The 8th Charter

The train pulled into Hogwarts station just as the sun was setting, brilliant scarlet and purples lighting up the sky. The ride had been uneventful for once. The first years were quickly herded off by Hagrid to take boats across the lake despite the fact that the rain was threatening. The boat custom was one Ginny had yet to understand. It rained 95% of the time soaking the first years and giving them very bad first impressions of Hogwarts. There had to be another way to get them in without the rest of the school. True to its threats the sky opened up a moment later as Ginny and Dan were loading into the carriages.

"First years but be having fun." Dan commented.

"I still don’t understand why they do that, it rains almost every year and almost every year someone falls in. Glad we get the carriages." Said Ginny as Hermione, Ron, and Harry entered the carriage.

"Remember when Collin’s little brother Dennis fell in and Hagrid gave him his coat and you could hardly tell he was in there?" Asked Dan laughing.

"Oh that was funny." Hermione laughed. "Our trip was actually nice. It was a clear night without rain."

"Ours wasn’t, it was pouring and the lake was moving so much that Dan threw up." Ginny laughed and Dan blushed.

"Thanks Ginny." He said glaring at her.

"Two sickles someone falls in." Ginny laughed.

"You’re on red head." Dan shook her hand.

They arrived at the castle loading out of the carriages and running into the safety of the school. Once everyone was inside Snape closed the door behind them.

"Follow me." He ordered the sneer on his face was ever present and he looked like he’d rather be training dragons than leading a bunch of students to the great hall. Ginny entered the great hall, as usual it took her breath away, six years of eating in it every day and she still was amazed. The enchanted ceiling was covered in clouds with a few solitary stars that seemed to be trying to push through, making the night look mysterious and beautiful. Ginny sat next to Dan and Hermione as she waited for the first years to enter through the great double doors.

With a large bang the doors opened and in walked Hagrid followed by all the first years who were soaking wet and shaking from the cold.

"You owe me two sickles." Said Ginny pointing to a small girl who was soaking wet and wrapped in Hagrid’s coat.

Hagrid smiled and waved at The Trio who waved back, before he sat down next to Professor Flitwick at the high table. McGonagall brought out the sorting hat, the brim ripped open and the hat began its rhyme.

"Look at them." Dan whispered into Ginny’s ear, "They’re so tiny."

"We probably looked like them at one time or another.

"I didn’t," Dan stated. "I’ve always been big."

"You’re heads to big, that’s for sure." Ginny shot back.

"Well it depends on which head you’re talking about…"

"Dan! Not that head! I was talking about this one." She hit him on the back of his head.

"Oh that ones not to big."

"I don’t even want to know." Ginny turned towards the sorting ceremony. The hat had finished its song and the first students were being called. Ginny watched the sorting attentively glad when the kid who had fallen into the lake was sorted into Gryfindor. She seemed nice. When the sorting was done, McGonagall stood up and carried the hat off. Dumbledore stood up.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I would like you all to notice that the additions made to the school last year are still off limits, unless you are invited in by one of the residents. There are once again no visits to Hogsmead, as Voldemort," the whole school flinched, "is still on the loose. The forbidden forest is still forbidden and there is still no magic allowed in the corridors, some of our older students," Dumbledore glanced towards Dan in particular, "would do well to take notice of this as well. Now on a lighter note we will be having the American Minister of Magic visiting as well as the heads of the Defense Against the Dark Arts department and the Police department." At this Dan’s eyes lit up.

"I wonder if Alanna’s coming?" He asked.

Ginny laughed. "That’s the first thing you think of."

"I miss her." Dan said and he looked so miserable as he thought of her that it made Ginny realize that he was quite serious about Alanna.

"That much huh? How long has it been since you were with her two weeks?" She asked still with a sarcastic tone but in a voice that was a bit more compassionate.

"Five days." Said Dan still miserable.

"Well look at it this way, you’ll be seeing her soon."

"If she’s coming. Potatoes Ginny?" He asked pointing to the platters that had just filled up with food.

"Oh yes please?"

Across the great hall Draco was listening to Crabbe drone on about his visit to France. Although he should be listening, as it was rare that either one of them actually spoke in full sentences, he really didn’t feel like listening about the hundreds of French women that Crabbe had seen over the summer. It was still a wonder to him how he put up with the two oafs, who could hardly string two words together let alone a sentence. Goyle was currently eating everything that he could his fork moving from the plate to his mouth and back again at a crazy rate.

"I’ll meet you back at the dorms." Draco growled getting up from his chair.

"But Draco I wasn’t done!" Crabbe insisted as Draco left the hall, Crabbe sighed and turned his attention towards his plate.

Draco entered the common room, surprising a bunch of house elves that were running around lighting fires and carrying luggage to the dorms. Draco pushed past them to the door of his dorm, which was marked "Seventh Years" in green writing. Draco pushed the door open collapsing on the green comforter that covered his bed.Thoughts were running through his mind a mile a minute, thoughts about his father thoughts about well everything. Opening up his trunk he pulled out a book called "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien, it was a very good book despite the fact it depicted wizards in quite the wrong way. It was easy for Draco to get lost in the way the words flowed pictures forming in his head of a fantasy world.

**********

Draco was standing in the reservoir again this time he was leaning against a rock, the magic from the rocks causing his back to tingle. Out from behind the rock appeared the same girl, except she was with a boy.

"If you don’t stop bothering me, I’ll hurt you." Draco threatened, holding his wand out in front of him.

"Really try it, this is a dream, not reality, its not like you can hurt us." Said Lirael.

"Now this is Sameth royal prince of the Old Kingdom, his sister Elemire is Queen-" Sameth cut her off.

"I’m perfectly capable of introducing myself." Sameth glared at Lirael. "So I’m Sameth prince of the Old Kingdom. I was supposed to be Abhorsen but Lirael stole the spot."

"Well I was the proper Abhorsen and you didn’t want it." Answered Lirael crossing her arms.

"True, true. Anyhow call me Sam. I’m not crazy about Sameth. I’ve been told I have an important part in this whole binding thing, so I’m here to help."

"Petrificus Totalus!"Draco cried out. The curse simply bounced off of them.

"I told you magic doesn’t work in dreams, yours or ours." Stated Lirael.

"Fine then stop bothering me or I’ll find something that works in dreams." Said Draco putting away his wand.

"Well if you want the world to go on the way it is I don’t recommend you do that." Sam said his hand on his sword hilt.

"What do you mean what does this have to do with existence whatsoever?" Asked Draco, maybe he should listen to this.

"Should we give him the briefing?" Asked Sam to Lirael.

"No, well give him a briefing on charter magic, free magic, and somewhat of what I do, he’ll learn the rest later."

"Will you two stop arguing and tell me what on earth, or maybe not on earth, what on wherever the hell I am is going on!" Draco yelled.

"Oh yes, well anyways Lirael, or Abhorsen here has told me you have no idea about The Charter, or anything, so I suppose I have to tell you don’t I?"

"That would be nice." Draco grumbled.

"Well sit down." Sam ordered.

"Notice I’m standing in water."

Sam disappeared behind a rock and came back a moment later pulling a large wooden barge, covered in more of those little marks. "Come sit." Sam sat down in the barge.

"Not when it’s covered by those little things." Draco said backing away nervously.

"Oh Charter! They’re Charter Marks, they keep the boat together. Come over here and I’ll explain." Draco got nervously onto the boat. Shooting glances at Sameth every now and then to make sure he wasn’t going to do anything.

Draco sat down on the smooth wooden floor of the barge tucking up his knees and wrapping his arms around them. "So what is it you were going to tell me?"

"Right, I was going to explain about the charter and such. You see there are two types of magic, well three including yours, but yours isn’t used by anyone around here, although it probably could be…. Anyway there is The Charter and there is Free Magic. The Charter is regulated, everyone who practices it has one of these. Sam lifted his bangs to show his Charter mark. Drawing marks in the air, saying them, and pure will power are how Charter Magic is used. It is called Charter Magic because it is chartered in the sense that everyone who uses is it branded and it drains you, you cannot simply keep using it or you will die of exhaustion. Charter is also used in building, and you can tell when its been used because they will be on the object, like this boat, there are marks for protection, sturdiness, and waterproofing on it. Now Charter Magic isn’t just pulled from anywhere, it is pulled from the five Great Charter Stones that are right in front of you.All Charter magic is pulled from these five stones, into smaller stones from which we humans pull our own magic.

"What’s the other type of magic?" Asked Draco completely enthralled.

"The other type is Free Magic, its anything that’s not Charter. Free magic is illegal and when in the presence of Free Magic sorcerers you will usually feel sick or dizzy. Free Magic is a dangerous magic for it contains more power than Charter, which is why it is illegal to practice, although some still practice. The problem is Free Magic unleashes very large amounts of power that is hard to destroy without using Free Magic, which is why Abhorsen here exists. Within free magic is Necromancy, which is one type of magic that Lirael, or Abhorsen over here practices.

"Are you evil or good?" Draco asked glancing over at Lirael with nervousness.

"I’m branded by the Charter Draco, but I am a necromancer as well, that is what makes me an Abhorsen, my Job is to keep the dead down, for they have a habit to try to walk in life." The room was fading again.

"Blast! We’re out of time!" Draco heard Sameth say just before he woke up.

The dormitory was dark; under Draco’s head was the book, which he must have fallen asleep reading. He could hear the snores of Crabbe and Goyle from across the room. He got out of his bed quietly, rummaging through his trunk and pulling out his wand.

"Lumos" he whispered quietly, using the light the get undressed put his book away and slip quietly into bed.

***********

Ginny yawned climbing the staircases to the Gryfindor tower, her feet dragged and she wanted only to collapse in one of the squishy armchairs in front of the fire. Just when she thought it would never end they portrait hole was just at the top of the staircases. The Fat Lady was waving at the students enthusiastically as they passed through the portrait hole. Ginny climbed through with Dan behind her, quickly collapsing on the couch next to the fire, which was blazing brightly heating up the room. Dan sat down next to her, they were quickly joined by another sixthyear named Phil.

"Hello Dan, hey Ginny, did you both have a good summer." Phil sat down in a chair next to the couch.

"If you consider helping my mother cook fun, I guess I had a good summer." Ginny frowned.

"Well I for one had an incredible summer." Dan bragged.

"With Alanna." Ginny answered.

"Whatever happened to keeping your mouth shut?" Asked Dan glaring at Ginny.

"Wait, hold on, what happened?"

"Dan left me this summer leaving me alone with my mother and cooking to go to America, and hang out, or should I say make out with Alanna."

"I told you, I would have contacted you if I could’ve." Dan said trying to figure out if he should apologize or shoot back some comment at Ginny.

"I know, its ok." Answered Ginny.

"Good job Dan, you finally get a girl, wonder why you haven’t found someone sooner." Said Phil calmly, he was a bit of a moderator.

"Well have you looked at the sixth year girls." Dan cried.

"Excuse me?" Ginny gave Dan a death glare.

"Ginny darling, you’re beautiful but you’re also my best friend."

"That’s better." Said Ginny still glaring at him.

"They aren’t that bad." Phil said blushing and averting his eyes.

"What does that mean Phil?" Asked Dan, "did something happen over the summer?"

"No nothing happened, forget I said anything." Phil looked down again.

"Whatever." Said Ginny, but they let the subject drop.

"So Dan what about Alanna?" Asked Phil. Phil had a habit of never letting anything drop until he got what he wanted.

"Oh I went to America this summer with my family, and the daughter of the head of the Defense Against the Dark Arts department is Alanna, Ginny told you the rest."

"Oh." Phil looked slightly disappointed.

"What? you were expecting details?" Ginny asked.

"I can give you details if you really want them!" Dan offered enthusiastically.

"Something in your tone of voice makes me really not want to know." Phil answered.

"Ok." Dan shrugged, then added: "I miss her." He had the same puppy look on his face that he’d had at dinner.

"Gosh Dan did you spend every moment of the day with her?" Asked Ginny beginning to suspect that’s what’d happened.

"Most of the time, except they started school two weeks earlier then us so I didn’t see her that much then I tried to see her twice a week once she left for school."

"And is she as obsessed as you are?" Asked Phil quietly from the corner.

Ginny laughed and Dan blushed.

"Oh look outside its stopped raining!" Said Dan in an all to happy tone obviously trying to change the subject.

To his surprise it worked. "Not for long." Phil grumbled. It was common knowledge that he hated cold weather.

"Not for long, hopefully." Said Ginny, rain had a way of making her feel safe and at home.

Phil frowned, "but we’re supposed to have Quidditch practice tomorrow morning and if it’s raining we’re going to get all freezing cold and wet before eight in the morning."

"Glad I’m not on the team." Was all Ginny could say.

"Same." Said Dan his face finally returning to a normal color.

"Lazy." Was all Phil said.

"Maybe." Dan and Ginny said at the same time before bursting out laughing.

"We’re probably the only people awake in the whole school." Said Dan a plan beginning to form behind his brown eyes.

"Can we at least wait until after the first night to leave the tower after hours? I was kind of hoping not to have detention tomorrow night."

"Oh your no fun." Said Dan.

"She’s right you know." Answered Phil. "Detention on the first night? I would hope not."

"Whatever happened to both of your senses of fun?" Asked Dan glaring in their directions.

"Its still there, just nonexistent tonight."

"Please can’t we just go down to the kitchens and say hi to the house elves?" Dan begged, doing his best to put on a puppy dogface but ended up looking like a demented hippopotamus.

"If it makes it so you’ll get ride of that face, fine!" Said Ginny getting up from her seat.

"Well in that case then I’ll come too." Phil got up standing to his full height of six foot six, making him the tallest boy in school, as well as rather gangly and clumsy, he had an average of knocking over at least one bookshelf a day.

"Ok then, lets go." Said Dan getting up eagerly.

"Shhh, lets not repeat what happened last year." Ginny whispered. Causing all of them to recount last years first night escapade to the kitchens, when Dan who had had a little to much sugar that night was running down the halls laughing his head off, when McGonagall had come out. They’d had to clean the kitchens for the whole first week after every meal, not a fun way to start the year.

The castle was dark and silent. Only the faint glow of Phil’s wand led the way as they descended carefully down the steps toward the kitchens. Reaching the portrait of the fruit bowl Dan reached out tickling the pear gently so not to make her laugh too hard. The pear turned into a handle, Dan turned it and the door swung open. The kitchens were full of activity, unlike the rest of the castle. House elves ran around with food in their hands big bowls of potatoes teetering dangerously between their hands. The stoves were running full force and there was only one objective in mind, getting breakfast ready for the next morning. A short dwarf dressed in a white pillowcase walked over to them. His hair was sticking up from all angels between his huge pointed ears. His huge eyes were unmoving.

"What can I do for you three this evening?" He asked clasping his hands together in front of him. "I am Clinky, house elf of Hogwarts, welcome to the kitchens."

"This elf must be new." Ginny whispered, "Otherwise he’d know us. Does he think this place is a temple? Because that’s how he’s talking."

Dan chuckled, but Phil let out an almighty roar. The house elf trembled.

"We’d just like some hot chocolate, if it’s not to much of a hassle." Said Ginny while Phil doubled over, hitting one of the tables with his head and almost knocking down the knives.

"Ow!" He cried, and stopped laughing abruptly to rub his head. "That hurt!" Ginny just shook her head and grabbed his arm, dragging him to a nearby table. Sitting down on stools that were a couple of feet to short especially for Phil who had to pull out his legs in front of him so he could sit.

"So what do you think this years going to bring?" Asked Ginny her hand around a mug of hot chocolate, looking around the table expectantly.

"The usual, You Know Who is going to try and kill Harry, Harry will just barley get away and maybe if we’re lucky Harry’ll get ride of You Know Who for good." Said Dan taking a sip from his mug.

"That’s the same thing you said last year." Phil pointed out, warming his hands around his mug.

"Well it happened didn’t it?" Said Dan looking expectantly around the table, its happened every year, well since You Know Who’s rise to power. Before that it was You Know Who trying to regain power and failing because of Harry. I say we all owe Harry a whole lot."

"That’s for sure." Ginny whispered and there was a moment of silence.

"Anyhow, did you hear about the Quidditch line up Harry organized this year, our team is gonna cream Slytherin, and the other houses, but Slytherin in particular."

"Really entertain me." Was all Dan said a slightly sarcastic smile on his face.

"Well there’s Harry as seeker and captain of course, he’s great. Then we have me as a beater."

"Although you can’t walk without knocking something over, somehow you can raise hell with those bludgers." Said Dan

"Anyway, then there’s Ron as the other beater, and he’s even better than his brothers were. Then we have Dean as keeper and I have to say that anyone who can get a quaffle by him deserves to. Our chasers are Lavender, Dennis Creevy, who turned out quite different from his brother and-"

"See I told you that kids who fall into the lake turn out successful." Said Ginny pointedly.

"True, we got the kid who fell in this year didn’t we?" Asked Phil excitedly.

"We did." Said Ginny, "who’s the last chaser?"

"Oh, a fourth year named Laize, she’s new this year, last year at the end of the term (Quidditch tryouts had been put at the end of the year because it was easier to start practice right away instead of spending hours at the beginning of the year doing them) her tryout was amazing, so we’re hoping she’s as good at a real game."

Ginny nodded. "Sounds good."

"Just as long as we win the cup." Said Dan.

"We’ve gotten it for two years running now, I for one think we’ll make three." Phil said with spirit.

"We should probably head back." Ginny said glancing at the clock on the wall, which pointed to 11:30. "We have to get up early tomorrow." She yawned.

"Lets go." Dan got up, thanking the house elves and pulling open the door to the kitchens, coming face to face with Professor McGonagall.

"Oh um Professor, fancy seeing you here." Dan said a slight nervous giggle in his voice.

"Yes its quite interesting, very interesting indeed. Would you three like to take a short trip to my office around now." Her mouth was set in a thin line. It was all Ginny could do not to run screaming through the kitchens.

***********

"Detention, and 50 points from Gryfindor can you believe her? On the first night! And detention!" Dan hollered once back in the Gryfindor tower.

"We knew it would happen, when have we ever snuck out successfully?" Asked Ginny sitting down in an armchair, curling up against it.

Both the boys were silent while they pondered this question.

"Well once, but it was only me and you Ginny when we snuck out to the Quidditch pitch unlocked the broom shed and flew around for the whole night." Said Dan looking thoughtful, which was rather uncommon.

"How come I wasn’t in on this?" Asked Phil.

"You were in the hospital wing, a bookshelf fell on you or something like that." Said Dan. Phil had a habit of ending up in the hospital wing once a week if he was lucky, more often it was once a day. He had Madame Pomfrey at nerves end with his constant injuries, so far in his six years at Hogwarts he’d managed, 15 concussions (No wonder he was so off) broken both his wrists more than twenty times his ankles more than thirty and his leg 14 times, it was a wonder he was still alive. Other than that he’d had other injuries such as countless burns and bruises.

"Oh ok. Well when have we ever snuck out with me and not been caught."

"Never?" Suggested Ginny. "Well I’m beat I’m going to bed."She yawned and walked up the staircase to her dorm.

*****************

Ginny was in a river, the same one she had seen, or been in, she wasn’t really sure, on top of the glacier with the blond woman. The current seemed even colder than it had been before. The water rushed around her feet, the water was deep black with white froth from the current. She could hear a waterfall roaring in the distance, being careful not to be caught by the current she walked further downstream, at the edge of the water fall the current grabbed her and she was pulled under water, with a scream she was taken by the current, reaching blindly she found a hand, she grabbed it, using it to pull herself up from the water.
"Well this was farther down river than I had planned for us to meet, but I suppose this will have to do. The girl was different than the last one she had met in the river, not only was she younger but there was a sword at her side, and she was holding a bell covered in flowing marks, Ginny reached out to touch it, but she pulled it away it started ringing but she held down the clapper, firmly, before putting it in the seven bell bandoleer that hung across her chest. "Don’t touch that not unless you want all the dead around here suddenly given the ability to move freely throughout death!" She whispered hoarsely.

"Hold on death, is that were I am?"

"Where did you think you were Australia?" Was all she asked.

"Well no, but hold on death, when you die don’t you go to heaven or hell and that’s that?" Asked Ginny nearly lost her balanced, the girl caught her. "Who are you anyways?"

"Abhorsen Lirael, most call me Abhorsen, but that’s not important, well I suppose it is, but not right now. Heaven and hell I don’t know, probably after the ninth gate, but this is death, the in-between stage, the one that causes hell for us who play the role of Abhorsen, and all of those who know a thing about necromancy.

"So you bring back the dead." Asked Ginny getting out her wand and pointing it at her.

"No, I make sure that the dead, stay dead. Oh and put that thing away it wont work around here.

Ginny put her wand away reluctantly. "Well then explain this whole death thing to me, because I’m not moving till I have an idea of why the hell I’m here."

"There are nine gates in death, after each gate it gets harder for a person to come back from death. To be truly dead a person must pass through the ninth gate, after that who knows what happens, currently we are just beyond the first gate, that’s the waterfall behind you, each gate is made up of something different, some consist of waves strong enough to knock someone who weighs three hundred pounds off their feet, others of deep holes and those unfortunate enough to have stepped in one. If everything worked and everyone who died passed easily through the ninth gate there would be no problems, but there are those who prefer the dead alive. The ones who refuse to pass through the gates, the free magic necromancers are our main problem-"
"But aren’t you a necromancer?" Asked Ginny becoming more bewildered by the second.

"Well yes, but well no… I’m an Abhorsen a necromancer in a sense that I walk in death, and carry the bells, a Charter Mage in the sense that I am branded by the charter, and an Abhorsen in the fact that I carry the sword," Here she unsheathed her sword which was covered in the same flowing marks as her bells, "and bind the dead down beyond the ninth gate."

"Charter mage, what’s that another type of magic."

"Yes there isn’t time to explain, its magic yes, but in a sense of good and evil, free magic is evil, charter is good, ok?"

"So you are…."

"Great Charters! Haven’t we been over this, I’m an Abhorsen it’s different. My job takes evil magic, and good magic, puts them together and you’ve got an Abhorsen, but don’t worry I’m on your side."

"Wait! what do you mean, since when have we picked sides?"

"Since long before you arrived. Listen, we’ve got to get back through the gate ok? Just follow me through." Ginny nodded numbly following her steps in the water, hoping that nothing reached out and grabbed her.

She spoke some weird words that made Ginny dizzy before the waterfall parted into an archway. Gathering herself she ran through after Lirael.

"You made it ok?" The river was fading now.

"Yes, fine, so what were you saying?"

"We’re out of time! Oh, well, umm, see you later?" Were the last words Ginny heard before waking up.