Starlight Commission - Chapter One

            As the sun set over the towers of Hogwarts a woman’s scream echoed off the solemn stone walls; and as the night took its grasp of the skies, as day faded, the shadows stirred in the dark abyss that is the Forbidden Forest. An older woman stumbled from the young shadows and fell to the stone path beneath her. Dressed all in white, with silk light hair. Her dress was ripped and rattled, her hair and gown were slighty scorched. She looked up to the school with a look of desperate hope and with a slight graceful flick of her wrist she sent a spark off that travel up high to the towers. A message on the wind.

            The grand masterful doors of Hogwarts buzzed and clicked with the spell to unlock its way. They swung open with the unseen wave of one powerful wand. The heavy redwood doors never seemed so light. It was the headmaster, Dumbledore, who stormed from the entrance. At his back followed Professor Mcgonagall and Snape. Behind them were two officials from the Ministry of Magic. It didn’t take long to spot the fair skinned woman collapsed against a tree just a few yards from the gate.

            The Headmaster rushed to her side and checked her pulse. The two officials hurried to assist; as Snape and Mcgonagall looked on at the disturbing scene. Mcgonagall seemed to sense something, and in a instance she turned brandishing her wand. Snape instinctively followed suit. They scanned the tree line as the officials lifted the woman and Dumbledore guided them back through the gates. Snape lingered at the woods, as Mcgonagall hesitantly moved towards the castle. Snape slowly lowered his wand, he thought to himself, what was an elemental doing in the Forbidden Forest, there must be more to her story. His next thought was of the only elemental he's ever known, Starlight. Turning his back to the woods, he sighs as he makes his way through the gates that silently sealed behind him.

            With breakfast came an announcement. As the Headmaster approached his podium the students quickly quieted down from their normal roar of morning conversion and gave him their attention.

            He looked out at all of them as he cleared his throat. “Good morning all. I am pleased to inform you of a special guest we have here today.” The great hall fell silent.

    Snape sat erect in his seat with both his hands clenched on either side of his plate.

    “Madam Starlight is here with us for the week. Please introduce yourself while she's our guest.” Dumbledore smiled warmly and gestured to the thin pale woman behind the teacher’s dining table on the far right. She nodded to the room with a faint smile. The air around her seemed to glow; something must have been special about this woman for her to show up in the middle of the school year. She wasn’t a teacher, and she wasn’t from the Ministry. The students all had the same question on their minds. Who was this woman?

    Brushing off the blank stares of the children Dumbledore turned to leave the podium and that’s when someone spoke up.

    “Excuse me Headmaster, what happened with the woman in white?” Dumbledore stopped and turned to look over his shoulder at him.

    Dumbledore chuckled and made a faint jester to the side as if to sweep the question away. “That is merely a rumor, son. Finish your breakfasts and get to your first class.” He smiled and barely got to turn around before someone else had spoken up.

    “But Headmaster, we saw you bring her in-” Dumbledore sighed and turned to the table and took a seat to finish his meal. Taking the hint, the students continued their morning rituals. And the teachers looked between themselves questioningly but stayed silent.

    Starlight let her eyes drift down the table to lie on Severus. Her eyes sparked with his image. For a second her heart fluttered and the noise in the room became a dull roar; for Severus turned to meet her gaze. She blinked, her face growing rosy and warm. He stood abruptly, and immediately left the grand hall. He didn’t really rush, but he did make a point to walk purposely and not turn to look at his former friend. He truthfully was taken-aback with the beauty of her eyes. One ciel eye and one hazel, he couldn’t help but have the image of her beauty impressed on his mind for the rest of the day.

    The Potions Master sat at his desk in his office. He was finishing a letter to a parent about the grade he was giving his pupil. He scribbled down his name too fast and when he was proof reading his letter he gasped. In the place of his name he had written Starlight instead of his own. His hands shook slightly with the partchment in-between them. He sighed softly and rested his head in his hand looking down at the letter.

    “Why must I have such hatred?” He meant, why he must have a hatred for such a beautiful woman. Yet he turned out lucky because a small soft voice arose from the doorway.

    “Why must a bird fly, why must a caterpillar crawl, and why must a fish swim?” The soft voice entered the room. Starlight was dressed in a long dark blue gown and her silver pin, which signified her elemental bloodline, adorned the collar. She stepped into the moon light from the window behind Severus and he almost left his mouth ajar for too long. Her beauty radiated in the moon lit room.

    He shook his head and laid the paper, with her name, on the table facedown. “They must because they must.” He looked up at her with those deep eyes. His hair strung down slightly into his eyes, which at the angle she was at, was the sexiest gaze of hatred she’d ever seen.

    She chuckled. He groaned. “What do you want Miss Star? It’s past the curfew and you are merely a guest in these halls.”

    “You could just say you’re worried about my safety Severus. You know as kids you were one hell of a gentleman. What happened?” She smirked looking down at him as she folded her arms across her chest.

    “I grew up. And I would urge you not to be so informal with me Miss Star. A man and a woman have no business being alone and informal. People would question your virtue.” He sneered as he picked up his open roll book and snapped it shut as he stood. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to be somewhere you are not.” He bounded out of his own classroom and she urgently followed.

    Both of their robes flowed behind them as Severus made his way to his room. Star called out to him as he started up a winding staircase. “Severus please” He stopped and looked over and down at her with that evil stare she loved so much. “Severus…I know we have our differences, but I didn’t just come here for Dumbledore.” She paused looking up at him, pleading with her eyes.

    Severus turned around and stepped down the stairs till he was almost at her height. He leaned in close and looked her in the eyes. He seemed calm, but something told her that he wasn’t done being an ass. “Then why did you come?” His voice was slow and calm for the first time.

    “I came to see you Severus. I miss you.” She looked sad and hurt for a moment before he replied.

    “Are you kidding me?” He said.

    She huffed and crossed her arms. “Severus!”

    “Why am I so angry Starlight?” He looked down at her now more like lurking over her head.

    “I-I don’t know.” She stuttered looking around for a moment wondering if he knew.

    “Why Starlight, why does the sight of you make me melt, make my palms sweat and make the room spin? Then tell me why it also makes me want to throw a chair thru the window?” His brow lowered and his voice sunk.

    She swallowed heard and chuckled. “Maybe you’re in love with me?”

    He growled. “Seriously, what have you done? A spell or hex, this is why you elementals have no business in the wizarding world. We learn magic from teachers, you people are not teachers. You’re hoarders and arrogant and a waist of a beautiful gift.” He turned to walk up the stairs but looked down at the stone railing. “But just to twist the knife, I hope you know I think I loved you…once. But something happened.” He started up the staircase. “Too bad I suppose. Who ever took whatever it was, away did you a great injustice it seems.”

    His footsteps faded after awhile and left Starlight at the end of the stairs. A solemn tear rolled down her cheek silently.