Stairway to Heaven

In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees

And the voices of those who stand looking

Misty lay tangled among her blankets, sweat standing out on her pale forehead. She cried out, suddenly, as if she were awake. But her breathing was deep and steady--she slept on.

A nightmare unlike any Misty had had before was playing out in her mind as the night wore on. Occasionally, she would scream, or shout, or cry, but she never woke.

She stood in the center of a grassy field. Someone screamed loudly, splitting the silence of the warm, peaceful night. She felt the urgency in their voices, the pleading for help, or perhaps for mercy.

She ran forward, searching for whoever was in such pain. In the darkness, she stumbled into something hard, something solid. Her eyes adjusted, and she noticed a huge pile of rubble before her, wood and glass and metal. It was shaped in such a way that it looked like a house--a destroyed home.

She waded through the damage, still running toward the screaming voices. Once she noticed a picture frame, a large crack marring the faces of the large family pictured there. All the people in the picture were yelling, or screaming, and the plump mother was clutching a red-haired girl close.

She walked onward, finally leaving the wreckage behind. The screams were louder, clearer, with every step she took, and now she heard pain, blankness, and horror in their ringing tones.

She walked over the crest of a little hill, and into a valley, and there she found the scene that caused the screams.

A tall, hooded wizard stood in the moonlight. A boy lay before him, holding a dagger in his hands. The boy's silver hair flashed, and she gasped as she recognized Draco Malfoy.

The wizard before him raised a thin, pale hand. The boy's eyes were glazed over, and a trickle of blood ran from the side of his mouth. But he did not notice the blood. Instead, abruptly, he raised the dagger, and plunged it to the hilt into his own chest.

She ran up to him as the blood poured out, and his eyes focused onto her.

"Why have you done this to yourself? Paham? Why?!" she cried.

He blinked once. Twice. "I have not done it," he said. "You directed my hand."

His white, feather-soft eyelashes fluttered before he let out his last breath.

"Na!" she whispered, switching to Welsh in her terror. "Na, o daro!"

He would never wake again.

She stood up quickly, her hands sticky with his blood. Her blood flowed hot in her veins. She felt anger, hatred like she had never felt in her life before. She turned to the hooded wizard, wishing only to kill him, to make him scream...

The wizard raised his slender hands and lowered his hood.

She opened her mouth to shout in surprise but no sound came.

For it wasn't a wizard. It was a witch, a tall, slender, pale witch. Her eyes were as green as the Welsh countryside and her hair was dark like the sea.

It was herself.

Her other-self smiled wryly, as if taking pleasure in the pain she had induced. Hatred flowed again into her veins when she saw the pearly white teeth.

"You cannot hate anyone but yourself," her other-self said softly. "His blood is on your hands."

Misty woke just as the soft light of sunrise was drifting through her window. Sweat was mingled with tears on her white face, and her bedclothes were tangled from her own agitated tossing and turning.

She immediately rose out of bed, running for the cool familiarity of her window seat.

She did not like to admit it--her pride made her stubborn--but that dream had irked her, almost scared her, if it was possible to scare a Death-Eater's daughter.

"But it isn't possible," she told herself sternly, as if reprimanding the softer side of her mind.

All the same, that dream was full of horrific imagery. And, deep inside her, Misty felt a certain truth to it.

She wondered, of course, why Master Draco (she went automatically to her 'servant' frame of mind upon waking) had said what he did. You directed my hand. Could he have been talking about her other-self, that twin, standing coldly in the moonlight? Perhaps she, loving pain as she did, had caused him to kill himself. The Imperius Curse, perhaps?

But then her other-self had said his blood is on your hands. Of course, she could have just been stating the obvious. Misty had knelt down beside Master Draco and tried to stop the blood gushing from beneath the knife. It had been all over her fingers when she stood up.

But those words had another meaning. It was a saying, a phrase that she had heard before, when she was growing up. Her mother used to say those same words to her father when he returned triumphant from a Muggle killing. Except, coming from her mother's mouth, those words sounded like praise--as if it were a great honor to have done the killing.

Coming from her other-self's mouth, they sounded like an accusation. That phrase made it seem like Misty had caused Master Draco's death, and like it was all her fault.

That's impossible, Misty thought. Master Draco stabbed himself.

Each new thought about her dream led to more ideas, until Misty was confused at her own logic. She shook her head, ridding it of the images she had conjured back from her dream.

She stood up from the window and got dressed, into plain yellow robes. It was Friday, one of Misty's half-days off, and she had until 3:00 on her own.

Erin and Aspen were both Flooing to Hogsmeade again, but Misty decided that she didn't feel like facing a fireplace. She didn't want to be idle either...her father had always taught her that laziness was a sin...so she decided to tour the castle.

She went upstairs all the time to clean, and she was allowed up on her day off, on one condition: when a member of the family passed, she was to face the wall and pretend she didn't exist.

Misty decided not to tour the downstairs--she had seen enough of the servants' quarters--but instead she went right up the spiral staircase to the Malfoy's parlor.

The first floor held no secrets...Misty had seen them all while cleaning. The best thing she had discovered there was a secret passageway behind a tapestry that led right out of the manor.

Her shoes clicked quietly as she strode across the black marble floor to the stone Grand Staircase. She raced up the stairs to the second floor, where the Malfoy's bedrooms and library were. This is the interesting part, Misty told herself.

The hallway was empty of any Malfoy, fortunately, and Misty began to walk down it.

The first room she came to was the library, a cavernous room that smelled of dust. It was cleaned often, but the Malfoys almost never read the books, so they collected dust easily.

Misty went in and looked around at the shelves, taking a book down once or twice. She found nothing interesting--that is, until she came to the little shelf in the corner.

A book had been pulled recently off the shelf and was lying on top of it. Misty took it, wondering which book could possible have convinced a Malfoy to settle down and read.

The book was plain brown leather, with gold letters embossed across the front--Legilimency. There was a black ribbon marking a page, and, interested, Misty turned to it and read:

Domination Legilimency:

Also known as "Old Legilimency", Domination Legilimency is the second, and rarer, type of Legilimency. As its name suggests, Domination Legilimency, when performed correctly, will allow a person to enter the mind of a living subject and control (dominate) it. Domination Legilimency is a bit like the Imperius Curse, although no living thing has been known to resist this type of Legilimency. Even Occlumency is no shield against this power, because the one wielding it actually enters a subject's mind and controls it.

Domination Legilimency originated in old pureblooded families. Studies have shown it to have first appeared in Cardiff, Wales circa 1134. Very few wizards are powerful enough to learn how to do it, thus the rarity. Most bearers of the power gained it through blood--those who come from a pureblooded family will sporadically be born with the power.

Domination Legilimency has virtually died out in these modern times, and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has passed a law making it an Unforgivable Act to use this Legilimency against fellow living things.

Prominent wielders of Domination Legilimency in history:

Salazar Slytherin

Queen Elizabeth I

Grindelwald

Misty read the page once more. Interesting, certainly, but not important. The most exciting part was when Cardiff was mentioned, the capital of her home country. Misty placed the book back on top of the shelf, and hastily left the library.

Misty wondered whether one of the Malfoys was gifted with Domination Legilimency. Why else would they have been reading about it? And which Malfoy was it? Most likely Sir Lucius, or perhaps Master Draco.

Misty gazed up at the ceiling as she went toward the next door in the hallway. It was high, and built from thick stone. It seemed very strong, and Misty figured that her voice would probably echo if she--

Suddenly, Misty's thoughts were cut off when something strong and quite solid smacked into her. She stumbled backward, but quickly regained her balance.

She drew up to her full height and looked around for whoever had so rudely interrupted her train of thought. She may be a servant in this household, but she was also the daughter of a past Brenin and Death-Eater. Did that count for nothing?

"Oh, watch where you're--Misty!" a tiny voice cried.

All of Misty's anger melted when she recognized Master Alaric. He was smiling up at her from the floor, where he had fallen upon running into her.

"Master Alaric," Misty said calmly, with half of a smile playing around her lips.

"Help me up," he ordered, but not unkindly. Misty could tell he was used to being doted on.

She bent down a bit and offered him a hand. He stood clumsily and brushed himself off.

"What are you up to?" Misty asked as politely as she could.

Alaric didn't seem to mind having a conversation with her, as much as they weren't supposed to talk. "I'm just taking Gall for a walk."

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Gall?"

Alaric stepped aside to reveal a slim, golden kneazle, with spots the color of copper. "Galleon. Gall for short," he explained.

Misty looked at the creature carefully. It was beautiful, with long, soft ears that came carefully to a point. The thin tail flipping on the floor resembled that of a lion's, with a bunch of copper hair at the end. As Misty stared at it, the catlike creature made a soft sound like a purr.

"She's beautiful," Misty said quietly.

Alaric looked slightly offended. "You mean he's beautiful. You see, my father is a licensed kneazle breeder. There's a tradition in the Malfoy family, where each child is given a kneazle when he or she is born. The kneazle is usually born on the same day as the child, and a spell is cast that links the two lives together. I got Galleon."

Misty marveled inwardly at this long and impressive speech. For being so little, Alaric seemed very smart. "A spell?" Misty asked. "What type of spell?"

"I don't know. Some sort of thing where the kneazle and the person rely upon each other to live, and have a special bond to one another. It gives the kneazle a very long life. My father's kneazle, Angel of Death, is still alive."

"Still alive? And he's had it since he was a child?"

"It was born the same day," Alaric said proudly.

"Impossible," Misty said quietly. Alaric heard her, and opened his mouth, perhaps to tell her exactly how possible it was, but two people came around the corner and interrupted him.

"Alaric! There you are," Sir Lucius said, looking down upon his youngest son with hard gray eyes.

"I was only talking to Misty, Father," Alaric replied defensively.

"I'm not going to punish you...yet," Sir Lucius replied, and Alaric looked a bit scared at the last word. "But I must ask why you have chosen to break the rules of etiquette here and speak directly to a maid?"

"Well, obviously Misty isn't a normal maid," Alaric stated simply.

Sir Lucius arched an eyebrow. "Why do you say that? She eats with the servants, she sleeps in the servants' quarters, and she toils like a servant. What is special about her?"

Misty felt rather angry with this. Sir Lucius and Alaric were having a conversation about her when she was standing in front of them--which she felt was very rude. They seemed to think that she didn't have ears, or as if she was too low a creature to understand their complex language. Well, she decided that she would be heard, and she would not have her pride wounded in such a way.

"With all due respect, Sir Lucius," Misty interrupted heatedly, "I come from a very honorable family, which was also the Brenin of Wales! I am an honorable Pureblood, and my father was a great Death Eater like you! I serve the same revered Dark Lord as you do! Forgive my tongue, but I believe I have the right to defend my pride."

Draco, who had come down the hall with his father and had kept silent until that moment, looked at her briefly with an amused expression on his face. When she turned her head to look at him, he pretended to be studying a tapestry on the wall behind her. Fine, ignore me, she thought, he anger rising slightly.

Sir Lucius studied her for a moment, his face unreadable. Misty had a funny feeling that he was assessing her. Then, he smiled wryly, his thin lips twisting into an odd grin.

"You have every right to defend your self-respect. I am glad to know that you take pride in serving our Dark Lord, who has unfortunately passed on. And Mathamach is a fine Death Eater--strong, determined, and unafraid to take appropriate measures."

Whatever reaction Misty had expected, it wasn't this one. She was pleased to hear such praise about her father, and glad to know that she hadn't just lost herself her job.

"Thank you, Sir Lucius."

"Ahh. Yes. Anyhow--Alaric, come with me, your tutor is here."

Alaric nodded and went to grab Galleon's collar.

But the kneazle's teeth were bared, and his eyes were in glaring slits.

"Gall? What's wrong?" Alaric asked.

Suddenly, the kneazle took a great leap, flying through the air and sinking its claws into Lucius Malfoy's shoulders.

"Galleon!" Alaric cried, running toward the spitting creature.

"Father!" Draco shouted, also running toward the fray.

Sir Lucius was pinned to the ground, his arms held stationary by Galleon's strong, sharp claws. He could not reach his wand, and if Draco or Alaric joined in, they could be hurt.

Misty thought quickly, reaching inside her pocket and whipping out her wand.

"Expelliarmus!" she cried, and Galleon flew off Sir Lucius, landing in Alaric's outstretched arms.

Everyone froze. Misty stood, wand still raised, staring at Sir Lucius. Alaric was looking at Galleon, softly petting her large velvet ears. Draco was halfway to Lucius from where he had been standing, but he was staring at Misty, mouth open. He seemed thoroughly surprised. See, I can take action, Misty thought smugly. Lucius lay on his back, the shoulders of his robes ripped with dark blood seeping out.

"Somebody help me up!" he shouted finally, making everyone jump. Draco hurried forward and hoisted him off the ground.

"Despicable monster!" Lucius spat, putting his arm over Draco's shoulders and leaning onto him. "It doesn't even recognize its own master!"

"Yes, it does," Alaric protested. "I'm his master. See, Gall's fine now."

Lucius scoffed at him. "Take that thing away. Now."

Alaric made one last glance at Misty before scurrying off, carrying Galleon.

"Father, shouldn't you heal your--"

"Draco, go find Mr. Mason, he shall heal me.'

"Don't you want to--"

"Now!"

Misty watched Draco walked swiftly down the hall, looking determined.

Lucius turned to her, his hands on his shoulders to stop the bleeding.

"I don't know what got into that freak of a creature, but I what you did should make you proud or yourself."

Misty made a mental note that Malfoys weren't good at thank you's.

"I only did my duty as a servant, sir," Misty replied.

"But it was honorable all the same," Sir Lucius said quietly. "Now, please be on your way--much as I admire your father, we must follow Malfoy etiquette when other servants are around. I do not wish Mr. Mason to hear be here while we talk."

Misty curtsied and turned away reluctantly. She began walking down the hall when Sir Lucius stopped her.

"Oh, Misty? You may talk to my sons. But please be sure that no other people are around listening. Understood?"

Misty wondered whether she had somehow controlled Sir Lucius's thoughts. She had, after all, been hoping that he would tell her this. "Thank you, Sir Lucius."

"Very well. Be off."

She turned and strode quickly down the hall, hearing Draco and Mr. Mason returning at the other end.

It had been an eventful afternoon. Why was one of the Malfoys so interested in Legilimency? What had possessed Alaric's previously calm kneazle to attack Sir Lucius? And why had Sir Lucius decided to give Misty permission to talk to Alaric and Draco? She remembered Sir Lucius's assessing look. If he had been inspecting her, she seemed to have passed.