After many angsty chats with friends, and being nominated for the Quicksilver Quills – Best Post Hogwarts Fiction, I’ve finally decided to get into it and polish this chapter.

Thank you to LexiGirl for nominating me!

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Prologue

The robe swathed shadow leaned delicately over the wooden crib, pausing ever so slightly to look shiftily through the eyeholes in the mask that hid his face from view. Then, without further apprehension, he reached in and picked up yet another precious bundle; something that would no doubt finish off the quota his master had insisted upon, no matter what the conditions.

With his precious cargo held tightly in his hands, he leapt silently out of the second story window narrowly missing the balcony, but never loosing his grip on the bundle.

He agilely jumped from rooftop to rooftop, stopping only once at a brick wall to utter an unintelligible incantation under his breath.

The mass of blankets in his arms caught in the light of the full moon, and somewhere he heard the painstakingly loud scream of a distraught woman.

He slid silkily through the hole he had scorched through the wall, and disapperated into the night, leaving only the sorrowed sobs of a lonely witch, and the fading cries of a baby.


* * *

A witch suddenly sat up bolt upright in bed. She ran her fingers through her hair, still disturbed from the remains if her dream she’d pulled herself out of moments before.

She still felt the residual emotions from the dream, and shook her head as if to rid her mind of them. She looked uneasily around the room, and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her long, silvery hair fell down around her shoulders, lank and unkempt. Her once glossy fringe was greasy and clumped together.

She swung her legs out from under the covers with difficulty, and set them slowly on the floor unsure whether they would support her.

She scrambled in the darkness for a few moments, desperate to find the bedside light. The light flickered for a moment, and then shone steadily, illuminating the room and the red-haired man lying fast asleep in the bed next to her.

Her crutches were leaning against the dresser, less than three feet away. She pushed her arms into the sweaty bedclothes around her and stood up, her legs shivering slightly in the cold night wind coming in through the nursery window.

She slowly made her way across the wooden floor, so cold at night that they sent shivers running up her feet and legs. She had only just laid her hands on the tops of them when she turned sharply towards the bed.

The wizard murmured in his sleep, shifted position slightly, and then fell deeply back into slumber. She turned back towards the door stopping to snatch her wand off the oak bedside table, and then continued her journey to the nursery, joined to the main bedroom of their newly decorated apartment.

She shifted her weight on her crutches and pointed her wand at the doorknob on the door.

“Alohomora.�

She swung into the room, apprehensive. She got a bad vibe as she rounded the corner and stumbled quickly down the split-level stairs to the crib. She felt a shiver pass over her, and goose bumps mottle her skin as it crawled under the still evident effects of the dream. A single glance confirmed her worst fears.

She let out an ear-piercing scream and her crutches cluttered loudly to the floor, waking up the dozing wizard in the next room

* * *

Bill Weasley woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. Something awful was happening, and Fleur screaming only alarmed him more so. His wife was so strong, hardly showing emotion now she was older, hardly as frivolous these days. When she was younger, and when Bill had first met her, she was an attractive young teenager with a fiery temper to match, always dissecting every little detail, and scrutinizing everyone she met, making a hasty first impressions.
He smiled fondly as though picturing the memory clearly in his mind. He shook out his long, unruly red hair, a trademark of his Weasley heritage; all of his five brothers and lone sister, not to mention many relatives were cursed with the same fiery hair.

Fleur's screams had reduced to heart wrenching sobs, and Bill quickly clambered into a robe and slippers and shuffled sleepily into the nursery. It was probably nothing. Fleur had these panic attacks daily, and ever since that prophecy her grandmother had made some six months before on her deathbed, she had been paranoid and jumpy like a cat.

* * *

Fleur stared at the empty crib, as though not seeing it. No, it's absolutely couldn't. It just couldn't. Why her poor defenseless baby girl? She didn't possess any power the Dark Lord, or she knew of.

“Or did she? � A little voice murmured insistently in the back of her mind. “your grandmother, a fine Veela herself foretold such an event. �

“Yes, � that persistently annoying voice reminded her. She had told her to always be on her guard, and she’d failed miserably. She failed herself and her daughter. Bill, who was constantly in contact with his family and The Order, had warned her something like this would happen.

Voldemort was recruiting, as he had put it. His one blunder nearly thirty-something years ago was he was going after fully grown witches and wizards. Their minds were made up, and it was very hard to convince those fair few. Children on the other hand, their minds could be molded, shaped and destroyed with the loving touch of evil.
Yes, Bill had indeed tried protecting their apartment with Stealth Sensing spells, but alas, their magic was not what it used to be.

Their magic was the strongest they had ever seen it when they were falling in love, and up until Fleur's trust had been broken in Bill for that tiny miniscule moment, Lord Voldemort had seen the weakness and struck. Fleur came away crippled but still determined to fight for the cause. So many great wizards had died fighting Lord Voldemort, and it was their trust in each other and their love that shone like a beacon of hope, and helped Fleur begin the excruciatingly slow road to recovery.

But now, as Bill walked slowly up to Fleur and slipped his arm around her shoulders and her hand into his, they both stared aimlessly out the broken window, its fly screen protecting sliced and floating outwards in the warm breeze of the July night.

---

Millicent woke up with a start, covered in a feverish sweat. Her bedclothes were tangled and soaked, half hanging off the floor. She pushed herself up right and leant over to switch on her table light. She fumbled clumsily for a moment, and then blinked stupidly for a moment in the harsh yellow light.

The light lit up her room, showing her toy box, half closed, bursting with stuffed animal plush toys and multi colored hippogriff figurines lying on the floor. Her bed was encased in a rainbow mosquito net, which fitted in nicely with Millie's extravagant personality.

She got out of bed, careful not to slip on the newly polished floor in her stockinged feet, and tiptoed over to her wardrobe, trying not to alert her parents to the fact she was out of bed after-hours.
She had just got her arms into her dressing gown when her mothers crutches could be heard thumping slowly down the hall way. She slowly slunk out of her room, and slid gracefully down the hall, her hair catching in the light of the moon through the window.

Her silvery locks mimicked not her father, but the silken tresses of her mother. She wound a finger around a lone curl nervously as she padded down the hall.

At nearly five Millie had been through enough scenarios to rival even her Uncle Harry. Her life had changed dramatically when her grandmother had died.

She remembered her mother’s face when Aunt Gabrielle had come out of the candle-lit room, her face drawn and streaked with the memories of tears. Her mother face had not yet given in to grief, and was holding herself stiffly, her lips forming a thin line. She had gone in her eyes pausing shortly on Millie, four, then she too, passed through the doorway into her grandmothers room to bid her her finally goodbye. When she had come out her face was shining with freshly shed tears, and her father and walked over and caught her in a hug, his coarse hands stroking her silvery hair.

As Millie stood with her back pressed against the wall the window opened of its own accord and something reached out and grabbed a fistful of Millie’s hair, dragging her head back to see into the eyes of a Death Eater’s mask. His eyes were a light ice blue, so piercing Millie couldn’t help but look into them, so deep and full of secrets.

“Tell your wretch of a mother that The Dark Lords quota has almost been fulfilled. There’s only one child left to be acquired.� He bared his yellowing teeth at her, and the air that had not already been cut of by her necklace was not befouled with the smell of death.

Millie wrenched herself free, and flattened herself against the wall in horror. She stared open mouthed at the now closed window, her eyes disbelieving.No. That hadn’t just happened had it?

Suddenly her mother's scream sliced through the air and Millie’s head whipped to the side so fast her necklace broke free and swung through the air to land in the moonlight by the window. She took off at a run towards her sister’s room, not noticing it starting to glow, her feet slipping on the floorboards.

The necklace was in the shape of a lightning bolt.

---

Fleur sat with her head in her hands, despairing over her lost child. Why Wendy? Such a young child, no powers, no protection; no real worth to the worth except her family’s mental health. She sighed deeply, her palms of her hands digging hard into her eye sockets, as though to rid her eyes of the vision on seeing her daughter’s bassinet, empty, and Wendy… lost to the Dark Lord.

Bill stared at his wife. There was nothing he could do for her. At least not of yet. An idea formed in his head, and with a brief hug to his wife, which she did not return, he strode out of the dark room and walked promptly into his first born daughter.

Her eyes were wide and luminous, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Bill uttered a cry of surprise and rushed to envelope her is a tight bear hug.

“What is it Millie? What did you see?� He frowned at her silence. Something was not right.
Millie gazed up at her father. She rocked back and forth on her heels and opened her mouth quavering.

“Daddy...� She leapt into his waiting arms and he held her close.
“Daddy,� she began again, “Daddy I saw him! He came for me and breathed the stench of death all over me.�

Bill broke the hug and held Millie at arms length, staring into her brilliant blue eyes. “Millie….honey, it was just a nightmare. Go back to bed.� Bill pushed her in the direction of her room, but Millie stood her ground.

“Dad.�

“Being grown up now are we?�

“Dad. �

“Millie. �

“Why won’t you believe me? Are you calling me a liar?�

“Millie…� He trailed off helplessly, running a hand through his short hair, making it stand on end awkwardly. He crouched down to her level and stared her in the eyes.

She stared defiantly back at his, the resemblance to her Uncles Fred and George was striking. He looked away before talking.

“You know your mother and I are involved in certain… activities are we’re constantly on alert to the whereabouts of Lord Voldemort, and listening to little girl’s nightmares aren’t helping the situation any more than your mother being out of action. We just don’t have time for these things…especially in light of recent events.� He turned around and stared down the silent hall where Fleur was lost in thought.

Millie followed his gaze. “Dad, what’s wrong? Is Wendy sick again? Why did Mother scream? Did she hurt herself?� The questions tumbled out of her mouth and her eyes grew wide.

She ran down the hall slipping slightly on the floors and ran down the stairs to her sister’s basinet.
She took in the sight of the gaping window and her distraught mother.

“Mother, where’s Wendy? Where is she?� she demanded of her mother, her hair falling around her face. She distractedly brushed it out of the way and leant further in.

“Well?� Fleur looked up and her eyes were so sunken that Millie stepped back in fright.

“It’s happened then,� she said, “they’ve finally gotten her.�

---

Lord Voldemort lowered his hands from his face and looked upon his followers gathered around him in a circle.
“It is done then?� He asked, focusing on Lucius Malfoy, and Lord Voldemort was pleased to see him squirm under his gaze.
He bent into a low bow, his blond hair sweeping forward and touching the floor. He stood up abruptly and reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a tiny, sleeping Wendy Weasley.
“Indeed it has, my Lord.� He stepped forward and presented her to his Master.
Lord Voldemort ran one long, skeletal finger down her tiny, smooth cheek and smiled maliciously, his eyes glowing dangerously.

His plan was in action

---

A/N: I’d like to take this opportunity to explain the usage of * * * and the < h r > formatting tag.

* * * refers to the same characters, but a change in time or place.
< h r > refers to a different set of characters, time and setting. Please, if you notice me slipping up in this particular use of formatting, do not hesitate to review, or PM me @ Lurid on MNFF Beta Boards.

I must also give thanks to LexiGirl for her Nomination for Malicious Intentions in the Quicksilver Quills – Post Hogwarts Fiction thread. I am eternally grateful, and it has inspired me to finally stop procrastinating and fix this little Fic up.

Thank you to all my readers who have remained faithful!

It becomes apparent in this chapter that since HBP, the appearance of Professor Dumbledore as the pre-deceased headmaster catagorises this fic as AU. Please bear with me and keep in mind this was written before the release date of HBP was even made known to the public. Thank you!

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Ancient Past

Millicent Weasley woke sleepily then sat up fast, looking at her mechanical alarm clock and swearing.

“Damn Muggle contraptions!�

She heavily threw her blankets aside and scrambled out of bed in haste, looking for her bag.

“Shut it, Millie. It’s what, five in the morning?� said her roommate and cousin Giselle sleepily. She rolled over and glared at her before rubbing her sleep encrusted green eyes and yawning loudly.

“I don’t have time, Gis, I have to go now! Why do Muggle contraptions refuse to work here? It’s such a nuisance!� she said hotly, blowing her hair out of her eyes as she viciously ripped open her schoolbag that was hiding stealthily behind the curtains. She sorted through it, pulling out rubbish and strewing it all over the bed. She shoved several thick books inside before closing it and swinging it onto her shoulder.

“I don’t know what your problem is, really. It’s a lovely Saturday, the sun is shining, the world is smiling, and baby I love you,� she sang happily, rocking back and forth on her four-poster.

Giselle loved to sing; although usually it wasn’t a sound you wanted to wake up to. Her voice would raise low and high sporadically throughout the song, and it tickled Millie’s ears as a deep hum grew in her throat.

Her raven colored hair fell in graceful cascades around her face, a trait Millie was envious of. Her hair usually fell straight stick down. Her smiling face was perfect, in Millie’s opinion, and had none of the freckles Millie had come to despise in her adolescent years. Her eyes shone a brilliant green and were a lovely almond shape that all the Gryffindor boys found adorable. But not everything that went on behind those eyes was sunshine and daises, in fact quite the opposite. Giselle’s happiness was often delayed by frequent memories of her tortured childhood. Millie shuddered to think what that girl had gone through.

“Lighten up, sweetie. Dad’s not going to yell at you for being a few minutes late, now is he? It’s not like he was any better at our age!�

Millie turned around and shoved her hands on her hips, now grinning at her cousin. Giselle was right. Her Uncle Harry had been known to be lenient on the two girls, recognising their distinct disrespect for rules as a family trait, and laughed off any accusations the carefree girls threw at him, calling him a complete push over.

“Your father would punish me if I was, for example, to go down to the Great Hall and bring us both up a hot breakfast, he wouldn’t add time to my detention?�

Giselle grinned back at her and flopped back down onto her pillows. She held her hands in the air beckoning for Millie to come closer.

Millie stepped forward and stopped down to hear her whisper. It became apparent straight away she needn’t have worried; Giselle’s voice exploded into her eardrum.

“And neither would I, for your information. As you know, laziness runs in the family!� she winked and squealed as Millie threw a pillow at her.

Millie sighed and sat down on her bed. “Wouldn’t hurt to get dressed properly either, you know. Dad would be extremely annoyed if he knew his daughter’s only talent was to be wasted and ignored.�

Giselle sat back up and leaned back on her elbows, surveying the crime against fashion her cousin was wearing. Giselle was, in fact, as talented in the craft as her mother and father, but often didn’t pay attention to anything the teachers were saying, and as a result usually only just passed exams.

“Are you saying plaid pyjamas aren’t fashionable?� Millie said, sweeping her hands down her body in mock confusion.

“Truly, darling you should at least wear the pants the right way around-�

Giselle was stopped by a pillow to the face that Millie had thrown at her, and grinning, she declared war. She picked up her pillow and bashed Millie over the head with it. Soon the girls were involved in a pillow fight so fierce it woke up the sleeping Halle in the other bed. She blinked her brown eyes in a bemused sort of way, before shaking out her bushy brown hair and seizing her pillow and thumping Giselle in the head, sending her sprawled to the ground gasping for breath. The two Weasley’s ganged up on Giselle and soon all three were breathing hard, their cheeks flushed, their eyes wild.

“I’ll see you later guys. Wait for me in the entrance hall,� she said as she waved goodbye and set off for the Fat Lady’s Portrait, humming merrily down the spiral stairs.

“Wonder if she knows she's still wearing her pyjamas?� Halle whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Giselle. The girls broke up in giggles and walked over to their beds and waited for Millie to come back.

* * *

Millie had gone back to change hurriedly into some robes, glaring good-naturedly at her still giggling cousins and had exited once more through the Fat Lady and down to the Great Hall to pick up some breakfast.

Now she was climbing up the stone stairs to her Uncle’s office where he was waiting for her.

She entered the room and saw his high-backed leather chair facing the windows, which overlooked the billowy Hogwarts grounds. If Millie strained her neck far enough, and averted her eyes to the left, she could just see the tangled branches of the Whomping Willow fighting boisterously with the flittering birds.

Harry turned it around at the sound of the knock of the door and stood up to help her with the bulging bag she carried with her. “Ah, excellent. Breakfast!�

He lifted out a steamed-up container of bacon rashers, sausages and baked beans, each in their own little section. He set them down on the highly polished desk and opened the plastic lid. The heavenly aroma reached Millie’s nose and she inhaled the scent deeply. Harry conjured plates and a pitcher of Pumpkin juice out of thin air and set them down lightly on the table. Millie slipped off her bag and set it on the floor beside her. She looked expectantly at Harry, who was looking, to her surprise, right back at her with an amused look on his face.

“I believe, Miss Weasley, you are late?� He lifted the pitcher to a goblet on his desk and poured a glass for himself.

“I believe, Professor, that I am still standing, and waiting for breakfast. Do you have an explanation?� Millie’s lips curved up in a playful smile as she stared down her uncle.

“Do you, Miss Weasley, have an explanation for letting off Fireworks in Professor Snape’s class? And why do you think I would be sharing my breakfast, which you have so graciously brought up here for me, with you?�

“Because, Sir, Uncle Fred insisted I try out his new range of Liquid Start Fireworks. He suggested I use them for a worthwhile cause to really see what they can do. And I’m really hungry, and as you mention I did bring you breakfast.�

She had her hands back on her hips now, and Harry was trying and failing to stop himself from letting out a chuckle.

“Very well, Millie, sit down,� he said as he conjured up a matching leather chair, which Millie promptly filled, her loud barking laughter filling the room. She knew her uncle couldn’t keep a straight face around his youngest niece.

“You do of course realise that if it had not been me that Severus was having a small discussion with, you could be the one cleaning green slime off the ceiling of the dungeon. Now, of course, poor Miss Griselda Goyle won’t be there all weekend. I daresay Professor Snape will give her a hand by magical means. It is, after all her birthday soon. She should be finished by tomorrow morning, by which time you’ll have completed your conveniently assigned detention with me.�

Harry paused with his mouth just over the rim of his goblet. A smile twitched the corner of his mouth as he drank deeply.

“You can tell Fred his fireworks are up to standard once again, and his Fainting Fancies are coming in handy for the D.A. assignment. You wouldn’t believe how many Voldemort supporters have been, ah, disposed of into cells of Azkaban Prison. All it takes is a slip of the orange end into their drinks over a simple, harmless handshake, a simple flick of the wrist, and they’re out cold and easy pickings for the Aurors,� he said, taking a sip and looking thoughtfully at Millie before continuing. “This brings me to the real reason for our meeting here this morning. I’m under the impression you told Professor McGonagall your career choice yesterday?�

“Yes, sir,� Millie said, suddenly serious and listening intently, “What did she say? She said she’d talk to you about my circumstances, whatever they might be?�

Harry sighed heavily and brought his fingers together in front of his face. He continued to look closely at Millie, analysing her reaction.

“You need not have me tell you this Millie,� he said kindly, staring into her stunning blue irises. “I understand since your sister was taken by Lord Voldemort when you were younger your main ambition in life has been to rid the world of Voldemort’s supporters, but I can assure you, I have been after the same thing in life ever since that bastard murdered my parents on Halloween near to thirty-four years ago. But Millie, that’s not the answer. I tried being an Auror, but contrary to what I thought, it just wasn’t my calling. You see, Millie, getting your sister back and dying in the attempt are different matters. I simply won’t allow you to become an Auror, and I'm sure your parents, while they would agree finding your sister is important, it isn’t as important as being safe and sound. I don’t think Bill and Fleur could handle to lose another child.�

Millie stared at him defiantly, her jaw set. He couldn’t talk to her like this. He couldn’t destroy her dreams, her ambitions, and her goal in life. He couldn’t just make it go away with a few simple words as ‘I won’t allow you’. People saying she wasn’t allowed or permitted to do something didn’t stop her in any way.

But as she looked into the startling emerald green eyes that mirrored Giselle’s own, she couldn’t bring herself to disagree with Harry. She knew how much hurt this man has suffered, and losing any member of his extended family would surely tear him apart.

“Don’t worry, Harry. I’ll be a ‘good little girl’ and aspire to something else, as far as a career at the Ministry goes,� she taunted him using the phrase he had lectured her with many times, and without notice, scraped her chair out and slung her bag onto her shoulders. She turned on her heel and walked swiftly out the doorway, the heavy oak door closing with a click behind her. Harry didn’t attempt to follow her, and she took it upon herself to continue back to Gryffindor tower.

She didn’t make it that far, for behind the One Eyed Witch statue hid a figure, half concealed in shadows. Only her silver hair caught the light as the sun shone dimly through the grimy stain glass windows and betrayed her location. The lithe girl crept slowly and silently behind her target and as Millie turned around unexpectedly, she caught sight of a pair of blue eyes identical to her own and a gleaming silver lock of hair before blanking out into total darkness.

The attacker dragged Millie back into the shadows and stared down at her expressionless face. She stared down in surprise at the lightning bolt necklace around Millie’s neck.

“Hello, sister dear,� she said flatly.

---

Harry sat back deeply in his chair and stared at his interlocked fingers, but not seeing them completely. Instead he was thinking about Millie, amongst other things. He was deep in thought when there came a knock at the door. In strode Ginny, coffee in hand, pulling their second daughter along by the hand that was covered in mud and had a very mischievous smile on her face.

“Callie decided on the way that a particular puddle of mud would be a good place to sit a have a lie down. Could you please look after her Harry, while I get my errands done in Hogsmead and re-open up the shop?� she asked with a desperate look on her face. "She just couldn’t stop letting off the fireworks in the storeroom. I was hoping a day with her favorite Daddy would set her straight?�

Harry sighed and took Callie into his arms and set her on his lap. She squealed with joy and rapped her sticky, wet arms around Harry. Harry laughed and waved a hovering Ginny out the door with a smile on his face.

“What am I going to do with you?� he said with a grin on his face.

“Piggy back ride, piggy back ride!�

Harry laughed obligingly, the skin at the corner of his eyes crinkling. She climbed up onto his shoulders and teetered dangerously before Harry grabbed hold of her ankles and stepped out from behind the desk.

He had taken her three times around the office before he heard a polite knock, knock on the door.

“Come in!� he yelled, setting Callie down on the desk where she immediately grabbed some carefully shuffled papers and through them in the air.

“Don’t Callie, bad girl,� he scolded on his way to the door.

“Ah, Professor Dumbledore… err – what a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting you anytime soon. The D.A meeting preparations aren’t until tomorrow are they? Or have I forgotten?�

Harry licked his lips and nervously ran his hands through his hair hurriedly as he glanced around his untidy office.

His eyes stopped on Callie gleefully parading herself on Harry’s desk pursing her lips, batting her eyelashes and beaming her thousand-watt-smile at Dumbledore. Harry stepped over quickly, embarrassed and quickly put her on the floor where she proceeded to shimmy nonchalantly in front of Professor Dumbledore who was watching her with an amused look on his face, his eyes twinkling merrily.

Harry turned back to Dumbledore with his ears burning. Callie had now stopped dancing and had flung herself on the floor in a tantrum, fat crocodile tears streaming down her face.

“I want an Acid Pop, Daddy! I want it now!� she said through her tears.

Professor Dumbledore strode forward and pulled one out of his robe pocket. He also pulled out a number if sherbet lemon’s and offered one to Harry who accepted it confusedly.

Callie looked back and forth at the lolly in her hand to Dumbledore who was now standing over her watching her quietly.

“Thank you, sir,� she said politely before stuffing the pop in her mouth, wrapper and all. She stared at him in wonder, the lolly pops outline pushing through her cheek like a great bulge.

Harry turned back to Dumbledore with his ears burning and found Dumbledore too be looking back at Callie affectionately.

“Little tyke, just like her father when he was a toddler. I remember it well. I myself was the one who gave you such a fond liking for Sherbet Lemon’s,� he chuckled softly.

This made Harry’s face flush hotly and a pink color appeared in his cheeks. Dumbledore however hadn’t noticed and walked around Harry’s office slowly with a smile on his face.

He quickly sobered and turned towards Harry’s fireplace where even in the early morning it was blazing and crackling merrily. Harry found himself thinking how impressive Dumbledore looked, silhouetted against the flames.

“Headmaster, if you please, what is all this about?�

Dumbledore sighed heavily and turned back towards Harry. Harry was shocked to see his face drawn and shallow. Something was clearly bothering Dumbledore and Harry didn’t like to think what it was.

“Harry it’s happened. Voldemort’s plan is in action.�

---

A/N: I’d like to thank my ever vigilant beta Lori (OhISee) as her particularly knobbly wand in my back for finally getting this chapter out into the world for you to read.

Many thanks to Miel (the nutty imp) for her help of tenses, which is of course very important to a new writer.

I obviously had a few problems with this chapter, and of course, the glitch that resulted in the third chapter being posted before the second, and I thank my reader for bearing with me through the long wait that included seven resubmission.


Edited On: seventh of June, one day after Validation! Yay! It finally got validated, on the eighth attempt, nonetheless! It shows you persistence does pay off!

Author’s Notes: This chapter remains to (right now) this day the only un-beta’d chapter of Malicious Intentions. I’m hoping, if you’ve read it before you’d not suffered the consequences of a pre-beat chapter. Thank you for all your reviews!

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Revelations

Hours passed and Millie’s absence from classes went suspiciously unnoticed. It wasn’t until all the light had dimmed from the window had the girl dragged her sister’s lifeless form out from behind the statue.

The lightening bolt necklace glinted in the overhead light of the moon as the attacker dragged Millie’s limp, lifeless form into an unused classroom. The moonlight flooded in through the large bay windows, and the girl walked over and yanked the curtains shut. The Attacker had waited for hours in the shadows, concealed from anyone who happened to walk past. She had been waiting for Millie to stir, and she saw with some satisfaction the bruise on her head purpling and Millie starting to mumble incoherently.

Millie’s eyes opened at the sharp contrast and she blinked and looked blurrily around. She could vaguely make out a form some six feet away. Suddenly the blur shifted and was standing over her and Millie saw again to her surprise the same, piercing blue eyes she herself had.

“Get up, Millicent,� the girl demanded icily, “Are you surprised to see me after all these years?�

Millie shrank away from the girl, pushing herself backwards into a corner. She felt her back hit the cold hard wall and she stopped as the blue eyes drew equal with her own.

“Who are you and why do you think I should know you?� she said bracingly.

The girl reached down and grasped Millie’s hand in her own and roughly pulled her to her feet.

Millie was surprised at the strength the girl had, and stood there in front of her swaying slightly.

“Millicent, do you know who I am? Haven’t you been wondering?� the girl mocked her, walking around her in circles lifting each foot delicately and setting it down again on the wooden floor, and plume of dust rising each time contact was made. Millie followed her every move, scared that if she had her back to her for too long something awful would happen.

“You could stop teasing me, but of course that would ruin your fun,� Millie said lowly, her motto being ‘When in doubt, fake it’.

“You don’t like games, sister dear?� the girl with the silver hair taunted her, stopping again and staring into her eyes – the girl’s eyes.
Millie gasped and brought her hand up to her mouth. No, couldn’t be Wendy?

“That’s right, Millicent; I’m Wendolin. Your ‘missing sister’. The one you dedicated your life to finding. I won’t lie to you. I much prefer my life as it is, so I ask of you to stop trying to change me. The Dark Lord has powers over me you know not, much more powerful than your little magic you use.�

Wendolin pushed her roughly to the ground and whispered in her ear menacingly. “Speak of this meeting to anyone, and I swear on our Grandmother’s grave you will never know what hit you.�

Millie gazed stunned up at the girl. What was the point of this? Sure, so Wendy wanted to make herself known, but why go to all this trouble to knock her out in the middle of the day then wait for it to become dark enough just to tell Millie who she was? Something wasn’t right. Nothing seemed to be adding up.

Just as suddenly as the girl turned up she swished away, her silky robes flashing and swirling in front of Millie’s eyes as she exited through the stone arch at the further end of the classroom. Millie sat dazed, unaware of the details that had just happened. She got slowly to here feet and walked back up to Gryffindor tower. Her mind felt absent from her body as the said the password.

“Thestrals.�

The Fat Lady swung open mutely and as she climbed up the spiral stairs she could hear the carefree giggles coming from her cousins, and this woke her mind up enough so when she walked into the dormitory she was alert enough to answer their questions sufficiently.

“Where were you today? We were worried when you didn’t turn up for practice.�

“What’s up with your hair, mate? Are you trying for a new manky style or something? Because I have news for you: Not gonna happen.�

Millie sat down heavily on the center four-poster and sighed. Suddenly the smirks on Halle’s and Giselle’s faces turned to looks of concern for their friend. Usually Millie would have shot back with a retort so fast you’d crick your neck trying to see it. But tonight something was wrong. The girls thought it best just to leave Millie to wallow in her own thoughts for the evening. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

“G’night then, sweetie,� Halle said patting her hand before returning to her own bed and settling in for the night.

Giselle instead said nothing as she brushed her hair out in a methodical way, parting each section and swishing the brush through it the compulsory number of times.

Silently and without looking at Millie who was now staring aimlessly at the ceiling she leant over and switched of the light.

The room was engulfed in darkness and Millie rolled over and waited for dawn to come.

---

Millie woke to the sound of the shower running in the next room and Halle singing in her off-key voice to Millie’s now working radio. Fickle things, those Muggle radios. You were never sure when they would start working. As Millie gathered her things together for a shower she noticed Giselle’s bed was made so tight you could drop a Sickle on it and it would bounce half way to the ceiling before coming back down again. This was an unusual manner for Giselle, to be so orderly. Something was up. Then she noticed the note pinned to the bed covers down near her feet.

Millie,

There’s something serious I have to talk to you about. I can’t talk about it at the moment. Some of the things you said were confusing. I’ll talk to you after the D.A meeting today. Dad said something significant would be happening today, and I don’t want miss any of it by thinking about you.

Giselle

Millie stared at the last line of the note. Did she sense a touch of hostility? Then she looked closer.

Some of the things you said were confusing What had she said in her sleep that have possibly been so offending?

There was no time to think about it however, as Halle came barreling out of the shower wrapped in a towel, her brown hair slick with water droplets falling steadily to the floor.

“Hey! You’re up! Good timing too, Giselle’s gone down to the Hall for breakfast, she said to meet us at the meeting. You all right?� she added, the cheerful expression on her face faltering at the look on Millie’s.

“It’s nothing really; Giselle just said she had to talk to me about something.� Millie swept past Halle into the bathroom and slipped under the shower.

Halle stood in the middle of the room with a bemused look on her face. Then she brightened and laughed.

“Giselle was right. We should really get her some new pyjamas. No wonder she was grumbling in her sleep last night! Anyone would have nightmares if they wore those fashion faux pas!�

“I heard that, Halle!� Millie’s disgruntled voice could be heard above the sound of the spraying water.

* * *

Millie lathered up the shampoo inhaling it’s sweet citrus scent. She worked it into her scalp, enjoying the feel of her fingers on her sore head. She worked it in harder then rinsed it out fully before adding conditioner to the tangled mess, letting the water cascade down her sore aching body. She closed her eyes as she let the water flush the stinging shampoo from them. It felt good to be toasty and warm beneath the hot water of the shower, but suddenly her good mood that had come so suddenly vanished just as fast and she was displeased when the water suddenly began to cool rapidly so she was shivering when she got out and wrapped a fluffy white towel around her dripping body.

She walked over to the fogged up mirror and rubbed her hands through the mist to wipe off the condensation. She stepped up to the counter and looked into her eyes.

The girls eyes, she thought suddenly.

She refused to think anymore about the strange happenings of the previous night and started getting dressed. As she pulled on her Gryffindor robes and shoved her wand in her skirt pocket she glanced on more time in the floor length mirror opposite her bed, fluffed her hair and hurried down to the Great Hall before the meeting was due to start.

* * *

As she hurried up the stairs she thought vaguely of Giselle and her mood last night. She didn’t say anything after Millie walked in, and this morning she took off before Millie was even awake. Usually the trio waited for each other every morning. She reached the landing where the Room of Requirement was waiting for her and fingered her lightning bolt necklace as she walked back and forth three times thinking to herself I need to be at the D.A meeting, a place to learn how to defend ourselves.

Suddenly a door appeared on the wall next to a piece of parchment with all the members of the D.A printed on it in Harry’s messy untidy scrawl, and opposite an tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed into submission by trolls.

Millie signed the parchment with the quill provided, then pressed her necklace into the ink and made and imprint next to her name. The door sprang open and she entered the room.

The walls were lined with heavy wooden bookcases lined with books with heading like A Compendium of Common Curses and Their Counter-Actions and Self Defensive Spell work: The Arts Outsmarted.

It still amazed Millie to see all the different types of Dark Magic Detectors such as Sneakescopes, a large Foe Glass that belonged in Harry’s office and a silver spindly object Millie had seen in Headmaster Dumbledore’s study. Small cushions and comfortable chintz chairs completed the look and as Millie sat down slowly and deeply into one she saw Harry giving her a hard look. Apparently he had been giving the D.A a lecture on why the meeting was so significant. He gave a questioning look as to where she was the previous day but Millie focused instead on Halle and Giselle who were attentively looking towards Harry to continue.

Harry cleared his throat and looked back at the rest of them. “As I was saying before, today is a highly significant day because it’s the birth of some of our most powerful members. Halle Weasley, Millie Weasley and Giselle Potter.�

He paused and looked at the three of them for a moment before continuing. Millie’s mind however was else where. How could she have forgotten her own birthday, let alone Giselle’s and Halle’s? Maybe this was why Giselle was so annoyed at her this morning. But even now as her eyes met Giselle’s she was greeted with a cold look before she turning back to her father. Millie was abashed. What had she done? She turned back to Harry’s waiting face and listened, concentrating hard and deliberately looking over the head of her cousin.

“Our necklace, or amulet as the males prefer to call it,� he paused while the men laughed appreciatively, “represents a bond.� He finished, wetting his lips before continuing.

“In the time of Merlin rings were symbolic of promises. Kings gave rings to their knights when they send them on journeys. Queens gave rings to warriors who fought for them in battles. A ring given to someone else was a pledge, a physical reminder that a bond existed between two people. In our case, our necklaces symbolise our commitment to the side of good, of fighting against Voldemort.�

“Our necklaces also represent what started all of this – my scar.� Harry paused and touched his scar in the middle of his forehead lightly before continuing.

“Voldemort gave me this scar, marking me as his equal when he killed my parents. He linked to me the powers of the Heir of Slytherin. In my second year I discovered I could speak Parseltongue, a treasured trait of Lord Voldemort. He also gave me the power to keep defying him, and our necklaces also symbolise our connection to our powers.�

He gestured around the room to which all the members were subconsciously grasping their necklaces, and not noticing them beginning to glow at their touch.

Harry too touched his amulet, much bigger than the rest before continuing his speech.

“When we find ourselves in the presence of a Death Eater or anyone of malicious intentions we send a signal out to our members, you lend their power to you, making you strong enough to fight. And Win.�

“Our strongest members all share birthdays, and even though they’re young, have great potential. They share the bond of their birthdays. It creates a triple amount of power when working together and even Voldemort cannot hurt them. Their love and respect for each other is much like how I survived my first encounter with Him. My mother lay her love down for me and sacrificed herself so I could live my life and one day avenge their deaths.�

One Muggle born member apprehensively raised her hand, and when Harry called on her looked frightened at the prospect of speaking in front of everyone.

“Sort of like the Charmed Ones?� she squeaked out, blushing profusely at being paid attention to by Harry Potter. Usually quite a confident girl, she quailed under the pressure of so many eyes and smiled awkwardly.

“I’m unfamiliar with the similarities, but could you please come up here and introduce yourself to the D.A, and explain your theory,� Harry said kindly, eyeing the frightened forth year.

She slowly got up out of her chair and Harry took her place. She stood shaking at the front of the room and opened her mouth and whispered, “I’m Stephanie Spinnet, and I’m in Ravenclaw.�

She smiled and looked around the room. “Seems a bit stupid to be scared right now, seeing as facing Voldemort doesn’t even compare to speaking in front of you lot,� she said jokingly, and her audience laughed.

“The Charmed Ones are a coven of innate witches. Not in our sense of course. They can blow up people, freeze them, Apparate and Disapparate though they call it Orbing, and one of the witches can have premonitions. Kind of like a Seer, or Divination, though more precise,� she said thoughtfully.

“The point is The Charmed Ones share a magical bond. They are the most powerful magical beings, but when one of the sisters dies they are rendered almost powerless because the third sister, or in our case cousin, was the missing link to the power. Also, when they had a massive fight then power was broken and none of their powers worked. They didn’t have any power at all, and were attacked by various demons, or Death Eaters you could name them,� she said when she was greeted by a lot of blank looks at the term ‘demon’.

“Well that’s just about it,� she finished and scuttled quickly back to her chair which Harry had vacated when he strode back up to the front of the room. She grinned slightly at the few people who smiled at her warmly.

Harry summed it up for them. “I think what Miss Spinnet was implying was the connection between the girls can’t always be the strongest. Every adolescent has a fight with their family or best friend at one time, but we need to get past our shallow feelings, and stop them from contaminating our minds and breaking the connection.�

He glanced in his daughters and niece’s directions, his mouth thinning slightly.

Then he turned back to the group. “Obviously this is a happy occasion, enough of the serious stuff for now. Bring on a party!� He grinned widely and with a flick of his wand food and drinks appeared on the conjured up tables, groaning beneath the weight of the food.

The party went on into the long hours of the night, Millie, Giselle and Halle danced, sang and partier along with the others to the sound of the Weird Sisters being played by Stephanie’s portable player. Apparently she had a knack for household spells and had found a way to knock the interfering magic out of the air.

As the party died down and everyone went back to their dormitories or homes Millie, Gis and Halle walked back to Gryffindor Dormitory and went to bed. As she lay in bed that night listening to the exited chatter of Halle in her sleep Millie couldn’t help but thinking she didn’t feel as happy on the inside as she looked on the outside.

---

A/N: It didn’t take me very long to write this chapter, I was bursting with ideas that hopefully will continue on to the fourth chapter and keep you guys happy. I’d just like to thank Lori for beta-ing my work and making sure everything fits in right with my story outline!
~till then, Lurid.

Secrets in Dreams

Some secrets need to be kept
Some stories should never be told
Some reasons shouldn’t be understood
They just might turn your blood cold

Who needs all the answers?
Who takes all the chances?
Who said the truths gonna save you
When the truth can be dangerous…*

Millie woke with a start and stared over at Giselle who was snoring lightly, a lock of raven hair rising and falling with each breath.

‘Giselle…Giselle?’ she whispered, half hanging out of bed. She gave up when all she got was a snore in reply and rolled over to her left.

“Halle? Sweetie wake up!� she said more urgently, now getting completely out of bed and sitting down gently on Halle’s bed covers.

“Hrmphph…gurr…mmm….Millie?� she said sleepily, blinking her wide brown puppy dog eyes innocently.

She glanced over at Millie’s Muggle clock and gasped.

“Tell me you did not get me up at three-thirty in the morning for a little chat? If so, you can say goodbye to those plaid pyjamas of yours quick smart,� she said jokingly. She was reaching for her wand as she spoke.

Millie let out a bark of laughter then quickly muffled it as Giselle’s snore pitch changed and she rolled over.

“It’s pretty serious, if you can stay awake along enough to hear it,� she said only half sarcastic.

Halle sat up straight and stifled a yawn. “Okay, shoot,� she said folding her hands behind her head on the headboard.

Millie sighed and smoothed out the bedclothes, meticulously flattening every wrinkle in the down quilt cover.

“What’s Giselle’s problem? I mean, what did I say while snoring my head off to offend her?� she asked Halle desperately, seeking any answer that would at least explain her hostility.

A dawning look of understanding came over Halle’s face.

“Oh you know it’s probably nothing…you know…PMS or something. We all get that way,� she laughed nervously glancing over at the mass of blankets that was now Giselle.

Millie raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Come on, you think just because your brain is so tired at three-thirty in the morning, mine is too? I’m not gonna fall for that one, even though it does make a good excuse for all your little shitty moods every so often.� Halle reached behind her back and pulled out a triangular pillow which she proceeded to hit Millie with.

“Okay, okay, I get it! Now shut up before Giselle wakes up and tell me! What did I say that was so awful? Was it some deep dark secret?� asked Millie in a goofy voice, and was surprised when she saw Halle’s face fall and darken.

“It’s not my trust you’ve broken, or our friendship you’ve wounded, it’s Giselle’s. She thinks of you as a sister. We both do. But then last night you come out with all these really hurtful things in your sleep. Something about not needing us as sisters anymore. I can’t believe you’d actually say something like that,� she said in a hurt tone, sinking back into her covers and drawing them up to her eyes so that her voice was muffled.

Millie’s eyes widened in alarm and she thought of the verse she had heard in her head. It was an echoing, awful voice, and it filled her head and reminded her of something. Something to do with that song.

Millie gasped and brought her hand to her check. ‘Now’s the time to be a dramatic,’ she thought. But nothing she thought could ever come across as remotely funny at the moment because realisation had just struck.

The girl.

When would she stop haunting her? She had truly gotten to her. In her dreams. Where her subconscious took over and she had no idea of what she murmuring for the world, including Giselle and Halle to hear.

“Oh God! Did I happen to say anything about Wendy? Anything at all? Tell me Halle, please! Everything!�

Millie lunged forward and grabbed Halle by the shoulders shaking her.

Halle’s already wide eyes grew to the point Millie thought they would pop right out of her head onto the Gryffindor scarlet sheets.

“Millie! You’re insane! Wendy has been gone for like, ten years! She’s not coming back! All you said was ‘She will come, Giselle and Halle…not important…real sister… don’t need them....’� she said breathlessly, running her hands through her already bed mussed hair, making the bushy fringe stand on end.

Millie got up and walked over to her bed, white as a sheet. She couldn’t believe it. She was so close to giving away her deepest, darkest secret. So close even she couldn’t believe her luck. She sat down and ran her fingers through her own hair and pushed the palms of her hands into her eyes. She gave up thinking and lay down where she drifted into a soft, dreamless sleep.

---

Wendy was bent almost double for the precious ingredient to her potion. She was standing waist deep in the grass surrounding the Great Lake. A full moon hung overhead as the broke off the last strands of fluxweed. She added the bunch to the calico bag around her waist and turned back to face the doors of Hogwarts Castle. The first part of her plan was just about to begin.

---

Giselle slowly uncovered her legs and looked swiftly around the dorm. Laura Lal was sound asleep in her bed with the hangings drawn, and Tegan Tattersall was snoring loudly, mumbling about sausages in her sleep.

“Sausages…no…not sausages….mrrph…�

Giselle stopped and stood very still while Tegan went on mumbling and turning in her sleep. Slowly she crept forward and walked slowly down the spiral stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room.

She tripped slightly down the bottom step and fell onto her posterior with a resonating thud. She clumsily pushed herself up and sat propped up on her elbows, half staring at the fire blazing brightly even in the middle of the night. She absent-mindedly began to hum


Together nothing was secret
Together we were complete
Who needs all the questions?
Who lost their direction?
Who said a lies gonna break you?
When a lie could be dangerous? *


She stopped humming abruptly. Slowly she turned herself around to face the fire properly and was shocked to see a familiar elf standing there.

“Dobby?� she asked incredulously, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at home?�

The house-elf wrung his hands distractedly.

“Dobby thought, for mistresses own well-being that she and Miss Wheezy should be friends again. You see mistress, evil magic is afoot.�

The elf looked around nervously and his great round pale eyes were growing watery. He turned to a shocked Giselle and whispered in her ear, before jumping up and disappearing with a whip-like crack.

“Mistress must take Dobby’s advice for her own good. Only the power of friendship can help her with what is about to happen. Mistress must understand Miss Wheezy, and forgive her.�

Giselle whipped her head around and saw Millie coming down the stairs silently looking at a spot fixed above her head.

“Millie,� asked Giselle tentatively, “can we talk?�

“Why?� said Millie breaking her silence, “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me.�

Giselle thought for a moment then uncurled herself from the ground and got up. She walked slowly over to Millie who was clad in her plaid pyjamas, the lengths of the pants worn and ragged from wear. Giselle made a lunge and grabbed Millie’s hand.

Millie stared at her in confusion but didn’t remove her hands from Giselle’s.

“What the hell is going on? � she thought.

“I… I… Millie…I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me?� Giselle begged. She stared at her fluffy Crup slippers, dreading what she thought to be Millie’s rejection.

Millie stared at Giselle as though seeing her for the first time. Giselle? Apologising? Why? What had she really done that needed an apology? Millie was the one who needed to apologise. And this was exactly what she said.

“Why? Why are you apologising? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t go to bed with things on my chest. I should share them with my best friend. My true best friend. My pillow isn’t exactly a good listener. You and Halle are, and there is nothing I wouldn’t give to spend every minute with you guys. It’s really a pity we have to sleep isn’t it?�

A slow grin came over Giselle’s face and she lifted her face to Millie’s and saw the identical smile on her cousin’s face. The same freckly, sliver hair framing a face with brown eyes Giselle had known all her life.

“You know what? Let’s let bygones be bygones and go get some food. I hear Dobby’s back, and he makes the best éclairs. Let’s go check it out, shall we?�

Millie giggled and lowered her voice mischievously.

“Isn’t it a bit late to be taking a midnight stroll? Wouldn’t Filch be strolling around the corridors with his cane? Doesn’t it make it a little harder to get food back up here?�

Giselle giggled. “My thoughts exactly. I’ll get the Cloak.�

Millie laughed and went to open The Fat Lady’s portrait and waited for Giselle to come down the stairs. She suddenly got hit by and invisible force and got thrown onto the couch where she was tickled by and invisible person whose locks of midnight hair escaped the folds of the cloak.

Millie pushed her off and ran up to the dorm where Halle was lying once more half-in-half out of bed.

“Get up Hal! Time for a midnight stroll!�

Halle immediately sat up and her eyes glinted and sparkled. Millie could tell she’d been lying awake waiting for one of them to apologise.

“Let’s go!�

Giselle reached out from under the fold of the cloak and tapped the back of the Fat Lady with her wand. Millie pushed it forward and all three climbed out and ran quickly down the hall muffling their giggles while the Fat Lady indignantly called out to see who was there.

“Hello? Anyone there? Oh my, I can’t believe the rudeness of the students these days!�

---

Wendolin sat in shadows of the very same bathroom that Aunt Hermione, Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry had sat and brewed the Polyjuice Potion.

Moaning Myrtle was long gone, having been driven out in Wendy’s rage at finding someone there, and now instead hid herself in the staff toilet next to Harry’s classroom. She was still quite taken to Harry, and threw dirty looks at Ginny whenever she passed. She never did quite forgive Harry for not dying down in the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, Wendy thought wryly.

She added the lacewing flies and sat back on her heels while the potion simmered and swirled widdershins. She added the last of the ingredients including a silvery hair then un-curled herself and stalked around the toilets, taking in the scene.

It was dank and dreary, the taps dripping slowly and water trickling slowly out of an unused toilet at the end, the water forming a puddle large enough for Wendy to see herself reflected in it.

She stared into the water, stared at her hair, the exact same shade as her mothers. And her sisters. She saw her hardened mouth, twisted with hate and her eyes cold, deep and lifeless.

A lock of hair slipped loose from a haphazard ponytail and dropped into the puddle, causing a rippling effect and startling Wendy.

She stood up abruptly and walked over to the cauldron where the potion inside had thickened and turned into a cloggy mess which Wendy unceremoniously poured into a glass she just produced from within the folds of her black cloak.

“Cheers,� she said to no one in particular except her reflection in the nearby mirror. Her cold eyes stared back at her as she raised the heavy glass to her thin lips and drank deeply. She never stopped looking at her blank reflection until the pains in her belly, hands and feet were almost unbearable.

The pain in her head was the last thing she remembered thinking about before blacking out into nothingness, steam rising all around her unconscious body, enveloping the bathroom in its mysterious cloak of fog.

---

The steaming cloud lifted and Wendolin roused herself and felt her face.
This was not her face, she thought triumphantly.

She got slowly to her feet, unsteadily swaying slightly and slipped over to the mirror where she wiped away the condensation and stared unsurprised into a familiar face.

The face of Millicent Prudence Weasley.

---

A/N: *Song by Hilary Duff. It’s called ‘Dangerous to Know’ on her album; I thought it reflected what the girls were feeling. Also it seemed to fit in with what Harry’s always carrying around on his chest in the books, as in why he didn’t want to take Ginny to The Department of Mysteries. Millie doesn’t want the other girls to get involved in her problem, so she’s dangerous to know.

Okay, this chapter might seem a bit pointless, but of course the last scene has some meaning in the next Chapter, (watch out for it!) and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if they rejected it say the first… seven times, but I only wrote it to show Giselle wasn’t perfect. She was a bit Mary-Sue at the start, and I had to do something that showed her in a temper.

- Lurid.

Transformations





The steaming cloud lifted and Wendolin roused herself and felt her face.



‘This was not her face,’ she thought triumphantly.



She got slowly to her feet, unsteadily swaying slightly and slipped over to the mirror where she wiped away the condensation and stared unsurprised into a familiar face.



The face of Millicent Prudence Weasley.



* * *



Wendy looked down at her foggy watch and gasped slightly before rushing out of the room, her borrowed Gryffindor robes swishing in the puddles surrounding the sink. The heavy wood door slammed shut and her footsteps could be heard echoing down the Great Staircase below.

---

Giselle, Halle and Millie stumbled through the portrait hole, laughing, yelling and falling all over each other. They made it to the armchairs in front of the fire and giggled madly as Halle fell short of the chair and landed sorely and loudly on the hearth rug.



Giselle snapped her head back and laughed raucously. Millie too laughed, but not quite as loud.



“Shhh!� she warned, putting her finger to her lips and waggling her eyebrows up and down, which just caused Giselle to laugh harder. “Don’t laugh like that Gissy, you might WAKE SOMEONE UP!� she finished yelling.



Many shouts and disgruntled people could be heard upstairs grumbling about the loonies downstairs who must have gone off their rockers.



Halle reached under Giselle’s armchair, who was still chuckling, and produced a bottle of Firewhisky.



Millie howled and hooted as Halle downed the rest of the bottle, sputtering as the mixture burned her throat. She threw the bottle into the fire where it exploded and ignited the flames to burn high and bright. It broke into pieces and the neck flew out and hit Millie on the hand.



“Owww!� she moaned grabbing her knuckles where the glass had cut her.



Giselle clapped and stared mesmerized by the flames. “Pretty,� murmured Giselle, swaying slightly in her seat.



“You know, Gissy, I do love you sweeshie, oops, I mean sweetie!� Halle stumbled over her words and leaned over and planted a big wet kiss on Giselle’s cheek, knocking over a table in the process.



“Oops!� Giselle laughed and sang in the off-key voice she used whenever she was drunk. “Lalala, oops-a-daisy! Haha, Halle broke the glassy thingy!� She fell back on her chair and slid down it sluggishly until she was even with Halle on the floor, who was now saying sweet nothings into the neck of the Firewhisky bottle.



Millie hadn’t moved from her armchair and instead was looking into the now tame flames.



“You know what?� she said thickly, “This is the best night I’ve ever had in my life. You guys are the best,� she finished, but Giselle and Halle were slumped over each over and snoring loudly.



Millie slid down in her chair till her knees touched the ground then fell sleepily onto Giselle’s chest, which rose and fell with each steady breath.



Millie’s eyelids felt very heavy, and the fire’s flames blurred and shrank. She closed her eyes and started to snore loudly with her cousins in front of the Gryffindor common-room fire.



* * *



She flew high above the Hogwarts grounds; the lightweight air tickled her and pushed her hair into her face. She laughed loudly, but no sound came out except for the quavering note of a phoenix song.



All of a sudden, it started to rain, and Millie felt the wind race towards her and buffet her here and there, the rain mixing in with the coolness of the wind. The rain suddenly turned icy-cold and Millie felt as though she had just been dumped in Hagrid’s water barrel.



She flew closer to the castle, and still enjoyed the free feeling she had, away from all her troubles, and worst of all, the terrible hangover she expected the next morning.



She dipped and dived towards the Gryffindor Tower, and saw all the candles illuminating the foggy, streaked windows. She sliced through the air, coming to a halt just in front of the stain-glass window.



Then, without hesitation, she placed her hand on the cool glass and pushed with all her might. In slow motion; the glass broke into millions of tiny pieces and flew through the air just like the rain that was falling down in sheets all around her. She swooped into the warmth of the common-room and, to her surprise, saw herself lying soundly asleep, her head resting on Giselle’s knobby knee.



She touched down onto the wooden floor and heat radiated through her feet so intensely she fell to her knees and sobbed out another quivering phoenix note. She looked up through her dripping wet locks and saw, to her horror, a figure standing over her and her cousins; but even from this far away, she could see her eyes were fixed on herself. The girl, who Millie had now identified as Wendy, pulled out a knife and slashed her shirt open.



Mille pulled herself to her feet and limped over to the girl who didn’t look up until she was almost on top of her. She reached down to the Millie on the floor and pulled apart what was left of her shirt and carved the Dark Mark into the skin of Millie-on-the-floor’s chest.



Millie, who was watching the whole thing, suddenly grabbed her chest in the exact same place Millie-on-the-floor was cut. She reached out and grasped her arm with her wet, cold fingers. She gasped in surprise as thin lines of ice appeared where water dripped down the girl’s bare shoulders.



The girl suddenly spun around, throwing Millie off guard. She fell back into the same chair she had collapsed into earlier that night. She opened her slim lips and shrieked at Millie with a pitch so high that Millie almost couldn’t hear it - almost. It pierced her head with its sharp sound, and she brought her hands to her head and screamed too. This time a human scream came out, though it sounded more like a banshee’s scream. Millie’s eyes were screwed up against all the noise, all around her the world was spinning; she was becoming more real, everything was heavier, and finally, just as she was about to fade away under the pressure of it all, she heard someone saying her name loudly.



“Millicent!�



Her eyes snapped open and she stared confusedly all around her. People were gathered in a tight-knit circle, muttering and whispering amongst themselves.



“Heard her, I did. Screaming her bloody lungs out for the whole school to hear, she was.�



“Too true. She could have woken up a hibernating Thestral, if you ask me.�



“Alright boys and girls. Nothing to see here. Please go back to your dormitories where, in a few minutes I will see to you. For now, if you please, up to the dormitories.�



Millie dimly recognised the last voice as her Uncle’s. Harry bent down next to Millie and whispered in her ear. “Come on, up you get.�



He grasped her by the elbow and led her back over to the chair. She still wasn’t focused. She could still hear the ringing in her ears from the girl’s screaming.



Harry sat down next to her and Millie was numbly aware of Harry examining the cut from the bottle on her hand. The throbbing pain of her hangover combined with the shrill scream she was still hearing made her unable to do anything remotely mobile. She sighed and sat back in her chair. Harry tapped her hand with his wand and the skin healed itself. He then looked up at Millie and saw the lost look on her face.



“Millie, honey… how did you get that cut? It was pretty deep, you know,� he said concernedly.



Millie bit her lip and glanced over at Giselle and Halle who were watching her anxiously, pleading with her not to tell Harry exactly what they had been doing. She sat up straighter and her head throbbed in protest. She moaned in pain. Harry’s eyebrows rose into his untidy hair.



“Were you drinking tonight Millie? Is all this a terrible hangover?�



Millie slowly nodded her head.



Harry turned to Giselle who cowered behind Halle with a mortified look on her face. Halle threw her hands up in protest.



“No, no, no, Uncle Harry! Was not me drinking! I mean… drinking… me wasn’t I swear!� Halle finished lamely.



Harry’s eyebrows came together as he stared down Giselle, who gave her familiar lopsided grin.



“Marauders live on, right Diddy-Daddy-dums…just keeping up with tradition?� she half asked.



Harry’s face relaxed a bit but there was still a trace of hardness in his face. “What were you girls drinking tonight?� he asked. “There’s no use lying to me now, I’ve found you out.�



Millie had been the first one to break and was too tired to put up with this now. She had to get her point across. “Wendy… burnt… my feet hurt,� she mumbled. Harry turned to Millie.



“Wendy? Are you sure? What did you see?� he asked her, grabbing her shoulders urgently. His eyes roamed over her face searching for an answer.



“Standing over me, so hot… have to sleep… hurt me…� she trailed off and flopped back into her chair.



Harry misread her statement, thinking that her headache was causing her pain. He picked her up; she was as limp as a rag doll now, and her eyes were blank and creepily reflecting the firelight. He carried her up the stairs to the top of her dorm. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to enter the girls’ dorms, as he had found out in his fifth year, but as Head Of House, he had given himself permission. Halle and Giselle followed him giggling into the room, the alcohol still making everything seem extremely funny.



Harry lay Millie down in her four-poster and covered her with a thick woolen blanket. She stirred in her sleep, and rolled over just as Harry blew out the candle on her bedside table, ridding the dormitory of all light.



Slowly, very slowly, droplets of blood appeared on her shirt, for the Dark Mark had now opened and was bleeding freely while she slept. Wendy had left her mark.

---

Wendy disguised as Millie, slipped through the corridors of Hogwarts to where she knew Harry’s office was located. She opened the door with a click, just as her sister had done not long ago.



She shuffled around the office, picking up bits of random parchment and throwing them back on the ground when she realised they were not what she was looking for. Her head whipped around and her skilled ears heard someone fast approaching. She ran and hid behind the filing cabinet just as Harry entered his office, rubbing his tired eyes.



“Bloody girls. Need to realise what they did was dangerous and could have led to other problems. Should teach them a le-e-esson someday,� he yawned.



Wendy’s eyes bulged as she realized the danger she was in. Slowly, carefully, and as quietly as a mouse she crept out of the office while Harry had his face turned to the drawn curtains. She ran down the stone steps as delicately as she could and then sprinted along the corridor all the way to the Great staircase. She started to change.



Her hair remained the same silvery shade, but her eyes widened and narrowed. Her hands grew coarser, and her feet shortened considerably. It wasn’t painful changing this time, but Wendy was breathing heavily and painfully because she knew she would be punished for not doing her master justice. It was time for Plan B.



* * *



When she reached Gryffindor Tower and stood bent over, puffing and wheezing, she gave the password.



“Kneazles.�



The Fat Lady swung open and Wendy stepped quickly into the common-room. The fire in the grate had completely died down, and the embers were glowing harshly in the dim light. Millie, Giselle and Halle had been the last Gryffindor students downstairs, so now it was long deserted.



She walked into the middle of the room and raised her arms dramatically.



“Gubraithias Carpelious!� she hissed menacingly.



Sparks of fire shot from her hands and she stood still in the middle of the Gryffindor common-room, which was fully ablaze with Everlasting Fire. The smoke was making its way up the stairs to the dormitories, getting closer and closer to the slumbering teens that dwelled within them.



By the time Wendy had exited and started running through the halls of Hogwarts and down outside the grounds to her master, the smoke had entered Millie, Giselle, Tegan, Halle and Laura’s dorm, and was already on the way to suffocating them to their deaths.

---

A/N: Okay! So the common room is alight with fire! Thank yous to Lori for the Betaing! And a very redundant thank you to Chelsea for being the moderator so long ago and accepting this little piece! *smiles fondly*



*deletes a good chunk in hope of improving the quality of review spam*



- Lurid.

Fire!

The flames spread from one corner of the common room to the other, burning and peeling away the red and gold wallpaper, burning homework left on the coffee table after last night’s study, and destroying an antique set of Gobstones. Jars with herbs and liquid in them shattered and the flames flew up and licked the ceiling. Upstairs the teenagers leapt as smoke steadily and surely filled their rooms and started to choke them.

---

Millie sat bolt upright as did Giselle and Halle. Laura and Tegan only turned in their sleep and mumbled. Sheer terror filled Millie’s veins and her blood ran cold.

The Gryffindor common room was on fire!

Millie jumped out of bed, her heels hitting the cold wooden floor. She didn’t have time to think about the pain radiating from her feet upwards in her legs. Her eyes were streaming from the smoke and she found herself blindly finding her way over to Tegan’s bed while Giselle made her way over to Laura’s. Halle was searching for her wand and was crying as she tried harder and harder to suck in an essential breath. Her asthma was uncontrollable, and on top of the smoke, the stress was making her airways close.

Millie grabbed Tegan’s nose hard and she snorted. She rolled over and hit Millie’s hand away.
Desperately, Millie whacked her as hard as she could across her face. Tegan woke up with a snarl and stared into Millie’s blackened face.

“What the hell do you-� she broke off and her eyes widened in terror. The fire was now at the door. Halle and turned around, terrified, and broke one of the vases of flowers on Giselle’s bedside table.

‘Water,’ Millie thought.

“Halle! Find any water you can and put it under the door crack. We need to keep the flames away from this room,� she shouted loudly; the crackling of the flames was getting nearer, making it impossible to hear anything.

Halle instead choked back tears and sucked in another deep breath. She ran to the window, yanked it open, and felt the cool air wash over her and her breathing start to regulate. She grabbed the jug of water and splashed it under the door where she heard it hissing and steaming. She couldn’t take it any more. Her breathing had become ragged again and she fell to the floor in a deep faint just as the door burst open and flames entered the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Giselle was still trying valiantly to wake up Laura. Finally, Giselle pinched her hard on the ear and pulled her hair. She felt a few strands part company with Laura’s head and Laura suddenly woke up and started screaming. Giselle’s head throbbed and she almost fainted.
That’s when she saw Halle lying on the ground near the window just out of reach of the flames, which were almost at Millie’s heels. She was sitting with Tegan on her bed trying extremely hard to calm her down enough to get her moving.

Millie suddenly made a split decision. She ran over, coughing and spluttering, the tears obscuring her vision. She knelt down beside Halle and with inhuman strength picked up her floppy form. She grabbed her wand off her bedside table, which was alight flames, and set off towards the door which was ringed with a wall of brilliant yellow fire.

She shut her eyes against the light and bellowed in hopeful desperation, “LIQUIDATES!�
A stream of water burst from her wand, soaking her and extinguishing the flames, which disappeared into nothingness.

She readjusted Halle on her shoulders, and continued dousing the flames, asking the people she met along the way to join in. Soon the spiral stairs of Gryffindor Tower were dripping wet and slippery. They all slid to the bottom into a pile of flames, which were now leaping from shelf to shelf on the cubby holes lining the walls. As one, all the members of the D.A extinguished the flames and fought the evil that was the fire. They couldn’t keep it up any longer and fled out the portrait hole where the rest of the Gryffindors were waiting.

The people in the paintings were all crying, their tears causing the oil painting to run and spoil. They all fled to the last painting before the Fat Lady’s and vanished out the side.

---

A tall pale witch in a flowing pink ball gown not unlike the Fat Lady’s was sobbing uncontrollably as
she entered Professor Dumbledore’s study. He was pouring over a piece of parchment and looked up when he heard her sobs.

“My dear Lady! What ever is the matter?� he asked his bushy white eyebrows knitting together.
“It’s the c-c-c-common r-room Headmaster! It’s alight with the la-a-argest f-f-flames you have e-ever seen!� she wailed.

“My dear Lady, please stop crying at once! I can not understand you properly. Please continue,� he said calmly, considering the situation.

“It’s the Gryffindor common room, your Headship! It’s on fire!� she hiccupped. She collapsed against the side of her frame and the other people in the painting rushed over and fanned her forehead quickly.

Dumbledore strode quickly from his study, acknowledging the encouragement from the portraits with a curt nod of his head. His starry robes billowed in an invisible wind as he strode out the door and into the corridor where he broke into a brisk run to reach the common room quickly.

---

Laura, Giselle and Tegan were huddled in a corner of the dormitory, their backs pressed flat against the wall in terror. The flames were almost upon them, and Tegan could feel her fluffy hair starting to burn. Their hearts were in their throats as the flames licked at their pyjamas and Laura howled in pain as the bright yellow wickedness burnt her arm leaving it shiny and raw. The window was still open and black smoke was billowing out into the cool night air. Giselle’s back received a sharp poke from something. She pushed herself away from the wall into Laura and grabbed hold of her broomstick, her dad’s old original Firebolt.

Something in her brain clicked and she heaved herself onto the back of it, pulling Laura and Tegan onto the twigs on the tail. She could smell the polish on the ends burning as she kicked off hard and rose up to the high ceiling above. She choked on the smoke and almost lost consciousness. She steadied herself with a prod in the shoulder from Tegan and whisked them outside through the large window, out above the grassy Hogwarts grounds. Freedom at last.

* * *

Harry reached the common room portrait at the same time Dumbledore, and without hesitation leapt inside and started to extinguish the remaining flames.

“Liquidates, Liquidates, LIQUIDATES!� he roared, sweeping his wand across the common room in desperation.

“LIQUIDATES!� he yelled again. It was only when Dumbledore joined him in the fiery common room did the fire finally give in and fade away completely, leaving in its midst a dripping wall of water. It steadily dripped, falling on top of the ashes that used to once be the grand Gryffindor common room.

---

Giselle ran towards the front doors of Hogwarts castle without stopping. Tegan and Laura ran beside her, gulping in great breaths of fresh air. Giselle pushed with all her might against the heavy door, but it wouldn’t open.

“Open, OPEN!� she screamed to the door. “Open …� she said again, the tears in her throat reducing her voice to a whisper. She fell to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself and crying her heart out. Millie and Halle were gone. Or so she thought.

* * *

Halle and Millie were surrounded by their fellow Gryffindors; all except Giselle, Laura and Tegan. A few others she might have said ‘Hi’ to once of twice came over and gave her a hug, but she fell absent from her body once more. She was still holding Halle upright, holding her tight to her body as though she would never let go. The scene around her flickered in front of her eyes. Strangely, both girls and boys were crying, Prefects were ordering people to stay calm and first years were huddled in little groups screaming and crying, their tears streaming down their tiny faces and making puddles on their collars.

“How awful for them,� said Halle weakly. She had just come round and was looking for Giselle, her eyes wide. “Where’s Giselle, Millie?� she asked, grabbing Millie’s collar and pulling her face down level with her own. “Where is she? Please … no … she can’t be! She just can’t be!� she cried out letting her tall gangly self fall back into Millie’s arms. Millie lowered Halle to the ground and rested her head on her slipper. She murmured incoherently and dropped off into a restless sleep.

“Where are you, Giselle?�she thought.

* * *

Harry looked around at the crowd outside the Fat Lady’s portrait, which was destroyed and hanging from one corner of its gold frame. Finally he spotted Millie and rushed over to her. He was shocked to see her tending to a sleeping Halle in the middle of the mob.

“Millie! Halle! Where’s Giselle?� he asked urgently gesturing widely to the crowed around him.
Millie raised her head and Harry was shocked to see she was crying, the fat tears rolling down her cheeks and falling straight onto Halle’s face. She stirred, but didn’t wake up.

“She’s gone, Uncle Harry. I left her in the dormitory like a coward. It’s my fault she’s gone. It’s all my fault.� She hung her head and Harry brought his hands to his face and moaned. His daughter was dead. She was gone and wasn’t coming back.

“No,� said an aged voice near to Harry’s ear. “She’s not gone. Follow me.�

Dumbledore swept off and Harry had no choice but to follow him aimlessly, without a clue.

* * *

Giselle raised her head and listened hard, her ragged breathing filling her ears. She held her breath and listened again.

“Yes!� she whispered excitedly. “Someone’s there!�

Laura and Tegan raised their heads. They had been sitting slouched on the stairs for the past half hour trying to figure out what to do. When they heard Giselle’s whisper, they pressed their ears to the door, listening hard, and could hear the distinct sound of the Hogwarts front doors being unlocked.

“They found us,� said Giselle and she ran over and gave the other two a tight hug.

* * *

Harry rushed out the front doors quickly and caught Giselle in a bone-crushing hug. He stroked her hair and whispered into her ear, “It’s finally okay. I found you.�

Dumbledore walked over to the other girls and steered them over to Harry and Giselle.

“Perhaps we should continue this up in the Gryffindor common room. We have certain matters to discuss,� he said quietly.

Harry nodded grimly and they walked into the safety of Hogwarts.

---

Outside the common room people were now talking in low whispers and shoving each other around playfully. Apparently, they thought it was all over.

How wrong they are, thought Millie darkly.

“Millie,� said Halle again, rousing herself from her sleep, “What’s happening? Is it all over?�

“Yes, Hal, It’s all over.�

There was no use making her asthma flare up again. The slightest sign of panic could set her off. She just hoped to God that Giselle was alive.

The group settled down when they saw Dumbledore and Harry approaching. Halle and Millie’s hearts became considerably lighter when they saw a sooty, tired, but nonetheless alive, Giselle behind them with Laura and Tegan.

They rushed forward and captured her in a hug. Tegan and Laura stood awkwardly, watching the reunion with a sad expression on their faces. They had always wanted to be part of the special group Giselle, Millie and Halle had going, and even now, when they had just been through an episode like this together, they were still excluded.

Halle saw their expressions ands reached over and included them in the hug.

“We are so glad you’re alive. All of you,� she added.

Tegan and Laura’s faces lit up and they hugged the girls back. They only broke up when Harry cleared his throat importantly and gestured them towards the abandoned common room.

The mob entered the sooty common room one by one and stared around at the damage the fire had done. It had totally demolished the place.

How could you burn down the Gryffindor common room? Millie wondered. She thought it was supposed to be protected by magic. Obviously, she thought, The person who did this had to be extremely powerful.

Halle felt tears sprang to her eyes and her throat constrict as she stared at the place the fireplace had been a few hours before, where they had all fallen asleep.

‘What would have happened if we were still down here when the fire was lit?’ she wondered in horror.

Giselle and Millie seemed to have the same thought because the looks of terror on their faces were evident. Tegan and Laura’s however were blank and looking toward Harry.

“Has anyone any idea at all who could have done this?� Harry asked.

Uproar sounded, and Millie could easily hear the chorus of “Slytherin!� coming from the little first years.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think just any Slytherin was responsible for this fire. It was certainly a powerful wizard,� he said, rubbing the stubble on his chin.

“Like Lord Voldemort?� asked one first year fearfully.

“No,� said Millie forcibly, and everyone looked at her in surprise. “I just don’t think he did it,� she said simply.

Dumbledore was looking straight at Millie and she had the distinct impression he was trying and failing to use Occulmency. She smiled (with grim satisfaction) when his white bushy eyebrows knitted together in concentration. She stared back, closing her mind to him. Finally, she felt the pressure release from her brain as he gave up.

“Once again, anyone with any information whatsoever please come to me straight away. There will be no consequences, I assure you,� he said, his voice booming through the sodden common room.

“Now, as for where you are to sleep, it is with deepest regret I inform you the Gryffindor common room will be under renovation, owing to the obvious destruction around us. It is also my duty to inform you the other houses are happy to play host for the meantime until the renovations are complete.�

A collective murmur ran throughout the crowd as people comprehended exactly what Harry had said.

They were to be split into different houses?

---

A/N: I originally had this chapter advertising the story on FF.net and HPFF. They are no longer on there, and I will not be posting any more stories on other sites other than MNFF.

Eh, I’m evil. Thanks go out to Lori for betaing, because without her, this mass of grammatical errors wouldn’t have been accepted so long ago. You’ll thank me for the big twist in the next chapter; I have ideas I thought were going to be in chapter six long ago, but they were shunned into chapter seven. Now it looks like it will be in chapter eight! Look out for it, it’s called “Crying.� Hopefully it will be the next chapter!

- Lurid.

Edited: 1100, 23rd January, 2007.

Crying

“Oh my God!� said Giselle and Halle in unison.

Millie gasped; she had been thinking the exact same thing. Giselle and Halle turned to her and they locked eyes in a three-way look (which is very hard to do) and realisation struck.

They could read each others’ minds.

Their surprise, however, was cut short as Albus Dumbledore unfolded himself from the burnt hole. In his hand he held the shabby, woebegone school hat.

Millie hadn’t even noticed he had gone. One minute he had been standing right in front of her, the next minute he was coming through the portrait hole.

Giselle gasped. Her dad was for real. They were truly going to be changing houses, if not only for a few days.

“Please assemble into lines according to your year. You will be sorted into Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff … or Slytherin,� Harry added with distaste and a grim look upon his face.

The first years did this readily, tripping over themselves in the haste to obey Harry. Dumbledore gazed solemnly over the rims of his half-moon spectacles at the remaining years that were standing stubbornly together in a mass, hard looks on their faces.

“We’re not taking the chance of being put into Slytherin,� said a blonde haired boy Giselle vaguely remembered seeing at the ball the year before.

“Yeah,� piped up another girl. “What happens if they are mean to us?�

Giselle smiled inwardly. This girl was only a second-year. Obviously she hadn’t had enough encounters with the Slytherins to realise they could be more than ‘mean’.

Halle spoke up cautiously. She wasn’t usually one to join in on crowd conversations. This, however, wasn’t a normal conversation.

“Obviously, as first years, you aren’t all too familiar with what the Slytherins are capable of, although some of you have experienced some ... erm … deformities at the hands of them …�

She glanced at a small boy who had only recently sprouted a pair of parsnips from his ears and continued. Millie felt herself nodding off, and rested her head on Giselle’s shoulder.

This is incredibly boring. Besides, we already know the Slytherins are evil at heart.

Too right, Millie heard Giselle say darkly inside her own head. Millie started unknowingly and knocked Halle’s arm. Halle glared at her and continued on with her long winded speech.

“As I was saying, Uncle Ha- Professor Potter, Slytherins and Gryffindors don’t mix. It’s as simple as that. Even back when the school was first built, it is said in Hogwarts: A History that Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor didn’t get along. The mistrust and hatred is in our bloodlines for some of us, and generations of disgruntled feelings are usually hard to mend, surely you must know this,� she ended matter-of-factly. Harry frowned at her tone and her implied message. She was too much like her mother and father.

“Remind me again why I thought it would be a good idea for you all to know our House’s history?� he asked lightly, breaking the tension.

It was time for a joke to be shared in Millie’s opinion.

“Because, Sir, Halle’s mother is very insistent when it comes to reading about the goings on at Hogwarts behind the scenes.�

It was an in-house joke. Hermione was very passionate about letting the Gryffindors know just how spoiled they were.

I believe her exact words were, “Girls you really should appreciate just how spoilt you are, having all your fires lit and common room cleaned!� Halle thought in her mind to Millie and Giselle. They all giggled inwardly and turned back to Harry.
It was if a link was passed between the three girls for a moment, and when they stopped thinking, the connection was broken.

A slight brush of air was all it took to lift some of the ashes and the acrid smell of burnt furniture up inside Millie’s nose. She sniffed then sneezed loudly. The other students gathered around her glared at her disapprovingly. Harry had just been explaining something important.

“The Slytherins will not be able to hurt you if you get sorted into their house. Their wands, without their knowing of course, will be bound from performing any hexes, charms and harmful spells on fellow students, unless the situation warrants self-defense, though I doubt anyone will need to defend themselves from anything,� he said firmly. Groans came from a small group Halle recognised as seventh years. They had been hanging out to hex the Slytherins from day one.

Millie butted in. “But what if they have been reallyawful? Can’t we hex them even a little bit?�

Harry’s eyes flashed at his niece and she fell silent. She had stepped over the line. Harry was all for a little joke towards the Slytherins, but going as far as threatening them was way below the belt.

“Back to the matter we were discussing before you all became as stubborn as Abraxan Horses, the Sorting,� he said calmly.

Dumbledore nodded and conjured up the familiar three legged stool. Millie and Halle felt Giselle stiffen at the sight of it, just like she did every year. Halle found her hand and squeezed it hard. It wasn’t going to happen again.

Dumbledore tapped the hat lightly with his wand, waking it.

It made a few snuffling sounds, and the rip near the brim parted and burst into a gloomy song.

Four came together
One fateful night
Together they pondered
On the Magical's plight

A school they created
A House for each
Students to be mediated
Students to teach

Helga said Magic's a tool
It is for all to use
An Artesian's module
Hufflepuffs are you

For Rowena Magic is learned
For careful study
A Scholar's concern
In Ravenclaw you'll fit nicely

Salazar sees Magic as an art
A thing to be manipulated
The Strategist at heart
To Slytherin thou sorted

Godric's insist Magic is a weapon
The weak it should protect
Those with this Soldier's notion
To Gryffindor are select

Four houses united and strong
Hogwarts will be your home
With this I end my song
Soon thy magic will be honed

Millie glowered at Harry from under her fringe. He wasn’t going to split them up. Harry’s look matched her own as he put the hat on the head of an anxiously awaiting first year.

“Ravenclaw!�

The first year ran back to her friends and smiled at them apprehensively. They hugged her and welcomed her back into the circle. Another little girl from the same pack walked trembling up to Dumbledore and Harry, who gazed at her kindly, as they placed the hat on her head.

“Hufflepuff!�

The little girls face fell and crumpled. She looked as though she was going to burst into tears at any moment.

Millie’s breath caught in her throat. She had just seen the little girl’s best friend’s face. She was crying also, as she had just been sorted into Ravenclaw. Surely the Hat wouldn’t split up the three girls?

Millie numbly heard other people’s names being called and the many sobs of their friends as they were sorted into either Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but what she didn’t hear was anyone being sorted into Slytherin. Her heart lightened considerably, and she felt Giselle squeezing her hand exceptionally hard. She knew what she was thinking, and gave her a reassuring squeeze back and a lopsided smile as her name was called by Harry.

“Millicent Weasley! Up here please!� he called loudly over the din of Gryffindors.

Millie sat down lightly on the stool hoping to God she wasn’t going to be the newest Slytherin.

She felt the Hat touch her hair lightly. She squeezed her eyes shut as though to squeeze out the voice she knew was going to seal her fate.

“Hufflepuff!�

Well, at least for a few days anyway. Hufflepuff wasn’t so bad, she thought brightly, There’s only Renee and Stacey, and they’re perfectly okay. She saw Harry smiling at her and she smiled back.

She heard Halle’s name called and gave her a thumbs up. Halle returned the gesture confidently, but when the Hat touched her head, her face fell considerably.

“Ravenclaw!� the hat called.

Millie and Giselle’s hands flew to their mouths. This was the first time in years they had been spilt up. They looked up to Harry and Dumbledore’s faces and they weren’t smiling as they had been after Millie’s sorting. They were looking in wonder at Giselle who was now perched on the stool, tears cascading down her face, for she had just been told what house she was to be in.

“Slytherin!�

The tears tumbled down her face as she sobbed loudly, her chest heaving dramatically. She was the first Gryffindor to be made a Slytherin, and by the look on her father and Headmaster’s faces, the last. The Sorting was over, and she was the only person to have to suffer the Slytherins.

She needed to escape. She ran out of the common room, leaving behind a staring group of muttering Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. She pushed Millie and Halle’s hands out of the way as she climbed out the scorched Portrait hole, out into the darkness of the Castle.

* * *

Her chest heaved. She could feel her lungs begging her to stop and let in some air. The cool night air felt good on her tear-streaked face, its cooling touch reassuring her and calming her. It was time to visit her brother, she decided.

She set off to the Herbology greenhouses at a run.

When Giselle got there, Sirius was writing something on a pad of paper. She knocked lightly on an already chipped terracotta pot, winced slightly as she felt it crumble under her touch, and heard it fall tinkling to the mossy greenhouse floor.

Sirius looked up and his face broke into his trademark, easy-going grin, and his uneven eyeteeth poking out over his lip. His teacher’s robes were soiled and muddy, and Giselle thought she saw a twig poking out from underneath his collar. He swept a lock of unruly hair out of his face and wiped a few beads of sweat from his forehead.

“It gets real humid in here, even at night, you know?� he said, still smiling his crooked smile.

Giselle grimaced inwardly. Only Sirius would use such bad grammar. How she longed to correct him. Instead all she did was nod her head numbly and walk over to some Venomous Tentacula seeds, which shuddered violently when she reached out to touch them with a slender finger.

Sirius’s smile faded a bit and he followed her over to the tray, pulling on some thick dragon hide gloves as he did so.

Giselle looked questionably at them and went to say something, but Sirius took a finger to his lips and Giselle closed her mouth.

Carefully, he put one hand downwards into the tray.

“Quickly, come on … hurry up,� he said impatiently.

Immediately three pods fastened themselves onto his glove-clad finger. His brow furrowed as he one-handedly recorded his findings in his messy scrawl on his clipboard. He shook his hand violently and they fell to the ground shaking and rattling.

“Geez…� he muttered under his breath.

Silently, Giselle crouched down and went to pick them up and found herself knocking heads with Sirius who fell back and rubbed his head.

“Damn. Could have used those brain cells,� he scowled playfully.

Giselle only smiled sadly and slipped the seeds back into the tray where they promptly started to wrestle.

Sirius got up and pulled off his gloves. He bit his lip and glanced back at the now motionless seeds to the notes in front of him.

“What do you think, Gis? Might be a bit excitable for seedlings … Gis?� he said trailing off and stroking the stubble on his face.

Giselle took a deep breath and sighed.

“Giselle Hortensia Potter, what in the name of Merlin is with you today?� he exploded striding over to her and fitting the crook of his elbow into hers. Sirius Potter hated being kept in the dark, and it was up to him to find out exactly what was wrong with Giselle.

He steered her out of the greenhouse into the fresh, cool air. Giselle felt it hit her face and she enjoyed the contrast it had to the heat of the greenhouse.

She breathed in the deep, sweet scent of jasmine deeply. She took her arm out of the hold of Sirius’s and wandered over to a mossy log near Hagrid’s hut, Sirius trailing after her.

It was a place she had come to ever since she was a first-year. A smaller than average first-year, she thought wryly.

Sirius was still watching her intently, his untidy black locks falling over his intense green eyes. There was no mistaking Giselle for his sister. They had the same fine bone structure of their father, and the same determinedness of their mother. A determinedness that he was going to use in his favor.

He walked over to Giselle who was playing listlessly with a jasmine flower. She brought it up to her cheek and rubbed it softly. Sirius bent down next to her in the pretext of picking a flower, but instead sat down next to her. She turned her back to him, and he fitted the flower into the nook behind her ear.

She turned to him and Sirius was surprised to see tears forming in her almond eyes, so very much like his own.

“Slytherin,� she choked out, the tears starting to tumble over. “I’m in Slytherin.�

“Oh, Giselle,� Sirius murmured, reaching forward and stroking her hair. “You don’t belong there, and you know it. Don’t think on it Gis, don’t think on it for a minute.�

Giselle smiled softly, the tears in her eyes still evident. Sirius was struck by sudden inspiration.

“Why don’t you have a little chat with grandmother?�

“Grandma Lily? That’s possible?� she choked, her hair falling across her face.

“You betcha!� said Sirius with a cocky grin.

---

Wendy sat crying in a dark empty corner shrouded in darkness, no light coming in from the tiny barred window high up on the stone walls where she could see the last of the sunset creeping its way across the lawn, its blood-red colouring coming through into her prison.

She was sitting in the same bent-over position she had fallen in when Avery and Nott had thrown her bodily from in front of the crackling fire of Lord Voldemort’s quarters. They had thrown her with such force into the basement that when she hit the concrete floor, the skin was ripped from her knees and a stinging pain forced her to bite into her pale, thin lip as blood flowed freely from the wounds, the colour blossoming brightly onto the hem of her ragged skirt. It pooled on the floor, making clouds of dust rise as drops of blood hit the floor of the once great Riddle House.

---

Sirius rummaged around in the cupboard of his office, looking for a small jar with a smudged label on it.

“Marjoram,� he muttered. “Right.�

He put it down on the ground with care and ducked back into the cupboard. “Candles … incense … think we’ll need anything else?� he asked, his voice muffled by the cupboard.

Giselle ran through the list she had seen in the library and nodded. She shivered in anticipation. A séance would be so exciting!

“Are you sure a séance is the right way to fix my problem?� she asked.

“Giselle,� came Sirius’s voice from the cupboard, “is anything at Hogwarts truly ever safe?�

Giselle laughed. Sirius pulled his head out of the cupboard and gestured to Giselle to follow him out into the garden.

“So, how exactly are we going to do this?� Giselle asked, stumbling over a tree root.

“Marjoram is a special herb used for traveling, more specifically the traveling of the dead. I’m hoping we’ll see one of our family members tonight,� Sirius said, stepping over the tree root carefully and continuing over to the grove they had been sitting in just half an hour before.

“Will it be a Weasley or a Potter, do you think?� asked Giselle.

“Well,� said Sirius, now setting up the candle in a circle, “it will probably be a Potter, considering the circumstances, but you never know. I just hope whoever this summons reaches will be willing to come.�

“What happens if they don’t want to speak to me?� questioned Giselle sitting down beside one of the candles. She picked up a stick and waved it around in the air to prove her point. “What happens if we get one of my more stubborn relatives? Then we would have wasted all this time gathering all the ingredients.�

Sirius thought about this for a moment as he set down the last candle. “I suspect one of our relatives is watching over us. It would only make sense for the ones who can see all our problems to offer their help to solve them.�

He leant over to Giselle and grabbed the stick she was now drawing in the dirt with. He carefully drew a pentagram in the centre of the circle of candles.

“The pentagram was seen as a gateway. The four points at the bottom represent Earth, Air, Fire and Water.� He drew each point as he said them and continued his little speech. “The fifth and topmost point represents Spirit. The hole in the middle is the entrance.�

He got up from his crouched position and dug into his pocket, screwing up his face. He found what he needed and walked over to Giselle.

Giselle got up and held hands with Sirius. She de-wrinkled the paper and read out the incantation in a clear voice:


Potter and Weasley descendants hear us thee
Into our world now you can see
Right now the veil is thin
Pull in back and please come in

A relative has troubles as you know
Help us, unravel and stop her woes.

She could hear Sirius’s voice mingled with her own, and then she watched, amazed as the center of the pentagram glowed a blinding white. The wind blew, sending her hair billowing up into the air and coming back down to touch her face playfully. She looked sideways and saw Sirius’s hair doing the same.

She saw wisps of smoke start to funnel upwards from the pentagram and spread out to form a thicker object. The silhouette of a young woman formed and both Sirius and Giselle gasped in surprise as they realised who it was.

“Giselle,� her voice whispered softly.

“Sirius,� she whispered again, turning to Sirius who was looking dumbfounded into the woman’s luminous green eyes.

“Grandma Lily,� Giselle whispered in awe staring at the figure swirling in the nighttime mist.

---

Disclaimer: the spell Sirius and Giselle used to summon Lily was based on a section from the Charmed ‘Season’s of The Witch, Volume 1’. It’s going to have nothing to do with the storyline of the book (for those people who have read it and have now got their hopes up)

Shout out to the nutty imp, (Meil) for providing her School Sorting Hat Song 3 for this chapter. I’m sure you all get the jist of it.

A/N: 1 … 2 … 3 … Aww! Lily came to visit Giselle!

Obviously, third time Lucky! Thank you to all my readers for being so patient!

Till then, Lurid.

Pre-HBP!



Family Reunions



“Giselle,� her voice whispered softly.



“Sirius,� she whispered again, turning to Sirius who was looking dumbfounded into the woman’s luminous green eyes.



“Grandma Lily,� Giselle whispered in awe staring at the figure swirling in the night time mist.



* * *



Giselle reached forward with her hand and swept it through the woman in front of her. It passed straight through; the mist separated then flew back together forming a solid figure again.



Sirius still hadn’t moved an inch. His mouth was still open and he was gawking at the form of his grandmother. A smile came over his face after a nudge from his sister.



“It worked!� he said gleefully.



Lily smiled serenely at her two grandchildren. She clasped her hands together in front of herself and walked towards them. Her outline wavered and trembled as she did, and steadied as she came to a stop in front of the teens.



“Why have you called me here? Isn’t Harry doing his job as a father?� she asked sternly surveying their dirty clothes and smudged faces from the greenhouse.



“Oh! Yes, of course he is!� said Giselle, and she saw a slight smile in the corner of her grandmother’s mouth.



Lily chuckled appreciatively at her outburst, and lowered her hands to her sides.



“So,� she said, her voice echoing slightly, “Why have you called me here?�



Giselle stepped forward tentatively and stumbled as Sirius gave her a slight push. She turned around and glared at him for a second before turning back to Lily.



“What have you come to share with us, Grandma? Is there anything I should know? I gather you already know what my problem is,� she said to Lily.



“Of course I do, Giselle. Nothing gets past me and your Grandfather. We are always watching over you, protecting you. Did you know that you are not the only one to have been sorted into Slytherin?� she asked Giselle.



Giselle stood rooted to the ground. Another Gryffindor had been sorted into Slytherin?



“Who?� she asked. “Who was the one sorted into Slytherin?�



Lily sighed and corrected herself. “He wasn’t actually sorted into Slytherin, but the Sorting Hat thought that would be where he would flourish. Fortunately it was wrong.�



Giselle nodded impatiently. “Of course a Gryffindor wouldn’t belong in Slytherin,� she said rolling on her heels, “but who was it?�



Lily hesitated before answering, “Your father.�



Now both Giselle and Sirius stood open-mouthed



Their father was almost sorted into Slytherin?



“Unbelievable,� said Sirius, regaining his ability of speech. “Totally wrong. Dad could never be a Slytherin. Not in a million years,� he said derisively.



“Excuse me, young man,� said Lily, her eyes flashing dangerously. “I’m not joking. This is a very serious matter. Your sister isn’t feeling all that great about being sorted into Slytherin and you aren’t helping matters by denying what I am saying. He probably would have told Giselle later tonight, if I’m not mistaken.� She had floated about an inch off the ground, and Sirius was sure if she didn’t calm down soon she would be soaring over the Great Lake.



Sirius cowered under the glare of his Grandmother. She lowered back to the ground and, after a sharp glance Sirius’s way, turned back to Giselle who was bursting with questions.



“How? How could Dad have been in Slytherin, then, if he wasn’t actually sorted there? I thought you said he had been sorted into Slytherin?� she asked, impatiently.



Lily sighed and rubbed her temples. “I made a mistake in my wording. Your father wasn’t actually sorted into Slytherin, not aloud, of course. Once the Hat cries out the name that’s your House there’s no changing it. No, your father heard the Hat speak to him inside his head. Tell him that Slytherin would help him on the way to greatness. That’s when he decided to be in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat saw the courage it took to stand up to him, to refuse his offer for Slytherin, and insist he had to be in Gryffindor. I’m so proud of my baby boy for standing up to the hat, deciding his own destiny,� she finished fondly.



Giselle was amazed. Her father had stood up to the Hogwarts Sorting Hat.



“But why did the Sorting Hat think Dad would belong in Slytherin? Our family’s been in Gryffindor as long as anyone can remember. We have no trace of Slytherin blood in our family,� she said, puzzled.



Lily sighed again, and reached forward and touched her grandchildren on the shoulders. Giselle felt shocked to feel Lily’s caress was warm, so unlike the chilling touch of the Gryffindor House ghost, Nearly Headless Nick.



“Sirius, Giselle, you have to understand. The blood of Salazar Slytherin runs in your veins. The night Lord Voldemort murdered James and I and cursed Harry, he put a bit of himself into Harry without even realising it, and gave him powers that will, without a doubt, stop Lord Voldemort one day,� she said, her mouth hardening at the last sentence.



“Lord Voldemort, with the help of you, Halle and Millie, will one day fall at the hands of my son, there is no doubt about that,� she said vehemently.



“But that still doesn’t answer why I’m in Slytherin. Why would I be? He only touched Dad, putting himself into Dad, not me,� said Giselle.



“You are your father’s child, in many more ways than one,� she added, laughing. “So naturally whatever traits he had have been passed on to you, Sirius and Callie.�



Sirius looked shocked at this and started to clutch his arm painfully.



“Lord Voldemort’s blood is inside of me?� he croaked looking at Lily.



“Snap out of it Sirius! You take after you dear namesake a little too much. Ooh, Sirius Black used to make me laugh, all right. Your grandfather and Sirius were quite the double act! Moony was always a touch more reserved, mind you ... Prefect in his day. Don’t know how your grandfather ever got the Head Boy badge. And you can let go of your arm now, Sirius. I don’t want you joining me here,� Lily remarked and smirked at Sirius.



“Uncle Sirius, aye? Who would’ve thought?� Giselle laughed at the look on Sirius’s face. Arrogantly, he swept his misbehaving lock of hair out of his eyes and looked heavenward, his green eyes glinting proudly.



“Good on you, mate,� he said to his namesake in the sky.



Giselle was almost doubled over in laughter now, and looked back at Lily who was trying hard not to burst into a fit of laughter herself. Giselle swept tears of laughter out of her eyes and spoke to her grandmother.



“How am I going to survive in Slytherin?� she asked piteously.



Lily paused and looked over her shoulder at the rolling hills, which were stained a horrible blood red. The sun was rising higher and higher by the second. She reached forward and grabbed Giselle’s arm, and her fingers sinking in a few inches. Giselle turned her eyes to her grandmother who was getting fainter and fainter, and distinctly heard her say, “You truly belong in Gryffindor. Don’t ever doubt that,� before she faded away completely, leaving behind only the distinct smell of lilies as the sun broke over the summit of the North Tower.



Giselle stood still, breathing in the fresh morning air. Sirius was already packing away the stubs of the candles and sweeping the circle clear of ash. They weren’t going to let anyone know of what happened down by Hagrid’s Hut. It was their little secret.

---

Millie sat alone at one end of the Hufflepuff table. She could hear the whispers of the other fifth years and buried her head in the Daily Prophet as their stools screeched against the stone floor and they came over to talk to her



Someone’s hand was thrust in front of the article she was reading about Madame Malkin’s robes, and after they gave a small imposing cough, she could no longer pretend she was interested in the paper and looked up to see who it was



Renée Bentley and Stacey Hopkins were standing above her, and Stacey’s hand was now waving obviously in her face.



Millie looked up annoyed and found Stacey’s face inches from her own.



“Hello!� Stacey said to Millie’s left nostril.



Renée was standing further back and was looking at Millie with a smile on her face.



“Welcome to Hufflepuff,� she said quietly, stepping forward to Millie. She pushed Stacey out of the way and sat down next to Millie.



Millie gave Stacey a sideways glance, fuming. Who were these people?



“I’m Renée Bentley. Professor Abbot told us you would be coming,� she said thrusting her hand forward for Millie to shake. Millie grabbed her hand and shook it, but when Stacey slapped Renée’s hand out of her own, she turned to Stacey with an incredulous look on her face



Renée might be normal, but this Stacey chick is a tad weird, she thought to herself.



* * *



Giselle looked up from her solitary position at the Slytherin table. The others were laughing, jeering and pointing at her, wide smiles on their pallid, gruesome faces. She was sitting down the same end as Millie, and even though her back was turned and her body language closed her off from the others, her mind was readily open. The empty Gryffindor table provided as a small reminder they were divided physically, just not mentally.



I agree completely, Mils. They do seem a touch strange. The Slytherins aren’t much more fun, I can tell you that.



She reached behind her back and found Millie’s. She gave it a reassuring squeeze and went back to the paper she was reading. She flicked the page and thought absently to herself.



“An urgent investigation in Cauldron Bottom Thickness, investigated by Percival Weasley.�

“Hmm… that’s interesting,� she mused.



* * *



Halle looked past the sea of faces surrounding her. She saw past the empty Gryffindor table, past the Hufflepuff table where Stacey Hopkins and Renée Bentley were now squabbling openly, and into the awaiting mischievous eyes of her cousin Giselle.



Help me! she pleaded with her eyes to Giselle across the Hall.



Sorry mate, no can do. I’m a Slytherin now, and we don’t get up from our seat to help Ravenclaws. You’ll have to deal with your Fan Club on your own, Giselle smirked back.



Halle stuck out her tongue at Giselle, which Millie intercepted.



Hey! she smiled. What was that for?



Pass it on to Giselle, Halle smiled back.



Millie poked Giselle playfully in the ribs and Giselle turned around, oblivious to the many Slytherins surrounding her, and saucily blew a kiss to Halle across the Hall. The Slytherins jeered and laughed raucously at her.



“Who you blowing a kiss to, Potter? Your girlfriend?� one of them said, doubled over laughing.



Halle, who had just touched her cheek in response to Giselle’s air born kiss, blushed profusely. The many Ravenclaws surrounding her mumbled about the change of coloring on her face.



“Maybe we’d better give her some air, shall we?� said Harry’s voice from above.



Halle whipped her head around and saw a tired Harry standing in his morning robes, his hands clasped protectively over a mug of decaf coffee.



“Follow me,� he said, turning and pushing a few of the Ravenclaws away.



He nodded towards Halle and saw with some surprise that the Gryffindor table wasn’t the only empty one in the Great Hall. The Slytherins, including Giselle, were gone.



He looked towards the High Table where he had been sitting moments before and looked for Dumbledore. He looked madly around, spilling his coffee all down his robes, and saw Dumbledore striding towards him, a grave expression on his face.



“Hazing, Harry.�

---

Giselle was being pushed down, down, down into the depths of Hogwarts. The dungeon walls around her were stony and foreboding, the jet-black tapers giving off a creepy feel. But most of all, she couldn’t get those devastating words out of her head.



“Who you blowing a kiss to, Potter? Your girlfriend?�



“We don’t like people like that in Slytherin.�



“Come to think of it, we don’t like Gryffindors in Slytherin either.�



“You know what? I think it’s time for a little good old-fashioned hazing. What do you say?�



A roar had gone up from the Slytherin table. Giselle had looked desperately into their faces, then to the face of Dumbledore who was watching her intently.



“Help,� she had mouthed to him.



When had she got nothing but a grave nod in return, she had turned to the Slytherins and screamed in their faces.



“What do you mean, hazing? What are you going to do to me --?�



A hand had been forced over her mouth, and she had been thrust out the doors of the Hall, down, down into the dungeons below.

---

A/N: Okay… maybe it’s not exciting, but I had to do something to fill the time and get me inspired again! Do you think I should cut down on the Authors Notes, or put a sneak peek of the next chapter in?



I apologise for any missing punctuation at the end of sentences - I had to delete < b r > < / b r > tags, and it seems to have run off with some of my full stops.



- Lurid.

The usual pre-HBP disclaimer here. There may also be mention of a slightly sexual situation.


Hazing

“Who you blowing a kiss to, Potter? Your girlfriend?�

“We don’t like people like that in Slytherin.�

“Come to think of it, we don’t like Gryffindors in Slytherin either.�

“You know what? I think it’s time for a little good ol’ fashioned hazing, what do you say?�

A roar had gone up from the Slytherin table. Giselle had looked desperately into the faces of them, then to the face of Dumbledore who was watching her intently.

“Help,� she had mouthed to him. When had she gotten nothing but a grave nod in return, she had turned to the Slytherins and screamed in their faces.

“What do you mean, hazing? What are you going to do to me --?�

A hand had been forced over her mouth, and she had been thrust out the doors of the Hall, down, down into the dungeon’s below.


She entered the Slytherin common room, her heart in her throat. All around her were Slytherins pointing and looking her up and down. She was disgusted to see a seventh year checking her out, his tongue protruding from his lips as he stared hungrily at her bare legs showing from under her robes.

He sauntered over and placed a cold, cold hand on her shoulder that made her shrink back in fright. What sort of things were they going to do to her?

“You know, Potter, you’re looking mighty fine this morning,� he said sleekly, running his fingers up and down her trembling face. He moved closer, bringing his face to hers and parting his lips.
She tried to move away, but his grip on her arm was too strong. He moved his face up to her neck and started to nuzzle her neck in a way he thought would entice her. Giselle was horrified.

Is this what they had in mind by hazing? Where on earth are Halle and Millie? Why didn’t they help me… oh please…somebody…help me…?

He pressed his body up against her petite frame, pushing her hard up against the stone wall. He drew his knee up between her legs and tried to push them apart. He moved away from her neck and stared into her eyes.

“You’re going to enjoy this as much as I am,� he said, his eyes now focused on her chest. She tried valiantly to scream, but found the boy pointing his wand at her mouth.

“Silencio,� he said cruelly, and went back to staring at her chest.

He thrust his face forward and his dried lips touched Giselle’s own and she recoiled under his touch.
He moved his tongue inside her mouth and viciously started to poke it into every crevasse, every nook and everything she considered her own. She could feel her insides squirming under his pressure. She couldn’t pull away or object; she was afraid he’d do something worse than kiss her.

She endured this kiss for all of ten seconds when she felt the boy wrenched away from her. She breathed clean air again and looked to the boy’s bloodless face. His eyes glittered maliciously as he wiped his hand across his mouth.

Her savior was standing next to him, and it was no one Giselle was expecting.

Griselda Goyle stood in front of her, restraining the boy.

“How dare you, you lying cheating, foul— hey!� she was yelling to the boy when he slapped her hard across the face, leaving a massive red welt.

“Griselda, you bore me,� he said turning away from her and staring once more at Giselle who was straightening up and looking at the two lovers curiously.

“You, Warren, bore me!� she said vehemently, poking the boy hard in the chest. Fury crossed Warren’s face as he heard these words.

“You…you’ll pay Griselda. I’ll make sure of that.�

He stalked forward and grabbed Giselle around the neck and forced himself on her again, and again Griselda wrenched him off.

“What are you playing at?� he snarled at her.

“We have better uses for Giselle Potter. She is worth more to us than your play toy, Warren Galstone,� she spat at him before turning away from him and grasping Giselle by the forearm.

Giselle mutely objected, for she could make no noise due to the charm placed upon her. She had no choice but to allow herself to be lead to the centre of the common room.

They were gathered in a circle around a low wooden table on which one of them placed a bottle of Ogden’s Old Firewhisky. Giselle almost collapsed with relief. They weren’t going to do anything too…sinister… to her.

The circle broke apart and Griselda entered with her hand still clasped painfully around Giselle’s wrist. A wave of her wand produced two goblets, their red rims gleaming horribly.

“Pour,� ordered Griselda, indicating the two glasses. Giselle was dumbfounded. All she had to do was drink some Firewhisky?

“Pour,� Griselda ordered again, motioning to the two empty goblets.

Giselle pulled to heavy bottle upwards and let the Firewhisky spill greedily over the rims, splattering onto the table.

“ Evanesco, � Griselda hissed, narrowing her eyes at Giselle.

“And now, we drink,� she said, picking up both her and Giselle’s glasses and handing one to her.
She inclined her head in a short nod, toasting to the dumbstruck Giselle.

Unknowing the consequences of drinking with the enemy, Giselle raised her glass in thankfulness it wasn’t something worse. As the hot liquid slid down her throat, she noticed in alarm the thick consistency was not of Firewhisky, but of something unknown to her.

She choked and spluttered, grasping her throat and making unheard rasping sounds. She vaguely remembered old Mad-Eye Moody giving her a word of advice she dearly wished she had remembered: “Never accept anything you haven’t had you eyes on the entire night. CONSTANT VIGILANCE! �

This was her last thought as she collapsed and stared into the cold eyes of Griselda Goyle. She hadn’t noticed until now Griselda hadn’t taken one sip of the substance, and cursed herself for doing so. Everything faded into darkness and Giselle thought no more.

---

Dumbledore and Harry arrived at the door to the dungeons accompanied by the Head of Slytherin House.

“Blaise, what do you suppose we do? They’re your students; you should be able to control them, shouldn’t you?� Harry asked tersely, studying the door.

“Harry,� said Dumbledore, warningly.

Blaise sighed, running his hands through his jet black hair.

“Augery,� he stated to the gargoyle that guarded the tunnel. It nodded briefly and moved aside for them to pass through the doorway. Dumbledore folded himself inside and beckoned for the two professors to follow.

* * *

Wendy stepped forth and stared down at the form of her cousin lying unconscious on the floor.
She plucked a single gossamer strand from her slumbering head and added it to the potion in her hand. It started to hiss menacingly, and she held her porcelain nose as she downed the mixture. She didn’t splutter as she changed this time; she was ready. Her hands grew longer, her nose broadened and she took on the genetics of the Potter line. Perfect.

She snapped her fingers, and several Slytherins hastened to obey her as she pointed to a storage closet with her newly formed slender finger.

“Dispose of her,� she ordered clearly in Giselle’s voice.

One by one, they picked up one of Giselle’s limbs and threw her bodily into the closet, shutting the door behind her with a resonating thud.

“Perfect,� Wendy purred as they returned to her. “Now, continue, Warren.�

Warren stepped forward greedily and began caressing Wendy’s new body softly at first, then hard, pushing his thumbs forcibly into her neck, sucking the blood up to the skin on her arm, and then thrusting his tongue forward into her mouth just as Harry, Dumbledore and Blaise stumbled through the arch, horrified at what they were seeing.

* * *

Harry was furious. The Slytherin boy had Giselle by the throat, and was kissing her hungrily. He brushed past Dumbledore, ignoring the hand placed on his arm by Blaise, and grabbed Warren by the throat, forcing him off what he thought to be Giselle.

“How dare you,� he hissed viciously, squeezing Warren’s throat. Purple marks were forming on his neck where Harry was holding him, and Harry felt a hideous pleasure when he noticed.

The remaining Slytherins, including a fuming Griselda, were ushered away into their dorms by Blaise. He was muttering and cursing Harry as he did so.

Harry threw Warren up against the wall, and watched him as he slid drowsily down it, into the exact same spot he had pinned Giselle minutes earlier.

“Please …� he whispered through a split lip.

“Please … no, it’s not what you th—� he choked out, but Harry cut him off with another hand on his throat.

He wanted to cause this boy as much pain as he could, and he moved his fists down to Warren’s stomach where he began pummeling it as hard as he could. He could dimly hear the yells of Warren, could feel the blood pumping in his, Harry’s veins, and could see the vision of Giselle being befouled by this boy.

It was only when Dumbledore stepped forward and pulled him off Warren did he abandon every attempt at bashing Warren. He slid further down the wall, and lay pathetically at the bottom, moaning piteously.

Harry, haven given up, stared into the questioning eyes of Dumbledore. He pulled away and instead turned to Wendy who was standing beside Warren with an odd smile on her face. Harry didn’t notice, and instead enveloped her into a fatherly hug. He murmured into her hair, stroking her back in quite a different way to which Warren had.

“Are you okay, Giselle?� said Harry, pulling her to arm’s length. She still hadn’t lost the strange smile on her face, and Harry assumed it was only the shock of everything that had happened.

“I’m fine, Dad,� Wendy said choosing her words carefully as not to tip off Harry to who she really was. “It’s just some bruises, no harm done.�

“Just some bruises?� Harry sputtered disbelievingly. “What else did the boy do to you?�

“Nothing, Dad, I swear. I’m OK. Warren didn’t do anything,� Wendy said calmly.

Harry stared suspiciously at his daughter.

“What do you mean, Warren? How do you know the boy’s name?�

Wendy bit her lip for a second. How was she going to get out of this?

“It’s…� she hesitated. “It’s just I heard Griselda saying his name, is all. I swear I haven’t ever talked to him before,� she said.

Harry was convinced, though Dumbledore wasn’t.

“How did you get those bruises, Miss Potter?� he asked softly.

At first Wendy didn’t answer, then she realised she was ‘Miss Potter’. She told him what happened. “Warren forced himself on me, Sir,� she said unblushingly, lying straight the Headmaster’s face.

Harry’s face hardened. “Right, right that’s it,� he said furiously, turning back to Warren.

Dumbledore placed a steady hand on Harry’s arm. Harry turned around and saw defeat.

“We’ll be going now,� he said roughly, guiding Wendy out of the common room.

Blaise came down the stairs and stood next to Dumbledore. “Fellow seems a tad unbalanced, if you ask me,� he said looking at Harry’s retreating back. “Better watch out for him.�

Dumbledore turned round slowly and stared at Blaise.

---

Harry helped Giselle into a chair in front of his office desk. Halle and Millie had been waiting there since Harry had talked to Halle at breakfast. Wendy sat quietly, ignoring the stares of her cousins and instead focused on Harry, who was leaning back in his chair, observing them all.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Giselle?� asked Harry

This time Wendy responded quicker. “I’m fine, Dad,� she said.

“Wha—� started Millie before Halle elbowed her in the stomach. Wincing, Millie turned to Harry.

“You know, of course, of Wendy Weasley,� he said. Wendy started in her chair, and Harry looked at her concernedly for a minute. “Are you absolutely certain you’re alright?� he asked again.

“I’m fine,� she replied. “What about Wendy?�

Harry sat thinking for a minute, lost in thought. When he spoke, every word was deliberate.
“It seems Wendy was the one who started the fire in the common room.�

Halle and Millie gasped involuntarily, and Wendy gasped just to make it look unsuspicious. She was, however, surprised Harry knew this.

“How do you know this, Uncle Harry?� asked Halle tentatively.

Harry sighed. “That is between Professor Dumbledore and I,� he said tiredly.

“But still, why shouldn’t we know?� pressed Millie.

“Professor Dumbledore seems to think you need not know the answer,� Harry said frowning at his nieces.

“But anyway, Dad, on with the story,� said Wendy impatiently. She wanted to see where this was going, and she didn’t have all that much time to hear it; only about three quarters of an hour left now.

Harry stood up and paced around the room; the girls followed his every move as he talked.
“Wendy was under instructions from Lord Voldemort, it seems, to destroy the power that resides in you. The power of three, we shall call it. She apparently didn’t follow his orders well enough, because my sources tell me she was punished.�

Wendy flinched when he said this; her knees still bore the scars from when she was thrown on the ground. Fortunately, Harry or her cousins didn’t notice, or they would have yet again asked if she was alright, and she didn’t need Harry getting suspicious.

Harry continued explaining Wendy’s downfall in detail, staring at each of his nieces in turn.
“Wendy was sent to kill you—� his eyes flicked from Halle to Millie, “—you —� his eyes flicked finally to Wendy, “—and you. You three, as I explained at our last D.A meeting, are special. You are the ones you bring power to me, giving me the strength to one day defeat Voldemort.�

Wendy flinched at her master’s name. This time Harry did notice.

“Giselle, something is wrong. Tell me.�

Wendy shook her head in answer. “There’s nothingwrong. You just reminded me of something Warren said, that’s all.�

Harry was furious at being compared to that boy and continued his talk with renewed vigor.
He was interrupted by Halle.

“Why is Wendy doing this? Is there a specific reason or is she just an evil little—� (Halle called Wendy something that made both Millie and Harry raise their eyebrows and Wendy hiss menacingly) “—huh? Tell me that, Uncle Harry. What’s her motive?�

Harry sat down again rubbing his temples. “I don’t ever want to hear that word again, Halle Aleesha Weasley. Never again.� He cleared his throat.

Suddenly a new voice joined the conversation as Dumbledore entered the room. Halle was glad he hadn’t been there a moment before.

“For your information, girls, Wendolin was not always evil, nor has she ever been,� he said softly, and Wendy gave him a curious look. How did he know so much about her past… unless… he had known her parents?

“She has, however, been under the influence of Lord Voldemort near to eleven years. No small child could stay good in the presence of evil for that long,� he said, and Wendy felt a tear forming in the corner of her eye. She brushed it away angrily and spoke harshly to the Headmaster.

“How do you know there’s still not some good inside of her, huh? Who says she’s entirely evil, like Halle said?� she glared at Halle, who, along with Millie and Harry, were staring at her openmouthed.
Dumbledore was just studying her silently, and Wendy caught site of the infamous watch he wore on his wrist. Only about fifteen minutes left. She had to be quick.

“Perhaps, we should ask someone who really knows Wendolin, someone who knows their daughter would never be truly evil,� said Dumbledore striding over to Harry’s unlit fireplace.

“Incendio, � he muttered, and blue-bell flames flew from his wand tip and ignited the wood in the fireplace. He grabbed a pinch of powder from a small flowerpot on the mantle place and threw it into the flames. They turned a bright, emerald green and Dumbledore stuck his long, bearded face into the fire and said clearly, “Bill and Fleur Weasley.�

He pulled his face out of the fire and Wendy was amazed to see not a hair on his head was singed.
Her amazement was cut short, however when she saw who was revolving around in the green flames. Her parents.

---

A/N: Bah, I know you won’t kill me! You’re all too worried I won’t finish the story If you do! Heart to Lori for betaing my work; I’ve had her tied up for the holidays, just making her read my chapters with only a hunk of bread and a glass of water in front of her, just out of reach, with the promise of letting her have some when she’s finished. Now, as she eats her stale bread and drinks her murky water, I can honestly say if it wasn’t for Lori you probably wouldn’t have had Chapter Two to read!

-Lurid

Thoughts and The Fidelius Charm


“Incendio,� he muttered, and blue-bell flames flew from his wand tip and ignited the wood in the fireplace. He grabbed a pinch of powder from a small flowerpot on the mantle and threw it into the flames. They turned a bright, emerald green and Dumbledore stuck his long, bearded face into the fire and said clearly, “Bill and Fleur Weasley.�

He pulled his face out of the fire and Wendy was amazed to see not a hair on his head was singed. Her amazement was cut short, however, when she saw who was revolving around in the green flames. Her parents.

Fleur gracefully slipped out of the fireplace, while Bill had got his long ponytail caught on one of the uneven bricks and was trying in vain to unhook it.
Fleur clucked her tongue reprovingly, sounding exactly like Mrs. Weasley. Fleur walked over and placed a swift kiss on his cheek before wrenching the ponytail away from the fireplace, causing Bill to yelp with pain.

“Thanks, love,� he muttered, wincing as he clutched his severed hair.

“Pas problem, William,� she said sweetly in her French accent.

“You called, Albus?� asked Bill, the faded scars on his face twisting in concern.
“Indeed, I did, Bill. You see, we were discussing the topic of your daughter,� said Dumbledore.
“Millicent? What ‘as she done now?� asked Fleur, narrowing her eyes at her eldest.

Dumbledore placed his hands on Millie’s shoulder, who was throwing a dirty look at her mother for assuming it was her.

“It is not Millie we are talking about, Fleur. Wendolin has been the topic for the past half hour.�
Fleur let out a small gasp.

“But ‘ow is zat possible?� she asked throatily, looking to her husband. “She ‘as not been ‘eard of een years!�

“That may well be the case, Fleur, but the topic is still young Wendolin. She seems to have been at Hogwarts for the past few weeks,� said Dumbledore quietly.

“At ‘Ogwarts? ‘Ow? Meester Dumbly-dorr, I ‘ope you are not … ‘ow do you say … pulling my leg?� she looked back at Bill who was looking at Dumbledore is disbelief.

He placed a hand on Fleur’s shoulder and guided her into the chair next to Wendy’s. Wendy noticed her mother walked with a slight limp, and as Fleur sat down, there seemed to be a sort of connection between the two of them.

Fleur started, as though surprised to find what she saw to be Giselle sitting there, along with Harry and Halle.

“What is ze meaning of zis meeting, Dumbly-dorr? What are all our nieces doing ‘ere? Surely zey should not be eencluded een such a meeting?� She glared at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed and sat down next to Harry, facing Fleur and Wendy. Bill walked over and sat next to his wife, and he too glared at Dumbledore as he clasped her hand.

“Surely, as Fleur said, you could have waiting until the children were not here to bring up such a topic?� he said harshly.

“Children? You’re calling us children?� Halle burst out at her Uncle.

Bill turned around. “You are too much like my dear brother for you own good,� he said lightly, but there was no trace of a smile on his face.

Millie could tell nothing good was going to come of this and lead a fuming Halle out of the room, beckoning Wendy to follow. Wendy looked startled at the watch on Dumbledore’s wrist and gasped. She had two minutes left until the potion wore off!

Down the stone steps she flew (for the second time) and down into the dungeons she scampered.
She passed the stone gargoyle, giving the password, and entered the Slytherin common room, to be greeted with a distressed Griselda who was kneeling over a wheezing Warren. Griselda turned on her in a wave of fury.

“You—� she poked Wendy in the chest, which was now Wendy’s own, considerably flatter, chest, “—are the reason he might die!�

“Why do you mean, ‘might die’, Griselda? What did I do to Warren? It was all his doing,� she said coldly.

Griselda was struck dumb. How dare this girl tell her it was his entire fault? If it hadn’t been for her, Warren wouldn’t have kissed her … and Harry Potter … he wouldn’t have hurt him … She saw clearly now.

“How can we hurt Harry Potter in the most malicious way ever?� asked Griselda in an even voice.
Wendy smiled evilly, the dark circles under her eyes deepening and darkening.

---

Upstairs in Harry’s office the four adults were still arguing vehemently over Wendy’s whereabouts. Bill and Fleur were in total denial, and Harry could not for the life of him see why.

“Why on earth are we fighting like this?� said Harry angrily to Bill.

“We are fighting, dear brother-in-law, because you refuse to accept Wendy had passed on. Look at her; look what distress you have caused her,� Bill shot back, motioning to Fleur.

Fleur did indeed look as if she had taken a turn for the worse. Her hair was greasy and unkempt once more, and her eyes were sunken, as if the memory of her daughter had brought back the harsh memories, feelings and appearances of nearly eleven years before.

“I will ‘ave nuzzing to do wit looking for Wendolin. She ‘as passed on to ze afterlife to be with my dear muzzer and grandmuzzer, and I do not want you telling me ozzerwise,� she said weakly, clinging to Bills arm.

Bill continued to glare at Harry, who seemed quite taken aback at their responses. Surely (he thought to himself) they would have welcomed Wendy not in fact being dead (as the whole family had expected after all this time without so much as a hair from her head) instead of undoubtedly denying her existence.

Bill cleared his throat then looked around at Dumbledore, his wife and finally Harry before coolly saying, “Well, I expect you all have better things to attend to, especially you, Albus.� He then helped Fleur out of her chair and towards the fire.

Dumbledore stepped forward calmly and placed an old, wrinkled hand on Bill’s shoulder. Though he turned around in impatience, he did not shrug it off.

“Just remember, the Order is always there for you and Fleur, no matter the feelings between its members, you know that Bill,� he said calmly.

All he got was a curt nod in return from Bill, and a small forced smile from Fleur. She threw a pinch of Floo Powder in the flames, and Bill quietly said, “The Burrow.�

Dumbledore turned back to Harry, who was watching the empty grate with a weird expression on his face.

“Y’know, ever since that fire I’ve been getting odd twinges … you know … in my scar. Do you think it’s somehow related to their point-blank denial? It is a bit strange, after all, but there have been way too many coincidences of late, as you well know, Albus,� he said, running his fingers around his bottom lip.

Dumbledore turned away from Harry and stared broodingly into the sooty fireplace. “Such as, Harry? What type of coincidences? They may merely be, as you put it, a coincidence, but what if I was to say I think it part of a great design? It’s like a pack of dominoes, you see, one incident sets off another, and so on,� he said after a moment.

Dumbledore remained with his back to Harry, who was fed up with the old man’s mysterious ways.

“Albus,� he burst out, resting his hand on the old man’s velvety shoulder. “How can you say Wendy’s appearance and the fire were unrelated? I thought we had already established she was the one who lit the fire, though young she was. She couldn’t have, of course, lit a real Everlasting Fire, but you know as well as me from whom she learnt that incantation. Lord Voldemort is no longer in hiding,� he said fiercely, staring into the aging man’s eyes.

Dumbledore sighed. “I know, Harry. After the battle in your seventh-year all that time ago, Lord Voldemort went into hiding. He was biding his time, as he did during your ten year stay at the Dursleys, until he had some leverage against you as a family.�

Harry’s brows unfurrowed in understanding. “Wendy,� he breathed.

Dumbledore inclined his head to indicate Harry’s answer was, indeed, correct.

“Lord Voldemort sees young Wendolin as leverage. He sees that, should she need your help, you will come to her rescue, as you did Ginny in your second-year, Ron in your third-year, Sirius in your fifth-year, and at long last, myself in your sixth-year at Hogwarts. You see, Harry, as your sister-in-law, Mrs. Hermione Weasley, discovered while working in the Department of Mysteries, the power of love that resides in the locked room is what draws the courage and adrenaline to you, and is why you have a certain fondness of … err …playing the hero you might call it.�

Harry was fuming. Not a year had gone past since he discovered he was a wizard had he not, at least once, been called a hero, or been told to stop playing the hero.

“Y’know Dumbledore, I’m quite sick of people telling me that. Not that I don’t agree entirely, for it is true, but I just wish people would stop putting it that way.�

Dumbledore stared into Harry’s green eyes hard, as though asking something inside of him to show itself.

“You cannot deny who you are inside, Harry. It is that tendency that marks you as an individual, it marks who you are on the inside. People will forever view you as ‘The Boy-who-Lived’, but those who know the real you understand that this … trait you possess is of you, and no one else.�

Harry nodded in understanding. “Shall we discuss another pressing matter in your office? One, I feel, should include the girls’ parents,� he said, motioning to the door.

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. “We shall.�

---

Giselle was sluggishly lying in a musty cupboard in the Slytherin common room. She dimly recognized the disgusting smell that had awoken her from her sleep as mothballs. She tried valiantly to push the door open, but her body, weakened from the effect the potion had on her, wouldn’t allow more than a thump, which of course, Wendy and Griselda heard as they plotted Harry Potter’s fate.

“I still say we should keep Potter here. Losing his daughter should really mess him up.�

“No … it takes more than a threat to destroy Harry Potter. It takes action. Perhaps if Little Miss Sunshine over there wasn’t listening to our conversation I could tell you what action to take, but …� she said her voice low.

The blond Slytherin in the corner, however heard this and decided now was the time to waltz over and introduce herself.

“Barbara Paic and you are …?� she questioned, her blue eyes lingering on Wendy, whom she did not recognize.

“Wendolin … and Griselda Goyle,� said Griselda, who did not know Wendy’s true last name. Wendy herself was not sure after the meeting in Harry’s office, but repeated inside her head what she had always been told by her master.

“Every one of my followers is important to me, as you very well know Wendolin, but you are by far the most precious of Lord Voldemort’s servants,� he had always hissed in her ear. “You are bound to me now, and therefore will always be known as my child of darkness. My true daughter.�

“Wendolin Riddle,� she put forth, eyeing the interfering girl. Her long, blonde hair fell in cascades around her bold, yet somewhat angelic looking face. What Griselda knew of her, however, was enough to discourage this thought. Her long, navy blue robes brought out the colour in her eyes, and they glinted as she moved closer to Wendy.

“I see …� she said delicately. “And whom might your father be?� she asked, her voice curiously low.

“Tom Marvolo,� she said evenly. Wendy didn’t elaborate.

Perhaps Barbara was getting tired of the tight lipped Wendy, because she flounced away to where a solitary figure was lounging on a settee.

“You know, Wendolin Riddle, my friends call me Barica,� she called over.

“That’s nice, Barbara,� she said coolly, and Barica’s lovely face hardened, and she threw a malevolent look her way.

“You’d better watch yourself, Riddle. You’re not so big,� she hissed, showing pointed, yet very straight teeth.

“Oh, but I am,� said Wendy in a purr, turning back to Griselda whom was watching her with a mixture of respect and fright.

“Well done. Not many people have the courage to stand up to Barbara Paic, you know,� she said in a confidential whisper.

“Oh, that? That wasn’t courage; that was initiative. You have to learn how to deal with certain people,� she said, looking over at the closet that held Giselle.

Griselda raised her eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.

* * *

Alone in the cupboard, Giselle was starting to go mad. She had been here for what felt like hours, and decided to do something to break the monotony. She could think of nothing to do in this confining space to pass the time except sing, her off-key voice warbling along to her favorite song:


Seems like everything’s the same around me
Then I look again and everything has changed
I’m not dreaming so I don’t know why
She’s every where I wanna be

Her murmurings were cut off by a blinding contrast of light from outside the cupboard. She was free.

* * *

“Get up, Giselle,� said Wendy briskly, and Giselle recoiled and squinted at her savior. It looked like Millie … though …it couldn’t be. Millie was in Hufflepuff, and she was trapped in Slytherin.

“Get up,� said Wendy again, and Giselle thought this time it did sound and sort of look like Millie … but younger …Wendy?

“Wendy?� she asked weakly, still squinting upwards.

“Yes, cousin. It is I … we mustn’t delay any further. The Dark Lord is waiting for you.� There was a sense of urgency in her voice.

Giselle was confused. What was this about Voldemort?

“What about Voldemort? Huh…what?� she dropped back down in the cupboard, her body hidden in shadow.

Wendy impatiently bent down and rolled her over so she was looking in her eyes.

“There is no time to waste. Tonight, when Lucius Malfoy’s son comes to collect you, you will not be there. I shall instead, but he will not know that. I’m making this last sacrifice to save my sister and her family, please do not mess this up by telling your father, though he has a right to know. He mustn’t know anything about this; The Dark Lord will sense it through the new connection. Please …I am begging you,� she said pleading with Giselle.

Giselle’s head swam. This was all too much for her to handle right now. She blacked out again.

* * *

Wendy shook Giselle, but Giselle didn’t wake. She growled in frustration, and a passing by Barica snorted and smirked.

“Someone needs some anger management,� she whispered slyly to her boy toy whom she was leading up the stairs to her dormitory. He nodded in agreement, but looked down at Wendy’s feet and saw Giselle. His smile widened, and Barica followed his gaze. She glared at Giselle, having seen her take Warren right from under Griselda’s nose and saw what she thought to have happened. She too smiled and then led the boy up the stairs, tugging on his arm as she went. The boy, however, didn’t let his gaze drop from Giselle’s sweet face until he had rounded the corner and it became physically impossible for him to catch sight of her.

Wendy stopped looking at Giselle and looked after the boy, whom she recognized. Lucifer Malfoy, she thought. Then she groaned. He was the one supposedly coming to pick Giselle up tonight. The one to deliver her to the Dark Lord, their master. She just hoped this was a minor glitch in the plan, and wouldn’t affect it in anyway. He wasn’t to know she was switching places with her.

With enormous strength for a ten-almost-eleven-year old, she hoisted Giselle out of the closet and onto her coat-hanger shoulders. Then, as fast as she could manage, set off for Professor Dumbledore’s study as fast as she could, Disillusioning herself as she did.

---

Professor Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, Halle, Millie and a very pregnant Hermione, were sitting quietly in Dumbledore’s study. Callie, however, was not. She was running around, pulling papers off desks and throwing them in the air gleefully, zooming around making plane noises and screeching when she came to a stop in front of a tired looking Ginny, who scooped her up in her arms and set her down in her lap. Ginny gave an apologetic smile as she sat down next to Harry, who tickled Callie. She squirmed and giggled in her mother’s hold. Ginny narrowed her eyes at Harry and he desisted, grinning sheepishly.

Ginny turned back to Dumbledore who was watching them over the rims of his half-moon glasses.

Ron, becoming impatient with the silence now that Callie was subdued, was the first to speak.

“Why are we here, Dumbledore?� he burst out, ignoring Hermione’s warning hand on his wrist.

“Ronald! Albus must have some reason. He is waiting for everyone to arrive before starting. It’s called manners, something you know very little about, obviously,� she said scathingly.

“You were not able to convince Fleur and Bill to come back, Dumbledore?� Harry asked, shifting so Ginny could place Callie in his lap.

“Alas, no. They would not subject themselves to our theories again. They would rather be in the dark than know the acute details. They still fear a repetition of what happened so long ago. Sometimes someone knowing too much can jeopardize trust between two people when the other does not have the same knowledge. They prefer to have the same amount. Absolutely nothing,� he said, breathing deeply through his long crooked nose.

Ginny murmured to Harry, and he nodded.

“Yes dear, no tickling,� he said calmly, straightening his glasses.

“But where’s Giselle?� asked Halle, looking towards her mum. Hermione looked towards Ron, who shrugged his shoulders.

“How should I know?� he asked Hermione.

“Well, Ronald, that conversation we had last night? About you being all-knowing?� she said narrowing her eyes at him.

Ron went bright red, blushing to the roots of his red hair. Harry, too, went red, and glanced at Ginny who had a slight smile on her face.

“Erm … dear perhaps this is not the time or place to bring this up?� he asked Hermione
pleadingly. Hermione relaxed a bit, but she took her arm of his.

Millie had had enough. “I’m going to find Giselle,� she said simply, and walked out of the room.

“Wait!� said Halle, and she followed her down the spiral stairs.

“Why didn’t you stop her, Hermione?� asked Ron rudely.

“That’s it Ronald. You’re sleeping on the couch tonight,� she said, turning away from him.

Ron stared dumbfounded at Dumbledore whose eyes were twinkling, to Ginny, who was trying hard not to laugh at her idiotic brother, to Harry, who was biting down on his knuckles in an attempt to stop guffawing.

* * *

Wendy deposited a stirring Giselle at the bottom of the stairs just as she heard two teenage girls clambering down the stairs. She quickly muffled her breathing and hid behind a statue of a griffin, while Halle’s shallow breathing masked her own. Millie had run back upstairs to find her Uncle, and could be heard yelling in desperate French, to all but a baffled Ron.

Halle started to drag Giselle up the stony steps, and looked behind her to see where she was going. Wendy took this as her chance and sprinted off towards the Slytherin common room, a few strands of Giselle’s gleaming hair held in her small, wasted hand.

---

“Set her down there, Miss Weasley,� said Dumbledore, motioning to the settee next to the fireplace.

Both Millie and Halle looked at Dumbledore.

“Which one?� said Halle stupidly.

Millie snorted. “Both of us, dumbo. C’mon, over here.�

Halle scowled at being called a dumbo, but Millie merely smiled and set Giselle down on the velvety seat, then sat next to her.

Dumbledore came over, his long nose an inch from Giselle’s face, and began to prod and poke her limp body, studying her ashen features for any sense of change.

“What is it?� asked Harry, who had been quiet until Dumbledore had finished his examination.

“Nothing to worry about, Harry. She seems to have overdosed on something, though I am not sure what … has Giselle been acting strange of late?� asked Dumbledore.

“Well,� said Harry as though it was obvious to everyone in the room, “She has just been sorted into Slytherin, if you do remember. She’s probably been up all night as well, and with everything going on with that boy, the fire, and the sorting, you’d think maybe she’s just exhausted,� said Harry scornfully.

“Yes… well, we must discuss something later, but now, we have a more pressing matter to attend to. Could you, Ron, please find Professor Flitwick, and Hermione, please find Poppy? I think we might need her to revive Miss Potter,� he said, talking to Hermione and Ron, and gracefully ignoring Harry. He was about to say something, but Ginny placed a comforting hand on his knee, though she too was white.

“Certainly, Headmaster,� said Hermione politely, leaving the room with Ron in tow whispering to her in her ear.

Silence followed, and there was not a sound in the study except for the light snores and whistles Callie made in her sleep. Halle and Millie were not looking at each other, but were stroking Giselle’s hair and arm softly as she lay sprawled on the settee. Everyone started talking at once as both Madame Pomfrey and Professor Flitwick entered the room.

“Please, please, my friends,� said Dumbledore, motioning for them to be quiet.

“Is there anything you can do immediately for Miss Potter, Poppy?� he asked Madame Pomfrey.

“Delicate little things…Oh my, what’s happened here?� she gasped.
“Giselle has been attacked, so it would seem, so please Poppy, if you could help her?� Harry hurriedly said, motioning for Madam Pomfrey to hurry up.

Madam Pomfrey checked her pulse, heart rate, measured her temperature, and clicking her tongue, forced a measure of smoking potion down a now upright Giselle’s throat. Giselle coughed and spluttered, though now she was awake, and Ginny jumped to her feet and ran over to her daughter.

“Are you alright, pumpkin? Come on,� she said soothingly to Giselle, who pushed her away massaging her temples.

“Please mum, there are too many people talking!� she shouted. Ginny looked taken aback.

“But Giselle, there isn’t anyone else talking. Headmaster?� she turned to Dumbledore who was surveying Giselle, who was looking around wildly.

“Just a slight side effect of the potion, Headmaster,� said Madam Pomfrey reprovingly. She collected her things and bustled out of the room after checking Giselle was okay.

“Now, Professor Flitwick. I believe you have something you’d care to share with us?� asked Dumbledore.

Professor Flitwick cleared his throat loudly and clambered up on top of Dumbledore’s desk so he could be heard by all.

“Professor Dumbledore has asked me here today to explain to you the complexity of the Fidelius Charm,� he said squeakily.

Hermione gasped and looked toward Dumbledore. He nodded gravely.

“It has come to my attention that we should protect young Misses Weasley and Miss Potter from any harm, caused by their cousin Wendolin or her master, Lord Voldemort.�

Now it was Ginny’s turn to gasp. “Our daughters are being harmed by Voldemort. Oh … oh no …please, not again …� she whispered. Harry put a strengthening hand around his wife and said huskily, “Please, Professor, continue.�

Flitwick cleared his throat again and looked around at the group gathered there in Dumbledore’s study.

“An immensely complex spell, involving the concealment of a secret inside one single, living soul,� he looked towards Hermione, indicating she would be the girls’ Secret Keeper and continued. “The information will be hidden inside Hermione, the chosen Secret Keeper, for she is the brightest by far, and the most unexpected candidate of all of you, for you Harry, are the most obvious choice, as is your wife and best friend. Hermione, however, is a Muggleborn, and You-Know-Who will overlook her, picturing her as to incompetent of keeping such a secret. The girl’s whereabouts will be impossible to find, they will not even show up on Professor Potter’s map, and can only be revealed if the Secret Keeper reveals their location.
“As long as Hermione refuses to speak, which she can assure you will happen, You-Know-Who could be standing right next to me and not be able to see or hear Millicent, Halle or Giselle. You see, that is the genius of it. They would be completely invisible to him or any of his followers, including Wendolin, and completely silent in their presence. Also, because they still have to continue their schooling, all the necessary persons will be informed of their whereabouts. Because they’re constantly moving, by the time anyone got word to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named they would be gone! Such genius!� he squeaked excitedly, toppling off his perch on Dumbledore’s desk.

“Thank you, Professor. Now please, could we carry along with the spell?�
“Of course, Professor, as you wish.�

Flitwick motioned for the girls to stand in front of him. Halle and Millie had to support Giselle between them.
Flitwick made a series of complicated motions over the girls’ heads, then circling their bodies doing the same movements, he then asked for Hermione to place him back on the desk so he could utter the incantation over all four of them.

“Eyegniees Sihmorf Slrigeseht Edih, � he said slowly and clearly, rotating his wand over each of the girls heads, then finally resting his wand tip on Hermione’s heart.

The wind rattled the glass panes in the windows, the ashes in Fawkes’s tray were expelled all over the room and Callie’s hair was pushed over her face by a strong wind that came out of nowhere.
The wind pushed Hermione’s curls back from her face, making her seem younger and nobler. Her fine features were escalated into mesmerizing beauty as a sparkle of light flew from each of the girls’ mouths and hovered slightly in front of Hermione’s face. Her lightning bolt necklace came up to meet the spark of light, and then, as they touched the glinting point of the bolt, the wind vanished and everything returned to normal, save the pile of ashes at Callie’s feet. The lightning bolt shined with renewed light as Hermione sat down serenely next to her husband and clasped his hand in hers, all arguments forgotten. She looked as radiant and proud as Harry had every seen her.

“There you have it, girls, your innermost souls are in the possession of your Aunt, and everything is at peace, for now. You will return to the allocated houses and spend the night there, as if nothing has happened, with the exception of Giselle. She will be resorted into Hufflepuff, away from any torment which might cause a relapse. I am sorry, Halle, but you are now left in Ravenclaw with Miss Lal and Miss Tattersall. They, of course, will take care of you, not that you need taking care of,� said Dumbledore.

Halle quietly helped Giselle back to the settee where Ginny was waiting to envelop her daughter in a hug, then quietly walked over to her mother and father and sat between them. Ron reached down and tousled Halle’s bushy hair, a show of affection.

“Don’t worry, Hal, the common room is almost finished, it’s just one night, after all,� he said to comfort her.

Halle bravely nodded and stole a glance at Millie, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, unable to join her parents, as they had refused to attend the meeting. She dearly hoped Dumbledore had informed them of the charm taking place.

“Erm…we should probably be going now, right Halle?� she said quietly.

“Yeah…sure,� said Halle, just a quiet.

She hugged her father good-bye, then gave her mother a peck on her glowing cheek and fondly rubbed her bulging belly.

“Seeya later, squirt,� she whispered, kissing her mother’s belly before she left with Millie.

“That is all, for now. You may all return to your homes. I daresay you all need some rest after this tiring ordeal,� Dumbledore ushered Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny, who was carrying a sleeping Callie to the gilded fireplace.

“Please feel free to use Floo Powder,� he said, before taking off his pointy hat and climbing the stone steps to his quarters.

Harry threw some powder into the flames, and they turned emerald green, matching his and Callie’s eyes.

“Shrieking Shack!� he cried, and pulled Ginny into the fire with him, and waved one-handedly to Hermione and Ron, who gave him a freckled smile in return. Then they were gone and it was time for Ron to help Hermione into the fire.

“Come on, now…that’s it. There we go,� he said, giving her his arm for support.
“Ronald, I don’t need your help,� she wheezed, but took his arm all the same.

“Number 12 Grimmauld Place,� she said softly, planting a soft kiss on her husband’s cheek.

The fire flew upwards and Hermione and Ron were on their way home.

“Oh my!� said little Professor Flitwick from the top of Dumbledore’s desk. “Won’t somebody help me down? How am I going to get down?�



A/N:
Laura Lal: my Siriusly Obsessed mate
Tegan Tattersall: the one who introduced me to the Potterverse. For that m’dear, I thank you greatly ::hands over cookies::
Barica/Babs/Barbara: BABY HIPPO’S ROCK! LOL Babs has this obsession with Leprechauns, so I thought I’d introduce her to my story. You’d be surprised at how amusing she found the whole scene!

I hope I made you laugh with poor Professor Flitwick! Oh well, please remember, Read AND REVIEW!! I love hearing from you, so please don’t deny me the satisfaction of having a little icon come up on my screen “You’ve got mail!�
[Lmao] I’ve upgraded Lori’s food from bread and water to cheese and crackers, I thought she deserved something a little more special so I threw in some Coke too for being such a good sport and reading my LONGEST chapter yet! Ttyl all, don’t forget to review!! ~Lurid*

Oh, and PS- Kudos go to Lori for pointing out that Babs takes her “boy toy� up to her dorm. =-) Giselle isn’t all sugar and spice! Having Harry for a father, a Marauder for an Uncle and Hermione for an aunt makes for an interesting array of spells… and having Ron for an Uncle makes for a very loose jaw on Millie’s behalf. =-)

+*~_-*Total story Malicious Intentions: 47 A4 pages!! Woohoo!*-_~*+ 5,143 words!!

Thank you all for waiting so patiently. Every single “Thank you� should be directed at my wonderful Beta Lori, author of The Second War Begins. I suggest you check it out, will be well worth it.



Illusions in Christmas Crackpots



Christmas arrived at Hogwarts in a flurry of snowflakes and owls delivering late Christmas presents to spoiled children, one of these being Lucifer Malfoy. He delighted in showing off all the sweets his mother had sent him, and maliciously whispered in Giselle’s ear that his father would soon avenge Lucius Malfoy. Unfortunately, Harry had never heard this and was unable to report it to Dumbledore.



The news of the attack on Giselle had spread like wildfire through the corridors of Hogwarts, and she had various girls coming up to her and telling her ‘they knew exactly how she was feeling.’ But did they? Usually, Giselle refrained from sounding tragic and using her Dad as an example of how bad her life was, but this time, and now that Wendy was on the loose, it seemed like a very valid reason.



They all complained of boy problems, problems at home and issues with various teachers, but what they didn’t realize is all of these problems were all centered in the same place for Giselle, and multiplied three-fold, what with Voldemort rising again after all these years. They just didn’t understand.



Presently, Millie and Giselle were seated at the Hufflepuff table, leaving Halle sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Lenny Longbottom, Laura and Tegan. She picked up her books and returned slowly to the Ravenclaw Common room, unbeknownst to Giselle and Millie, who were now fighting over Christmas Crack-pots, a new invention from the Weasley uncles. They had been developing a newer range of Muggle treats in honor of the traditional season, and people were now favoring the little paper varieties over the traditional Wizards Cracker. Halle heard Giselle go off in a peal of laughter and dashed through the doors and up the Grand Staircase.

---

“Oh, gawd,� giggled Millie, burying her face in her hands. Her face was extremely red from laughing, and Giselle’s had taken on a pinkish tinge.



Guess this is what they mean by ‘tickled pink,’ she thought, seeing as it was a little too hard to open her mouth when she knew a choking laugh would come barreling out unceremoniously.



“Okay,� Millie said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. “Here’s another classic.�



“How can you tell if a bucket is sick?�



Giselle shook her head, wondering just how you could tell if a bucket was feeling ill.



“You see if he’s a little PAIL!�



Millie let out a howl of pent up giggles and snorted out her nose.



Giselle clutched her fingers in her mouth in an attempt to stop laughing, but it exploded out anyway.



“Here,� said Harry, appearing by their sides. “I have another,� he said, wiggling his eyebrows mysteriously. He cleared his throat.



“Ahem. What is black, white and red; black, white and red?


Giselle smiled. She had heard this one before. “I know, a burnt penguin!� Harry shook his head and Giselle was silent, her expression aghast. Harry grinned.



“Nope; a sunburned zebra rolling down a hill!�



The girls erupted in laughter again, slapping the table with their hands, and there was a great rumble as people all around stamped their feet in approval of Harry’s joke. Apparently, the Christmas spirit was in full force, lowering people’s inhibitions, and letting them enjoy the holiday season even more.



Nearly Headless Nick floated over, apparently having departed from his usual position at the Gryffindor table to join in the festivities. He had managed to drag Moaning Myrtle up from the Lake, and she was now clutching Nick’s right arm possessively and giggling profusely, sneaking glances Harry’s way.



“Hello, Harry,� she cooed, sidling up next to him and letting go of Nick’s arm.



“Err, hello, Myrtle. I see you’ve joined us?�



“Of course, Harry. You know I wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see you.� She snuggled even closer, and Harry stepped sideways, his hip crashing uncomfortably into the table.



“Ahem.� Nick cleared his throat importantly, adjusting his ruff, so that his severed neck wobbled dangerously. “What did one angel say to the other angel?�



The others looked bewildered. There was silence as Nick made his announcement.



“Halo,� he said delicately, taking a small, mid-air bow. Everyone groaned simultaneously.

Myrtle looked sideways, and then approached Harry again. “Halo,� she said sweetly.

---

Halle plodded up the stairs to the Ravenclaw Common Room. Somehow, the noise from the Great Hall had drifted up several levels, nearly reaching the Astronomy Tower, making Halle feel about as wanted as an ant at a picnic. The chortling and guffawing had been getting on her nerves immensely, so she decided to retire to the dormitory in favor of looking melancholy in front of her cousins. Unbeknownst to her, a surprise would soon be coming her way. A late Christmas present was slowly sneaking up on her.



Behind her, Tegan and Laura cautiously crept up the stairs, herding a suave-looking young man; poking him in the back and shuffling him unceremoniously up the stairs to the ancient Eagle Statue.



* * *



Singular. Solitary. Lone. Whatever way you want to put it, Halle Weasley was alone. Giselle had been re-sorted into Hufflepuff, and now she was the only remaining of the cousins to be in Ravenclaw. True, she wasn’t entirely alone. There was Tegan and Laura, after all, but that didn’t mean she was okay with everything. Giselle and Millie had unknowingly dumped her, making her doubt their friendship. Surely Dumbledore could have seen it would be wiser to have all three girls together in the one house.



‘Not that there’s anything wrong with Ravenclaw,’ she thought, looking around the cozy common room. There were baubles of light floating lazily around the high, meticulously crafted ceiling, heavy tapestries in which second-years in black robes lined with royal blue were crowded around, deciphering their Latin texts and famous painting-lined the walls, some of them worldly renowned, like Leonardo Da Vinci’s original Madonna of the Rocks, The Mona Lisa. It still dazed Halle to think some of Da Vinci’s famous works were a result of his days spent in Ravenclaw in the early days of Hogwarts.



The overstuffed chairs Laura, Tegan and Halle were sitting in were surrounding a warm, open grate fire, not unlike the Gryffindor fireplace, but instead of a glass case holding Godric Gryffindors sword, there were a number of ornate trophies, and Halle found herself mesmerized by a gleaming bronze telescope. It wasn’t the telescope itself that was so intriguing. It was the third name down that filled Halle’s heart with a small bout of joy.



1996 ~ Hermione Granger, Gryffindor



Halle felt a small touch of pride as she stared at the brass nameplate. Her mother had been one of the brightest witches Hogwarts had ever enrolled, and Halle couldn’t believe after all her mother had gone through in her last year at Hogwarts that she would even consider coming back to teach at the school. Sure, she wasn’t going to be there after tomorrow, but still Halle couldn’t see why her mother chose the career path she did.



Her thoughts were interrupted, however, by someone placing their soft hands over her brown eyes. She started and threw her arms upwards and around the person’s arms. Only one person would dare do this to her.



“Hello, Miles,� she said softly, forcing his fingers open. The boy laughed and took his hands away from her face.



He came and slid onto the arm of her chair and placed his slender finger on top of Halle’s forehead. He parted his lips in a carefree smile which Halle had dearly missed while he was away. His tanned skin shone a healthy brown, and his chocolate puppy dog eyes sparkled mischievously. He had a elegant flop of coal black hair, and Halle often found herself wishing her own locks would look as effortless as Miles’s did right now.



Halle reached up to touch his smiling face and Miles grabbed her hand and planted a soft kiss on her hand.



“‘M’lady, thou were missed whilst I was away,� he said.



Halle laughed; it was the first time in ages she had done so, and it felt like a stony fortress surrounding her had cracked, leaving behind a gap in which happiness could flow through.



“Thou were missed too,� she said, leaving her hand within his grasp.



Laura smiled to Tegan who nodded her head and looked towards the dormitories away from Halle with a smile on her face. They got up silently and walked up the spiral stairs, sneaking a look back at the happy couple. Miles winked at them and Tegan gave him a wave. Now Halle and Miles were alone in their little secluded corner in front of the fire.



Miles seemed to have the same idea.



“You know …� he said, looking away from Tegan and focusing on Halle’s blushing face. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes lowered.



“Yes?� she inquired. Miles picked up the hint and squeezed down into the chair next to Halle. “What do you know?� she asked.



“Well …� he debated. “How much did you miss me? Enough to kiss me?� he rhymed playfully.



Halle laughed out loud and placed her arms around Miles’s neck awkwardly. She wasn’t all that accustomed to these newly intimate encounters.



“First you have to tell me why it took you so long to get back after the holidays,� she stated, staring into his mesmerizing eyes.



“Hmm…I guess I could do that first … if you make it worthwhile,� he said pretending to think about it.



“Of course, silly,� she said. Miles snuggled closer to Halle. The fire was crackling merrily, burning away all the bad feelings of the past hour.



“It was all Stephanie’s fault, of course,� he said lightly, sensing his sister’s presence behind him.



“My fault? As if, brother dear,� she said appearing round the front of the chair. She took the chair Tegan was sitting in across from Halle.



“Yes, all Stephanie’s fault,� he confirmed, stealing his sister a glance. She merely smiled and continued to sit there.



“She was the one who wanted to stay in Australia for another two weeks. Dumbledore, of course, wanted to give my mother some time off after her wedding, and thought we should keep her company,� he said, bopping Halle on the nose with his finger.



Halle wrinkled her nose and the freckles decorating it bunched together interestingly. “Australia? Isn’t that the home of kangaroos and Billywigs and crocodile’s? � she asked skeptically.



“Well, yes,� Miles conceded, “But also home to a very ancient brand of magic.�



Halle was alert now. She loved hearing of other cultures and types of magic.



“Isn’t it all tribal magic? Like the…Abordigines?�



“Aborigines,� he corrected. “And yes, their magic is stemmed from those people.�



“So, what you mean is the Aborigines are responsible for magic in Australia?� Halle said, trying to absorb this information as fast as she could.



“Yeah, and you should see their school! It’s amazing! Goes down under the earth for ages, but you wouldn’t really know it, there’s so many enchanted windows and such.�



Miles’s voice had taken on an excited tone.



“You mean there’s a school in Australia? Where is it?� Halle asked.



“It’s right in the heart of Australia, underneath Ayers Rock, or Uluru, as the Aboriginal people called it,� he said.



“Oo-lar-oo?� said Halle, testing out the foreign words on her tongue. Miles nodded his head in agreement.



“Strange, huh? That’s the original name for it. Nowadays they call it both names, something to do with Reconciliation. Now both the white people and the Aborigines own it.�



Halle laughed as a thought struck her.



“Do they talk like that Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin?� she laughed. “Mum sometimes tunes into the telly when it’s on at home.� Miles laughed along with Halle at these words.



“That bloke, he’s a funny one. He just exaggerates that accent, you know. It’s not that strong. It’s just for his television show. He’s not like that in real life.�



Halle eyes widened. “You’ve met him?� she gasped incredulously. “Wow!�



“Yeah, up in Darwin—� Miles was cut off by the approach of Professor Flitwick.



“Halle Weasley! Never thought I’d have you in my house! Such an honor, of course.�



Halle looked at Miles awkwardly. She was used to praise, but this was entirely different.

“Professor, it’s not permanent, as you know,� she said.



“Yes, well, perhaps it’s for the better. At least tomorrow you’ll be back in your own common room. Professor Potter and the Headmaster have just finished repairing the common room and its dormitories,� he squeaked excitedly.



Halle’s heart leapt. She would be back together with her cousin’s tomorrow night, and everything that had happened over the last few days would be a long-lost memory.



Miles felt her happiness and gave her arm a little squeeze.



“See? Everything’s going to be fine, just like it was before I left,� he said, smiling at Halle.



“You never left,� she said softly, leaning on his arm as soon as Flitwick was gone. She gave him a peck on the cheek and squeezed out of their armchair. She walked towards the stone steps and gave him a small smile then continued up the rough steps.



Miles flumped back in the cushy armchairs with a surprised but pleased smile on his face. Halle Weasley would be his, sooner or later.

---

Giselle woke with a shock to find sunlight streaming down on her face. It tickled her and beckoned for her to climb out of bed and place her feet on the sun-warmed floorboards. She obeyed, and felt the comforting sense of stillness in the air fill her up like a warm tankard of Butterbeer. She let out a satisfied sigh and started as Millie woke up next to her.



“Wassthetim?� she muttered sleepily. Giselle walked over to the crafted wardrobe in the corner of the room and opened the fifth drawer, pulling out some clean underwear and a Gryffindor robe. She threw it on top of Millie who snatched the underwear off her face and stared at it confusedly.



“Huh?� she said.



“Get up,� ordered Giselle. “It’s almost time for Potions.�



Millie groaned. Today was definitely not going to be her day. Potions first, then Astronomy, then Care of Magical Creatures. As if dealing with underwear being thrown over your face, and the little polka-dots staring you straight in the eye wasn’t bad enough, she had to deal with Professor Lovegood’s Crumple-Horned Snorkack’s.



She hoisted herself out of bed and Giselle walked behind the screen that covered her body while she was getting dressed.



“Today is gonna be such a bad day,� she said, her voice floating over the screen and to Millie.



“Too right,� came Millie’s reply. “I think I might have put on a few Christmas Kilo’s.�



Giselle snorted, and Millie’s face appeared behind the screen. Giselle was thankful she was decent, because the next thing she knew, Millie had pulled her out from behind the screen and was tickling her mercilessly.



“Okay, okay,� she begged. “I’m sorry. Anyway, we’re going to be late for Potions.�



“Joy,� said Millie sourly, searching for her socks and holding up a mismatched pair. “Do you think anyone would notice?�



Giselle rolled her eyes.

---

Halle scooted into the class just before the bell rang, and was astounded at both herself being late, and at Giselle and Millie sitting intently at their desks, blank expressions on their faces.



Hermione dashed in just after Halle, and Halle jumped frantically towards her seat. But Hermione was taking no notice; she was turning a faint tinge of green. She leant on the desk for a moment, seemingly catching her breath, and the class watched in amazement as she turned on her heel and ran out the dungeon again, a comical sight, for her purple and mauve scarves were flying out behind her and she rushed with her big, pregnant belly preceding her into the corridor.



“Uh, Halle?�



Halle turned. Giselle and Millie were staring at Halle in amusement. It wasn’t every day your best friend’s mother dashed into the classroom, just to run right back out again two second later, looking ready to heave.



Halle turned to the front of the class timidly to open her mouth. It seemed everyone was staring at her, asking her silently what to do. Halle was stuck. She didn’t do this sort of thing; she preferred to sit down, not embarrass herself in front of the whole class. Just as she was about to open her mouth, however, her mother popped her head around the corner.



“Page one hundred and sixty-four please, The Sleeping Draught on the left hand column,� she gasped and ducked out again. The class winced as a whole as they heard her retch.



Halle walked back to her desk, a cool relief spreading over her. She had evaded the dread of public speaking, for today anyway. Just as she had settled into her, Millie and Giselle’s usual spot, which felt extremely expansive in their absence, she half-heartedly waved to them over the other side of the room and grimaced as she heard two very distinctive voices above the usual din of scraping chairs and slamming cupboards.



“Stop it!� hollered Stacey.



“No, you stop it! You were the one about to add the wrong ingredient!�



“What do you mean?� Stacey asked menacingly, jabbing her finger into Renée’s chest.



“What I mean, Stacey Hopkins,� she positively shouted, “is the fact that you seem to be almost completely immersed in yourself you don’t realize what exactly is going on around you! You almost added the hellebore before it was boiling!�



“Well, Renée Bentley, you were the one who didn’t even remember the cauldron until I got here! I can’t believe you!� she screamed, her face going a mottled red. Her outrage was so loud that even Giselle, who had witnessed every single catfight, argument and kafuffle, was now staring openmouthed at Renée and Stacey’s bickering.



Millie, who was sitting next to Giselle clucked her tongue impatiently and reverted her eyes to the book balanced in front of her.



How could I possibly be sorted into the same house as them, she thought sardonically.



Halle, who had lifted her head from the text and was now watching them with curiosity, saw Stacey throw the ladle into the now brackish and totally useless potion in a temper.



Their mixture splashed up and soaked Renée. It fizzled and frothed when it hit her skin and she wailed in pain.



Stacey, who was faced towards the dungeon wall didn’t see the look of agony on Renée’s face.



“Oh stop complaining, Renée! Nothing’s the matter. You’re such a cry baby, I wasn’t born yester-�



She stopped suddenly when she heard Renée swing open the door and slam it shut, the tears splashing down her front. She spun around, and gaped at the horrified faces of the class. She wrenched open the door again and nearly ran headlong into Hermione. She squeaked out a small “Sorry,� before they heard her footsteps as she ran pell-mell up the dungeon corridor after Renée.



Hermione fell into the chair at the front heavily, then looked at Halle. She groaned and buried her face in her hands.

---

Halle had shifted in her seat every slightly, so when she turned to the front, her knee collided ever slightly with that of Giselle’s, whom was seated at the Hufflepuff table behind here. She was staring at the great Gryffindor flag hanging from the Great Hall’s Cathedral ceiling when she felt a hand on her should. She abruptly turned around and knocked knees and elbows with Giselle in her haste. They gave each other sheepish looks before looking at Harry who was smiling down at them with an expression of near glee. He only had to say two words to get the girl’s hearts racing.



“It’s done.�



* * *



Everything seemed a blur as they raced upwards to Gryffindor Tower. Indeed, Halle felt as though she was running so fast she could almost see the tips of her fingers melting away into the half-shadowed darkness. When they stopped, breathless and their eyes shining in the light of the candles, Halle felt as though her poor stomach, which had been desperately trying to catch up after the last fifty meters or so, collided with her lungs and pushed all the air out of her.



“ Denique Perfectus. �



The Fat Lady trilled with excitement and swung forward so exuberantly the girls heard the hinges crack, and the Fat Lady let out a little gasp of surprise. They ran inside, hastily saying their thanks.



The scene inside was of complete and utter chaos. People were piled three in a chair in front of the blazing (and thankfully contained, thought Halle) fire. The first-years, whom hadn’t spent as much time in the common room as most other students, were now examining things with a new light, things that Millie was almost certain had been there only a week previously. Still it seemed like a lifetime since she had seen the chipped figurine of Alberic Grunnion, his little eyes surveying the room expertly.



Giselle grabbed their hands impatiently, and Halle positively flew up the stairs. She noticed that the familiar scuffed sandstone beneath her feet had a few added scorch marks to its name, but they seemed to be the only remnant of the fire.



Millie pushed past eagerly and found herself in the Girls Dormitory. The sun was shining lazily through the window, casting rays of light over the crimson hangings. The girls flopped down on their respective beds, sighing with happiness simultaneously. Halle sat up with a mischievous look in her eye.



“I have something for you, Giselle.�



Giselle’s eyes lit up and Millie pouted. “How come I don’t have something?�



“Don’t worry,� said Halle airily, searching through her trunk. “I’m sure you’ll like it too.�



She found the silver and chrome object she was looking for, waved her wand expertly over the dials and knobs, and a loud blaring song filled the dormitory.



All three girls put their hands over their ears, jumped onto their beds and grabbed the nearest cylindrical objects.



“Ready?� shouted Halle, her cheeks flushed with excitement. The two other girls nodded excitedly.



“Alright!� she pointed her wand at the Muggle music box, and a voice came floating over the air.

The girls jumped up and down on their beds, and Halle thought as she sang into her pencil case, that they were finally home.





It's alright, I survived, I'm alive again

Cause of you, made it through every storm

What is life, what's the use if you're killing time?

I'm so glad I found an angel

Someone

Who was there when all my hopes fell

I wanna fly, looking in your eyes



Because you live and breathe

Because you make me believe in myself when nobody else can help

Because you live, girl

My world has twice as many stars in the sky

---

Somewhere, millions of miles away, in her small, cramped bedroom, a teenage girl stared intently at the screen of her faithful personal computer. She typed furiously for one minute, then stared at the white ceiling lost in deep thought, raised her fingers to her mouth and gnawed at her fingernails intently.



She dropped here hands to the keyboard, took a sip of the fizzy looking substance in front of her, and then sighed with contentment as finally, she finished her long awaited chapter of her story.



She shifted her mouse, clicked hurriedly twice before leaping out of the chair and under the covers of her bed. She listened to the footsteps outside her room die down and walk back up the hall before crawling out of bed and turning off the computer. At last the monotonous sigh of the fan died down and she crawled back into her bed slowly this time, savoring her success.



Her last thought before she passed into sleep was a hopeful wish that tomorrow, there would be a new email in her inbox, notifying her of a review.

*SSSQQQUUEEEEEEEEEEEE*

My god, it has been a while Too long!

Back in August, only a week after I had sent my beta a few chapters, my computer died suddenly and I was not able to revive it. So died the original chapter 11 Illusions and with it, Chapter 12 Golden Opportunities.

Illusions has since been re-christened, seeing as Christmas eve I got into the spirit and wrote Christmas Crackpots as a filler. Unfortunately, it was no where near the minimum required word count. So, I started the tedious job of re-typing a chapter, as some of you know can be a hard process.

So, I present to you Illusions IN Christmas Crackpots.

I hope you enjoyed it, so do as the virtual Steph bids, and leave a review < / bossiness >

As for criticism from the mods- Love it. Embrace it.

-Lurid

Golden Opportunities


The Fat Lady trilled with excitement and swung forward so exuberantly the girls heard the hinges crack, and the Fat Lady let out a little gasp of surprise. They ran inside, hastily saying their thanks.

The scene inside was of complete and utter chaos. People were piled three in a chair in front of the blazing (and thankfully contained) fire. The first-years, whom hadn’t spent as much time in the common room as most other students, were now examining things with a new light, things that Millie was almost certain had been there only a week previously. Still it seemed like a lifetime since she had seen the chipped figurine of Alberic Grunnion, his little eyes surveying the room expertly.

Millie pushed past eagerly and found herself in the Girls Dormitory. The sun was shining lazily through the window, casting rays of light over the crimson hangings. The girls flopped down on their respective beds, sighing with happiness simultaneously. Halle sat up with a mischievous look in her eye.

“Ready?� shouted Halle, her cheeks flushed with excitement. The two other girls nodded excitedly.

“Alright!� she pointed her wand at the Muggle music box, and a voice came floating over the air. The girls jumped up and down on their beds, and Halle thought that they were finally home.

---

Ginny Weasley fondly gazed down into her daughter’s face. She brushed back a curl of brunette hair, and softly pecked her on her upturned nose. Callie relaxed into her mother’s arms and grimaced slightly as Ginny lifted her up and into the crib. Ginny stroked her forehead lovingly, and started to sing softly.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word.
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a Billy goat

And if that Billy goat won't pull,
Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town

“So, where is Daddy getting all the money for these diamonds rings, Billy goats and carts with bulls?�

Ginny spun around and smiled with relief when she saw a beaming Harry, his arms full with papers from the school.

“Hard day?�

Harry sighed and dropped the papers on the floor along with his briefcase and walked into Ginny’s welcoming arms. “There’s just so many of them,� came the muffled reply from Ginny’s bathrobe.

Ginny held Harry by the shoulders at arms length. “You know, I think I have a way for you to relax.�

Harry’s eyebrows rose at first in surprise, and then settled down in a mischievous look. “Oh yeah?� he asked, slipping back into her arms.

“Yes,� said Ginny firmly, a smile tweaking at the corner of her lips. “There’s a load of washing to be done, you can get some serious thinking done while sorting the socks from the shirts, then you can iron the shirts; be careful not to burn yourself.� Harry looked aghast, and she smiled. She paused for a second, and then added, “Oh, and I have to have a bath, and you might be able to help out with that too.�

For the first time since hearing his extensive list of housework, Harry smiled. “What sort of help do you need, Gin?�

She waved her hand flippantly. “Oh, I’m not quite sure just yet. Perhaps you could ponder whilst drying the clothes and get back to me,� she said airily, winking.

Harry moved back into Ginny’s arms, breathing in the scent of her citrus shampoo. “So,� he said, rubbing her back idly, “When am I staring on that housework?�

“Right now, young man,� came Molly Weasley’s reply as she walked into the room. Harry turned away from Ginny and wrapped her mother in a big hug. She held him at arms length and grabbed his jaw firmly and planted a firm kiss on his cheek, leaving a vermillion lipstick mark.

“Mum, thank you so much for coming. Everything was just stressing me out! So much to do, and so little Harry to help me,� Ginny said, wrapping her mother up in a firm hug. She noticed the glance on Harry’s face, a sort of longing.

“Oh, Harry dear. We both know you want to be around the house more often. But, of course, you have to keep an eye on those grand daughters of mine! They’re always getting into danger. Better keep two eyes peeled,� she said calmly, patting Harry warmly on the arm.

Harry nodded absently, his eyes trailing over Ginny’s bathrobe intricately. Ginny noticed this glance and turned to her mother.

“Mum, would you mind taking Callie for a few hours? It would certainly lighten the load, and help me to relax,� she said earnestly.

It looked as if this had made Mrs Weasley’s day. “Oh, would you?� she breathed. “Oh, yes! Arthur and I would be delighted to have her for the afternoon! She’ll be a handful, but nothing her Grandpa and I couldn’t take care of.�

Her silver hair was shining brightly under the overhead light, and her smile was wider than a cheshire cats. Clearly, she loved Callie. She gazed lovingly down into the cot. “I’ll just bundle her up and Floo it, shall I?�

Ginny nodded peacefully. She looked over at Harry, who seemed grateful to be getting a few minutes alone with his wife. As Molly bustled around collecting things, she hummed the tune to “Hush Little Baby,� just as Ginny had done previously.

“All right, I do believe we’re set!� exclaimed Molly from the depths of the closet. She emerged with a small cloak and a toy broomstick. Harry wound his hand around Ginny’s waist as they followed Molly and a peacefully slumbering Callie downstairs. She was sucking on her thumb, and looked the picture of adoration.

Molly carefully dropped some powder into the fire and stepped in, the baby bags bulging in her arms. “The Burrow!� she called cheerfully, and was gone in a whoosh of green air and flame.

“Now, for that housework,� Ginny murmured, slipping the lemon robe of her shoulders.

---

Millie was dreaming. It was a very physical dream, and she was twisting and turning in agony in her bed. She was sweating profusely, a slick stain coating her linen. The ruckus had woken both her cousins, and they were whispering fearfully at her bedside.

“What do you think it is?� whispered Halle fearfully to Giselle.

“I’m not sure,� said Giselle, just as anxious, despite the fluffy frog slippers she was currently wearing. All fun of the previous night had fled, like a cockroach scurrying away from the light.

They both turned to the bed in horror. Millie’s eyes turned a fearsome rabid red, and she began to leak bubbles of blood from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes widened in terror, and they could see she was having trouble breathing.

“Halle, this is not normal,� said Giselle anxiously, hovering over Millie’s bed, which was now soaked in her blood.

“Giselle, was this ever normal?� There was a hysterical note in her voice as she said this. “Giselle, go find Uncle Harry. Now. He’ll know what to do. Now!� she added, when Giselle turned back to her with a dubious expression on her face. She ran outside and presumably into the common room to the fire.

Halle turned to a now motionless Millie and let out a blood-curdling scream.

---

The golden bathroom tiles shimmered beneath a layer of frothy bubbles, an obvious sign of the waves of passion that had rolled out from the bone coloured bath rub in the middle of the room. It had old fashioned claw feet, and was currently occupied by two people. One, a man with hair that was tidy for once, and the other, a woman who was lying on her husband’s chest and listening as it rose and fell sleepily.

“Mm… glad I got that housework done,� she murmured, stretching out her arm from underneath her and settling into a more comfortable position. After all, this tub had only been made for one.

Her eyes caught a glance at her wedding band, made of simple gold with a small yellow stone set into the front, just as she had insisted. She wasn’t one to fuss for material gifts, although she had blissfully agreed with Harry when he had decided to purchase the Shrieking Shack and refurbish it, in memory of their old days. She peacefully sank back into the bath on top of Harry, who was slowly massaging her head softly, lovingly.

Admittedly, she had splurged when it came to the bathroom. Usually a queen of a castle demanded the best of kitchens; for Ginny, it had been the bathroom. A safe haven where she could go to relax, but suddenly the whole house wasn’t a relaxing haven anymore.

Giselle had just appeared with an almighty CRACK. She almost fell to the floor with the unsteadiness of her legs. Her eyes were glazed and unfocused, but when she shook her head, her inky black locks thrashing, her eyes were clearly filled with worry.

“Giselle!� Harry sputtered, drawing both a surprised Ginny and mounds of bubbles self-consciously towards him. “What on Earth are you doing here?�

Giselle shook her head vehemently, her mouth gaping silently, the tears rolling down her face.
Ginny motioned for her to turn around. She faced the daisy yellow door, looking right through it into the hallway.

Ginny wrapped herself in a towel before grasping Giselle into her own worried hug and wiping away her tears.

“Now, Giselle, tell me what’s wrong,� she said in a soothing, motherly voice.

“M-m-Millie…� she choked out, staring with big watery eyes at Harry, begging him to understand.

Harry’s eyes widened, the emerald green becoming more distinctive in the steamy haze of the humid bathroom. He, too, had a towel around his lower half, and rushed towards the joint closet, grabbing one trouser leg with one hand and a lonely sock with the other.

“Get back to the common room, Giselle! I’ll meet you there!� he shouted from inside the closet.

She numbly dragged herself away from her mother’s arms and padded down the well worn carpet into the hall. She intoned in a flat, even voice, “Gryffindor common room,� and she was whirled away in a flashing of green flames as tall as Ginny in the grate.

Harry soon followed with a short, tender kiss, and a brief, “I love you.�

---

Halle was sobbing quietly as she watched her cousin take her last few rattling breathes. She seemed to be shriveling under the lack of blood. She was bleeding out all over her bedclothes from every orifice, all over the Gryffindor floor, draining her, draining all life from her looks.

Halle was staring blankly at the floor, already resigned to her cousin’s fate, thinking how desperately she would scrub the crimson stains out of the floor boards, and thinking how quick she had been to give up hope when the door blew open and Millie’s breathing hitched.

“Tergeo! � Harry cried desperately, siphoning off the blood from Millie’s face and limbs.

Millie took in a deep shuddering breath, and thanked Harry with all the gratitude in her eyes, brimming with affection for her Uncle.

She started to scream hysterically again when blood began seeping in through her robes. Harry unblushingly threw back the drenched crimson covers from his niece’s body and ripped open her shirt, revealing the hideous Dark Mark carved into her skin.

It was an ugly mark, and the blood droplets spindling downwards, down to her stomach and onto the bed, a continuation of this ugliness. He repeatedly cleared the blood, but again and again it re-appeared, to the point where he was shouting himself hoarse, and Halle had begun to despair and glance at the floor again, two small tears working their way down her face silently.

Gisele was grabbing the end of the four-poster so hard her knuckles cracked and turned white. His face was drawn tight when Harry came to his conclusion, and a scared and small Millie lay bleeding in front of him, exposed to the world.

“I’ve come to one conclusion,� he said softly, not looking back at Millie. “Halle, what do you know about Sympathetic Magic?�

Halle drew her eyes towards Harry. They looked hollow and desolate, pools of darkness concealing faint points of light.
“Uncle Harry, this is hardly the time for a hasty lesson-� she broke off and her eyes widened, the pinpoints of light slowly growing bigger and her hope blossomed.

“Wendy,� she breathed.

Harry slowly nodded, and cast his eyes downward.

* * *

Millie dreamt of Wendy, half conscious of the people around her. Her head lolled to the side, and her eyes rolled back in her head. She saw a broke, dusty attic, and two shadowy figures in the corner, one struggling against the other powerful being.

“There you go, you little slut,� the Death eater spat to Wendy who was lying broken in a heap on the floor. Somewhere, a man’s high pitched laughter was swallowing Millie whole, totally and completely emaciating her until she fell back into the welcome darkness.


A/N: Okay, I am so evil. *dements* Soon, my pretties. It’s 1.36am on my Malicious’ birthday. Everyone at once, “HAPPY BIRHTDAY MALICIOUS!�

You do realize this equates to one chapter a month, so no complaints? *winkles*

-With Love, Steph-

B/N: And if Steph had a better beta, it wouldn’t have taken over a month to get this back to her. Let’s call it a belated birthday present for Malicious. *hides from angry glances cast at bad beta*

A/N: Ppft. Bad beta my beard. *strokes non existent beard*
Who here LUBS Lori for her hard work? *grins at uproar*

Dedicated to Alaric Thomas Langridge, Our Little Rosebud - 1989.

@-----^------





When the Going gets Tough.



“I’ve come to one conclusion,� he said softly, not looking back at Millie. “Halle, what do you know about Sympathetic Magic?�



Halle drew her eyes towards Harry. They looked hollow and desolate, pools of darkness concealing faint points of light.



“Uncle Harry, this is hardly the time for a hasty lesson-� she broke off, her eyes widened; the pinpoints of light slowly growing bigger and her hope blossomed.



“Wendy,� she breathed.



Harry slowly nodded, and cast his eyes downward.



* * *



“What is it?� he asked quickly. Hermione’s eyes were squinted shut in pain and she gasped again.



“Ron, I think my water just broke,� she said slowly. Ron’s face changed as he felt the bed sheets around him. His blue eyes snapped up to Hermione’s. Her brown eyes were clouded in pain, and she looked as though she were far away.



“Ron, I think we might have to go to St. Mungo’s,� she said through gritted teeth. “The baby’s coming.�



*



Millie whimpered pitifully. Her body convulsed with every heartbreaking sob she let out, the tears streaming down her face. Halle’s face was chalk white, the colour having drained from it some time ago. Giselle was angry.



She paced up and down the dormitory, wearing marks in the carpet. She was fuming. How dare her father exclude her from this? This wasn’t just another fight for the Auror to deal with; evil or not. Wendy was her family, and family comes first. Ever since she was a child, she yearned to help someone, with something, but they always pushed her away.



They never understood. They never knew what she felt for people, how she needed to help them. They just … pushed her aside. Now, when she was certain she could help, her father had pushed her away again, as a child.



She let out a groan of frustration as tears escaped her eyes. They trickled down as she raised her chin defiantly. Halle hiccupped, shaking from head to toe. Millie lay in the bed, breathing in huge, gulping breaths of air. It wasn’t long ago she’d come out of her bloody mind battle, and was lying there on the bed limply, without the will to even raise a hand. The tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and slid down to pool on her chin. Her chin wobbled, and the tears dropped to her neck. Halle turned her face to Giselle.



“Giselle, we have to do something. We have to do something, God Dammit!� she screamed, sobbing angrily. “We can’t just stand here! We can’t just stand here and watch our sister die! What are you going to do! You have to help her! Help me!� Halle fell down on the bed, stroking Millie’s hair as she moaned.



Giselle stared ahead. “I’ll tell you what we’ll do,� she said softly, her voice flat. “We’ll take her to St. Mungo’s and hope for the best. Then, we’ll go kill him.�



“We’ll watch him suffer, and die.�

---

Hermione screamed in pain. Her eyes were unfocused to the world around her, and Ron stood at her side, his mangled hand within her clenched grip. His eyes were wide and delirious.



She clutched her stomach in agony and wailed in pain. Her face was heavily flushed, and she felt as though she were about to crack open at any given second. She rolled into a curled up position and relinquished Ron’s hand. He cradled his fingers, which had turned a purple mottled colour.



She moaned in pain, and occasionally gave a fresh scream of pain. They were downstairs in Grimmauld Place, Ron having helped her down the stairs before the baby had started kicking and forcing his or her little way out. Hermione moaned slightly, and Ron paced frantically up and down the hall. The portraits stared concernedly out from their frames, muttering and clustering together in anxious little knits.



“Oi, you! Get off my foot!� said one fellow, a walrus like moustache concealing his small, wrinkly face.



“I was not on your foot, Mister, I swear,� came the tiny voice of the scullery maid that lived in the portrait with the windmill. “I was just trying to get a look at our Mistress, I was.�



The man harrumphed in reply, but allowed the curious girl to hop into the frame in front of him. She stared in awe at the huddled Hermione, who was whimpering in pain as every contraction shot through her body.



“You lot, shut up!� shouted Ron irritably. His voice had gone hoarse as he screamed along with Hermione. It hurt him to see her in so much pain, and tears of frustration escaped his eyes. He went to climb the stairs, and then a split second later, swung around and ran back to Hermione.



Her eyes had jolted awake, and she was shaking, from her fingertips to her toes. She forced the palm of her hand to her head as insurmountable pain shot through her body and pinpointed in her head.



“The girls, the girls,� she managed to gasp out against the pain. “It’s the girls.� She let out another shuddering groan. “Ron,� she said, her eyes finally focusing on his face, darting up and all around as a sheen of sweat covered her entirety. “Ron. Find them. Help them, Ron.�



“But, Hermione! I can’t leave you here!�



“Stop being so damn noble, Ron, I can handle it!� she gasped as another contraction wracked her body. “Just go, go help them!�



A frustrated yell escaped Ron as he stormed a safe distance away from Hermione. He gave her one last lingering look, and then Disapparated.



“I love you.�

---

“Push it,� said Giselle quietly, so only Halle could hear her over the yelping coming from the ward to the right of them. She was supporting Millie, who seemed to be just about to slither to the ground any minute. She was groaning, and her freckles stood out enormously against her pale skin. A dark hood covered her face and hair from any suspicious spectators, and her head hung lifelessly, bowed towards the ground. She was slipping further and further away every minute.



“Push the door, Halle. I can’t with Millie.�



Obediently, Halle pushed the double swinging doors open with one pale hand. It opened to utter chaos on the other side. What seemed like hundreds of witches and wizards occupied the rickety wooden chairs, deeply absorbed in either their own disfigurements or copies of the local rag. There were hardly any Healers to be seen; Halle could only make out one stooped lime green figure in the entire waiting room. Her mouth dropped open, and she turned to Giselle.



“Giselle, there’s millions of people here! How is Millie supposed to be treated if there are all those stupid buffoons with their backfiring pranks and idiotic hexes? Millie’s in trouble and her time’s being wasted by all these people!�



Giselle shut her eyes briefly. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. Follow me.�



Slowly, with Halle’s support, they managed to drag Millie over to the Welcome Witch’s desk. She looked up briefly, and from behind her square black glasses, they could see boredom. She popped her gum, and said, “Well? You can read, can’t you? Magical Bugs, Second floor.�



“It’s not what you think,� said Halle quickly. “She’s not contagious, it’s …� But she trailed off when Giselle put Halle’s full weight onto her shoulder.



“I’m Giselle Potter,� she sighed. “Harry Potter’s my father. I daresay you’d be very happy if word got out that a silly welcome witch was the one responsible for his niece’s death. I doubt you’d ever be able to work in the medical industry ever again.�



The Welcome Witch squinted her eyes suspiciously. “You think so, little girl? How do I know you’re not taking Polyjuice?�



Giselle sighed impatiently. “Look, you numbskull. Harry Potter’s daughter is standing right here in front of you. Harry Potter’s niece is holding up Harry Potter’s other niece, who is currently in mortal peril. I suggest you get a move on, and find someone to help us. Or, I can find my Uncle Remus.�



Sadly, this had the desired effect. The witch’s face blanched, and she whispered, “Remus Lupin? Well, I’m so sorry Miss, I’ll find someone straight away.� She rolled her chair back slightly, and when Giselle glared at her, scurried away into the back room where she could be heard saying, “Harry Potter’s daughter! She’s here!�



Giselle let out a sigh of disgust. “I hate having to use my name to get things done. It’s degrading, and honestly, I hate how people are so afraid of Remus. To be recognised by your name; it’s horrible.�



Halle nodded. “Erm, Gis? Help?� She was getting closer and closer to the floor. Giselle swung a limp Millie’s arm up and over her shoulder, and then turned back to the desk where the Welcome Witch had her head bowed.



“Miss Potter, up the corridor and to the left. A Healer is waiting for you. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience,� she said, keeping her head bowed.. Giselle’s lip curled.



“We’ll be fine, thanks; we don’t need help getting her up the corridor. Thanks for the offer.�



Halle stumbled, but then picked herself and Millie up, and together, they slowly dragged Millie through the swinging doors to the Healer.



*



“She looks … dead,� said Halle softly, stroking her cousin’s silvery locks. Millie lay asleep peacefully on crisp, clean white sheets. A plump pillow had been slid under her head, and her hair fanned out like a halo, disguising the bruises on her temple. Her hands lay outside of the covers that were pulled up to her chin, and her palms were crossed over her chest, where they’d raise slightly every time she inhaled and exhaled a peaceful, slow breath.



“She … does,� Giselle admitted, sighing heavily. She’d cried too much, and that incident in the waiting room had put her into a stony silence, until now.



“Well, what now,� said Halle, nervously. “We can’t do anything without Millie. She’s just as much a part of us as we are of her.� She averted her eyes from Giselle’s face and instead stared at the label on the bottle of Blood Replenishing Potion. It blurred, and she looked away.



“We’ve only been weakened slightly. Millie’s only one third of us. There are still two of us; we should be able to hurt a few Death Eaters on our own.�



Halle started to nod, then her jaw dropped and her eyes focused on the edges of Giselle’s peripheral vision. She stopped.



“Halle,� she said weakly, “there’s one of our family members behind us, isn’t there?�



Halle nodded slowly, and then cleared her throat. “Hi, Dad.�



Ron Weasley stood behind the girls at the door to the ward, his mouth open in wonder.



“Girls, girls what are you doing in St. Mungo’s?� he asked, walking slowly over to Millie’s bed, taking in his surroundings slowly but surely. “You’re supposed to be at Hogwarts; it’s nearly two in the morning!�



“We, um, couldn’t sleep?� mumbled Giselle feebly. She managed a weak grin. Halle, on the other hand, was still staring in shock at her father. Ron leant over and kissed Millie lightly on the head, with a dazed expression on his face.



“What are you doing here, Dad?� she accused. “Where’s Mum?�



Ron straightened up, and a spark of recognition ignited in his eye. “Hermione… your mother… is in labor,� he said slowly, still comprehending the words.



Halle was gobsmacked. “Now? Mother’s in labor now, of all times, and you’re here?� she screeched. “Home! Get home! Now! Why isn’t she here?� She flew off the handle at him, berating her father with questions.



Ron held up his hands, concern etched into his face. Things had started to click when his daughter had started yelling. Giselle was just on the sidelines, trying to get her head around all of it.



“Your mother felt something,� he said, gesturing to Millie. “She thought I should come find you. She said she’d be alright,� he said with pleading eyes at his daughter.



Halle reconsidered. “Slow reaction, Mum,� she muttered. She stopped, and then threw up her arms. “Well, what are we waiting for?� she exclaimed. “Let’s go to Mum! I’m sure Millie will be fine. Right, Giselle?�



Giselle still stared at her uncle and cousin. It wasn’t like either of them. Ron spaced out, and Halle just … well … rude. Halle Weasley was always patient. “Maybe, we should go, Halle. Go to your mother. Millie … has the Healers. Your Mum’s still there, by herself, so we should go. Now.�



“Well,� Ron mumbled, motioning towards to door, “Dobby’s there. So technically your mother’s not alone.�



They filed out into the corridor, and Millie’s eyelids fluttered open. Consciousness flicked over her face. She could have sworn she heard Halle screech, “What? Will Dobby - � but she sighed tiredly, and fell back into the comforting drowsiness of her pillows.

---

Hermione panted and squeezed her eyes shut to the pain. “No, Dobby,� Hermione said through gritted teeth, “I do not need a cold compress right now. I need my husband.�



“Dobby can do that, Mistress.� He grinned toothily through his concern. He disappeared with a crack just as Ron, Halle, and a shaken Giselle Apparated, clutching hands frightfully. Ron rushed to Hermione’s side, clutching her white hand in his own.



“I’m here, Hermione,� he said softly, stroking a loose curl back from her forehead with a loving hand. “The girls are fine.�



“Millie?� gasped Hermione. “Where is she?�



Halle and Giselle stepped forward; Halle grabbing her mother’s other hand. “Millie’s fine. She’s asleep. The important thing is we’re here, with you now.�



Hermione nodded and Ron held her haphazard curls back from her sweaty face. She grunted again and let out a wail.



“Girls, fetch some pillows for her,� said Ron, panicking.



“And some hot water, sheets and face washers,� called Halle, gripping her mother’s hand as she curled up again.



“Not now, not this early,� whimpered Hermione. “Please, Lord, not now.�



“Halle, come with me,� called Giselle from the front of the house near the stairs to the kitchen. “I need your help.�



Unwillingly, Halle left her mother’s side. “What do you want?� she hissed.



Giselle stared her in the eyes. “We need to find Dad. He’s out there somewhere.� She didn’t flinch when she heard Dobby crack back in. “We need to help him find Wendy, now that we’ve taken care of Millie.�



“What about Mum?� whispered Halle. “She’s going to wonder where we went.�



Giselle shook her head. “You mother will be okay. She’ll be fine. And when we come back, you’ll have a little brother or sister, and that’ll make tonight all worth while. Now, are you coming with me, or am I going to kill Voldemort all on my own?�



Halle looked lingeringly out into the corridor where Ron was now supporting her mother’s head. She stared into Giselle’s deep, green eyes, and nodded. Giselle embraced Halle for a moment, then, together they cracked as they Disapparated.



The stuffiness of the kitchen disappeared and was replaced with a chilling, brisk air and the impenetrable feeling of doom.

---

Harry was sprinting, panting and praying.



“You can’t hide, Harry. Not from Lord Voldemort.�



Harry aimed a jet of green light over his shoulder. “Not running, Tom.� He snarled. “Making sure you can see me kill you, you miserable bastard.�



Tom deflected the jet of light by levitating a stone angel in front of him. His glinting red eyes could be seen over the top. “See you kill me, Harry? Why would I want to witness that? Surely, seeing you die would be far more entertaining.�



Harry gritted his teeth. He dove behind a raised tomb, and counted to ten. He jumped up, whirled around, and stared Lord Voldemort in the eyes. Neither made a move.



Then, Harry spat on Voldemort with contempt. Voldemort’s eyes raged with fury, and the wind roared around them.



“Such a dirty thing for a boy to do, Potter,� he said, ignoring the spit on his robes.



“Such a dirty way for one to play, Tom. For god sakes, you murdered children. You’ll be sent straight to hell for it,� said Harry, his eyes narrowing behind his rimmed glasses. He raised his wand over the mossy tomb. Moonlight glinted overhead and shone in Voldemort’s eyes.



He raised his chin and closed his eyes lazily as Harry shoved his wand into his neck.



“Killing me, Potter – What will it achieve? Those dead – surely you’re not idiotic enough to believe they’ll come back. Susan Bones. Colin Creevey. Neville Longbottom,� he sneered. “Fool. Killing me will achieve nothing.�



“It’ll do nothing but satiate my hunger, Tom,� hissed Harry, pushing the tip further. “You’ve caused me so much pain. I’m not doing it because of that damn prophecy. You made that unlucky mistake, long, long ago. You thought I, a baby, was a threat to you. You’re the fool, Tom. You risked everything you had, on the off chance that I was the one. What would have happened if it were Neville? Would you have killed Alice and Frank, and then Neville? Would you, Tom, and then, would you have come after me, just because you could? Do you kill, Tom, just because you can? Do you hurt people; hurt others, just because you can?



“We’re not kids, any more, Tom. Not me, nor you. We’re not weak, not easily fooled. Yet, we still manage to trap ourselves. You, in your lust for power, and me, in my hunger to finally kill you, to see your eyes blank and staring. To see you finally silent. Finally gone.�



Harry was breathing heavily, each breath forced out with hatred. The contempt and intense loathing for Voldemort could not be described on Harry’s face; yet Voldemort remained calm, centered, focused.



“Well spoken, Harry, I can’t deny that. But of course, you’ve forgotten. I had no doubt that it was you. Your mother, your father, they were so self righteous, so proud, I knew it would be you. Bumbling Longbottom, she never had your mother’s talent, nor he, your father’s arrogance. Oh, Harry Potter, I knew it was you from the moment I heard that prophecy. I didn’t aim to kill you to fulfill the prophecy. I killed you simply because you were an obstacle in my way. An obstacle that needed to be removed.�



Harry’s face shone with sweat. “So,� he blustered. “You killed my father in our hallway, because he was an obstacle, you killed my mother, who was protecting me, because she was an obstacle? You wanted to kill the person who would undoubtedly mean your end, because they were an obstacle? I don’t think so, Tom. You’re smarter that that.�



“Perhaps,� said Voldemort, his eyes open and focused on Harry.



A loud crack resonated throughout the graveyard, and Giselle and Halle stumbled out from behind the bent, bowed willow tree, clasping hands, frightened expressions on their faces.



The distraction was all Voldemort needed. He sneered and roughly shoved Harry out of the way. Harry fell to the ground cursing. Giselle started to yell something, but Voldemort whipped his wand and called up a dust storm so fierce Harry was propelled backwards into a gravestone with a crack. {Cinnamon yelled in their nostrils} – huh? and the moonlight flashed off Voldemort’s crystal teeth as he leered overhead. He had mounted a tombstone and was staring directly at Giselle with his merciless red eyes.



“Too late, my dear.�



Voldemort twirled and zigzagged his wand across Harry’s chest. Harry, who wasn’t predicting the attack, clutched his chest and fell to the ground choking.



“Dad!� Giselle screamed, and ran over to her father. Harry was on the ground, his glasses askew, and a trickle of blood running from his mouth.



“You murderer!� she screamed, running towards Voldemort. He angrily shot a spell towards her, but in her fury, she tripped over an upraised tree root, and fell cursing to the ground. She shot a spell towards Voldemort, which he easily deflected, laughing cruelly.



“Little girl. I seriously doubt you will be the one to defeat me. I’ve just incapacitated your dear father. After all, if the great Harry Potter failed too, who are you to say that his daughter could do what he could not?�



“You’ll rot in hell,� said Giselle from her crouched spot on the ground. Her black hair was in wild tangles around her face and stuck to her neck in fierce tendrils.



“I will avenge him. And I’ll kill you.�



She leapt up, wand raised, charging Voldemort. Suddenly the two were locked in a fierce duel, Voldemort dodging, twisting, turning, and showing a great deal of skill as he avoided the flashes of light emanating from Giselle’s wand.



Giselle’s wand work was lacking grace, but held power. Her face screwed up in hatred, she shot spells from behind her back, down low, above her head, and straight in front of her. Her face was backlit and her hair flowed out behind her.



“Crucio! � she screamed, pointing her wand at Voldemort and hollering with all her might, hatred and hurt infused in one.



“Avada Kedavra! �



Two spells were shot at the same time; one rocketed off a tombstone, the other found its target.



Giselle’s eyes lay open, her mouth still wide open in agony. Her wand clattered to the ground, and Halle’s screams resonated throughout the graveyard. At the exact moment Giselle Potter took her last breath, another being took its first and was welcomed into the world.

---

“Push!�



“I can’t Ronald! I CAN’T!�



“Yes you can, Hermione! You can do it! You’re strong.�



“I can’t … I can’t,� Hermione sobbed, her hair plastered thickly to her head with sweat. Her eyes were unfocused, and her breathing ragged. Her head was aching after ten minutes straight of fierce, sharp, indescribable pain. As suddenly as it had started, it had stopped. Hermione felt as though a piece of her had died.



Ron placed himself behind Hermione’s head and his legs either side of hers. “We can do this, Hermione. I’ll help you.�



Ron moved, positioning himself between Hermione’s legs and stared into her eyes. She snapped into focus, focusing all her effort on her task. Her face purpled, and she screamed bloody murder. Suddenly, two screams melded together to become one.



Hermione’s cries subsided, and she sagged into the pillow’s arms. Ron stroked her head, and then reached down and picked up the wailing baby, wiping the mucus from its eyes and placed it softly on Hermione’s breast.



“We have a boy.�

---

Harry lay on the ground, crying tears of hopelessness. She was gone. His daughter was gone.



“She’s gone. She’s gone.�



“Yes, Harry Potter. She is gone. And you shall soon join her.�



Harry spat on the ground, blood mixed with spittle and tears. He pushed himself off the ground. Lord Voldemort did not attempt to stop him.



Voldemort waited until Harry was level with him. “Shall we duel, Potter?�



Through gritted teeth, Harry stared at Voldemort and said, “Indeed, we shall, Tom. You must finish with this Potter.�



Their wands touched as they dipped into rigid-backed bows, green eyes never leaving pupiless red ones.



Backs straightened, nerves tightened, and both Harry and Voldemort began to step. First left, then right. Then together. As bumbling as Giselle had been with Voldemort, Harry was just as graceful.



Curses, hexes and defensive spells were never uttered apart from within the mind, and it was only when one spell did make contact with a man did they wince and exhale their breath.



Harry’s mind was boiling. A sheen of perspiration covered his upper lip. Voldemort didn’t seem to be slowed, and even as Harry dodged Voldemort’s spells,



Harry twirled elegantly, and stepped his foot down carefully upon rubble. A spell shot, red and angry from the end of his wand. It hit Lord Voldemort squarely in the chest, and he fell.



Slowly tangled limbs, pale skin and onyx robe hit the fallen leaves. Merciless, red glowing eyes stared up again into Harry’s green ones.



“Goodbye, Tom.�



“You plan to do away with me then, Harry Potter.�



“No, Tom. Remove an obstacle.�



Tom nodded, his eyes never leaving Harry’s. Harry centered his wand on Voldemort’s heart.



“Avada Kedavra!�

---

A soft glow lit Hermione’s cheeks. The whole room was glowing, and she gazed fondly down at her son, resting on her breast.



“Janus. Halle wanted him to be called Janus.�



A/N: Simply tell me what you think.



Thank you all for waiting so patiently. Every single “Thank you� should be directed at my wonderful Beta Lori, author of The Second War Begins. I suggest you check it out, will be well worth it.







B/N: Thanks, Steph! :D