Back Again.

Briony walked back into the clearing surrounding the lake, happy that nothing seemed to have changed, she was also happy that there was no-one there yet normally she liked the spend her days in solitude and she had many things to ponder about, firstly there is the meeting with Richard where she acted like an idiot, then there was the meeting with Hades where she told him she liked her hair being played with. She placed her head in her hands and groaned at her own stupidity.

She dangled her feet in the lake once more and she hoped that the rustling that she heard was not someone but a something. A rabbit perhaps.

Anyara had her nose burried in a book. A Potions book, she always loved to read about Potions and Dark magic, she found it interesting and exciting.

She made her way down to the lake, mostly she could read alone down there, since no one really enjoyed sitting by the lake. She stopped not far away, noticing another person. 'Who could that be?' She stepped behind a tree glancing in direction of the person. She wasn't really the person to jump out and shout "Hey!" she was more the type that hid behind books.

Briony turned around thinking that she was going to have to see if it was a person or not, she didn't think it would be because no person would just stand there would they? Unless they were shy. She looked around and spotted a young girl, wondering if she was lost she beckoned for her to come and sit next to her, she looked scared stiff, she would be more scared Briony thought if she knew more about me.

"Hey. Are you lost or something?"

Briony raised her eyebrow at the book in her hands, she wondered what it could be, since as she loved books too.

Anyara shook her head. She wasn't lost at all, she knew exactly where she was. The problem was, she was too shy to speak.

She decided to dare and take a few steps toward, hugging the Potions book.

Inside her head she was arguing with herself, if she should make a run for it now, or stay, after all she only came down here to read...

Briony raised her eyes at the girl who didn't speak to her only shook her head, she was right, it was just a cripplingly shy person, sometimes in a conversation they weren't the best to talk to but in other situations they were. Now however it was a little grating, Briony debated standing up and moving over to her to ask her what she was reading but she assumed this wouldn't go down well.

Instead she just turned herself around so that the girl could see she wasn't going to bite and that she too had a book in her arms, maybe that would convince her enough to come over?

"What is that you are reading?" Briony asked in an interested tone

"A Potions book!" Anyara spoke up happily, although it was only three words, it felt as if she had said enough.

She held out the book so she could see the cover. "Magical Drafts and Potions." It said on the front.

Briony still raised her eyebrow, very detailed description she thought sarcastically, she wondered why the girl was still hovering in the middle of the grass was she still thinking if she was going to stay or leave? She shook her head in disbelief but a smile played across her lips.

"Excellent. Tell me, what is your name?"

Briony waited for a few seconds before thinking that she might be more obliged to be open if she told her who she was first.

"I am Briony Blake, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts."

'Deputy Headmistress? She must be nice then..' Anyara decided to believe. She walked over and sat down next to her. "I- I'm Anyara Lavener B- Broan." She managed not to stutter too much.

She hugged the Potions book and looked into the water, still not to sure if she should say more.

Briony smiled, she was finally getting this girl to talk which was good, she didn't know if she had the patience to deal with someone silent today. Looking kindly at Anyara she showed her the book she was carrying unsure of whether she should have done so or not, the book was entitled 'Medieval Duelling and Practical Dark Arts'. Briony after showing Anyara that thought that it might warrant some sort of explanation.

"I also teach duelling at the school, as well as being head of Slytherin house." Briony smiled at her "What house do you believe you will be in?"

Anyara looked fascinated at the book. Dark arts! Her eyes shimmered. She loved to talk to fellow bookreaders. Especially someone who was interested in dark arts.

"Ravenclaw, I kind of have a desire to be a Slytherin, but i dont really fit in." She smiled.

Briony smiled at Anyara she could tell that she did have the makings of a Slytherin seeing her face when she saw the book she held but she also knew that she seemed far too shy and too nice to be in her house. She scolded herself though, she knew more than anyone else that you should never judge a book by it's cover. For all she knew Anyara could be evil, very evil, for an 11 year old.

"This is the point of a Slytherin, you are not meant to fit in, you're not meant to have friends, only tools that you can use to do what you want. You have the makings of a Slytherin, interested in the Dark Arts are you?"

Anyara's smile grew bigger when she were told about being a Slytherin. She thought it sounded cool, and it made her wish she wasn't shy.

"I love Dark arts! Its so fascinating, my dad used to tell me all kinds of stories." She smiled, remembering all the things her dad had told her.

Briony grinned, thinking of all the stories that her father used to tell her, she loved them too and she thought perhaps if he hadn't told them to her that she might have turned out halfway normal. Perhaps not so homicidal. She smiled and looked right into Anayra's eyes, she could tell how passionate about Dark Arts she was.

"Ah such wonderful stories. Would you care to oblige me with one?"

Briony looked out across the lake at the ripples splashing out across it because of a fish stirring in the water.

"I would love to, problem is, I dont have the best memory.." Anyara said getting a bit shy again. "But I bet you've heard the story about Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter, I mean, who hasn't?" She said, with a big smile on her face.

If there was one dark person she admired the most, it would be Voldemort. But exactly how many others would say they thought he was cool? Probably none.