[DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Thread Started on Aug 31, 2008, 7:25pm »
Dark Secrets Chapter 1 Part 2
A Gathering
~The Gameskeeper's cabin sat alone on the grounds. It had a very long history, and countless owners had lived within its walls. Regiga Villus Enigmum was the newest inhabitant of the hut. The curtains were drawn and the door shut and locked, which dimmed the light in the room considerably. Indeed, Regiga currently sat at his study, reading by the light of a single candle.
The book he was reading was ancient. The dusty pages held information that was nearly as old as Hogwarts itself. It was a chronicle of old gameskeepers, and not any old gameskeepers, but some of the oldest, and last true Keeper of Keys. Nearly all witches and wizards could not possibly grasp how important the chronicle was, as the legend of the Keys has been lost for a very long time, and is known only in a meaningless title for the current gameskeeper. Enigmum planned on changing that. In order to control the growing shadow within the castle he would have.
However, he needed the help of five certain students to do that. Regiga had sent them all owls to meet him here at seven o' clock, and they should be arriving shortly. Then finally he could begin to put his plans into action.~
Slytherin Quidditch Captian Yeah, Ya'll know me, The fightin' freak Knuckles Still feel it, Still go no weakspots, Back once again after the Masta Emerald.
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #1 on Sept 1, 2008, 11:03am »
It was getting dark as Reta flew down another hill, tripping several times as she fumbled over rocks and plants. Squinting her eyes she made out a small hut, the Groudkeepers Cabin. Now, Reta usually wasn't a skeptical creature, but recieving a cryptic note from some unknown stranger to meet him in the Groundskeepers cabin at 7 o'clock? It pretty much screamed of sketchiness.
Panting, Reta made her way down the last trecherous patch of terain, tripping on a loose rock at the bottom and found herself face first on the wooden door of the small cabin. Groaning, Reta rubbed her bright red face, scratches scattered on her rosey cheeks. Adjusting her sweater so it hung correctly on her body, after a very wonderful display of her balance, she took a deep breath and tried to arrange her masses of tangly gold hair so she looked semi-presentable. The air was chilly and she ran in place to keep herself warm as she knocked hastily on the door. Her tall brown boots -several sizes too big, might I add- tapped faintly on the cobblestones outside the door.
Teeth chattering in their protestation to the cold weather, she knocked on the door again, harder and more impatient this time. "Please please please hurry up!" she moaned, rubbing herself to keep warm. Reta had never had much tolerance to the cold. She much preferred the warmth of spring and summer.
Peering into one of the windows she frowned, the blinds that covered the interior of the house didn't even show that a light was lit inside. Perhaps this letter had just been a joke. She looked briefly down at the peice of crumbled partchment she had clutched in her right hand. In her other hand she clutched her short Mahogany wand, just a precaution. One more knock, then I'm leaving! she told herself. She raised her fist to knock once again on the heavy wooden door.
« Last Edit: Sept 1, 2008, 11:06am by Reta Thaede »
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #2 on Sept 3, 2008, 7:47pm »
With dinner over and a quick trip up to his room to grab a jacket completed Derek made his way out the large double doors to the Great Hall and out onto the grounds. A slight wind made the fourth year decided that zipping up the deep red windbreaker would be a good idea. As he marched down toward the gamekeepers hut he pulled the short note that he had received a few days ago. A place, a date, and a time. It didn't get much easier to understand than that. It also left a whole lot up in the air. Such as who was the sender, and why did he want to meet Derek so late in the evening at the gamekeepers hut? Even straining his memory Derek couldn't recall ever meeting the gamekeeper. Not once in his three years here, and that was something that was rather odd considering how much time the teenager spent in and around the lake.
Oh, well, he thought as the little hut came into view. Nothing to do but check it out. It was an easy decision to come to. Hogwarts was just about the safest place on the face of the earth, save perhaps Gringotts, in the young Worthington's mind. He was fairly certain that no matter what happened he wouldn't be hurt, not seriously, and besides he wasn't foolish enough to leave his wand behind. Shaking his head to keep his bangs out of his eyes the young boy put the letter back into his pocket and withdrew his wand, concealing it along the inside of his forearm. In the dying light he doubted it would be easily seen, though to be perfectly honest he truly hoped it wouldn't come to that.
When the door finally came into view it was accompanied by something that honestly shocked Derek, a young girl. For a moment he thought that perhaps she had sent the letter and wanted to talk to him about something. But the fact that she was shivering and knocking on the door led the Gyrffindor boy to suspect she'd gotten a similar letter. As he approached the girl he slipped his wand back into his wind-breaker's pocket. He doubted that this girl had any ill intentions and besides, this was Hogwarts, the worse someone her age could cook up was easily reversible in the nurse's office...right?
"Hello there," he called to the young girl with a happy smile on his face. "What brings you out here?"
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #3 on Sept 4, 2008, 3:19am »
The most variate thoughts had passed by Anaelise's mind when she had received the owl earlier that day, bidding her to be at the groundskeeper's cabinet at 7pm. Her first reaction, and probably the most rational of them, was to think it was a prank. Her eyes had brushed through the hand-written lines a few times, before she carelessly crumpled the sheet of parchement and tossed it dismissively to one of the corners of the secretary in front of which she'd been studying.
However, after a good while, curiosity daunted her thoughts, preventing her from proceeding with her mental activity on bogus roots. Picking up the missiveone again, Anae carefully smoothed the piece of thick parchement and read it once again. She reached the somewhat confusing notion that this was not a joke, nor a prank. It had no hint of childishness. It was just plain dead "respectable" and austere, and it gave her the idea that this wasn't a request. It was an order...
She had leaned back against the back of the chair she was sitting in, her eyes dwelling towards the ceiling as she mentally cursed the "Whatever-his-name-was". She'd go, but she would be d**n sure to memorize that jelly-brain jinx before she left the castle, just in case she needed it.
When at 6:50pm she left the castle, heavily wrapped with her warmest winter cloak, and headed towards the cabin, she was in an unusual good mood. If this showed itself to be worthy of her interest, she would be very glad and her mood would be kept the way it was. If it wasn't, she was dying to try out that new jinx...
At 6:59, sharp, Anaelise had reached the cabin, only to find, irony of all ironies, her cousin banging the front door with a rather furious look, and a 4th Grade Gryffindor, whom she knew to be both a Prefect and a Chaser. Not so good of a combinations, she thought, lifting an eyebrow, as she calmly approached the youger students.
"I thought first year Huffies were supposed to be in bed by now." she said, calmly. Obviously, this was perfect sarcasm. Or maybe not so great sarcasm, but the intention was there. It wouldn't surprize her much if Hufflepuffs went to bed at 6, if she didn't know better. However her tone of voice was extremely threatning: if it had been a prank, her cousin would be sorry. Also, if it had been a prank from both of them, something told her that Gryffindor would have to search into their reserves to fill in the Chaser/Prefect position for a while...
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #4 on Sept 5, 2008, 4:57pm »
~Sean was the last to arrive. Earlier that day, he had recieved quite a strange letter over breakfast. The letter indicated that he should report to the Gameskeeper's Hut that evening. The Slytherin had never met the Gameskeeper, and hadn't even known that they had a new one, after the old one retired. The only piece of information he had to go off was that this Gameskeeper wanted to meet him, and this was hardly a lead at all. It would have been nice if he had at least recieved the man's name.
Feeling a bit reticient, the boy walked out the entrance hall into the darkening evening, and strolled down to the meeting place. At first he had considered the message being a joke. He also thought that maybe somehow he had earned detention, or broke a rule, but both of these seemed relatively unlikely. Sean was completely at a loss for the reason that he was here.
Things were made even more unclear when he saw the group of people also crowded around the Gameskeeper's door. Reta Thaede, a Hufflepuff girl, Derek James Worthington, a Gryffindor boy, and a fellow Slytherin, Anaelise Carrington. This was quite a diverse group of students, but they had all seemingly recieved similar letters. Sean eyed them with suspicion, but nodded briefly in Anaelise's direction. She was a friend and fellow Quidditch player, no need not to be cordial. After that, the only thing to do was to wait for however lurked within the hut.~
---
~Regiga continued his quiet study. He knew that students were gathering outside his residence, but that one of their number was missing. Ramon Ramiro had not joined the other summoned ones. At first Enigmum considered just letting them wait for the flying teacher, but thought better of it. His lateness was of no matter.
The Gameskeeper rose, and walked through his dark room to the door, opening it, and letting sunlight illuminate the dusty, dank interior of his house.
"Welcome, students. It seems that you recieved my letter. Please come in."
With that, he returned to his study, and sat down once again, his fingers now steepled over his book, examining the four over them. They were a mismatched group, but they fit the requirement for his task very well. One Gryffindor, one Hufflepuff, One Slytherin, a teacher representing Ravenclaw, and one final member, the wild card. They would perform well, indeed.
"So, I'm assuming that you are wondering why I asked you to meet here. Well, the answer is complicated... I think it would be better if I just began with a question. A simple query.
Have you ever heard of the 'Keeper of Keys' at Hogwarts?"
Regiga continued to watch them steadily. He was not expecting them to know what the term really meant. Actually, he doubted that currenly anyone in the world besides himself knew what it meant. Not even the wisest and best witches and wizards knew of that lost tale, but he would see what they knew. Hopefully they would have at least heard of the title given to the Gameskeeper. That was a starting place, and from there he could begin his story. His very, very long tale and lost legend.~
Slytherin Quidditch Captian Yeah, Ya'll know me, The fightin' freak Knuckles Still feel it, Still go no weakspots, Back once again after the Masta Emerald.
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #5 on Sept 6, 2008, 2:05pm »
Reta watched a body come down the hill and Derek James Worthington came into view. Already being in a bad mood from the cold she snapped, "Same thing you're doing here obviously! Why else would I be standing outside like an idiot in this weather?" she scowled deeply at him and turned back towards the door, just to find another body coming towards them as well. Great, just how many students had this stranger given letters too? Instead of answering the slytherin girls question she turned towards the door and rapped on it again, not even noticing when a third person walked up to the group.
Just as she was wrapping on the door for the last time, it opened and The Stranger emerged. Reta grasped her wand as she was invited in, not fully trusting this man. She slipped into the dim room and watched as the man slid into a seat. Taking a breath, Reta followed suit, not looking back to see if the other students were coming in as well. The man came far from answering the question of why she was here when he spoke, but he asked another question.
She bit her lip, but answered the question, her voice quick and nervous, "Well, I suppose your referring to Grounds Keeper? 'The Keeper of Keys and grounds at Hogwarts." she yawned purposefully, "What's your point?" She traced her fingers absently among the coutours and patterns on the simple chair, looking anywhere but in the eyes of The Stranger.
"May I ask your name...sir? Because I'm assuming in some obstruct way, you know mine." Perhaps Reta was scatterbrained, and not the fastest broom in the shed, but she wasn't clueless.
« Last Edit: Sept 6, 2008, 2:06pm by Reta Thaede »
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #6 on Sept 7, 2008, 11:26am »
"Same thing you're doing here obviously! Why else would I be standing outside like an idiot in this weather?"
Ah the words of the young. To be fair that was probably about the last thing that the fourteen year old expected to hear out of the small girl. As she turned back to knock on the door and for a moment Derek's smile dropped into a shocked expression. He stared at the back of the girl's head for a moment in utter disbelief. It had been a while since he'd had an encounter with a young snake, that was for sure. When he thought about it that way it almost seemed amusing. The girl obviously didn't care who he had been by her speedy response and wicked tongue. He could have been the headmistress for all she knew. That thought made the boy laugh silently under his breath and shake his head. Oh well, if she wanted to be bitter, that was her choice.
The arrival of another girl, and fellow Prefect, was a bit of a shock to Derek. At first he suspected that this note was some kind of trick, but one would have to be very very foolish to attempt to trick two Prefects, and Anae wasn't generally someone to be messed with. As she glanced at him he gave her a kind smile and small wave, though he suspected he'd get no response. Her words however gave the boy a shock. This...kind little girl was a Hufflepuff? It made Derek see the small child in a new light. If she was Hufflepuff that meant that somewhere in that quick witted body was a loyal friend, now that was an odd, though rather pleasant, discovery.
The arrival of a third student and another Slytherin confirmed that this was definitely not some set up by some fool. Unless that fool had a death wish of course...unless they wanted the snakes and small snake wanna-be to curse Derek. That wasn't a very happy thought now was it. The opening of the gamekeepers door brought that less than comfortable train of thought to an abrupt halt. With a smile and a thank you to the mystery man Derek fell in step behind the small Hufflepuff girl and into the dusty little hut. Following the lead of their host Derek found a seat next to Reta and settled in to hear what this man had to say.
The Keeper of the Keys. Derek's knowledge of the term was about as much as Reta's so he just let the small blonde supply her answer. He had the lingering feeling deep down that that wasn't what the Keeper of the Keys was however. The way the man had presented it was much like in a lecture where the professor would ask a question expecting the class to get it wrong so that he could properly explain the answer. Not that Derek minded the lack of information, but he was with the Hufflepuff, he wanted to know this man's name before he started spinning his tale.
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #7 on Sept 8, 2008, 1:21pm »
Anae wasn't exactly surprised when Reta perfectly ignored what she said, in a rather rude manner: it was off common knowledge that reta was a pit-viper disguised with a Huffy-Puffish countenance. Like her, Derek shouldn't be surprised when she ignored his own courteous welcome. A raised eyebrow and a cold exam were all the poor Gryffindor could expect from the perfect specimen of the Slytherin House...
In fact, that was exactly what happened. The only unusual factor was that Anae didn't find the situation to be in the least amusing. She felt perfectly 7 o'clock, cold afternoon, a Gryffindor Prefect and a first year Hufflepuff?! No, this couldn't exactly be described as her dream afternoon. Also, she was quite ready to curse whatever came her way and exerted any annoying effect upon her...
However, that never actually happened, with the arrival of a fourth member, as detached from the group as her: Sean August, in flesh and blood. Her "adored" Quidditch Team Captain who, by the way, looked as ignorant as all of them in relation to why they were all there. Anae managed to throw an acknowledging smirk in his direction, and then turned away her gaze to the door, a slight frown appearing on her face.
What the hell's going on here?!
A rather pitoresque character opened the Keeper's Hut. He had obviously been expecting for all of them to arrive, and it seemed that Sean was the last one. Also, he looked as if he knew the lot of them, she knew, by a quick glance towards the the faces of her "companions" that none of them knew who he was...
The frown intensified itself as she followed the man into the hut, a little crease appearing for a moment between her eyebrows. She wasn't appreciating this. Anaelise was used to being in charge of the situation, of knowing what she was doing. Of never allowing herself to dwell on uncertain territory without any sort of information. Truth said, right now, she was being what she would normally call "recklessly dumb", a.k.a. her younger sister.
She grabbed a seat on a distant corner, elegantly crossing her legs and surveying the scene with sharp eyes. She heard the man's small introductory discourse with fair interest. She heard her cousin's chatter-boxing with an annoyed look. She ignored Derek: he wasn't of any interest.
However, she was curious to know what Sean was thinking. Anae's eyes drifted slowly to him, her eyes briefly meeting his, inquisitively.
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #8 on Sept 8, 2008, 5:17pm »
~Regiga nodded, both to himself and to the students in front of him. He had to admit, although it wasn't the full truth, it was part of the truth, so it was good that they were aware at least of this information. In the long run, it wouldn't really make a difference, but it would the story much easier to tell, whether they believed it or not.
"Of course you are correct, but I think by now you can tell that that answer is only the tip of the iceberg. Under the murky waters lie something much much deeper and secretive, and like all such tales, dangerous.
Personally, I am still not sure if you can succeed in what I need you to do. None of you know me personally, but I must ask you to put your lives on the lines for the greater good, because no one can do this but you. You are the chosen ones. The only ones capable. Your burden would be great, very great, but I think that it will be worth it.
Indeed, the trials you must face are of worth through simple antithesis. If you refuse, and continue to live a normal life, or a life as normal as is possible in the career of a wizard, then things would change, and change drastically. Something lies within Hogwarts. Not a creature, or a person but..... a something. A power indescribable, akin to the force of 'love' and equally powerful. I cannot explain, but trust me, if what is sealed within Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry gets out.... terrible, terrible things will happen...
And that is where I must start my story. Chose to believe me and act, or chose not to and leave, it may seem like it makes little difference, but fate lies on your shoulders, and all you have to do is let it fall instead of carry the burden, and all will come to an end. Not an end you want, but an end all the same.
This power within the castle... it is as old as Hogwarts itself. Perhaps even older, but never was this place intended as only a school. No, it is a vault. A container to that unknown force. The door to the container is now known as the Room of Requirement. Maybe you've heard of it. However, despite the powers of the room, it does not lead just anywhere. No there is one 'final door' to the Room, which lies deep within the Room of Hidden Things and there lies the power of which I spoke.
The force of course was locked away in the Room of Requirement. The things holding it in, locked away, or should I say, the person holding it in, is known as the Keeper of Keys. Now however, the meaning has been lost. There is no true Keeper of Keys, no one to the hold the power in, and so we are all endanger. The bonds of the Room of Requirement are breaking down, and soon the power within will burst out all together and run rampant. I will not tell you what will happen then, for I do not know. No one will ever know, and live to tell about it.
You may ask why the Keeper of Keys dissapeared, and became a title for Gamekeepers. It was of course, like most disasters, a result of human greed. One Keeper, who happened to be a gamekeeper decided that he would pass the title down, not to another chosen one, but down by blood. That intention too became twisted, and the Keeper of Keys became a title for the Gameskeeper alone. None of the new Keepers actually had the power to keep the force sealed away for ever, but the Room of Requirement did a good enough job of stopping it for a long long time. Now however, the Room is becoming more commonly known, and the bonds on the Room of Hidden Things are unravelling. The evil within the castle is finally trying to break out.
Before I go on, I must ask this of you. Do you have any questions? Do you need any clarification. It is imperative that you understand everything before I go on. Ask about anything that comes to mind, but you must be informed. Then I will explain why I need your help, and you can make your choice: flee and perish along with everyone else, or fight and have a chance of a future. It seems like an easy choice now, but when you finally feel the full wait of the burden on your shoulders, then you will know that the choice is much, much more difficult then it sounds in the safety of this here house."~
Slytherin Quidditch Captian Yeah, Ya'll know me, The fightin' freak Knuckles Still feel it, Still go no weakspots, Back once again after the Masta Emerald.
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #9 on Sept 9, 2008, 8:32pm »
Although hiding it, Reta listened quite raptly, paying closest attention to 'you are the chosen ones'. Not because it caught her intrest, not in the slightest, but because it bothered her, and when Reta Thaede got bothered, she snapped. "Oh please! You're telling me that people like Anaelise Carrington are the chosen ones?" She bit her tongue as soon as the words came out, drawing tears to the corner of her eyes. But, too late to stop now. "Okay, question number one for you, mister. What's your name? And don't give me any of that 'my name is of no consequence' crap. Let's hear it."
Reta took two sharp breaths before ranting on, "Second. If your so-called tale is true, why would there be..." she scanned her eyes across the room, counting the bodies, "four 'keeper of keys' in one generation?" Grinding her teeth she followed on in her shrill, first year squeak, "Three. How do you know about this 'mysterious tale'? Who exactly are you?" Reta took several deep breaths this time, color burning in her cheeks, and mind in a frazzle. How did this man expect her to take everything in at once, anyways? The parts that didn't sound completely ludicrous were very hard to believe.
Then a new thought budded in her very forest of a brain. Her voice was several octaves calmer this time, more thoughtful than rude and rash. "What do you mean, 'perish along with everyone else'? If I hear you correctly, we have no choice in the matter. It is either die, or 'save the world'." A dark scowl formed across her angelic features. "Honestly, I'm up for a bit of an adventure, but you're pretty much saying we have no choice...and what exactly would we be dieing from, because if we don't know what we are up against..." she mumbled off, deep in thought, chewing on her finger nail, brow furrowed.
Reta slumped in her chair. In one hand, she had a hard time believing any of this was true. But from the man sitting across from her's apt expression, she couldn't help but believe anything but the truth. Making a 'humph' sound with her throat, she fidgeted with her wand, frusteration itching in every tendril of her being.
In the corner of her vision, Reta saw Anaelise eyeing Sean in a peculiar way. She sneered at Anaelise slightly before snapping her head back to the mystery man. Although she didn't want to take back anything she said, she regretted a bit her unusual attitude, she was usually much nicer...kind of.
« Last Edit: Sept 9, 2008, 8:36pm by Reta Thaede »
Re: [DS I. ii.] A Gathering « Reply #10 on Sept 13, 2008, 10:49am »
((I'm gonna do what Anae did. I don't have a muse at the moment, nor really the time to find it, sorry ^^; I'll edit this in the next day or so, but Derek is going to ask what exactly a few kids can do, we're in the best magical with full fledged adult wizards who would do much better. Sorry, I'll get this in real RP format when I can ^^;;))
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