Janna Black and The Cite of the Dead

Tarnished Silver and Smoke Swirls

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For once Monday was not the dreaded day that it was the rest of the year, the white clouds above the Hogwarts castle released dainty snowflakes that showered like downy feathers to the blanket of white that covered the landscape. The ground seemed to shimmer like raw marble, though, the frozen  fractals fractured like mica beneath the foot. As Orion came back from an early morning stroll the sun was just below the clouds giving the world a warm icterine glow, contradicting the cold, stiff air.

Snow clustered in clumps in the bends of his wiry hair, when he came through the doors of the castle he shook the snowflakes from his hair. Orion warmed up by springing up the stairs, rubbing his hands against each other to build up heat. Orion reached the hospital wing he saw Pomfrey leaving the doors "Merry Chris'mas Pomfrey, is Janna up?"

   "Oh, you just missed her, Black went to Gryffindor tower—" Pomfrey did not have to say more, Orion was already running "just be careful! You'll slip with all that ice on your shoes! I don't need you back here" not heeding her warnings Orion galloped past portraits soon seeing Janna looking over a stone railing with her toes between the balusters on the bottom rail.

Past Orion a wind blew leading to Janna, her head jumped slightly "Happy Christmas Orion" she smiled and turned to him, a bright smile on her face, her palms were wrapped with thick bandages and her eyes were far more brighter than usual "C'mon here" she waved her hand, gesturing him to come look, he walked to her side, being taller than her he did not have to stand on the bottom rail.

Under them the house elves were walking around with armfuls of snow that they dropped at the walls to give the castle an appearance of being snowed in "pretty, hey??" Janna then pointed to an elf wearing a floppy Christmas hat, her body leaned further over the railing "isn't that adorable?"

   "You're so strange, Black" Orion teased her as she watched the elves, fascinated.

Janna grinned happily, jumping back off the railing and bouncing on her toes as Orion turned to her "I know" she lit up "let's find Peeves!"

Orion was pulled at his arm by Janna, she lead him up a few stairs then to a hallway with armours lining the walls. Above them snow showered down from the roof but seemed to disappear as the flakes reached the flagstones by a few inches. "PEEVESY!" Janna yelled down the hall in a singsong voice.

Soon there was a loud cackle from the end of the hall that raced down the hall like a wave of sound, Janna held her ears as the sound traveled over her and Orion causing their hair to tousle back violently. Suddenly there was a pop and Peeves appeared laughing hysterically, holding his stomach  and pointing at Orion's wind tossed hair.

   "Blackie-Black!" Peeves yelled catching his breathe from laughing, he put his fists on his hips "Silly-Billy Cintola! Whats yous up tos? No good?!" Peeves then saw Janna's lips curl into a smile, she glanced at the knight armour at her side, since it was Christmas there should be a Santa "ooh, Peevesy likesy Blackie-Wackie's idea!"

   "Since when are ya comin' up with the ideas?" Orion questioned Janna, not understanding what she was going on about, her grin widened at his confusion as she pulled out her wand. Aiming at a suit of armour she helped "argenteus mannus!" the sway of her wand sent a vibration at the armour which curled then elongated, the chest plate enlarged outwards like a lily to a silver petrel then the upper vision formed two black eye holes and a chanfron. The arms and legs of the armour twisted into long black limbs that resembled that of a horse's. The figure of the horse reared, kicking out its legs, twisted meshes of blemished metal vined from under the crinet and the rear of the horse like thick black tendrils, the bends of the silver metal tarnished black, dust gathered to form the horse causing the metal to tarnished metal.

Orion stepped back as he saw the dust racing past him like sand in a wind, he watched a wiry gathering of dirty metal form where the hooves should have been, the calmly horse snorted, stepping forwards to inspect Janna, smoke swirls formed fluffy pointed ears that leaned to Janna like curious creatures themselves. An echoing clop came to the flagstone as the horse came cautiously to its creator.

    "Handy spell" Janna nodded as she pushed her hand into her pocket where Ash was sleeping in a ball, she reached the dark nose of the creature with her other hand. The darkness of the horse absorbed light like a shadow but she touched the nose anyways, feeling peachy soft skin that was warm like metal left in the sun. The nose twitched and creased as the creatures nostrils let out breathes of dusty white particles that sparkled in the early morning sun "although, the silver isn't clean" Janna then licked her thumb and attempted to rub off the grim from the edges of the paisley drops at the corner cheek of the horse's helmet.

Orion laughed "Ya just maw'ed a statue—" the horse blew a cloud of silver dust to Orion's face, obviously it did not think the boy's comment was funny, the young boy yelped at his hair, coated in silver and shining like dust "I look like an old man!" He shrieked as he saw his reflection in the horse,s silver plate, attempting to shake the silver from his hair causing Peeves to gaggle.

   "Well, come on, help me make more!" Janna urged the others  as she moved to another suit of armour "just leave one suit of armour but give it a beard and make it look like Christmas itself!" Janna told Peeves who rubbed his hands with delight.

   "Justs leaves one?" Peeves pouted, Janna nodded, aiming her wand at the armour who had his hands up to persuade her not to change him into a horse.

   "Yeah! Make all types of creatures, not just horses and reindeer—oh-oh! find a sleigh for our Santa Claus!" Janna jumped with excitement, as much as Peeves who zoomed away giggling with mischief in mind. Orion watched Janna change the suit of armour then he mimicked the action and spell which he succeeded at after a few failed attempts and only producing sparks.

   "Imagine the look on McGonagall's puss!" Orion whinnied "She'll be all crabbit and transfigure us into some sort of thingy-mie-jiggies"

Janna chuckled as she zapped a suit of armour attempting to sneak away "maybe into scrub brushes to clean the armours when we're done and in detention"

   "Wheesht, ma'e," Orion hushed Janna playfully in a giggle "I have far too much under my name, Filch will need a whole file just for ma first year"

Soon all the suits of armour in the castle were either horses, reindeer or some sort of creature that caused havoc—complements of Peeves—Flich was pulling a broom handle from a cluster of giant rats with pigeon wings, long curved snouts and grabby claws that gripped the other end of the broom. Mrs. Norris hissed at a warthog headed creature with a camel body that snapped its tusks and wedged snout at the cat.

Meanwhile Orion and Janna set up the sleigh, sitting the suit of armour Peeves left alone and tinting the silver Gryffindor red, after enchanting the poor suit to sing a few Christmas ballads, Janna snorted at the suit as it sang ye old hippogriffs at the top of its chest plate thinking how funny the song was. They connected the horses to the sleigh with the silver line Orion used a few days before.

And finally off the sleigh went, with the singing suit of armour blasting ye old hippogriffs as the sleigh went down the long hall, lifting off like a bird then taking a violent jerk around a corner where the echo of the song carried on.