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Post by Eden Fletcher on Jun 17, 2011 22:26:44 GMT -5
It was cold. That was what Eden realized first. A soft, chill breeze caused her body to shiver. ’strange’, she thought, ‘it was hot in my room…’ Slowly Eden opens her eyes but they are heavy with sleep and it a struggle to lift them. A steady pounding on her temples does not help the matter. Groggy, Eden manages to keep her eyes open and a series of blinks restored her vision. Except it was too dark to see much of anything. Slowly, the darkness turned into shades of gray, blacks and browns and she could make out shapes, except this wasn’t her lacey room at her grandparents house. She also wasn’t in her soft bed but lying on a icy stone floor. The roughness of the stone rubbed at her skin and bit into her backside. Where was she? How did she get here? Eden tried to push herself off the ground but her right hand slipped. Eden raised her hand an inch from her face, staring at the sticky substance on her fingers it looked like semi dried blood. The pounding in Eden’s head quicken as did her heart beat and she tried not to panic. There had to be a perfectly safe explanation about all of this. Still, the little girl frantically rubbed her hands on her baby doll pink nightgown. Not wanting to be a target for who ever had kidnapped her Eden quickly stood up and began to run.
She was in a long hallway and as she moved a torch lit. At first, it startled her but then she was glad for the light. Bravely she glanced at her hand and noticed that it was paint that covered her fingers. The sight of her familiar colors brought her back into the vision. After weeks without a vision, they had come back with a vengeance. Eden had tried to fight off sleep and the inevitable waking dreams, where she became a participant or an observer in the visions. Those were the worst. Eventually her eyes closed and she was trapped. But why was she here of all places? Was this a different kind of vision? The sickness that usually came with visions was upon her but it had lessened.
Bare feet echoed lightly on the stone ground, and Eden wrapped her arms around her elbows for warmth. To her, it was extremely cold and ever so often a hard shiver would rack her whole body. She slowed down to a walk as her power began to pull at her again. Suddenly she stopped. Her eyes glazed over and the normally pale blue orbs blazed with unnatural color. Eden, the child, heard nothing. Power consumed her, the tin trendel of control she had snapped. On the wall before her lines appeared as she raised her hand. Without art supplies, she sketched with magic from instinct not skill.
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jun 17, 2011 22:42:55 GMT -5
At night, Hogwarts was a slumbering giant, its corridors drafty with night air, ghosts occasionally drifting in and out of walls, and the few inhabitants of the school in summer were sleeping. It being an ancient edifice, the castle had its share of odd noises; creaks, dripping, footsteps.
The footsteps belonged to Hogwarts' new Headmistress. Siara loved the night, it was peaceful and empty, in a calm sort of way. Most people were asleep, leaving the velvet dark hours quiet and still.
She was in bare feet, wearing dark blue pajama pants spangled with silver stars, and a grey camisole, her wand tucked behind one ear. Siara didn't use her wand or a candle to light the way, preferring to let her eyes adjust to the semi-darkness, with pale moonlight filtering in through the windows.
At first she was heading down to the kitchens to get some tea, but her sharp hearing caught another sound that stood out boldly against the whisper of regular nighttime sounds. The patter of small bare feet, and a sniff here and there.
Following the sounds, Siara came upon a young girl, probably of age to be a first or second year. But it was summer, what was she doing here? Her puzzlement turned to alarm when the girl, oblivious to Siara's approach, began to draw on the wall with magic, a strange light coming from her eyes.
It was something magical, and the girl seemed to be in a trance. Siara didn't see her in any distress, and so she stood beside the girl and watched as she drew. Finally, the tall woman put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder.
"Miss..." She spoke, the sound echoing down the corridor even though her voice was soft. "Are you all right?"
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Jun 17, 2011 23:21:50 GMT -5
Darkness was all around Eden. She knew nothing except for the visions playing in her mind. Unable to keep up with the images she had let go on her control and allowed her magic to flow freely. It burned through Eden, causing her body to fever. Rudimentary images appeared on the wall, some drawings half finished before another was began. Shadows represented the demons. It was not the first time she had seen them. This time she envisioned their origin. Hundreds of these creatures seemed to spew out of a dark cave, systematically traveling the world.
The vision changed and Eden drew a tall woman with spiky hair and strange eyes being surrounded by the demons. Out of that picture branched two possibilities. In one the woman controlled the demons, the other she was destroyed.
Suddenly a pressure disrupted Eden's magical flow and her fingers stopped. Pain invaded Eden's thoughts as the magical connection was abruptly severed. A sharp, intense scream pierced the halls as Eden was slammed back into her mind. Her magic instinctively pulsed around her creating a shield. Like a wild animal, she wrenched herself from her captor and stumbled backwards, feet weakened.
"Wh--where am I?" Her small voice stuttered, wild eyes roaming. They had returned back to their pale blue. Eden landed against the wall, her hands touching the drawings which flared at her touch. Distracted, Eden glanced at the wall and backed up, stealing glances at the woman.
"I didn't mean---it--was an accident I swear!" Surely, Eden was in trouble now. Or did this woman take her? Eden had been warned once that some people believed in her talents and wished to use them for harm.
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jun 18, 2011 1:12:04 GMT -5
Siara was startled when the girl jerked and screamed, stumbling backwards from her touch. The Headmistress finally surmised what was going on here, she had seen it once or twice before, but not in someone so young. The girl had been in the grips of a seer's vision.
Light was needed, so the girl could see who had startled her. Siara snapped her fingers and the nearest two lanterns in the corridor flared to life, spreading warm yellow light to ward off the night.
"It's all right lass," the woman held up her hands to show she meant no harm. "I'm not here to hurt you. You're at Hogwarts, my name is Siara, I'm the Headmistress here. What's your name?" She actually wanted to demand how the girl had gotten here, and from where, and many other questions were stacking up in Siara's mind, but she kept her questioning to a minimum, wanting only to calm the child.
She summoned a thick fluffy blanket and approached slowly, seeing that the girl was shivering. "You must be chilled, if I may?" Gently Siara wrapped it around the girl before she could startle backwards again. She knew that often truedreams could leave a person shaken and cold.
"And don't worry about the wall, love," despite her fierce hawk eyes, the woman's expression was kind, and a twinkle was in her eyes. "I'm sure these old walls have taken much worse from students."
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Jun 18, 2011 10:51:40 GMT -5
((I'm assuming this is after the black watch meeting and because of the darkness they both did not recognize each other right away.))
Light flared at the snap of a finger, surprising Eden. If she had been more herself she'd have asked how to do that. Not that she thought she could, Eden and practical magic were an explosive mix, literally. Some of her classmates called her bombs away Eden. It wasn't that she did it on purpose, well maybe sometimes, but most of the time it just happened.
At first the light hurt, causing Eden's eyes to tear. Although the urge was strong, the child did not wipe her eyes. Resolved, she ignored them. Acknowledging the tears would only show that she was a baby. Her light blonde hair, small stature (4'6) and blue eyes already gave the impression of sweet innocent baby. Tears would just firm that impression.
"It's all right lass,""I'm not here to hurt you. You're at Hogwarts, my name is Siara, I'm the Headmistress here. What's your name?"
Eden stared at the woman, noticing her golden eyes. Hawk eyes. She'd met this woman before, maybe a month or so. It was hard to distinguish time in the summer as days blended into each other and dates were forgotten. She was in trouble now. school hadn't even started yet and here she was in the clutches of the strange headmistress. Oh, well best get her secret over with. Maybe this head of school would be different. While it had been nice to be given a lot of leeway from the old headmaster, it hadn't helped her much. Eden seemed to have less control over her powers than she did before she started school.
"Eden Fletcher, we met at the pub mum." Eden said softly deciding then that maybe the best way not to get into too much trouble was play the sweet card. Eden did not back down when the woman wrapped a very warm and fluffy blanket around her. In fact Eden giggled slightly at the softness. She liked soft things and it tickled a bit.
"Thank you."
"And don't worry about the wall, love," "I'm sure these old walls have taken much worse from students."
Eden wasn't so sure about that as she glanced at the wall. She had practically carved into it. But how? Now out of her vision, Eden could see the full extent of what she had done.
"It's about you." She stated after studying the picture for a minute. "I guess you need to know, which is why you're here."
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jun 24, 2011 1:16:35 GMT -5
"It's about you." She stated after studying the picture for a minute. "I guess you need to know, which is why you're here."
Siara knelt beside the girl so she was at her level, and nodded calmly as she examined the etching on the wall. To her eyes it was a jumble of pictures, and she didn't decipher anything that was distinctly her, but curiosity overcame her.
Her hawk-eyes moved from the picture to the girl as she replied seriously. "How do you know that, love? Did you dream about me?" She smiled, the expression softening her stern face. "It's all right if you don't want to talk, we can just go down to the kitchens for some cocoa or tea if you'd rather. But I'm happy to talk to you, if there's something you want to share with me."
The Headmistress didn't press Eden, hoping she would come to feel comfortable in her presence and talk when she felt like it.
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Post by Eden Fletcher on Jun 25, 2011 20:16:15 GMT -5
The fluffy blanket provided a much needed warmth. Visions always made Eden feel icky. It was hard to describe. She wasn't exactly sick, but neither could she play a round of qudditch, merlin she probably fall off a broom the instantly a light breeze hit her. Not that she knew how to fly. Not really. Flying had been cut her first year. Budget cuts. Really some adults were bad with money.
But that wasn't the issue now. Eden watched the woman who would be her headmistress. What kind of person was this woman? She seemed nice enough and she was pretty good with magic and had good taste too. The blanket was very soft and not at all scratchy like her older brother Emery's magic clothes. Still, just because she could create a very warm fluffy blanket, didn't mean she would accept what Eden said. In her experience, Adults did not like what they didn't understand. Even in the magical world, being a seer was not always celebrated. People feared her and what she could do. If someone could see the future, then they could very well change it. That, had a lot of repercussions. But what was the purpose of seeing the future if one couldn't change it?
Wary, Eden watched the woman kneel beside her. At four feet 6, Eden was small for her age. It had been a while since she had grown. Maybe this summer she could gain some height, maybe even be taller than Max Kameren! Or as tall...maybe reach his nose. Yes that would be good. If she was just a bit taller than his nose, then he couldn't look down his nose at her.
"How do you know that, love? Did you dream about me?"
The urge to roll her eyes was strong. Of course, she dreamed about the woman. How else would she know? But it wasn't nice to roll one's eyes and Eden didn't want to be rude. She needed to be on the headmistress' good side.
"It's all right if you don't want to talk, we can just go down to the kitchens for some cocoa or tea if you'd rather. But I'm happy to talk to you, if there's something you want to share with me."
Cocoa? That was a treat that Eden was seldom aloud to have. Her face lit up, her large eyes widening more.
"Cocoa and whip cream? Where's the kitchens? I didn't find 'em last year, not that I uh...didn't try." She was going to lie at first but she had a feeling that this woman would spot it right quick.
"If I can have a really, really, big extra chocolaty cup I'll explain the pictures. Sorry, they ain't better but I...I didn't have supplies. Not sure how I did it..."
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Post by Siara Brightweather on Jul 15, 2011 2:53:24 GMT -5
Siara watched the girl's face carefully as she waited for a response. There was definitely spunk in there, and a streak of attitude (that could be good or bad, depending on how it was wielded as the girl grew up). Yet there was also an innocence, a tender side to her mind that made her seem much younger in some way. All this the new Headmistress gleaned in only a few seconds of watching the girl's body language and facial expression, a 'reading' skill she'd learned throughout her post-Hogwarts life.
Then the girl's indecisive frown brightened to eagerness as hot cocoa was mentioned.
"If I can have a really, really, big extra chocolaty cup I'll explain the pictures. Sorry, they ain't better but I...I didn't have supplies. Not sure how I did it..."
Siara stood and held out a hand to the girl. "Right, you've got a deal lass. First we'll get you warmed up with cocoa, then we'll talk serious stuff. It looks like you carved those pictures into the wall with your wand. Don't fret, I can get Ogbert...he's my house elf friend...to erase them, if you'd prefer. Hold on."
Siara waved her wand at the wall. "Priori imitatus." She whispered. A ghostly copy of the images drifted away from the wall and was sucked into the wand. "Now we have a copy of it to look at. This way!" She waved down the right-hand corridor.
Several staircases and hallways later, they arrived at a massive painting of a bowl of fruit. The Headmistress turned to Eden. "Right, you didn't find the kitchens, but did you hear about how to get in once you found the entrance? You try, tickle the pear in the painting."
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