Black Aeon

Chapter Five

All The Colours Of The Rainbow

Wylow banged her head on the table and groaned as they approached.

"Just shoot me now." Arielle patted her arm sympathetically. The blond and his lackeys stopped just before them, and a sneer marred Malfoy's face. Crabbe and Goyle tried to imitate it, but ended up looking rather ill. Hunter turned his head, and looked at the three approaching Slytherins lazily.

"Oh joy, ladies and gentleman, we have company. Pour out the petrol, serve up the razorblades; let's invite them to share our breakfast." Wylow almost managed a smile, just as her dearest darling (ha ha) and his cronies reached them.

"Good morning Potter."

"Bugger off Malfoy."

"Oh, now that isn't nice. Not nice at all. Now, last year, you were very nice. Very nice indeed..."

"What part of 'Bugger off' does not make sense in your perverted, ludicrous mind?" a slow smile was spreading over the blonds' face, and Wylow really didn't like it.

~

Harry woke up with a blurry head and a bad taste in his mouth. Of course, as he had passed out last night, he hadn't really had the chance to clean his teeth so what more could he have expected? He groaned faintly and rolled out of bed, hitting to floor with a painful thump that failed to wake him up. Or rid him of the pounding headache that he doubted would ever go away. Why did he hurt so much? And why did he feel vaguely as though someone had given him a mild electric shock?

Something was leaning over him, and breathing fishily all over his face. He opened his eyes, and found himself staring into twin yellow lamps. He squeaked, and sat up hurriedly. Blunder, Dean Thomas's ginger tortoise shell cat, blinked at him with huge, round, slit pupil eyes. Harry sighed, and stood up wearily. He really couldn't be bothered. A glance at the clock told him that it was still really early as well, and the sounds of Seamus, Dean and Neville all happily sleeping irritated him. There was one type of breathing that was missing though; Ron's. God, he would never get used to the idea of his best friend, Ron Weasley, being the Head Boy. It seemed too... weird to contemplate. He sighed, grabbed a towel off of a pile that the House Elves had put out, and stumbled off to the bathroom, hoping a shower would wake him up and easy off his headache.

*

He sighed as he wearily plodded into the Great Hall, fully expecting not to find anyone worth talking to there- and just managed to dodge out of the way as Malfoy raced past him, pale face bright pink, with his sister fast in pursuit. She was waving her wand and screaming;

"Come back you cowardly arse wipe! Show me what your precious 'Pureblood' looks like!" Harry, in a mild state of shock, shifted slightly, and looked over to the Slytherin table, where Carlisle, Morlock and Marlowe were taking care of Malfoys' goods, Crabbe and Goy6le. The three didn't really stand a chance against those four, as they were Slytherins resident Hexers. With a capital H. There was a scream from the other side of the hall, and Harry, Carlisle, Morlock, Marlowe, Crabbe and Goyle turned as one to see Wylow slamming her fists into Malfoy, who was lying on the floor with Wylow straddling his legs so he couldn't move. At a glance, Harry could tell that this fight would soon be over, and the opposition would not be in a good state. In one final desperate attempt to get up, Malfoy grabbed a huge handful of Wylow's hair and yanked. Hard. She yelped in pain, and then her palm flew up and a rippling effect happened to the air. There was a faint shrieking sound, and the air shook more violently before rushing downward. The blond was immediately unconscious. Crabbe and Goyle looked sideways, to find three wands pointed at them, wooden tips gleaming with different coloured lights. As fast as their thick legs could carry them, the two left the Hall. Harry turned back to his sister, to find her rising slowly out of Malfoy's unconscious grasp. He took a step forward, intent on speaking to her, but she merely stared down at the unconscious body of her house mate, and then slowly crumpled to the floor. Just as he ran over to her, he heard Morlock's voice call out cheerfully "Oh bugger, now we have MORE bodies to clear up. She never makes things easy for us." Wylow definitely had some odd friends. Harry gently lifted her head into his lap and brushed her hair off of her face.

"Hey, 'Ganie. Hey, wake up now." Her eyes fluttered, and for a moment Harry could have sworn her hair turned auburn. But only for a moment, before it was back to their shared jet black. Slowly, his twin opened her eyes.

"Still looming over me Potter?" Harry laughed, and helped her up.

~

The first day back was, of course, hell on earth for a girl who had spent the last two months doing as she wanted. Wylow had never thought that getting back into the school regime could be so hard, but it was.

Curse these damn boots; they look great, but are so noisy when you're trying to sneak into class! She thought, glaring down at the chunky boots with metal bits on them as she pushed open the door to the Transfigurations classroom. The whole class looked up as one and stared at her. McGonagall waited for a moment before turning as well. Jacob and Hunter shot her sympathetic grimaces (Arielle was in Advanced Herbology with her cousin Longbottom) as the teacher raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"Ahh, Miss... Potter," she winced, unhappy admitting that this Slytherin was related to her precious house member, "So good of you to decide to join us. And only fifteen minutes late. Might I inquire why?"

"Well, there was this thing with Malfoy, and-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses!"

"Oh, but you said-"

"Ten points from Slytherin! Take your seat and I don't want to hear another word on the matter!" Stupid woman, why couldn't she just leave her alone for once in her life? Muttering angrily in French, Wylow stomped to her seat and, dumping her bag unceremoniously on the ground, threw herself into her seat and folded her arms, flicking her freshly plaited hair over her shoulder. McGonagall stood for a moment and blinked at her, her eyes bugging out behind her glasses, and then continued with the lesson. Idly, she rubbed the patch of her clothing that covered her Sword and Rose tattoo, before slipping a hand under the collar of her shirt and rubbing the coloured skin.

"Miss Potter, if you insist on feeling yourself in the middle of my lesson, do kindly show the class your reason." By her voice, she obviously expected Wylow to snatch her hand away from her collar bone and blush with embarrassment; instead, the green eyed girl undid a few buttons on her shirt, and pulled the collars of both her shirt and jumper along her shoulder. The class gasped as one as the inked lines of her tattoo became visible.

"Miss Potter! How dare you... blemish your skin with such lurid and distasteful images?!"

"No where in the rules does it say that a student may not bear a tattoo on their skin." McGonagall's face turned puce, before she deducted twenty points from Slytherin from impertinence, and carried on with her lesson.

*

"A tattoo Wyl'! You got a tattoo!"

"Actually, she got three; one on her arm, her collarbone and stomach." Wylow glared at Arielle. But Hunter continued his rant.

"Three tattoos then! And you didn't bother asking if any of us wanted them!" He had no idea how much he sounded like Arielle when he shouted at her this way. Not that his voice was high pitched or anything, it was just the tone and the words. Not that Wylow would ever mention any of this to him, as he might just kill her very dead if he ever heard of that. Wylow smiled sheepishly.

"I was going to go and get another one and take you guys with me... buy you a tattoo each as a present..." While Jacob swallowed visibly, Hunters' face brightened; he had been saying since he was thirteen that he wanted a tattoo.

"Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? I always did want a Celtic cross on my arm." Wylow rolled her eyes, and grinned.

"We all know that. Come on then." Arielle blinked at her.

"Where are we going Wyl'?"

"To a rather nice tattoo parlour I know in Hogsmeade." Her three friends stared at her, and she raised her eyebrow in return. "No time like the present. Are you backing out? Are you all...Scared?" That did it. Hunter immediately inflated with fury.

"I am scared of nothing! Let's go you two." Arielle sighed and put her book aside, and Jacob swallowed as he stood; he was always the cautious one of the group. But Wylow understood him better then the others and she knew that he wouldn't back out. He had an underlying courage that reminded her greatly of her twin, and often made her wonder why he wasn't in the house of the Lion, instead of the house of the Serpent. Then he would come up with some evil plan and she would remember exactly why.

*

"How am I supposed to choose from all of these?" Arielle muttered, gazing at the tattoo pictures that lined the walls of the parlour, blank confusion covering her face. Hunter was already in a large chair, his shirt off and his arm stretched out as the Tattoo Witch cleaned down his arm, her wand sitting with its tip in disinfectant. Jacob was fiddling with his collar, his other hand clammily clasping Wylow's as the Tattoo Wizard he had been talking to modified the picture of a sword to his liking. Jacob had said he liked Wylow's Sword and Rose design, so she had immediately showed him the basis of it, and helped him decide what he wanted changed about it; it was being remade into two crossed swords over a sun. And, of course, Jacob was very nervous. Wylow squeezed his hand gently, and smiled at him.

"Don't worry Jac', it doesn't hurt much; it isn't like Muggle tattoo, which is done with a needle and ink. This is a permanent- colouring spell, isn't it?" She addressed the last part to the Tattoo Wizard, who was now leading them to a chair. He nodded, and grinned. When he replied, his tongue stud flashed slightly.

"Yeah, he needn't worry about it. If he really hates it, we can always remove it in a few years. When he's about fifty." Wylow and the man laughed at that, while Jacob swallowed nervously as he pulled his jumper over his head and unbuttoned his shirt. The Wizard pulled his wand out of its holster and put it into a dish of disinfectant, while the Wizard began to clean his shoulder blade down. Wylow grinned, and turned around to watch as Arielle selected a Vine and Wild Flower design to go around her belly button. Wylow heard some one approach her from behind, and turned around to see a young man with long dark blond hair (it was bloody grey in her eyes!), wearing the uniform of the Tattoo Parlour behind her. He smiled shyly at her, and held out his hand.

"Hi, I'm Chris. Have you chosen yet?" Wylow accepted his hand, and pulled two pieces of parchment out of her pocket with her free hand.

"Hi, I'm Wylow, and I was rather hoping you'd let me have my own designs?" Chris nodded.

"Sure we will. Can I see?" She handed him the two sheets of parchment, and watched as he opened the first, and scan his eyes over the picture of an arm, with a snake tattoo wrapped around it, the head coming just onto the back of the hand and the end of the tail stopping just at the top of the upper arm.

"Hmm, this one could take a while. Its quite complex. Who drew it?"

"I did."

"It's very good. I'm guessing it's the right arm?"

"Yeah, I already have a tattoo on the left."

"Ahh, an old hand with the process then? Let's take a look at the other one then." His eyebrows rose as he looked at the next one.

"Full back? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am." He ran his fingertips over the tattoo picture, the black briar rose with tiny tear drop shapes of red (dark grey) in the petals, and the long straight stem in black as well, with the twisting spirals that ended below the flower with four spike leaves with specks of green (again with the grey) then them. The whole thing started at the end of her spine, below and between the two indents, and ended between her shoulder blades.

"You designed these?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how much you could get if you sold these designs? You could earn a fortune." He glanced up at her. "They'll also cost a fortune, for the amount of time they'll take. Plus, your paying for your friends, who will take a while any way, as it's they're first time." Wylow nodded, and smiled.

"Oh, I know. But I don't need to worry about that. I just have to worry about whether or not you can do them. If you feel you honestly can't..." She didn't need to say anymore. Chris drew himself up to his full height, and nodded.

"Madame, please remove your upper clothing so we may begin on your arm." Wylow grinned, and began to undo her shirt, as she heard Hunter gasp and whimper as the Witch began his tattoo. Chris lead her to a low backed chair, and dunked his wand into a bowl of disinfectant, and ties his hair back, revealing part of a tattoo on his neck. He smiled slightly at her when he saw where her gaze was directed, and began to clean down her arm. Once done, he smoothed out the parchment drawing, and pressed the still slightly damp tip of his wand to it. "Memoradio." The picture rushed along the parchment and into the wand. Chris turned back to her. "Hold still Wylow, because unfortunately, this is going to hurt; the big ones always do." Before she could reply, he pressed the wand tip against her skin. Immediately, it sank about half a centimetre in, and a sharp burning sensation began. This wasn't the way her other tattoos had been done, when the wand had hovered about the skin. But that was probably due to the size of this one. Wylow gasped, and fought to stay still, her grey eyesight flashing brighter and darker at intervals, her mind trying to ignore the exquisite pain. She hadn't realized how much she liked the sensation of pain until now. After an age, she felt the wand tip leave her skin, and the burning focused on one point, where her skin sealed over the place where the wand hand been inserted into her skin. She looked down at her arm, and a slow grin spread over her face. It looked incredible, and it was her own design. She looked up at Chris, and saw he was looking at it with the same awe. He grinned at her, and inclined his head to a table.

"Come on, my little pain lover- yes, I did notice that- you have to lie down for us to do this next one." In a faint daze, Wylow walked with his over to the table, and, lying down, felt his cool hands undo the clasp of her bra and push it off her shoulders. "Do forgive the familiarity, but it has to be done." She knew that, and closed her eyes with a faint gasp as she felt the hot wand tip plunge into her skin once again.

*

"Whoa... Wylow... you certainly don't do things by half measures, do you?" The voice made her open her eyes, just as the wand tip was removed from her back. A now familiar cool hand began to rub ointment into the newly coloured skin, which stung faintly as the colour charm was settled. Arielle was gazing in awe at her back, and then looking down at her own stomach with a slightly rueful look. "It makes mine look pitiful in comparison." Slowly, after Chris hooked her bra back up, Wylow sat up and showed Arielle her right arm, just as Chris began to rub ointment into the skin there as well. Her friends' eyes bulged.

"You have just got two huge tattoos! Without telling us you were going to get such huge ones!" Wylow smiled apologetically, and rubbed her arm when Chris let go.

"Yeah, well, it hurt like hell, so be glad you didn't have such large ones." She heard Chris snort.

"You liked that sensation; you're a Carsion. Better and worse then other people, in different ways." What in the name of arse was a Carsion? She didn't really want to know. She walked across the room to pick up her clothing, hearing the shocked cries of Hunter and Jacob as she went, but ignoring them. As she pulled her shirt back on, and went to the counter to pay, she knew that her brother was going to have a worse reaction then her friends had had.

*

Back at school in Wylow's little sitting room, when Arielle and Jacob had gone to the kitchen, Hunter touched her arm (she had rolled up her sleeves) reverently.

"Gods' Wylow, it's beautiful. And a huge display of House pride." Wylow smiled.

"What do you think of the one on my back?"

"Words don't describe it. You're insane, but have beautiful pictures all over you."

"Nope, just the top part. Can I see your cross?" He smiled, and began rolling up his sleeve.

"It looks pathetic compared to yours now." The cross was simple, yet wonderfully elegant. Wylow looked at him for permission, and then ran her fingertips over it. She didn't notice that he shivered slightly at her touch. He swallowed, and spoke again. "So what do you think of the colour? I wasn't sure whether I should go darker or not." Wylow swallowed, and prayed she guessed right.

"Oh yeah... Black with dark grey looks good." Hunters' eyebrows snapped together, and he grabbed her by the chin and started into her eyes, before swearing loudly.

"When the bloody hell did this happen? And how the fuck did it happen?" Wylow stared at her hands, and didn't reply. Hunter tried again. "Why can't you see colours?"

"... I died." There was a silence.

"You DIED?!"

"Death Eater attack in Diagon Alley during the holidays... Remus brought me back or something, I don't really remember." Hunter stared at her for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around her.

"Why didn't you tell us Wylow?" Before she could rely, and tell him about how she had panicked and thought they would treat her like an invalid, Arielle and Jacob walked in. The look on Arielle's face was one of utter horror, and it as mirrored in Jacobs'. Before Wylow could ask what the matter was, they held out their hands. Clutched in them, were the broken pieces of Wylow's Samurai swords.