The Next Generation

[DucksRMagical]

Galena practically ran to her office and grabbed her cloak. She made it back to the headmaster's office in record time. However, she saw the makings of a duel happening right in front of the gargoyle. Both Geneve and Arthur were there, along with another boy Galena vaguely recognized from class earlier, but she couldn't remember his name.

"What is going on here?" Galena asked loudly with a stern look on her face. The three first years froze and looked up at her. "Who are you?" she asked the third boy. "And what are you doing here?" She tried to sound gentle, but her questions came out as very impatient. She couldn't help it. Time was being wasted while Valencia could be in big trouble.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

"Get that away from me!" Arthur swatted Liam's wand away. "Gee, I'm sorry I ran into you. No need to kill me for it. What are you doing here?"

The boy shrugged.

[*Riley*]

"Your the one who is in need to explain, you come charging into mme and i reacted like any decent wizard would"
Liam shoved his wand back into his robes, and now looked at the teacherm there was something wrong with her, something urgent in her eyes.

"Professor can you please tell me what's going on ? I heard a ear spliting noise, could you please explain.? "

He walked up to the teachers side and he couldn't help but give her beautiful face a warm smile.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve nervously turned the ring on her finger as she waited for the Professor to respond. She closed her eyes, willing herself to hear what Liam was hearing. There was a ringing!
"I hear it too," Geneve said quietly. "It's high pitched, and distant. It's saying something." Geneve looked at the professor hopelessly. "Please, what is happening to us?!" she pleaded. She looked down at the ring on her finger, and then, as plain as if one of them had spoke, a voice hissed "Their children, they have come at last...reach them through the walls of their past...... " Geneve froze and went very white. She looked at the others desperately. "Did you hear that??" she squeaked.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arthur felt left out again. Apparently the other two could hear something, but it was not much of a surprise to him that he could not.

Not for the first time, he wondered why he was there. But then he was distracted by a glint in the corner of his eye, and glanced over at the source. It was an ornate ring on Geneve's finger. He stared at it closer, and wondered.

Then he was distracted by the Professor's talking.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve tried to process what she had heard. 'Their children' it had said. Then she realised; Dursley, the muggle 'protectors' of Harry Potter when this Dark Lord was in power, married to Lily Potter's sister! That's how the generation skipped! And Delacour, another wizard name connected to the downfall of Voldemort. Geneve suddenly felt calmer. It would seem that we all have a place in this, she thought. Because of what our parents, or grandparents have done. We are connected to what will come. She wondered what it must have been like for Arthur, to discover he was magical, in a family so renouned to hate the wizard world. His chance to stand up for his magical history had arrived.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Arthur had another look at the golden ring. It had a serpent symbol on it, he was sure. Slytherin's mark, that was. But unless they sold rings for each house at some shop in Diagon Alley, he was unsure as to how Geneve could have found one. It looked very old and majestic, and seemed to have an aura of magic around it.

He also remembered something Geneve had asked the headmaster earlier. Why had her real name not been used at the Sorting? Rouselle was not her real name? If it wasn't, what was?

[DucksRMagical]

Galena breathed a sigh of relief as all the first years put their wands away. She was unsure about how much to tell Liam, but before she could really think about it, Geneve started talking about a ringing noise.

"Geneve, what ringing?" Galena asked gently, "I don't hear it. Do you know what it's coming from?"

Geneve nodded and shakily held up her hand.

Galena looked at the ring. "Hmm, coming from the ring?" She looked more closely at it and noticed the snake. "That's a very interesting ring. Why don't we all go up to the Headmaster's office and discuss it there, it will be more private. You may come as well, Liam."

Galena turned to the gargoyle and gave the password. It moved aside and she stepped onto the moving staircase along with the first years.

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

Geneve had showed the professor her ring. Arthur supposed that that meant that she wasn't hiding any dark secret. For a moment or two, he had wondered if the group could trust her.

The serpent was an infamously evil symbol, particularly in the wizarding world, after all.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve followed her fellow students and the Professor up the stairs. But when they arrived in the Headmaster's office, The place had been ransacked and the window was wide open! The professor moved ahead, taking out her wand and scanning the room.
"Headmaster?" Galena called sternly. Then she saw it. More writing on the wall. But this time, it was a different colour to the messages Valencia had written. It said "Bring them to me." Genve, Arthur and Liam looked at each other, and then at the professor. Suddenly, a voice spoke from the shadow of the bookcase.
"Well, there's no arguing with that now, is there?" a man's voice. Galena turned, her wand ready. But it was the headmaster who imerged. Galena, relieved, put her wand down.
"What's the big idea, scaring us like that?" she breathed.
"I'm so sorry. Please, all of you, sit down. I have much to tell you." he waved his hand at a long, red sofa that was propped against one wall. The first years obidiently sat down. Galena, however, was still frazzled.
"What happened here?" she said, pacing.
"Please, Galena. won't you sit down?" The Headmaster spoke quietly, but urgently. Galena stared at him; then she too sat down.
"Now," said the Headmaster, taking out his watch. "All will be revealed in.."
Something was ticking and getting louder.
"What's that noise?" Geneve said.
"You and your noises!" blurted Authur.
"Something's ticking?" Liam questioned.
"What the heck is going on?" Galena pleaded.
"Three, two one...." and suddenly, Galena and the three first years were portkeyed away, with one last statement by the Headmaster ringing in their ears.
"They're coming."

[Phoenix in the Ashes]

It was the strangest sensation Arthur had ever felt. It was like a daredevil's version of a merri-go-round, except that there was no thrill involved. When his feet finally hit the earth hard, he fell over and felt sick.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve had landed face down in the snow. She rolled over and stared into the sky; it was nearly dark. She sat up and looked around. Arthur was on his knees, holding his stomach. Geneve didn't feel so good herself. She looked to her left; Liam was on his back, his eyes closed.
"Liam? Are you all right?" Geneve reached across him and shook him a little. He didn't stir, but she could see he was breathing.
"Professor??" Geneve called. She couldn't spot her anywhere. Then, she heard it; a deep, frightening growling, and when she looked behind her into the woods they had arrived at the mouth of, she saw four wolves imerging from the darkness; their teeth bared and ready to attack.

[FawkesthePhoenix]

Valencia stepped so close to Marcellus she was almost through him. "I don't think you want to mess with me. And I also don't think it was a good idea to weave the Headmaster into your plans. Because no matter how hard you try, you will never know the secret." She saw a flicker of surprise in Marcellus's face. He thought he was atleast good enough to mask his plans from her.
"I-I'll kill you!" he siad, almost desparate.
"Oh, I don't think so. You may have some ghost powers, but you won't kill me until you know how to bring him back. You'll try to force it out of me, obviously, but you won't kill me." Vlaencia pulled out her wand. Marcellus's hands began to grow green. Wolves howled in the distance. Spells took flight. Time to fight.

[Ms. Elsewhere]

Geneve rose up to full height, slowly, and turned around. "Arthur, don't move." she whispered to him. Arthur turned his head to look at Geneve ,and then followed her gaze to the forest. The wolves were about 10 feet away, but they were advancing. Geneve pulled out her wand and held it up defensively. She had no idea what she was going to do with it, but she felt braver with it in her hand. Then she heard a voice in her head say, "Echoscio." She spoke it out loud. "Echoscio?" her wand started to vibrate. She said it again, more firmly this time, and pointed it toward the wolves. "Echoscio!" she shouted. Something happened that made Geneve's head almost split open. Arthur put his hands over his ears and crouched to the ground. THere was no sound, but the feeling was ear splitting; and it seemed to be affecting the dogs, because they started to whimper and duck their heads. Geneve kept her wand steady, collapsing ot her knees from the pain. The dogs turned back to the forest and ran away yelping. Geneve brought down her wand. She sniffed, and when she reached up to dab away the dampness under her nose, she found that it was bleeding.

[DucksRMagical]

Galena landed gracefully on the ground, but she didn't see the first years anywhere near her. That's odd, she thought. Why would the portkey take them to different places? A loud growl snapped her back into reality and she glanced over to where the noise was coming from. A few meters away was a pack of wolves, and just in front of them were the first years.

Galena's heart skipped a beat and she transformed quickly into a beagle. A beagle wasn't going to be much match against a pack of wolves, but she could try and distract them from the kids. She ran as fast as her short legs could take her, but when she made it over to the wolves, they were already retreating. Galena saw that Geneve had her wand out and she was bleeding profusely from the nose. What had that girl done? There was something strange about her, no doubt about that, but it may have just saved her life, along with Arthur's and Liam's.

She transformed back into a human and rushed over to the kids.

"Where did you come from?" Arthur asked.

"Over there," Galena pointed to where she had been portkeyed to, "I'm not sure why you three wound up here, but never mind that now. The wolves could be back at any moment." Galena looked around and noticed a small shack in the distance. "We'll go to that shack, and try and figure out where we are."

The kids nodded their heads and followed Galena to the shack. Once they were there, Galena performed a few spells to make sure the shack was safe and that no one was already occupying it. It was safe. Galena ushered the kids inside and shut the door after them.