Nicole Stevens: Blood and Daggers

Chapter Seven: Explanations

"Good evening, Professor Lupin. Might I be of service?"

Draco smirked at Dumbledore from behind Lupin. He had been unpleasant from the time we had set off for the office up until now. Apparently, not even the headmaster could make him behave.

"Albus, we apologize for the sudden arrival. Some...events have necessitated our coming. If I might explain, as soon as we get these children--"

"Hmph," growled Draco.

"Excuse me, Mister Malfoy. I meant, as soon as we get these adolescents settled, I would be overjoyed to inform you of all that has happened, Albus. So--"

"Professor Dumbledore, I think that I'd be the fittest person to explain all that has happened," I broke in. "Standing out in the hall isn't helping explain anything at all."

"Of course, Nicole. Yes, come in," Dumbledore stepped back from the door and opened it wide for us to come inside his office.

Draco, Lupin, and Harry got the seats in front of Dumbledore's desk, so I got set to stand. But Harry grinned mischievously and pulled me onto his lap. I laughed as Dumbledore situated himself at his desk and pushed his half-moon spectacles up on the bridge of his nose.

"Now, I suppose what we first need to know, is how you came to be here, and why. Who has the account from beginning to end?"

"I do," I answered.

"Then, Nicole, please tell me everything."

"All right. About half way through the summer, I got really lonely, so I invited Harry to come and stay with me. He accepted, and the day he arrived, my cousins and aunt came. But, one day, I was sitting outside in my favorite willow in the grove, and I...fell asleep. When I woke up, I was hovering eight feet off the ground. I asked aloud what was happening, and I heard this voice in my head, telling me all this stuff. Finally, whatever had been holding me in the air, sat me on the branch. I eventually deducted that the trees were the owners of the voices. They told me all about them, and that I was their keeper."

"The Keeper of the Woods," Dumbledore murmured to himself. Then he said to me, "Yes go on."

"And then I talked to them. This one oak, Melagh, she told me she could track souls. I asked her to find Voldemort. When she told me that he had known he was being tracked and threw his shields up, I asked to find Draco, because I had been worried. Well, she told me where he was, and everything was fine.

"Then, I went outside another day, with a communication mirror. I called Draco, and we spoke briefly. What he told me was enough to get me worried. I decided that Harry and I would stay in Diagon Alley until school started.

"Well, I found out about Sirius Black, and had Harry tell me the whole story. I get it now. But, then we went to Diagon Alley. We got a huge suite there, and met Lupin at an ice cream parlor. He told us about himself, though I was the only one who didn't know him.

"Later that night, Harry told me that Lupin had told him that Sirius had been captured by the dark lord. He looked stoned, honestly. After he fell asleep, I went to talk to Remus. We spoke for awhile, blah blah blah. When the Mark on my arm burnt, Remus went crazy and made me go get Harry and some stuff. We grabbed the things that were vital and I performed a transportation spell to get us here, just as the door of our suite broke open.

"We found ourselves at Durmstrang, where we were greeted hospitably. There, we slept and were given fresh clothes. When I woke, I slipped on the dress they'd given me. It was red. Harry came in, and saw the Mark, which I hadn't told him about. He got really mad and stomped out. In the afternoon, while Remus was looking in my room for his wand, someone knocked at my door. It was Rayne the vampire, who works for Voldemort. Rayne took me to Malfoy Manor, where I met Draco, who soon told me that he had been with the party of Death Eaters who'd broken into my suite. He said he'd cast a back shock charm to change my destination. When I realized that I was in danger at Malfoy manor, I performed another transportation spell, taking me to Durmstrang. Draco grabbed my arm and brought himself with me.

"Then, we found Harry and yadda yadda yadda; most of Draco's ribs were broken. Then we gathered everything we'd brought and I did the transportation spell to get us here. And, here we are!"

"Ah, I see. Well, you three must get to bed. I am afraid the common rooms and dormitories are inaccessible, as some of the guardians are visiting other places, so we shall get you three guest rooms. Let me fetch Professor Snape to do that."

He stood and threw a pinch of powder into the fireplace, which sprang into flames as soon as he did. He said Professor Snape, and stood back from the fireplace.

We waited in silence for Dumbledore to finish. I nearly jumped out of Harry's lap when I saw Snape's head in the fireplace.

"Severus, I need you in my office immediately," Dumbledore informed Snape, who seemed unaware of the sparks around his face.

"Yes, Albus, but--I am in the middle of an extremely important research. That potion, you know. And its cure."

"Well, I will allow you to continue your research as soon as you have taken our early pupils to the guest rooms."

"Early students? Oh, them. I spotted people traipsing into the castle earlier, but I figured it was Minerva and Ravena. I shall be there shortly," Snape said sharply.

"See to it that you are," Dumbledore told him.

Snape's head disappeared from the fireplace and Dumbledore strode back to his desk. I watched the door expectantly, along with Harry. Draco seemed bored, and he began to become restless. He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees, resting his chin in his palms. Remus, on the other hand, kept whispering with Dumbledore. They seemed to be discussing something of the greatest importance, but I could not hear a word they said.

There was a knock on the door, as it swung open and Snape strode in, looking peeved.

"Albus, where are these--Draco? What on earth--?"

"I'm here with them," Draco sighed, jerking a finger at Harry and me; I was still sitting in Harry's lap.

"Oh, Potter and Stevens. Very well, follow me, and I shall lead you to your guest rooms."

He spun on his heel, Draco striding along behind him. I hopped up with Harry and we ran out after them. As soon as we caught them up, Snape looked at Harry and snarled, "I am warning you, Potter, as I have done often: Do not break into my office. I will find out if you do. Also, I will be sure to have someone check on you every night, to make sure you stay in your own bed. Now, I don't care what you do, don't mistake. If you want to share beds, go ahead, but I will NOT tolerate nightly noises to disturb my sleep. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, sure," I muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, Professor. Oh and by the way, the boys are the ones old enough to have sexual intercourse," I informed him, "My sixteenth birthday is in October."

"It has made no matter how old a student was in past years, there were broken laws all over the school. And for your cheek--"

"What are you going to do? We don't have house points yet," I said.

"Hold your tongue! Do not mock me, Miss Stevens. Whether you are Potter's girlfriend or not, I don't care, you are not above the rules. Dumbledore might take it upon himself to watch out for you, but I do not. My goal in life is to catch rule-breaking students and punish them. And, as much as I would like to elaborate, I will not."

"Good," I replied, yawning obviously.

"We are here," Snape said stiffly.

"Sir, yes sir!" I said, saluting him. "Good night, Sir!"

Snape glared daggers at me before turning to the portrait we were standing in front of.

"Draco Luna," Snape addressed to the portrait. The silvery-white dragon sleeping underneath the moon exhaled, blowing white fire out of its nostrils.

"Cool," I heard Draco whisper.

The portrait swung open, revealing a large stone entryway, leading down a dark corridor.

Snape snapped his fingers, and fire sprang into light in the torch brackets on the wall. He led us down the hall, where we were soon faced with a most impressive sight. There was a room the size of the Gryffindor common room, decorated in silver, blue, green, gold, and red. A couch was situated in front of the fireplace, where a fire was burning its merry light casting slight shadows. The room was lit magically, and there was no need for torch brackets, though I spotted several, as well as a chandelier with thirteen milky candles in the holders. In the center of the room, there were four chairs in a circle. A small table was off to the side, covered in dusty old parchments, a book, and an ink and quill.

"Marvelous," I sighed. "Heya, Snape, what is this used for? I mean, it seems so grand. Not exactly for just any old quests."

"Well, as you seem to delight in historical ramblings, this was the common room of the four founders: Salazar Slytherin--"

"Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, yeah I know. But, is this place used any more?"

"No. I have no idea why Dumbledore saw it fit for you to stay here, but he obviously has reasons. Your bedroom is there," he pointed to a separate corridor with a gold and black banner over it, no doubt leading to a bedroom. "Draco, there is yours," this time Snape indicated the hall next to mine, where a silver and green banner was hanging. "And, Potter, yours is on the other side of this room," he waved at a door across the room, with a red and gold drape hanging above the entrance. "You shall go to bed now, unless some prior engagement calls."

"Okay," I said. "What if we're hungry?"

"You call for a house elf, and they'll fetch you something," he snapped.

"All right, all right, no need to split hairs," I said in an undertone.

Snape ignored my last remark and strode swiftly out of the room, and I faintly heard the portrait slam shut, followed by the growl of the portrait dragon. Apparently, it did not enjoy being banged shut.

"So, I'm off to bed, and you two may do whatever you like," Draco said haughtily.

Harry waved Draco off with a loud, "And good riddence, too."

Draco snorted and quickened his pace. He stalked into his hallway and left Harry and I staring blankly after him. Soon we regained our senses and said goodnight; he heading left to his hall, I to the right.

As I walked down the hall, I listened to the steady thump of my footsteps. Without thinking, I began counting my steps; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.

I reached another room, about half the size of the previous one. This one had golden chairs and a desk. Were they golden? I couldn't truly tell in the relative dark. Then, I remember how Snape had ignited the torches in the hall before, and I decided to try it. As I snapped, light flickered on, though I could not tell where it came from. I looked upwards, seeing a chandelier with lit candles in it. But surely, those candles did not supply all the light?

I shook my head and looked around me. The chairs were indeed gold, and a large desk was sitting in front of a huge bookshelf, filled with (tehehe, you couldn't believed) books. I tiptoed over to the desk and craned my neck to inspect the items sitting on the top. An elegant golden quill looked as though it had been used only seconds before, but the book I saw on the writing table was dusty and creaked as I opened it. The heavy cover flipped open as I pulled open the cover. I fingered the first pages, on which writing proclaimed:

Historia Magick

Writ: Olleander Talon

"What in the world?" I whispered, my breath stirring the dust on the page. "This book must be...a thousand years old at least. How did it get here?"

A sudden noise shook me from my stupor. I spun around searching for an intruder, no one. Clutching my hand to my chest, I edged cautiously away from the desk, never allowing my eyes to drift from the page of Historia Magick. Suddenly, the pages began flipping wildly as if caught in a high wind, and dust flew in the air. There was a loud roaring noise, like that of a thousand trains. The book began to glow as the pages turned with such great speed that there was a whirring sound. The book levitated, never ceasing its turning pages. The golden light emanating from it shone throughout the room, bathing me in a white light like no other. The roaring continued and I began to scream, thinking in my head,

Screw this! I'm getting out of here!

But I did not have the courage to turn and run. The room shook throwing me off-balance, I grabbed onto the desk, causing it to topple over. It fell on my head. I struggled underneath the heavy desk, which was bearing down on me, squeezing air from my lungs. Foreign words passed my lips,

"Concubia nocte historia!"

The whirring stopped and I heard something heavy fall to the ground. Bursting from beneath the pile of books, I stood, surrounded by books fallen from the shelves. I dragged myself out of the pile, stumbling into the golden chair. A door creaked open, and I saw a woman standing in the door leading to what I supposed must be the bedroom. It was me.

I collapsed, dropping into an unconscious state on the floor.

*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*

"Oh, no! What have I done? I have killed her! My goddess, she looks just like me! Who is she, though? She certainly cannot be me. Her clothing for one, it's different."

"Oh, Helga. Give it up already; the girl will not rouse. I admit, you two have slight likenesses, but you look nothing the same. She is better filled out, the girl has shorter hair, and she looks too smart to be you."

"Shush, Sal. I was not speaking to you."

"Who're you?" I heard my own voice say from far away. Who were these people, and WHY were there talking about me? My eyelids flickered open, and I stared up into a young woman's face. She looked exactly like me. EXACTLY.

"She rouses! What fortune! Sal, you were wrong," the *me* said.

"Whatever you say, Helga. Let me see her. I am the healer here, am I not?"

"If you may do something for her, by all means go ahead," *me* told the other voice.

A man--twenty at most--stepped into my view, kneeling down beside me. It was Draco, or so I thought.

"Draco," I whispered, reaching up and caressing his cheek, tracing my forefinger down his jawbone.

"She has an odd accent," *Draco* said, not stopping me from touching him. "Who are you?"

"You know," I retorted.

"Yes of course, I do. I just want to hear your voice." He was lying, though I did not realize it at the time.

"I'm Nicole Stevens. I'm fifteen."

"Oh," he paused.

"Who's she, Draco?" I asked, pointing weakly at my look-alike.

"First off, call me Salazar or Sal. Secondly, that idiotic girl behind me is Helga. Do you know why you are here or how you arrived?"

"A book," I murmured vaguely, "Historia Magick. It started roaring and then I yelled something and I was here."

"Yes, I believe her," Sal said, turning to Helga. "Fetch Gryffindor, tell him we have a visitor. I swear, I have to turn to a moron because he is the only other person here intelligent enough to puzzle this out," he cursed.

"Of course, Sal," she said, turning and striding out of the room.

"Sal, you're really cute, you know."

"Cute?"

"You're handsome."

"That I know," he replied, looking down at me. "So, I suppose I must wait for you to regain your senses to inform me of your complete tale. Correct?"

"I'm in perfect frame of mind," I mumbled. "But, until I remember more, I'm not gonna' be able to tell you much."

"Yes, I believe the same. Would you mind terribly if I carried you to somewhere you are not lying in a pile of books?"

"Nope," I answered. My consciousness faded as Sal's arms lifted me, cradling me against him. I did not know that he took me to his bedroom, barking orders at Godric Gryffindor.

*--*

I awoke to see Harry leaning over me. Or, at least, I thought it was Harry, but this belief was cut short.

"She is awake," *Harry* said.

"She is? Wonderful. I have a potion for her."

Sal came and stood beside the bed. I tried to push myself up, to better speak with him, but I only collapsed back onto the bed. Salazar set a goblet on the bedside table, piling up pillows against the backboard and helping me sit up.

"Drink this, Nicole," he commanded.

"What is it?" I queried.

"Strengthening potion. I brewed it for you. It should restore a sufficient amount of your strength," he informed me.

"Okay," I took the goblet as he handed it to me. I drank the potion, gulping it down. I expected a rough, disgusting taste, but found that it tasted rather like sweet fruit punch and lemonade.

"How is it?" Sal asked concernedly.

"Mm...I like it. Are you positive this is strengthening potion? It tastes like a cider, sort of."

"I am sure, yes. It is supposed to taste reasonably appetizing, though sometime the brew comes out...different."

"I do remember. I got one of your different brews. Tasted like rotten fruit," *Harry* put in.

"Godric, if you do not be quiet, I shall have to curse your tongue to be tied. Nicole, this is Godric. He is not very intelligent compared to me, but he is not like the women, who are incompetent."

"I take that personally," a girl's voice broke in.

"Of course, Ro. I expect you to," Godric said as a girl came behind him and rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Sal, I do not understand why you must be so conceited. Neither Helga nor I have been attempting to annoy you for days now. Godric does not treat either of us like this."

"Of course Godric does not behave toward either of you like I. Really, I would think you had found out that Godric here is only interested in being the exact opposite of me."

"I, for one, am weary of this conversation. I am leaving," Ro strode out of the room, Helga trailing after her.

"There you have gone and made them upset. I suppose I must go repair the damage?"

"Yes, Godric. Leave," Sal commanded.

Godric nodded and hurried out of the room, leaving Salazar and I alone. Salazar sat beside me on the bed, staring intently into my face. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face, and I blushed, color rising into my cheeks.

"This makes me uncomfortable," I told him.

"I know," he replied.

"Why are you doing it?"

"I cannot help it."

"Eh? And why not?"

"Because...you are so like her." He sighed, pulling his hand away and looking at the door.

"Helga? Oh."

"Yes," he confirmed.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" I questioned.

Salazar answered, not looking at me, "Of course not. It was only once; one fling, nothing more. It never should have happened. She was upset; all I wanted was to comfort her. She...oh she is just so pitiful and yet, it is not so. She made me sympathize with her, but then...she pushed me away. Helga--she told me I was nothing. Said I was just a crazed young boy. I was not, though. I knew what I felt. I know what I feel. And now, you...So like her, you are. I do not know why I feel so drawn to you."

"Neither do I. So, you're saying you slept with her, and then she pushed you away? She won't mention it?"

"No. No-one knows except she and I. Now you, as well."

"There's nothing I can do, is there?" I felt suddenly empathetic towards Slytherin.

"There is, but you would not. I know. You just would not tolerate being used like that," Sal said dejectedly.

"Like what? I'll do anything."

"Anything? Be positive of your words before you agree. It would require some...sacrifice in the way of honour. Please, if you agree, do not turn back on your decision."

"I won't."

"Then--"

"Oh my god. Malfoy! Get Snape or somebody! Quickly!"

"What do you want?"

"Just go do it!"

"Fine, fine no need to be all touchy--"

"You don't understand! Nicole, she's on the floor. She won't wake up. I think she's got a concussion."

"What!!! No way, Potter. You go get the teacher. I'll stay and watch after her. If she wakes up, I'll be sure to mention it. Okay?"

"NO! You are going to go get Snape NOW!"

"All right. But if she dies, Potter, I am blaming you, and then, I'll kill you for it."

"Right, right."

The voices came from a distance, as if through water. As I opened my eyes, it looked like I was underwater, as well. Then, my vision cleared, and I saw Harry peering worriedly down at me. He looked far more strained than I would have expected. Oh well, no time to ponder that.

"What the heck was that about?" I lifted a finger and pointed it wearily at the door.

"Oh, that. Nothing, it wasn't about anything. I just thought that...oh, never mind," he shook his head, a single strand of his raven-black hair covering his pale forehead. "What happened--" he gestured at the fallen books around me and the table, which was toppled onto its side, "--to all of that?"

"What? You aren't telling me you didn't feel it, are you?"

"Feel WHAT?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Feel that shaking. The room was shaking, and the books fell off the shelves. Then I stumbled and grabbed onto the desk, but I fell and the table crashed onto my head. I don't know, but I...well, this old book's pages started flipping like crazy, and then it started levitating and glowing. Then all the roaring started, and the room began shaking. Like an earthquake."

"Erm, I hate to say this, but no such thing. Nothing happened, except I heard a crash, and I ran in here. Draco heard it too, and followed me. I don't know what happened really. When he gets back--"

There were muted voices in the hall and dim running footsteps.

"...hurry, you...If she doesn't..."

"...I am hurrying...If I was thinking clearly; I would think you actually cared about that Gryffindor girl..."

"She's okay!" Harry yelled, leaning away from me to call down the corridor.

"She is?!" I heard pounding footsteps and Draco bounded into the room, coming to kneel beside me.

"What happened?" he queried.

"Nothing," I choked out, before Harry could spill everything I had told him. "Nothing happened, right Harry?"

"No--nothing happened. She just tripped and upset the desk. Nothing too catastrophic. I guess she'll be fine. It's only a cut across her forehead."

"Then I see no reason for you to have brought me here. I was in the middle of something. Do not bother me again." Snape shot a warning glance at the three of us and turned, hurrying out the door.

"Guys, go back to bed, I'll be fine."

"You're sure? You don't want anything to eat or drink? Maybe a cold compress or something?"

"Just a glass of water and a wet washcloth will be fine Harry," I answered.

"Okay, I'll go get them, then," Harry left the room, and Draco and I were alone.

"Are you truly all right?"

"Yeah, Draco. I'm fine. I need sleep, is all."

He nodded and helped me stand. I touched my forehead, feeling a sharp pang. I stopped, causing Draco to pause. He looked concernedly at me, his eyes asking me an unsaid question.

"I'm really all right. Just tired, I promise. Nothing happened, I was being clumsy."

"If you say so," Draco sounded a little unsure.

"I am," I replied. I flopped down in the gold armchair, too tired to get into the bedroom. "You know what, Draco; I think I'll just stay here for a while, until Harry gets back."

"Okay. I'll sit with you." He took the chair beside me. I rested my head on the chair back, and relaxed. My thoughts slowed, and my brain was feeling a lot less likely to explode. I closed my eyes, seeing the face of Salazar Slytherin. He had acted so...Draco-ish. Sal had looked like a twenty year-old Draco. Well, at least I knew something Draco didn't. I knew what he would look like at age twenty. Tehehe...

"I still don't believe you, what you said," I murmured with my eyes closed. "I don't have a wizard's debt to you. You were making that up."

"Oh, Nicole...we'll talk about it later. You're not well enough now to."

"No, I'm serious. I don't believe it. You were just kidding."

"We'll talk about it later, but not now."

"Hm..." I sighed.

Harry came in later, giving me the compress and a glass of water. I sent them away, going into the bedroom: Helga's bedroom. It was ornately decorated, with gold hangings on the wall. The bed was covered in soft golden satin sheets, with a matching bedspread. The enormous four-poster bed had heavy gold and red velvet curtains, and I was ecstatic to find clothes in the large wardrobe. They were very old-style robes, but would be fine for a couple of days. I changed into my old nightgown, from that night long ago when the Death Eaters had barged into my suite in the Leaky Cauldron. But it hadn't been long ago, had it? No, it had only been a couple of days, but it seemed like forever.

And, with those thoughts in mind, I lie on Helga Hufflepuff's bed, and fell into a deep chasm of sleep.