Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 19

The first day of the new academic year and Isabella was already exhausted. She didn't want to go down early in vain, she would have to sit there for the timetables.

And on top of that, she had a headache and was worrying about her recent dream. Not to mention, those creatures she had seen the previous evening, pulling the carriages.

But she was used to waking up early and simply couldn't go back to bed. So she sat up, pillows propped up against the headboard and took her sketchbooks from her trunk and decided to draw the creature she had seen last night.

It was huge, and there were many of them. And they had huge wings, much like a bat's. And they were skeletons, except for the thin, black boney tail. . .It's eyes. . .It was a fogy, dull white.

They were a disturbing sight to see, that she cannot deny. But, yet they were majestic.

Isabella leaned back to see her analyse her drawing better. Something seemed to be missing. Wonder what that was. . .

Isabella lazily trudged down to the Great Hall that morning and sat down at the end of the table. 

Just as she had finished her breakfast of toast, McGonagall came by with the timetables.

Isabella muttered a small thanks when McGonagall handed her her timetable. She had Hebology outside with the Hufflepuffs, then Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts all before lunch. 

She got up from her seat. She had better get her things ready. 

The first day of her second year wasn't all too special. Professor Sprout taught them about Mandrakes, and they had to wear earmuffs to repot the plants. It was tiresome. 

Transfiguration was much more relaxing and McGonagall only focused on theory for the day and gave them no homework because it was only their first day back. 

Their new professor for Defence Against the Dark Arts was fifteen minutes late to class because he had a run-in with Peeves. But he was alright. Isabella didn't think anyone could be as worse as Lockhart. And she was extremely glad that they didn't have to answer such a questionnaire.

The hour Isabella was waiting for eagerly was lunch hour.

She had to do something. 

Isabella was one of the first people at the Great Hall in the afternoon. She ate her lunch at top speed and then left the table promptly, heading up to the library.

It was only when she reached the library that she realised the complexity of her task. She didn't know the name of those creatures and she wasn't sure in which section to look for them. She knew they had wings, so should she look for creatures that can fly? Or it was skeletal, so creatures that are actually dead, but not exactly dead either, so flying zombie horses? She didn't know.

Isabella huffed in annoyance. She went up and down the aisle many times, pulling out as many books as possible and trying to find something on the creatures she had seen.

Isabella was down books after books, but it must be because she didn't find anything on flying zombie horses.

Well, obviously she was searching in all the wrong places.

Maybe she should look for creatures that most people can't see?

And why wasn't this creature mentioned in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? She stuck to that book almost religiously. She had read it over and over again and remembered it word to word, but she didn't see a mention of that creature.