The next morning, I get out of bed early, ready for a fresh start. I put on my white button up shirt, with my Gryffindor tie, cardigan, and robes over it. But Ella won't even look at me. Her and Kylie rush out of the room early in the morning.
Angelina, in an attempt to help me stay in a good mood, starts singing 'Don't Stop Believin' by Journey in her horrible voice. Alicia joins her, and her good voice harmonizes with Angelina's off key bad voice.
We skip down to breakfast, now singing, 'We're off to see the Wizard' from the Wizard of Oz. Fred and George meet us halfway there and join the medley.
We get many odd looks, and someone even yells at us to shut up. But we don't stop until we come face to face with Minerva McGonagall. Our line disbands instantly, and we all stare up at her nervously.
"I think it's a good idea for the five of you to start working on your voices." She tells us with a stern look. "Except for you, Miss Spinnet. Your voice is lovely like a dandelion in the spring. Do try to keep from fooling around in the hallways, all of you." McGonagall pushes her spectacles up on her face, gives us a curt nod, and moves past us and down the hallway.
After we are sure she's gone, the five of us burst out laughing.
"Alicia, your voice is lovely like a dandelion in the spring!" I gush.
Alicia chuckles. "I never knew I had such talent."
Fred ruffles her hair. "That's our girl!" He coos.
We make our way into the Great Hall, and Alicia has to hand out the timetables. The twins strike up a conversation with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, while Angelina and I sit down by Lee.
Near Lee are Pavarti Patil and Lavender Brown. When they see me, they start whispering gossip and scoot away from me.
I roll my eyes and take a bite of a biscuit. Angelina swipes Lee's pastry off his plate and begins eating it. "Hey!" He calls. "I was eating that!"
Ange shrugs. Alicia drops our schedules on the table and sweeps past to deliver more. She has to stop by some first years and explain some things.
Someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around. It's a young boy, probably a first year. He wears Gryffindor robes and a nervous smile.
"Excuse me?" He says boldly.
I can't help the confused expression on my face, but I nod. "Um, yes, hi."
The boy shifts uncomfortably. "Are you Sirius Black's daughter?"
"Yes." I say. My stomach gives an unfortunate twist.
He steps back in fear, and rushes over to his friends, where they begin whispering earnestly.
I turn around dejectedly and look at Ange and Lee.
"Don't worry about it." Ange tells me. "They're just kids being stupid."
Lee punches his hand into his palm. "Want me to talk to 'em, Aria?"
I shake my head. "They're kids, Lee. And besides, I should be used to it by now. It's not like I haven't had the name of Black all my life. I've always had it, like a fungus on your back."
Angelina and Lee exchange a look. "Weird analogy." Ange says. "But I get it."
Determined to change the subject, I pick up my timetable. I've got History of Magic first. What a great way to start off the term. Next is Potions. I'm not bad at the subject, but Snape makes the class dreadful. After Potions is Divination with Trelawney, who won't look at me because I give her 'bad omens'. As in more than one. Ouch. Finally is Remus's DADA class. He's spent all summer working on his lesson plans, and I helped him create them. I don't remember what he has planned for today, but I'm sure I'll like it.
The twins slide over to us. "Helloooo." Fred says.
"Alright now, best run along and get to class, dearies." George squeaks.
Angelina moans. "But it's History of blegh! Let's just skip class, please!"
Alicia sighs. "But I'm a prefect."
"We can't just leave her alone in History of blegh, Ange." I say.
Angelina takes a deep breath. "Oh, alright. Let's go then, so we can get a seat at the back of class. I'll catch up on my sleep."
We grab our bags, and head to History of Magic. Professor Binns floats back and forth at the front of the classroom in his ghostly form. We've never had a living teacher for History of Magic, at least not in my time here. But who better to teach something like this than an actually ghost? He was there for some of the history. Some say Binns was there when the Founders created Hogwarts.
"The giant wars began for one reason, and one reason only." Binns says to greet us, in his voice like that of candle wax. "Now that you are in your fifth year, your classes will become harder. You will need to remember things from this year and from the years past."
Splendid. I only take enough notes in a class period to stay awake. And Binns has so much to cover in the riveting history of giant wars that he won't review anything. It's not like I planned on passing my History of Magic OWL anyway.
"Back to the giant wars." Binns droned on. "A giant called Angus, was friends with the two leaders of his clan: Karf and Lotta. Karf and Lotta were mates, and very powerful Giants. They also had a young son, Molk. He was at home with Angus while Karf and Lotta were out hunting. There was a rival clan of giants who wanted to kill Karf and Lotta and take their clan. Angus sold them out, and then the rival clan leader sent him to the Ministry of Magic in chains."
The twins and I exchange a look. That sounds like exactly what happened with my mother's sperm donor and the Potters.
"Go," George whispers. "We'll cover for you."
I slip out of class with my bag, and race through the halls. Emotion attacks me and wraps itself around me. My heart is beating fast as I throw open the castle doors and run outside onto the grounds.
I look around fiercely, trying to find somewhere to go. Open air is not good. One of the professors could see me from their windows. Down by his hut, Hagrid is teaching a group of first years. I move to the edge of the Forbidden Forrest.
I see a first year's head cock to the side as her eyes fall on me from afar. I sink further into the trees. Hopefully she'll think I was an illusion or something.
As if I've triggered an alarm, footsteps, no-hoofbeats patter on the soft Forrest floor. Like a charging army, about three dozen centaurs surround me, bows already loading with arrows and pointed at me.
They are unique creatures, with tops of humans and bottoms of horses. Their hair is long and flowing and has many different shades. Their skin has different colors too, and so do their backs.
One centaur advances on me. He has red hair and a reddish-brown back. His skin is fair and healthy-looking. The centaur towers over me by a few feet. I alone am the height of his horse back.
"What business do you have here, child?" He asks in a calm, understanding voice.
I glance around at all the other centaurs, ready to shoot their arrows at me and kill me. "I-um......"
He holds out a rough and calloused hand. "I am Ronan. Who are you?"
"Aria Black." I say boldly. "Who are you?"
Ronan ignores me. He leans back and looks at a centaur with a black back and dark skin. "Magorian, could it be?"
The harsh-looking centaur called Magorian comes toward me. He inspects my face, my Gryffindor robes. "It could be." Magorian's head snaps up sharply. "Who were your parents, human?"
I step backward defensively and feel my wand in my back pocket. "Danielle Lupin and Sirius Black."
He looks at Ronan. "It must be. She is the child of the Prophecy."
"What?" I ask, standing on my tiptoes to seem older and more mature. "What do you mean?"
Ronan turns to me, a ghostly expression on his face. "You, child, are part of an important prophecy."
"What prophecy?" I ask. I've never believed in prophecies, even when Professor Trelawney talked about them.
He draws back, as if not willing to answer.
It's Magorian who replies. "The stars forbid we tell you." He says.
Ronan places a hand on my shoulder. "You must leave this forrest, Aria Black. This prophecy of yours must be fulfilled."
"But I-"
"Well isn't this a magnificent sight?" A cold voice sneers.
I whirl around to see a pale creature with dark robes, sitting comfortably on a tree branch above us. He smiles creepily at me.
Ronan places an arm across me protectively. "Be gone from here, Eleazar."
Eleazar, who I've gathered is a vampire, chuckles venomously. He jumps down from the branch, shaking the ground. "Hmm, brave of you, Ronan, but I do believe that the centaurs signed a treaty to not deny me any blood I wish to drink."
Ronan's face grows pale. He looks to Magorian, who nods in agreement of Eleazar. "Eleazar, I beg you, the girl is part of a prophecy that is unfulfilled. Even you would not disrupt the process of the stars."
"Wouldn't I, Ronan?" Eleazar challenges. "And who are you to deny me blood? Especially the blood of such a special girl."
I take out my wand and point it at the vampire. "Stupefy!" I shout.
The spell seems to bounce right off him. Eleazar laughs menacingly. My brows furrow, and I lower my wand.
"Take the girl if you must, Eleazar, but know that her death means the reign of the Dark Lord." Magorian says.
Eleazar shrugs. "The Dark Lord means nothing to me, centaur." He steps toward me, and with an unforeseen speed grabs my wrist with freezing hands.
I struggle against his hold, and look at Ronan desperately. "Please, help me!"
He shakes his head. "I'm afraid I cannot, Aria Black." Ronan turns to Eleazar. "Please make her death quick, old friend."
Eleazar catches Ronan's eyes and gives a genuine smile. "Of course." He pulls me close and speeds away.
When Eleazar comes to a stop, I am thrown into the ground. He rushes to help me up. "Oops. My apologies, Miss." He says. His voice is cold and lacking in any type of true emotion, but it's a touching gesture.
"Back off!" I cry, shoving him away. "Don't offer me 'your apologies'! You're going to eat me!"
Eleazar doesn't seem surprised. He just sits down a log and fold his hands.
I look around for any way out of this, but he would surely catch me if I ran. How do you immobilize a vampire?
"You can relax, dear. Vampires don't eat people."
I roll my eyes. "Oh, right, you drink people's blood! That's comforting!"
"I find the taste of O-negative blood insufferable." He says calmly.
I stop, and look at him. "You do?" He nods. "What kind of vampire are you? I thought blood was blood!"
Eleazar shrugs. "I'm very different from my kind, Miss Black."
"So why did you want to take me if not for my blood?" I ask, still not trusting him.
Eleazar laughs embarrassedly. "Well, I am ashamed to admit that I needed to see if it was true myself. Are you Danielle Lupin's daughter?"
I raise my eyebrows. "How do you know my mother?"
He sighs. "Danielle was my friend. She always came to visit me here in the forrest, even though the Headmaster forbade it. But I am truly harmless, unless you have AB blood. I have a weakness for AB blood. He doesn't seem to understand that fact."
A vampire, who dislikes every type of blood except for AB blood? Centaurs who spoke of a prophecy I'm supposed to fulfill? This is the strangest day I've had in a long time.
"Then why did you tell the centaurs you were going to drink my blood?"
Eleazar laughs. "They are under the impression that I am a cold hearted, evil vampire. They also dislike the smell of blood, which keeps them away. I have to maintain my frightening nature when I see them or they would surely kill me."
Cold hearted? This guy knows his ironic jokes, I guess. His heart is probably cold, he's dead! "So a bunch of centaurs are afraid of one vampire?" I ask.
He smiles. "Not exactly. We have a treaty between us, that states that if I want to drink from anywhere but a centaur, they have to allow it. In exchange, I am not allowed to kill any one thing in overwhelming numbers. Neither of us are allowed to harm each other."
Eleazar cups a hand to his ear. He listens for a moment, and then turns to me. "The bell is sounding. You'd better go, Miss Black."
I nod. "Which way is the castle?"
He holds out his hand. "Come, I will take you to the edge of the forrest. That's as far as Dumbledore will let me go."
I take his hand and he speeds us to the very edge of the forrest. "I'll come back and see you sometime." I blurt out. "You can tell me about my mother."
Eleazar nods. "I would like that very much, my dear. If you wish to come see me, put a candle in the window of the place you call the Owlery, and sneak out. I will come and meet you at this very place."
"Okay." I tell him. "See you later, Eleazar."
Then I wave, and head off to the castle as the sun is high in the sky.