The Founder's Missing Piece

Chapter 1: Nightmares And Happy Days

I was sitting in the Great Hall with Ginny, the Golden Trio, and Neville. Everyone was facing the front of the room, where there stood a large object, covered by a piece of fabric. It was removed, only to reveal a large goblet made of wood.

A flash of light. I was in the Great Hall with Fred and George now. The goblet was still standing at the front, now paired with a bright blue flame burning from the center, Dumbledore next to it. There was a spark, and Dumbledore retrieved a piece of paper from the air. He called out something, two muffled words, "Urry Ott-" Dumbledore suddenly got angry, a dark look upon his weathered face.

The image blurred. I suddenly appeared in a dark place. Tall, green walls surrounded me. The Slytherin common room? It was supposed to be in the dungeons, where darkness was inevitable. I began to walk, my mind foggy. I brushed my hand along the wall as I walked, receiving no sense of touch; only numbness. I got to the end of the wall, (a hallway maybe?) and turned right. My body moved on its own accord, making random left and right turns in a way coordinated enough for me to get nervous. I wasn't this coordinated, and I had a terrible sense of direction. Even still, I was in a state of calm and hidden anticipation. I continued walking, left and right turns made as if by a robot.

Eventually, an opening in the long, confusing maze of hallways appeared as if rising out of the ground into existence. In the center was a wooden goblet. I could feel it calling out to me, "come, Adelia. (pronounced uh-dell-yuh) Come to me... daughter. I've missed you. Come to me. Come, come." My hand outstretched, the goblet came to me.

An explosion. I landed in a graveyard, surrounded by figures in dark cloaks. While they should have made me uncomfortable, I found nothing but comfort in the centre of their circle. "Adelia, welcome." A whispered greeting, followed by a murmur from the crowd. "We invite you to join our ranks." Their ranks? "A mind like your's would be of great use to us." Use for what? "It is what your father wants, after all." Not comprehending what was happening, my reply was monotonous, "if my father wishes it, it shall be done." A glimpse of a cold smile. A flash of light. A glimpse of ink on my arm. "You are now one of us." Another flash of light.

And I woke up, looking around, panicky. When I could finally comprehend my thoughts, I recognized the comforting surroundings of my Hufflepuff dorm. I was in cold sweats, my comforter was kicked to the ground, my sheets twisted around my legs. I reached up to wipe the sweat off my forehead, only to notice how warm it was. I carefully untwisted myself, turning on the cool water and getting in the shower. I quickly rinsed the sweat off of myself, and got out, wrapping myself in a fluffy towel. I brushed out my slightly tangled hair, put my pyjamas back on, and crawled back into bed. I fixed the blankets, and curled into a ball, falling asleep quickly, the dream already fading, and not noticing at any point the dark ink on my inner elbow.

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A few hours later, I woke up, having no memory whatsoever of the strange dream from the night before. I was in a cute mood, so I grabbed a cute outfit to wear. It included a pink, mid-thigh skirt, a white, long-sleeved, off-the-shoulder top, a pair of black, mesh flats, and a black heart pendant. I braided my hair off to the side, and put on a light coat of mascara and some pale pink eyeshadow, going downstairs afterwards.

Cody glared at me as I walked by, and I just kept walking, pretending not to notice him. I didn't want his negativity to ruin my good mood. It had been years since I actually had a good mood to enjoy. I smiled brightly, saying hello to everyone in the common room. Well, everyone except Cody.

I walked down the hall, a big smile on my face. When I got to the Great Hall, I immediately headed for the Gryffindor table, spotting the twins with the Trio and Ginny. I gave Fred a kiss on the cheek and sat down next to him happily. "Good morning everyone." They all looked at me weirdly. "What?"