Pansy’s funeral was held that day. All of her friends, her colleagues, and her fellow Slytherins were there to say their last farewells. Draco and Loukisa were one of the first few there.
Since Dumbledore was away, and this was an unusual thing, Professor Snape was willing to take the ceremony.
“I know that many more here knew Pansy better than I did. But she was still in my accounts a very hardworking and caring pupil. She got on well with others, and she co-operated in class better than any Gryffindor…”
McGonagall nudged him to be silent, especially when he was slagging off her house.
“Fine then, Minerva.” He combed back his greasy mop and continued with his ‘much’ learned speech. “Pansy Parkinson was a very pure blooded pupil, as are we all, and I hope that she spends her afterlife, in as much happiness, as she did before.” He bowed his head and let others say their own thing. Blaize was one of the first up.
“I would say I knew Pansy pretty well. She was a great friend, and had a beautiful personality, but I had to say, she did get rather clingy at times and…”
“That’s enough, Blaize. Thank you.” Interrupted McGonagall, slightly disturbed by the nature of this ‘mournful’ service.
Within the next hour, Pansy had been buried, and on her gravestone it read.
“In to heaven hath thy peace and thy fruit. Let thy be welcomed with thy glorious hand and let thee be brought to us in the form of an angel to smite thee that brought thy early death. Pansy Parkinson. A loyal friend to the end. We will not forget thee.”
*****
“I’m proud of you Harry.” Said Hermionie as Harry came back through the portrait.
“For what? Going down there and making a fool of myself just because somebody…” he looked to Ron, who just looked away, blemishing. “Didn’t tell me that it was Loukisa who saved my life.”
Hermionie jumped from her seat suddenly and ran to her bedroom. Harry wondered what was going on. It came clear when Hermionie stumbled back downstairs with a huge book tucked into her arms.
She slapped it on the table, making it shake. Seamus came in. His eyes widened as he saw the size of the book.
“Wow, another light dose of reading for you then, Hermionie?”
“Shut up, Seamus.” Snapped Hermionie, blasé by the cheeky comment.
“You have to agree with Seamus though; it is rather a large book.”
“Of course it is. It’s the history of every creature since the dawn of time.”
“What is it for then?”
“It’s that Kirdania theory. It’s not right.”
“What do you mean?”
“A Kirdania is everything that you described in your dream. But…” Harry didn’t like where this was going. “A Kirdania has no scales, and no vampire-like teeth. But…” Harry’s spirits lifted. “A Mallakson does.”
“So you mean that this thing is like…”
“A cross-breed?” finished Ron.
Hermionie nodded.
“So what difference does it make, it’s still a killer.”
“But there is a whole new breed made from that.”
The boys looked confused. Ginny seemed to nearly get it, but was just off the mark.
“Each of the species has a different main talent. If those were to combine…” she paused, as the rest of them braced themselves for the worst news. “It’s indestructible.
“But… there is good news. This creature has never been seen, and well, it feeds on large amounts of stock.”
“How much?”
“As much there is. But it can survive without food for huge amounts of time, which would be the Kirdania genes. Then it has excellent hearing, eyesight, agility, that’s another Kirdania, and then it’s the Mallakson’s part. A Mallakson is immortal, and it has a different… mechanism to a Kirdania.”
“How different?” asked Harry, slightly astounded by the news, seeing no way how it can get worse.
“Well…”
Outside, it waited. Its plan about to come together. It was coming quicker than what it had imagined. It was perfect, but also an inconvenience. It needed the correct timing, and with Harry and his posse finding her out quicker than she had hoped. Hagrid was out of the way, and she had enjoyed her quick meal that few nights before.
“It feeds on people’s souls!” exclaimed Harry.
It knew that Harry was clever, but right now it needed to make sure that he didn’t know too soon, and decide that it would be better to make another distraction, bigger than sending a giant into her own commandments and then giving them false directions, and bigger than a girl having her soul swiped from her very heart and mind. This one would be bigger and better. In films evil creatures always go for the person closest to the target’s heart. This would be no exception. It flew away, only moving, but only hiding, just waiting for an unsuspecting Ginny Weasley to come to a meeting with Harry, that isn’t Harry at all.
*****
“Has anyone seen Ginny?” asked Harry, that next morning. Curious when she didn’t join him or any of the others that next morning.
“Maybe she came down earlier.” Suggested Hermionie.
“Are you sure that you saw her last night?”
“Positive, I saw her in bed when I went.”
“I have to agree with Harry on this one.” Commented Ron, “It’s not like her. She always waits for Harry.”
“That was my concern.” Agreed Harry.
“Oh pumpkin totters.” Remarked Hermionie, thinking that the pair were over-reacting just a little bit.
The day went by slowly, for all of them. Harry was worried about Ginny, as was Ron, and Hermionie was worried about Ron and Harry being worried about Ginny.
That day also, an announcement came to consideration that all 4th year pupils were to attend a special game fair out of Hogwarts bounds for the next few weeks.
“See?” cried Hermionie, smugly.
“Yeah, yeah.” They sighed, just letting Hermionie brag how right she was and how stupid they were to think that Ginny was in any real danger just because they haven’t seen her that day.
Hermionie was right though; all of Ginny’s clothes had been packed and shipped off. It seemed as if she wasn’t there at all.
*****
Weeks treaded on by, but no letter had been sent from Ginny. This is when Harry started to get a diminutive anxious feeling again.
“You’re not going.” Commanded Hermionie, after she heard the incongruous plot from Harry to go to Ginny and give her a long-earned kiss to make sure that she still breathed. He had been pretty persuasive to go, and had even tried the puppy-eyes, but it seemed as if Hermionie was immune to it.
“Harry, she’s probably fine!” Hermionie screamed, finally losing the plot with Harry repeatedly thinking that Ginny may be swinging from a sports line, hanging on for dear life and he’s not there to help her.
“I suppose you’re right.” Harry sighed. “She’s probably having fun and hanging out with her friends; I’d just get in the way.”
“Don’t get yourself worked up in a state Harry, sure you care for her, but don’t we all?”
“It’s just that, well now I know how much I care for her and I don’t want to lose her. I waited so long and I feared that by the time I did ask her, she’d not care and forget me.”
Hermionie put her hand on his shoulder, “She’d never forget you.”
Harry smiled, giving Hermionie a hug.
“Thank-you…”
Harry’s eyes widened. He hadn’t said that until that day that Loukisa said that she’d help him go out with Ginny. As it came to mind, he hadn’t seen her in a while either. Ever since Ginny vanished he was sure.
“What’s wrong?”
“Have you seen Loukisa recently?”
“No why?”
“I mean, have you actually seen her in any of the classes recently?”
“No.”
“Where is she, then?”
“She’s not a fourth year. She should be here.”
“What are you guys talking about?” asked Ron as he came through the portrait, munching on a sandwich.
“Loukisa’s missing.”
“No she isn’t,” replied Ron, “She’s down in the Great Hall doing her homework, and she caught this weird cold, so she’d been off for a few days.”
“More like weeks.” Exclaimed Harry.
“Whatever, anyway why do you care, it’s not as if you two are buddy-buddy are you?”
This was not Harry’s day. He decided this may be due to lack of food. He had been so worked up about Ginny that he’d completely forgotten to eat.
“I’m going down to the Great Hall.”
“To go see Loukisa?”
“No. To get something to eat, I’m starved.”
*****
Loukisa wasn’t in the Great Hall when Harry got to it. All that was there were other Slytherins and people from other Houses. Cho was one of the people amongst them.
Harry tried to cover his face to hide from Cho, but she managed to spot him.
“Harry!” she called. Harry was surprised that she didn’t use her angry voice at him. Perhaps she forgave him or maybe just wanted to make him think that and then punch him in the face for cheating on her, for she had no idea that they were meant to be breaking up, and nobody had told her.
He turned round to walk away, he would get something to eat later, but Cho grabbed him by the shoulder, but gently and said, “Harry can we talk?”
Harry explained himself, and apologized on numerous occasions. She said that she forgave him, and it was even her that suggested that they just remained friends.
“I’d like that.” He responded, happy to know that everything was back to normal, or as normal as can be, all her needed now was Ginny back in his arms and the jigsaw would be complete. The way it should be right now.
*****
He still wanted to go see Ginny. Not necessarily talk to her, just see her. It felt like an eternity since the last time they spoke. He managed to find out the place that she was meant to be staying at, and that night, got on his broom and flew to it. Only the silver moonlight leading him to his intentional location. He decided that it would be best to bring his invisibility cloak, just in case Filch was hunting the halls or if Peeves decided to make a visit, but none of them were there. He didn’t know whether it was luck or fate, but whatever it was, he managed to escape the castle, he’d be back by morning.
Harry reached the place where Ginny was supposed to be staying. It was incredibly quiet, but to be quite honest, it was the dead of night, and he could see that there was an incredibly weird sport field being set up in the fields’ just acres away, it looked big, so they’d probably need all the rest that they could get.
It was a hotel. A very muggle looking one too. He walked into the front entrance and asked where Ginny Weasley was. He was glad to hear that the receptionist was a witch.
The witch looked ancient though. She was small, very small. She had many warts on her nose and her chin. Eyes that looked like dusty emeralds and teeth that looked as if she hadn’t flossed in a long while.
“I’m sorry, son, Ginny Weasley hasn’t ever checked into this hotel. I believe that she was supposed to, but she….”
“I’m sorry I’m late.” Came a voice from the front entrance. The voice was breathing heavily, and he recognised the high squeak that came after it. “Harry!”
It was Ginny. Harry ran up to her and cuddled her tight.
“What are you doing here? Aren’t you meant to be back at Hogwarts?”
“Yes, but I just got so frustrated because you never wrote, and I hadn’t seen you before you left.”
“Well, I’m fine,” she laughed, shrugging her shoulders as if to say that she hadn’t been anything else.
“Where have you been young lady?” exclaimed the receptionist, “The teachers have been worried about you.”
“I’m sorry, I’ve been crashing with some of my other friends and I was sure that I told Professor Sprout.”
“Well she never said…”
“But I’m here now aren’t I?”
The receptionist scowled, she hated back chatty and lippy teenagers especially witch ones.
“You better get back to Hogwarts.”
“But I just got here.” He said a little hurt that Ginny gave the impression that she didn’t want him there.
“I’m sorry, Harry,” Ginny said, realising what she had just said, and continued on. “I’ll write to you tomorrow, I can use on of my friends’ owls, they wouldn’t mind.
“Sure.” He said, still not convinced that that was from her own decision or if it were a guilt trip.
“Now get to your bed, young missy, I’ll be speaking to a teacher about your truancy. This is important information and….”
“I’m sorry and if there’s…” Ginny looked to the door and until then had a very polite and innocent look around her, once Harry had left and she was sure that he wouldn’t come back in, she turned to the receptionist sharply, her eyes a glowing red. “…listen you old bag.” The receptionist looked alarmed and was about to say something in her own defence but, “yes, I am talking to you and the more that you deny it, the worse your situation will become and…”
“I beg your pardon,” interrupted the receptionist, outraged by Ginny’s behaviour.
Ginny’s eyes were red, and now, her face was near purple. A gust of wind blew into the room from the door, and Ginny’s hair danced to its rhythm.
She moved her face closer to the receptionist’s, who looked a little less bold, and a lot more frightened. What kind of magic is this? She thought, unable to speak a word or scream for help.
“Nobody…” Ginny began, “Nobody interrupts me.” She grinned, showing pointed fangs that seemed sharper than any knife there ever was. “Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes…” squeaked the receptionist, trying to make sure that she remained in one piece, or did not get the misfortune of seeing what other little tricks Ginny had up her sleeve.
“Good.”
*****
Harry was back in the air and nearly back at Hogwarts. Ginny seemed a little different than usual. Probably nothing, he presumed.
*****
Another week went by. Followed by another. And then another. But no letter came to Harry. Maybe she’s having so much fun that she had forgotten him, he thought, sighing.
Something did come in the post, and it made Hermionie choke.
“What’s the matter?”
Hermionie coughed and gasped for air, she passed over the magazine, her hand still on it, the front cover was clear to read.
“International model vanished just last night, all that was left at the scene were scratches from a strange creature. Manager of model is shocked and alarmed.” Harry read aloud.
“So, there’s been another attack from a Mallakson in the muggle world, so what?”
“I’m the only person in this school that gets this.”
“So?” commented Ron, thinking of no possible way that the news could get any worse or tragic. He looked to where Hermionie’s hand was. “What are you hiding?”
“A problem.”
She lifted her hand and Harry and Ron gasped. The message had been at the bottom of the magazine, and there was a large and very clear picture of the model. The moment that Hermionie had lifted her hand, all of Harry’s fears became a reality. It all made sense. Every inch. All of the deaths, the scares. It all added together perfectly.
They ran to tell Dumbledore who the real mastermind of all this was, and reveal the identity of the Kirdania/Mallakson monster.
On the table, that magazine lay still. It spontaneously burst into flames, probably from a person without the room. And it was, for the person that done it was the same person that was on the front cover. A beautiful, but now known to be very deadly, Loukisa Shaskerra.
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