrs. Norris?!" I laughed. The girls gave a cry of surprise & came running up to see. Indeed, it WAS Mrs. Norris inside the empty room, standing on a table with a brush on it & looking completely mad, hissing & spitting with her fur all on end & her teeth bared. "Harry, what did you DO to her??" I laughed.

"Nothing but obey Filch & GROOM her!" Harry fumed. :angry: "And if I don't get it done, I can't leave this room until I AM done!" he finished, his face nothing but an angry frown. "Whoa...and I thought helping with the mandrakes was bad enough," I laughed, grinning at the girls :D. "Consider yourself lucky," Harry muttered, dusting himself off of all the fur, "Not only is she molting, but she's POSSESSED!"

"She doesn't like us very much, Harry, and you know that."

"She doesn't like ANYONE except Filch very much," laughed Amanda, peeping inside again & getting a hiss from the mad creature. I closed the door. "I don't think you'd better be going near her for a while, Harry," I laughed, getting out a handkerchief & handing it to him. He seemed confused. "What's THAT for??" he asked. :??:

I laughed. "I guess your past experiences have made you immune to slight injuries, hmm?" I said, reaching up & wiping the blood off his cheek gently. "Didn't you feel that??"

A cough. "Mel..." said Amanda, taking Crystal's hand, "We'll... meet you at the stable...ok??" she grinned, winking. "See ya!" ;) She tore off down the hallway, dragging her poor twin behind her, laughing all the way. :lol:

Harry turned to stare at them. "They don't seem like twins at all," he smiled :smile:. "Yes well, I'm not done, Harry," I grinned, turning him around & wiping the blood clean again. "Umm...thanks," he mumbled, suddenly turning red :o.

"Ms. Snow, Mr. Potter."

Harry raised his eyes to look at someone behind me. I turned around. "Professor McGonagall."

She looked at us 'knowingly' for a moment, and then a small, somewhat sly smile crept into her lips. "Didn't mean to interrupt," she said, making us blush :o. Why do people always make hasty conclusions?? I wondered, somewhat irritated. The Professor coughed. "Anyhow, I need to talk to you both. Now, please. And bring the Nixus with you."

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So there we were again in Professor Minerva McGonagall's office, waiting for whatever she wanted to tell us. Arowyn was sitting on my lap comfortably, twitching her nose every now & then in suspense. She had come to learn that whenever we had to face Minerva McGonagall, it had something to do with her, and being Arowyn, she couldn't help fearing something bad.

"Now," the Professor began, leaning forward on her desk & folding her hands together, "It suppose it would relieve you to know that I have finally recieved word from the Ministry."

"Oh, Professor!" I gasped, suddenly excited, "What did they say??"

Harry gave a slight chuckle. "Relax, Mel," he whispered. :D

"I am not entirely finished, Ms. Snow," the Professor said calmly. "Sorry," I whispered :sorry:. Arowyn looked up at me, amusement on her face. I grinned back. :)

"Well, I think it is time I reveal what I & the other Professors have been doing all this while," McGonagall continued. We leaned forward to listen. "And that is..." she said, "ridding the school of this evil monster," she smiled.

Our mouths dropped open :wow:. "REALLY??"

"I would not lie; I'm a Professor." In my opinion, McGonagall was quite a good actress, but I could see that she wasn't very comfortable with talking about the beast. I decided to play along & seem enthusiastic. :rolleyes:

"That's WONDERFUL!" I cried, throwing my hands up, "Thank you, Professor! ...but why didn't you tell us?? I mean, we could've done something to help!"

The Professor smiled again. "The both of you are only 18, Ms. Snow. I think that you have enough on your minds & enough to settle before you go tackling things like this in a hurry." :) Harry suddenly choked & hung his head, biting his lip. I stared at him & then at the Professor. Ack! I felt myself growing red again. :o "B-but what did...the Ministry...say...?" I tried to change the subject. Harry raised his eyes to the Professor, but kept his head low. Arowyn was staring up at me with a mischievous 'AHA!' look on her face. :p

The Professor nodded. "Seeing how attached young Arowyn has become to you, Snow...they decided that you may keep her."

"PROFESSOR!!" I screamed. I lifted Arowyn off my lap, put her on the table, jumped out of my seat, and ran around the table to the Professor, throwing my arms around her, squealing for joy! It was the maddest thing ever committed by any member of the staff Hogwarts has ever known, but I could think of nothing else at that time of pure joy. Harry, meanwhile, was covering his mouth & trying to stifle his choked guffaws, while Arowyn did a little dance of joy in the air, spinning & twirling around happily, before realizing what she was doing, whereupon she promptly flew down again, her cheeks bright red.

I released the Professor & clapped my hands excitedly, jumping about. "This is wonderful!!" I cried, "Thank you so much, Professor!! I feel like writing a thank you note to the Ministry now!" :clappy:

"WELL, you might want to calm yourself down first, Ms. Snow," the Professor said, trying to sound stern, but failing miserably with that smile on her face :). She shook her head amusedly. "Never have I SEEN..."

"Oh Arowyn, isn't it perfect??" I laughed, taking the little Nixus's hooves & swinging her around in the air out of pure joy. "You're going to stay here with me!! Hahaha!" We spun around madly, Arowyn laughing along, and Harry holding back some more laughs. "Ms. Snow!" said McGonagall sharply, the corners of her mouth twitching again, "You're likely to murder the poor thing if you keep doing that! I wouldn't see much point in being so excited THEN."

I laughed & stopped spinning, my head in a happy daze, and gave the Nixus a big hug.

"Very well then, I think my office has seen enough madness for the day," said the Professor, "You may leave."

Outside the office, I was still singing & humming happily, Arowyn skipping along with me. The minute he closed the door, Harry burst into a fit of loud laughs, leaning against the wall. "Mel!" he wheezed, "You...oh my god, I've never...you...oh!"

"Mr. Potter!" came a sharp voice from inside.

"Sorry, Professor!" he laughed.

"Oh, but Harry, it's just so wonderful!" I laughed.

"You've used that word a million times in there already!" Harry smiled, shaking his head. :) "But I couldn't care less!" I laughed, suddenly flinging my arms around him, "I feel so HAPPY!!" I gave him a big squeeze & heard him cough slightly. "Well...this was unexpected," he croaked. I laughed & let him go. "I could hug Mrs. Norris right now, Harry!" :D

"You HAD to remind me!"

Arowyn jumped about at my feet. "Come on, madam, I think Hagrid would like to know about this too!" she said excitedly.

"Oh, he'll be stuffing Anya's stable with satin pillows, don't you worry!" I said, still jumping around. I ran off down the hallway. "See you later, Harry!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" I sped off like a runaway train.

Maybe it was me, but Harry didn't seem to move from where he was standing, watching.

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Ok, so this isn't really an update, but if you scroll up, you'll see a chapter I missed out before... :o

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It's so beautiful, I thought to myself, staring at the sunset burning in the distance, painting the beautiful sky with gorgeous evening colors. Eranoy & Arowyn were playing on the grass while I sat on a rock admiring the view. We were near the lake, alone & undisturbed. I watched the two happily playing together, a smile creeping up the corner of my mouth :smile:.

Arowyn had been staying here at Hogwarts with me for a week now. I giggled in amusement when I recalled how I had squealed for joy & actually HUGGED Professor McGonagall when she told me that the Ministry had decided to let me keep the little Nixus, seeing how closely attached she was to me. And the Devil-Maid? Thank God; vanquished. ...well, that was what McGonagall said, anyway. If I recall, she didn't seem too easy when talking about the beast. But hey, it was defeated, right? Right?? What was there to worry about anymore? Nothing, right? The dead don't come back...well, maybe ghosts...and maybe Rhondella...

"Mel...!" A familiar voice broke into my depressing thoughts. The three of us looked up to see Harry & Chris riding towards us on Anya, waving. I smiled & waved back :). They stopped in front of us, grinning. "Hello, everyone," Chris greeted, jumping off & sitting down on the grass beside Eranoy. Eranoy grinned back at Chris happily before standing up to pet Anya on the head & to offer her a sugar lump stolen from somewhere.

Harry, still on the horse, stared at me; my eyes were up at the sky, deep in thought. "Mel," he whispered, leaning close, a worried frown on his face, "Hello...?"

I snapped out of my trance. "Wha-?"

Harry sighed. "Is something wrong, Mel?" he said. Eranoy looked up at me too, rather questioningly. I didn't reply. Instead, I shook my head & put on a fake smile at them. "Rather tired, I guess," I lied.

Harry & Eranoy exchanged doubtful looks. "People, excuse us for awhile," Harry said, "Mel & I have something to take care of." He motioned at me to get on the horse. "I'm FINE, Harry," I protested, frowning slightly.

"Something important," Harry added. The whole company was staring up at me now. Even Anya nodded at me, encouraging me to get on :yup:. I sighed & jumped off the rock :sigh:. Taking Harry's hand, I climbed up onto the horse behind him. Anya flapped her wings & flew off. I held onto Harry tightly.

My horse brought us to the grounds somewhere east of the castle & touched down. I jumped off after Harry & now stood facing him. "Anya," Harry said, still looking at me, "Do you mind?"

The horse let out a series of soft neighs that sounded like grumbles & trotted off with a huff, swinging her tail :grumble:. I looked at her walking off & smiled. "Still hasn't grown out of her attitude," I laughed :smile:.

"Don't change the subject, Mel," Harry interrupted, "I KNOW something's wrong." His eyes practically pierced me, like he knew everything. Right, I had to do something. I slipped my hand in my robe discreetly & held the Nixun Sphere tightly. Instantly, a wave of peace, bliss & happiness washed over me, forcing a genuine smile onto my face :). "I'm alright, Harry," I insisted.

He sighed & took my hand. "You're not still worried about 'it', are you?" he said. "McGonagall gave us her word that it was defeated. Even the Ministry gave us an 'all clear'." He squeezed my hand, trying to reassure me. "You haven't been your usual happy self these past few days."

I pulled my hand away from his grip. "I know, I know," I said, "but something doesn't feel right...I mean..."

"I know."

"What?" I stared at him :??:.

"Nothing."

"Um...anyway..." I continued, "I just think that somehow Arowyn's not 100% safe yet; like something's still out there. And then again, there's Rhondella..." I broke off & stared at the ground. "Let's just say that dark histories never vanish from one's mind," I mumbled. :(

Harry laughed & slipped his arms around me :hug:. "Look, if there's one thing I know, it's that Rhondella coming back is very unlikely. And Mel...what's the other thing on your mind?" he asked, his tone softening. I looked up at him. "What, you mean the thought that Anya knows something about all this??" I said.

"No...I mean, uh, yes," he mumbled, suddenly blushing :o. He pulled away, biting his lip.

"I know my horse, Harry," I said, "And I'm certain she knows something we don't. She's an animal. Animals tend to know things." I sighed. "They do."

Harry lifted his eyes from the ground & looked at me with a smile. "I'm certain that everything will end up okay. Arowyn's safe because she's with you," he said.

"That's sweet of you, Harry," I sighed :sigh:, "but I can't be sure." Harry gave me another hug :hug:. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?" he asked.

"Yes, so you don't have to give me your therapist's number." ;)

To my surprise, Harry didn't laugh like he usually did; he sighed :sigh:. "Never mind," he mumbled, and walked off.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I opened my eyes groggily, sat up & looked around. I had fallen asleep in the common room. Ah yes, now I remember; I had walked back here to think after my little talk with Harry & had fallen asleep. I yawned & had a nice stretch :yawn:. Shaking my head, I noticed that I was alone.

Something flashed across my mind; the letters I had recieved at dinner.

Quickly, I took them out from my robe pocket. One was in a neat white envelope, sarcastically addressed to 'Ms. Future Nixun Leader'. Aaron. Sheesh. :rolleyes: I opened the envelope & took out the piece of paper with his neat writing all over it.

Hello my sweet Sonata,

Well come on, the word 'Melody' does have something to do with it, doesn't it?? Admit it; you're rolling on the floor laughing at my weak humour...

In reply to your queries, Mom & Dad are doing fine. Dad...well, he's been talking to Mr. Weasley a lot, really. Getting ideas as usual. Guess what he invented yesterday?? A necklace that's supposed to show your feelings! I mean, really! It looks like any normal moonstone pendant, but the colors change according to what you're feeling. And you know what?? I think it might work this time! I'll show it to you when you come home...if dad didn't accidentally blow it up or something.

Mel, mom is really worried about this whole Devil-Maid thing. She read your last two letters. She says that if things get bad, she wants you to come home. You will, won't you? I'm already reading everything I can about them! I still haven't got to the part of defeating them, but I'm searching! It has something to do with light & a song, I know that, but I don't know exactly how. Have the Professors found anything out?? I know they said it's gone, but you mentioned that McGonagall seemed uneasy about it. Well, let me tell you something; that is NOT good. There's something fishy & I bet it's NOT good.

Regarding Rain...she'll send you a letter. Finito. That's all.

Well, I suppose I have to stop here. Sorry if this was short. Reply ASAP, you got that? We're all worried over here! Love you!

Your twin hunk,
Aaron.

I smiled & held the letter close to me. I missed Aaron SO much! I couldn't wait to see him again when the holidays rolled around. I picked up the second letter which was in a light-blue envelope with silver trimmings. Hehe. Rain. Always wanting her letters to be personal. I opened it & started to read;

Dear Mel,

Oh, Mel, how I miss you! I hope everything is going the way it should over there in Hogwarts. The Devil-Maid! Thank God it's been taken care of. Arowyn seems too sweet to die like that. You HAVE to show me your new pet when you come home!

I have to make this short, but I'll try to squeeze in anything I can. Oh, about Aaron. Mel, we had a fight the other day. It was just a minor disagreement, really. I told him that I was worried how you would handle all this, and he flared up, saying that I probably thought you were a weakling and all that. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything; he was in a very bad mood that day. But Mel, I never meant it that way at all! I know that you're an emotionally-sensitive person, and I thought that maybe this would depress you a bit. I'm yet to get to talk to him properly...he's just so worried about you.

How's Harry? Do you see any sparks?? I don't know what's wrong with you, Mel. Ever since I knew you when we were 8, you never showed any interest in boys. Don't you feel anything for Harry? Well, I guess you'll snap out of it soon enough.

That's all, I suppose. Send my love to everyone & take care, please. Until next time.

Sincerely,
Rain

I groaned. Ever since Rain graduated, she had suddenly felt the need to find someone to love. She thought that I was wierd because I was so tomboyish & never had interest in dating. And HARRY?? The girl was practically mad! Sheesh!

I put the letters away & sat down at the desk, writing replies. Finishing them, I sealed the envelopes & put them in my pocket. I'd have to borrow Hedwig again; Aurora didn't stay long enough.

I yawned again & got up :yawn:. I started walking to the dorms; call it an early night. Stepping in, I spied a curly head sitting on a bed, the curtains open. Hey, I know her! "Zoe!" I called.

She looked up, looking slightly pale & scared in the light. She was holding a sketchbook in her hand, and she had an old pencil in the other. "Mel..." she whispered, "Thank God it's you; I...I need to show you something."

I walked over to her bed, surprised :huh:. "What is it, Zoe?" I asked, sitting down beside her.

She hung her head low. "I saw something today," she mumbled, "Something that scared me so much, Mel...and this...this is what I want to show you." She showed me the thing she had been sketching. I took one look at it & fell back in shock :wow:.

"Is this what you've been keeping quiet about, Mel?" she asked tearfully.

I screamed.

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Is this what you call a cliffy? :evil: Don't worry, the next update is coming REALLY soon! :D

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"Professor!!" I screamed, bursting into the Transfiguration classroom. I was holding Zoe Geller's hand & pulling her along with me, holding her sketchbook in the other hand, my hair flying wild behind me. The Professor was sitting at her desk, her hands folded, but she wasn't alone. Another figure stood beside the desk; posture straight & tall, head bowed low, and a look of deep thought on his face. I stopped. Wait a minute...that can't be right...

"Professor Dumbledore??" :wow:

The Professors looked up at me. "Melody," said Dumbledore, a very slight frown crossing his brows, "What is the matter?"

Zoe gasped. "Professor...you're back early!"

"Why yes, Zoe, as you can see, I am," he said, "I have been told that there was...trouble...in the school," Dumbledore continued, with a nod. "And now...what is all this?" he said. "Ms. Snow?" prompted McGonagall at once, obviously waiting for an answer...or explanation, to my sudden intrudence.

"Professor McGonagall..." I breathed, letting go of Zoe's hand. I held out the closed sketchbook to her. "You...didn't tell us the truth before, did you??" I demanded, still breathless from running here all the way from the dorms. McGonagall frowned. "Ms. Snow..."

"If you don't mind, Melody, I would rather like to take a look at that," said Professor Dumbledore, holding out his hand. Immediately, I opened the book to the picture I had seen & practically thrust the book into his hand. "That very THING, Professor," I said, getting excited again, "was seen by Zoe here today! In the very walls of Hogwarts!" I cried. I nudged Zoe. "Tell them already!"

Zoe gulped :scared:. She looked rather flustered, for she could never get used to dealing with the Professors like this. "I-I saw it near the dungeons earlier today, P-Professor," she mumbled, hanging her head low. She was still considerably shook-up & teary-eyed, her curly hair in a mess.

Silence as Dumbledore studied the picture Zoe had so shakingly sketched. Concern furrowed his brow. "Minerva..." Professor Dumbledore handed the sketchbook to Professor McGonagall, stroking his beard in thought. He had another frown on his face as he shook his head slowly :no:. Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, had taken the book from his hands & studied it, adjusting her glasses & looking at it with a deep expression. Finally, she sighed & looked up at Dumbledore. "It is as we feared, Albus." :sigh:

The doors burst open with a loud *BANG*.

Zoe & I jumped & whipped around, while the Professors merely looked up calmly. Chris came running into the room, heading straight for us, his robe streaming behind him. "Mel!" he wheezed, stopping in front of us with heavy breaths. "Chris!" I cried, "What are you doing here??"

"I...know...something's...wrong..." he panted, managing to glare at me :angry:. "You were tearing...through the school...looking positively...scared..." He stopped & tried to catch his breath. "Very nice of you to join us, Mr. Barog," said Dumbledore, "And I suppose that now two of you are already here, it is only appropriate that I ask you where is Harry?"

The three of us glanced at each other. "Don't know," we replied simultaneously, shaking our heads :no: :no: :no:. All three of us said that in somewhat depressed tones :(. The two Professors exchanged anxious glances. Well, McGonagall, at least. Professor Dumbledore was, as usual, calm & collected. "It is only right that they should know what we have theorized, Minerva," spoke Dumbledore.

Professor McGonagall sighed. "Very well then, Albus. They should know." She turned to us. "I think the three of you had better sit down."

Hurriedly, we got chairs & sat in a row in front of the Professor, while Professor Dumbledore got his own chair & sat beside the desk. I could see we were in for a long, serious discussion.

For me to tell all that was said & done at the time in exact detail would be too time-consuming & pointless anyway, so I will cut straight to the point. In McGonagall's words; "...the point remains that the beast that apparently now roams free in our school grounds...has three lives exactly."

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For the rest of the night I could not manage a wink of sleep. I was so worried. I was so scared. I was so TERRIFIED. In fact, I was shaking under my blankets as I lay in my bed. The bed-curtains were drawn, allowing full view of the dorms. I tossed & turned, my eyes darting around the dark room, dreading to see the hideous form that I feared would appear.

That's it! I can't sleep! I thought to myself. I sat up in bed & looked around. Arowyn was at my side, sleeping peacefully, the moonlight streaming onto her pure white form. She did not know. I had run frantically around looking for her, my heart almost bursting with pain when I thought of the terrible news that I had to reveal to her. When I found her, however, she was already in my bed, worn out with the day's activities, slumbering in perfect peace & rest.

'...madam would not lie about this, would she?'

Arowyn's words in the dungeon again nagged at my conscious. Guilt! I hate guilt! I could still comfort myself with the fact that technically, it wasn't a lie. But as I looked at her...she was so innocent & beautiful, and she had come here looking for ME; which means that she had put her full trust in ME, and she believed that I would NEVER hide the truth from her, and she looked up to me with respect. And I had LIED to her! No, everytime I looked at the little Nixus, oblivious of the danger she was in, I couldn't push away the guilt & self-scolding.

I looked around & a shudder ran through me. There were so many shadows around in the dorms at night, it would be almost impossible to spot the beast at once if it came; there were so many places to hide! And the students...! I don't care if the Professors are 'taking care of it right now'...that thing could easily slip by unseen & sneak in here! I thought almost fiercely, And I am NOT about to let the students suffer!

I peered over the edge of my bed onto the floor. The rays of the moon lit it up, making it easy for me to see anything on that spot. Clear moonlight. No hideous form anywhere. Well...not yet. I breathed a sigh of relief. Fumbling under my pillow, I grabbed my crystal wand that I had put there for safety & put it into my pocket. Cautiously, I stepped onto the floor silently, making no sound as I slipped my feet into my slippers. I looked at Arowyn. Another wave of guilt mixed with affection :sigh:. Slowly & carefully, I slipped my arms under her form & picked her up.

Whoo...she was lighter than I thought! If Nixai were in the school by the thousand, we could easily replace them for the feathers during Levitation Charms. I found myself wondering whether it was true that Nixai were made of the spirits of twilight stars long faded, although I knew it was highly impossible.

She blinked & slowly opened her eyes. "M...Madam...?" she whispered. "Shh," I whispered back, "We're going somewhere else. Go back to sleep." She just nodded with a small sleepy smile on her face, promptly falling asleep again. Another sign of how much she trusted me. Great. And I had lied to her... :grumble:

I made my way past the beds & slowly pushed open the door. Stepping into the common-room, I was surprised to see that a fire had been lit. Someone was sitting on the couch. I don't know why, but instinctively I called out softly, "Harry?"

I was right; it WAS Harry. He peered around the side of the couch, his face in deep thought. He had obviously come down here to sit & think about something. My guess was that it was about the Devil-Maid, but with Harry, I could never be sure. "Mel...?" he said, "Wh-where are you going??" he asked in surprise, smiling slightly :smile:. "And what's with Arowyn?"

"Oh, um..." Oh, what the hey, I decided to tell him. "Harry, I need you to do me a favour," I said. "Well, alright..." he said, "but what is it?" :??:

I bit my lip. "I'm going to..." I stopped & looked down at Arowyn. Couldn't have her hearing what I was going to do. She'd be too full of questions then. I shook my head :no:. "You're going to what?" Harry asked, looking at me. "Well..." I leaned in close & whispered to him what I was going to do. He drew back & stared hard at me. "Are you sure??" he asked, "I mean, do you need me to...accompany you? I mean..." he added quickly, "...you might need some assistance or something..." His voice trailed off & his eyes turned to the fire. He then looked back at me. "Are you sure??" he asked again.

I smiled :smile:. "Harry," I said, "it's alright; I'm not doing anything life-threatening or anything. But thank you."

"Mm-hmm..."

"Look, Harry," I began again, "I should think that I can sneak out all right. What I need you to do is not to tell the Professors about this, that's all. Can you do that for me?"

He nodded. "I will." :yup: I smiled again, broader this time :). "Thank you, Harry." I started to walk towards the door.

"Mel."

I turned around. Harry stood up. He looked at me, then sighed :sigh:. "I'm just worried," he mumbled.

"I'll be alright, Harry, I promise."

"No, Mel," he said, his eyes staring warmly. "I want you to promise ME that. Promise ME that you'll be alright...please?"

I couldn't help smiling again :). "Alright, Harry Potter, I promise YOU that. Okay?"

"Just take care."

I stole out of the room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I had managed to sneak out of the school building all right. Arowyn was, luckily, still asleep in my arms. The stars were practically spilled all over the sky, and the night was rather chilly. I regretted not bringing a coat or something along. But still, where we were going would be nice & warm.

Hagrid's hut was in the distance. I peeked out from behind the wall to make absolutely sure that no one was around. Coast clear. Hagrid's hut was only dimly lit & all was silent. He too, had gone to 'take care of it', I guess. Swiftly yet silently, I tiptoed to the stable & opened the door.

Anya was asleep too, but she looked up at once when the door opened & the bright moonlight caught her closed eyes. She gave a neigh of surprise. "SHH!!!" I hissed, putting a finger to my lips. "Anya, please!" I pleaded softly, putting my hand out. "It's ok; I haven't gone mad or anything."

She watched me rather suspiciously as I lay Arowyn down beside her on the comfortable, soft straw, making sure I didn't wake the little thing up. Anya gave a demanding snort, which clearly stated that she wanted to know what in the name of eggnog was going on. "Anya," I whispered, "Arowyn & I are going to sleep here with you tonight, because of certain reasons I'm sure you would already know of considering Hagrid talks to you all the time. It won't be safe for the students if we stay in the dorms."

Anya seemed to understand, for she nodded, and lay her head down again to go to sleep. I lay beside Arowyn, resting my weary head down on Anya's back. It was soft & warm, and I found myself getting very comfortable. Somehow, this felt more 'fitting' now.

It was nice of Harry to worry, I thought to myself, my eyes growing heavy. I looked at Arowyn again. Tomorrow I'd have to tell her the truth...tomorrow... :yawn:

"Take care of yourself too, Harry," I yawned, putting my hand on Arowyn's back.

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I suppose everyone's all cozy & warm from the last chapter... :p So here's the next one!

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"Mel...hey Mel...wake up."

I opened my eyes groggily. Who on earth...? I looked up and gasped :wow:. An angel! Good God, it was...no, wait...HEY, that's no angel, that's Harry! :rolleyes:

"Harry??" I mumbled. No wonder I had thought it was an angel; He was on his knees beside me, and the sunlight streaming in directly from the sky, falling in soft rays behind him had fooled my sleepy eyes too easily :p. "Of course it's me; who did you think it was??" he asked, grinning :). I sat up, rubbed my eyes & yawned :yawn:. "Never mind," I yawned. I felt like I was in a farm, what with the stable & the horses & all. Harry stood up & held out his hand. "Come on, we're going to be late for breakfast." I took his hand & pulled myself up, still very sleepy. Perhaps I had been sleeping too well last night.

"Wait," I said. I knelt down & tapped the still-sleeping Arowyn's back lightly. "Arowyn," I whispered, "Up & about already, time for breakfast." She opened one eye & smiled. "I was already having breakfast in my dreams, madam," she whispered with a laugh :lol:. Harry laughed too. Arowyn got to her feet & nudged Anya with her nose. "Good morning, Anya," she smiled as Anya blinked rather sleepily. In reply, she snorted grumpily & turned on her side with a huff. Typical Anya the attitude-full Abraxan. "She'll be up in her own time, Arowyn," I said, "Come on."

"And good morning to you too, sir," Arowyn greeted Harry as she trotted out of the stable. Harry turned back. "See you, Anya," he grinned, closing the door.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Madam, exactly why were we in the stable last night?" Arowyn asked as she watched me brush my hair in the mirror. My eyes suddenly gave a quick flash of yellow. Panic :scared:. She sat on my bed, looking up at me & waiting. "Umm..." I put the brush down & adjusted my robe & collar. "I'll tell you later, Arowyn," I replied, walking out of the empty dorms. "But for now, let's go get some breakfast."

She jumped off the bed & flew alongside me. "Very well, madam." She started humming a happy little song, which of course, made me feel worse. Plenty of time to feel bad later when I tell her, I thought. I reached into my pocket & squeezed the Sphere, which instantly made me happy & ready to give all of Hogwarts a great big hug & a kiss. :hug: :smooch:

Harry was waiting in the common room, standing there patiently. I was surprised to see him; usually he'd go on first. "Hi, Harry," I greeted :). He looked up. "Hi," he smiled, his eyes quickly looking away. Arowyn looked up at me suddenly, raising her eyebrows :eyebrows:. Huh? :huh:

"So, shall we?" Harry said, biting his lip. Arowyn nodded :yup:. "I feel almost famished!" she laughed :D. She touched down & started skipping out of the common room, still humming happily; "La la la la la...hm hm hm..." :whistle:

I started to follow. Harry looked at me. "We'll have to get her alone later today," he said suddenly. I snapped my head up to look back at him. I smiled instead of frowning, due to the effects of the Sphere. "Well, maybe it won't go too bad." :smile: He patted my shoulder. "Hopefully," he nodded :yup:.

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We took our places at the Gryffindor table, sitting side by side. Arowyn was eating contentedly out of the little white bowl that had been put down for her on the floor behind my seat. Aah, breakfast at Hogwarts. Usually always a cheery affair. Everyone was generally happy, with the exception of a few sour, sleepy faces, usually from the Slytherin table. Discussions of what the day might hold was usually the topic of conversation, while the Professors watched from their table with approving looks, although maybe not Snape. Chris had once remarked that the only way to see a smile on Snape's face was to turn him upside down. :lol:

Today, however , there was a bit of a difference. For one thing, the candles were brightly lit, giving an almost painful brightness to the room in the early morning. The Professors were looking rather grave & solemn, and a few Gryffindors weren't smiling. Maybe they already knew. Chris & Zoe were staring blankly into their plates, with not a hint of a smile about their faces. They looked empty. Not their plates, their faces. :rolleyes: Once though, Zoe stole a look at me, and only then did I see some worry in her eyes, which quickly vanished from my sight as she looked down at her plate again. She was sitting further down the table, while Chris was sitting nearer to us.

A sound of a glass being tinkled with a spoon filled the room. Automatically, we looked up at the Professors. "Attention, please, everyone," spoke Professor McGonagall, "I believe that Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

"Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" whispered someone from our table, making us smile in feigned amusement.

Professor Dumbledore stood up.

Oh no!

I hadn't thought of this at all! I knew what he was going to tell everyone about, there was no doubt of that. But Arowyn! She would be so hurt that I hadn't told her before! I gulped & nudged Harry. He put a finger to his lips. "She had to know sometime or other," he whispered.

"First, I know that most of you are surprised to see me back so early," began Professor Dumbledore, his voice loud & clear. "Reasons for my early return are, I suppose, reasons that all of you should have the right to know, considering the recent development of situations. Students of Hogwarts, I am sad to say," he said, "that there is a dangerous beast loose in our school."

Gasps arose from students all around. The only gasp I heard was the high one from behind me. I winced & turned around. Arowyn was looking up at me with eyes wider than the moon & with an expression on her face that I would never forget :wow:. "Madam..." she whispered in horrified disbelief. I couldn't look at her anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut & whipped around again, leaning my head on my hand in complete agony, feeling like I was about to cry, scream, shout, anything! Even when Harry slipped his hand into mine & squeezed it under the table, I didn't look up. How could I have been so STUPID?? I scolded myself.

"Now, I do not want anyone to panic," continued Dumbledore, "the other Professors & I have taken many safety measures & precautions to ensure the best possible safety for everyone. Everyone," he repeated. My eyes were still squeezed shut & I was still leaning my head on my hand, but I could practically FEEL Dumbledore's gaze in my direction. It was piercing, but somehow reassuring.

"The beast that is loose is no, not a Lethifold, not a Nundu, and no, not a Banshee..." Dumbledore went on, managing to mock me playfully even in this serious speech, "but it is, in fact, something we all would agree to be equally dangerous. It is a Devil-Maid."

Again, gasps arose from Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws & Slytherins alike. "Madam..." came a high, whispered voice from behind me again, shaking with fright & disbelief, "You never..."

"This is bad enough already, Arowyn, okay??" I mumbled. I knew that most of the Gryffindors were staring at me already. I could feel their gazes. Harry, still holding my hand, squeezed it again.

"I advise everyone to please avoid dark places & if possible, make full use of all candles & lamps. Although it will be difficult for the beast to get past our...safety measures...it is not to be ruled out as a possibility," said Dumbledore. Every word he spoke was banging down onto me like a rain of guilt. WHY?? "And all Quidditch matches & visits to Hogsmeade will be cancelled until this beast has been properly vanquished," he finished. This brought slight groans from the players, but no one was really complaining. I stood up & marched out of the room.

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The door to the stable burst open. "Mel??" came Harry's worried voice, his shadow blocking the sunlight that came streaming in. "Go...away," I mumbled, my voice shaky & gulping. Harry ran in, followed by the one person, or creature, that I rather dreaded having to face; Arowyn. "Oh Mel," Harry said, rushing to my side, "Are you alright??" I had retreated to the one place I knew I would be alone; the stable. I had been wrong, though; Anya was there, looking rather frightened. She had already known, and I had spent time talking to her, crying slightly, while Harry searched for me with Arowyn.

"I'll be fine," I mumbled, wiping my tears away :'(. When it came to emotions, I was one of the most emotional people you would find...but in a good way, really. :p

"You're crying," Harry said softly, shaking his head with a sigh :sigh:. He then took me in his arms, suddenly, trying to comfort me. I buried my face into his chest, but suddenly blushed fiery red :o. Eep! What am I doing??

"It's alright," he said soothingly, "I talked to Arowyn already, and from what I guess, Dumbledore's 'safety measures' are better than we thought."

"That's right, madam," came Arowyn's high crystalline voice. I looked up at once. "Arowyn," I whispered. I pulled away from Harry's arms & hugged the little Nixus. "I'm so sorry," I whispered, "I'm so sorry I had to lie to you." The tears started rolling down my face again.

Arowyn smiled up at me & nuzzled close to my cheek. "Oh, never mind that, madam," she smiled, "You did what you thought was best for me." The forgiving little angel! I hugged her again.

"You had me...I mean, US, really worried, Mel," spoke Harry softly. I looked up at him with a grateful smile, but said nothing :smile:.

Anya had been watching all this silently, and now she nuzzled us affectionately, as if saying that she'd be ready to help, although she was really a big scaredy-cat :D. I gave Anya a hug too. "I guess I just needed to be alone & beat myself up for a while," I laughed :lol:. Harry reached into my pocket & pulled out the beautiful Nixun Sphere. "Here," he said, holding it out to me, "Give me a big smile." I reached out & squeezed the Sphere, and instantly, I smiled genuinely :). "That's better," said Harry. He stood up & pulled me up as well. "Come on," he said, "I think it's time we did some research at the Library."

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Man, this was short! :grumble: Not very happy about that...

So here's the second update today!

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The journey to the library was a silent one. My head was still spinning from thinking & my cheeks were still burning red from...well...you know... :o If Rain was here, she would never stop gushing over it & getting all dreamy on me. Fine, I admit, so what had happened really WAS rather...umm...'nice'...but still, it's not that big a deal, right?? What friend wouldn't do that?? Right...? :sigh:

In front of us, Arowyn trotted along merrily, looking as if she had not a care in the world now. She looked so happy & carefree. I started thinking back to the beginning of the year. Yes, I had been like that too; everyday going by being all happy & cheerful, feeling bliss in everything I did...but somehow, that had all changed starting from the day Kientra came to Hogwarts. No, I wasn't saying that I had turned into a depressed suicidal maniac, I meant that my days were now filled with more worries & 'drama'. Not like they used to be.

"You know, things have changed," said Harry suddenly, catching me by surprise.

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Wh-what??" I said, looking at him :huh:. He smiled at me :smile:. "Never mind," he said. We continued walking. Weird, I thought to myself.

Eranoy & Chris were already waiting for us at the library. They were hovering (not literally, mind you) around the entrance, waiting, and trying to avoid Madam Pince's suspicious glares. Chris had tried being friendly with her once, but he gave up. 'Utterly, utmostly impossible', he had said. :p

"Finally!" Chris said, throwing his hands up when he spotted us, "What HAVE you been doing??" he demanded. "Chris!" snapped Harry through gritted teeth. Chris caught sight of the tear-stains on my face & bit his lip. "Oh, uh...Mel, are you alright...?" he queried.

I laughed. "Never better, Bottles," I said, using his nickname for once in my life. "Good," he muttered, "We were starting to fret." Eranoy suddenly went up to me & gave me a hug. "It'll turn out okay," he grinned.

"Alright, break it up & let's start researching," Harry said, waving a hand at us. "Sheesh," grinned Chris, "One might think that he was jealous," he whispered to me with a wink ;).

After about 15 minutes of probing through all sorts of books, the boys still hadn't found anything much. I, however, finally came across something on one of the shelves. Picking it up, I grew a bit excited. It simply looked like the obvious answer. I hurried back to the table.

"Look at this, guys," I said, pointing. They leaned forward to look. " 'Theorized Ways of Defeating Magical Beasts; a Guide to the Best Defence'. This should be useful!" I smiled. "Good job," nodded Chris, "If this one doesn't provide the answer, we've got no choice but to consult Hagrid."

That struck me. We'd never even thought of asking Hagrid before! Oh well...

We started flipping through the book, Arowyn propping her hooves up on the table, wanting to see what was going on. Harry was tapping his fingers on the table patiently, glancing up at me now & then for some reason. Eranoy had been silent the whole time. He was probably nervous about this whole thing as well. Well, who wouldn't be?

"HEY!" I exclaimed.

Harry looked up. "What's wrong?" he asked :??:. I gawked for a while. "This," I pointed, "The page on the Devil-Maid has been ripped out!!"

"WHAT??" The boys immediately grabbed the book & stared. The exact page on where the information about the Devil-Maid should be had been ripped off! Gone! Not a speck of information left! Chris slammed his fist down on the book in frustation. "Who DID this??" he hissed fiercely. "Calm down, Chris," Harry said, "Right now, it's obvious that SOMEONE doesn't want us to know how to defeat it; someone who definitely knows we're on the case...but who??"

"That someone probably has a great deal to do with the beast, if you ask me," I said standing up. Arowyn was examining the book carefully now, and gasped when she was positively sure that our source of information had been taken away :wow:. "But who could it be??" said Chris. "Snape," I replied immediately.

Harry shook his head. "I somehow refuse to believe that, Mel; Snape was the one who tried to stop Quirrel last time, remember?"

"And Snape was the one who took away our wands in the dungeon!" I snapped back.

"That doesn't prove anything!" said Harry.

"Oh, yes it does, Harry," I said. I looked around at the three boys. "Listen," I said, "When Zoe told McGonagall & Dumbledore that she had seen the Devil-Maid, she mentioned that she had seen it at the dungeon...the DUNGEON, mind you! And twisted as my mind can be, I have never truly believed that the shape we saw, Harry," I said, turning to him, "was really only Hagrid, Arowyn & Anya! No, it was the beast, alright. Snape took away our wands & somehow made it go into the dungeon to get us. It didn't attack us then because..." I trailed off.

Silence. Chris spoke. "Because, Mel?"

It hit me. I snapped my fingers. "Because there was light! There was bright light from Hagrid's lamp! YES, that's the answer!" The boys stared at each other. "I do not understand, madam," said Arowyn. "Neither do I," said Harry, "what's light got to do with the beast?"

I propped my hands on the table & leaned forward to the boys. "Aaron once mentioned that he was still researching about the Devil-Maid. He hasn't found anything yet, but he DID mention that it has something to do with light. And remember what Dumbledore said?"

"What?"

"He said that we should make full use of all candles & lamps! That means that the beast probably won't go near bright light!"

"That's not logical," interrupted Harry, "Shadows need light to exist, and without any light, that beast won't be here at all, right?"

"Not necessarily," I said, "It already exists in shadow form, and can move about in dark or light conditions. It doesn't matter. But it stays away from bright light, BRIGHT light, for some reason. Maybe it's because so that it can't be seen that easily, and so it can't be caught." I was getting all excited now.

"I still don't see how Snape can be connected to all this," grumbled Chris. "Snape didn't let us light up the dungeon, either, Chris," I said, "It was all dark when he let us in. My suspicions on Snape don't have much proof, and it's still only an idea, but it could be, you know."

"Everything you've said does rather say something, Mel," said Harry, "but right now I really want to know WHO ripped the page out. IF it wasn't Snape, then who?"

"So you want to talk about alternative suspects," said Chris, "Alright...who could it be besides Sna-"

"I've got to go," mumbled Eranoy suddenly. He had been silent the whole time, and now he stood up to go. He had turned a bit pale & looked uneasy, fidgeting with his robe. "I...I don't um...feel well. See you later." He turned & practically ran out of the library. Something sparked within me.

I stood up straight.

"Eranoy Malfoy!" I yelled, "Bring back that missing page!!"

I pushed back my seat & ran after him, disbelief raging inside me. Eranoy Malfoy?? What on earth?! "Eranoy!" I yelled again, "Come back here!" Behind me, I could hear footsteps running along; Harry, Chris & Arowyn were following.

We chased him down the lonely, dim corridor like mad dogs, slowly closing in on him, but it was hard; he was such a swift runner! I whipped out my wand. "Ferula!" I said. An extremely long wooden rod appeared in my hand. Gaining speed, I managed to trip Eranoy with it, causing him to fall with a *THUD*. "Ouch!" I heard Chris exclaim, "That's GOT to hurt."

Before Eranoy could pick himself up & run off again, I ran up to him & caught him by the arm. "Eranoy!" I hissed, "You give me that page RIGHT NOW."

"NO!" He pulled his arm away from my grip, but I grasped it again. "Eranoy," I said again, "Give...it...BACK." :angry:

Harry & Chris came running up. "Alright, Malfoy," Harry demanded, kneeling down close to Eranoy, "what have you got to do with that beast??"

"Nothing! I..."

Arowyn's horn suddenly glowed, making us stop. She stepped close to Eranoy, staring at his pocket all the while in concentration. And then, suddenly, out of his pocket, floated the missing page! We stared in awe. "Grab it!" cried Arowyn, still concentrating. "No!" Eranoy cried, trying to reach out for it. Chris, standing up, quickly reached out & grabbed it quite easily. He unfolded it & smoothed it out. "Hold him while I read it," he hissed, feeling rather angry :angry:.

Harry & I gripped each of Eranoy's arms while Chris read through it briefly. He shook his head :no:. "It says you have to sacrifice a good soul willingly to defeat it, because good can triumph over evil. But whoever gives up their soul will, in turn, become a Devil-Maid themselves, unable to feel anything but evil & hate."

Arowyn gasped & Harry stared unbelievingly :wow:. I gawked. I didn't know it would go up to that extent! Eranoy wriggled in our grasp. "THAT'S why I ripped it out!" he cried, and looked up at me, "Mel, I knew that in order to save the rest of us, you would go give yourself up, and I didn't want that to happen!"

My eyes were wide. I hung my head low while the others stared at me in silence. What if I had no other choice? I released Eranoy's arm & just stared at the floor. What if I had no other choice??

"Don't do it, Mel," whispered Harry suddenly. He, too, let go of Eranoy & put his hand on my shoulder. "There has to be some other way. Some less horrible way," he said gently, "Don't you think of doing it."

"There IS a way!" Eranoy cried. I stared at him. "What??"

"There IS another way you can defeat it without having to kill anyone!" said Eranoy. Chris dropped to his knees suddenly & grabbed Eranoy by the collar. "Why didn't you say so before, you bloody oaf?!" he demanded. Eranoy frowned & pushed Chris's hands away. "Because I don't know WHAT that way is!" he answered.

"Then...?!"

"I only know there IS an alternative, I just don't know WHAT," Eranoy said, frowning at Chris again. "Whoa whoa," Harry said, "You say there's another way??"

Eranoy nodded :yup:.

"Well great," Harry said, standing up & pulling me along, "Where do we find it out?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We waited patiently. Aaron would be here soon. In his last letter (not the one you had read), he had mentioned to me that he was close to finding out how to defeat the Devil-Maid, but right now, there was no time to wait for a letter. I had sent IMMEDIATE word for him to talk to us through wizard-fire.

Chris tapped his foot. "Where IS he??" he grumbled :grumble:. Harry sat beside me on the couch, both of us rather sleepy. We were all in our pyjamas. We had sneaked down here at this late hour so that no other students would interrupt.

Suddenly, the fire blazed, and *POP!*. There was Aaron's handsome blonde head in the fire, flashing us all a million-watt smile :D. "Hi everyone," he greeted, looking around. We stared back sleepily. "My, you're a lively crew," he added, grinning.

I rushed to the fireplace. "Aaron," I breathed, "Thank God! We really need your help."

Harry & Chris stumbled over to sit beside me. "Aaron, we need to know how to defeat the Devil-Maid," Harry said. "Hah! I knew that was coming up," grinned Aaron, "That's why I got the book ready!"

"You mean you found out already??" I gasped excitedly. Aaron shrugged. "Well, when you told me to meet you, I knew it had something to do with the darned creature, so I went frantic looking," he replied with a wink ;D. "Aaron, you're the best," I smiled, "Now tell us quick! Please," I added.

"Ok ok ok..." muttered Aaron. We saw him flip through a green book that had golden writing in front. "Theorized Ways of Defeating Magical Beasts; a Guide to the Best Defence," Aaron said, "the new & improved version!" he grinned. We stared at each other & groaned. "Stupid library," Chris muttered grumpily.

"Madam?" came a sleepy voice.

We turned around. "Arowyn."

She trotted close to us. "Oh, madam, who is that??" she asked, drawing back from the fire. I laughed & pulled the little Nixus close. "Aaron, this here is Arowyn. Arowyn, this is my twin, Aaron."

"So this is Arowyn," smiled Aaron, "Cool...I can't believe I'm seeing a real Nixus! How are you, lassie?"

Arowyn smiled. "Very well sir. I thought you were madam's..." She stopped & smiled shyly. "You know..."

Aaron stared...and laughed :lol:. "Don't worry, Ary, lots of people used to think that we were a couple," he grinned. "Sheesh, guess someone's gonna have to nab her soon, or we'll be getting that until we're like 90! Any candidates?"

Arowyn looked up at me & winked ;).

"So how do we defeat that thing?" asked Chris rather impatiently, running a hand through his hair & yawning :yawn:. "Oh right," said Aaron. He turned to a page in the book. "Well, it seems that the Devil-Maid's worst enemy is, ta dah!, a Nixus!" he said, grinning at Arowyn :). He looked at the page again. "What you have to do," he continued, "is..." He scratched his head, "sing the Nixun song of Purity??" He stared at us. "Anyone got any idea what the heck is that??"

"I do," replied Arowyn, "but please go on, sir."

"Well, as long as you know what it is, that's good. Now," he continued, "it has to be sung by a Nixus, since only Nixai are capable of it, and while the Nixus is singing, it has to lure it into bright sunshine, where someone's got to stab it in the hunch with their wand, which has to be lit up by the Lumos spell. Or the Nixus can stab it with their lit-up horn...but I warn you," Aaron said, looking at Arowyn, "if you're the one who does the stabbing, you might die."

"She's not stabbing anything," I said at once, "We'll take care of it." Harry & Chris nodded in agreement. "So is that all?" asked Harry, "It definitely sounds better than the one..." He lowered his voice to a whisper, "...the one Eranoy ripped out."

"Lemme check," said Aaron, scanning the page again, "Umm...uh-huh, that's pretty much all. So you're off to be heroes now?" he grinned :D.

"Tomorrow," I said, "We won't be able to see it in the night. Besides," I added, "the Professors have ensured that it'll be very difficult for the beast to get in."

"Okay then," nodded Aaron, "I'm off to get a nice hot chocolate. Take care, you," he said, looking at me, his expression suddenly worried. "Don't let anything happen to you. And if anything DOES happen, I'd appreciate it if you came back to haunt us," he added, laughing :lol:.

"Don't worry, Aaron," smiled Harry.

Aaron gave a wave. "See you." We waved back, and the fire went out. Chris stood up. "Well, at least Eranoy won't fret anymore," he grinned.

We made our way back to our dorms, thinking about tomorrow. Would we be able to defeat it??

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Morning already?? I thought, my eyes staring out the window while my head remained comfortable on the pillow. Unbelievable! I hadn't slept at all!

I sat up & wrinkled up my nose. I hadn't been able to sleep at all last night, due to thinking long & hard about defeating the Devil-Maid & protecting Arowyn. I had tried to devise strategies, come up with plans, think of the safest ways to attack...and somehow or other, I had rather been longing to go sleep in the stable again :o.

I ran a hand through my dark hair. Hmm...whatever master plans or plots I had thought of during the night had somehow faded into thin air. Discussing this with Harry & Chris would help, I suppose. Maybe then I'd remember anything I had thought of last night. Harry...hmm...

It suddenly hit me how incredibly weary I was from not having slept at all. Yes, I had tried, of course. You don't have to be an Albert Einstein to figure out that you have to sleep when you feel tired :rolleyes:. But with all the thoughts spinning through my head, it had been impossible to slumber. Sheesh.

"Arowyn." I shook her gently. She, on the other hand, was still having her good night's rest. Some creatures get all the luck!

She twitched her lips sleepily & opened her eyes. "Mmf...good morning, madam..." she yawned :yawn:. "Morning, Arowyn. Feeling excited?" I replied. She stared at me blankly for a moment, then suddenly got to her feet...uh, hooves. "Madam!" she gasped, "Today's the day we attempt destroying the beast, is it not??" she breathed.

I shrugged. "Well, yes. No problems, I presume?"

She shook her head. "Well...not that I can think of at this moment, madam," she replied. I climbed out of bed. All the other students were still asleep, as usual. All their curtains were drawn & gentle snoring filled the room. Music to my ears compared to what I had heard in the boys' dorms :p ! "Come on, Arowyn," I said, "Best get ready for breakfast." Hope Harry will be waiting for me downstairs, I thought.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Indeed, to my surprise & delight, Harry WAS standing there, waiting. He smiled at us :). "Morning, beauti...I mean, morning everyone," he said, staring at the floor & holding back a laugh. I pranced down the stairs happily, followed by Arowyn. "Hello, Harry," we greeted. "Mm-mm, I'm starving!" I exclaimed, "Wonder what's for breakfast?"

"Something exciting, I hope," said Harry.

We were practically skipping all the way to the Great Hall. Rounding a corner, we saw our favourite giant; Hagrid! :clappy: "Hagrid!" I called out. He looked up at us & gave us a little smile. "Mornin' there, Harry, Melody, and of course, you too, Arowyn," he greeted. I laughed & pranced down the hallway, running to give the big softie a huge hug :hug:.

Hagrid coughed. "Ahem...now now, what's...what's all this about?" he said, patting my head affectionately. I looked up at him. "Oh, nothing, we're going to have breakfast right?? I'm just hungry & happy!" I grinned :D. Harry & Arowyn stepped up to us, beaming. "Right, right..." replied Hagrid. He gave Harry a pat on his shoulder & bent down slightly. "Funny thing, that girl, Harry," he whispered, "One meal all distraught & cryin', and the next one, all out tuh smother people with her big lovin' hugs."

"Hey! I heard that, Hagrid!"

"An' uh...one more thing, Harry..." Hagrid whispered something to Harry that this time I couldn't hear. Harry, listening, suddenly turned bright red with a look of absolute 'HUH?' :o. He stared at me for a split second before turning away.

Hagrid stood up straight again. "An' dontcha forget that, laddie," he winked ;). Harry laughed nervously, not knowing where to look :sorry:. "Uh...he-he...well, Hagrid...I had no idea you...*cough*. Never mind."

"What's going on??" I laughed, "Men!"

"Exactly, Melody," nodded Hagrid :yup:, "It's men's stuff. Now come along, you two..." And to which he proceeded to end his sentence with a muttered word we couldn't make out. Arowyn just shrugged & followed us, muttering, "Men!" :lol:

It wasn't long before the Great Hall was filled with hungry students, eager to start their day. We took our places at the table while Arowyn waited patiently for her bowl to be put down, as usual. She would have to wait; our food hadn't been sent up yet.

A grip on my shoulder. "EEP!"

I turned around. "Chris...!" I said through gritted teeth, "Do you mind??" He laughed. "Be a sport, Mel," he grinned, "No use trying to fake annoyance, either, 'cos I can see that you're VERY happy today..." he added with a wink ;). "What??" I said :huh:. "Oh, you know..." he smiled slyly, "You...Harry..."

EEP!

"me...Arowyn..."

Oh...PHEW!

"Think we'll be able to take it down?" he whispered discreetly, "I'm getting all jumpy!" He did a sarcastic little jump to emphasize his point. "I don't know, Bottles, but I have a good feeling we will," nodded Harry, "Now go jump at your own seat! Dumbledore's coming."

Chris poked Harry poke:. "I'll leave you two alone then," he grinned & ran off laughing before Harry could throttle him & actually MESS his immaculate hair up.

The meal went smoothly. I, however, could hardly eat anything due to feeling too excited over everything. Maybe the fear would sink in later when we were actually facing the beast, but for now, I felt ready to take on anything! That thing is going down!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I waited in the common-room patiently. A few other students were there, playing a game of wizard's Monopoly. "Hah! I'm buying a hotel for Azkaban!" a boy cried, laughing in glee :elaugh:. "Hotel to Azkaban," he commanded, his partners groaning. A realistic model of a tiny hotel suddenly constructed itself right there, brick by brick, at lightning speed on the property square of Azkaban prison. I watched in amusement. Then, I checked my watch. Harry, Chris & Arowyn should be here anytime now. I got up from the couch & started pacing around the room aimlessly. "Everything all right, Mel?" a girl enquired. "Oh, fine," I replied simply. Fine, my dear head! When I am fidgety, I NEVER feel fine! I just COULDN'T keep still right now! I had my doubts, yes, but overall, I was confident that we would be able to take it down. It sounded simple enough; Arowyn sings the song of Purity, lures it into the sunlight, and I stab it with my Lumos-ready wand. Simple! Wait a minute...Arowyn was yet to explain the song of Purity to us!

A creak of the door Ah! They were here.

"Mel, Chris can't come," mumbled Harry, shaking his head :no:. Arowyn stood at his feet, looking up at me. "What??" I exclaimed, "but why??"

"Fate suddenly decided that today would be the best day for him to recieve detention. For WHAT I don't know. He wouldn't say."

"Well, all right then," I nodded. I started to walk out the door. "We'll need privacy, follow me."

We walked down the hallway silently, trying not to look too suspicious. "Mel," Harry said, "I thought we were supposed to be heading to the stable?"

"Something came to mind," I replied, "Something we should know before anything else if this attack is going to work."

I led them to one of the empty 'practise rooms'; empty rooms where students often come to practise their spells & whatnots. Perfect! We would have privacy here. Heck, we'd BETTER have privacy here...

"Right, Arowyn," I said, sitting down on one of the four chairs in the room, "I think you should explain the Nixun Song of Purity or whatever you call it before we proceed."

Arowyn raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I was not highly expecting that, madam," she confessed, "but I am glad you have chosen to ask." She flew up to the table in front of the chairs & sat down, facing me. Harry slid into the chair beside me & waited for her to speak. I slid my eyes to him for a second, then quickly looked back at Arowyn.

She took a breath & began. "The Nixun Song of Purity, madam," she began, "is one of our ways of warding off evil. The majority of our species is good & kind, even considered pure. And, well," she smiled, "good conquers evil, does it not?" We nodded. "I see," I said, "So you sing this song which apparently has some 'good' power in it & it drives off evil beasts??"

Arowyn shrugged. "Pretty much so, madam," she said, "But there is a...'catch'."

I groaned. "Do NOT tell me you don't know how to sing it! That would ruin everything!"

"No, it wouldn't," laughed Harry. "What do you mean?" I said. "Well..." He touched my forehead gently & gave it a playful little push. "You've got this." :)

I touched my forehead. "The Symbol," I laughed. And then it struck me; are Nixai REALLY that good?? I mean, what's with all the moral values around?? 'Symbol of Trust, Sphere of Bliss, Song of Purity...I mean, really... But hey, if anyone could snap them back to reality, Kientra could. ;D But why, oh WHY, did I tingle at Harry's touch?? :sigh:

We turned back to Arowyn. "So what's the catch?" asked Harry. "Nothing of the sort, madam," Arowyn said, "Of course all Nixai are born with the ability to sing the song of Purity. It is in our blood."

"Even if you're mute??" I grinned :D.

"If we're mute, the song comes straight from our hearts to our horn, madam" she replied, with a sly smile. Right...she knew I wasn't expecting that. "Braaag, mythical creature, braaaagg..." I grinned :D.

"So the catch is..." Arowyn continued, "...the song takes time to develop in each of us, madam. Some have the song's powers fully developed in them even when they are born. Some may take up to years to own it. I am not sure of mine," she sighed :sigh:. "So you're saying that even if you sing this song, it might not work??" said Harry. "I am afraid so, sir," the little Nixus replied, "and I cannot be sure until we face the beast."

"Well," I said, "it's off to the stable then! Come on."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We jogged across the grass to Anya's stable, making sure to be as quiet as we could as so not to let Hagrid hear us. Harry was clutching his Firebolt in his hands. He had made a wise decision to bring it along; we might need it as an alternate form of transportation should anything happen. "You know, Harry," I whispered to him as we reached the stable, "I...didn't think you'd still be doing this sort of thing after graduation." I laughed. "Silly, I know..."

Harry smiled. "Well...at least I'm not alone." He stared into my eyes for a moment before giving me another warm smile. I could only weakly return it before feeling my cheeks grow hot. They've been turning red a lot lately... :o

I opened the door to the stable & stepped in. I got a surprise.

"Anya!" I cried, "Where's Anya??"

Harry & Arowyn stared around the small stable. There was NO WAY she could be hiding anywhere here! Miniature Abraxan or not, she couldn't hide behind anything here! At least her tail would've showed.

"Oh no..." I slapped my forehead. "I TOLD her not to go anywhere! She knows what we're supposed to do...!"

Suddenly, we heard a sound. A soft, laughing neigh, which stopped abruptly when we looked around in surprise. "Anya??" I cried, "You're here??" Harry looked around. "But she couldn't be..." he said.

"Oh, but she could," nodded Arowyn, "She could :yup:". She suddenly looked around cautiously, the horn on her head glowing again. She stepped around the stable slowly, poking her nose around as if she was feeling for something. "Aha!" she cried suddenly. She bit at something in the air & tugged...

...and OFF fell Harry's invisibility cloak to reveal a very shocked-looking Anya!

We stared in complete disbelief :wow: :wow:. "Oh, my, God..." I whispered. Anya grinned back rather sheepishly :sorry:.

"You...cunning fox of a horse...you WHAT?!" gasped Harry.

"Anya!" I stepped up to my horse & gave her a tweak on the ear, making her rear back with a pained snort. "You actually went of to the point of...doing THIS just because you're one big chicken??!" :wow:

"She is a horse, madam, and so am I...although slightly different."

"Hush, Arowyn..." shushed Harry. "Sorry," Arowyn whispered back. "I do not believe this!" I cried, throwing my hands up. "She actually mustered up a plan just so she wouldn't be involved in saving the school??" I picked Harry's cloak up & handed it to him. "Here, Harry, you should keep it away from her. I bet you anything she wanted to sneak into the Kitchens with that!" Another sheepish neigh indicated I was right.

Harry looked at his cloak. "Smart horse, really..." he said slowly. "WHAT?" I said, wrinkling up my nose. Did I hear right??

Harry stroked his chin, thinking. "We could use this," he said.

Silence.

"Hmm."

I took Anya's silver reins & led her out of the stable. "Come on then, everyone. Into the Dark Forest we go! And may luck be on our side," I added.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I still suffer that same sinking feeling everytime I think about this story ending!! :sigh:

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We quickly made our way to the dark, gloomy forest that lay ahead us, the one where all you could feel around you was evil, no matter how cheerful you tried to feel. It was right there even in the very colour of the trees, the rustling of the leaves, the shadows of the unspeakable creatures that roamed within, and even in the air that blew lurkingly about, pushing dead leaves & pieces of rotten bark along the damp ground. No man in his right mind would call this place a place of enjoyment, but right now, we had a reason to go there.

I looked around briefly once more. Even in this daylight, the light from the candles & lamps in the school could clearly be seen glaring from the windows. People were afraid. The students hardly dared to go to class in fear that they might step on the beast. Although it hadn't managed to break in through the spells & enchantments the Professors had cast, everyone was still taking caution. Even at night the lights were still brightly on in the dorms, and no one dared to step out of the building in the evening, let alone the night. "Harry," I whispered, "Aragog won't be around to...'interfere', will he?"

Harry smiled :). "No...don't worry. No reason he should." I nodded :yup:. "Well, come on then," I said, "I cannot WAIT to see that beast down & cooked!"

"Thought you were terrified of it...?" :huh:

"Well, Harry," I said, "We have a school to protect & a Nixus, too." Arowyn looked up at me gratefully. "Sure you know the song, Arowyn?" I asked. She shook her head :no:. "I KNOW it, yes, but whether or not it works...we shall have to see, madam." She bent down & picked up the lamp we had brought along, holding it with her teeth.

Harry mounted himself onto his broomstick & nodded at me. I hopped up onto Anya, taking her reins. "Now then, Anya," I said, patting her face, "No nonsense, alright?"

We hurriedly made our way to the Forbidden Forest.

The very minute we entered, practically all sunlight seemed swallowed up by the gloom of it all. What light there was seeped in through the leaves in a sinister way, and a thick wet mist hung around greyly, forming the illusion of ghostly silhouettes & making it slightly difficult to breathe. It smelled murky & the slight smell of leaves that hung around in the air was that of dead leaves. The whole place was evil! The place was scary. Anya shook her head & neighed disapprovingly. She wanted out, I knew. This environment wasn't the most pleasant of all, but...

"What was that??"

I looked around, feeling a quick jump of my nerves. "What is it, Harry?" I asked :scared:. He frowned. "I...thought I heard something..." he said. A chill ran down my spine. "Well, what DID you hear??" I managed to ask weakly, still looking around, "A scream? A howl? A werewolf ripping the meat off human bones??"

Anya neighed loudly & reared back, terrified. "No! Calm down, Anya!" I cried, trying to keep myself from falling off, tugging at her reins. She calmed down, of course, but was still considerably uneasy. Arowyn, somehow, didn't seem at all stirred by anything. She looked as calm as calm goes. "You'll have to watch what you say, Mel," Harry whispered to me with a wink ;D.

I shrugged. "All right, come on now, we need to move away from the school." We rode deeper into the Forest, every now & then getting a small fright from evil sounds & growls around. Occasionally, we would pass a rare ray of sunshine peeping out from the thick leaves of the trees, shining down like Hope in the dimness. Anya moved slowly, her hooves clop-clop-clopping along the ground, making me, the rider, sway gently. "Harry," I whispered, leaning down slightly from my horse. He looked rather grayish in the dim forest light, and was flying alongside me on his Firebolt slowly, keeping a sharp eye out for anything. "Hmm?" he replied, looking at me. "What does a Devil-Maid sound like?" I asked. His eyes turned back to the front & he remained silent for a while, his brows furrowed in a frown. "Hmm..." he said, "Well...I don't know! Arowyn?" He craned his neck out to peer at the little horse, flying on my other side, still holding the unlit lamp in her teeth. "Well, shir," she replied, "the beasht ish rightly shilent," she replied. I held back a laugh. She couldn't rightly SHPEAK with that thing in her mouth :lol:.

We pressed on for about 10 minutes, until Arowyn suddenly asked us to 'shtop'. She flew up to me & handed me the lamp. "I sense it around here somewhere, madam," she whispered, her eyes darting around :scared:, "I think Anya should keep her feet off the ground."

"Oh, right..." I nudged Anya. She rolled her eyes & flapped her wings, grumbling to herself in her own horse-like way :grumble:. We hovered about 2 feet above the ground, making sure there were no evil shadows lurking about anywhere nearby. Harry, too, hovered a bit higher up on his broom, looking around on the ground. "This won't be easy," I whispered. "Arowyn, go on."

Arowyn took a deep breath & shut her eyes. Yet again, her horn glowed (gee...Nixai sure use them a lot! :p ) & the light seemed to pulse lightly, dimming & glowing, dimming & glowing, with a pearl-white light. It shone so brightly that we had to shield our eyes. "I see it..." she whispered, "It has...it has seen us, too, madam...and has been following us."

Harry & I exchanged surprised glances. We didn't know that! :scared:

Arowyn opened her eyes & gave us a shock. Her eyes had turned milky white, leaving no trace of the clear brown she owned :wow:! Anya reared back with a surprised neigh. "Shh..." I patted her face gently, "Nothing to be afraid of," I assured gently.

"And so I have seen, madam..." Arowyn whispered, in a voice that was NOT hers...a voice that sounded like the voice of Dreia, only deeper & mistier, which made us gasp in surprise. Now, in the dim grey light that seeped through the trees, she looked so unlike herself. Her white body seemed to glow in our sinister misty surroundings, making her seem ethereally ghostly & mysterious. The pink colour on her horn, her mane, her tail and her hooves now looked whitish, adding to her seemed change. The glow on her horn seemed to cast faint shadows that danced around her face, lighting up her strange white eyes. Harry & Anya too, looked pale & unreal in the evil light that surrounded this whole gloomy forest of danger, although they didn't seem as much changed as Arowyn did. "I have seen whereabout the creature lies, madam...it is coming..." she continued, "...coming to follow my summons to it..."

"She's calling the creature here??" whispered Harry. "It's the best way, Harry," I replied, still watching Arowyn. It was rather creepy watching her like that. She didn't seem like Arowyn at all. It was like...like...like she was POSSESSED! But of course...we all know that that wasn't true.

All so suddenly, the light from the horn vanished in a bright blinding flash, making us look away quickly. And when we had blinked a few times & looked back...there she was, our own sweet innocent Arowyn, looking ahead blankly, with her eyes wide. Then, suddenly, she seemed to snap out of a trance, snapping her head back & blinking rapidly. "It comes, madam," she whispered, now looking up at us with a rather frightened pair of now-brown eyes.

We had hardly prepared ourselves for anything, when suddenly...a feeling of complete uneasiness swept over us. "It's close," Harry nodded, "Can't you all feel it?" I bit my lip. I had a school to protect, a Nixus's life to save...but now that it had come to this, I couldn't help feeling a bit frightened. Tales of the Chamber of Secrets swept back into my mind. I glanced at Harry. He looked calm & cool (ooh, not to mention dashingly handsome!!), hovering on his broomstick & looking around almost casually. He faced a BASILISK, for God's sake! HOW does he do it?? I thought to myself. On the other hand, I was really rather surprised that I had managed to keep calm too. I gripped Anya's reins tighter. If my horse chose to panic suddenly...goodness knows what might happen...

A cold, eerie wind suddenly blew, and the sound of dry, dead leaves being blown & swept about the ground suddenly arose. I caught my breath. "What is happening...?" I whispered, looking around. "The beast is angry, madam," Arowyn whispered, "It approaches with rage...it is evil." I gulped. Well...no turning back now...that thing was going down!! ...I hope... :scared:

Suddenly, in the distance, we spotted something dark. Anya squinted & touched down to the ground again, peering out. Our eyes were rooted to the ground...something evil shooting along the ground, fast & wild, coming towards us like a black flood of doom...it was here!!

Anya neighed loudly in fright & stepped back, tossing & jumping about lightly, scared. I could only stare at the thing that fast approached us, completely oblivious to all other growls & scary sounds around us & all else that surrounded me, but somehow I managed to stop my horse & get her to stand still. She flapped her wings immediately, her body jerking, and hovered up again, scared out of her wits. Suddenly, I cried, "RUN!!"

I turned Anya around & we flew faster & deeper into the forest, the wind beating against our faces & making my hair stream out. Anya's mane brushed against my face, occasionally poking into my eyes. I swiped it away & raised my head higher, looking over her head, the lamp gripped tightly in my hand.

"HOI!!"

Harry & Arowyn suddenly appeared at my sides. "MEL!" Harry cried above the wind, keeping up with Anya easily on his Firebolt, "What are you DOING?!" he shouted.

We flew faster, the wind roaring into our ears & making our eyes squint & water slightly. "We forgot something!!" I yelled back, hoping he could hear me, although I knew he could. "We forgot to find SUNLIGHT!!"

Behind us, we could hear mad yappings & rustling leaves, signalling that the creature was following us. So, it WASN'T a silent creature after all! The sounds it made...the snarling, growling, DEMONIC hisses...it sent me shivering to a point where I had to hold on extra-tight to make sure I didn't fall off. Like a deranged werewolf, it pressed on in hot pursuit of us. Where's sunlight when you need it?! I cried out in my mind. "Arowyn!!" I yelled, looking at the little Nixus, whose mane & tail were streaming out behind her. She was panting slightly from flying so hard. "Arowyn!" I cried again, "Can you lead us to some light?!"

"I will try, madam!!" she cried above the wind. Anya was still shaking as Arowyn flew in front of us & led us on.

We charged through the forest desperately, not seeing any light at all. Although I trusted Arowyn, I couldn't help feeling a sinking feeling deep inside as I noticed that there didn't seem to be sunlight anywhere! How much longer can we keep this up...? I thought to myself. Anya was panting already, and she was still shaking. If she collapsed...NO, she wouldn't! Abraxan's are strong!! Anya HAS to be! We were in danger! That creature behind us was gaining! I could hear it's frightening demonic snarls coming closer...!

"Well, madam!" yelled Arowyn, "We will have to MAKE some!!"

Suddenly, she raised her head. And then, there was a horribly bright blinding flash of white light that stung my eyes.

"AAH!!!"

Sunlight?! Arowyn had created...no, not sunlight, but light anyways!! I squeezed my eyes shut. In the split second I did so, I heard Anya give a loud neigh of shock. "NO, ANYA!" I cried. Too late! Unable to stop, she skidded sideways violently in the air, and I felt myself slipping off the side as she jerked, fell & practically bounced off the ground, coming to a rough landing. And what about me??

I had been thrown roughly away, chucked off my horse's back with great force when she had jerked violently before falling herself. I managed to open my eyes for only a second. The bright light from Arowyn's horn was still there, casting light all over the gloomy trees. The ground was below me, and I was sailing roughly & painfully through the air before feeling myself get smashed against a hard tree & fall to the ground with a painful, dizzying *CRASH*!

"MELLLLL!!!!!!!"

Harry...?

"Ughhhh..."

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"MELLL!!! MELLLLL!!!!"

I'm alive...

My head was spinning & the back of my head throbbed. My knees were practically pounding from the pain & for a moment, I thought that I had broken my nose. It wasn't the pain that hurt much now, it was the spinning & dizzying feeling in my head. It went down all the way to the pit of my stomach, making me want to throw up & cough blood!

"Ugh..."

I struggled to move my limbs, but it seemed impossible! I collapsed again before I could even really move.

I was only faintly conscious at the time, but I heard Harry's step as he touched down beside me. I felt Harry put his arm around me & try to sit me down in front of him on his broomstick. "Oh, Mel..." he gasped, "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, please don't be dead..." he prayed as he struggled to sit me down properly. And all the while, those horrific snarls from the beast could still be heard, and the wind that was blowing sounded & felt equally evil. I felt the broom rising up & swaying slightly before speeding off.

I coughed & opened my eyes. Things were blurry at first, but soon I could see properly again, although the rushing wind made it slightly difficult. The place was brightly lit up now by Arowyn's horn, and the wind was stinging my eyes, making them water. Behind us, the growls continued as the beast charged on, determined to kill us all, especially Arowyn.

"Mel! THANK GOD!" Harry cried above the wind, his words drowned out slightly, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT??" He pushed my back up slightly with his hand. "HOLD ON!"

"Wha-??" I slowly realized again where we were & what was happening, and hurriedly sat up & gripped the handle of the broom, Harry's hands ahead of mine, steering. All at once my heart started pounding again as I thought of the danger we were in. "Where's Anya?!" I yelled, as we swayed & dipped, flying upwards so that there was no chance we'd get hurt by the creature. "She's run away!" Harry shouted, "Picked herself up & flew off!"

"WHAT?!!" :wow:

I couldn't believe it! She had deserted us!! :angry:

Suddenly, we stopped. From the ground, we heard a beautiful, mysterious song, filled with wordless notes of mystic & innocence, all suggesting Purity. Arowyn had begun the song! Harry braked the broom & flew slowly down so we could see if she was safe. Her horn was still lit up, making it all too easy to see the demonic shadow that had stopped merely a few feet away from her. That shape! That exact shape! "Harry!" I whispered, "It's exactly like the one we saw in..."

"That's because it WAS the one we saw in the dungeon!" he whispered back. I felt like a boulder had dropped down into my stomach & my eyes started flashing as I caught my breath. How close we had come to death! How miraculously lucky we were that none of the students had died! And SNAPE!! I gasped. He DID let it in! I was sure of it now!! Wait till Dumbledore hears about THIS! I thought fiercely, He'll have quite a few words to say then!

Harry steered us to a tree & landed us on a broad branch, covered in a slightly leafy smell & scattered with moss. We got off the broomstick & crouched down on the branch, hiding behind the leaves. Harry held his broomstick close to him. Neither of us said a word, for we were listening...listening...

Below us, Arowyn continued singing. Note by note she sang, not with words, but with chords & notes, and as you can imagine, no single person nor creature can sing with chords! No, it sounded like a choir of angels, or Nixai, all singing together in perfect harmony. The tune swelled to a slightly higher, louder note, flowing along as beautifully as a stream, washing along the smooth pebbles with clear loveliness. Like a winter breeze, icy yet comforting, mysteriously & melodiously calling out to you to come forth & feel its' cool magical embrace. Like a lingering mystical dream, so unreal yet vivid, stunning your mind & mystifying your imagination to a point where you somehow CANNOT believe that is real! Yet it was right there in front of us, in front of our very eyes! Listening to it made me feel like I was somewhere unreal...somewhere way beyond anyone's imaginations of the mystical, where anything & everything was filled with pure magic & love. The feelings of awe it made me feel...I felt like I was in the presence of a goddess! I wanted to drop down on my knees & bow down to Arowyn, all the while indulging my ears to only the sound of that heavenly music. I may have been angry with Snape & frightened of the creature before, but now I felt completely at peace & suddenly braver than the courage of a thousand lions squished together in a fairy's shoebox! "Harry, it's going down!" I hissed, turning to him, quickly. I suddenly gasped & drew my head back when I saw how very close our faces were. One more centimeter, and we'd have... :o

"What...?" he whispered, drawing back as well. I felt suddenly surprised at myself. Why did I feel the urge to hug him, hold him close to me...? I shook my head. "I...I have to stab it!" I said, " 'Stab it in the hunch,' remember??"

The pain from my rough crash into the tree earlier was still there, and I guess it showed. I swayed slightly as I stood up & took the broomstick from his hands. "Stay here, Harry," I said, "I have to kill that creature." I started to get on the broom.

"No!" he cried, jumping up & taking my hand, "You're not going alone!" he insisted, "I...I'm going with you." At that, I smiled :). "Thank you, Harry," I whispered. Before I knew what I was doing, I leaned in close & kissed him gently on the cheek, letting my lips linger awhile. I pulled away & saw his face staring at me with complete genuine surprised delight. His cheeks seemed to turn beet-red & his lips slowly turned up into a smile :). "Um *ahem*...shall we?" I said. He nodded :yup:. "Let's go get that devil!" he cried, and OFF we jumped from the branch, and DOWN we flew! Downwards, with the ground shooting up towards us. I whipped out my wand with one hand. "Lumos!" I cried, and immediately, the tip lit up & glowed. Harry jerked the handle of the broom up & steered it to the beast. "Closer, Harry!" I yelled, not above the wind, but above Arowyn's angelic voice. The song was gradually growing louder, and now the whole forest was filled with her song that seemed to filter through the very leaves & grass, and penetrate the murky waters of the nearby rivers. Loud, but not defeaning, as the song had a fading echo to it that gave it an unearthly quality.

Harry steered the broom down closer towards the creature, that had somehow swelled in size immensely. The hunch on it's back was practically the size of Hagrid :wow:! He tipped the broom slightly to the side, so that I could lean down & stab it. We pulled our feet up as so not to step on it & well...die. "Go on, Mel!" Harry urged. I nodded & raised my wand, ready to strike.

The song stopped abruptly. "NO MADAM!!!"

"Huh?" We looked up & saw Arowyn looking at us, shaking her head. "You must not do it now, madam!" she cried, and with a power that seemed to come from within her, made Harry's broomstick fly up higher, away from the Devil-Maid, with us not being able to control it. We stared at it left & right in complete shock. "Arowyn!" I yelled, "What are you DOING??!"

All of a sudden, the beast regained it's movement & it's head seemed to look up at us, snarling & growling, it's piercing sound sending a shudder through us. Now that the song had stopped, once again the roaring of the cold, evil wind could be heard.

In a white flash, Arowyn had flown up to us, hovering in front of my face. "You must not do it now, madam!" she repeated, "It is as I feared!"

"WHAT?!" Harry cried from behind me, "What do you mean?? Your song won't work??"

"But you stopped the beast!" I countered, "What do you MEAN it doesn't work??!"

"No, madam, it doesn't work, I am sorry to say," she sighed, looking down at the snarling beast. She gasped :wow:. "Move away from the trees, sir," she commanded, "Now!"

We looked down & gasped too. The shadow had lurked up to the trees, and was now shooting up the trunk of the tree closest to us. Harry immediately turned made a rocket dive downwards, skidding to a stop, making sure not to touch the ground. At least it couldn't touch us now; we were well away from the tree. Or could it??

"It cannot, fly, madam," Arowyn said, almost sensing my thoughts, "And no, my song does not work. It was stunned, yes, but it's evil powers remain! The song of Purity is supposed to drain it of most of it's powers, only then should anyone stab it! I am afraid, madam," she said, looking at the beast again, "That you have to call upon another Nixus." She looked highly disappointed in herself :(. "Don't worry, Arowyn," I assured, as Harry made another quick skid to the left, moving away from the other tree close to us that the creature had climbed. "It wasn't your fault."

"Hurry up, Mel, that thing moves fast!" said Harry as he sped to the right, for the creature had managed to come down & climb lurk up yet ANOTHER tree. There wasn't much space between the trees in the forest, so dodging it wasn't that easy. Thank goodness Harry was skilled on a broomstick!

"Nox," I said, turning my wand off. I put it back in my pocket, holding onto the broomstick with one hand. With my other, I touched the Symbol of Trust on my forehead, pressing my thumb & middle finger against it.

"Remember, my lady, you need only to touch the Symbol & pray..."

Dreia's words came rushing back to me. I closed my eyes & prayed hard in my mind. 'Please, Nixai, hear my prayer,' I prayed, 'We need your help...we need any one of you who possesses the power of the Song of Purity...hear me & please come, for we are in dire need of your help! Hear me...come to us please...'

All through my prayer, I felt the broom sway slightly, being pushed by the wind which had grown rougher & louder, roaring away. Harry seemed to be having difficulties controlling the broom, struggling to keep it in one direction. I opened my eyes & had to squint them again; the wind was still stinging them! Hope my hair isn't getting in Harry's face... :rolleyes:

"If this Symbol works, one of them should be here soon!" I yelled to Harry & Arowyn. The beast had now chosen to stay on the ground. It remained there, with it's horrible head turned up, hissing, spitting & snarling at us. Everytime I think of those sounds now, I shiver.

And so I was shivering there. "We'll have to wait until one of them arrives!" I cried. "Arowyn!" Harry yelled to the little Nixus who was squeezing her eyes shut & struggling to hover in one spot, flapping her wings hard. Her mane & tail were billowing out behind her. "How long does it usually take them to arrive??" he asked. She shook her head. She didn't know!

The wind was freezing! I was now shivering not only because of those horrible hellish sounds from below us, but also because of this icy, Arctic-like torture! Still, no sign of a Nixus anywhere!

Not yet.

Harry slowly moved his hands down the broom to put them on mine. "Don't worry!" he said, as reassuringly as he could. "Not easy, Harry," I sighed to myself :sigh:.

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Sorry I didn't update yesterday, everyone! I had urgent work to do! So hope you enjoy this one! ;)

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The wind's force was slowly, gradually growing. Harry still managed to control the broom, but only just. The seconds that passed seemed like decades! "It shouldn't take long, right??" I yelled to Arowyn, my words being drowned out slightly. "NO, madam, it shouldn't!" she yelled back, squeezing her eyes shut from the wind. Suddenly, she gave a cry of fright. "MADAM!!" she cried, "HELP!!!"

I turned. "AROWYNNNNN!!!!!" I screamed as the tiny Nixus was blasted away by the wind, not being able to fight its' force anymore. I stuck out my hand & tried to catch hold of her, but it was too late! She sailed off, bumping from tree to tree, screaming, until she disappeared from our sight. The light from her horn still shone, glaring into our eyes & seeping away into the distance, and the forest gradually returned to its' gloomy, evil grey hues. "AROWYN!!" I screamed again, my eyes wide & flashing from shock. In a moment of pure instinct (and insanity), I turned & leaned out from the broom.

"NO, MEL!" Harry cried as he pulled me back roughly. I was jerked back & practically banged into him from the rough pull. I thought I felt something fall from my pocket, but I wasn't at all sure. Harry gasped & shook his head, wrapping one arm tightly around me as he held me close. "Are you MAD?!" he breathed, "You can't just jump off like that!! No!"

I felt tears stinging my eyes. Arowyn...

"Harry, we HAVE to go after her!!" I cried, swinging the broom around. "Mel...whoaa!!!" Harry couldn't even say anything before his Firebolt was in full speed, chasing after the Nixus which we couldn't even see anymore. The wind was still blowing in the same direction, so she couldn't have been blown anywhere else. I made the broom go faster, and heard a slight cry from Harry. He held on tightly onto the broom, his chest pressing against my back hard. Tree after tree we dodged, going above branches, flying beside thick trunks, dipping underneath vines & dead, dry creepers, while leaves blew into our faces & whipped against our cheeks. "HOLD ON, AROWYN!!" I yelled.

We flew on relentlessly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tiny white form. But alas, not even her pained screams could be heard, and the wind was faster than we were. "AROWYN!!" I screamed again & again, the tears welling up behind my eyes as the realization crept in slowly; we wouldn't be able to find her this way.

I pulled the broom to a halt, skidding it before finally coming to a stop. My breaths were heavy now, and the emotional wave of sadness was overwhelming my chest. I sat there for a while, the broom swaying from the strong wind & the tears rolling down my face, my expression defeated, sobbing softly.

Harry suddenly put his hand on mine. "Mel...?"

I don't know if it was sheer sadness or just the need of comfort that made me do it, but I buried my face into Harry's chest, the tears flowing. "Harry..." I sobbed, my chest aching, "She's just a tiny little thing..." :'(

Harry seemed to hesitate a moment, then leaned his head on mine with a sad sigh. "It's alright," he whispered, stroking my hair gently, "She'll be fine. She's a Nixus," he assured, as he gave me a squeeze. He sounded sad too, and he didn't seem very convinced by his own words, but he was trying to put on a brave face, like Harry Potter always did. I sobbed into his warm chest, feeling his heavy breaths, completely distraught. We were safe on this sturdy broom. We wouldn't be blown away, but Arowyn... She had been crashing into the trees as she was blown away...what if she...she... Oh God! If Harry wasn't here, I don't know what I would've done after watching what had happened to her!

Harry gave me another hug. "Come on," he said softly, "We'd better get back to the monster. We don't want to lead it to Arowyn," he said sadly :sigh:. He turned the broom around & steered it back the way we came, one arm still around me. I felt so defeated & lost, I could only lean against him while weakly holding onto the broom.

The ride back seemed like we were doing something hopeless to me. Without Arowyn, what else could we do?? ...wait, I had summoned another Nixus, hadn't I??

The familiar setting of trees soon loomed up ahead. I leaned my head back against Harry's shoulder, sniffing, my eyes still producing tears & my chest still aching. I suddenly snapped out of it when I heard the horrifying sounds below me. I gasped & looked down, to behold the beast still below us, gnashing & spitting in fury. In the darkness that now invaded the place once more, it had become slightly difficult to see where it was, but we could see it nevertheless. It hadn't been chasing after Arowyn...it had followed our broom there & back...it now wanted US! I felt myself grip Harry's shirt in a moment of fear as I gulped. "Now what, Harry...?" I whispered :(.

As if in response, a light equally bright to the one Arowyn had made suddenly shone from ahead, glaring into our eyes once more, lighting up the trees, the leaf-filled ground, the dark bushes, and revealing the monster below us again. Huh?? "Arowyn??" I cried. I pulled away from Harry's arms & turned around, gripping the broom with one hand, shielding my eyes with the other. Harry leaned forward to look closer. "No..." he whispered, "that's not her!"

"AROWYN?!!" came a high, irritated voice. The form where it was coming from, we couldn't really see due to the light making it difficult to make out who it was. The small, horse-like form was in the midst of the bright light, which was shining from the horn, just like Arowyn had done. "You are REALLY comparing me to that...that...GOODY-TWO-HOOVES Mother told me about?!!" it continued.

I gasped. "Oh my God...KIENTRA!" :wow:

Harry gave a choked cough. "Her Royal Rudeness?!" he yelled above the wind :wow:.

"Where HAVE you been?!" she yelled, "You call for help & then disappear?! I did NOT want to do this," she continued, "but Mother said that I could not be the future Queen if I didn't!! Don't think I'm doing this just to save your wing-less rears!!"

I turned back to Harry & yelled, "She hasn't changed!" I turned back to Kientra. "Well...SING already!!"

Through the wind, I heard a loud tongue-rasp :rasp:.

After a moment, the heavenly grace & beauty of the Song of Purity was once again heard. The terrible monster below us stopped its' frightening noises & turned to see who was this new attacker. Arowyn was right; the Song stunned it at once. "We'd better wait a while," I cried to Harry, "It's powers might not be drained enough yet!" Harry nodded, and leaned close to say softly to me, "Mel, we can do this, all right??"

I nodded slowly. "We'd better."

The Song flowed on, it's un-memorizable tune swimming & floating gracefully around the air just like before. The Devil-Maid still hadn't moved. Perhaps now...?

"Come on, Harry!" I yelled, taking charge of the broom. The broom dipped & swayed left & right as I steered over to Kientra, the bright light still shining painfully into my eyes. I pulled up beside her, bringing the broom to a stop. "KIENTRA!!" I yelled at the familiar face whom I never thought I would see again. "Do I stab it NOW?!"

She was singing with full concentration, her eyes squeezed shut. Now, that familiar frown crossed her brows as she shook her head irritatedly. She continued singing.

I stared at her for a while. There was something different about her. Although, in the bright glaring light, I couldn't make out what it really was. The broom swayed slightly as I looked down. The beast was still there, having not moved an inch ever since Kientra began the beautiful song. "It'll soon be dead, Mel, trust me!" cried Harry. I continued staring.

My thoughts were spinning from one scene to another. The time when Harry & I saw it at the dungeon. The time Zoe showed me her horrifying sketch. The time Dumbledore announced the beast's intrusion into the school. The time we had chased Eranoy to get the missing page only to find out that the boy was trying to protect me. And my suspicions on Snape...

"Mel!" Harry said, breaking my thoughts, "She just nodded! Come on!"

I looked up at Kientra, who gave another nod. It was time to kill the beast! "Allow me," said Harry, gripping the broom. He made a quick dip to the right & flew down speedily, resisting the wind.

We approached the monster quickly. My heart was beating fast. Calm down, Mel... I took a few quick, deep breaths, the wind blowing into my mouth uncomfortably everytime I did so.

Behind us, Kientra continued singing. As long as she didn't stop, the beast couldn't do anything. It remained silent, gloomy & evil before us. It was motionless.

The wind had started to rage harder than before. "Whoa!" I cried as the broom swept roughly to the left, almost being overwhelmed by the wind. "I...can't...control this thing...much longer...Mel!" cried Harry, distraught. "Try, Harry!" I yelled back, "We're really close!" The wind suddenly raged on even harder, making it difficult even to open my eyes.

"Mel, I...AAAAHHHH!!!!" yelled Harry. I felt the broom jerk backwards suddenly, and Harry's hands slipped from the handle. "Harry, NOOOO!!!" I screamed, putting out my hand & trying to grab him. All I grasped was air beating against my palm. I screamed as Harry fell down. And I screamed even louder when he fell right onto the Devil-Maid.

"HAAARRRRRYYYYY!!!!" My eyes started flashing brightly & the shocked tears suddenly welled up again. I choked & coughed. No!!

I hurriedly flew down, my wide eyes watering & stinging from the wind, but I couldn't have cared less! As I neared the ground, I saw Harry's horrified expression as his eyes stared up at the sky frighteningly. No! I was too late! His hand gripped at his chest as he choked & gasped, as if struggling for air, and his body seemed to jerk in small spasms.

My mind blinded with fear, I flew down to the ground, practically rolling off the broom as I landed beside Harry. "Oof!" I rolled myself up to the right side, brushing a leaf away from my hair. Quickly, I picked myself up & stumbled across to Harry, who was still jerking & coughing hoarsely. "Oh God...Harry...!" I sobbed, the tears again rolling down my eyes as I leaned out, making sure I didn't step onto the horrifying shadow which was still motionless & silent. I grabbed him by the shoulders & pulled him out from the dark shape, his coughing ceasing & growing softer. His hand was still at his heart, whilst my own pounded loudly. I dragged him away from the beast & leaned him against the trunk of a large tree, the song of Purity still filling the whole place.

"H-Harry...?" I whispered, brushing his hair away from his forehead. His eyes were closed now & his coughing had stopped. "Harry?" I called again, my chest once again aching. I gulped. I shook him gently, hoping to get a response...ANY response from him. "Please, please wake up..." I whispered, sniffing. I was close to losing it. I wiped some tears from my eyes. "Harry, PLEASE!" I cried, one hand shaking him harder. He remained motionless & his eyes stayed closed, not opening an inch. My hands dropped to the ground. I lost it. "HARRY, WAKE UP!!!" I screamed, the tears spilling & overflowing as I held him close to me, sobbing for all I was worth. "Wake up..." I sobbed shakily, "Harry..."

Sitting there, crying & holding him close to me, I could only faintly hear the music Kientra was still singing, and could only faintly feel the icy-cold wind beating, not blowing, against me. Harry lay limp in my arms, not moving nor breathing. I sobbed some more.

Suddenly, something sparked within me. I pulled away & stared into Harry's face. I suddenly remembered how I had felt in that misty-pink place I had found myself in after Dreia pricked my forehead with her horn. I had, at first, felt so sad & scared when I thought I was dead, but then I had felt complete, pure, white-hot anger. Anger at Dreia for killing me for no reason at all. And here that anger was again, anger at that horrible beast for killing Harry off, even though it might have been just an accident. I felt like the anger was gnawing at my heart, sending pounding waves all over my body as I stared at Harry's still face. Slowly, I laid him down gently & stood up, my head drooped. My body shaking & my breaths heaving, I put my hand into my pocket & pulled out my wand. "Luumoooss..." I whispered. The tip lit up & shone.

I turned around...and ran towards the beast. "HELL AWAITS, YOU MONSTER!!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, charging at it, my eyes focused on only that thing which I would not rest until I saw it dead! I dropped to my knees hard, and not even stopping to see if I had stepped on it or not, I stabbed my wand down HARD into the hunch, driving it in.

There emerged an insanely frightening scream, or roar, from the creature that sent trembles & shivers all over me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Never again will I hear such a frightening, demonic sound. The light from the tip of my wand suddenly streamed out over it, blending with the light from Kientra's horn, making the hunch fade & disappear. I caught my breath & watched it as it continued to scream & as the light invaded over it's whole monsterous form. Kientra's song faded until it was no more, and the wind suddenly began to die down. Looking down, I realized that I was kneeling fully on the beast's shadowy tail...or what remained of the tail.

I let go of the wand & dropped limply to the ground.

Darkness.

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"Shh...wait! She's waking up!"

Hmm...?

"Oh, sir! She's all right!!"

Where am I?

"Mel? Mel? Can you hear us?? Mel!"

Those familiar voices...

I opened my eyes slowly. Blinked. My vision was rather blur, but it cleared up in a matter of seconds. I was lying flat on my back on a soft bed, and my head rested on a pillow. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see rows of other beds. The air smelled faintly of antidotes & medicines.

I was in the Hospital Wing.

"She's alive!" Madam Pomphrey's voice rang in the air. Arowyn was floating in the air, looking down at me happily, and Madam Pomphrey was standing beside the bed. Eranoy was sitting on a stool beside her, and Chris was standing at the end of the bed, grinning at me. Harry...Harry was sitting on the bed beside me, peering down with a relieved look on his face. I gasped & sat up.

"Harry! Arowyn!!" :wow:

"Mel, you're all right!!" cried Harry happily, and with a happy laugh, grabbed me in his arms & hugged me tight, laughing.

"Ow...hey!" I laughed, hugging him back happily.

"Thank God you're safe, Mel," Eranoy smiled at me :). "We all thought we'd lost you."

"You didn't look too well at all when Harry brought you in here," remarked Chris, rushing to my side as well. "Do you feel all right??"

I pulled away from Harry's arms & smiled at everyone. "Yes..." I replied, "But...my head feels heavy..."

Arowyn laughed. "Your head is bandaged, madam." :lol: I put a hand up to my head. Ow. Arowyn was right. I shook my head rather dizzily. "What...what really happened...?" I said, looking up at their kind faces all smiling at me :). "I...oh God! The Devil-Maid! It's dead already, right?? I...I stabbed it..."

"Oh, relax, Mel," laughed Chris :lol:, "the bloody thing's already dead. McGonagall told us that it's 3 lives have been knocked off already."

"Three...?" I said, "But...it was only killed twice!"

Eranoy smiled. "She also revealed that the Professors had taken care of it twice," he said. He shook his head. "I cannot BELIEVE the three of you went off just like that without telling me anything! I was worried sick!" ;)

"You would've hung onto Mel's robes & stopped her!" countered Chris. I laughed & heaved a happy sigh. "Well, that's good to hear...the Professors dealing with it before, I mean...but wait! Arowyn!" I turned to the Nixus, and suddenly, a happy smile practically burst out on my face :). "Come here, you!" I laughed, and gave the little Nixus a huge hug :hug:. "Oh, Arowyn," I laughed, rubbing my cheek on her head, "I thought that you were lost! Just how DID you make it back??" I realized that she was slightly bruised & had a small cut on her cheek, but she was all right! Happy tears were forming in my eyes.

Arowyn nuzzled close to me with a big smile. "I held onto a large branch, madam," she said, as Harry put out his hand to stroke her mane, "Until the winds suddenly died down. I made my way back to you, madam, and saw Harry sir here trying to revive you."

Harry grinned. I stared. "I thought..." I looked up at Madam Pomphrey questioningly. "Madam Pomphrey, how...?" :??: The kindly nurse (who, for once in her life, had decided not to fuss so much) smiled at me with a twinkle in her eye. "The darned creature lost it's powers because of the song, dear, remember??" she said, "All Harry suffered was a mild little something of a heart attack. Knocked out for a while, but that was all. You, on the other hand," she added, crossing her arms, "passed out because you were on the creature when it died. You're lucky YOU didn't die along with it, Snow." She sighed, shaking her head amusedly. "The things these children do nowadays, I'm surprised you're still around!" ;) I smiled back & hugged Arowyn again. "It was worth it." Snape suddenly flashed in my mind again. I'll think about THAT later, I thought to myself.

Chris suddenly coughed. "Ahem...I think we should leave Mel alone to recover, don't you??" He pulled Eranoy up from his seat & tugged him along. Eranoy looked confused, then stared at Harry & me looking up at them questioningly. "Oh!" he said, "Uh...yes, yes, we should go now," he smiled, clearly holding back a laugh. "Come, Arowyn. You're going to have to tell me a few things of the whole adventure," he winked ;D. Arowyn hopped off the bed with a surprised look on her face, but followed Eranoy out the door nevertheless. :??:

Chris tugged at Madam Pomphrey's sleeve. "Urm...Madam Pomphrey," he said, "I, uh...need some help on this, ah...assignment...yes, assignment! It has something to do with...urm...medicines. Would you mind following me to the Library...?"

"But Mr. Barog, I..." Madam Pomphrey managed to say no more, for Chris had pulled her out the door with him. The door closed, and Harry & I were left alone. Harry turned his gaze away from the door & looked into my eyes. He chuckled. "Don't you think they were a bit too obvious?" he winked ;). I smiled. "I suppose." Silence filled the air for a few seconds. Harry coughed. "I, uh...Arowyn was bringing this in her mouth when she came back," he said, pulling something out from his robe. I looked at it. "The Sphere!" I exclaimed. So that's what had fallen down from my pocket earlier! Thank God Arowyn found it! I put my hand on it...but instead of taking it from him, I squeezed it, feeling a certain happiness that somehow felt like it didn't need the Sphere to come. Pulling my hand away, I took Harry's other hand & put it on the Sphere. He looked at it & gave it a small squeeze too, resulting in a smile of pure happiness blooming in his face. He stared at the Sphere for a while, while I stared at him. Soon his eyes drew up & met mine.

"Harry..." I said, "I...well...you saved my life back there, and I want to thank you," I mumbled. He laughed & put the Sphere in my hand. "Are you mad??" he grinned, "You saved me from dying by pulling me away from the beast, and then you killed it, meaning you saved Arowyn AND the school as well. Who needs to thank who now?" he smiled :). My eyes dropped down to the matress again as I fiddled with my hair, a smile on my face. "Well...whatever it is..." I mumbled, "...thank you." I flung my arms around him & hugged him tight, almost knocking him back. I leaned my head on his shoulder & sighed happily. "Thank you," I whispered again.

With a somewhat nervous laugh, he wrapped his arms around me too & gave me a warm embrace. "And thank you, too," he said, obviously enjoying our little cuddle as much as I was. We pulled away slowly, drawing our eyes up to meet each other's.

"Umm..." Harry reached out & tucked a strand of my long hair behind my ear. "Mel..." he said softly, "I...uh...well...there's a little something that...well..."

I caught my breath. "Yes, Harry...?" I breathed. "I...um...I..." he stammered, "I..."

The doors burst open. "WHAT is all this?!" came a voice that sounded rather familiar. We whipped our heads around. A small white Nixus stomped in, shaking her long pearly-blue mane in disbelief. Harry & I stared, completely unable to figure out who this new Nixus was. Who was this blue beauty??

"I do not BELIEVE this!" it continued, " 'Thank you' here, 'thank you' there, and no one is going to thank ME?! If I hadn't jumped in & helped, you'd all be sitting here as GHOSTS!"

I let out a laugh of complete surprise. "KIENTRA??!!" :wow:

The little Nixus stepped up to my bed, looking very mature now within such a short time. She huffed at me. "What are you staring at now??"

"Kientra..." Harry whispered in shock, "Is...is that...really you??"

Her mouth dropped open. "Wha-?! Oh, well OF COURSE it isnt'!" she snapped, "I'm the ghost of the late Elvis Presley!! OF COURSE it's me, you dimwit!! Who ELSE could it be?!" she growled.

I finally found my voice again. "Wha- what happened to your...your colouring???"

"What?!" She turned around, as if inspecting her mane or tail. "Oh," she muttered, "Well...I..." She suddenly frowned & blushed :o. "I've...I've GROWN, all right??" she muttered, "Now where's my credit??" she demanded. I laughed & scooped her up into my arms. "THANK YOU, Kientra!" I said, squeezing her tight, "Thank you!"

"Ack! Let me GO! I've just had a spring bath of liles, for God's sake!!" she squealed, struggling. She suddenly poked my arm with her horn. "Ow!" I cried, pulling away & rubbing my arm. "That's better," she said & flew down to the floor, shaking her mane again, "The nerve!" :grumble:

Harry laughed. "Puberty," he whispered to me, "That's what." I burst out laughing suddenly, making Kientra whip around. "NOW what?!" she demanded. "Nothing," we giggled :lol: :lol:. She huffed. "Well...I suppose my job here is done," she said, heading for the door, "I'll be on my GLAD way now..."

I practically jumped out of my bed & ran to her. "Oh, but Kientra, you're not leaving again, are you??" I said, "Why don't you stay for awhile??"

She gawked up at me. "That bang on the head must have been to much," she muttered, "You're mad." She continued on her way.

"Come ON, Kientra!" I laughed, dropping down on my knees suddenly & grabbing her in another warm hug. "Hey!" she protested, wriggling. I squeezed her warm body again. "Stay for awhile!" I laughed, "Don't you WANT to??"

"OFF me!" she commanded, pulling away, "I have future Queen duties to attend to, you insane maniac!" she said, "I've GOT to go!"

I smiled & stood up. "Well...I'll miss you, Kientra," I said, surprising even myself. Harry stood up & walked to the door too, stopping beside the Nixus. "I think we all will," he said, smiling warmly at her.

"Highlight of my day," she mumbled sarcastically as she walked out the door :grumble:. We stood at the door & watched her walk down the corridor. If she hadn't come to us the first place, none of this would have happened. I wouldn't have found Arowyn. We wouldn't have known that there was a dangerous beast nearby & wouldn't have done anything to defeat it. The school wouldn't have been saved then. Harry & I probably wouldn't have gotten closer to each other. It all started with her & it had ended with her as well.

You know, she's not so bad after all.

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And there you have it! Ladies & Gentleman...those last 36 chapters you have read concludes the story of 'Melody Aira Snow; Hogwarts Assistant!'. Thank you to everyone who's read it! :grouphug: Watch out for the sequel! :clappy: I'm sad that this story has to end (and end up WAY in the back of the Library...), but hey...I'm glad that my readers have enjoyed it! Love you all!