A/N This is my very first piece of fanfiction, so please, R&R. If you guys don't think the story is worth continuing, then I will probably let it fall into the abyss of Fanfiction dot net. The story starts out during OotP, but then will jump to the summer of HBP and then into the school year. So yes, this story is an AU. It also contains an OC as a main character. If you don't like OC's please don't waste your time. I used my pen name to fill in for the OC's name and it kind of stuck, hope you guys don't mind. Besides, who never wanted to write themselves into the HP universe anyway :) This does contain AD/MM, but not in the mushy love confession kind of way. It does show their deep affection for each other, which is how I view their relationship. Does this mean that there won't be some sort of confession at a later date, I don't know, since I haven't written that part yet.
Also, I don't have a Beta yet. I try to review my own work thoroughly but I am sure that there are things that I have missed. If anyone would like to volunteer, that would be great! I am trying to stick to the characterizations that JKR has set up without straying too far. So someone with a good understanding of the already established characters would be cool.
I am not one for a whole bunch of author's notes (this will be the longest one you see), but I may ocassionaly throw a note at the top of a chapter. If I do, it is because it is something important. Please read them and make note of what I have to say. Any and all comments in reply to reviews or misc.author's notesthat have nothing to do with anything will be posted at the end of a chapter. I won't make you scroll through the comments just to get to the meat and potatoes of the story.
A side note. I got the 'foci' idea from another story, though I can't remember which one. I hope you don't mind. I liked the idea and kind of indulged upon it. A little bit to help you understand my idea of what a 'foci' is. In my head, all witches and wizards have a well of magical energy so to speak. Not everyone's well is the same size, hence why one wizard can be greater then another. A 'foci' has an astronomically large well of energy. Unfortunately, this energy is often uncontrollable, much like a child's magical energy. However, a trained 'foci' can not only control their energy, they can also transfer it to other people or things, or take it from them (think of Rogue in X-Men). So, paired up with another powerful witch or wizard, a powerful spell can become that much more powerful with the larger magical energy force behind it. Picture pushing a ball with just your index finger, now push it with your whole hand. Which pushes the ball further? The larger force of your hand, of course. A 'foci' does not come about because of a particular bloodline, they just happen. They are freaks of nature so to speak and thus very rare. Yes, a 'foci' can also be muggle-born. This will all be explained in greater detail in the story, but I wanted to give you a brief heads up so as to prevent some initial confusion.
Finally, many thanks to all who have posted before me. Without you guys, I never would have had the nerve to write my own piece, let alone post it.
So here you go...
Nine months ago…
"What about Loraine?" Minerva McGonagall turned towards Albus Dumbledore who was sitting behind his large, claw foot desk. She held a small round object, about the size of a snitch, in her hand. Dumbledore noticed that it changed color every time she passed it from one hand to the other. He attempted to hide the small smile that graced his lips as he watched Minerva vent her agitation on the small object, but his eyes belied his amusement.
"What do you find so amusing?" Minerva scoffed at him. Albus didn't bother to hide his smile as he stood and moved around the desk to stand in front of Minerva. He reached out and caught both of her hands in one of his and using the other, he pulled the ball out of her grasp.
"Minerva, my dear, if you don't stop altering the color of this ball, it will be a menagerie of colors by time you put it back," he chuckled softly to her. He changed it back to its original metallic blue color before setting it down on the desk next to him.
She looked from where he was holding her hands to his twinkling blue eyes. "Sorry," she breathed. Albus held her gaze and her hands for a moment longer then necessary before releasing her and turning back to his desk.
"Now what were you saying about Loraine? Are you referring to Lady Devonshire?" he asked as he sat back down, picked up his quill and continued writing a letter to the Ministry again.
"Precisely."
"She moved back to the United States after leaving Hogwarts, didn't she?" Albus asked without looking up from his letter.
"Yes, but we have been corresponding regularly since. I know where to find her," Minerva offered.
"But she is so young."
"So is Tonks," Minerva countered. "You know that she is more powerful then you and I combined. To have someone with her strength on our side could tip the scale in our favour."
"But most of her power was still untrained when she left here."
"Untrained maybe, but controlled. Besides the fact, that was seven years ago, Albus. I am sure that she has honed her skills even more since."
Albus spared a quick glance up at Minerva who had taken to transfiguring the color of the ball again.
"Besides, even if she doesn't join our ranks as a fighter, we should at least offer her protection. I don't even want to imagine the destruction Voldemorte could cause with the use of her powers," Minerva continued while staring at the ball in her hands.
Albus paused with his quill poised above the parchment and a contemplative expression on his face. After a moment he looked up at Minerva and questioned, "Give me another word for angry?"
Minerva's eyes snapped up and met his with a dangerous flash. "Have you heard a single word I just said, Albus Dumbledore?" she threatened.
Albus calmly looked at her, not rising to the bait. Getting Minerva riled up was always something he enjoyed doing. Not only did he enjoy challenging her to create inventive arguments in an attempt to win, he also enjoyed the mental stimulation it provided him. Minerva had a quick, calculating mind that required the exercise that he so enjoyed giving her. "Of course I heard you, Minerva. Even better, I was also listening. You brought up a very valid point – I would like you to go and find Lady Devonshire and try to convince her to return to Headquarters with you. You are correct in saying that we need to protect her. She could be a very powerful weapon should she fall into the wrong hands, willingly or not. Now, back to my question, what is another word for angry?"
Minerva's eyes narrowed dangerously and Albus was beginning to worry that he should not have chosen today to play with her. Then he saw the glimmer in her eye that said 'gotcha'and he knew that he lost this particular bantering session. "It depends on how you want to use it. Try apoplectic if you want to describe the feeling, though acrimonious is better if you are describing a situation," she said as she placed the now hot pink and neon green ball back in its holder on his desk. "I'm going to go pack. I would like to leave early tomorrow afternoon. It will be a decent hour of the morning in the United States by then. I'll send you an owl with an update if it will take longer then the weekend," she arched an eyebrow in a silent question, waiting for Albus' confirmation.
"Be careful," he cautioned.
"Always," she threw over her shoulder as she quickly left the office and headed for her chambers.