The Footsteps of my Father

This is the beginning of the dark part of this fic. It had some very funny parts and such, but it's getting quite dark . . .

THE NEXT CHAPTER IS HORRIBLE!!!!! i AM JUST WARNING YOU!

BE PREPARED TO BE VERY SAD!!


Please read and review!! Thank you so much!

p.s. there's a little Dom/Sin. finallly! *grin*


* * * * *

The Footsteps of my Father

Chapter Sixteen

-The Letter and the Ball -

During History of Magic on Tuesday, the entire classroom fell asleep. The Gryffindors were sound asleep and, although the Ravenclaws had tried to stay awake, even they had fallen asleep.

Charms was quite entertaining, for Professor Flitwick was the Head of Ravenclaw, and he was very energetic. They practiced the "swish and flick" numerous times, but the highlight was when Professor Flitwick levitated his pile of books, sending them spinning around the room and forming a house in the middle.

Broom Flying, on the other hand, didn't go too well. They were paired up with Hufflepuff, and it seemed that hardly anyone could stay on their broom. Even Liriel, who had been playing Quidditch for years, couldn't stay on her broom. It just wasn't a day for flying. Sindaria fell off so many times, she knew she had a vast array of bruises covering her body. Raven could barely get off the ground and she gripped the handle so tightly, her hands turned white.

After Broom Flying, however, was another highlight of Sindaria's day. Liriel and Raven headed indoors to study for a History of Magic exam they had the next day, and Sindaria walked with Dominic to the edge of the lake.

The summer had yet to fade, and it was warm and sunny. They sat down on the grass in the shade of one of the larger trees. "So there's really a squid that lives in there?" Sindaria asked, looking out at the shimmering lake. The mountains behind it were absolutely beautiful.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure," Dominic said with a laugh. "I fell in when we crossed the lake."

Sindaria laughed. "Oh, how horrible!"

Dominic shrugged, laughing. "It was quite entertaining, actually. Everyone came up to me after that, asking how I survived and didn't get eaten by the huge squid."

They sat in silence for a bit. Then Sindaria chuckled softly. "What's so funny?" Dominic asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking that in three months, I'll only be a year younger than you."

"Until I turn fifteen in April, that is," Dominic said with a smile.

As the afternoon dragged on, they talked about a vast variety of things, not really lingering on one subject to long. As they walked back to the school, Dominic took her hand, smiled, and escorted her to Ravenclaw Tower. Giving her a quick hug, he said goodbye and left.

Sindaria walked into the common room, a smile plastered on her face. Liriel and Raven both kept asking her questions about what happened and Sindaria answered; the same smile on her face the entire time.

Lying in bed, she thought about Dominic, a smile on her face. I don't know what I'd do without him, she thought and fell into a deep sleep.

* * * * *

On Thursday they had Defense Against the Dark Arts, and it was a class that everyone was anticipating. Sindaria had already received a letter from her parents, enclosing the letter from her father that they had found with her. Her mother had sent her a box full of her special-recipe cookies and Sindaria wrote a long letter back to her family, telling them all about Hogwarts, her friends, and everything that had happened.

Sitting in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Sindaria tapped her foot, anxiously waiting for the class to begin. They had still not seen their professor and were all wondering who it would be. Sindaria sat up front next to Liriel. Raven sat behind her, next to a Ravenclaw boy named Wesley Caroltin.

Suddenly, the door opened at the top of the stairs at the front of the classroom and a woman strode out, her dark blue robes shimmering in the light that streamed in through the windows.

"Good morning, class," she said brightly. She looked rather old, with her graying hair pulled back severely, but she seemed rather energetic. "My name is Professor Figg and I would like to introduce my assistant, Mr. Black."

A tall man with shoulder-length black hair, a dark tan, and wearing dark green robes walked out of the door and down the stairs.

Murmurs filled the room; a vast majority of the students were looking at Mr. Black with a mix of fear and awe in their eyes.

"Hello," he said, his voice deep. There were a few lines on his face, but other than that, he looked pretty young. "As I see many of you have recognized me, yes, I am Sirius Black. Now," he said, holding up a hand to quiet the room, "Headmaster Dumbledore took me to the Ministry and I went through a small trial. I am cleared and at the moment, my job is here, at Hogwarts, being Professor Figg's assistant. I know you are all rather nervous, and that's expected," he said, chuckling. "But don't worry; we're going to have plenty of fun in here."

"This year will be a basic overview of all the dark creatures that you will be studying in your upcoming years," Professor Figg said. "However, at one point or another, we will bring in a few of the dark creatures for you to observe." A chorus of cheers filled the room.

They took notes for the rest of the class, mixed in with many questions to Sirius about Azkaban and what happened. He skimmed the subject, clearly still uncomfortable about what had happened.

Thursday evening was spent pouring over books with Professor McGonagall, studying about Animagi. McGonagall had Sindaria explain what exactly had happened during the World Cup where she had transformed spontaneously. McGonagall gave her several books to look over and read thoroughly. Come October, she would be able to try and test her skill and see if she could train herself to change on will.

Double Potions went smoothly and they prepared a simple Boiling-cure potion. At several times throughout the class period, some of the Hufflepuffs were having trouble and several Ravenclaws helped them. Professor Snape was indifferent to them, and, after hearing the stories of the Gryffindor/Slytherin class, Sindaria wasn't expecting Snape to not pick on any of them. Well, not exactly. He still did pick on several of the Hufflepuffs when they couldn't get their potions right, but overall, it wasn't bad and he did award points to Ravenclaw for several well-made potions.

* * * * *

Sindaria sat up in her dorm room during a rather chilly October day, finally deciding to open the letter from her real father. Liriel was busy studying for a huge Potions exam and Raven was busy entertaining in the common room with her jokes and pranks. Over the past few weeks, the three of them had developed their reputation as the Three Musketeers and Raven was nearly as well-known for her pranks as Fred and George were. Liriel constantly studied and Sindaria shifted in-between homework and spending time with Raven and Dominic. Of course, the three of them constantly roamed the castle, exploring, and discovering all sorts of secret passageways.

Sindaria's lessons with Professor McGonagall were becoming increasingly harder. She had finally begun to attempt the transformation at will and had succeeded partially, becoming half owl, half girl. Her nights were busy training herself to transform. It was extremely exhausting and she fell asleep early on many nights.

Quidditch Tryouts had passed and their first game was coming up after Halloween. Sindaria had not had the energy to try out, for she was so exhausted from being an Animagus. The first match would be Gryffindor versus Slytherin and Sindaria knew she and her friends would be rooting for Slytherin to win, even if Gryffindor did have Harry Potter.

Several times in the library, Sindaria had had Hermione help her in History of Magic and Herbology. She knew that if she hadn't had Hermione help her, she wouldn't have passed those classes. Sindaria saw Ron and Harry many times and they always stopped to talk together. Although Sindaria wasn't close to them the way she was with Raven, Liriel, and Dominic. And then there was Victoria, who continued to fling herself on Dominic if she saw that Sindaria was looking at him.

One time, Dominic was sitting in the library and Sindaria had been walking over to talk with him when Victoria cut her off and sat down next to Dominic, placing a hand on his arm. Sindaria had just shaken her head in disgust and left the library, her appetite gone for the rest of the day.

Sometimes it got really bad in the common room when Victoria would waltz around, announcing that she and Dominic were going to the Niveus Ball together. Raven had leapt to Sindaria's defense and had hexed Vicki pretty good. She had used 'Demo Capillus', a hair-removal hex. Needless to say, Vicki hid in her room for many days while she tried to magically grow her hair back. It was the subject of many jokes over the next few months.

Marissa tried to avoid the Three Musketeers as much as possible, and if she ran into them in their dorm, she would voice her disgust for their sloppiness. They usually ignored her, as she was one of Vicki's close friends and Sindaria was surprised to feel so much dislike for the two girls.

Glancing out the window, Sindaria sighed. Firaxis had been gone for several days, delivering letters to her family and to Gabriel and Sarah. Sindaria had received so much mail from her family and the Conners, including packages full of sweets. Liriel's birthday was on Halloween and they planned a huge party in her honor. Raven's, shockingly, was on December 20^th, the same as Sindaria's. They planned to have a double-party and make it a huge celebration.

Sindaria broke the seal on the envelope in her hands, pulling out the letter from her real father. It was quite short, and she was slightly disappointed, expecting a longer one for all the hype that had been raised about it.

Dear Sindaria,

If you are reading this, then you have finally made it to Hogwarts. I'm sorry that we had to leave you with Muggles, but it was for your own safety. We had thought you were a Squib, and if the Dark Lord had found out, you would have been killed. Therefore, we hid you. Now, you have become a witch and as soon as you arrive at Hogwarts, I will be notified. I will contact you around Halloween of your first-year.

Your father

Sindaria sat back, setting the letter down next to her. Halloween. That's next week!

"What're you doing up here, Aremis?" Raven asked, bouncing into the room. She ran over to Sindaria, pulling her off of her bed. Her eyes glanced down at the letter on Sindaria's bed.

"The letter from my father," Sindaria explained.

Raven nodded, looking at Sindaria seriously. "Is it bad?"

Sindaria picked up the letter, handing it to Raven. "Read it for yourself."

Raven unfolded the letter, her eyes skimming over the words. "Oh . . ." she said softly when she was finished. "Halloween, huh? That's next Thursday!"

Sindaria nodded. "I know."

They stood in silence for a bit and then Raven said, "Come on! Let's go downstairs!" She put the letter on the bed and dragged Sindaria down into the common room.

* * * * *

That weekend, on a Saturday evening, Professor Flitwick came into the common room and called out several people. Including Liriel.

Raven and Sindaria sat on the couch, waiting anxiously for Liriel's return. However, she didn't return and they began to get worried. Finally, they left the common room and ran into Professor Dumbledore on their way to Professor Flitwick's office.

"Professor? Where's Liriel?" Sindaria asked.

Professor Dumbledore looked at them sadly. "She's in the hospital wing." At their open mouths, he held up a hand. "She's unhurt. However, her parents weren't as fortunate."

"What happened?" Raven asked worriedly.

"I think that is up to Miss Vantura to disclose."

"There was another attack, wasn't there?" Sindaria asked. Over the past month, there had been two attacks on families, the Dark Mark appearing over their houses. The frightening part was that no one knew where they were going to strike, since these families had been in very small towns. Several Auror raids had rounded up a few Death Eaters, but the numbers of Death Eaters that they captured were nothing to the toll of the Aurors' lives.

"Go see your friend," Professor Dumbledore said and he left them.

They looked at each other and then ran for the hospital wing.

"Liri!" Raven cried as they entered the room, racing over to their friend. She was sitting on the bed, her knees drawn up in front of her, her head in her arms and legs, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

"Oh, Liriel," Sindaria said softly as she and Raven crawled up on either side of Liriel. They enveloped her in a huge hug. "We're here for you. We'll never leave you."

"Thanks," Liriel said softly and they clasped hands.

"All for one and one for all," Sindaria whispered.

* * * * *

Professor Dumbledore stood out in the corridor with Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. They were looking at the three girls who were huddled together on the bed. "Those three are so close," Madam Pomfrey said with a smile.

"They remind me of a certain group, years back," Professor McGonagall said, a rare smile lighting her face.

"Yes, they are quite the Marauders of this era," Professor Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eyes. "Miss Sanders loves her jokes and it very energetic and the core of the group, much as Sirius was. Miss Vantura is as studious as Remus was, and Miss Olsen and Mr. Conner remind me very much of Lily and James."

"Let us hope that they do not meet the same fate," Madam Pomfrey said softly.

"The Three Musketeers," Professor McGonagall said.

"I fear for Miss Olsen," Professor Dumbledore said worriedly.

"What do you mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked, looking at Dumbledore.

"She reminds me of Tom Riddle, with all his gifts. I just hope she chooses the right path."

"She will, Albus, she will. She's much different from Tom Riddle."

"Watch over her, Minerva. I fear for her. There is something quite unusual . . . I can't quite place it."

"Everything will be fine."

"Let us hope you are right, Minerva. Let us dare to hope."

* * * * *

On Halloween morning, they were planning for quite an exciting set of classes, except, of course, for History of Magic. They were going to be learning Levitating Charms that day in Charms and they would get to see some Red Caps up close in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Firaxis flew down over the table, dropping the letter in front of Sindaria. She looked at her friends and then back at the letter.

"Open it," Raven urged.

"It'll be okay. We're here," Liriel said. Liriel, who had looked hollow-eyed and pale-faced since she had learned of her parent's deaths, had her rosy complexion back, much to the relief of Sindaria and Raven. Her parents had been trying to capture Death Eaters and they had been killed. Raven and Sindaria had stuck close to Liriel all through the week, never leaving her side.

Sindaria swallowed and broke the seal, pulling out the letter.

Dear Sindaria,

I wish to meet you over Christmas break. I have contacted the Muggles that have taken care of you and I will meet you on Platform Nine and Three Quarters when you arrive at King's Cross. Then we will proceed through the barrier and we can talk with the Muggles. I haven't seen you for nearly five years and I wish to look upon your face once again. I'm sorry that circumstances didn't allow me to raise you. I wish to know the person you have become.

Your father

"It's the letter," Sindaria said and let her friends read it. "What should I do?"

"Go. If they were circumstances beyond his control, then he's probably not that bad of a person. With this war that's coming, we need all the family ties we can get. Trust me, I should know," Liriel said softly.

"Yes, go. You'll be fine," Raven said. "Liriel and I are staying here, as is Dominic and Draco, but you'll be fine. Owl us all the time, understand?"

Sindaria nodded. "Of course."

After breakfast, Sindaria wrote a letter to her parents, telling about the letter she had received from her father, and sent it off with Firaxis.

Charms was a lot of fun and Sindaria managed to levitate her feather about a foot and was very pleased with herself. Liriel, of course, was showing off, grinning as she made her feather do loops in the air.

"Show off," Raven muttered. She then made her feather attack Liriel's feather. "Episode V: The Feather Strikes Back."

The three of them laughed and even Professor Flitwick was smiling.

The Halloween feast was a feast to remember, with all the various foods and amazing decorations. There was a huge party in their common room and they all didn't get to bed until well into the morning. They had celebrated Liriel's birthday and they were pleased to see Liriel smile once again.

The first Quidditch match of the season came with a cloudy day. The tension was high as they watched the players zoom across the pitch, throwing the Quaffle back to one another.

"Come on Dominic!" Sindaria yelled. So far, Slytherin was in the lead by fifty points. However, if Harry Potter caught the snitch, those fifty points wouldn't matter.

Suddenly, Draco and Harry dove for the ground, after the snitch. Then, to the shock of everyone in the stands, Harry fell off of his broom, hitting the ground hard, his hands on his forehead.

Gasps filled the stands and then Draco caught the snitch, winning the match for Slytherin. The students rushed out onto the field towards Harry.

"My scar," Sindaria heard Harry say, his face contorted in pain as he was led off the field by Madam Hooch.

"What does that mean?" Sindaria asked as they walked back to the school.

"Jen said that Harry collapsed last year in Divination because his scar was hurting badly. It's a sign that the Dark Lord is really angry or just killed," Raven said. "I don't know what happened. But it was something bad . . . I just know it . . ."

They headed back to their common room and Professor Flitwick was waiting for them. "Attention! Please!" he called in his squeaky voice and the Ravenclaws stopped, looking at him. "There has been an attack near Hogsmeade. The Aurors put up a good fight, but the Death Eaters got away, killing three Aurors and wounding several." Gasps filled the common room and the tension became to thick you could cut it with a knife.

Sindaria felt Raven tense beside her. "Would Mr. Caroltin and Miss Nettle please follow me," he continued and the two students followed him out of the common room. Immediately, the common room was a buzz with conversations.

"I don't like Marissa, but I feel bad for her," Liriel said. "I know what it's like to lose your family."

"Yes, it's horrible," Raven agreed. "Hogsmeade! Bloody hell . . . what's next? Diagon Alley?"

"Oh, I hope not," Sindaria said.

* * * * *

Sindaria spent a few hours with Dominic the next weekend, talking to him about the letter and hearing his opinion. He agreed with Liriel and Raven, telling her to go for it. Her parents would meet her father and she'd be safe. He was staying at Hogwarts, but he promised to owl her as long as she did the same.

In Charms, the day before the Niveus Ball, they got to use the spell "Impervio Ebuillio' to create non-bursting golden bubbles to decorate the tree. Hogwarts was transformed into a beautiful and amazing place over the next evening and the night of the ball, Raven, Liriel, and Sindaria were standing in their bathroom, getting ready.

Charms were being chanted all over the bathroom. Sindaria used a charm to curl her white hair and pile it on top of her head. She used a lip-reddening charm and put her robes on. The dark purple and blue cloth shimmered in the light, the stars glittering. The sleeves were the perfect length, hanging below her wrists and she looked very elegant.

"Bloody hell, Ari, you're going to turn some heads tonight," Raven commented and Sindaria looked at her, grinning.

"You think? I don't know. You look amazing too." Raven had coiled her long black hair around her head in braids with a small tiara on top. She wore a set of hunter green robes that shimmered with silver. The hem and the edges of her sleeves were embroidered with green leaves and she wore a gold necklace, completing a stunning look.

"Happy birthday, Ari," Raven said, smiling.

"Happy birthday, Raven," Sindaria said.

"Okay, you two; don't laugh," Liriel called from the dorm room.

"Come on," Raven urged and Liriel stepped through the door. "Bloody hell, Liri."

Liriel stood in the doorway, slim-fitting dark red robes covering her, the sleeves long on the ends. She had curled her hair and had silver stars through her hair.

"Ready to stun some Slytherins?" Raven asked, grinning.

"So this is okay?" Liriel asked.

"Oh, yes!" Raven cried, grabbing Liriel's arm and dragging her out of the dorm room. "Don't be so shy!" Sindaria followed them out and the three of them linked arms, walking to the dance.

The Great Hall had been transformed into a Winter Wonderland. Snowflakes were falling from the ceiling and lights glittered like a disco. Outside, it had been charmed to be warm and a beautiful garden, thanks to Professor Sprout, had bloomed. Several round tables sat along the walls of the Great Hall and many students were sitting at them. A great many, though, were already out on the dance floor. The Weird Sisters were performing and currently it was a fast tune.

"You look amazing," a voice said behind Sindaria and she spun to see Dominic looking down at her, a smile on his face. Her eyes went wide as she took in his kingly appearance in slim-fitting black robes and a cape with silver lining.

"Thank you. You look pretty good yourself," she said, smiling.

"Dance?" he said, holding out his hand.

"Of course." Sindaria took his hand and he led her out onto the dance floor as a slow tune began to play. He put his arms around her waist and she placed her arms around his neck, leaning her head on his chest. He laid his head on top of hers and she smiled contentedly. She saw Raven dancing with Draco and Liriel with Blaise a few meters away. The three Slytherins certainly looked stunning in their clothes.

Sindaria closed her eyes, thinking how perfect this moment was. Little did she know, she would never be that happy again.

After the slow dance, Dominic led her over to a table and sat down. Food appeared at their places and soon Raven, Liriel, Blaise, and Draco joined them at the table.

They chatted amiably, talking about various things. Nothing specific. Blaise and Sindaria were the only two going home over Christmas out of their group.

Sindaria danced with Draco once or twice, but stayed with Dominic as much as possible. Of course, she had watched as Vicki had taken Dominic out onto the floor, dancing several songs with him. She was pleased to note, however, that Dominic looked quite uncomfortable as Vicki snuggled up against him. Finally, he freed himself from her and told her off loudly, embarrassing her, but at least getting rid of her.

She glared at Sindaria and then disappeared into the crowd. Sindaria ignored her and instead, focused on Dominic as he led her out for another dance.

"Ari, I'm glad I met you," Dominic whispered as they danced.

"Me too," she said softly.

After that dance, Dominic led her out into the warm garden, taking her over to a stone bench and sitting down. Sparkling fountains were placed around the gardens, making a relaxing sound. Dominic faced Sindaria, taking her hands in his own. His bright blue eyes looked into her light gray ones and he smiled. "You're amazing." And then he kissed her. It was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced and she never wanted it to end. He pulled her close and she melted in his embrace.

When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing hard, but both were smiling. "That was nice," Sindaria said.

"Yes, it was," Dominic said and kissed her again.

When they came back into the hall, Raven winked at her and she smiled back. "I love you, Ari," Dominic said.

Sindaria could feel tears in her eyes. "I love you too, Dominic."

For the rest of the night, they were practically inseparable and it was the best night of Sindaria's life. After the dance, Dominic took her through a secret passageway and up to a hidden courtyard between two towers. He draped his cloak around her and she sat next to him, his arm around her waist, looking over the shimmering lake with the full moon hanging overhead.

"I'll never leave you, Ari," Dominic whispered and Sindaria leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I know," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Thank you."

They sat there in silence for a long time; finally getting up because it was beginning to get too cold. Dominic stopped in front of Lady Kalina's portrait and embraced Sindaria again, kissing her.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

"Goodnight," she said. "I don't want this to end," she whispered.

She entered the common room, which was completely empty, and crept up to her room. Liriel and Raven immediately bombarded her with questions and they sat up the rest of the night, talking.

* * * * *

The following evening was spent in celebration of Raven and Sindaria's birthdays. Sindaria was ecstatic when she received an invisibility cloak from Gabriel. She got a box from Raven that she could lock to her own voice, so that no one could open it except her. Liriel had made her this amazingly soft blanket, enchanted with a Dirt-repelling Charm, so it never got dirty.

Their final exam grades were posted the following day, and much to everyone's surprise, Raven was directly under Hermione in the grades for the school. Sindaria and Liriel were about ten below.

"How did you manage that?" Liriel asked, staring wide-eyed at Raven's scores.

Raven shrugged. "Don't ask me. I just took the exams."

"Did you even study?"

"Of course."

"Nice job, Raven!" Blaise commented.

"Thanks!"

"Not bad, Ari," Dominic said, looking up at his own scores, which were three below Raven's. He put his arms around her waist and she leaned back. Liriel and Raven smiled at her knowingly and left with Blaise and Draco.

"So you're going to meet your father tomorrow?" Dominic asked, turning her around to face him.

Sindaria nodded. "Yes. I'm quite nervous."

"Don't be. You'll be fine." He kissed her on the forehead. "You're tougher then you give yourself credit for." At that moment, a bunch of his friends came over and he left, promising to owl.

Sindaria walked back to Ravenclaw Tower. Nothing could make me unhappy now.

* * * * *

Sindaria sat on the Hogwarts Express, heading to King's Cross. As the train slowed to a stop and Sindaria departed the train, she searched for her father, although she didn't know what he looked like.

"Sindaria?" a voice said and Sindaria turned to see a tall man with dark brown hair and gray eyes identical to her own. He was dressed in black robes.

"Father?" she said slowly.

He smiled a bit, like he wasn't used to smiling. "At last, we meet," he said, his voice betraying no emotion. A man brought over Sindaria's trunk and Firaxis and her father, lifting her trunk, headed towards the barrier. Sindaria, slightly confused at the cold reception, followed through the barrier.

Once she was through, she scanned the crowd, but she didn't see her family anywhere. They waited for two hours, but no one showed up. Sindaria was worried, but she followed her father out of King's Cross and into a black limousine. "Where are my parents?" she asked as they drove.

"They were supposed to meet us," her father said coolly. "We waited a reasonable amount of time. I don't know why they were not there."

Sindaria bit her lip, looking outside. She suddenly had a very bad feeling about all this.

When the limousine stopped, Sindaria stepped out and faced a huge, towering manor, even larger than the Conner Estate. It was black and looked quite menacing, but the brightly lit windows helped a bit. Her father walked into the house, taking her trunk. She followed with Firaxis and looked around in wonder as her father led her to her bedroom.

"You will stay here. We have business tomorrow night, and I want you down in the entrance hall by seven o'clock, understood?"

Sindaria nodded and her father left her.

"Firaxis, I'm worried," Sindaria said.

There is something amiss here, Firaxis said, ruffling his feathers.

Sindaria opened his cage door and he hopped out onto her four-poster bed. She looked around at the stone walls, the high-arched ceiling, and the fireplace that didn't seem to release any heat. All the walls had been stone, she thought. Tapestries filled the walls of the corridors, but all the figures had appeared less than pleasant.

"I don't like it here. I want to go back to Hogwarts."

I don't know what to tell you, Ari. You can change at will, right?

"Yes, I can." It had taken her all those months, but she could finally transform at will.

Then I suggest that you go see Gabriel and Sarah.

"I will, but I want to see what all this is about, explore a bit. I want to learn more about my father. Firaxis, I don't even know his name!"

True, true, but I sense something about him, Ari. Just be careful.

"I will."

Firaxis looked at her sternly and then flew out the open window.

Sindaria settled herself in for the night, sleeping restlessly.

She was flying over the woods and then over a sparkling lake. It was a breathtaking view and then she saw the sun and flew towards it, hearing joyous laughter. Then, suddenly, the joyous laughter turned to hideous cackling, a high-pitched cackling, and the sun was overcome with a dark cloud.

"You cannot escape!" a cold voice cried.

"No, please!" she cried, but then a terrifying face overwhelmed her vision. It was pure white, with gleaming red eyes, and seemed mask-like.

"You cannot escape who you are!" A gleaming white hand reached towards her and then she was falling into darkness.

Sindaria bolted upright, breathing hard. Not that dream again! I thought I was rid of it! Oh, God, what does this mean? She leaned back against her pillows, not falling back asleep for a long time.

* * * * *

The following day, she hardly saw her father, and when she did, he always seemed in a hurry, so she didn't bother him. Instead, she explored the manor, finding make hallways and dark corridors that she was sure that Raven would love.

As the evening drew closer, the ominous feeling grew bigger and Sindaria was beginning to feel very uneasy about what was going to happen. She took a deep breath, looking around her room. Firaxis was out again and so she was alone. Lord, please watch over me and my family, she prayed and headed downstairs.