Unofficial Portkey Archive

Beginnings: The Keeper of Swyn Llyfr

by Liliana03

Disclaimer: All things in this story that do not belong to JK Rowling are mine. Please do not use this story without my permission. Rated PG-15 for violence, sexual innuendo, and language.
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Prologue

I am the only one willing to tell our story.

There are others, but they want to forget - they want to move on with their lives, they want to try to empty themselves of all that's happened...as if they could ever be fulfilled again. They won't. I won't.

And yet, what I remember is so much more than a justification of where we've been and what we've done. We were friends, first and foremost. Only after we found the Swyn Llyfr did everything change.

Our story should be told for future generations that may see Him rise again. Our story should be told for those we've left behind - so they can remember us.

And, as stories often do, this one begins at an end.

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One: All That Matters

All I could think was, This is my graduation day.

As I looked around my dormitory, my gaze fell on a formal black robe with a bright, round blue collar and cuffs placed on the foot of my bed. My mind suddenly perked up - and the dormitory, the morning, and everything else disappeared.

That was why I had woken up so early - I hadn't slept throughout the whole night. Besides the anticipation for what would happen tonight, my night had been filled with nightmares. And like whispers, my dreams came back to me…darkness and screams - loud stampedes and yells sounding in the distance - a pair of eyes, so penetrating and knowing, as though they understood things about me I never wanted anyone to know -

"But it was all a dream," I murmured, running a hand over my flushed face. I don't know why I was surprised - I had been having similar nightmares for the past few months. Funny how we talk to ourselves for reassurance, as if speaking words of comfort could make what we want to believe come true. I dismissed my bad nights as results of the stress I've had with last minute schoolwork and career interviews before the big day.

Sitting up in bed and rubbing my itching nose, I gazed out of the dormitory window to the right of my bed while I blinked away the haziness of sleep. The fresh daylight skirted around the Forbidden Forest to wrap around the castle's towers, greenhouses, and Quidditch Pitch. It was the kind of morning that would last into the afternoon.

I glanced at my roommates, who were in varied states of sleep with mouths open, heads on the foot of their beds, or wrapped in cocoon-shaped bedspreads. No wonder - it was only a quarter after six. Only mad people, like me, were awake at this hour.

An insistent pecking at my window jarred my thoughts. I looked up in surprise and saw that it was Aegle, Lily Evans' owl, at my window with a letter in her beak. Her impatience told me that she had been trying to catch my attention for several minutes, so I quickly jumped out of bed and let her in. Handing me the letter, she stared at me expectantly.

"So Lily wants an answer right away, does she?" I asked, petting her tawny head. Aegle hooted in response, nudging the letter in my hand.

"Shh, don't wake anyone up - they'll have my head for waking them up so early," I warned, opening the hastily written letter.

Riona,

Lily

So it seems no one could sleep last night - at least none of my friends…maybe there's something in the pumpkin juice Sirius gave us yesterday for lunch. If it was pumpkin juice, that is.

I scribbled a note on the back of Lily's letter and gave it to Aegle, who cuffed me on the wrist for taking so long. Before I could protest however, she stepped off the windowsill and flew away into the hot sunrise.

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"But this dress would look just lovely with your hair and eyes, Lily!"

"Alice, I don't like dresses. I've never liked dresses. I believe my mother when she said that I was born wearing pants. That's what I feel most comfortable in," said Lily in her sweetest tone. Yet the frown that clouded her face showed she was anything but comfortable at the moment.

Alice Kennicott on the other hand, was all smiles. "But you haven't even seen the dress, Lily. It's just perfect for you, really. Give it a chance! You'll look absolutely beautiful…for James," she added offhandedly, giving Lily a knowing glance out of the corner of her eyes.

At this Lily hesitated in her raging protest, blushing. She and James' relationship would celebrate their first year anniversary this July, and she had told us that she wanted to do something special for him. Alice knew this all too well.

But I chose this moment to interrupt and plopped down next to Alice, startling them both. "At war this early?" I asked, serving myself a glass of orange juice.

"It's about time," Lily said, the relief in her voice causing Alice to look at her suspiciously. "I mean, you almost missed our breakfast together," Lily added hastily.

"Luckily I was already awake by the time your dear owl arrived ready to break my window," I said, buttering a piece of toast.

"Aegle can be persistent," Lily defended. "But we were afraid that you were going to stay in bed all day - on this day, of all days!"

"I wanted to let you stay in bed. I mean you haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately, what with those nightmares and all," Alice remarked, patting me on the back in concern. "Your eyes are drooping…and you're too pale."

"You do look really bad," Lily elaborated, as if she wanted to make sure the point hit home.

I frowned in annoyance, and quickly looked for a change of subject. Then I noticed the empty seat with disappointment. "Where's Remus?"

Lily smirked. "He's in bed."

"Like you should be," Alice said, as stubborn as ever. "Really, Riona, you don't look well at all. I told Lily to let you rest -"

"Alice, you're not going to get Lily in a dress," I pointed out, fishing for another subject. I eyed the article Alice had ripped out of Witch Weekly's fashion section. "She would rather be eaten alive by starving dragons."

Lily arched her eyebrows. "You always know how to say the right thing, Riona."

"That's me," I said airily, tossing my hair over my shoulder. "I don't waste time with words - they get in the way."

Alice sighed and folded the article, tucking it under her half-empty plate. "I thought that since this was our last day together, we could get dressed up a little bit."

"Don't worry," Lily reassured, patting her hand. "Riona's getting dressed up for you. She's even wearing a dress."

I cringed as I heard Alice squeal at Lily's declaration, and then gave Lily an I-will-get-you-for-this look that she simply grinned at.

"Oh, Riona, how wonderful-"

Fortunately, I was saved by James, Peter and Sirius, who decided to walk into the Great Hall just at that moment.

"Are you still talking about clothes?" James asked in amusement - as though he never bothered to get dressed in his life.

"No, we're talking about the concert tonight," said Lily before Alice could interject. "We were wondering what band Dumbledore booked for it."

"It better be a band that plays actual music," Sirius spoke up, leaning over James and snatching a toast off my plate, ignoring my glare. "Not that classical junk that McGonagall tried to get us to dance to at our End-of-the-Year ball last year."

Peter scurried over to James's other side and poured himself more pumpkin juice. "I kind of liked it - didn't you, James?"

"No, it sounded like kneazles screaming bloody murder, and I prefer to keep my eardrums, thanks," James said cheerfully. "You didn't even make it to the ball, Sirius," he remembered, a slow smirk spreading over his face as he glanced at his friend.

Sirius grinned. "Oh yeah, that was the ball I took Patricia Fisher to, and we didn't even make it pass the gardens because we were too busy snogging and then -"

"Oh, that's where you did -" Peter interrupted, excited as he also remembered.

"Thank you, that's all the detail we need to know," I said loudly, rolling my eyes at the goofy looks on the guys' faces.

"But that was such a, erm, triumphant night for Sirius," James assured me, with Sirius sniggering.

"His finest hour," Peter echoed.

"One of my finest hours," Sirius corrected, stretching his arms proudly.

"That doesn't make sense," I countered. "There can't be many fine hours, the whole meaning of the phrase is to single out only one, right?"

Sirius opened his mouth to retort, but then snapped it back. "That's a trick question. Where's Remus when you need him?" he mumbled.

"Oh, quite !@#$ed upstairs," said James with a grin. "We got him royally drunk last night, in celebration for our breaking out of this place for good. Poor bloke couldn't handle all the revelry. With the calming potion I gave him though, he'll be ready to drink some more tonight - no worries."

"Boys," Alice exhaled noisily, summing up the conversation quite well. "I'm glad Frank isn't like that."

"How do you know?" Sirius accused. "You and Frankie have only been going out for a few months. He might be a righteous pervert."

"Like you guys?" asked Lily, grinning.

"Not quite up to our level, but getting there," James replied, kissing the top of Lily's head. Peter chuckled, accidentally spilling juice on his shirt.

"He hates it when you call him Frankie, Sirius," said Alice, frowning. "And anyway, the length of a relationship doesn't always indicate how well you know a person. You can know a person completely for years or for just a few months. For example, I've known Sirius for four years and James for six - and I feel like I know your entire lives."

At this the guys let out shouts of protest.

"No way - "

"Yeah, right -"

"Alice is never wrong about people," Lily said, raising her voice over their objections, "She's the type that can size you up correctly within ten minutes she's known you."

"Ditto," I piped up, nodding seriously. "Genius, she is."

"What about me?" Peter squeaked. "Do you know as much about me?"

Alice frowned, trying to remember. "No, not really. But that's because you're always quiet, I suppose…"

"Not an excuse for James and Sirius," I observed, smiling over the rim of my glass as I finished off the orange juice.

"No, they're completely transparent," Lily agreed offhandedly. "I bet you," she went on, looking at Sirius and James with a glint of fun in her eyes, "That Alice knows everything you guys never thought she would."

James and Sirius stared at us in disbelief while Alice smiled primly, patting her blonde curls.

"Why did Remus and I get detentions last week?" James demanded.

"You switched Professor Slughorn's grade books for ones that ignited when used," Alice responded promptly.

"How did I sneak firewhiskey into the Hufflepuff party last month?" Sirius pushed.

"You bribed the House-Elves with more work to do in the castle."

"Okay, what was I afraid of when I was little?"

"Vampires."

"Lily told you!" James accused, glancing at his girlfriend beside him.

"Nope," Lily insisted, shaking her head. "Believe it or not, not everyone finds you as adorable as I think you are," she teased, giving his cheek a light pinch.

"Ha, ha," James said sarcastically.

"What was the name of the dog I had when I was seven?" Sirius asked, frowning.

"Padfoot."

Sirius blanched as James moved on. "All right. If you know this one, then we give in."

"Bring it on," Alice yawned, winking at Lily and me.

"How does Sirius feel about Gryffindor House?" James asked, casting her a shrewd look.

An impish smirk spread over Sirius's smug face, and Peter chortled in glee.

For a moment, Alice hesitated while Lily and I held our breaths.

"Hm…" Alice began, with the grins on the guys' faces growing wider by the second. "That's a trick question. You see, Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor but he didn't want to be in it at first - he wanted to be in Slytherin like the rest of his family. But then he got used to it and even started liking Gryffindor once he met you, Remus and Peter - and once you all tossed dungbombs into the Slytherin common room to boost Sirius' morale. And now, Sirius is a raging, dyed-in-the-wool Gryffindor."

"Score!" I announced, high-fiving Lily across the table.

"Stalker," James muttered.

"If you lusted after us so much, all you had to do was say so, Kennicott," Sirius quipped.

I gasped and looked at Lily. "Did you tell them?"

Lily placed a hand against her cheek in mock-surprise. "You know, it might've slipped…"

We all burst out laughing as Alice flushed brightly, her naiveté exposed. Our mirth echoed against the gaping windows of the Great Hall and startled the few breakfasting students.

To an outsider, this would not have seemed like the end of something - no one would've imagined that that in a few hours we would go our separate ways, leaving behind the school that had brought us together.

But right now all that mattered was this moment - and our laughter.

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My gaze involuntarily drifted to the full-length mirror facing me, examining the reflection of a pale girl whose dark eyes nearly engulfed her small face. I felt like my robes were some kind of ceremonial dress, preparing me for my entrance into the world beyond Hogwarts. Hm, black…hopefully not a bad omen, I thought. Yeah, right.

Shrugging, I turned to my night table and picked up a blue ribbon. I tossed my hair over my shoulder, its length reaching the floor. My hands dexterously wove through the thick hair, forming a long braid, and I tied the ribbon to its end. There. Hopefully, Alice will approve. The only make-up I wore was around my eyes, since I detested the cakey, stuff some other girls wore on their faces. Lily, I knew, would wrestle with the Giant Squid before putting any make-up on. And Alice…well, Alice is just lovely, make-up-loving Alice.

I suppose the rest of the graduating Ravenclaw girls were downstairs in the common room. I didn't know what else to do, now that I was finished dressing. It had taken a shorter time than I thought - and only this morning I had thought that getting dressed for graduation would be the hardest part. Nope. The hardest thing is going to be going down those stairs…and knowing I won't be climbing them again as a Hogwarts student. Tomorrow morning everyone was leaving.

"Oh, enough of this," I snapped, shaking my head. "I just have to go downstairs like any normal person would do. Chat a bit, say good-bye to some people, and then go down to the grounds and join everyone else. This is like any other day, that's all."

Yeah, a day where you'll be leaving everything and everyone you've ever truly cared for.

"Great, now my head wants to talk back at me," I muttered. "And now I'm talking back - oh, forget it."

I smoothed down my robes one last time and opened the door, shutting it without looking back.

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"Chapter 2: At the brink" is coming up next! Please tell me what you think - I would really appreciate it.

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