The Dark Phoenix

***  Here’s a short chapter.  I’ll put up another one of proper length soon.  Oh, and by the by.  If anyone would like pics – The Poison Dagger used on Hermione, Hermione’s scar, and the dress she wore to the Fall Dance you can send me an email.  Put  “DP pics” in the subject line and I’ll send them. ***

            A young girl with shoulder-length sandy-blonde hair put her chin in her hand and sighed.  She would be sixteen years old this coming June and was small for her age.  She looked across her room with blue eyes at all the books she had read and contemplated reading one of them again.  But she just didn't feel like it.  She didn't feel like doing much of anything.  What she wanted to do was go outside and enjoy the cold air.  Even a brisk ride on a broom would be wonderful.  But she knew that would never be allowed.  Especially since she had just had another sick spell.  Life was so boring without the visits from her private tutor who had already left on Christmas Holiday.  was the very youngest child of Eugene and Rosemary Hanson, pure-blood wizard and witch.  Her name was actually nifer but no one ever called her anything but .  Her older brother and sister were grownup and married.  Her sister had two little boys of her own.  smiled at the thought of her two nephews and Willie, six and four respectively.  She sighed again at the thought of two more weeks until family started showing up for Christmas.  Bored, bored, bored.

            "Miss would like to play cards?" came the squeaky voice of a house-elf wearing the remnants of a faded blue shirt cinched in with a worn leather belt and plain silver buckle.

            "No Scott, I don't feel like it."

            " knows how to play poker."  The house-elf rocked his eyebrows above large round hazel eyes.  smirked but didn’t respond otherwise.  picked up various objects scattered around 's room and started making them magically glide through the air.  An old sock, a book not put away, a used handkerchief, an empty used glass, a feather duster, a well used quill.  The items kept multiplying, all hovering and gliding around 's room.

            "Stop it Scott.  I'm not a child anymore.  I'm not amused so easily."  The corner of 's mouth turned up slightly even as she turned away from the sight.  She reflected inwardly and thought about going to school with other kids.  She wondered what it might be like to have a boyfriend…to have her first kiss.  She doubted that any boy would be interested in someone who was always getting sick and spent so much time in a floating chair.  She reminded herself that a floating chair was still much better than a muggle wheelchair.

            ’s pondering thoughts were interrupted as something cold and moist bumped into the side of her head and started purring.

            “Charlie!” said a startled .  “Wha- .’  was surprised to see her cat floating in the air next to her head and instinctively pulled the kitty to her.  Charlie was a soft grey shorthaired kitty with a white streak down the middle of her forehead.  ’s mum and dad teased, from time to time, that her misnamed cat had rubbed its head against some white paint.  Charlie purred louder now that she was on ’s lap and rubbed her head lovingly against before taking interest in a sight that was gaping at. 

            let out a wet sounding snicker that sounded very much like a young child trying to hold back laughter in the middle of doing something they shouldn’t.  had continued putting everything in ’s room to a levitated state about eye level.  Briefly, felt like she was looking at an asteroid belt of room debris.  Not receiving any further attention from , Charlie had jumped to the floor and was taking a tail twitching interest in the floating feather duster overhead.

            “!  Put this stuff away now!”

            snapped his fingers and everything was magically put away in the blink of an eye.  looked as disappointed as Charlie who had just leapt at the feather duster that whisked away out of her reach.

            “What’s gotten into you Scott?  I swear.”  started to turn away again just as snapped his fingers charming a stuffed Raggedy-Ann doll, almost his own height, to animated life.

            “ dances for Miss ,” he said grinning toothily. 

            and the charmed doll started dancing gaily around the room.  thought, ‘Scott dances rather well.  Silly house-elf.’   Still she turned away after watching him a few minutes.  She knew what was really trying to do but she just wasn’t in the mood to be cheered up.

            ’s attention was brought back to once more by an all too familiar mischievous snicker.  sucked in a long gasp before she let out with, “Scoootsdale!  What are you doing to my doll?!”  snickered all the more.  grabbed a nearby seat cushion and started swatting at him.  “Bad Scott!  Baaad Scottsdale!” shouted before erupting into laughter and dropping the cushion beside her now limp non-charmed doll where had dropped it avoiding ’s attempted swats.  laughed so hard she had to wipe away a couple of tears and looked into large round hazel eyes.  was looking very pleased with himself which seemed to contradict his next words.

            “ must now be punished.”

            “No.  Absolutely not,” said sternly.  “You made me laugh and that’s no reason to be punished….even if you did….”  snickered recalling what had done.

            “ musts be punished Miss .  It’s our way,” he pleaded.

            squinted in exasperation.  It was no use he was determined to be punished and she knew he wouldn’t let up until it was done.  “Very well - the feather.”

            “Noooo, not the feather!” wailed in mock horror running circles and clutching his head.

            held out a feather but jerked it away just as reached for it.  “One minute.”

            “Hour,” squeaked .

            “Two minutes,” shot back.  After some bargaining, five minutes was agreed upon and took the feather.  He placed it solemnly on the floor and with a snap of his fingers; it came to life tickling incessantly.  A squeaky laughter ensued that was contagious enough to make laugh with him.

            The door to 's room opened just a crack and then closed again.

            "Looks like managed to cheer her up," smiled Mr. Hanson.

            "That’s good, I hate to see her feeling bad again this close to Christmas.  At least she's on the rebound for the time being.  I do hope and Willie won't wear her out."

            "They'll be fine Rose.  But I think what she really needs is to be with boys and girls her own age.  I think we need to give some thought to enrolling her again.  The school couldn't handle her needs and we’ve been traveling so much to get her treatments.”
            “Do you think Hogwarts will take her Gene, with all her - problems?  I’ve heard that the Headmaster is partial to muggles, not to mention some bad blood between him and the Minister over the Potter boy.  Do you really think it’s a good idea?”

            “I hear what you’re saying and I’ve had my own misgivings as well.  I have done some checking around and mostly I’ve heard this Dumbledore is a fair wizard, maybe too fair.  Look at it this way Rose we’ll tell we’re going to owl Hogwarts about her attending next year.  You know it’s what she wants to do and it would make her so happy to tell her that for Christmas.  Then if Hogwarts turns her down…it won’t be because we didn’t try.”

            “The school will have to take as her personal caretaker or she won’t be going,” Rosemary said adamantly with a jerk of her head.

            “Quite right, I’ll be sure to put that in the owl I send ‘em.  We’ll also have to see how she’s doing after we get back from , and her treatment, this coming summer.”

            It seemed the matter was settled for now and was looking forward to seeing his daughter’s smile, at Christmas, when they told her about the owl to Hogwarts.  ‘,’ he thought to himself.  ‘Strangest house-elf I’ve ever met, though I haven’t met too many.  Sign of a good house-elf is not to be seen,’ he told himself.  ‘But this is, well, different.  Yes, best thing that ever happened for us, and , was coming across that house-elf looking for a master.’

            “Five minutes are up.”

            clutched his sides in relief and hopped up from the floor where he had been rolling in laughter.

            “Miss play cards?  Poker?”

            “So you think you know how to play poker.  Uh huh, well we’ll see.  And just what are we playing for?”

            “Butterbeer,” said grinning almost from ear to ear.

            “What?  But house-elves get high on butterbeer,” said with big eyes.  Then she asked, “And what do I get?  A sickle?  A galleon?” asked knowing full well didn’t have any money.

            thought hard, and then offered with a raised finger.  “A story.  Miss gets story.  Story ‘bout Mr. Daniel.  tell story to Miss while has butterbeer.  If lose.”

            “About Daniel Blevins?” said excitedly.  “Oooo you haven’t told me a story about Daniel Blevins since I was little.  Now you are definitely going to lose.  Hold on - you can’t lose and win - still getting your butterbeer,” said eyeing .  grinned innocently. 

            rolled her eyes and said, “Best seven out of twelve then.”