Slaughterhouse

Slaughterhouse

Draft 01 - 07/04/05

"All the flowers I can grow, and all the children's tears
And everything I know, will vanish with the years

Say you're safe and your life will pass away
Only to be saved by another's lonely stay..."

- Slaughterhouse, Goo Goo Dolls

Chapter One:

Somewhere South of Dresden in the Pocket Wheels of Space and Time

"Harry, that's impossible!"

"Improbable but not impossible Sirius."

"Damn it Harry! I...I can't let you do this..."

"Why not?"

"Why not because I'm your Godfather that's why not."

"But Sirius...It's our only chance."

Wormswort, Mabel leaf, Burdock root, Sarsaparilla, Fo Ti, Chaparral and Thistle.

One Sugar Plum Faerie...Two Sugar Plum Faerie...

Ellie chanted in her head as she stirred the greenish looking potion she now was engrossed in. Tearing her thoughts away from Faerie's and another such things she took another mental note of the progress.

Good greenish, brown colour...correct. Smells right.

Content that her potion was finished she pulled a vial off the shelf and proceeded to move the potion from her cauldron into the clear glass vial. Topping it off she capped it with a cork and set it with the rest of the others, that were lined up like little toy soldiers in a bookcase.

Three sharp vibrations knocked into her sequentially, vibrating through her body and she had to grab the table to keep from failing over. Curious Ellie dropped her things and peeked out from her room into the hall - nothing. Venturing out further into the abyss of the castle she now made residence in, Ellie continued on her search for the source.

The main hall was filled with figures all draped in long dark robes, masks plastered to their faces. Ellie ignored them all, but settled on one singular figure who sat draped over a stone throne. Gargoyle peered from either side of the chair making the figure seem even more menacing. But Ellie strode purposefully forward, not even bothering to bow. She could feel all the eyes in the room burning holes into her back, waiting for her to make one, miniscule mistake. One that would certainly send her flying from the impact of some curse of some sort - but nothing. Ellie faced the figure, who pensive sat hawkishly watching her, blinked before he nodded at her presence.

A high pitched voice that resembled so much of a serpent hissed through the stagnant air, "Out all of you."

Not one of the dark, looming figures questioned their masters biding and fled with out any backward glances. But before all could scamper away, the hissing voice called for one of the onlookers.

"Wormtail, stay."

A small, rotund shadow crept up slowly beside the large stone seat to rest at his master's right hand.

Ellie blinked again, that was the signal.

What is with these vibrations...?

Ellie tried to sleep, to quiet her mind and thoughts, tried to drift off into slumber. Not even counting sugar plum faeries or flying sheep worked. The vibrations within the stone foundations were stronger and more frequent. Even in the far recesses of what Ellie affectionately thought of as her Bat Cave the tremor still shook. Her bed eased and shifted a little with each undulation of the stone beneath. So that meant she now was forced to stare at the low dark ceiling above her bed, maybe counting the dots would work. But she had no such luck. Each time she would start to doze off, another jolt would send her mind and body into full alertness.

Thoroughly exhausted but unable to sleep, Ellie slipped out of bed and out towards the kitchens.

The kitchens were empty, but she doubted anyone would be shirking duties at a time like this, but it still was eerie. There usually were at least one or two hooded faces in the kitchens at any given time. Ellie scourged around and found a carton of vanilla ice cream and a spoon and plopped down to finish it. As she did, another lash rippled through the ground at hit her square on, throwing her backwards. At least she saved the ice cream. Finally finding her footing, Ellie sat down at a low table and dug into the ice cream. Not more than five minutes later another pounding jolt vibrated her being. Disgusted and annoyed, Ellie stashed her ice cream away and marched off to see if she could stop the madness.