Garnet gems awoke to the dusking sun, pale skin strained against a thin frame as she sat up in bed. She rubbed her eyes slowly, inhaling a larger breath than normal to satisfy her lungs. Her lithe fingers gripped the cotton sheets, hands looking down to see bandages on the palms. She covered her face, her eyes wide as her breathing grew to slow panting.
Why is this happening to me? Now of all times?
Crystal tears slid between the creases of her fingers, falling onto the sheets as they gave a glitter. Looking around warily, she collected her tears and hid them as Madam Pomfrey came back.
"Now now, you have to relax and rest. You're still famished from your seizure." Victoria silently complied as she lay back, her nose and eyes red from crying as Madam Pomfrey took notice of this, "Is something wrong?"
"No, I just had a nightmare. That's all." She forced a smile on her lips as Madam Pomfrey came back with some food and drink, along with a potion.
"Now, try to eat some nourishment before drinking that down." She nodded as the nurse left, leaning over her bedside as she took a bite out of chicken.
She suddenly gagged, gripping her chest as she began to breathe heavily. She gripped her head suddenly, sweat from strain trickling down her brow as her left eyelid began to twitch.
"God, no, stop. Not now, please. Christ Almighty, not now!"
----
Madam Pomfrey came back to check up on Victoria when she suddenly cried out in shock. She raced out of the Hospital Wing, looking for Dumbledore in the Faculty room as she was out of breath. He turned slowly upon her.
"Poppy, what on earth is the matter?"
"She'-she's gone, Albu-bus!" She spluttered, gripping the hem of his robes as fear took hold of her eyes for once in her life.
His blue eyes hardened to ice as he rushed from the faculty room and into the hospital wing. Professor McGonagall followed pursuit as Dumbledore beheld the gory sight.
Sheets were torn, a pillow dismantled with its feathers leaking out. A window was smashed, vermilion dripping down the edges where it was cut. Dumbledore walked to the window, observing the shards and blood trail. He saw it vanish into the Forbidden Forest and fixed his spectacles, turning to face the staff.
"A student is missing. In these reinstated dark times, we can only assume the worst is to come. Inform all the students to return to their common rooms immediately while the staff shall format a search party and look for Miss Jacent." Nodding, McGonagall left to tell the students to go back to their dormitories.
Dumbledore drew out his wand as others followed suit. Motioning them to follow, Dumbledore vanished in a faint -pop!-. Artemis swallowed hard as she drew her wand and vanished as well.
----
"Why are we being shepherded back to our common rooms?" Ron was a bit perturbed at how McGonagall seemed to hurriedly pack her students back into their dormitory.
Harry had gotten used to emergency recesses such as these, so he didn't bother much except for the fact of why.
"Gryffindor students. It has come to my attention that one of your own is missing. In these times, we can only assume the worst has happened. Therefore, you are to remain in your common rooms. NO EXCEPTIONS." McGonagall looked flustered as she left the common room, whispers rippling among the students.
"What's going on-? Who went missing-?" Harry's emerald eyes shifted among the crowd, noticing who was missing.
A searing pain suddenly shot through his head, a hand gripping the bolt that was indelibly etched into his forehead.
"Harry? Harry, what's wrong?"
"Something's not right." Harry's left eye watered as the pain slowly ebbed away.
He stood up, rushing up into the dormitory as he grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. Ron followed Harry to see him swing the cloak around him.
"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Ink smeared on the old parchment, revealing names and corridors.
"Harry, what are you doi-?"
"Shh! I need to look for her." His eyes were scanning the page, seeing that a few of the staff were in the forest, including Snape and Dumbledore.
"Ah, there she is!" He saw a name pace about in an enclosed room; the Room of Requirement.
Stuffing the map into his robes, he flipped the hood over his head and dashed past Ron.
"Stay here."
"But Harry-!"
He was out of earshot and past the portrait hole as he dashed down the corridor. Something about how Victoria moved on the page made him nervous, drawing out his wand as he came to the unseen door.
I need to find Victoria…I need to find her…The door remained hidden, harry pacing back and forth as he tapped his wand against his hand thoughtfully. He looked down to see a smear of crimson against the hem of the tapestry; his eyes widened.
I need to help Victoria…She's hurt and needs medical attention…It remained closed. Harry grew uneasy as the minutes passed; they felt like centuries.
"Oh for pity's sake!" He kicked the wall, making his cloak fall down as a voice called out behind him.
"What on earth are you doing, Harry?" he jumped after recognizing the voice.
Spinning around, he saw Artemis standing there, her wand out and her hair askew. He gulped and tried to think up an excuse when her icy blue eyes suddenly widened.
"Is that…blood?" He tried to hide it with his body but she had already shoved him aside, her eyes scanning the vermilion streak. Harry tried to reach for his cloak but Artemis smacked his hand away.
"Don't touch it; this blood reeks of Darkness." She pointed her wand tip at it.
"Relegatio!" The blood gave a hissing crack before vanishing from the tapestry.
She pocketed her wand, turning on Harry as her eyes grew merciless.
"You are outside your common room; explain yourself."
Harry stuttered.
"I was just trying to…um…" She grabbed him by the collar of his robes, dragging him away from his cloak.
He tried to break away but her grip was of steel, her facial expression of subtle fury as she hauled him back before the Fat Lady.
"Get inside and I will speak no more of your disobedience for this evening. Go!" She barked the last order, Harry flinching as he annunciated the password and crawled back in.
----
"Did you find her?" Harry slumped in an armchair, rubbing his face.
"No, Professor Raven got to me first. And she dragged me off before I could get my cloak back."
"You lost your cloak?" Hermione hissed incredulously, the others busy with their evening homework.
Harry cringed at the tone in her voice and nodded glumly.
"It's going to be twice as hard to get it back at this point."
"Well, it's your fault you walked off after McGongall clearly said-"
"Oh, give it a rest, Hermione; since when did Harry listen to the rules?" Ron gave Harry a playful nudge in the shoulder.
"I'm going up to bed, see you two." Harry trudged upstairs, sighing gently as he entered the boy's dormitory.
----
"Hello, Harry." His heart lurched into his throat as he heard the sultry voice behind him.
He wheeled around, his wand out but before he could say anything, the words reached faster.
"Silentium!" His lips pressed together, muffling his outburst as he stared in the shadow of the door.
"Promise me you will not scream." He stood up straight, nodding softly as the door closed shut gently.
Victoria withdrew from the shadows, her skin paler than death as her cheekbones seemed raised. A dark splotch was soaked into her robes, her fingers constantly twitching.
"You left this behind." She drew out his cloak behind her back, holding it in her hands like it was silken gold.
Harry stared, her face impassive as she offered it to him.
"I believed you dropped this, so I thought it best to return it to you." A small dribble of blood escaped her mouth as she spoke, Harry coming forward.
"No, don't come near me." Her eyes, garnet, flickered ruby for a moment as she snarled her warning.
She handed him back the cloak, leaning against his bedpost as she wheezed.
"Tell no one of what you saw, Harry. I trust you." He was at a loss for words; literally.
He nodded dumbly, watching her weakly open the door and stagger out. A short while later, the spell wore off as he smacked his lips to regain feeling. He felt about his cloak and noticed there was a note hidden inside. He pulled out the parchment, his blood flowing cold as he read the words written in blood.
He is coming
----
She was sitting in the front seat, the windows rolled down as the wind carried through her long golden hazel hair. Music was playing faintly as the driver sang to the lyrics. People were laughing, the summer sun shining in their faces.
----
The wail of a car horn screamed in her ears, teeth dented into her lips as she felt the blood rush to her head. Smoke was suffocating her, pinning her to death's grip as she weakly struggled. Pain ripped through her body, a shriek of agony trying to force past her lips but only a spurt of crimson could escape.
----
"I will grant you life…but at a price…"
----
A searing pang shot through her entire body, needles of liquid fire burning into her flesh as she screamed and hollered in pain.
"Make it stop…MAKE IT STOP!"
----
"You are mine now…"
She jerked away, her garnet eyes wide open as blood suddenly seeped from under her robes. She couldn't stay in the dormitory; she was too weak as it was. Night had fallen, tears streaking her cheeks as she heaved her body out of bed. Someone gasped at the sound of it, turning on their lamp to see Victoria on the ground.
Hermione rushed out of bed, hands resting on Victoria's shoulders as she gently shook her.
"Victoria? Victoria, please, wake up!" She whispered, drawing her hands back to see blood.
She gasped rushed out of the girl's dormitory, throwing on her robes as she raced up the boy's dormitory. She shook Harry and Ron awake, hushing them quickly as she ran back into the girl's dormitory. She heaved Victoria to the door, hissing for Ron and Harry to help her. Victoria grunted in unconscious pain, a splatter of crimson dripping from her mouth as it fell against the stone floor.
"What happened?" Harry threw the cloak around them.
"I don't know! One thing we were all asleep, the next, she collapsed on the floor in a bloody mess!"
Coming to the portrait hole, Ron drew out his wand and pointed it at Victoria's body.
"Wingardium Leviosa!" Slowly, Victoria hovered above the ground.
"Good thinking, Ron." He looked to Hermione, "We'll take her to the Hospital Wing, ok?"
She nodded and wished them luck, seeing how four grown teenagers couldn't fit under the cloak. Harry and Ron left through the portrait hole, Victoria floating behind them.
They were rushing down corridors, Harry pulling out his own wand.
"Lumos!" His wandtip lit up, guiding them along the dark hallways as blood was dripping onto the carpets.
They turned a corner and stopped short, Harry hiding his wand quickly under the cloak as they saw Snape conversing with Artemis.
"-Look, I don't care if you're the god of potions! You did something to her medicine!"
"I don't understand why you're accusing me of what happened to your-"
"You're the one who made the draft! And now look at what's happened!"
"I really don't understand the fuss you're causing about-" He stopped short, turning around and looking directly at the spot where Harry stood, invisible.
"What is it?" he turned back and shook his head.
"Rest assured, Artemis, she is not dead. When we find her, I will take the proper needs, understand?" A black wand was pressed up against his Adam's apple.
"Harm one hair on her head, and yours will be mine as a keepsake."
His smooth fingers grasped the tip, pushing it aside.
"I wouldn't dream of it." He said silkily.
Snape turned and walked off, Artemis sighing gently as she sheathed her wand and ran her fingers through her hair. She suddenly tensed up, her nose sniffing the air.
"Alright, I know you're there." She drew out her wand again, pointing it near where Ron and Harry stood.
"I smell blood, don't hide from me." She drew closer, Harry seeing no way out.
He drew the cloak off from his head, standing before her.
"Yes, professor?"
Her face was livid.
"I thought I told you to stay in your common room!" Ron sheepishly ducked out behind him.
"And YOU, Weasley; I had expected better of you. Ten points from-" Her words faltered as she came upon a limp hand.
"Oh my god!" She yanked off the rest of the cloak, her eyes wide with terror as she saw a floating bloody mess that was Victoria, "How did you find her?"
Harry bit his tongue as he promised not to tell the truth.
"We found her lying in the girl's dorm. Well, Hermione did, we just told her to stay because-" Artemis wasn't listening as her fingers were pressed up against Victoria's jugular.
She swallowed and moved aside some of Victoria's locks, her eyes widened as she noticed the necklace was missing.
"I will take her to the hospital wing. You two return, quickly and quietly, understand?" Artemis heaved Victoria into her arms, Victoria giving a weak cry of pain as she vanished into the darkness.
----
A small chime of phials and containers clinked against one another as Madam Pomfrey and Snape hovered over a comatose Victoria.
"She's lost so much blood."
"Nevermind that; what is her conscious state?" Artemis' rueful look darkened.
"She is stuck between two worlds at the moment, Severus." Nodding, he withdrew a vial from the recesses of his robes, breaking the wax seal around the stopper.
Madam Pomfrey withdrew as Snape leaned over, forcing Victoria's jaws apart. He gently inserted the vial's head into her mouth, her eyes flaring open as she jerked and gagged.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Victoria stiffened, unable to defend herself as she was force-fed the potion.
Her livid eyes grew dull and docile, Artemis undoing the body bind spell as Victoria relaxed under the sheets. She gave a weak snarl, her fangs retracting as she went limp. Snape pocketed the vial.
"She is calm now." He stood back, Madam Pomfrey rubbing a stinging salve against some ofVictoria's facial wounds as he looked to Artemis.
"Does she cause this much trouble back in America?" She shook her head dumbly.
"She is empathetic to darkness; she senses Voldemort's presence so strongly these days." She wiped her tears away, fixing her glasses as she watched Snape leave.
Madam Pomfrey stripped Victoria of her robes, seeing the mess she had to clean up. She gasped as she removed most of the blood.
"This scar…" Artemis snarled.
"You are to ask nothing of it, understand?" Madam Pomfrey cowered slightly from Raven's coldness.
Her snow blue eyes gazed back on Victoria's passive face, exhaling a disheartened sigh.