Title: Forgotten Innocence
Author Name: Urania Black
Category: General
Key Words: Mirabel, Germany, Krys
Rating: PG
Spoilers: PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP
Summary: Mirabel Lupin had never known her father and probably never would. But if she only knew why maybe things would be easier. Krys was a child of the streets, a product of her environment. But if she only knew why her father had forgotten her maybe life wouldn't be so bad.
DISCLAIMER: I own Mirabel, Krys, Leah, Catrina, and Michi. All else belongs to J.K. Rowling. Bless her for allowing us to put her wonderful characters through such torture.
A/N: This is the prequels to If Only for My Daughter. No you do not have to read this to understand it, but it would probably help and what could it hurt, right?
It was going to happen. Catrina could feel it in the very depths of her soul. The law would be passed despite all of Remus's reassurances that it wouldn't. But Remus didn't understand the misery the Ministry would put them through if by any chance the law was passed. She needed to leave and she needed to leave now. While her mother had moved to America some time ago Catrina knew she still owned the summer villa in Germany. She had plenty of money to get her there so both of those problems had been tended to. She only had one problem she could think of: what to tell Remus. Sitting down at Lily's desk she began to write.
Dear Remus,
I am deeply sorry for having to leave you without any explanation, but trust me when I tell you it is for the best. I hope one day you will be able to understand this difficult choice I have made. I can see your mind working now as I sit here and write this, but do not think for one moment the reason I am leaving is because of you being a werewolf. I have told you time and again I don't care about that. I love you too much to care. I am not leaving you for someone else. There has never been and will never be anyone else but you. I must ask you not to go looking for me. It won't do any good, you won't find me. Please trust me when I tell you this is for the best. I love you Remus. Remember that always, no matter what.
All of my love
All of my life,
Catrina Maye
She let the ink dry before folding the parchment and writing Remus's name neatly on the outside. Catrina left the note on the dining room table where someone was sure to find it. She also left a small gift for Lily next to it. Tonight they were supposed to have a celebration dinner. Lily had found out a week ago she was pregnant. She was due near the end of July. Leah was nearly due, only about five weeks left. Catrina had been hiding her pregnancy as best as she could, but she suspected Lily and Leah knew. It was damn near impossible to pull the wool over their eyes. She wished she could share this experience with her two best friends, but she was on her own now. Casting a longing glance back at Lily and James Potter's small cottage she disapparated.
Seven Years Later
"Mirabel Anne," Michi called walking along the porch, "your mother wants to talk to you." A young girl bounded up the porch steps toward her nanny.
"Is she feeling better now?" Mirabel asked as Michi took her hand.
"I know she'll feel better when she sees you."
"She's dying isn't she? I can feel her fading." Michi kissed the top of her head before Mirabel entered her mother's room.
The overhead light was dim and only faintly illuminated the bedroom. Catrina lay in the bed, wrapped in sheets of silk and blankets of the softest fur. Mirabel carefully climbed up on the foot of the bed and crawled to lie beside her mother.
"Hello, love." Catrina told her daughter weakly.
"Hi mum."
"I need to ask you something, Mirabel."
"Anything." She answered eagerly.
"I won't be around much longer and I know you have known this for awhile. When I die Mirabel you will go to America to live with your grandmother. All the arrangements have been made. I expect you will become a very powerful witch training under your grandmother. But there is something I need you to promise me Mirabel. Something very important."
"Anything." She said once again.
"Promise me you won't go looking for your father. It isn't safe; there are many things you don't understand yet. Promise me, love."
"But mama." She tried to protest.
"I know one day someone may find you, but I ask that you not go looking for him. Mirabel Anne promise me."
"I promise mama. I won't go looking for my father." Catrina pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.
"Be strong for me child. One day I know both of you will understand the choices I have made. I can only hope you will be able to forgive me."
"You never have to ask my forgiveness, mum. You'll always have it." Both fell into a peaceful slumber hugging onto each other tightly, creating a bond between mother and daughter that would later become unbreakable. Mirabel was the only one to wake.
Three Years Later
California. Sunny, bright, cheerful, but way too hot for Mirabel's tastes. Still it was a nice place. She had lived on the beach for the past three years, gotten a really nice tan, and learned lots of magic from not only the Academy, but her grandmother as well. Now nearing eleven her grandmother spoke non stop about sending her to some wizarding boarding school in Scotland. Hogwarts, she called it.
"Our entire family has gone to Hogwarts. All of us in Ravenclaw too. Until I met your grandfather, a Slytherin. Stole the breath right out of me he did. Your mother was a Ravenclaw. But she never liked any of the girls in her dorm. Always trotted around with Leah Gemini and Lily Evans from Gryffindor. They were wonderful girls. I took them all to Venice one summer holiday. Your father was a Gryffindor as well. Really nice boy. If it wasn't for his condition he would have had a bright future ahead of him."
"My father. You knew him." Mirabel interrupted.
"Oh, dear. I've gone off rambling again. Now Mirabel you know what your mother said." Her grandmother began.
"She told me not to go looking for him. She didn't say anything about learning about him. Don't I have a right grandmother?"
"I will honor your mother's wishes. You should do the same." She told Mirabel sharply and that was the end of that. "I think I'll owl Dumbledore and see what he thinks. I mean if your mother was still alive you never would have moved to America." Her grandmother left the kitchen and headed upstairs to her study. Mirabel was left with the breakfast dishes.
A few hours later Mirabel found her grandmother's lifeless body lying on the floor of the study.
"Oh grandmother you felt it too didn't you," Mirabel whispered softly as she kneeled down to take her grandmother's hand, "is that why you were trying to make arrangements for me to go to that boarding school?" Mirabel asked almost as if she expected her grandmother to answer her. Mirabel stood and walked over to the desk where a newly delivered letter lay. She stuffed it in her pocket and left the room.
Quickly she packed a small bag of clothes and gathered all the American dollars and wizarding money she could find. Without looking back Mirabel left the beach house. As soon as she could find a pay phone she would report her grandmother's passing. She had three months until her eleventh birthday. She needed to make it to Scotland and she wasn't going to waste any time.
New York was as different from California as one could get. Mirabel liked Broadway at night; all the lights and people. No one seemed to mind her strange accent or asked about her age. The beaches were not as nice as California, but it was breath taking at night. She saw everything she could before boarding the cruise ship. She even went to Soho one of the only magical places in New York besides parts of Little Italy. Being on her own gave her the chance to better her knowledge of the wizarding world and magic. If Hogwarts was one of the greatest schools in all of Europe she did not want to let her mother and grandmother down by not getting in.
The cruise ship went all the way to Italy where Mirabel got off and began to make her way to France. Knowing there were only two weeks left until her 11th birthday she decided to pick up the pace and barely saw any of the sights in Europe.
The ferry had to be the most interesting thing Mirabel had ever encountered. It did not cost much to board and while she waited patiently in line she noticed a small group of people congregating near the closed ticket booth. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Mirabel left her spot in line to investigate.
"Now we'll have to wait for the muggle ferry to leave before using the-" he stopped talking abruptly when he noticed Mirabel. "Can I help you young lady?"
"You're a wizard, right?" she asked. He nodded as he looked her over, "Well that's a relief. I haven't seen a wizard since I was in New York. I'm looking for Albus Dumbledore. I have a message for him from my grandmother, Teresa Maye." Mirabel said smoothly. She had only three days left to find him before her birthday and she had yet to find out where or even how to locate him.
"I can get you to London, but you're on your own from there. I thought Mrs. Maye had moved to America after her husband died in that Death Eater attack."
"She did. I've come all the way from California to deliver this message." She answered. Deciding not to press the issue he nodded before continuing with his speech.
"How many are going to London?" he asked. Mirabel was the only one to raise her hand. "Your portkey activates in two minutes. You'll arrive at the Ministry of Magic. They will tell you where to go from there."
He handed her a Euro and she looked at it strangely before she felt a sharp tug on her body. She was falling forward. When she landed she was in the lobby of the Ministry of Magic. A witch rushed forward to help her to her feet.
"Dear are you okay?" the woman with bright red hair asked. A young man with the same red hair stood next to her clutching her robes tightly in his fists. She took the Euro from Mirabel and stared at it for a moment, "Was this your portkey?" Mirabel nodded and she followed the woman to the reception desk. While the wizard behind the desk examined the Euro Mirabel took in her present surroundings.
The room was pristine white as if it had only just been cleaned a few minutes ago. Witches and wizards loitered in the room for just a moment, chatting with others before hurrying along. The woman had begun talking to her again and she did her best to listen and watch all at once.
"Where are you headed, dear? Perhaps I can help you get there." She offered leading Mirabel over to one of the chairs that lined the walls.
"I'm trying to get to Hogwarts. My grandmother made arrangements, but she passed on before Albus Dumbledore could reply to her owl."
"I am terribly sorry dear, but the Hogwarts term is almost over. You're too late." Mirabel stared wide-eyed at the woman.
"Too late." She gasped sitting heavily down in the chair.
"I'll owl Dumbledore for you though. The two of you can talk things over and decide what to do." She offered a tad scared by Mirabel's reaction to the news.
"No, that's quite alright. I don't want to be a bother."
"It's no bother. I'm sure Albus would love to speak with you. He'll find a place for you next term I'm sure of it." Mirabel's gloom lifted slightly at this.
"When does next term start?"
"September 1st." Mirabel jumped to her feet a broad grin on her face.
"I won't be late next time. I assure you. Could you possibly direct me to the train?" the woman was a little uneasy about letting Mirabel go off alone in Muggle London, but Mirabel did her best to soothe her fears. Before long she was waiting to catch the next train to Paris. Mirabel couldn't stop smiling. Soon enough she would be attending Hogwarts and learning things her mother never had the chance to tell her. A tap on her shoulder brought her back to reality.
"Are you lost little one?" a man behind her asked. She turned to acknowledge him and could only stare in shock. It's him, she thought numbly to herself. She'd stolen enough glances at the picture her mother carried to recognize him anywhere. Of course his jeans were patched and he wasn't wearing Wizarding robes and the lines in his face were deepened due to worry and age. But his eyes. She would know those eyes anywhere. They stared back at her every time she looked in a mirror. "Have you lost your parents?" he asked trying to get a response from her. Glancing at his watch he realized he might miss the train if he stayed to help her. He dug into the pockets of his jeans and put a few coins in her hand. "I suggest you ring your parents. I'm sure they are very worried." With that he was gone. She debated with herself on whether or not to call after him, but he disappeared into the crowd before she could make up her mind. She boarded her train within the next hour and her smile did not return until she reached Paris.
While on the train she opened the letter she had memorized the moment she had read it in California.
Dear Mrs. Maye,
We have no record of Catrina Maye having a daughter. Albus Dumbledore would be happy to meet with you and discuss this matter. Please owl us your response.
Sincerely,
Deputy Headmistress
Minerva McGonagall
Minerva McGonagall
One Year Later
France had so much to offer her from the muggle perspective that Mirabel was magic free for five whole months. But curiosity soon got the better of her and she began to explore the magical places of France as well. She revisited Paris with the intent of taking a train back to Germany when Italy caught her eye. September 1st came and went, but Mirabel did not mind. There was no place for her at Hogwarts. She knew this and accepted it with an ease she did not know she had. From Venice she ventured on to Florence where she celebrated her twelfth birthday. One of the families she stayed with suggested Rome and Naples. Rome was beautiful, but Naples had more to offer magically. In turn this led her journey to Corsica. One of the most magical islands in the world. Even more so than Bermuda. She spent Christmas in Zurich and was back in Frankfurt by her thirteenth birthday in March.
Michi cried when she first caught sight of Mirabel walking up the porch steps. Three weeks after her return home the girl who would first become her friend and then her sister knocked on the front door.
"I'll get it Michi." Mirabel called racing down the stairs. She opened the door to find a small girl smiling at her.
"Hello, can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Mirabel Lupin." The young girl replied.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Krys Gemini." Mirabel looked at her long and hard trying to remember where she had heard that name.
"Do you know a Leah Gemini?" she finally asked.
"She was my mother. Look I came to speak to you about Hogwarts." Once again Mirabel looked at her cautiously.
"Come on in I'll get us some tea." Mirabel led her into the kitchen where Michi sat sipping a cup of coffee. She looked quizzically at Mirabel before retiring to the parlor.
"Do let me make the tea? It's the least I can do after showing up unannounced." Letting Krys take over Mirabel sat down at the kitchen table her great-grandfather had hand carved himself.
"What did you want to talk about Hogwarts for?" she asked after a moment's silence.
"The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, sought me out only a week ago in Ireland. He'd asked me if it was true, was I really the daughter of Leah Gemini and Sirius Black. I told him I was. He insisted I come to Hogwarts next term. I couldn't very well tell him no. Not after he knew who I was and all."
"He doesn't know about me does he?" Mirabel interrupted as Krys sat a steaming cup of tea in front of her.
"I'm getting to that. He asked me if I knew who Catrina Maye was. I told him only a little from the things I had found of my mother's. Then he wanted to know if she ever had a daughter. Well to my knowledge she hadn't and I told him so." Krys explained soothing Mirabel's worries. Mirabel took a long sip of tea while continuing to stare at Krys. Her eyes brightened as she set down the cup.
"That's the best tea I've ever had. You'll have to teach me how to make it like this." Krys returned the smile and blew lightly on her own tea. "Now the only thing you have to do is explain how you found me."
"It wasn't as difficult as I imagined it would be. A neighbor of yours in California told me you moved there from Germany. It was pretty easy after that. You aren't very discreet when you move." Krys reprimanded.
"Well, I'm not hiding from anyone. No one has ever heard of me. I'm not even recorded in the Book as a magical birth. My mother saw to that. Although I'm not exactly sure how or why."
"If your mother went to such lengths to hide you don't you think you should stay hidden?" Mirabel glared at her over her tea.
"What aren't you telling me about my mother?" she demanded.
"She and my mother were best friends with the Potter's."
The two girls talked far into the night before Mirabel told Krys she was welcome to stay as long as she needed.
"Well, I start Hogwarts on September 1st. I'll be a third year. But I've no where to go during the summer Holidays."
"You can come here whenever you wish. Michi is always here. I cannot say the same for me, however. There's still so much of Europe I haven't seen." Mirabel informed her. She was not the type to sit still for very long.
"Just be careful. Use your skills to hide your true appearance."
"Being the daughter of a werewolf certainly has its advantages. I don't know what I would do if I wasn't a metamorphmagus." They both laughed and Michi smiled as she watched the girls from the kitchen door.
"Bed you two." She stated firmly, "it is almost dawn." Krys looked to Mirabel for a translation and Mirabel provided it.
"You most certainly need to teach me German." She stated as she followed Mirabel up to the room she would occupy for the next five months.
Summer Holiday flew by more quickly than either one of them had anticipated. On the morning of August 31st Krys boarded a train in Frankfurt which would take her to Paris where she would catch another train to London. They bid farewell to each other with promises of keeping in touch. Mirabel informed her that she would not be returning to Walldorf for a long while. "Greece is supposed to be nice this time of year," she told Krys, "I'll send you a souvenir."
And so the next few years passed with ease. Krys would receive a souvenir from each place Mirabel visited and Krys would tell Mirabel of all the things she was learning at Hogwarts (not just school wise either). Mirabel was sent newspaper clippings from the trial of Sirius Black and when he was finally cleared of all charges Mirabel was sent a piece of celebration cake and a recent picture of Sirius, Krys, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and one Professor Remus Lupin. Mirabel kept the picture in her pocket and looked at it whenever she felt the urge to find her father. She knew Krys was with him and therefore he was being taken care of.
Michi wrote to both Mirabel and Krys once a week and Krys made sure to visit her at least one week every year during the summer holidays. How Krys explained this to her father was a complete mystery to Mirabel.
Mirabel took Krys' advice to heart and changed her appearance. She let her sandy brown hair grow long giving her the look of a young woman in her early twenties instead of the young teenager she was. Her grey-green eyes became more a mixture of soft yellow and brown. She made sure to eat enough to keep fat on her bones. Krys would have been proud if only she could have seen her best friend. But that would all come in its own time.
For now Mirabel was content to wander and live the life her mother had died to protect. Besides Mirabel had promised to never go looking for her father and wandering kept the thoughts of breaking that promise at bay. Mirabel never broke a promise. Not for anyone or anything.