The Ghost in the Night

It was Dark. Dark with a capital D. But Noah liked that.

Darkness (with a capital D) was generally considered to be Evil's (with a capital E) domain. But Noah had learned that few people had ever learned to properly use Darkness, and so it suited his purposes just as well.

Hidden in the shadows and his large, black cloak, Noah hurried up the stairs to the Clock tower. He liked to be up there - the cool wind on his face, the moon and stars. It all came together in a unique way, and he found that it reminded him of the day his life had changed forever.

Noah closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly in preparation for an Origins flashback.

-Two years ago, Hogwarts Grounds-

Noah sits alone in the moonlight, looking over the lake pensively. He had had a tough day - he had failed a charms test and messed up on potions. Even Defense Against the Dark Arts, which he was normally passable at, had resulted in him hanging from the ceiling and everyone else laughing.

It's not fair! Noah thought to himself, clenching his fist. Nobody here can understand my pain! Nobody can possibly know about my tragic past, and evil mother! Nobody can possibly understand me! He looked out over the water, and in perhaps the most angst filled move ever conceived at Hogwarts (which was seriously saying something) he cried a single tear. It rolled down his cheek and onto the ground below, where it slowly vanished into the soil.

A moment later, something fell from the sky and hit him in the head. Why?! Noah thought, searching for the thing that had hit him. Even the sky hates me! Curse you sky! You can never understand my pain! His fist closed around the thing that had hit him, and he clutched his other hand to his chest, hanging his head I am alone.

Finally, he stopped angsting long enough to look at what had hit him. He noticed, to his surprise, that it was a small piece of parchment. Unwrapping it, he found, scrawled in black ink, four simple words.

You are not alone.

Noah looked up, just in time to see a shadowy figure vanish from the top of the astronomy tower.

Huh.

-Here and Now-

Noah emerged into the Clock tower, panting from the exertion of running all the way up the stairs. But to his great surprise, what should he hear!? (No, not a magical sleigh and 8 tiny reindeer) Why, it was a person! And that could only mean...

"Out past curfew!" Noah roared, ignoring the fact that he himself was out far past curfew. "Cease and desist Evildoer! You have the right to remain PWNED!"

Piper did not have it easy. She liked to make it seem like she had it easy by dressing nice, seeming better than everyone, and typically having that Slytherin swagger. Really, she didn't. She pushed herself away for protection. She did not smoke to look cool, she smoked because she needed to release some stress. She made herself look nice hoping she would look it too.

The common room was hell. It was terrifying- being a muggleborn in the snakepit. She went on and on about what she would do to muggles and muggleborns, thinking about what her brother Jerris would say if he heard her. She felt the pressure to fit in with this Slytherin gang of sorts, to provide her support and protection, so she could survive her last few years.

So every now and then, she snuck out and went up to the clock tower, sure that no one else really went up there. It was one of her favorite places to take a load off and that was what she did. She got up there and pushed herself up onto a ledge, kicked off her shoes, let her hair down, and took out a smoke. Leaning against the cool wall, enjoying silence.

She could get used to this.

That was when the freak showed up. He shrieked at her and she raised her eyebrows, her lip curling up. The words echoed in the tight space and she reached up, touching her ear. "Holy shit, man," she said. "Keep it down, you'll wake up the castle." He continued on and she stared at him as though he were a one legged pirate. "Evildoer? Were you dropped on your head? Aren't you out past curfew, too, oddball?"

"I said cease and desist!" Noah shouted, ignoring her plea to lower his voice,. He paused for a moment, hearing I said cease and desist! bounce around the hallway leading to the main building, and then shrugged. "I said cease and desist!" He stage whispered. "Hands on your head!" He gripped his hand into a claw and shoved it forward. "I'm not afraid to use force!" He said, nodding to show he was serious. "Out after curfew and smoking...this place has become a wretched hive of scum and villainy," he said to himself.

He thought he recognized the girl. Piper, a Slytherin girl a year older than he was. She was, according to his sources, a notorious blood purist and generally a horrible person.

"You have three seconds to toss me your wand and hold your wrists out so I can detain you," Noah said, his voice slightly garbled by his Cowl's magic. "If you don't, I've been authorized to use force." he paused for a moment. "Authorized by myself of course, but still authorized."

Piper stared at this boy, who was so thick that he had obviously ignored her words that had pointed out how stupidly ignorant he was being. He was either ignorant or oblivious, she could tell that much. There was no way that he had not heard her- so he must just be dense. Piper was not sure why she had expected anything less.

He was a Gryffindor after all.

She was not sure if she was irritated by him or if she was amused. Probably the former since she had to deal with all the serpents in the snake pit. They were relentless beasts, masquereding in designer clothes and flawless skin. Damn, how she wanted to be them.

Yes, she was irritated. This much she knew as he told her to give up her wand, because he said so. Piper did not do well with any sort of authority. She stared at him and sighed, twitching her hand as though to give him the wand. Instead, she flicked it and said, "Levicorpus," in a lazy yet curt voice.

She didn't come quietly.

They never did. Not once, in nearly two years of crime-fighting, had anyone ever come quietly. Noah wished they would, but honestly, if anyone ever did, he wouldn't really know what to do with them.

It made sense, that they'd fight. Humans were stubborn creatures. They didn't take kindly to being forced to do anything, not even the right thing - especially not the right thing actually, as the right thing was usually also the difficult thing.

But none of that mattered now. What mattered is that Piper was not going to come quietly.

He was already in motion when she began her spell. She was fast, but she wasn't as serious as he was about this, and besides, he had a lot less to do. She had to flick her wand and then say the word, and wait for the spell to hit him - he just hand to hold his hand out in front of him, clench his fist, and whisper a single word.

"Protego." A blue-white dome of energy sprang into existence between him and Piper, her spell ricocheting off it and careening into a wall. Noah dropped the spell, ready to retaliate, but hesitated - she was dangerously close to the ledge, and any attack he made was likely to throw her off balance to her death. So instead he leapt backwards, dodging down the stairs, hoping to lure her closer to the center of the tower.

Piper felt a spike of irritation when she saw the Noah had successfully blocked her spell. She had not seemed like she had meant the spell, but she had hoped her causal manner would catch him off guard and the suddeness of her attack would be enough to take him by surprise and would be enough to incapicitate the psychotic Gryffindor she was dealing with.

She was so frustrated she could not help the little growl that escaped her mouth as the spell rebounded and hit the wall. there was a flicker of inflamed irritation in her eyes, a passionate darkness that invaded her otherwise soft features. Her upper lip curled. She had thought he could be entertainment but now she wanted him to pay. And she wanted to see his teeth grow past his chin. She raised her wand and waved it, saying, “Densaugeo!"