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Walking Lines (working title)
By : xcrystaldragonx
Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > General
Views: 3412 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: FULL DISCLAIMER IN FIRST CHAPTER
Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 4: Establishing Routines (Part 1)

Dawn had not yet begun to break over the grounds of Hogwarts when Selena awoke the next morning, slipping from beneath the warmth of her comforters to begin the day. It was her habit at home to start each day with a run and a shower, finding the exertion to be just what she needed to sharpen her mind for the coming hours. Slipping into the running shorts and hooded top that she had laid out the night before, she laced up her trainers and exited the room. Taking the time to ward the rose trellis picture before departing, she was only vaguely aware of the torches that flickered to life at her presence as she passed, dying again as she left.

Heading toward the main doors, her mind mulled over the night before as she passed still sleeping portraits and pictures in the silent hallways. The arguments and posturing she had observed among the Slytherin students woefully reminded her of things she had seen in the courts back home; age-old arguments concerning the purity of blood and family. There were more than a few that were not as devoted as their words made them out to be, but the desire to please demanding parents prodded them forward along a predetermined path. Shaking her head, Selena could only thank Goddess and Consort for the love of her family, and their desire for her to find her own place in the world.

Slipping out into the predawn air, she breathed deep of the coolness that brushed across her face and took off at a trot toward the main gate. She was on her way back the second time, the sun finally beginning to banish the shadows that hung over the grounds, when she caught sight of a figure circling the castle. Whoever it was, they were heading away from her and she knew that it would be unlikely that she would catch them by following. Adjusting her course, Selena took off the opposite way, figuring their paths would cross at some point. More than a little curious as to what other individual at Hogwarts exercised, she lengthened her stride, breathing deep of the magic-rich air and loving every moment of it.

She was moving along the path behind the castle, on the cliff overlooking the lake, when the sound of steady footfalls came to her ears, pulling her from her internal musings and making her search for the source. Clothed in dark sweats, her first thought was it was the Potions Master, the thought bringing an amused smile to her lips followed by a titter of low laughter. No other person she had seen since arriving in Great Britain had worn so much black and she doubted that the man was the type for such physical exertions. It did surprise her when the thought turned out to be correct, the aquiline faced man stopping dead as he caught sight of her. A scowl marred his visage at her pleasant demeanor, “What are you doing out here at this hour, Miss Argyle?”

“Apparently the same thing as you; having a morning jog,” she replied, not halting her easy gait. Veering closer to the short wall that separated the pathway from the cliff that overlooked the lake, Selena couldn't help but grin as she passed him, catching sight of the slight sheen of moisture on his forehead and the bridge of his rather large nose. Glancing backwards, she continued on, “Sorry to have interrupted, sir, have a good morning.”

Shock covered the man's face mere moments before her vision exploded in a flash of pain and white light. Selena's head screamed in agony and swam with dizziness, her feet losing contact with the paved path as gravity inexorably pulled her down. A small shriek hitched her breath as she tried to tuck herself into a ball, bracing as well as she could for the impending impact. She could see nothing behind the darkness of her closed eyelids, but was surprised when Snape's voice lashed out.

“Levicorpus!”

A moment of weightlessness made Selena dizzy before a massive tug pulled at one of her ankles, hoisting her further into the air and halting her fall. Gravity unwinding her body, she opened her eyes and frantically looked around, trying to assess the situation. Far below, the dark water glimmered dully in the dawning light, the stone-studded cliff tapering down to its watery edge. From where she was suspended, she could see that the dark-clad wizard pointed his wand at her with an unwavering gaze, concern replacing the annoyance that had been on his face moments before. With controlled movements, Snape directed her upended body back to the solidity of Terra-firma, releasing the charm silently and looking down at where she now lay, “Are you all right?”

Silently cursing whatever had hit her, Selena was thankful for her fey heritage, because she was sure that were her human blood more dominant she would be blushing. She had read many articles and papers written by the Potion Master, even before coming to Britain, and seriously hoped to learn vital things from him concerning the brewing arts. Despite the burning crackle of embarrassment in her chest, she pushed herself up from the ground and brushed herself off. Twisting and testing her body, she gently ran her fingers over the area on her head that was throbbing with dull pain. Wincing at the decently sized lump she found, she nodded once, “I'm fine, sir. I've dealt with things worse than this.”

Snape's attention was drawn to one of the upper windows of the castle and Selena's eyes followed his gaze, noticing various items flying out and falling at various speeds. Feather quills, paper and parchments floated gently down, while erasers, chalk and a few books plummeted with much greater speed and force, thumping heavily to the pavement. Glancing down around her, she saw a rather large book splayed open on the ground nearby, guessing that it was what had unexpectedly struck her. The man's deep baritone growl rumbled in the air, bringing her eyes back to him, “Peeves...”

She recognized the name of the resident poltergeist, surprised that it would be the culprit of something so malicious, especially as she had yet to meet the entity. His only hope was that it was an unhappy accident, otherwise she had little doubt that Albus would see that the spirit was disposed of in one way, or another. Breathing deep, Selena spoke softly, “I owe you, Professor; that could have had quite a nasty outcome.”

Narrowing his eyes at her, he waved his wand and the scattered supplies began assembling on the ground between them, separating into neat piles. She was actually impressed at the amount the mischievous spirit had launched out from the random classroom. Glancing at the top tome, Snape ordered her briskly, “These need to be returned to the Charms classroom. I have no doubt that you know where it is.”

Without another word, he took off toward the rear entrance of the castle, which lay back the way she had come. Feeling put-out for a minute, she eyeballed the assorted items with a moue of annoyance. Confidant that Snape would take care of the poltergeist, she shrank them and tucked them into the pouch of her hoodie and started off after him. Taking the shortest route she could remember to the correct room, she did not see the Head of Slytherin house along the way. After restoring and arranging Professor Flitwick's supplies on his desk, Selena returned to her rooms, wanting to get to the Great Hall a little early to observe her fellow students as they entered.

Waving the undisturbed wards away, she brushed the two proper sections of the picture to reveal the actual door. Resealing it behind her, Selena strolled into the main room, leaning against the back of the couch to kick off her running shoes and looking around at the décor. Silently telling herself that she could be happy here for the next two years, she pushed away the pang of homesickness that sounded in her heart. This was a golden opportunity for her on many levels and she knew she couldn't let her emotions override her duty. Everyone here, and at home, were counting on her to succeed in finding the sithen before Voldemort did.

The color scheme of the room was mainly in green, blue and gold, everything having a slightly feminine and sumptuous look about it. She was happy to see that only pictures of flora and fauna were hung upon the walls, Albus taking her privacy wholly into consideration in regards to the magical portraits communicating with each other. The niche which held the worktable was lined by shelves, already being filled by various items and books of hers; a pair of stools and a tall, high-backed chair were slid into place beneath the tall top of the table. The floor was covered by a short-piled carpet of mingled greens, soft beneath the soles of her feet as she headed for the bedroom.

She had no doubt that this had once been a lady's bedchamber, the walls a dusky purple, accented by silver and deep blues. The bed was huge and inviting, easily big enough for four people to sleep comfortably, resting on a two-step dais and topped by a canopy of sheer, shimmering silver fabric. Matching curtains could be drawn around the bed for the semblance of privacy, but seeing through them was not difficult. The sheets were divinely soft silver silk and the quilts were deep blue, embroidered with tiny silver stars. A mountain of pillows were mounded at the head covered by not only silver, but purple and dark blue silk as well. As she continued on to the bathroom, she scooped up one of the plump cushions that had fallen in the night and tossed it to the center of the sleep-rumpled bed.

The bathroom was a study in luxurious pampering, resplendent in cream, tan and gold; the towels, rugs and shower curtain colored a rich pink rose in accent. Opposite the doorway was the large bathtub, behind which dominated a beautiful, golden glassed mirror, reflecting Selena's sweaty and slightly disheveled appearance back to her. The tub was easily the size of the one in Grimmuld Place, but she mourned that it only had a single shower head, turning and adjusting the knobs until the water was the right temperature. Stripping from her clothes, she tossed them into the white wicker hamper that rested beside the vanity of warm-colored wood. On the right wall were the sink and toilet, constructed of creamy porcelain equipped with gold fixtures. Already her personal items were scattered here and there, revealing the small amount of chaos she allowed in her life.

With quickness Selena bathed away the sweat of her run and dried off, slipping on the uniform of all Hogwarts students, its green and silver accents declaring her affiliation. Grabbing up her book bag and securing her belt pouch, she wondered what ingredients Snape would have her procure for him while in the Dark Forest that weekend. Nightshade was gone from the perch above the fireplace and she guessed he was scouting the forest in preparation for their search. Despite what she had to experience to have received the cunning and clever creature, Selena knew that she would trade very little for the avian. Not wasting anymore time, she left her rooms, again re-warding their portals.

Entering the Great Hall, she headed toward where Draco Malfoy sat with his clique, the male Prefect scooting to make space between himself and Blaise Zabini. Pansy, Goyle and Crabbe all sat on the opposite side, the pug-faced young woman bracketed by the hulking boys. Sitting down, she knew they were sizing her up, but her voice was cheerful as she greeted them all, “Good morning.”

“So, how was your first night here in the castle?” The young man's pale gray eyes caught hers for a moment and a smile of arrogant confidence touched his expression, clearly showing his interest in the appearance that she presented.

Keeping her glamour up was as simple as knowing she was dressed, allowing her to concentrate more on the emotions of those around her. Selena could plainly feel the dislike that radiated from the Parkinson girl, along with the complete cluelessness of the two larger young men beside her that were watching the conversation. But, she was having a slightly tougher time with the two apparent ring-leaders, “Very nice, thank you. I think I'm going to like it here.”

“So what are going to study, Selena?” asked Blaise, his chocolate eyes moving over her face as she turned to answer. She could feel the power of the young Italian wizard, pulsing with a strong, steady rhythm against her shields and now that she looked fully at him, a flicker of lust darted briefly from him. Not unexpected, as he was a young man in the depths of adolescence.

“I'm planning on becoming a Potion Mistress,” she answered, pleased with the surprised look that darted over the swarthy wizards face. “What? Not common for witches to pursue that line of work here in Great Britain?”

“No, it isn't, actually,” answered Draco, settling comfortably as he could on the wooden bench. “You're just lucky that you were Sorted into Slytherin; otherwise you would never have a chance at any extra assistance from Professor Snape. He's not known for his altruistic nature.”

“I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.” Selena replied, glancing around as the hall began to fill with the awakening student body. Draco and the rest gave her running commentary of people as they took their places at the house tables. Scathing comments ran rampant, especially when talking about those of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff houses, but no house was spared unpleasant feelings, even their own. Pansy was quite vocal in that the Greengrass sisters were far too quiet and subdued concerning their house interactions in their previous years.

Not really paying attention, Selena looked over her schedule: NEWT level Herbology and Charms in the morning, a short break before NEWT Care of Magical Creatures. After a long lunch she would have Double NEWT Potions and nothing else for the rest of the day. Very streamlined for what she needed to become certified as a Potions Mistress, with the Charms class only being there to add a little spice to her repertoire. Of course, it helped that her fey blood meshed better with that type of magic; she had discovered at the start of her witch training that human Transfiguration magic tended to draw more power and make her very tired.

The opening announcements from Dumbledore were pretty standard; what places of the castle to avoid, a reminder of the tryouts at the end of next week for the school Quiddich team, well wishes of success for the House Cup and then breakfast began. The dull ebb and flow of conversation filled the room as the residents of Hogwarts tucked in to the array of dishes that appeared on the tables. Assembling a choice of fruit salad, buttered toast and milk, Selena ate, keeping her ears open for anything of interest from the students around her.

She was not surprised to hear anything except the excitement of the tournament along with her presence and placement. Mentally shrugging it off, she really did not care about that note, after all she was sorted at a much later age than they, and her mindset was easily within the purview of Slytherin. Unlike them, she was not so bound by the House loyalty that came from five years of learning and growing together, but would have to be circumspect in her dealings with the other three groups. After the food and dishes disappeared, students began to peel off, heading for their various classes. Rising, she followed Draco's lead to the rest of her first day at Hogwarts.

TBC... in Part 2

*~*~*

Authors Note(s) - First of all, many thanks to all those who have been reading this, with lemon pies going to my actual reviewers: jujukitty & orkchild!!! I wanted to give a decent overview of what Selena would be experiencing while at Hogwarts and felt that all I had written would be too long for one chappie, hence my decision of splitting it up. I know you readers can't wait for the smut and I'll try to get to it ASAP, but I felt that these were an important set of transitory chapters. It also helps to toss my plot bunnies a treat, or two, to help with the creative process... They & I would appreciate it. Keep your eyes peeled for another installment soon!!! Hugs & kisses, TCQ.
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Walking Lines (working title)	By : xcrystaldragonx Category: Harry Potter AU/AR > General Views: 3412 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: FULL DISCLAIMER IN FIRST CHAPTER

Walking Lines (working title)