A Snake, An Eagle and A Hybrid.. (Were-Lion)

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda had finally been released from the hospital wing and was relieved that she didn't ache all over anymore. The bones in her leg and her arm had grown back, painfully but still they were back now. Her bruising down her neck and face had been cleared up without too much hassle but the poor nurse had kept her in the hospital wing a bit longer than what Andy thought necessary due to the blow to her head. It wasn't like she was seeing stars or snitches anymore and she was getting quite fed up of the house elves popping in to see how she was doing and conjuring tiny snitches to hover in a circle about her.

She knew it had only been to cheer her up but until she was on her feet again and allowed out of the hospital wing, there really wasn't much to be cheerful about. Ok, so they had won the game but Ravenclaw had won the cup. Which was great of course, but she really had wanted her own team to win it. Walking about the castle now with her cousin, Andy had been warned she had to take regular exercise to make sure her limbs stayed in perfect order. She had nearly scoffed at this, considering how much exercise she got on a regular basis. Her lean willowy body walked at a leisurely pace now when she turned and nudged her cousin.

"So tell me again why we are down here?" she didn't mind being down in the dungeons but she really wouldn't be able to control herself if she were to run into any particular slytherins.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina had been to every single quidditch game and loved every minute of it, she did so want to try out but felt as if she had really put her foot in it at the start of the year with the captain. As it was she got to cheer ridiculously to support them to make up for it. She had even attended her cousins games and had witnessed the desperate fall and knock she had gotten. Merlina had not wasted any time in following her cousin to the hospital wing to make sure she was alright and though she neglected Ryuu over the next few days, she remained at her cousins side before and after classes so she wouldn't be alone. A lot of her Gryffindor friends had come in as well but Merlina always felt that she had dibs in being there and when the head boy Bruin had come in, Andy pretended to be asleep instantly. Merlina had known exactly why and reassuring him that she was alright, had sent him on his way.

She would never understand that kind of stupidity where two people were crazy about one another and yet stayed apart for the 'greater good' like exams, and their future careers. Blah blah blah, Merlina thought, it was simply a load of crap. They were obviously both terrified about how they made each other feel. She felt the nudge from Andromeda and turned to stick her tongue out at her.

"We are down here because I happen to like the dark mysterious places that are here, there is no big reason I just didn't want you up and down stairs every two minutes on that leg" she smiled at her, checking her watch. The truth was she had been hoping to constantly bump into the beater or the chaser from the other team who had knocked her cousin out of the game but so far hadn't met either of them, but maybe with her cousin she would and she really wanted to be there to see what her cousin would do to them.

"It seems darker down here, come on lets' go" she turned down another corridor where for some strange reason the torches that were lit were all dim so that the light from them seemed to cast eerie shadows on the walls and dungeon floor.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andy allowed herself to be hauled along down whatever dark corridor Merlina wanted to go down. She had been down this way before and it didn't scare her in the slightest, very little scared her nowadays. Why would it when more often than not, she was the scariest thing there?
"Apparantly trekking up and down flights of stairs is very good exercise for this leg of mine and swinging my arm about like a helicopter is another one" she forgot that Merlina would not know about muggle things like that and apologized, "sorry like a windmill".
She demonstrated with a twirl of her arm before laughing heartily.

"I'm going mad I missed the end of the game is all. I would have loved to have seen Taylor catch the snitch" she sighed as she pushed some of her long dark red hair back from her shoulder. Andy wore a white ti-shirt with the Gryffindor crest emblazoned across her chest and a pair of combat khaki trousers, over black military style boots.

"What in the world was that kid wearing such a long cape for? I mean compensating for something or what?" she couldn't help but laugh once more.

 

[Henric Lee]

"... It's for useful purposes that someone of your mindset cannot comprehend, Gryffindor."

The cold voice drifted through the hallways and seemed to continue to echo long after the words were said; a dark-haired boy sat perched upon a gargoyle head positioned along one of the walls. Henric Lee seemed to have been disturbed from his work; out of his trance when he heard the footsteps of some approaching, he momentarily wondered why anyone would come down so far into the dungeons if they weren't Slytherins. "Hello ... 'Andromeda Fiorelli'." The pale boy greeted, registering the use of her name which he had grown accustomed to after hearing the Commentator loudly shout her name multiple times.

Grasping hold of the gargoyle, Henric performed an acrobatic leap off the stone structure, heading for the opposite side of the wall; he pressed his body against it for a moment, and then sprung off it again and landed on the ground smoothly, right in front of the two girls, apparently unfazed. The boy gave them both a handsome, artificial smile, a facade of his true emotions which fooled nearly everyone he met immediately. "Should you really be walking around so much, Miss Fiorelli? I would think your injuries were a little more ... serious.." Stepping back slightly, Henric canted his head to the side as he surveyed Merlina appraisingly. "Greetings ... Might I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

He combined his Victorian-Styled old English speech with mannerisms to boot, sinking into a gentleman's bow to greet them.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina watched with great interest as her cousin began to spin her arm about frantically. She could not contain the laughter that bubbled up and was grateful that Andromeda lowered her hand again.
"Well end of the game or not, you played brilliantly. The commentator said the boy was a Henry Leek or some such name" her Italian accent did not pronounce the name she now knew off by heart. The school magazine and the commentator had been very forthcoming with it and the name of the beater but Merlina felt too petulant to even want to pronounce his name properly.

She did not quite get what Andromeda meant but turned at the sound of another voice, only to see eventually through the dim light as he moved himself like some professional acrobat until he was before them, a Slytherin boy. Not recognising him straight away as most of what she saw of him had been a blur of green robes on the pitch as he had whizzed past the stands, Merlina could only look in awe. She turned to glance at Andy as the boy seemed to address her as if he knew her and she smiled at his show of concern for her cousin. Merlina who was usually first in any group to speak her mind and speak it bluntly was somewhat rendered speechless as he bowed before her asking her name.

An uncostumery blush suffused her cheeks as she ventured a small smile and slight bow of her own head. Her Italian accent seemed thicker when she was flustered and it did so now.
"I am Merlina Caliburn and you are?" she smiled now as if she were in a trance.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda turned abruptly at the sound of the voice, it sounded different when the wind was slashing into it. She had never seen him other than on his broom and she watched amused as he performed some little stunt, obviously for their benefit. Forever the performer then, she mused to herself. He greeted her and she bristled, not sure if she liked how he said her name or that he even knew it but with so much being written and talked about the games lately it was no surprise. She herself had heard his own name as she had passed the Slytherin tables, Henric Lee. They lorded over the fact that he had toppled the Gryffindor chaser, but toppling the chaser and toppling the girl were two completely different things. She felt as if she were instantly on the alert and could have pleasantly stupefied Merlina for fawning over him.

She nudged her cousin after she had introduced herself, too late to stop her.
"Merlina this is Henric, Henric Lee. Slytherin chaser and wearer of extremely long dandified capes" the look she bestowed on his wasn't malicious or fearful, she was simply amused by him and his theatrics.
"I will walk where I want Lee and when I want" she did not give him any title as he had her, not seeing any need for it and she certainly wasn't going to be so informal as to use his first name to him, "I heal pretty quickly, especially when they're only superficial wounds".

There had been nothing superficial about her concussion, broken arm or leg but Andy had sustained worse injuries and had come out of them eventually unscathed too, with lots of help from healers at St. Mungos at least.
"What do you want?"

 

[Henric Lee]

The Slytherin canted his head. "Me? I want nothing." His lips cracked into a cold smile. "I simply asked a question out of curiosity." He said in a warm voice in response to Andromeda's questions, as if he felt it was amusing to answer. "I was simply wonder why a Gryffindor would venture quite so far into the Dungeons..." The pale boy paused, his cloak fluttering slightly as he moved, lithe and with a certain feline - or somewhat serpentine - grace to his actions. His cloak and robes snaking around his body like water, Henric held out his hand in a displaying fashion as he gestured to the dungeon wall by his side. "I was also doing something in here... one of my projects... I snapped out of a sort of trance when I hear other sentient beings approach, really..."

Upon the dull walls of the dungeon, smack-bang like someone had shot a paintball into the darkest corner of the earth, a brilliant silver phoenix with green feathers was decorating the cold bricks. It appeared to be recently painted, and with the help of enchanted art materials, seeing as how it glowed and blinked, living in it's own world in the wall. Henric canted his head to view their reactions; "Nice, isn't it?" He said simply as he strode over to Merlina and dropped to one knee abruptly. Holding up his own pale hand to take hers, he leaned forward and kissed her hand in the fashion of how a Gentleman would give respect to a proper Lady. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance..." The Slytherin said softly, his voice adjusted to be charming and sweet.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda ran a hand through her hair wondering just how long she would have to stand here in his company for.
"I have been further into the dungeons than this, just because the Slytherin house is down here doesn't mean the dungeons are off limits you know" why she was allowing herself to be baited by this young boy she didn't know, he was barely worth her time. When he mentioned that he was doing something she glanced to where his hand indicated. It was absolutely gorgeous but Andy simply couldn't resist. It was after all graffiti and vandalizing school property.

"Henric, you really should have known better" she removed her wand and looked at him as he walked to her cousin, Andy's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets as she saw him drop down on to his knee and take her hand and kiss it. Her face naturally contorted, grimaced at the sight. She pointed her wand at the phoenix.

"Do I have to clean your mess up or are you going to do it? I may not have my prefects badge on but I am still a prefect and you are... would you get up already!" she frowned, "you have just vandalized school property and my cousins hand".

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina turned to look at the painting that Henric indicated, still she had not let it sink in who he was or she had but she really didn't want to believe that the gorgeous chivalrous boy on his knee now before her was the same one who had blatantly upscuttled Andromeda from her broom. Merlina knew he had made it look like an accident but still she could not find the same anger that she had earlier. Her Italian red blooded passionate nature which always sought an arguement was quelled for now and she really just wanted her cousin to stop being a nuisance and enjoy the company of a well mannered boy for once.

She smiled as he kissed her hand, even going so far as to tilt her head and smile indulgently at him. She looked for all intents and purposes like a simpering fool.

"Romy you can not clean that off the wall, it is beautiful" she turned to look from the phoenix to Henric as she said the last word and almost sighed, "My cousin has obviously lost her manners. It is my pleasure also."
she told him not moving her hand once and scowling at her cousin when she ordered him to get off his knee and insulted him even further by saying he had just vandalized Merlina's hand. Merlina felt as if she would never wash it again.

 

[Henric Lee]

Henric rose from the floor, his dark hair fluttering as he stood; he inclined his head slightly, and then directed his hand towards the painted phoenix. "Go, before milady the prefect takes it upon herself to clean you off these walls." The Phoenix seemed to be alarmed, fluttering it's wings, seeming like it was alive as it darted off through the walls, in it's own little world. "A nice little urban legend." The Slytherin boy mused; "It's nice to leave a legacy."

Stepping away from the two girls, he moved to the side of the Dungeons. "Well, don't let me stop you." The boy murmured, bowing his head at Melina and Andromeda. "Have a safe trip." His gift of emphasizing words as he spoke, leaving subtle threats only to people who would notice them, was something that made him the seemingly emotionless person he was. As he moved back, Henric Lee's eyes gleamed with malevolence - though it was hidden to all but him.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda was exasperated by both her cousin and Henric now. She watched as he ordered the bird to leave and it did. Her mouth opened at this type of magic for she hadn't seen it before, it had been beautiful and she had enjoyed looking at it but he had wounded her on the battle field and had been coddling her younger cousin and vandalizing the walls of the dungeon, she simply couldn't let it go, no matter how much she wanted to.

"A legacy does not always have to be a type of vandalism. I am sure you could leave a better one if you tried" she took a step away, her shoulder still throbbed agonizingly and would do so now apparantly until the end of days. No amount of potions or charms were equipped with dealing with a reopened werewolf bite. She winced slightly as she turned around to face Merlina.

"Come on you before you make a bigger spectacle out of yourself" her right hand lifted immediately to her left shoulder and rubbed it slowly. She knew she would have to head back to her dorm just to rest for a while, she still wasn't completely herself yet. But when Henric more or less bade them to leave, Andy's stubborn streak peaked and she turned to face him.

"I will leave when I am good and ready" she knew she had the impulse to mutter wildly but just managed to restrain herself from doing so now.

 

[Henric Lee]

Henric Lee clicked his tongue. "As you wish..." The boy purred as he folded his arms and leaned against the wall, his cold eyes scanning her features, holding her gaze without breaking it; his uncomfortable, gray orbs seemed to scour her mind and penetrate her very deepest, most secretive thoughts. He tilted his head slightly as he watched her awkward movements, no doubt caused by an injury. Seeing her jerky steps and the strain put on her shoulder, he stepped forward suddenly and took hold of her arm in a flash; "... Your movements are strained." The boy stated quietly, his eyes flashing with emotion. "Did something other than a very bad fall happen to you...?"

The voice he used was deep and seductive, but he kept hidden his true emotions once more.

 

[Merlina Caliburn]

Merlina could have done a little dance as his voice seemed to spin a web around her whenever he spoke. She knew she was being absolutely ridiculous but couldn't seem to help herself. Almost as if someone had come along and doused her in some potion to put her under his thrall. The only thing that brought her back to reality was seeing him move quickly to her cousin, take hold of her arm and say the immortal words; "Did something other than a very bad fall happen to you...?"

Their family had the most unusual of gifts or curses, which ever way you chose to look at it, that they simply could not tell a lie. This year had been hard for Merlina, used to speaking her mind and her heart openly. Having to learn to be more cautious in her answers as not everyone was always ready for the truth, Andromeda had been teaching her how to simply omit certain truths. Merlina took a step forward herself.

"Oh you have no idea" her voice sounded as if it were simply bursting to tell him everything but she managed to catch herself and looking at her cousin she cringed slightly, "Sorry Romy. I didn't say anything" Merlina though wanting desperately to stay a bit longer knew she couldn't, hanging around chatting to mysterious goodlooking boys was a new thing for her but time in this instance was against her, "I've got to run Romy, I promised someone I would meet up and I don't like disappointing".

She turned her attention to Henric, now torn between wanting to courtesy and be mannerly to wanting to throttle him again.
"It was nice to meet you but perhaps next time on the pitch, you will be less... eager to cause accidents" she smiled innocently enough and whistling an old Italian tune she skipped back along the corridor, leaving her cousin with her arm still firmly in Henric's grasp.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda looked into the grey eyes of the boy, trying to fathom him out. Her own amber eyes glinted dangerously in the dimmed light.She did not foresee him grab hold of her arm and she certainly couldn't pull it out of his grasp without doing her shoulder further damage. She was already pale but knew she probably went another shade lighter when he posed his question to her. How could she answer that? She looked at his hand holding her arm and back at the grey eyes, why she wasn't thumping the living daylights out of him she didn't know, it was after all what he deserved. Wasn't it? And then Merlina opened her mouth and Andy turned sharply wincing painfully as she did so, forgetting for a moment that her arm was being held. As she looked back at him, all she wanted to do at that moment was rub the pain away but his grip for now prevented her.

"She merely means duelling bouts and other quidditch games and training sessions" she did not feel the need to elaborate further and could have pleasantly have kicked her cousin for abandoning her down here. She watched as Merlina turned and skipped away, Andy raised her other hand in a slight wave of farewell before turning back to Henric.

"You can let go now before you do anymore damage".

 

[Henric Lee]

Canting his head as he inclined it to view her, his eyes betrayed nothing, and a constant shadow of his artificial smile lingered on his face. "A concerned relative of yours?" He asked quietly, guessing at the relationship between Merlina and Andromeda. Raising his other hand, he placed it gently upon her shoulder, his soft fingers twitching slightly as they moved along the cloth. "What does she know, I wonder..." The boy seemed to talk to himself quietly as he tilted his head to the other side.

"Some gifts ... are best kept a secret." He closed one eye as he spoke, the other eye singling her gaze out and boring right into her; it felt like he was clawing at her mind viciously, tearing apart everything aside to get to what his curiosity wanted to know. "Some curses ... should be revealed." On that enigmatic note, he released her; his grip was surprisingly strong, and his fingers had instinctively curled into a talon-like claw grip in that brief moment in which he held her.

Smiling, Henric stepped back into the darkness and disappeared, his grin seeming to linger like a Chesire Cat. "Farewell, Miss Fiorelli."

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda thought the guy was completely bonkers, she had slapped better guys than him for taking liberties and she could and would do like wise to him too. Yet his voice was nearly hypnotic as he spoke with such a quiet tone, she nearly had to incline her own head towards him just to hear. Not giving him any answers to any of his questions, Andy felt the hand that went to her shoulder. She winced as the werewolf bite seemed to scream out in agony. If he was trying to soothe it by massaging it, he wasn't doing a very good job but she gave him kudos for trying. How was he to know the shoulder had a cursed mark that no amount of healing would cure.

Some curses ... should be revealed
She stared at him stunned, he was looking at her only through one eye as if he was intent on gleaning any secrets she held tight too. His grip on her shoulder seemed to tightened until all she wanted to do herself was scream out in agony but she refused to give him even an inch. Standing up straight as he finally released his hold, Andy took a step forward ready to pummel the guy right in the face for doing that but like a specter he seemed to literally vanish into the darkness of the dungeons. Andy waited, listening intently for any sound that may betray his presence but there was none and when she knew she was definitely alone she allowed herself to sink to the ground, her right hand reaching up and holding her shoulder that throbbed agonizingly. He would pay, she would make sure of that, someday she would make the little snake pay dearly.