I found this in my old story folder. It was written when I was a senior in high school. About six years ago, following the release of the fifth Harry Potter Book.
Title: If Only For My Daughter
Author Name: Urania Black
Rating: R for some language and adult content and situations in later chapters
Spoilers: PS, CoS, PoA, GoF, OotP
Summary: When worlds collide everything stops for a moment and everything in the world makes perfect sense. You know why people hurt, why they die, what loving someone really means. But before you can take it all in everything crashes and you may never understand anything ever again.
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.
Ships: HP/HG, SB/RL, Seamus/OC, DM/OC, and a few others might pop up as well here and there. Be warned there is a smidge of slash, but nothing major. Actually they seem to be more like best friends than an actual couple during most of the story seeing as how Sirius and Remus are not at the center of our story. Well not really.
A/N: The letter that Krys, Molly, and Dumbledore read goes as follows:
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
To understand at least part of this letter you must have read Forgotten Innocence which was originally a prologue for this story, but then became its own creature. However, if you feel no desire to read it everything (well almost everything) will be explained by the last chapter.
Prologue
Walldorf Germany – Early April – 1984
"Michi," Catrina called walking out back toward the garden. Michi shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun and looked up.
"Yes?"
"Where is Mirabel?"
"Taking her nap. Is there something wrong?" Michi asked standing up quickly.
"Oh, no. I was just going to go up into the attic and you know how adventurous she can be." Michi nodded in agreement as she glanced up at the house.
"What do you need from the attic? Maybe I should get it for you. I know how you get when you go up there." She suggested to Catrina.
"No, I will be fine. I am just locking something away. There's not much time left."
"I never did like when you talked like that."
"Our family is cursed. You know this. I know you can feel it too. You may only be half Maye, but you are a Maye none the less." Catrina said sternly.
"Curses are not real." Michi almost yelled.
"Just like magic is not real. Face it Michi everything is real. The curses, the magic, the dreams. You cannot hide from it."
"You do. You went to the Wizarding world and it scared you so much you erased your daughter's heritage. She may know of the magical world and the curse and the dreams, but she knows nothing of where she comes from. She does not even know her father's name. All she knows about him is he is the reason for her rare condition."
"On day she will understand the reason for it all." Catrina told her reasonably. She refused to comment on Michi's tirade.
"And what if she does not?" there was a silence between the two that stretched to the end of existence. Catrina took a deep breath before shattering it into a thousand broken shards.
"She will know where to look for the answers. I will be back down in an hour. Maybe she will be awake by then." She turned to return to the house.
"I hope you know what you are doing." Catrina paused before continuing to walk.
"So do I." she whispered. Michi still heard her.
Panaji, India – Monday July 14, 1997
Mirabel awoke with a start covered in a cold sweat. Her stomach was cramping and the room refused to stop spinning. Closing her eyes she took in a gulp of warm air and she could taste the Indian Ocean on her tongue.
"The attic." She whispered to herself. Sitting up she grabbed her knapsack and threw on the jeans that lay on the floor beside her. As silently as she could she snuck out of the small house she had been a guest in, fastening her cloak around her as she went. She needed to return to Germany and she needed to do it quickly.
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Michi seemed to know exactly why Mirabel had come home after four long years. She said nothing as Mirabel burst into the house and ran up to the attic. She was in the attic all day sifting through a hidden life. The life of her mother.
Chapter One: Home Sweet Home
12 Grimmauld Place – London, England – Friday July 25, 1997
Krys had told Mirabel about 12 Grimmauld Place if ever there was an emergency and she needed a place to stay. Mirabel figured this was as close to an emergency as she was ever going to get. She bid farewell to Michi with a promise that she was only angry with Catrina and not with her. It was the longest train ride of her life. Mirabel gave a thought to owling Krys when she was switching trains in Paris, but decided that would give Sirius Black and Remus Lupin time to prepare for the onslaught of questions she was going to ask them.
By nightfall of the following day Mirabel was standing on the doorstep working up the courage to knock three times on the door. Krys had warned her against ringing the bell in one of her letters. Something about a screaming painting. Mirabel had wanted to tell Krys that paintings did not scream, in fact paintings did nothing but hang. But she had forgotten to put it in her letter seeing as Africa was far more interesting.
Krys was the one to answer the door and she let out a small squeak of excitement before pulling her into a hug. "Finally came to your senses and decided to visit me." Mirabel could not help but smile at her friend's antics.
"Actually I came to see my father. I found a few of my mother's things and I have some questions I need to ask him." Krys led Mirabel inside as they talked.
"That doesn't sound very good." Krys whispered as the two passed a painting covered by long black drapes. Krys led her out of the entrance hall and to the grand staircase. Mirabel looked repulsed by the only house elf head that was still hanging on the wall of the staircase.
"This is a very strange house." She commented following Krys up the stairs. Not even stopping on the first or second floor they kept going until they reached the third floor. There was an extremely large expanse of space that a few sitting chairs, a couch, and a table took up. There was a door directly in front of them, but Krys walked passed that and to the next door, which led to the master bedroom. After Krys closed the door Mirabel sighed with relief. The physical changes in Mirabel's appearance were instantly noticeable. Mirabel's hair darkened and shortened about seven inches to turn into what could only be described as a long pixie cut style. When she opened her eyes the same green-grey orbs Krys was used to stared at her forlornly. Mirabel flopped onto the overly large bed while Krys say down a tad more gracefully.
"I just want to know why he never came looking for me. Here take a look at this." She dug into her jeans pocket and handed Krys a folded piece of parchment. She read it silently before handing it back. "He's got to know something right?"
"Only one way to find out." Mirabel nodded in agreement, but did not move. "Lazy." Krys told her jokingly, smacking her knee.
"Asshole." Mirabel retorted falling into their old routine.
"Bastard."
"Muggle."
"Squib."
"Black."
"Lupin."
"Muggle wipe." A knock on the door interrupted their playful banter. Before Krys could answer, the door opened and in walked twins.
"Who's your friend?" they both asked. Mirabel sat up quickly and looked at them wide-eyed. She began to speak rapidly in German to Krys.
"It's okay Mirabel they're the Weasley twins. They work for the Order." Mirabel visibly relaxed.
"Ah a foreigner," one of them said, "I'm Fred and this is my brother George."
"This is Mirabel," Krys informed them, "Is the meeting still in session?"
"Yeah," George answered.
"But I'm sure your dad wouldn't mind if you interrupted it." Krys turned to Mirabel as Fred explained.
"I don't want to interrupt. Don't you think I should meet him one on one?" Mirabel said. Fred and George watched in silent fascination as the two conversed in German.
"No," Krys answered pulling Mirabel to her feet, "We're going to go interrupt," she told the twins, smoothly switching to English, "want to come along?"
"Always." They answered in unison. Krys forced Mirabel down four flights of stairs to the basement. The kitchen was the second door on the right. A large table full of people was the first thing Mirabel noticed followed by the large counter, island, over and stove, refrigerator, and freezer. All noise in the kitchen ceased when they entered. Mirabel felt a little light-headed and was working on getting her stomach to calm down.
"Is something wrong Krys?" a man with long black hair asked standing up from the table.
"No, but I needed Remus to meet a friend of mine." All color drained from Mirabel's face as everyone's attention turned to her. She was sure she would topple over at any moment. A man Mirabel would recognize anywhere stood up next to the man with black hair. She seemed to find her voice and introduced herself in her native tongue.
"My name is Mirabel Lupin. I'm your daughter." Remus blinked as he roughly translated what she said in his head. It had been a while sine he'd last spoken German.
"I don't have a daughter." He answered numbly in English not quite sure of what he was supposed to say. Mirabel took this in, smiled, and then promptly fainted into Fred's arms. Whether it was from the complete humiliation or the lack of sleep for the past week coupled with jet lag she was not quite sure. Krys rounded on Remus who was a bit concerned when the girl claiming to be his daughter collapsed.
"Remus John Thomas Lupin!" she yelled outraged, "how dare you." Sirius glanced at Remus and mouthed the words John Thomas trying to keep the grin off his face. Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius, but focused mainly on Krys's continuing rant. "I cannot believe your tactlessness in that situation. I can't believe you said that."
"Well it's true." He retorted trying to get his bearings straight. He was a might bit confused.
"Obviously it is not. I've known Mirabel for four years and never has she or would she lie about something of this magnitude. She has always talked of you and the only thing you can say to her is that you don't have a daughter. She is half were-wolf for your information," Krys turned to see Mirabel's limp form in Fred's arms just as she had fallen, "Take her up to my room and stay with her until she wakes." She ordered the twins before turning back to unleash the rest of her wrath. Fred scooped up Mirabel into his arms and George led the way out of the kitchen. "Besides," Krys continued, "how would you know if you had a daughter or not? You haven't seen Catrina Maye in over seventeen years, which is how old I am and how old Harry is and how old Mirabel is." Krys stomped out of the room to check on her friend.
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"Is she really Remus's daughter?" George asked when Krys entered the room.
"Look at her and tell me she's not. They have the same hair and eyes. The same nose and mouth. She looks just like him. How can he look at her and say he's not her father?" Krys asked sadly as she took a seat on the edge of the bed next to Mirabel. "Come on Mira, wake up. Prove to him who you are."
"She doesn't have to prove anything," Remus said evenly entering the room. Krys glared at him while George and Fred found this the perfect opportunity to vacate the bedroom. "It came as a shock to suddenly learn I might have fathered a child. I owe Mirabel an apology for my rudeness and I believe you owe me an apology as well."
"I am sorry Remus. It's just that I have been pestering Mirabel ever since I've known her to come and meet you. She would always tell me no and then when she finally comes-" Krys stopped abruptly and the looked curiously at Remus, "Wait a minute you didn't know?" Krys questioned ignoring his last statement.
"No I didn't. Catrina never told me. Let me sit with her. When she wakes maybe we can figure out what Catrina was thinking." Krys nodded not knowing what else to say. She stood and left the room leaving Remus to watch his new found daughter sleep.
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They stood washing dishes one night after dinner.
"Do you know who he is?" Krys asked Mirabel suddenly.
"Yes, mum used to carry his picture around and when she wasn't looking I'd steal glances at him. I met him once, when I was eleven." She handed another dripping wet dish to Krys to dry off.
"Really, where?" Mirabel became very interested in the soapy water.
"At the train station in London. He asked me if I had lost my parents and then he handed me three knuts to call them. I don't think he realized he gave me wizard money. Don't say anything, but I kept them. They're in my memory box." She told Krys. Silence ensued as the two continued to work in harmony.
"Why didn't you tell him who you were?"
"Because my mother made me promise before she died that I wouldn't go looking for him. I figure she must have had a very good reason for keeping me from him. Something besides being a werewolf." Silence again, with the exception of the sloshing of the water.
"I don't have a daughter. I've no idea what you are going on about. Please don't bother me anymore." Mirabel turned to glare at Krys only to find Remus standing there drying a plate.
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"No!" Mirabel screamed. Remus was by her side doing his best to soothe her. "Where's Krys?" she asked him frantically in her native tongue.
"I sent her out so we can figure out a few things." Remus answered smoothly in German. She stared at him a few moments, trying to drink in his features. Mirabel wanted the memory of her father soothing her fears imprinted in her mind forever.
"I really am you daughter. I know mum never told you about me. Her letter says it was for the best. I always figured she had her reasons."
"Where is Catrina?" Remus asked her a faint flicker of hope danced in his eyes, but Mirabel was quick to extinguish it.
"She died ten years ago." She told him softly.
"Have you been alone all this time?"
"Grandmother took care of me for awhile. She died when I was ten. She lived in California so I had to learn English, but it is easier for me to speak German. I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting, but Krys said you wouldn't mind."
"Don't worry about it. We were finished anyway. Are you hungry? I'm sure Molly has something leftover we could heat up for you." Remus said warmly.
"I don't want to be any trouble."
"It's no trouble. You're my daughter." Mirabel smiled brightly before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him close. He in turn wrapped her up in his arms. For a moment they sat there, father and daughter, finally together as they should have been years ago.
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The kitchen was empty of almost all it's occupants from earlier. Only the few living in the house for the summer remained. Krys stood up at once and dragged Mirabel over to the table.
"Would you prefer German or English?" Krys asked in German.
"German." Mirabel answered. She used her native language as a security blanket when she felt too terrified to speak.
"Alright then. Starting on the right is Ron Weasley, then Harry Potter and his girlfriend Hermione Granger. Ginny Weasley is next followed by Tonks. She's an auror. On the other side of the table is my father Sirius Black then Arthur and Molly Weasley."
"I know her." Mirabel said to Krys when she had finished with the introductions, "She helped me when I was at the Ministry of Magic. She told me the term for Hogwarts was almost over."
"Mrs. Weasley," Krys said switching back to English, "do you know Mirabel? She says she met you at the Ministry." A look of realization passed over her face and she stood from the table.
"Yes, I remember now. She was trying to get to Hogwarts, but the term was almost over. I guess you got to Paris just fine." Mirabel nodded her head as Molly pulled her into a tight embrace before holding her out at arms length. "Why were you going to Hogwarts dear?" Molly asked. Mirabel dug into the pocket of her jeans and extracted an old piece of parchment, yellowed by age. She handed over the short letter to Molly, who in turn read it silently. "Oh dear. Well that's strange. I suggest you show it to Dumbledore tomorrow." She handed the letter back, "In the meantime you must be famished. Do you like vegetable soup? I think there's some bread left as well. I suppose Krys has gotten you settled in a room?"
"She's staying in mine." Krys said taking her seat across from Harry and next to her father. Mirabel followed her, sitting across from Hermione.
"What part of Germany are you from?" Hermione asked the German flowing easily off her tongue. Activity at the table ceased.
"You speak German?" Harry asked.
"I speak lots of things."
"What other languages do you speak?" Mirabel asked a bit intrigued.
"French, Italian, and Spanish. I know a little Gaelic as well. My mum taught me." Hermione answered.
"Cool," Mirabel and Krys said together.
"I'm from Frankfurt." Mirabel answered in response to the earlier question. Molly set a bowl full of steaming soup in front of Mirabel along with a few slices of bread and a goblet of pumpkin juice. Everyone stared as she took the first few bites of her meal. "Are they going to watch me eat?" she asked directing her question toward Hermione.
"Stop staring Potter. You already have a girlfriend." Draco Malfoy drawled sauntering into the kitchen.
"That's Draco Malfoy. The boy I wrote to you about." Mirabel nodded in understanding as Draco squeezed in between her and Krys.
"Shut up Malfoy." Harry warned. Mirabel watched them as Harry, Ron, and Draco began to bicker back and forth before turning to a bored looking Hermione.
"Wir hassen manner." Hermione looked up and smiled.
"Yes," she agreed and Krys echoed the sentiment.
"I suggest once Mirabel has finished her meal you get some rest. Dumbledore will be by tomorrow." Molly said as Ginny yawned and Ron followed suit. Mirabel finished her meal quickly and then stood to take her dishes to the sink.
"Just leave them in the sink. The dishes will wash themselves." Krys told her.
"They do what?" Mirabel asked astonished.
"They wash themselves," Krys said once again, "I guess I could have written to you about the spell, but you always were such a muggle." She joked as she teased Mirabel in English.
"Asshole." Mirabel muttered.
"Squib."
"Bastard," Krys smiled wickedly as Mirabel groaned, "dammit I always lose on that one." Mirabel complained.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.
"My parents weren't married, Krys's were so calling her a bastard doesn't work." She explained.
"Well you aren't a squib are you?"
"No, but for awhile everyone thought I was. My name isn't even in the Book." Remus looked at Mirabel in shock.
"What do you mean your name's not in the Book?" Remus asked his daughter.
"It's a very long story and one that I don't think Krys wants to translate just yet." Mirabel replied before growing silent. Krys didn't say anything, her personal tension palpable to all the patrons of the room. Expecting an explanation Draco gently touched her back in encouragement. Krys jumped, pushing herself off the bench and away from the table, rolled into a defensive posture, and stopped, staring wide eyed at the group staring equally wide eyed at her.
"Krys," Draco started, but Sirius put a warning hand on his arm. Krys coughed and gathered her wits about her.
"It's…ah…It be getting' late an' I thin' I'll be a-goin' ta bed." She murmured slipping into an Irish lilt in her nervousness, and practically ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Draco stared inquiringly at Sirius.
"What was that about?"
"It's not my place to tell you and the lot of you knows it. Now off to bed. It is late and Dumbledore will be here tomorrow." Everyone sighed and they all filed slowly out of the kitchen and to their respectful rooms. Remus and Sirius went last to make sure they were all going to bed. Hermione showed Mirabel to the bedroom she was sharing with Krys.
"If you need anything Ginny and I are across the hall and Remus is one floor up, third door down on the left." Mirabel nodded. Krys had taken her to Remus's room when she had first arrived. Hermione bid her goodnight before disappearing into her own room. As quietly as she could Mirabel entered the bedroom. After closing the door behind her she had no light to guide her.
"Krys," she whispered into the darkness, "Switch on a damn light." Mirabel switched easily to English in order to help her friend. She heard movement in front of her before she was blinded by a flood of light. "Thanks, but I think you blinded me in the process."
"And you call me an asshole." Krys grinned before returning to her bed, taking the glowing wand with her. Setting the wand on her nightstand she crawled back into bed.
"So in this crazy house you use glow sticks instead of lamps, your dishes wash themselves, and according to one of your letters pictures talk or in your case scream." Mirabel sat on the edge of the bed and kicked off her tennis shoes, then removed her socks and jeans, "Have any pants I can borrow?" Mirabel asked. Krys pointed to the dresser and Mirabel rose to rummage through the drawers until she found a pair of boxers. She pulled them on and returned to the edge of the bed.
"Actually, portraits talk, other pictures just move around. This glow stick as you call it is a wand, usually the core of a magical person's power, which is what gets dishes to wash themselves. Now c'mon let's go to bed." Mirabel removed her t-shirt and climbed under the covers. Krys muttered "nox" under her breath and the light went out.
"Well if you've got a glow stick I want one too." Mirabel stated firmly. Krys laughed and rolled onto her side.
"Good night Mirabel." She said finally.
"'Night Krys."