Looking in over her shoulder it was possible to see a thin black shape that looked like a rope dangling straight from a hook on the ceiling to hover over a large, extra large cauldron-like object. From the dangling shape dropped a tiny drip of silvery fluid, obviously the last remnants of a flood, as the kettle was full to nearly the brim with a swirl of three pearlescent fluids, one pearly, one rose and one coal grey so dark it came near to being black.
Nodoka unhooked the paralyzed serpent that was the black, dangling rope-like object and carried the immobilized snake back into the room with the rest of them. She hooked it back to the ceiling in the center of what was an amazing arrangement of diagrams on the floor, and began talking. "As you all know, not so long ago Britain was paralyzed by a dark lord and I fled to another country while the wizarding world here nearly collapsed. For some years they've said he's gone, but as I got hired on a couple of months ago Dumbledore gave me information saying that wasn't so - that he was merely reduced in power. Unfortunately, he told me this after I'd signed on, essentially tricking me back into this little war, and since things had gone so bad in my adopted country I didn't have another place to take you all."
A well trained student, even in this private setting Padma Patil raised her hand before asking her, "But Ms. Malfoy, you're to be our DADA teacher. Surely, you must have scored really well on this when you were a student. Why did you run?"
"No dear, I failed miserably. Our teacher told us it wasn't important, and I made the mistake of believing her. I think I got a 'Troll' on my DADA grade. Then, shortly after, the war against Voldemort broke out and I found myself nearly helpless. It was not a pleasant experience."
Nodoka took a deep breath before continuing. "Voldemort is not too choosy in how he comes by his supporters, and I was, and am, a skilled Potions Mistress, a Charms expert, and several other things he found valuable - without any idea how to defend myself and in a very exposed position, since my younger brother Lucius who controls the family's fortunes and was master of the house in which I lived was one of the dark lord's most ardent Death Eaters. Frankly, I didn't care much either way, but when one of his crueler moments rolled by Voldemort decreed that I was too valuable to lay about the sidelines unclaimed and made Snape vow to recruit me, by Imperius Curse if necessary, but his preferred method was equally hideous. I barely escaped rape and mind control and fled the country without a knut, bearing only my wits and wand and the clothes on my back, and not all of those last ones."
The elegant lady stood still for a moment, collecting herself before continuing in a softer, contemplative tone. "I fled to Japan where they still practice fighting arts, determined to live outwardly as a muggle while learning all that I could about how to defend myself. I became a student of several martial arts, purchased magical texts on defense to study on my own and even found a tutor. You see before you now the result of determined efforts for twenty years to educate myself on a subject I sadly missed the value of during school, and I'm glad to say that I did not neglect other areas for fear of finding some other weakness catch me off guard again. You see, even living as a muggle I had to support myself, and my only real skill was magic. I'm sure that's how Dumbledore eventually found me, by tracing the potions and brooms and things I put up for sale on the wizarding market to fund my education."
Cologne chuckled, commiseratingly. "Of course he caught you just when your only child was having a crisis and you were looking for options, vulnerable to his offer. But daughter, he was absolutely right when he said there were not three witches in the world who had chosen to educate themselves so highly as you have done."
Nodoka nodded, agreeing, "Thank you, I believe you're right. Anyway, all of that was so you know how seriously I take our situation, so you know why I am doing what we are all about to do." She leveled a gaze at all of them, meeting each of their eyes in turn. "The time to prepare for war is before the fighting has begun. During the last war Voldemort had won. It was a cheap accident that cost him that, snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory, like if he had slipped in the tub and broke his neck. The magical community cannot defend itself any better today, and it may even be weaker than they were before. They have fewer brave people willing to stand up for themselves for one, the last war killed most of them. And the dark lord has never lacked for Death Eaters, nor will he if he returns again - and Dumbledore fears that he will. The only question is when."
The Patil twins were wide-eyed. "So, are we preparing to fight him?" Parvati squeaked in terror. Sure, she was a Dual-Gryffindor, but that was alot to ask of an eleven year old girl.
"No dear, we are preparing to survive long enough to run. I am not a brave woman. I was a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor. But if we have to fight I want to win, and you will find that during a crisis is the wrong time to buy anything at all related to defense. Most of what is good and valuable will have been purchased long before you can get to them, and most of what you will find is junk as cheats and charlatans take advantage of panic buyers. Now you could get a top quality sneakoscope or foe glass for a few galleons easily and anywhere. When the time comes that most people want them you won't find one worth having for sale, unless you have a fortune you're willing to drop on it. Then you'll go for battle robes and find that enough orders have been placed before you that to fill them they'd have to skin every dragon alive, and the Ministry will always grab everything first for their people, and the dark lord's followers will have known this was coming and stocked up beforehand, if they could afford to. Then both sides will try to seize hold of suppliers and you'll never see so much as a glove worth of dragonhide for sale again no matter how much money you have." Nodoka sighed mournfully. "Unless it's a garment with holes from injuries that killed the wearer."
"This is all about being as prepared as we can be, child." Cologne informed the young girls. "And not only for Voldemort, but I'm afraid the rest of us left some troubles behind that may someday find us again. We'd all rather they didn't, but they are determined and powerful, so it is far from impossible. I'd hate to say how dangerous they are, but if they do succeed in catching us none of us really know what they'd do to us."
"We just know most of us would probably rather die," Ranko spoke quietly, as if to herself, then shuddered violently.
"So, how does this involve the snake?" Padma asked, reassured that her questions were being answered, and they weren't unreasonable ones either.
"Don't you remember? I told you." Cologne smiled softly. "As part of what we are doing here tonight we are going to kill the snake called Nagini, Voldemort's familiar."
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(Posted Wed, 03 Aug 2005 20:52)
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