Young Slayer of Hogwarts

After about six Aurors were gathered in the Leaky Cauldron, Dumbledore and Snape immediately set out towards the small village. They started entering the forest but a figure appeared from the ground, half of the face covered with a hood and wore all white. Snape and Dumbledore, along with the six Aurors, were surprised about the sudden appearance of the being.

"Magic users are not allowed here. Leave this place at once," the figure's voice ordered.

"And how will you stop us?" Snape asked. The figure's covered head looked over Snape's direction.

"Only you and Albus Dumbledore are allowed entrance," the figure told them. And with a wave of its hand, the Aurors were whipped back to the village.

Snape's and Dumbledore's eyes widened at such a scene. The figure started floating along the trail as Snape and Dumbledore followed suit. The magic of this place was unbelievably more powerful than they had thought. After some time, they finally had found their destination, a mansion in the middle of the forest. It seemed to be here for years as vines covered the mansion. The figure opened the doors to the mansion, showed them entrance, and then left to settle back in the ground. Cautious now, Dumbledore and Snape held their wands tightly in their hands and entered the mansion. The mansion was big and spacious, much like the Malfoys mansion. In the mansion, it was clearly different from the outside. It was more vibrant and more appealing. Even though it was a good sight, Dumbledore and Snape weren't able to feel the mansion's beauty. For in the middle of the entrance, a glass casket was placed with a girl's body in it. They came near the body but a ghost soon flew in front of them. He was quite young, maybe around his twenties.

"You have finally come Albus Dumbledore. I have been waiting for your arrival," the ghost said.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Albus asked.

"I am the one that sent you the letter and my memory of my young mistress," he explained. "I know your name because you and Mr. Snape had attended our party ten years ago."

"Ten years ago? I don't remember coming here ten years ago," Dumbledore told the ghost as the ghost turned grim.

"The young master of this mansion... gave the guests a memory loss potion disguised as a beverage. Mr. Snape and even you did not realize it," the ghostly figure told them.

"Why would the master of this mansion want us to drink a memory loss potion?" Snape asked as the ghost sighed.

"So that none of the guests would come back here. Let me tell you the story so that both of you would have the answers you need." The ghost told them as Dumbledore and Snape looked at each for a moment and then turned back to the ghost.

"We'll listen," Dumbledore answered.

"It all started when young mistress' father married off to young master's mother. Young mistress was nine back then and young master was fourteen. At first, young master hated young mistress and her father. Young master is usually a cold person and the only person that would warm him was his mother. It only took a month for young master to start liking young mistress. And as she grew, young master's love for her also grew. It was until it was announced that Master and Mistress wanted our young mistress to have an arranged marriage. Young mistress wasn't at home at the time. Young master heard the news, and he quite objected to such a proposal, but master and mistress wouldn't have none of it. Young master did something nobody knew he would do. After the party that you and Mr. Snape attended, he made sure all the guests that came here had their memories erased of this party and everything about this family. And with an ancient magic book in his hands, all of you went back to what you did before any of this happened," the ghost explained as he flew towards the young girl in the casket and looked at her.

"I assume that must be your young mistress," Snape asked as the ghost nodded. "What happened to her and everyone else here?"

The ghost slowly touched the top of the casket as it looked like the ghost was crying without tears.

"After the guests were sent home, young master slaughtered the mistress and master with his beast that he summoned from his magic book. Young mistress came home to see the bloodied up hall. And before her, her stepbrother looked like a ravaging monster. When he saw her, he told her that she killed their parents because they arranged a marriage behind her back while she was out. Young mistress didn't care about such matters since all she could see is the blood shed my young master had done."
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"Ash, what have you done?!" The young girl yelled in surprise as she looked around the place covered in blood. Servants were killed, and her father and stepmother were clawed upon by a big dog-like beast. Her father's body was being chewed upon by the same beast.

"Sister, I did it for you. They wanted you to get married to some 'slayer' tribe. I couldn't let them, not you. Not my precious sister," he told her as tears ran down the girl's face.

"You... you didn't need to kill our parents because of it!" She came towards him and showed him what he had done. "For goodness sake, Ash, look at what you've done! Don't you regret it? You killed our parents!"

"I couldn't let another man take you away, sister. They wouldn't stop the proposal when I objected against it. This was the only way to stop it, sister. This was the only way," he said and held her.

"Ash..." She pushed him away and then turned to the beast. With a swift slash of her weapon at the beast, it disappeared. "As a daughter, I must seek vengence for them, but I... I can't kill my brother."

"You don't need to, sister. Since their dead, we can be together. Together forever," Ash told her. He held her, not wanting her to let go.

"What are you talking about, Ash?" She asked, confused at her brother's reason. It was as if he loved her more than just a relative as if he wanted her to become his lover.

"I love you, sister. I want you to only be mine," he told her. Phoenix's eyes widened at what he just told her. She suddenly slapped him and tears ran down her face once again.

"Sister, you... you slapped me. I did it for us! I did it for you!" The boy yelled and held her close to him. She shook her head and clenched her weapon at hand.

"And let it be, that the one thing you hold dear will slip away from your hands as repayment for the sins you've done," she told him as she pushed him again, walking back.

"What... what do you mean, sister?" His eyes widened in fear.

"Goodbye brother." She took her weapon and used all her power and aimed at herself.
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"So she killed herself?" Snape asked, not believing a girl her age would kill herself.

"No, it seemed that the weapon does not kill its own master," the ghost explained.

"What do you mean and is young Phoenix a slayer also?" Dumbledore asked.

"Her weapon did not kill her, but it froze her. That's the reason why she didn't age all this time. And yes, she was of a 'slayer' tribe. Her father became a retired slayer after young mistress was old enough to take up a weapon only slayers can weild," the ghost explained once more as he looked over to his young mistress again. "She was a hard working young lady, wanting to help and protect people from dangers. That was her dream."

"I want this to get over with, what do you need us for?" Snape asked straight to the point, getting bored of the girl's story.

"Ah yes, you are quite the same, aren't you, Mr. Snape? My young mistress had quite a headache from you," the ghost said with a smile. Snape looked at him confused. "But back to business as you say, I want you to take young mistress' body away from here. We, the dead servants, of this mansion want our beloved young mistress free from young master's terrible obssession of her. And maybe, she will wake up again and start a new life."

"I will gladly take her away, but I must ask a few questions before we leave," Dumbledore said as the ghost nodded.

"Ask away," the ghost said.

"Where is the child that came here a month ago?" Albus asked as the ghost turned grim.

"If you mean the young child that entered here because of a dare, he was killed by my young master. Young master ate the boy's body as it said in one of his books that it will make him stay young. He wanted young mistress to be able to recognize him again when she wakes up from her frozen slumber. Sadly, he cut the boy's head off and put the boy's head as one of his trophies." Dumbledore's kind face turned grim from the answer.

"Then what about the men that came here to find the child? Did your young master kill them too?"

"No. Our young master was already gone to traveling by then. Those blasted men entered our place even though they have been warned. You see, this place will not allow magic users. If they dared step one foot in here, they will be killed immediately unless with permission. But since they were humans, they were allowed inside even though the guard at the entrance warned them. The guard's magic does not work on ordinary humans either."

"When you say the 'guard at the entrance', do you mean the figure dressed in white?" Dumbledore asked as the ghost nodded.

"Those men entered here as I warned them also to leave. They wouldn't listen. They saw my mistress, but they couldn't touch her."

"Why not?" Dumbledore asked as Snape started to get irritated by the constant questions and the story itself.

"Because her body is as cold as ice," the ghost told them. "They flinched at just a mere touch of a finger."

"Hm... then this would cause some problems if we were to send her back with us," Dumbledore told the ghost as the ghost smiled.

"Dumbledore, I trust you could do the job," the ghost told him.

"If you both are rather finished, continue with the story so we could leave," Snape reminded both of them.

"Oh, of course, I do apologize. Please continue on," Dumbledore said and then smiled.

The ghost nodded and continued, "The men were about to find the boy in the next room, but they found the cursed treasure. And of course, they killed each other from the curse that my young master had made on the treasure and out of greed. We wanted their bodies to go back to their families so we carried them off to their small town."

"Is your young master a magic user?" Snape asked, rather curious about the young master of the mansion. The ghost shook his head.

"Young master's magic came from a book only humans who made contract with it can be used. The contract was that if my young master wanted to use its magic, he must protect the book. If the book is destroyed, his life will also be destroyed along with it."

"I've never heard such a thing before," Snape said and then looked at Dumbledore. "Does something like that exists?"

"I've only heard this once when I was twenty years old. The story was no longer told by then," Dumbledore answered.

"It isn't a surprise. It is ancient magic that isn't often used," the ghost told them. "I think you all should go now. It's getting dark here, and the permission from us can only be for so long. Please take care of my mistress."

"We shall, and thank you for helping us find our answers. But may I ask, what is your name?" Dumbledore said as the ghost smiled.

"I have no name but my mistress gave me one. She calls me, Ace, for I do everything with my very best and succeed," the ghost said with a smile.

"Do not worry, Ace. We will take good care of your young mistress. She will be in good hands." Albus told him as he went over to Phoenix's tomb. And immediately, a fog surrounded Phoenix because of her icy cold body. Albus didn't know what to do as he had no spell to make himself prevent being frozen either. Snape suddenly took off his cape and surrounded the girl's body with it. Even while she was in her frozen state, her weapon was still held in her hands. It was a silver bo staff with a marking of a phoenix on it.

"We should get going, Albus. I think the Aurors are waiting for us," Snape told Dumbledore as Dumbledore nodded.

"Then we shall take our leave then. Goodbye Ace." Dumbledore said as Snape merely nodded at the ghost while he held Phoenix's body.

"Thank you both. Goodbye, my lovely mistress," the ghost said as his hand tried to caressed her cheek and then lead the two men out of the mansion.

Both men apparated out of the forest and met up with Aurors once more. Afterwards, Dumbledore had no other choice but to take her to Hogwarts with Snape by his side. After they settled her down in one of the rooms in the dungeons, Albus looked over at Snape.

"How did you know that your cape prevented yourself from her cold body?" Dumbledore asked Snape. Snape looked over at him.

"I don't know," Snape answered, and that was no lie.