Chapter 1: A girl seeking Dumbledore, and her father
She walked along the gate looking up at the castle, it was ancient looking, tall and gray agents the blue sky, it was a beautiful sight. The girl smiled as she ran her fingers over the cold Iron Gate prongs. She was waiting for someone to sense her presents for she knew that the gates had magic sensing abilities, and it alerted the Headmaster if someone/thing magical was waiting to be seen in. Finally after for waiting for 2 long hours they finally where coming to see her in, but the person she was meeting was not who she thought it to be, instead she got a stern looking woman. She wore Mid-night blue robes, with a hat to match, the girl smiled she knew who this stern looking woman was.
"Hello" said McGonagall kindle, the girl looked at her and nodded. "My I ask if you are lost?" McGonagall asked, but already knowing the answer. she already knew that the girl was magical, because she could see and touch the gates that stood before her.
The girl smiled and said "I'm not lost. I know where I am, but…I do need help finding someone" she said with a slight plea in her voice, even though she did not ask for the help.
McGonagall wasn't getting any evil vibe from the child, nor was she sensing that she was lying about not being lost, and knowing where she was. "Very well then" McGonagall said smiling down at her, "Who are you looking for?" she questioned.
"Professor Dumbledore, he should be here, yes?" she asked.
McGonagall just blinked in surprise at her, it was not uncommon for children to know the old famous wizard, known as Albus Dumbledore, but when she asked for him it was as if she personally knew him.
'how on earth would a little girl know an old coot like Dumbledore?' McGonagall thought. "Yes he is here" she said kindly still, "are your parents here with you? Do they want to see him?" she asked, the little girl frowned.
She looked sad and close to tears, "No, my parents aren't with me. that is why I have come here searching for the professor…he…he needs to know what happened to them and what is to happen to me without them!" she said sounding scared. "P-please help me" she said in a whisper as her voice broke.
"Come in dear" said McGonagall as she opened the gates to let her inside. Once the girl was inside she clung to McGonagall and began silently crying "Dear are you alright?!" she asked surprised, but she never answered. When she got a good look at her face McGonagall could see that she had fallen asleep standing up leaning against her for support. 'My, what has this child gone through?' McGonagall thought, she took out her wand and casted a patroness calling for Dumbledore.
When he got there, Dumbledore saw what Minerva meant by stuck and that she needed some assistance. He walked over to them and said smiling at his deputy, "Having fun playing Nanny Minerva?" she glared at him.
"Oh! Just be quiet and help me with her! Believe it or not children are quite heavy when exhausted" she said straightening out her robes after the headmaster picked the child up, and started carrying her bridal style. They then began making their way up to the castle, they walked in silence for a few second, she glanced at the sleeping girl and then at the headmaster. "She knows you Albus" she said "Do you have any Idea who she is?"
Dumbledore looked at the girl he was carrying, and then looked ahead. "No, I'm afraid not" he said.
"She has no parents either, when I asked where they were she was closed to tears…she only started to cry when I let her in" McGonagall said sounding worried. "She said she has to tell you what happened to them and what was going to happen to her now that her parents are gone…she sounded so scared Albus" McGonagall's voice was at a high pinch.
"Do not worry Minerva, I'm sure we can help this poor girl with whatever her problems maybe," they reached the iron front doors and they opened at the touch of McGonagall's hand.
"Should we take her to the Hospital wing?" McGonagall asked.
"Minerva you have read my mind" Dumbledore said with a smirk. They walked in and the doors closed behind them, they walked from the entrance hall down a few corridors and turned another to reveal to them the Hospital wing. When they walked in they didn't see the Matron witch right away but that didn't mean she didn't hear them, the Hospital wing was set up with special wards to warn the witch when someone entered. They heard a mumbling voice come from a storage room across from them and when a woman wearing a midwife's dress stepped out, they caught her eye.
"Poppy, we have a little problem. do you think you can check her over?" Minerva asked.
"Sure thing" she said leading them to a bed so they could put her down. "What happened to her?" Poppy asked in a surprised motherly tone, it was still summer break and the children were not due back to school till another month, so where did this little one come from?
"she past out while standing up, she was using me as a crutch" Minerva said informing the matron. Poppy did all the necessary standard stuff took her temperature, checked her eyes, her ears, she then closed the curtain over to change her into a dressing gowned and give her a body check.
"Well she is perfectly healthy, all she needs is a goods night rest and she will be good as new" Poppy said with a reassuring smile.
Minerva gave a breath of relief, that's when Poppy decided to ask, "So where did you find her? It's still the summer holidays" she said sounding very confused.
"I found her out by the front gates" said Minerva.
"she must have been there for quite a while" Poppy said pointing to a section of her collarbone, "She has slight sunburn, but not too bad."
Their conversation was cut short from the sound of crying, they all had confused faces and turned, poppy opened the curtain to see the little girl crying, "No…daddy…mommy" the girl mumbled in her sleep. The girls arms came up to her face, "NO! NO!" she began to scream. "Don't hurt them! Daddy! Mommy! NOOOOO!" she began flaring around in her sleep.
"Minerva grab her arms!" Albus ordered, Minerva came around the bed and held the girls arms down. "Poppy move the bed into a sitting position!" he ordered, Poppy pulled her wand out and gave it a flick of her wrist the bed sat up. "Give her a calming potion, and a sleepless dream potion" said Dumbledore.
"I Can't Albus" Poppy said worried, "before you came in I was doing stock checking duties, I'm all out!" she said in a rush.
"Go and get Severus then, he has just made some this morning!" said Minerva with a grunt as she tried to hold the girls arms down, the girl let out an ear splitting scream. Poppy ran from the Hospital wing all the way to the dungeons, she didn't even stop to knock, she busted into the room. She looked over at a shocked looking potions master who was grading seventh years papers, and by the looks of it he looked like he was about to fail an unfortunate student.
"Poppy? Whatever is the—" he started but was cut short.
"Severus, quick! I'm going to need 2 sleepless dream potions, and 2 calming potions!" she said in a rush.
He didn't even ask, he got up and went to his storage covert. when he came back he handed them over, "Are you going to need anything else?" he asked.
"Just your help if you don't mind…" the matron said still trying to catch her breath, "I don't think Albus and, Minerva can do this on their own." They both turned towards the door and started sprinting for the Hospital wing.
back at the Hospital wing, Dumbledore started to grow impatient which was very rare for him. he casted a spell over her to calm her down but it help very little, the best part was that she stopped screaming, but it only reduced it to a yell. He had to help hold the girl down for her one hand got free and hit Minerva in the face, there was still a red mark. Dumbledore thought she would be furies, But it turned out that she was too worried to care. 'what could be taking poppy this long' both Headmaster, and his Deputy thought. As if right on cue to their thoughts, the doors busted open with a winded Matron, and a curious looking potions master.
"Severus thank goodness!" Minerva sighed in relief, "Do you have them?" she asked. Poppy held up 2 vials, and 2 extra.
"Severus you do it" Poppy said handing him 2 of the vials, he took them and nodded. He looked at the girl and something familiar about the child hit him, as if it was from a bad dream. However he pushed those thoughts aside and grabbed the girls face and poured one vial of the calming potion down her throat, once she stopped flaring around, he poured the sleepless dream potion in next. Her chest began to heave slightly till it was now normal breathing, but she still continued to mumble a few words. "Mommy…Daddy…Hogwarts…must find father…at Hogwarts, Father!" she whimpered before the potions took full effect and she fell into a peaceful sleep.
The adults all stood back and watched the girl, "what has this poor girl gone through?!" Poppy heated, her voice rising in volume slightly.
Minerva held the spot on her face and let out a sigh of frustration, "I haven't the slightest idea but…she sure can pack a wallop" she said rubbing the pain away.
Poppy removed her hand and said, "Yikes! That's going to leave a bruise" poppy pulled out her wand and with a wave the bruise disappeared.
"She whacked you, did she Minerva?" asked Severus with a smirk.
"Yes she did, and…it was worth it…to help her was and is the most important thing" she said with a small smile.
"Albus do you make out anything that she was saying?" asked Severus.
"I believe that her parents may not be on this earth any longer" he said watching the girl, he's usually twinkling blue eyes were stern and full of questions.
"Then why would she say that her father is here, and why would he be at Hogwarts?" asked Minerva.
"we will soon find out when she wakes, after her well deserved rest" he said turning to them "we shall leave her so she may sleep, Poppy if anything goes wrong call for us, immediately!" he said with a high authority like voice.
Poppy nodded her head and said, "Yes Headmaster" and with that Albus left, leaving the others to go where they wished. "I have never seen him so frustrated over a child" she said in wonder.
"I believe it has to do with her screams, and the fact that who she resembles" said Minerva turning back to look at the girl.
"What do you mean?" asked Poppy puzzled.
"the auburn hair and the green eyes, she looks like… Lily Potter" McGonagall said with slight wonder and shock.
"But the amount of difference is also great" said Poppy, "she has black streaks going through her red hair, and she has a black tint to her eyes" she said. "Those could be James traits" the matron said throwing out the name of the father she thought would best suite the childs looks.
"True" said Minerva, "but James had brown eyes he didn't have black" she said sounding victories as if this where a game to see who the parents were, but it also struck her that the Potters only had one child and it was a boy, who they named Harry.
Snape rolled his eye and turned on his heels and walked to the door, "Severus where are you going?" asked the Matron.
"Work" he said dryly.
she hurried over and opened the door for him, and said "If you would please, I need these potion" she said handing him the list of the potions she needed in stock. He read the list over then nodded to her as to say that he would take care of it, "Thank you Severus for your help" she said as he left, Snape only grunted. Poppy giggled as she knew only too well how that man acted at times to show that he didn't care but truly did, she then turned to see McGonagall ready to take her leave.
She held the door open for her, "Please watch over her Poppy" she said.
"I will, you can count on me Minerva and like I said, I'll call if anything goes wrong," Minerva nodded and left with a 'good luck' to her friend, Poppy turn back around after closing the door and to find herself alone with a patient and her work. With a tug at her sleeves and a tightening of her work apron she set to the rest of her work before the new school year was to start.