Why do I have so many acholytes! And why can they never agree on anything! Why do you people make is so dang hard on me! I mean, heck! how many flumes does one territory need anyway? How many do we have now? 4, 5?... let's see, there's one at the station, one in Hogwart's dunguns, one in Diagon Alley, and that new one in the Forbidden forest... that's all I can come up with so I guess 4, unless you've forgotten to tell me something? And whose stupid idea was it to put a flume in the Forbidden Forest! Oh that's right! Fred and George! Well, get rid of it or I'm coming after you two! That thing is dangerous to any visiting Traveler!
It was about noon on a beautiful July day about a month before Hogwarts School of Wichcraft and Wizardry would again be in secion and all the teachers were down in Great Hall having lunch and a meeting. All that is except the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Starsong Benochoocamama. Her friends called her Star and she had decide to be merciful and let her students call her Professor B. She was pretty, charming, witty, and smart, she was fresh out of shcool, was a skin changer and witch, and, most importantly, was the Traveler from Thrae.
She was worried. After Zadda, St. Dane had dissappeared and Bobby Pendragon had gone home to Second Earth. St. Dan hadn't been heard form or seen since and that was five years ago. But now she had a very bad feeling. And it had been getting steadily worse ever since Voldomort had come back.
She was staring down at a blank sheet of parchment with quill in hand as she senced someone shanding behind her.
"What is it Snape?" she said, not looking up.
"You were missed at the meeting." he said with that ever present sneer in his voice, "Where were you?"
"Not that it makes any difference to you," she replied coldly, "But I've been here. Writing. Now leave me alone."
Snape didn't leave, but began touring the room. After a few minutes, Star stood up, facing him and said,
"What is it youreally want? And make it quick, I'm in no mood for games."
"I was just wondering who a girl with no family or friends could be writing to."
"I have friends." she shot back
"Then how is it that they don't seem to exist, or ever appear, anywhere? And that no one seems to know them?"
"You just haven't been looking hard enough. Now, if that's all, I suggest you leave me to my work."
Snape left the room with a satisfied smile on his face.
Star couldn't sleep that night, so she decided to thake a wald outside. Hagrid, the grounds keeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor, was outside his hut, probably working with some new creature he had most likly gotten off the black market. She slipped past him and into the Forbiddne Forest. Her acholytes had put a new flume in the Forest and she had demanded that they get rid of it. She wanted to see if they had done so yet.
When she finlly made it to the grove of trees that held the flume, she saw on the bark of the biggest tree a crude star and her ring was glowing slightly. Great. So much for demands. Oh well. Maybe it would end to their benefit, though considering the Weasley Twins' track record, it was highly unlikely.
All of a sudden she heard jumbled notes and the flume started to come to life! She jumped back into the trees and became one of them quickly so as not to be notice.
As the light left, she recognized the one man who wished to distroy Halla. Tho one person no Traveler ever wanted to see on their territory. And the same person who had kill Osa, Press, and so many other brave travelers. St. Dane.
He chuckled to himself and, as Star watched, he changed into a Deatheater. Slinking through the trees, he disappeared into the night. When she was sure that he was gone, whe changed back into herself and cursed quietly. She had to get word to Pendragon! Taking out her wand, she made parchment, quill, and ink appear. Quickly she wrote,
'Mark and Courney,
Tell Pendragon to come to Threa IMMEDIATLY!
St. Dane is here and I know what he is trying to do.
-Star'
She took off her ring and sent it to Bobby's acholytes. Hopefully they would get the message as soon as possible. She decided to stay here for a while and see if Pendragon would show.
Mark was in a deep sleep, so he didn't feel his ring twitching at first. It was when it began glowing and expanding that he woke up. As an instinct, he took the ring off, jumped out of bed, and put it on the floot. When the music and light disappeared, he turned on his light and read the note his ring had delivered. Mark gasped and ran for the phone.
Courtney had just gotten home from celebrating her soccer team's win in the regionals. They were now headed to state. When she opened the door, the phone was ringing. She picked up and listened for a few minutes. Finally she said, "Alright, I'll meet you there." Hanging up, she grabbed her bag and as she ran out, started dialing on her cell phone.
Bobby Pendragon had felt lost and uneasy for the past five years. He would rarely sleep well and tonight was no exception. He was restlessly pacing the room when his phone started ringing. He quickly picked it up. After a few minutes he said worriedly, "Are you sure?... Okay. I guess we'll need to head back to Stoney Brooke. I'll see you there."
Mark, Cortney, and Bobby met at the flume on Second Earth. Bobby looked at the not Mark had received and decided to go. Mark and Cortney wished him luck and he was off to Thrae.
Star had been waiting for about an hour when she heard something move in the trees. She quietly hid as a centaur came into sight. 'Crap!'she thought, 'Hope it doesn't see me.' The centaurs had been at odds, to say the least, with Dumbldore for a while and they considered the Forbidden Forest to be theirs. So it was dangerous for anyone, especially those that supported Dumbledore and Potter, to be in here. And she happened to be one of them.
Just then, the flume began to activate and the centaur was standing only a few meters from it! As the lights and music faded, Star recognised Bobby Pendragon, the lead traveler. Without another thought, she jumped out of hiding and ran towards Pendragon. He and the centaur had seen eachother and the centaur began to charge him.