Reborn and become anew, my little flower

A mirror with green flames flickering inside appeared in a chamber of sorts with floating coffins and a huge chandelier. 

Ah, my dear esteemed benefactor..

My proud, beautiful flower of evil.

-a man's voice spoke. A clacking sound sounded in the chamber, ringing out as if someone was walking.

You are truly the fairest one of all.

O magic mirror, thy wisdom I entreat...

Reveal unto me the visage I seek...

The sound of hooves clacking against stone echoed slightly in the chamber.

You, whose image the Dark Mirror did beckon forth...

If your heart bids it, take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.

The green flames in the mirror faded out. An outstretched hand replacing it before everything faded away.

As flame reduces even the stars to ash

A burning fire appeared in the mirror before it faded away. A shard of ice appeared in the mirror. 

As ice seals away even time itself 

A cyclone of green raged in the mirror after the shard of ice disappeared. 

As great trees swallow even the sky 

Fear not the power of darkness.

Now - demonstrate your power.

The mirror's reflection showed nothing but darkness. But then, spark of white shone in center before growing and growing. It then escaped its frame before whiting the world out in a flash of pure, white light.

... 

For me. For them. For yourself.

We are all running out of time 

No matter what, never let go of my hand 

꧁𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚊𝚗'𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍꧂

1)Sᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇʀ Wᴀᴋɪɴɢ

'Huh?' Odelia thought, her eyes blearily blinking as her brain scrambled to catch her body up. What was she lying in? And what was that thing in front of her face? She tried to lift her hands to push at the barrier in front of her but the space was too confined. She winced as the tightness reminded her of her time at the Dursleys'. After she registered her final moments, tears welled up in her eyes. 

Ron and Hermione. Her first ever friends in her new life had betrayed her without a second thought. Not even giving her a chance.

Ron, who was like a brother to her. And Hermione, her sister figure.

Odelia sucked in a breath of shock as her sharp ears, honed by months on the run, picked up on a shuffling sounds. Her eyes narrowed, willing herself to forget about the incident. Her hand flicked, making her wand fall into her hand from the snakeskin wandholder.

"Crap. People are coming. Gotta get a uniform while.." a male voice said. 

"Grrr! The lid's too heavy." it continued, "Time for.. my secret move!Guawaahuuh~ There!"

Odelia's eyes widened as she let out a soft shriek of shock as blue fire ignited the cover thing in whatever she was lying in.

"Gyaa?! Fire?!" she gasped. "Aguamenti!"  Odelia whispered, quickly extinguishing the flames that began to creep into the confined space she was somehow squeezed into. 

How in the name of Merlin did that work anyways? Was her body put in by someone? Odelia made a face at the chaos that was surely happening in the wizarding world.

"OK, OK. Gotta get.." the voice jolted her out of her thoughts as she pushed herself up from the... HAH!? COFFIN? 

Her eyes were wide as she looked down at the coffin she was lying in. Was this a dream? Was she buried then bought up and revived?

"Why are you up!?" the voice made her eyes go to her eye level. Quite short since she was sitting in a coffin on the floor. Plus, she wasn't that tall to begin with.

Her jaw dropped as her gaze landed on a grey cat with blue fire in its ears. It's tail was an unusual pitchfork shape that started at bright blue and ended in grey the same colour as its fur on the end. A patch of white was right under its neck and a ragged dark blue and white ribbon was tied around its neck.

"A talking cat!?" Odelia gasped, her emerald eyes wide as dinnerplates as she looked at the cat in awe, her cautiousness dissappearing.

"Just who are you calling a cat!" the cat yelled, it's blue eyes narrowing as he put his paws on his.. where she supposed his hips were. "I am the Great Grim! Well, whatever." 

Odelia's eyes tracked its every movement, her cautiousness now ignited once more. "Hey, human! Hurry and gimme those clothes! Otherwise... I'll roast ya!" it yelled, waving it's paws in the air as blue fire sparked to life.

Uhhh. Hold on a sec. Odelia blinked. First of all, how did it spark those flames? And second, what? What did he want her clothes for? Last she checked, she was wearing a  cream top, a dark brown corset with a soft, layered velvet brown skirt tucked under. It had cost her a pretty penny but it allowed her more flexibility and movement, compared to the tight jeans and lose light purple shirt that Hermione had picked out for her. 

But now that she was really looking at it, she was wearing a black robe. The insides of the robe was purple with gold symbols, as well as the belt wrapped around her stomach. The belt was secured with a golden buckle and the robe had a purple hood that covered her head.

"Ehh?!" Odelia gasped at the sight of the clothes that fitted her perfectly. She had never given anyone her measurements except for the fitters that fitted her robes and that was only for her first year. After that, Mrs Weasley had bought them for her while she was shopping.

"Uwahh!" her eyes widened at the flames that nearly hit her. "Stop blowing flames at me, you weird cat!" she yelled, her eyes narrowed. 

"I said I ain't a freaking cat!" Grim yelled.

Odelia spun to the door and began to run. 'This looks like a school campus..' she mused as she sprinted down hallways, into a classroom and out again, into a courtyard and finally, into a library.

"Ha.. Ha..." Odelia panted, winded from the run. She was by no means unfit but running just after she woke up - with what felt like only an hour of sleep - and on andreneline only was taxing.

She eventually stood up properly and put her hands on her hips.

"Where in the name of Merlin am I?" she whispered. The doors slammed open with a loud bang and she spun around with shock as the cat - Grim entered.

"Did you really think you'd get away from my nose? Dumb human!" he cackled "Now, if you don't wanna get roasted, better hand over -"

Odelia yelped as a lash wrapped around the talking cat with a smack. 

"Buwah!? Ow! What's with this rope?" Grim yelled.

"This is no mere wope. It's a Lash of Love!" the female spun to the voice.

The person who had spoken had dark hair and pale skin with a bird mask on his face. Glowing yellow orbs glinted under the holes of the mask meant for eyes. A top hat sat on his hair, the base wrapped in blue ribbon. A mirror on the side with a raven feather accessoried the hat. He wore a white shirt and a black tie with a vest over it. A cape was around his body. Starting with a blue collar with gold outlining, followed with raven feathers. The front was dark purple with golden patterns and the back was black. He wore a belt with a series of mirrors and strange accessories on his waist with black pants. Black gloves with golden, sharp pointers on his fingers were on his hands. He grasped a black cane with a golden raven on the top and the end of a key at the bottom. The man turned to face her. 

"Ah, found you at last. Are you one of the new students?" the man asked, putting his hands on his hips. "You shouldn't do things like that. Leaving the Gate on your own!" he crossed his arms. "Not only that, you have yet to tame your familiar which has broken a number of school rules."

A school? Odelia blinked, unseen under the hood that covered her face, the shadow falling down to under her nose. Gate? And that cat, her familiar? It any pet was go be her familiar, it would  been her dear Hedwig. Unfortunately, she had let her devoted pet fly free just before her birthday, fearing what would happen to her if the Death Eaters found her.

"Let me go! I'm not their freakin' familiar!" Grim shrieked

"Sure, sure. The rebellious ones always say things like that. Just quiet down for a moment." the bird man said, taking a piece of cloth before tieing it aronnd his mouth, muffling the sound of irritation Grim made.

"My goodness. It's unprecedented for a new student to leave the Gate on their own. Uuuggh.. How impatient can you be?" the man huffed. "The entrance ceromony is already well under way. Let's head back to the Hall of Mirrors." the man ordered.

"Gate?" Odelia asked, her head tilted to the side.

"It's the room you woke up in with all the doors. All students who wish to attend this academy must pass through one of those doors to arrive here." he answered before narrowing his eyes at Odelia. "Normally, students wake up only after the door is opened with a special key but.." he trailed off.

"So those coffins were actually doors.." Odelia mumbled to herself. "The fire must have blown the lid off." Odelia shrugged.

"So in the end, the culprit appears to be this familiar." the - by the way, still unnamed - man sighed. "If you're going to bring it with you, you have to take responsibility and properly take care of it."

"Grim isn't my familiar!" Odelia frowned. What familiar would try to kill her anyways.

"Oh my! Now isn't the time to be long winded." he frowned, ignoring her words as if she hadn't spoken. Odelia scowled at his back as he turned, walking to the door.

"The entrance ceromony will soon come to a close." he waited for her at the doorway. "Let's get a move on."

"Just a second, who are you and where am I?" Odelia bit out, her eyes narrowed.

"What's this? Are you still dazed?" the man asked, putting a hand on his chin. "It appears the teleportation magic has left you disorientated..

" Well, its fine. It happens often enough." he gestured towards the door." I shall give you an explanation as we make our way there. For I am gracious. "

Odelia sighed as she walked out the door of the library. The man closed to door before leading her out.

However 'nice' he was, she had been on the run long enough to be wary of everyone. Plus, she had always been a good judge of character. And her instincts were telling her that he was incompetent.

Their walk was shrouded in silence, his polished black shoes and her knee length boots clicked on the tiles and crunched on pebbles. Only as they entered the courtyard did the man talk.

"Ahem" the sound of the man's coughing pulled Odelia out of her thoughts. "This is Night Raven College." a college? She'd barely just gotten out of school, and missed her final year, and consequently, her NEWTS (nastily exhausting wizarding tests). She had most certainly not signed up for this.

"Those magicians blassed with a unique aptitude for magic gather from all over the world here at the most prestigious academy in Twisted Wonderland." most prestigious? She'd never heard of a college named 'Night Raven'.

"And I am the headmaster, appointed to take care of the academy by the board chairman, Dire Crowley.

"Only those magicians seen as worthy by the Dark Mirror can attend this school. Chosen ones use the Gate and are summoned here from around the world."

An image crept into her mind..

A dark horse with an ebony mane had pulled a carriage up to her. That was one of the last things she'd seen after she fell.

"An Ebony Carriage carrying a Gate should have gone to meet you as well." Headmaster Crowley said.

"I think I remember going through a dark forest." Odelia mumbled. She had dreamed about that when she was asleep, among other things.

"An Ebony Carriage goes to welcome new students chosen by the Dark Mirror. They are special carriages that carry the doors to the academy. The market decided long ago that carriages are used to welcome people on special days."

"Aah? You're saying that carriage just brought me here on its own without my consent!?" Odelia demanded, a furrow digging itself into her brow.

Muffled shrieking rang out before and after she glared at Grim.

"Come. Let's go to the entrance ceremony." Crowley smilled, ignoring Odelia's question.