The Saberhagen Quartet I: Sharada's Revenge

Chapter 5

Timothy's Feelings

Note: This chapter is in Timothy's POV....

I glanced at the bushy haired girl sitting at the far end of the table, cracking jokes with her other friends. She didn't know how sad I was, she'd never know.

If only she would look at me with a warm smile or nag me in a playful way, telling me I'm a smart ass or something else.

No one can say my last name with such a funny accent as she can. I steadily tell her its Ee-no-way, not I-no-way, but she says it her way, which makes me laugh inside.

Some people think eleven year olds aren't capable of falling in love. Most grown-ups say it's lust, but I don't lust for her, I love her! If only she'd see that.

Oh dear, they are coming this way to bother me and tell me that I've cost them their Christmas. I'm sorry, but they just won't listen to me.

Maybe I'm not meant for friends, maybe I'm meant to be alone for the rest of my life, maybe it was meant for me not to be born...

My poor mother. It's not her fault. She's been through too much because of me. Every time we visit in Japan, people call us gaijin (foreigner) even though we both were born in Japan. My sisters look more Japanese than I do. I favour my father's English features. My eyes are slightly almond shaped, but they are more round. My mother is a pure blooded Japanese, but people call her gaijin because she married my father.

My Uncle Ken, my mother's older brother, who is seven years older than her, was raving furious when he found out his sister was marrying a foreigner. Even my Grandparents tried to stop it, but they just learned to deal with it.

My sisters Ayako and Sakurako avoid talking to me when Uncle Ken is around. He doesn't want them to have anything to do with me. He took my mother's daughters away from her and had his wife raise him. My sisters don't call my mother Okaasan; they call her Miyako-san, by her first name. They call my Uncle's wife Okaasan though.

I hate this. Maybe if I had been doing something else I would be a lot happier now. Oh dear, here come those girls.

"Thanks a lot Inoue," snapped Cassidy. "My Mum sent me a howler last night, saying how much she hates my guts and all."

"Same here Inoue," snapped Melissa. "My Aunt Lucinda, my cousin Raven, my grandmother Alice and my grandfather Alexander all sent me howlers last night. Even Draco sent one. All it did was laugh at me, over and over again!"

"And my Greatgran says I have to stay here during Christmas. You know, my Great Grandmother, Octavia Ravenclaw? She's raving furious with me. All thanks to you!" Persephone shouted.

I looked down into my lap. The three pairs of eyes were boring into the top of my head. I looked up.

"I'm so sorry about what I did to you guys that it is killing me!!" I cried. I gathered my things and hurried away from them. But in my saddened fury, I didn't notice how Cassidy's blue eyes shone with worry.

***

I had returned to the Common Room. I decided to ditch Transfiguration, as my answering of questions would surely get the entire house in trouble.

But to my amazement, Cassidy came in. Persephone and Melissa weren't with her, as that was strange. I was too busy drowning in my own tears to notice her sit down on the sofa next to me and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Timothy," she said. I looked up, sniffling. She reached up and pushed a piece of hair out of my face. I took a deep breath, which shook me because I had been crying.

"Are you here to yell at me again?" I asked her. She smiled.

"No silly, I'm here to forgive you. Timothy, if it weren't for you I'd never realize I was capable of being a smart ass until I met you. My marks are improving. Melissa's marks are tons higher than mine, but I've achieved so much in the past weeks of classes."

I couldn't believe it. She wasn't mad at me.

"Melissa and Persephone were a bit stubborn but I talked with them and they said they are sorry. They didn't want to tell you themselves because they had broken down into tears about it and they didn't want to seem like they were begging, but they are sorry."

I didn't say anything. Cassidy scooted a little closer to me and put her arms around me in a hug. I felt warm and happy all of a sudden and a little dizzy from her rose water perfume.

Chapter 6

Sharada's Journal Part I

The next day, Timothy, Cassidy, Melissa and Persephone had gained their old swagger and the annoyance of Tiffany Macnair, who had taken to bothering them once again.

"Well well, the Quartet is back together again. Hey McManus, I bet you are Inoue's whore, and you have the nerve to talk about me being a slut..."

"Do not get me started!" said Cassidy.

"Say guys, did you hear about Tiffany getting shagged by Alexander? It's all over the school by now." Melissa said.

Tiffany's mouth hang open. "I did not get shagged by Alexander!" she said furiously.

"Yes you did," said Melissa. "I heard you all the way up in the library. You sick little girl. If your father finds out his little girl does things like that, he'd kill you."

***

Timothy had taken a different turn on the way to the library that night. He went through a secret passage way that lead to Majel's office, in the back room. The door was behind a bookshelf and he pushed it aside.

The girls were asleep in their beds. The only one getting in trouble if they were caught would be him. He tiptoed over to the drawer and pulled a thick, leather bound book out. Then he hurried back through the secret passage.

Timothy rushed upstairs to the Lightfoot Common Room, where he sat down in a chair, and opened to the first page.

There are many people on this planet who'd prefer if my journal were destroyed, but no, I buried it deep inside Saberhagen and a few meddling kids were the ones who found it. Stella, Miyako, Margaret and Michael were their names. I knew that the Stella girl would die, on the behalf of my son's heir, and one day I shall return to kill them all, those foul people who work and play in a school that was meant to be destroyed. How dare the people of Atlantis marry and mate with those foul land creatures called wizards. Our magical folk were the most powerful in the world and I only destroyed them to end the impurities in the world.

Timothy gulped. Sharada destroyed Atlantis because she didn't like the people mixing! What a ridiculous proposition. He read on.

Any one who is brave enough to read my tale shall die. It tells of blood, gore, dark magic, and all the means I used to destroy them all!!

Timothy slammed the book shut. It was freaking him out. The roar of the fire had grown louder in his ears. Thank goodness tomorrow was Friday. He got up and left the book on the table. As soon as he left, the unthinkable happened.

A ghostly figure had begun to rise from the journal. It stepped down onto the floor, materializing into flesh.

The ghost of Sharada Slytherin had just risen.

***

Cassidy woke up, feeling refreshed. She went over to wake Melissa, who lay in her bed, her eyes wide and afraid, and her entire body trembling. Persephone stood next to her, wondering what was the matter. Jade and Tian-lei looked puzzled.

"What's wrong with her Persephone?" Cassidy asked.

"I don't know. She woke up screaming and has been shaking madly since she woke up."

No one knew what truly happened to Melissa. She had seen some of what Sharada had done to the Atlantian people.

Melissa was standing outside a typical Atlantian home when she heard screaming. She ran around to the back of the house and saw a woman screaming as a woman dressed in dark green robes with a silver snake on a chain around her neck, pulled out a sword and stabbed her in the heart with it, as blood spilled out her wound, dripping onto the sword.

Then the woman dressed in dark green robes went to get some rope and she tied it around the dead, bloody woman's neck and hung her from a tree's limb. She slashed her legs and hands so that her blood dripped everywhere. Then she cackled evilly and left.

Melissa then saw Sharada coming at her, but Sharada wasn't holding a sword. She had whipped out her wand and was about to say Avada Kedavra but at that moment Melissa had awakened, screaming loudly.

"Melissa?" asked Cassidy.

"Sh-sh-sharada destroyed At-at-at-lantis.." Melissa sputtered, her voice quivering. "She's going to destroy us too.." Melissa said, terrified.

***

"Timothy, I can't believe you actually were able to steal that book out of my Gran's office after all!" said Cassidy with a grin.

"Don't touch it!" said Melissa. "That thing is evil!!"

"What do you mean?" Asked Cassidy.

"That's Sharada's journal! By us reading it, we are giving her strength, she's going to come back to kill us!!" Melissa cried.

"Oh, stop being hysterical. It's just a journal. Nothing's going to happen, right Timothy?" Persephone asked.

"I'm not to sure about that," said Timothy.

***

The Quartet made their way to Potions that morning. Melissa was still a bit shaken about her dream, and Cassidy said there was nothing she could do at that point.

Persephone thought Sharada's journal was a real life horror novel. She didn't know that the events inside it actually happened.

Professor Spencer noticed Melissa's drained mood. She was usually the spunkiest person in her class, besides Timothy and the little slut girl (Tiffany).

"What's wrong Melissa?" Professor Spencer asked.

"Sharada's back to kill us all," Melissa said.

"Sharada?" said Professor Spencer.

***

Later on in History of Magic class, Timothy raised his hand. They were discussing the History of ancient Atlantis.

"Professor, did Sharada Slytherin really destroy Atlantis?"

"Why yes she did. But the story is too horrific to tell students unless you are a seventh year. There are plenty of gory books in the Restricted Section of the library about the subject. But of course you can't access them as you are first years. Only seventh year students are allowed to get books from the Restricted Section. If you try to get a Seventh Year to get a book for you, the book will freeze and it won't open. Anyways.."

Just then the bell rang. The students hurried out of the classroom to go to their next classes. Melissa was looking around the hallway when she saw a black-cloaked figure stroll past them in the shadows. It stopped and looked at her, and then her head exploded with pain. She fell down and curled her legs up to her stomach, shaking again. Students had stopped to see what was the matter with her.

"Sharada is going to kill us all! Sharada is going to kill us all!!!!" Melissa cried.

***

Timothy had gotten back to the Common Room and had settled down with Sharada's Journal. Cassidy and Persephone were with him, but Melissa refused. She knew something was horribly wrong with that picture.

I promise that I will kill all those brats and the dumb fools teaching them at Saberhagen Academy of Advanced Magic, which I should have destroyed thousands of years ago. They will die, and the first four people I am after will bring the second downfall of my son's heir, which I will not allow to happen. Melissa, Cassidy, Timothy and Persephone are their names, and I shall kill them all first.

They will learn not to meddle with items possessing the most powerful and most evil magic on all of the earth. They shall die! DIE DIE DIE!!"

I know they are reading this, I see them. I'm watching them right now. Even their foolish house founder couldn't stand up to me, her with her pathetic light magic! Darkness shall prevail!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!!"

You children will die. I guarantee that.

"GULP."

All three of them gulped.

"She's talking about us! We are going to be destroyed! Melissa is right!" They looked around, but Melissa was nowhere to be found.

"Oh no," the four said.

***

Melissa had left the Common Room. She was walking down the dark corridor with her lit wand when it suddenly went out. Melissa turned. She saw something silver glint in the light from the previous hall.

"Ah, are you looking for me Melissa? Well you found me and it is time for you to die."

"I don't think so," said Melissa. "You don't have the guts to kill me."

"That's just what Aurora said before I killed her."

"You did destroy Atlantis!" Melissa said. "I knew it!"

Sharada made a swing at Melissa with something long, skinny and sharp. It was her sword.

"You are a bully! Why are you attacking me??"

"So I can get my revenge!! I thought I had destroyed Aurora but her stupid sacrifice spell destroyed me and sunk Atlantis because of all the pain I caused. I want to create that pain with out the same problem!"

"I won't let you, you foul evil piece of Slytherin! I see why your son's heir was so evil!"

"Was evil? Ha," said Sharada. "He's going to return, more powerful and terrifying than he ever was."

***

Timothy didn't think he could read past the third page. A horrifying image flashed through his mind. It was his mother, only she was covered in blood and holding him in her arms, both of them dead, because they had just been killed by Sharada Slytherin.

His dead mother opened her eyes suddenly, and then he woke up.

It was a dream. The nightmares were beginning. It was the way Sharada slowly killed the Atlantians, by scaring them to death in their dreams. She wasn't bothering the rest of the school, but only them. The rest of the school would come later, after she had them out of the way.

He got up and went to go peep into the girls' dorm. Melissa was tossing and turning in her bed, her dream invisible to Timothy.

Melissa was sitting in her room, hearing her mother scream terribly. She peeped into the hall, watching her mother run. Her father had his wand out, and a group of men in cloaks followed him. Narcissa was shaking in terror, and Melissa ran into the hallway and screamed at him furiously.

"Leave mother alone! She never did anything wrong!" Melissa screamed.

"Move out of my way girl," Lucius snarled.

Melissa had never seen him so mean. It was Voldemort controlling him. But why would she be having this dream. She didn't know about how Voldemort took control over her father. She was too little at the time, but in this dream she was fifteen years old.

Her eyes opened. Melissa sat up, looking around. She saw Timothy staring into the room at her.

"What's wrong?" Melissa asked, forgetting her dream.

"I had a nightmare. I was dead and so was my mother. Both of us were covered in blood."

"I just had a dream that saw the future. I hope Voldemort doesn't return like Sharada said he would.."

"How'd you know that Voldemort is her son's heir?"

"My father has the biggest Dark Arts library in the country. I did research on Tom Riddle when I heard him talking to Draco about him last year. Tom Riddle was Voldemort's real name."

"So.. How are we going to defeat a woman who wants us dead?"

"I don't know."

And so, the plot thickens... I hope you are still reading this by now, as it will get even more interesting!!

Thank you if you have read this far, I really appreciate it!

~Miyako