The Next Generation

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Authur and Geneve lagged behind the group. As they walked down the corridor, they passed the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher's office. Geneve glanced inside, and noticed that their professor dashing across the room as if she had just noticed something. Geneve slowed down, and held Authur back. They both looked, and just as they did, the professor dissappeared.
"What the..." Geneve gasped. She turned to Authur for an explaination.
"Don't ask me!" Authur gaped. "I've never seen anything like that before!"
"Me neither."said Geneve. "But maybe that's normal. I never knew I was a withc until a few months ago. Should we... go see if she's ok?"

[DucksRMagical]

Galena finished preparing for the seventh years class and still had time before the class would start. She decided to go see Valencia and find out how her classes were going. Maybe they could have some tea and cookies, like they often did last year during their breaks.

Galena walked down the deserted corridor and up the stairs to the Defense classroom. The corridor was almost quiet. There was a banging noise coming from an empty classroom. Galena decided to peek inside.

"Peeves!" she shouted. The poltergeist was throwing books at the chalkboard. He looked up when he heard Galena's voice and cackled.

"Professor doesn't like what Peevesy is doing, hehe."

"No, and I don't think the Bloody Baron would either. I saw him coming this way," Galena told him. Although, the Bloody Baron wasn't anywhere near the classroom.

Peeves dropped the remaining books and zoomed out of the room. Satisfied, Galena left and walked the rest of the way to the Defense classroom. When she got there, there were two students lingering near the doorway. One she recognized as Arthur Dursley and the other was one of the Slytherin first years. Galena couldn't remember her name.

"What are you two doing? Do you have class now? Need any help finding the room?" Galena asked kindly.

[FawkesthePhoenix]

Valencia struggled. She was going through a whirlwind of color and sound, but Valencia was going to put a stop to that. She tried every spell she knew, and at one point she succeded in stopping the port key. She found herself somewhere in Wales, but didn't have time to appreciate the scene's beauty. She focused all her power on resisting the port key, but no, on she went. She kept at it, stopping, concentrating, losing focuse and feeling the jerk behind her navel yet again. Eventually she realized.
If I'm going to escape once I get there, I can't be exhausted from resisting the journey.
So Valencia Marcellus let herself go, knowing that she could only escape if the port key stopped. But she didn't completely give up. She sent a simple spell that would tell the Hogwarts teachers where she went. She sent a spell that would travel to Hogwarts, and carve a message into the wall. It had to be short, to conserve her energy. The message was thus:

Quill=port key going ?
Have wand
Will send more when destination known

Valencia Sighed. She'd done all she could for now. All she could now was wait.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve jumped when she heard the professor speak. "Oh!" she said. "I.. it's just that..... the professor, she's... " Geneve looked at Authur for help.
"She's vanished! And we don't know what's happened! Geneve and I have never seen magic like that before. Which isn't saying much..."
"Yes," interupted Geneve "We're both from muggle families. Is this how the teachers travel around?" Geneve smiled stupidly. The professor watched them both and there was an awkward silence.
Suddenly, the slience was sliced by what sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Everyone covered their ears and turned their heads to where the sound was coming from. On the far wall, a message was etching itself into the brick! The professor inched forward to read it, Geneve and Authur followed.

[DucksRMagical]

"What?!" Galena shouted when she heard what Arthur said. "Well, we can travel using apparition, which is basically vanishing and appearing in another place, but it can't be done in Hogwarts."

Galena looked up as she heard a noise coming from the wall. She slowly walked towards it, while the two first years followed.

"Quill equals portkey..." she mumbled while thinking. One of her quills was a portkey?

"What's a portkey?" Arthur asked.

"Another way of traveling. You can turn an object into one, and when you touch it, it will take you to a pre-determined place. But I don't recall Professor Marcellus mentioning one in her office. Someone must have placed it there. She doesn't even know where she is going. I think we ought to go to the headmaster. You two are welcome to come. The headmaster will want to know what you saw."

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arthur felt as though he was being taken on a ride. He had barely introduced himself to the Slytherin girl, Geneve, when a professor had disappeared, and now he was going to see the headmaster!

He didn't know what he could possibly say, it had suddenly just... happened.

And what were these portkey things? You could touch one and be instantly transported to some place miles away? It sounded so unreal, Arthur thought. Is this all just some big joke?

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve felt her heart skip a beat. They were going to see the headmaster! She was still very curious as to why her real name wasn't used during the sorting. Would she be able to ask? She peered over at Authur, who was looking very uncomfortable. "I'm sure it'll be ok, we're not in trouble." Geneve tried to reassure him." She glanced back at the etchings on the wall. "I expect we'll see even stranger things than this by the time the year is over!" She started to follow the professor down the corridor. She'd already seen some strange things. She reached into her pocket and felt the Slytherin ring again. She had so many questions, she looked forward to finally meeting the headmaster face to face.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

As they walked higher and higher through the castle, Arthur grew more and more nervous.

When the Transfiguration professor finally told the first years to stop, they were standing in front of what appeared to be a very weird looking statue.

The professor was mumbling something that Arthur didn't hear, but when she finished, Arthur jumped. The thing had responded, "Enter".

Art glanced anxiously at Geneve, and followed his professor's lead.

[FawkesthePhoenix]

Valencia finally skudded to a stop in...where? It looked like somewhere in Russia.
"Right you are, grandaughter, we are in Russia. Shame it took you so long to get here, it was snowing before." Valencia turned to see her grandfather, now a ghost, and his accomplice, standing behind her.
"Well, I see you finally found someone stupid enough to do your dirty work. And now I'll show him just how stupid he was to agree." Valencia replied as she sent a jet of red light at the scrawny young man standing behind her grandfather. The accomplice blocked the spell, sending it back in the direction from which she came. Good. Everything had worked out nicely. Valencia had sent, not a curse, but the same message-sending spell as before. The young man, thinking it a curse, deflected it back towards England.
Valencia didn't know it, but this sort of spell-work, smarts, and cunning were exactly why her grandfather, whose name she didn't even respect enough to mention, had kidnapped her.
He didn't, however, know what the spell really was, only that it wasn't a curse. Otherwise he would've stopped this message from leaving his sight.

Portkey stopped in Russia
where exact point ?
ghost of grandfather did it
probably intends to kill me after I do what he wants
will stall as long as possible and bloody granddad's nose

Valencia walked forward. Time to spoil dear, old, granddaddy's plans. But he wasn't to know that.

[DucksRMagical]

"Follow me," Galena whispered to Arthur and Geneve. She walked up the circular staircase, with the two first years following behind her. They stepped into the headmaster's office and walked towards his desk.

"Hello, Headmaster," Galena greeted once they reached the desk, "I'm afraid I have some troubling news."

The headmaster stood up and walked over to where Galena and the first years were standing. He sighed, "Well, what is it?"

"First, this is Arthur Dursley," she gestured towards the boy. "And this is Geneve Rouselle."

"Pleased to meet you," the headmaster smiled at the two first years and stuck out his hand to shake each of theirs. Geneve and Arthur nervously shook his hand, but didn't say anything.

"Geneve and Arthur have witnessed Professor Marcellus being taken away by an unauthorized portkey that was in her study. She sent a message that appeared on the wall and stated that her quill was a portkey and she will send more information when she knows where she went."

The headmaster frowned and started pacing. "And the two of you witnessed this? Can you tell me what you saw?" he asked Arthur and Geneve.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

The headmaster scared him. Arthur gulped.

"She disappeared," he mumbled feebly. The old man didn't hear him.

"Speak up, boy."

That comment didn't help his confidence much. Luckily, Geneve came to the rescue.

"We looked inside the room as we were passing her office, and Professor Marcellus looked as if she had noticed something, and then we wondered what she was doing, and then she just sort of... disappeared."

Arthur couldn't have put it better himself. Truthfully, he was a bit ashamed. Why had his mouth just dried up like that? It was like he couldn't breathe.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

THe Headmaster paused for a moment. "Miss Rouselle," he started. "Have you told me everything?" he peered at her over his glasses.
Geneve looked at her headmaster. He was taller than her, and had black hair. His face was shaven clean, and his robes were imaculate. She tried to judge how old he was... maybe 50 years old?
'What do you mean, sir?" she said.
"I mean to say, " he said, "Is there anything else that might have happened before this? Something to connect what has happened to our professor."
Geneve couldn't help it. She felt her face go hot. Her head started to hurt. She stumbled and then steadied herself on the desk. The Headmaster approached her.
"Leave me alone!" she shrieked, and backed away defensively.
The headmaster looked afronted. "I was just checking if you were alright?" he said, his face very concerned.
"Are you ok, Geneve?" Authur started to come forward too. Geneve couldn't help it, she backed herself against the wall, holding her hands over her ears. It was like before. She closed her eyes. And then she could here it, a man's voice "......... it was snowing earlier..... " it said. And then the piercing sound of nails on a chalkboard. She fell to the floor, the burning on her back too much to bear as words etched their way into the headmasters wall.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arthur couldn't help but be very worried about Geneve, but he was also curious about the new message on the headmaster's wall:

"Portkey stopped in Russia
where exact point ?
ghost of grandfather did it
probably intends to kill me after I do what he wants
will stall as long as possible and bloody granddad's nose"

The professor was in Russia? But that was crazy? A magic quill could send someone that far away? It was a ridiculous thought.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

The Headmaster pulled Geneve to her feet and held her under one of her arms. She was still awake, but very weakened. She lifted her head to see what had nearly burned her back. There was more writing on the wall. She felt her stomach turn and pulled away from the Headmaster. She looked around the room at all the photos, looking at her? Looking at each other? They were moving!!! This was more than she could take. She stumbled to the window and pushed it open. The cool autumn air blew into her face. She breathed deeply. All was still and quiet for a moment. She reached in her pocket to feel the ring. It was gone! She slapped the sides of her cloak, fumbling desperately. Then she realised; it was on her finger. She lifted her hand, staring at it dumbly, when the Headmaster interupted her thoughts. She coverered her hand defensively.
"Geneve, please, tell me what happened? You're as white as a ghost!" He put one hand on her shoulder.
"I.... I get these headaches sometimes... it feels like I'm going mad. " She looked up at the Headmaster. "You won't send me away, will you? I need to know what it all means! I need answers! What is going on, and why, Headmaster, didn't you use my real name at the sorting?" Geneve heard her voice crack as she spoke. She hated being so emotional and out of control.
"That," said the Headmaster, "Can wait for the time being. Right now, Geneve, I beg u to help us by tuning in to what u just heard or saw. Tell me now, before it goes away. No matter how 'mad' you think it will sound." Geneve looked right into the Headmasters face. His look was piercing, and serious. Who else could she trust?
"Don't send me away. Promise me." Geneve whispered.
"I will not allow it." said the Headmaster.
"I heard someone say that it was snowing..." Geneve began.
"Headmaster!" shouted Gelena. "Professor Marcellus has sent us another message! She's in Russia!"

[DucksRMagical]

Galena pointed at the wall behind the headmaster. She was worried about Geneve's sudden headache, but she couldn't help but feel that the headmaster was suddenly more interested in Geneve's vision than Valencia's disappearance.

The headmaster turned away from Geneve and stared at the message. He rubbed his head and furrowed his brow. "She's in Russia."

"Yes, that's what it says," Galena said. "We should come up with a plan."

"That would be good," the headmaster responded. "But first I'd like to hear more about Geneve's vision."

"You think they might be connected?" Galena asked.