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So here we are for the first chapter of the rewritten version of Witch. Most of the content will be either similar or the same as the previous chapter one, but I hope that it has better grammar, and flows much better as well.
I understand the need for honest criticism in regards to reviewing but please try to review constructively. I'm okay with a review telling me that they thought a chapter was crap, but at least say why you thought it was crap.
That's really it, though I have adapted a style that I used with my story Red Eyed Master, in which techniques and spells will be in bold text to differentiate between them.
Here we go.
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I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR WITCH HUNTER ROBIN!
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"A Witch!" – Speech
'A Witch!' – Thoughts
"A Witch!" – Familiar Speech
'A Witch!' – Familiar Thoughts
"A Witch!" – Parseltongue Speech
'A Witch!' – Parseltongue Thoughts
..::..
The Second Great Wizarding War had taken its toll on many witches and wizards that called England home. For some, their entire families were destroyed, ripped apart by the conflict that originated from one Dark Lord known as Voldemort. He styled himself after great witches and wizards of old, using their darkest of rituals to grow stronger and more powerful, but that paled in comparison to the might of his greatest foe … Albus Dumbledore.
Albus Dumbledore led the 'Light' as Voldemort led the 'Dark', both were polar opposites of the other, Dumbledore was kind, though strict while Voldemort was ruthless and led by fear. The war was at an impasse, both the forces of good and evil, light and dark were equal in terms of power and skill, but that all changed … for with the whisper of a prophecy, chaos rained down upon both sides. With Dumbledore attempting to discover and then protect the prophesied one, whilst Voldemort attempted to discover and then destroy the one that was rumoured to have the power to destroy him.
'As if the notion was even possible' sneered Voldemort, as he walked the empty and eerie streets in which he traversed, 'I am Lord Voldemort … and I shall rule the Wizarding World while the masses bow to me. This prophesied child is no more than a bug to be squashed under my boot.'
He paused in his journey as his red eyed gaze swept over the quaint little cottage that acted as a safe house. Located in Godric's Hollow, the safe house sheltered the elusive Potter Family. The Potter Family was one of the two families that were held in debate for the prophecy … the other family was the Longbottom Family.
Voldemort sneered viciously at the thought; despite being Purebloods, the Longbottom Family was pathetic, and while the current Lord and Lady were Aurors and well versed in duelling; they had allowed themselves to become stagnant … after all; their last duel was absolutely pitiful.
Nevertheless, he tasked his most trusted servants, Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black, her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange her brother-in-law, and Barty Crouch Jr. to search for them so that if by the off chance that one of the Potter children managed to not be the subject of the prophecy; he would have the location of the Longbottom's child as the only other possible candidate.
The Potters on the other hand were a continuous thorn in his side; Lord James Potter was amazingly well versed in duelling and a master of unconventional tactics. His Mastery in Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts were almost on par with his own skill in the subjects, and while not as experienced as Dumbledore or himself, he was catching up. Give him thirty or so years and he could be as good as either of them.
Then there was his wife, Lady Lilian Potter.
Most thought she was a muggleborn witch, but his spy's research proved otherwise … her line was descendant of Lady Rowena Ravenclaw, a truly formidable Bloodline to inherit, but it explained her ability to grasp the most complex spells and rituals with seamless ease.
What concerned him the most about her line though, was the relation to Lord Salazar Slytherin.
It appeared that Lord Slytherin and Lady Ravenclaw had a previously unknown marriage, and the result of such a union was in fact; a squib. Lady Ravenclaw had been married before and had given birth to a daughter, and it was that daughter, that went on to despise her mother for falling in love with Lord Slytherin. With her union to Lord Slytherin she had no choice but to dispel her second born child into the Muggle world … as was tradition then, and still to that day.
Sadly, Rowena Ravenclaw discovered that she had the ability and strength of magic to perhaps have another single child. Lady Ravenclaw had been dismayed by the discovery, but after realising that Lord Slytherin was not swayed by such news, she overcame her despair and tried again.
The results weren't encouraging and Lord Slytherin had to comfort his wife for years as they tried for another child. Eventually, after almost twenty years after the abandonment of their first child, they discovered that she was pregnant again. They were overjoyed by the news, and life had returned to the dimming castle where they lived. However, fate had other plans … as that was when tragedy struck them.
Lord Slytherin and Lady Ravenclaw, along with their friends and co-founders Lord Godric Gryffindor and Lady Helga Hufflepuff were attacked by former students who had turned to the Dark Arts. These Dark Arts were mostly lost to time now but they were known by another name back in the Founder's time. The Darkest of Arts, at that time, was simply called 'The Craft'.
The Four Founders had eventually destroyed the original Dark Coven that called their form of magic 'The Craft', and then laid down the foundation for a school that they later named Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the ashes of their foes.
When it was later discovered that children, who were born of Magic, were being persecuted by the non-magicals … they knew that they had to act. They immediately began to search and rescue these children born of magic, so that they could learn to harness and control their powers.
All was right with the world, until a group of students that were called 'randoms', who were later referred to as muggleborns stumbled upon a Grimoire that once belonged to a witch that was a member of the Dark Coven. They ignored the Founders and their warnings and delved into the Grimoire … deeper and deeper they dove into the Grimoire and soon, they fell prey to their own desire for power. They became monsters, twisted and corrupted by the promise of power that the Grimoire offered, and they let that power consume them.
They ignited a war between the students and the Founders, a war that threatened to break through the veil of secrecy that the Founders had erected in order to protect their students. In the end, the Founders were forced to put down the same children that they once cared for so dearly, but it was during the battle that Lady Ravenclaw was struck down by the Dark Coven's new leader, her wounds were too many, and she soon died along with her unborn child.
Lord Slytherin was enraged by their actions and summoned his great familiar, a gigantic Basilisk. He and his familiar annihilated their ex-student's forces without mercy, and without giving any quarter.
When the carnage was over, Lord Slytherin became close to a hermit, his grief for the loss of his life's partner fuelled his existence and it changed him … eventually, he grew the desire to control or regulate the future muggleborn students, so that they could prevent a repeat of the events that took his wife from him.
Lord Slytherin didn't even try to move on, his attempts to reconnect with the changing world were only half-hearted if he revealed himself to the masses of new students.
Lord Gryffindor and Lady Hufflepuff worked together to try to bring their friend, Lord Slytherin back from his personal hell, but were unable to do anything to save their friend. Lord Slytherin ended up being ensnared by a love potion, one that saw him sleeping with a noble woman from a related family that went by the last name of Gaunt. Once he discovered this; he sunk further into depression and wallowed there until his end as he too soon departed the mortal world to go to his beloved wife.
Lord Gryffindor and Lady Hufflepuff had become close in their efforts and they later wed in secret so that their still living enemies would have an extra reason to attack Hogwarts or their remaining students. The two were eventually blessed by magic, when Lady Hufflepuff gave birth to two healthy baby boys, who possessed unfathomably strong magic. In their desperation to keep their children a secret, they gave them the last names Potter and Longbottom.
The eldest son inherited the mantle of Lord Gryffindor, whilst the younger inherited the mantle of Lord Hufflepuff. Lady Helga Hufflepuff passed away painlessly a day before her husband, who passed the next day … it was a testament to their devotion to each other.
Voldemort hissed to himself … to think that there was a relative that held a stronger claim to the Slytherin Title. The very thought filled him with rage but he nevertheless, continued his mental evaluation of the Potter Family.
Lady Lilian Potter was an acclaimed Potion's Mistress and a prodigy in Charms, she had yet to get her Mastery in Charms but it was only a piece of enchanted paper in the end … it was her skills that decided and she had those skills in spades. When she teamed up with her husband James, they formed a truly formidable team that gave much more than they took.
Voldemort halted, he lifted his gaze towards the roof of the cottage and observed the powerful magic that should've kept him at bay.
"Oh look … Blood Wards, this is very old magic!" Voldemort murmured in surprise "The magic is still fresh, not a month old by my estimate … oh Dumbledore, how foolish you are. To believe that mere Blood Wards and the Fidelius Charm could keep me away from your precious Potter Family."
A wave of Voldemort's wand shattered the Blood Wards in an instant, like they were nothing; the Fidelius Charm was of no consequence since his newest minion had revealed the location to him.
'Ah, Wormtail … you have served your purpose perfectly.' Voldemort thought, soon there would be no prophecy child and Dumbledore would bow to him.
Dark Lord Voldemort walked with a silent grace as he stepped cautiously through the shattered wards that once protected the safe house located in Godric's Hollow. This excursion was proving to be rather exciting. Blood Wards, a Fidelius Charm … these were things that Voldemort rarely witnessed, so it was a pleasant change from ordering his servants, otherwise known as Death Eaters, from his throne.
Voldemort's thoughts were broken as he stopped in front of the front door, he lazily waved his wand over the wood to detect any jinxes or hexes and found himself frowning when he found none. All that running about and they hadn't bothered to ward their door?
'How disappointing,' Voldemort sighed, as he blasted the door off of its hinges with barely contained glee.
Immediately he was under fire and quickly yet gracefully dodged the Reducto that was aimed at his head. Voldemort flawlessly countered with his own Reducto, he was exceptionally pleased when a sickening crunch was heard and he joyously glanced to his left.
There he spotted the late Charlus Potter, James Potter's father. Charlus had been blasted into the wall and was missing half of his torso as a result. Shrugging to himself, he followed the shuffling noises upstairs and wasted no time in disposing of Charlus Potter's wife Dorea Potter nee Black with a Cutting Curse. Voldemort sneered at her corpse in disgust … the entire Black Family but she and Sirius Black followed him, 'Such a disappointment to their Family's name.'
Moments later, as her cold, lifeless body slumped to the floor he approached the children that she had died to protect … all the while tutting his disappointment.
'Truly a pity that they had to die' Voldemort sighed tiredly 'For purebloods to fall so far … at least I ended their pathetic existence before they fell too far.'
Turning to a sudden wailing sound, he eyed the prize that he'd come to claim.
There in a single but large crib were two toddlers, a boy and a girl. They were the children of James and Lily Potter and were named Henry Charlus Potter and Azalea Dorea Potter. The eldest was Henry and Voldemort soon discovered the source of the noise, as Henry was the one that wailed pathetically at him.
Voldemort sneered and with a wave of his wand, scanned the child. Henry did have potential to be powerful provided he had the right training, though he would only be slightly more powerful than others of his generation.
It was then his gaze travelled to the younger twin, Azalea. Voldemort had to blink as he gazed upon her.
'Is this child truly a Potter?' Voldemort questioned himself mentally.
The reason for the confusion was because, ironically, Azalea did not resemble either her parents or her twin in anyway.
If anything she looked like a Black and eerily close to Bellatrix in appearance … before her wedding to the Lestrange Family anyway, but he digressed. The girl, Azalea, simply stared him down with her green eyes that seemed to glow with something unseen, and Voldemort actually found himself pausing before scanning her like her twin before her. Voldemort's eyes widened in fear at the results and he took a step backwards.
'Her magical signature was as strong as mine is, and that meant as strong as Dumbledore's and she was only a baby. If she is allowed to grow and harness that power properly …' his mind went blank at the thought, this wasn't a child! No, she was a monster with power to match him before any training, and before she had even reached her magical maturity.
"I should just dispose of them both and call it a night," he whispered, as if someone was listening "After all, they can't give me any trouble if they're dead!"
Voldemort raised his wand and uttered the most feared of the Unforgivable Curses: The Killing Curse.
"Avada Kedavra!" he cried victoriously.
He watched on with barely contained joy as the beam of sickly green traversed the distance between the two children with alarming speed, but that was when his plan went sideways. Just as the spell was about to strike, young Azalea's eyes suddenly glowed and took a lighter shade of green that mimicked the Killing Curse's own colour. A wind picked up out of nowhere and howled through the room, its force blowing furniture over with resounding crashes, this wind however, left both Henry and Azalea alone and safe from the destruction.
It seemed over for a split second.
But then, a haunting but beautiful spiral of Avada Kedavra coloured green fire suddenly erupted out of nothingness. It spun protectively around the two children and absorbed the Killing Curse before deflecting it at double its original speed and power. Voldemort had no warning, and certainly no chance to dodge before the curse struck true. A shockwave, much like a sonic boom, exploded as the curse impacted with the now dying Dark Lord.
As the mystical fires waivered and flickered wildly, young Henry was struck by a stray piece of glass – it left a nasty gash that was strangely reminiscent of a snake on his right cheek.
Azalea was also struck, but it was by a shard of Voldemort's own soul that had tried to escape his disintegrating body. It left a mark that resembled a rune of power on her forehead and the power within her surged in anger. She'd later learn that Voldemort's dying soul attempted to latch onto her own body and magic, but what it didn't count on was that young Azalea's magic was of an ancient bloodline, far older than many bloodlines and it didn't take kindly to the soul shard's attempt to harm its mistress. Azalea's magic let the shard attach itself firmly, right before it attacked. Her magic absorbed the shard into itself, and with the absorption of the shard, her own, ancient power evolved
Azalea's magic took into itself the knowledge of the greatest dark witch/wizard since the Dark Coven of old.
All Voldemort bore witness to in his final moment, right before his very last breath, was an angry surge of the same green fire viciously engulf him. He felt himself burn … both from the outside but from the inside as well. The searing green flames completely destroyed both his body and soul and then all he knew was darkness … the once Dark Lord Voldemort had been destroyed.
Voldemort was dead – gone from the mortal realm.
Young Azalea's outward magic, now sated in defending its young Mistress calmed slowly until it settled completely. Inside her body however, her magic worked like crazy … trying to assimilate the knowledge granted by the soul shard of Dark Lord Voldemort – this allowed its Mistress's brain to learn and retain the entirety of his accumulated knowledge.
The mental strain caused young Azalea to collapse, and for several minutes or so, her small body shook and was wrought with spasm attacks. Once the shard had been completely assimilated, her body calmed but her magical signature however, began flaring wildly. It lasted for a few extra minutes before her body succumbed to magical exhaustion and fell still.
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Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, or more commonly known simply as Dumbledore, was hosting the current Order of the Phoenix meeting in his office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – as he was the Headmaster of the establishment.
Albus Dumbledore was an old wizard, in fact he was 100 years old, and considering that he survived the last Wizarding World War and that was a pretty good age. He was known as the Leader of the Light for his efforts in defeating the last Dark Lord … Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald. The battle between the two was intense, and lasted a total of 14 hours before Dumbledore was victorious … though he never truly felt victorious as he'd just defeated his one and only love.
The fact that Dumbledore won was incredible as at the time, Gellert possessed the Elder Wand. The wand's lore was shrouded in mystery and blood shed but it was a wand of unfathomable power. Rumoured to be the greatest wand in existence, it was crafted by death himself and given to one of the Peverell brothers, who beat death by crossing an uncross-able river that was protected by death.
For each brother was granted a gift from death for outwitting him, these artefacts were later known as the Deathly Hallows as a result. Each item was passed down from family to family over the years and even the Potters possessed one of the Hallows: the Cloak of Invisibility.
Dumbledore digressed though, by disarming his lover and blasting him away, the wand's allegiance was transferred to him … he said transferred but it was more like he was forced to take the responsibility to act as the Elder Wand's caretaker until it found its one and true owner … someone who the wand belonged to completely and forever, and once it had found its true master/mistress, it'd forever remain loyal to him/her.
For quite some time, Dumbledore feared using the Elder Wand's power, for it was so pure in its essence and the magic that it provided was like a drug. The Elder Wand, before transferring to Gellert, was in the possession of a great and indeed dark witch named Methuselah. He wasn't sure if she was Dark per say, but her power was so thick and raw that she exuded an aura of danger.
Methuselah: The Everlasting Witch. She was rumoured to be at least 700 years old, far older than any witch or wizard that existed in their world today, but it was her connection to magic that scared those in power. Her connection to the Old Magic was so powerful that with a single rune, she could bring down armies and with a single wordless spell, she could open the gates to the spiritual plane and unleash untold horrors into the world.
If he was honest, Azalea Potter possessed a similar aura about her. As unnerving as her appearance was in regards to the similarities to Bellatrix, Azalea's magic reeked of raw magic … raw and pure power that he had only witnessed once. It was during a demonstration of power, courtesy of a young nun by the name of Robin Senna. Her ability to cleanse and purify corrupt magic was unseen before and her flames were made of pure magic, something that Dumbledore and Voldemort could only dream of learning, but alas … it was impossible as it required a certain type of magic and blood.
Blood that he believed had manifested in Azalea. Dumbledore had yet to inform her parents of his suspicions but he'd carefully watch her grow … just to be safe. The nun, Robin, was a part of an organization called 'The Monastery" … professional Witch Hunters that existed long before the DMLE or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and they terminated their targets showing no mercy.
The last he heard of the unique Witch was that she'd been assigned a mission from the Department of Mysteries, in conjunction with her own employers, the Monastery, to track Methuselah and eliminate her.
Robin Senna had never been seen since then.
A young man by the name of Gregorovitch took possession of the Wand, and that was later stolen by his ex-lover Gellert Grindelwald. It was now in his possession and Dumbledore was actually glad that he hadn't found the wand's true owner, as the power was indescribable.
Suddenly, the alarms from his many devices and artefacts screamed at the Order members, he was instantly on alert and diagnosed the problem effortlessly.
Dumbledore gasped and immediately snapped his gaze to Lily and James Potter and informed them of the ward's destruction. Before Dumbledore could blink, the Order members scrambled to action, they all Flooed to their safe zones and then apparated to the Potter's safe house in Godric's Hollow.
When they all arrived on the scene, Sirius Black was already there with his wand trained on a shaking Peter Pettigrew – Sirius' wand pressed against Peter's exposed neck. Being the Potter Family's secret keeper, Peter was cursing his own stupidity at coming to check on his Master and to witness the dawn of a new age in the Wizarding World.
If only he'd been paying attention and not whimpering over his master's wand!
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Sirius Orion Black was the official Godfather to the Potter Twins. The moment Lily and James had asked him if he wanted the job, Sirius was overjoyed. Sirius was a member of the infamous Black Family. The Family's roots could be traced back to the days of Merlin, though their history was clouded in mystery – they'd never discovered who their true ancestor was, but the rumour was that it was Lady Morgana LeFay. Unfortunately, with that revelation, came the reputation of belonging to the Dark.
If only it was just in reputation, for the Black Family was of the Dark. The Family had dabbled too deeply into the Dark Arts and their entire Family Line was forever cursed to belong to the Dark. Their entire Bloodline was gifted towards using and performing the Dark Arts, and as such they were easily corrupted by them. In fact … Sirius, his elder sister Andromeda Tonks nee Black and his elder brother Regulus Black were perhaps the first since the curse to display magic that was not born from the family's curse. Andromeda fell in love with a Muggleborn named Ted, and they eloped – resulting in her banishment from the Family. He was genuinely happy for his elder sister – she found happiness and even worked with the Order to heal the injured. Regulus though … he eventually fell to the Dark as well and died before Sirius could try to help his elder brother. It was one of Sirius' greatest regrets, that he couldn't help his now dead brother.
So when Sirius had been asked by the Potters to be their children's Godfather … it was the happiest day in his life. He discovered that he was sterile, and unable to Sire an heir to the Black Family, not that he was upset in that regard – the only thing he was upset about was not feeling the same joy that was plastered on James' face … that he could never be a father himself. The reason he was relieved to be sterile was that he couldn't condemn another to the Black Family Curse.
Sirius intended to name Azalea, heiress of the family. Not only due to her looks, but with Henry being the elder twin, he'd inherit the Potter Family Headship when James died. Azalea would receive a stipend from the fortune of their family but nothing more unless she married. Worse still, the Potter Family did have Marriage Contracts pouring in from all over England, France and many other countries as the other families also knew this.
If she inherited from him though …the Back Family, with no other heir after his death, would finally be free from the curse of their ancestors … and Azalea could achieve her own dreams without relying on her family's own money and would dodge being forced into a marriage against her wishes.
His family … free from the curse on their blood … there was a reason for him to mention that.
He'd never told Lily and James before, but there was something … different about Azalea's magic. It all started with a whisper, his blood whispering to stay away from the 'pure' child. He didn't know what his blood meant but as Azalea grew older, his blood's whispers became stronger … his cursed blood was weary of Azalea and her 'pure' magic. He spent many months studying possible reasons and he finally found a piece of parchment so old, that it was almost about to crumble to dust. It was written by their ancestor before preservation spells were made, but what was readable was that their ancestor's blood, their cursed blood feared the Old Arcane Magic, otherwise known as the Craft. It wasn't clear why, but true and untainted craft users performed magic so powerful and pure, that it cleansed the Dark.
If Azalea had inherited even a tiny portion of that power then the Black Family would be forever free from their curse!
In fact, what he hadn't told Lily and James yet, was that the paperwork was already done, and she was officially Heiress Apparent to the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. He was waiting for the right time to reveal his plan to his friends and when they were older, his godchildren.
As the Godfather to young Azalea and Henry he took part in a binding ritual that bound him to his godchildren until their death or his own. So when the ritual he undertook warned him of the danger that his Godson and Goddaughter were in, he instantly dropped everything and apparated to Godric's Hollow, where he found Peter whimpering and muttering over a wand and cloak that were unmistakably Voldemort's belongings.
He stunned the already unresponsive man and he rushed inside the crumbling house. He heard a child wailing upstairs and after running to the source he found his two godchildren. Henry was balling his eyes out, a nasty gash on his right cheek and Azalea was out like a light, blood pouring from her forehead. Instantly he rushed forward and banished debris in his way, he then banished the blood on their faces and used a small healing charm on them.
He sighed in relief but once the blood was gone, he immediately noticed the scars and he gasped; the prophecy!
He took both children and wrapped them in their blankets that were amazingly unharmed by the level of sheer destruction in the room, he then raced back down the stairs and out of the house as quickly as he could. He made the right decision as less than a minute after leaving with the two babies, the house collapsed and came down with a resounding crash … leaving nothing but a wall and a tiny section of roof standing.
Sirius wasted no time and hastily transfigured a nearby log into a crib. Placing both children who were now both sleeping comfortably inside, he turned his wand back on Peter … he didn't want the rat to transform or escape, so he quickly erected an anti-animagius ward over Peter's body and placed his wand under the twitching rat's jaw.
He tensed briefly when he heard the sound of apparition but relaxed as he felt the familiar magical signatures of the Order of the Phoenix.
..::..
James and Lily Potter were hysterical once they'd been informed that the wards that protected their children and James' parents had been destroyed. They apparated to Godric's Hollow as quickly as they could, but the first thing they noticed upon their arrival was the ruins of their safe house.
"James … the children!" Lily all but shrieked "Where are they? Where are my babies?"
"Calm down Lily" James replied soothingly and quickly continued once Lily's infamous glare, a precursor to her equally infamous temper, was aimed at him "They're over there with Padfoot!"
Lily Potter whipped her head around and ran up to the children in their makeshift crib. She choked on a sob and fell to her knees in relief at their peaceful faces. James was instantly behind her for support and it was together that they noticed the scar on Henry's right cheek.
"W-What is this?" Lily gasped "Oh my precious baby boy, who did this to you?"
James' eyes narrowed dangerously and he cast a subtle detection spell around the property. His eyes widened seconds later as his scan came back identifying the corpses of his parents. Tears silently slid down his face, whoever had done this had murdered his parents, he was now only one of three Potters by blood … and that hurt more than his heart could take. James slid down and sat silently by the crib that Sirius had transfigured, he glanced to Lily and noticed her fussing over the twins … he'd wait to tell her, he'd let her feel the joy of being reunited with their children.
He shifted his gaze to his children and stared at them, scrutinizing their appearance and looking for any hidden injuries. His glasses helped, as they, like Madam Bones' Monocle and Alastor Moody's fake eye, were charmed to see through illusions and detect hidden enchantments. He noticed a curious fluctuation in Azalea's body, her magic was all but gone, as if drained somehow. James clenched his hand into a fist and quickly scanned Henry. There was nothing amiss with him but something was wrong with Azalea … for there to be little to no magic left in her tiny body was suspicious, and it begged the question that everyone was already thinking.
'What the hell happened here?'
Dumbledore watched as James silently wept for his parents, it wasn't lost on the Headmaster that neither Charlus or Dorea were present – he'd actually performed a similar detection spell before James had, and it saddened him to know that two of his dearest friends had passed through the veil.
Dumbledore plastered a smile on his face and watched on with a forced twinkle in his eye as he approached the reunited family. However, the moment Dumbledore took out the Elder Wand to check them over it pulsed uncomfortably in his hand, he blinked and observed the Elder Wand closely … it was rejecting him and reacting to one of the twins so he pushed it closer and like a piece of metal being attracted to a magnet it all but shot out of his hand's tight grip and fell onto the youngest twin: Azalea Dorea Potter.
Dumbledore frowned momentarily, he always understood that he was merely a caretaker for the wand until it chose its rightful owner but he had hoped that it would never react to anyone whilst he was still alive and now that the Elder Wand had chosen its rightful owner. He sighed and withdrew his original wand to complete the scan … his eyes widened dramatically and glanced over to Sirius, who nodded uncertainly, so the prophecy was accurate and it was one of the twins that had accomplished in defeating the Dark Lord.
Scanning them more thoroughly he discovered a surprising amount of magic in Henry but it wasn't potent just powerful … he moved to scan Azalea and furrowed his brow when he sensed absolutely nothing coming from the youngest Potter twin, oh there was a strong essence of the same odd magic that he'd already sensed from the girl, but the magic core scan gave nothing. Sighing he relayed the information to the Lord and Lady Potter and they silently absorbed the information before glancing down at their children grimly … if Azalea had no traces of magic at all, then that made her a squib and if she was a squib then that meant that Henry was the child of prophecy: Henry had defeated Voldemort.
James eyed his wife cautiously, she was smothering a now wide awake Henry with kisses and praising him for defeating the Dark Lord, but he was no slouch in wand lore himself and he had witnessed the actions of the Elder Wand. It had chosen Azalea and a wand never chose somebody that couldn't wield it … if Azalea had no traces of magic in her core then that could just be exhaustion from the attack.
James thought deeply, he knew about the true essence of magic, the craft, but could it be possible that his youngest child, his precious daughter … had inherited that power? If that was the case then the Elder Wand was drawn to something more than just ordinary magic. He took another glance at Lily and watched as she doted on both of the twins, it would change, he knew but he so desperately wanted to keep things as they were … if Henry was the chosen one, then poor Azalea would be left alone whilst they trained him for the future.
'What am I going to do?' thought James morosely.
James was snapped out of his thoughts by the approaching Headmaster, who had looked as though he'd aged 50 years or so in the last 5 minutes, he expressed his concerns for letting Azalea go and listened as James gave his own opinion of the matter.
"I know what your wand was Headmaster" James whispered to the old man "I know that it's the Elder Wand and I know that it has now chosen my sweet Azalea as an owner and if that's true then there's no way in hell that she's a squib!"
"I would have agreed with you James" Dumbledore nodded whilst replying to further cement his own thoughts before continuing "I must admit to being curious about your youngest child, Azalea for quite some time … she does not resemble any in your family tree aside from having Lily's eyes but even they're different … I believed that your child possessed a power that has been unseen for so long and I admit to being clueless on how to proceed as the scans that I have just performed are NEVER wrong and there's not an ounce of magic within her. Perhaps it would be best to place her with another family or relative, maybe even Petunia, Lily's sister."
James raised an eyebrow and looked deeply into the Headmaster's eyes before hissing angrily at the man "Are you actually asking me to abandon my daughter to the Muggle world because you should know that Potters never abandon their own!"
Dumbledore instantly raised his hands in alarm "No … No my boy; that's not what I'm asking you to do … I'm merely saying that we should observe Azalea in a muggle environment and see if there's any trace of magic within her … it would be cruel to allow her to remain in the Magical World if the scans are indeed correct and that she has no magic at all within her."
James Potter glared at the man for a few minutes but eventually nodded with a broken expression "Fine, place her with the Dursleys but if there's even the slightest hint of magic … you WILL retrieve her without argument … understood?"
The Headmaster nodded and moved to leave when James asked something more "And the Elder Wand? What will you do … the wand chose Azalea"
"The Elder Wand will not leave its Mistress's side regardless of wards or protections" Dumbledore replied "The wand will have to go with young Azalea and it wouldn't matter anyway my boy. That wand will now be useless to anyone but her … assuming that she can use it when the time comes."
With that Dumbledore turned and walked back to the crib where a now awake Azalea watched the Headmaster curiously, he chuckled at her innocence and gently picked her up, the Elder Wand instantly vanishing to Merlin knows where.
"I'm ever so sorry little one" Dumbledore muttered sadly "I swear to you that if this is a mistake and you do possess magic, then I will find you and bring you home."
Dumbledore vanished with a 'POP' and appeared at the residence of the Dursley Family, he hesitated slightly before sighing sadly and gently placing the child on the doorstep. He placed a signed letter to the family on Azalea's blanket and chanced a fleeting glance at her … he would never forget the young innocent gaze that silently asked 'why?' for the rest of his life.
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When Vernon and Petunia Dursley woke the next morning and found their niece on their doorstep, they understandably freaked out but in their haste to hide the child, the letter that was on her blanket had fallen off and was mistaken for junk mail … therefore it went into their garbage without a second thought.
Vernon and Petunia recognised the girl of course, they had cosied up to the Potters in an attempt to get a chance at their fortune but behind closed doors they hated the freaks and now their freak of a daughter was silently watching them with her freaky eyes.
"I won't stand for this Pet." Vernon growled angrily "What did that freak of a sister call freaks that were born into freak families with no freakishness? Squids?"
"It's 'Squib' sweetie" she corrected promptly before shrieking loudly "And if Lily thinks that we're going to raise their freak of a daughter because she isn't freakish enough for them then they have another thing coming!"
Vernon nodded and they spent the next 30 minutes deciding where to put the child, they were almost ready to just throw her into an orphanage when an idea struck Vernon.
"Pet … what about that Monastery in the city?" he asked and at seeing her questioning gaze he elaborated "It's out of the way and they'll definitely rid the brat of her freakish ways."
Petunia thought on it before a grin broke out on her horse-like face; it was perfect, let the religious fanatics deal with the freak … history showed what they did to its kind.
"What an amazing idea Vernon" she gushed loudly "You're so smart, that's why you're going to be promoted to supervisor!"
Vernon puffed up under her praise and grunted in a pleased manner, they then left the toddler alone and went to eat breakfast. They never noticed that some of their knickknacks were floating around the child as she gazed intensely at them.
Once they'd finished their breakfast, Petunia fed her own child, Dudley before they packed up the car and drove into London. Vernon did get lost several times along the way so he was relieved when he saw the Monastery. He stepped on the gas and it wasn't long before he pulled up at the entrance. He grunted before yanking the young girl out of the boot of their car and carelessly dumped her onto the steps … he then rang the bell before running back to the car and zooming off as quickly as the car would go.
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The large solid door to the Monastery opened and an ancient looking woman stepped out, her grey hair swayed in the slight breeze as she came face to face with a beautiful green eyed child … but where were her parents? Judging from the dirt and smell she'd say non-existent if they refused to look after her.
She sighed to herself before muttering about calling child services when the strangest thing happened … a wand appeared out of nowhere and landed on the child. The woman gasped, she knew that wand only too well.
You see this was the Monastery and it was actually a hidden sanctuary for Witches and Wizards … not the usual kind either, these witches were of old magic, the kind that usually never required a wand. They still used wands for various spells or charms, but they were mostly cosmetic to the inhabitants of the ancient building.
The old woman would know that wand from anywhere though, it had many names after all, but when she was younger she worked as a Witch Hunter. Back then, when she worked as an Operative of the Top Secret Order, it was known simply as Methuselah's Shard. It was an object that the Monastery wanted to be kept under lock and key until its proper wielder had been found. The devastation that single wand had caused throughout history was unbelievable, and all because it had no true owner, only caretakers … caretakers such as Methuselah.
The DoM or the Department of Mysteries from the new English Government also wanted their target Methuselah eliminated, so a joint mission was assigned to her and her partner to track and eliminate the one known as the Everlasting Witch.
The mission was almost complete when the Unspeakable Operative that had been assigned to the mission along with her and her partner, betrayed them. He took Methuselah's Shard after disarming and injuring the elderly witch, and turned that powerful wand on them. They managed to escape with their target, and found a Monastery safe house where they laid low until they found safe passage from Japan.
She hadn't counted on being betrayed by the Unspeakables and their plan was simple: with the aid of their target who had survived, they faked their death and fled, with her partner, a squib named Amon using muggle means to aid them. They later recontacted the Monastery and informed them of the DoM's betrayal. It caused the Monastery to close its doors to the English Government and operate in secret.
They returned to England and hid at the Monastery whilst trying to discover why they were betrayed … when it was obvious that the answers wouldn't be discovered they continued to stay at the Monastery and worked on improving themselves. They fell in love and were married in their new home by the head of the Sanctuary, Amon taking her last name as his was unknown, and it was soon after that they had a daughter, who they had named Lilian.
It was then however that they realised that they had no way to care for their child, so with a heavy heart they asked the Monastery's caretaker for help. The caretaker was an older man, his name was George Evans and he and his wife had been trying to have another child for a quite some time, he and his wife already had a toddler, a girl named Petunia and wanted another. George informed them that they didn't even care if the child was a witch, as long as they found more joy in their lives then it wouldn't matter.
It was with a sad kiss goodbye that they gave their only daughter to George and Robin begged him to care for her … he reassured her that he would and he left. She never saw her daughter again and it cut her deeply every time she thought back on her beautiful red-haired daughter. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she gazed warily at the wand, here in England it was known as the Elder Wand and it was now resting on a baby girl's bundled form.
The baby girl possessed eyes like her daughter's only this child's eyes held unfathomable power. If this child was the new owner of this wand then she had to have the power of ancient witches and wizards pulsing in her veins.
She muttered a silent spell and gazed upon the child with eyes of old, a spell taught to her by Methuselah herself for 'when the time was right' and she gasped … the child was overflowing with the powers of old … for a child to possess so much power should be impossible!
Robin gained a resolved look in her eyes before she bent down and picked up the child and the wand.
"You shall learn to be a true Witch" she whispered to the toddler "And I will be your new mother … I am Robin … Robin Senna."
She looked deep into the baby's eyes and smiled softly, the baby mimicked her actions and gurgled happily to the older woman. Robin spotted the faded name on her dirty baby blanket.
"Azalea … Dorea … Po … Pot?" she tried to read before turning her gaze to the curious child "Your name is Azalea Dorea Senna!"
With that, Robin turned and walked back into the Monastery to show her husband their new child.
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There we are … all done. I do apologise for the long wait as I know that I promised its release sooner. I'm not going to explain why this time, just that it's a personal matter. As you can see, the general flow of the story remained, but I've added necessary information and I've eased up on Lily's attitude towards Azalea after the news was delivered.
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PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
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