Legacy

Creature feature! This story will follow the lead character through her journey and the acceptance that she isn't a normal human. This will be her journey as seen through her eyes. I just wish I can do it justice.

Neither Witch nor Wench

Ms. L. Brown

Blanket in the Corner

Cavern of Wenches

Isle of Man

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Brown,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall,

Deputy Headmistress

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS

ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

The girl sighed as she reread the letter. Her parents had tried everything to try and prevent her from receiving the letter. First it was the werewolf that bit her in her crib. That worked for about 5 years. Then it was the vampire when she turned 8. The two curses neutralized each other and her father was killed by the angry vampire.

For the last few years after that, she hasn't been on her feet once. Her mother tied her down with shackles and forced her body to become Sirenian. It was painful to have her body rearrange itself to grow a tail. That was until two days ago when her gills and tail vanished along with the shackles.

She was thrown out that night and she found this cavern. Having no money the owner didn't want to give her access from the storm. She hated doing it, but she used her charm to influence the man. Not wanting to intrude more, she settled for a blanket in the corner.

Why were her parents so against magic? During the middle ages their family only produced squibs. Over the following generations the magic started too build again and it manifested in Lavender. Being from a long generation of squibs they came to hate magic. Although it didn't stop them, when the books opened again, to try and destroy her magic. In a way Lavender was lucky they were squibs, the ritual they used wasn't powerful enough to destroy her magical core.

Lavender walked out of the cavern when she suddenly felt like a hook was pulling her. She fell on the floor of a dusty pub. She took a look around, nothing was familiar not even the smell. Sitting up she noticed a pair of hairy legs sticking out of a kilt, this made her quickly compose herself.

"It's a good thing I convinced Albus to change your letter in a portkey. Come-on then." The man held his hand out to her. He didn't speak in a Scottish accent like she though he would. "Those squibs really did a number on you. You're thin as a board and smell of fish, stupid squibs always trying alchemy without understanding it." The last part was barely a whisper.

"Sorry sir, but who are you?" Lavender asked, she was weary, but felt saver then she had ever been.

"That isn't important. If you must call me something, call me Aberforth. Now let's get a move on shall we, oh and you will need this, it arrived just yesterday when the letters were sent out." Aberforth handed Lavender a key.

The key was odd to say the least. As soon as lavender touched it, it pulsed with magic. Four symbols appeared on the ringside of the key, three on the one side and the forth on the other side. The single symbol was a stylized T, with a large number on it. The other side held the symbols for wizarding currency if she remembered the three coins she once held correctly.

"Mister Aberforth sir, is this amount correct? I mean I thought my family exhausted all the money."

"You'll have to ask the goblins about that, being a full blood mermaid with magic and all."

Lavender wasn't given an answer as the next minute they were in Diagon Ally. Aberforth took her to Gringott's where she had to sign endless papers making her the new head of two pure blood families, Slytherin on her mother's side and Le Fay on her father's side.

She was given two jewels to mark her as such. Aberforth transfigured two studs and mounted the blue and green stones to it after shrinking them, no need to gather more attention then really needed, besides being Sirenian it was the only logical conclusion.

Lavender wasn't taken to her vaults instead she was given a card that, when shown, automatically transfers the needed funds to the store, or person's vault, almost like a muggle credit card, but only after answering the question the goblin asked correctly.

"What does it truly mean to be a pure-blood?" the goblin asked. Now it must be noted that Lavender learned this the hard way.

"It is hard to answer the question as it has been diluted through generations. It means that one has no muggle-blood in you. That however is a lie parents told their children until it believed by all. The true meaning is that it is blood purged of all impurities and inbreeding, leaving it clean to perform magic without it being blocked and or diluted. A squib has no magic because that magic is being blocked by impurities." Lavender answered.

"An answer worthy of Slytherin and Le Fay." The goblin answered hand handed over the card with the two family crests on. It even showed the total available in her faults.

Aberforth took Lavender to Madam Malkin's to buy not only her school robes but robes for day to day wear. They would get some of the other clothes to blend with muggles later. It took some time, but in the end Lavender was pleased.

Just as they exited the shop a young boy walked in, his mannerisms reminded Lavender of a ferret. He attempted small talk but lavender just ignored him. They walked into Flourish and Blotts. Lavender bought all her necessary books along with books on Slytherin and Le Fay before they were branded dark, and mermaids. She really needed to know why she was sporting two shapely legs.

They were done with all the shopping when Aberforth took Lavender to buy her wand. They walked pass Ollivander's, where Lavender could see several kids trying out wands. She wanted to confront him, but saw him counting down shops. They reached a lone shop that seemed abandoned. Aberforth knocked and waited for the reply.

"The raven flies high when the dragon is nigh." The voice was that of a woman.

"Yet where the waters meet, the dances are bleak." Aberforth said through the door and it opened.

"Long time no see Abe. What has you abandoning your pub?" the woman asked she was beautiful, even if she was aged.

"Sirenian needs a wand that can't be plotted."

"Some messed up squibs decided to try alchemy again." The woman sighed. "Very well, besides the unplotting, do you want the trace on it?"

"Unfortunately yes, if Albus can't feel the trace, the ministry can't get their jollies on. At least with the unplotting, they won't know she's Sirenian."

"What's your name love?" the woman asked. "Mine is Aurora."

"Lavender Brown," Lavender said, she felt oddly at peace with this woman.

Lavender was led into the shop where a large salt-water tank stood. She could taste it in the air. Lavender turned just to notice Aberforth wasn't inside the shop and the door was closed.

"Abe isn't a pervert," Aurora said as she dropped her robe to the ground standing naked in front of Lavender. "Well go on then, you don't want to ruin your robes when you change do you?"

"Um," Aurora rolled her eyes and fell into the tank. Her body instantly changed. She now had a flesh colored tail and gills.

"Yes, I am a magical Sirenian, a salt-water mermaid, too. Now strip and get in, I need supplies to make a wand, and I can't get exhaled mermaid's breath from a girl with lungs."

Lavender smiled as she disrobed and got in the water. She took a deep watery breath and exhaled. Aurora caught the breath with her wand and forced it into a string. Aurora then asked for one of Lavender's hairs. She bonded the breath into the hair making it thicker.

"Swim over to the coral garden and feel the magic, once you find the one that feels right call me and I wild harvest it."

After twenty minutes Lavender found the perfect coral. Aurora used her magic to form it into a wand, before adding the hair/breath hybrid into the centre. They exited the tank and Aurora, still a mermaid, began scribing runes into the wand. Each rune, as it finished, vanished into the wand until the last one was added, the trace that would last until Lavender turned 17.

"Did you use parts of me to make the wand unplottable?" Lavender asked noticing that she's not changing back even after being dry.

"Right in one kiddo," Aurora said as she activated the wand and handed it to Lavender. "Let me guess your first transformation? Just think legs and you'll change back."

Lavender did just that while Aurora just threw on her discarded robes and slid into a wheelchair. Her reasoning, she really disliked legs, and Aberforth knew she was Sirenian. The two spent the better part of the day with Aurora answering all of her questions. Aberforth dropped her of at The Leaky Cauldron where he procured her a room and a ride to King's Cross. And as he left he had but one thought. Albus isn't getting this one.

Lavender read through all her books (really what else was there to do?) and on the morning of September 1st Tom the Bartender woke her up himself. After getting dressed and having a nice breakfast, Lavender held onto a bracelet.

"Your luggage is already on the station. Once the port-key takes you move your legs or else you will fall over on the side. To get onto the platform walk down the track until you get the last pillar and simply walk through it. Oh and the bracelet is a gift from Aberforth."

Lavender felt the tuck as she was hauled away. As instructed she began walking in the air. When she landed she stumbled a bit but didn't fall over. She noticed the door and walked out. This was a public rest room, or so it appeared. Lavender exited and noticed the Out of Order sign and couldn't stifle a giggle. Can the wizarding world really be that gullible?

Lavender walked across the street and into Kings Cross. There weren't many people so she could basically just stroll through the barrier. She found her trunk already on the train in the very back. Getting comfortable, Lavender pulled on her outer robe and began reading Discovered by Muggles and How They Justified it. The book was on stories the muggles called Fairy Tales.

The Brothers Grimm was a set of Aurors who specialized in mind magic. They went from town to town modifying memories. Getting sick of all the cover up they released a book available to muggles. They passed it as fiction and obliviated the muggles involved, if they start to remember what happened the books gave plausible deniability.

It turned out that Ariel was the first Sirenian to walk on land. She was washed ashore so far that she couldn't slither back. Desperately she wished for appendages that could get her into the water faster. Unfortunately she was arrested for indecent exposure and only twelve years later could she go back into the ocean. A scholar saw her and exchanged his silence of her, if she helped him with his works. After Ariel's death, Andersen released the stories, having received her blessing.

The door slid open and a young girl with bushy hair asked if she could join. Lavender shrugged and motioned to the book. Hermione smiled and pulled out her own book. They read in comfortable silence. The silence was broken when a pair of Bengali twins asked if they could join them.

Lavender inwardly sighed there goes her reading. She nodded and put the book away, Hermione eyed her suspiciously. When the twin, Parvati, began talking, Hermione realized that Lavender could read people like books. Hermione also put her book away and the girls idly chatted.

Minutes before the train was set to depart, Lavender saw a green eyed boy peering inside before he went walked by. She saw the scar and read the stories. If this boy was really Harry Potter he didn't look like it, time to separate the fact from fiction. Harry Potter stories would find their way to the fiction pile tonight.

"Lavender what do you think?" Lavender had to blink a few times.

"Sorry Padma, that boy's eyes mesmerized me." Lavender smiled coyly.

"Honestly," Padma rolled her eyes. "Okay, when did you see this boy, before or after we started talking about Harry Potter?"

"Before," Lavender blushed.

"Good then you didn't miss much, because we just started talking about him. Do you believe all the stories they're telling about him?"

"No," there were a few gasps. "I mean seriously, Harry is supposed to be our age, living in an unplottable location. He only survived the killing curse. I believe that was just luck. And growing up with wild dragons, I think not."

"But what about all the other adventures he had?" Parvati asked.

"Maybe he just grew up with muggles." Lavender said she could see the light bulb flash behind Hermione's eyes. "It wouldn't surprise me either if he's been neglected or left in an orphanage."

"Now that's just teasing." Parvati smiled.

About an hour later the sweet trolley came around. Lavender had experienced many of the sweets before, but was rather partial to blood-pops. Maybe that was because of the vampire that bit her. She was also very fond of raw meat, thanks to the years spent as a werewolf. The two venoms might've neutralized each other to get her ready for the ritual, but she still had quirks.

"Sorry ma'am do you have any O- blood pops? I find them sweeter then the A's or B's." Lavender asked.

"That is all I have dear," the witch smiled and pulled out a box from the lower tray, "I haven't sold them on this train yet. I did sell a few boxes last week to a lovely chap that went to Bulgaria. He didn't like O-, said it was too sweet for him."

Lavender paid the witch the galleon for the box and smiled at her friends.

"What, it's not real blood." Lavender said when popping one on her mouth. "It's quite good in a gothic way."

"Are you a vampire?" Padma asked, "I noticed you are very pale."

"Not a vampire. I just really don't like the sun. When I eat raw meat you would probably think I'm a werewolf too?" Lavender played it like a joke. Padma eyed her wearily then just laughed.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. The girls helped a disgruntled boy find his toad. They talked about school and eventually boys. Lavender thought about it and could honestly say that boys didn't do it for her, although she might try them eventually.

A giant of a man called the first year forward. They followed him down a winding path and onto the black lake. There they took the boats, Lavender made sure that she took the last boat and that no one was sitting with her. She wasn't sure she could keep her tail in check and didn't want to risk hitting someone with it. Luckily she was able to keep her secret at least for a little longer.

They walked on stairs leading up to the castle on top of the cliff. There the giant knocked three times and a stern witch opened the door. She led them to an antechamber and told them to smarten up.

Lavender did a mental check: Robe thoroughly covered. Shirt loosely fitted. Bra securely fastened. Skirt snugly fitted. Knickers strategically forgotten. Socks and shoes merely an illusion. Sirenians can't wear shoes, it causes immense pain. Ariel, the first one on land discovered this.

The Sorting Hat was an odd thing, yet even with it's off key singing Lavender found herself applauding. Abbott, Hannah, was the first to be called and the hat declared her Hufflepuff. The next girl, Bones, Susan, was also sorted into Hufflepuff. Boot, Terry however went to Ravenclaw.

"Brown, Lavender." Hearing her name like that sounded funny but she walked up to the chair and smiled.

"Interesting," the hat whispered in her head. "Descended from two greats, but your parents were squibs that tarnished you. Slytherin, were you would fit best, would abuse you, this just leaves: Gryffindor!"

Lavender sat down under the red and gold banners and listened to the rest of the sorting. Hermione became a Gryffindor, but the twins split up, Padma went to Ravenclaw and Parvati came to Gryffindor.

"Potter, Harry"

The boy from the train slipped onto the chair. Lavender was right, he looked malnourished. Off course she could tell because a few weeks ago that was her. She waited until he was sorted and clapped with the rest of the Gryffindors. She even slid aside to allow the Red-haired twins to get on the table to dance.

After Harry was sorted the affair calmed down, with the last student was sorted into Slytherin. The headmaster said some nonsense words, and the food appeared. It was clear that the house elves didn't know about her preferences in meat, but she ate her meal gladly. After dessert the headmaster stood up and made the start-of-term announcements.

"First years should note, and a few of our older students should remember, that the forest on the grounds is forbidden, unless accompanied by a teacher or member of staff. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind everyone that magic is forbidden in the halls along with many items, a list can be found outside his office on the first floor. And lastly the third floor on the right-hand side is off limits to any who doesn't want to die a most horrid death. Now let us sing the school song, everyone pick your favorite tune."

The song was odd, sure but Lavender chose to sing it in a polka. It held a somewhat amusing quality and when she tried to change mid-song, she was unable to. They were led up the stairs, through many winding halls and behind numerous tapestries, until they reached a portrait of a portly, warm, motherly woman. She introduced herself as The Fat Lady.

"Sorry ma'am, but what is your real name? 'The Fat Lady' really doesn't do you justice." Lavender asked.

"In all my years guarding this entrance, only one other asked me this question. I will indulge you, when I was alive my name was Merida Angelique Rosemary Genevieve Eliza Black."

"Thank you Lady Black, enjoy your evening, Caput Draconis."

"And you," the portrait swung open.

"Where have you been?" Parvati asked standing at the foot of the stairs.

"I just asked Lady Merida Black, what her real name was."

"Huh?"

"The Portrait," Lavender giggled. "Her name is Merida Angelique Rosemary Genevieve Eliza Black."

"Oh, well come on then." Parvati led Lavender up the right side stair case. "If you're planning on bringing a boy up here, don't. The girl's side is enchanted that no boy can get more than halfway up."

Lavender noticed that Hermione was already in bed, she really wanted to chat with her a bit. Perhaps they could be friends, Lavender sighed, there was always tomorrow.

Just an idea I had floating around. I don't know if I will continue, but I had to get it out before I continued with my story.