The Light in Me: The Emergence

Chapter 6: Judeth

  Anastasia only waited a moment before following her brother up the stairs and went into her shared room. After making it to the room, she walked toward the end of her bed and picked her violin case up. Anna strode out the door and closed it behind her, the door closing with a small thud. She then made her way back downstairs, taking the steps two at a time in a rhythmic fashion. Once on the main floor, out the back door and into the garden, she went. Anna headed towards her quiet space at a leisurely pace, lightly swinging her violin case and enjoying the light breeze. Anna walked along the beaten path she had tread on for many years and some may pass by if one does not know that it is there. The path leads her away from The Burrow and into a small clearing surrounded by trees. Under one particular tree is a stone bench practically enveloped in ivy and Morning Glory. She finally made it to her bench and cleared away some ivy, the spot not having much because it was in use often. Anna laid the smooth case across her lap and carefully undid the latches, hearing the familiar click of the metal coming undone. Anastasia opened the top; the hinges making a little sound and took a pause. She admired the maple instrument with love and delicately ran her fingers across its smooth body, the wooden hull pristine in condition. Anna removed the violin from its velvet confinement and grabbed the bow, then leaned the case carefully on the grass at her feet. With chin rest under her jaw, she bowed out her song with closed eyes and let her soul guide her, note by note. She let down her barriers to feel the energy all around and let it pilot her bow. The breeze caught the end of her bow and made a marionette of her hand, using her to put on a play. Softly drawn notes whispered, and Playful cords would laugh in response, a conversation seemed to play between the two. The breeze had passed and Anna decided to shift her focus elsewhere. She could feel the stubbornness of the yew tree behind her, with its roots running deep below and giving off a calming spirit. The leaves barely bristling in the breeze and the ripening berries softly brushing against one another, both adding to the already steadfast energy of the wooden giant. It was like her bow had a mind of its own as it captured the essence of the yew tree in song. A few strong notes that fade into a whimsical interlude, firm notes slowly sneaking back in to take control. The piece slowly turns darker the more she gets lost in the tree's spirit. Reverberating off the surrounding trees, deep notes seem to engulf the clearing. Polite notes would creep in, and it would seem to be a battle within the tree. The song made Anastasia wary and sad, so she focused on something else. With a bit more of a reach outward, she found the distraction she was looking for and felt some weight lift off her shoulders at the innocent energies. Two voles were cautiously scurrying about not too far away and taking the long way in avoidance. The action made her smile as she felt the pure spirit from the pair, soft and careful notes bowed out naturally. The voles scurried away quickly as another energy approached from the forest but stopped at the edge of the clearing behind her. Deep, precise notes played and were followed by a few long, equally deep bows. The deep-toned piece picked up tempo, the apex approaching, and she could feel his energy practically bowing the song for her. Once the tones hit the deepest and the song hit the fastest tempo, his energy shifted around her. Deeper tones slowly turned softer and more whimsical, catching the, still lingering, child-like wonder. The last note fades out softly as she closes her barriers once more, a faint ghost of the song reaches her ears and finally leaves once more on a tail end of the breeze. Letting the instrument rest in her lap, Anna finally opened her eyes and took a much-needed deep breath. She let her eyes marvel at the clearing around her and the subtle changes that had taken place between her last visits. "I thought you would never stop," grumbled a gruff voice behind her. She did not even need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. His energy had given him away moments ago, the songs brashness and deep-rooted passion only furthered this knowledge. "Well, hello to you to, Davor," she smiled as she slid over to make room for him. The dwarf took the spot next to her with an annoyed sigh; his shoes a mere foot from the ground when he finally got settled. "Must you always play at such peaceful times of the day," he questioned as he rubbed his almond brown eyes. "Must you always sleep in the middle of those peaceful days," she shot back with a questioning look. "Must you aways interrupt me dreaming of a peaceful day without you," was his response as he reclined back on the bench. Anastasia pulled his hat over his eyes and giggled, "That's quite rude". "That was my aim, Little Wolf," Davor lowly chuckled as he fixed his grey paperboy hat. The dwarf was burly, the torso making up most of his height and said stature was average amongst his people. Davor's auburn locks falling down straight, reaching his neckline and ending with random waves. Pulling out his favorite pipe, the dwarf began taking puffs with closed eyes and blowing them out with raspy breaths. After taking one long draw and blowing it out lazily, he inquired, "You have not come to visit The Quarry in a while, Cub, should I take it personally". "Aww, has the grumpy Davor gone soft and missed me," teased Anna, playfully tugging on his tweed jacket sleeve. With a quick tug, he wrenched his arm from her jesting grasp and gave a slight push in response to her behavior. "Do not be ridiculous. I would rather marry a Fwooper than be with you another moment," he huffed while he resumed his earlier position. Anastasia furrowed her eyebrows a bit and tried to think of a witty comeback, but she was at a loss for words. While trying to think of one, she noticed how relaxed he looked and how his rugged face creases seemed less defined. The light made his auburn mutton chops look red, as if they were catching on fire or like tangles of amber. The hair tucked behind his ear had the same effect but faded away as it disappeared under his gray cap. "Cat got your tongue, Cub," questioned the small man. With a quick recovery from her silence, Anna retorted, "Not quite. Your stench almost made me forget how to breath". A chortle escaped the man, a small smile briefly making an appearance before his face relaxed once more. They fell into a comfortable silence as the forest around them provided a content atmosphere. Anna's thoughts turned towards her excitement, yet nervousness, about attending Hogwarts for the first time. Making new friends is not always easy for her, either they want to befriend her because of who she is, or they do not want to for that very reason. What if I don't make any friends? I'd be alone and have no one to talk to outside of my family. What if I'm not even sorted into Gryffindor with the rest of my family? I know that I would still do well in my studies and make my parents proud, but I'd be totally alone in whatever house I'm in. I don't want to feel different or left out more than I already do. I am already different enough from my family, I don't want to be left out or not have a chance at having friends if they find out what I can do, her thoughts were starting to run wild with possibilities. "Something one your mind, Little Wolf," inquired Davor as he briefly opened one eye to look at her. Anna took a second to respond, as she took a much-needed deep breath and felt the breeze caress her shoulder lightly. "I'm attending Hogwarts this year," she revealed whilst tightly closing her eyes. A long drag of a pipe and deep puff of air was heard, then she heard his gruff voice question, "So?". Annas' eyes shot open, and she looked at the dwarf next to her, his eyes now boredly gazing into her shocked ones. "The first year is the impression year and I want to make a good impression. If people don't like me, then I won't earn respect and I won't have friends. I would rather have friends than enemies, because that's one less person standing in my way of my goals," she exasperated. Davor rolled his brown eyes at her dramatics before responding," Cub, it is not as big of a deal as it seems. If people do not like you, then that is their problem, and you must not worry about winning everyone over. Getting people to like you is a matter of just being you, the real you, not what people want you to be. As for respect, there are two ways to gain it and in pushing yourself to do either, you could lose sight of what truly matters. But what do I know, I am just an old hermit who only has one friend and a pet". "I'm your friend? Aww, Davor, The Soft," giggled Anna. The dwarf scowled at her before dusting some fallen ash from his trousers. "You most certainly are not. I was referring to Finn because he does not eat all of my food like my other pet," he stated whilst smirking. "You don't have anot-"she cut herself short when it dawned on her that he was alluding to her, and she hit his arm. This time he let out a hearty chuckle and lightly rubbed his arm, his eyes a lit with mischief. "You never mentioned what to do about enemies," Anna pointed out whilst looking at him with questioning eyes. The man sighed a bit before finally responding, "Worry not of making enemies for the sake of them 'Getting in Your Way', for then you might have driven away a strong ally or friend. Remember this, Little Wolf, one's truest enemy is himself and you best not ever forget that". The mood suddenly turned more serious when his smile dropped and he turned a bit more towards her to say, "You will come visit The Quarry before you leave, right? Finn misses you and it is getting annoying hearing him bleat for you". Anna smiled at the information and gave a small nod, "Of course, I will definitely come visit before leaving. I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to see Finn and taste test some of your cobs for the world". Davor rolled his eyes when she mentioned his cooking and indicated to the forgotten instrument in her lap, "Remember to bring Judeth as well, it has been a while since The Quarry has heard her strings and Finn misses it". Her soft fingers lightly stroked the instruments body in as Anna thought of what is to come and what has passed. "It is about that time, Little Wolf," Davor said as he began putting his pipe away. The sun was beginning its decent towards the horizon and it was a small trek back home. Anna began, carefully, packing up Judeth and stood once things were in order. She turned to the dwarf, who still remained seated, "Goodbye, Davor. I'll be visiting in three days, so expect to hear beautiful melodies and be making extra cobs". "I will keep my earplugs ready, and kitchen locked," responded the dwarf with a lazy wave. With a roll of her eyes, Anna turned and made the trek back to The Burrow.

~Hello, My Fellow Chinchillas

~Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I was in a car accident (head on collision) and have been in recovery. I am going to try updating with the little days left that I have off of work.

~I appreciate comments/ feedback if you've got any