The Fennoderee of Man (Part 2)

Disclaimer: Based on JKR's work, just for fun. We make no money and gain no fame from this.

AN:

Thank you to my wonderful Beta, Ladyinthecloak.

This is my response to the Potter Place Dictionary Challenge. The rules, this week's words, and their definitions follow the story.

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The Fennoderee of Man

(Part 2)

Professor Snape had left the confluence in the entrance hall and was walking towards the Slytherin common room when he felt the wards fall. An intruder was in his common room! But he could see the door from where he was; no one had entered that way. He ran the last fifty yards, calling out to the door to open for him.

Inside Draco stood terrified, gaping at a man-shaped hairy being. Professor Snape couldn't tell if the creature was furry or wearing some fur covering. There were a few younger students cowering in the corner. Viktor Krum had stepped between the youngsters and the creature that was facing Draco.

"I trust I have the honour of addressing the Fennoderee of Man," said Professor Snape with a bow. The Fennoderee looked at the professor and smiled.

"Forgive me, Professor Snape, Orla is calling me," he said and faded away into a puff of smoke.

Draco collapsed onto a sofa as the other students clamoured excitedly. They fell silent at a gesture by their professor.

"Mr. Malfoy," said Professor Snape.

"He hates me!" Draco cried. "Did you see his eyes, full of hate. He's going to kill me!"

"He called Draco a troublemaker, but did not threaten him othervise," said Viktor.

"Actually, he looked quite benignly upon me, Mr. Malfoy, but then, I look benignly upon Miss Quirke. This creature seems to be attached to her family."

The fireplace in the common room blazed green for a moment, and the Headmaster's head appeared. "Severus, faculty meeting immediately after dinner."

"Yes, Headmaster," Professor Snape answered. "And dinner is now, so come, all of you."

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An hour later, most of the teachers had left the Great Hall and were meeting in the faculty lounge.

"The Quirke children are conducting this creature around Hogwarts as though he were a dignitary," said Professor McGonagall disapprovingly.

"And so he is, Minerva," replied the Headmaster, "for we have not the power to remove him and would find it some days' work to construct the spells that could keep him out. He is a dignitary not because he is invited, but because he cannot be uninvited."

"I personally felt no animosity, no malice from him," said Professor Snape. "I posit that if we give him what he wants, he will leave."

"But what is that? Does he want whoever cut Miss Quirke's hair punished?" asked the Headmaster.

"I have been speaking with Robert Quirke," said Professor Flitwick. "He believes it simply wishes to be assured of the Quirke children's safety, especially Miss Quirke's."

"I shall conduct a House meeting," said Professor Snape. "I believe the malefactors are from Slytherin, although no one has yet confessed. If I can convince them to adjust their attitudes towards Miss Quirke, I think the Fennoderee will know.

"Even if they fear her (as I begin to think they should), I feel the creature will be able to tell. Perhaps as long as they intend her no further harm, he will be satisfied. He seemed to look into my feelings about the child as easily as I could look into a first year's mind."

Dumbledore smiled a little. He knew Miss Quirke was one of Severus's favourites. The Potions master stood in no danger from the Fennoderee.

"Where is this creature now?" asked Professor Sprout.

"He is having dinner with the house-elves, then pudding at Hagrid's hut, with the Quirke children and Miss Lovegood," replied Professor Flitwick. "It seems he is by way of being a distant cousin to the house-elves. And Hagrid and Luna, well we know how interested they both are in magical creatures."

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Madam Hooch was not at the faculty meeting; she was in the mostly-deserted Great Hall with the House Quidditch teams.

"I have arranged some Quidditch practice sessions for the rest of the school year," said Madam Hooch. "The pitch will be occupied later in the spring, but we can still use the courtyard. I don't want you players to lose ground because of inactivity. Especially those of you who can't fly at home."

"Gregory Goyle, you cut the Golden Child's hair off," intoned a deep voice that seemed to come from all around them. "You did it to hurt her feelings. Alone in deed, yet you were not alone in spirit."

A dark grey, angry-looking cloud of smoke began to appear from nothing. It formed into a shape and size roughly human and began to take on more substance until it appeared as the dark-furred Fennoderee Draco had seen earlier in the common room.

Madam Hooch drew her wand but stood, immobile. She'd been told not to anger this strange, powerful creature that was roaming the castle, but she would defend her students if need be.

Suddenly Hagrid burst into the Great Hall; on his shoulder was a bird that looked like an ordinary kingfisher, except for its magically-changing plumage. The Halcyon raised its voice above the commotion. Those present thought it was the loveliest sound they had ever heard; she sang with sweetness that could never cloy.

Hagrid smiled. He hoped that, since the Halcyon could bring peace to a maelstrom at sea, she might be able to bring peace to this maelstrom here at Hogwarts.

"Leave him alone!" Draco said, surprising even himself by stepping between the monster and Gregory, and drawing his wand. "It's not his fault."

"Think you I fear your sticks, human?" the Fennoderee asked with a laugh. "Wands, brooms! I need no gimcracks such as humans do. My magic is stronger than you know, Draco Malfoy."

The Fennoderee looked around the room, gazing into each person's eyes in turn. Those who liked Orla felt nothing but a gentle approval from him while those that disliked her felt their motives and intentions questioned. Confronted by such strong mental powers, Draco and his friends admitted in thought that they would never again tease or harm Orla or incite others to do so.

The doors opened and Orla slipped into the Great Hall.

"Oh, here you are, Professor Hagrid. And I see you have found the Fennoderee!" Orla said, approaching the magical being. "What made you run off from pudding, my dear Fennoderee?"

"The one who cut your hair is here, Orla," said the Fennoderee. "I came to confront him."

"Oh, no! NO!" Orla cried, clapping her hands over her eyes and spinning to face the doors. "I don't want to know! Can't we just start over and be friends now?"

In turn, the Fennoderee stared into Gregory's, Vincent's, and Draco's eyes. Each boy nodded, willing to accept Orla's lenity rather than face this creature's wrath.

"Very well, child, we shall return to Hagrid's now," said the Fennoderee, taking Orla's hand and exiting the Great Hall.

To be continued...

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AN: Finally getting towards the end! A thousand words the challenge calls for, and it is hard to move the story along in only a thousand words. I had to run over a little bit this time.

-Wahoo

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Rules:

1. Use some or all of the following words in a drabble (doesn't have to be 100 words--anything under 1k is fine)

2. Word list changes every Saturday

3. Upload your drabbles here or at the Petulant Poetess under the Potter Place Fun Categories (any other archive is fine as well--remember SH has a Potter Place category)

4. Have fun, baby! Whoot!! It should be interesting to see what we can come out with using dictionary.com's daily words while boosting our vocabulary. Teehee

The word list (swiped from the past week's list from dictonary.com):

List of May 3

confluence \KON-floo-uhn(t)s\, noun:

1. A flowing or coming together; junction.

2. The place where two rivers, streams, etc. meet.

3. A flocking or assemblage of a multitude in one place; a large collection or assemblage.

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posit \POZ-it\, transitive verb:

1. To assume as real or conceded.

2. To propose as an explanation; to suggest.

3. To dispose or set firmly or fixedly.

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lenity \LEN-uh-tee\, noun:

The state or quality of being lenient; mildness; gentleness of treatment; leniency.

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maelstrom \MAYL-struhm\, noun:

1. A large, powerful, or destructive whirlpool.

2. Something resembling a maelstrom; a violent, disordered, or turbulent state of affairs.

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gimcrack \JIM-krak\, noun:

1. A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.

2. Tastelessly showy; cheap; gaudy.

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cloy \KLOY\, transitive verb:

1. To weary by excess, especially of sweetness, richness, pleasure, etc.

2. To become distasteful through an excess usually of something originally pleasing.

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halcyon \HAL-see-uhn\, noun:

1. A kingfisher.

2. A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation.

3. Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy; as, "deep, halcyon repose."

4. Marked by peace and prosperity; as, "halcyon years."