DISCLAIMER: I own nothing in this story except my original characters and the plot. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling.
The great hall was booming with noise. The first years had already been sorted and the feast had appeared on the table as always. Hermione's nose was already buried in a book at Harry's left. Ron was shoving mashed potatoes and biscuits in his mouth at death defying speed on his right and above him the enchanted ceiling was glooming with dark clouds and heavy rain fell but disappeared just before the floating lanterns.
A smiled curled on Harry's lips. It felt so good to be back. The summer with the Dursley's had been even harsher than normal having spent the whole season locked in his room where they would only let him out 3 times a day to use the bathroom and shower. He was told it was for the best. Voldemort would know to watch the Burrow for him, and he didn't want to put his real family, the Weasley's at risk, even though they insisted that they could handle whatever came with being Harry's second home. He remember the warmth that spread over him from the letter he received from Molly were she had addressed him as "Son". He even wondered then if there were charms he could use to change his hair from Black and unruly to bright red. He chuckled at this thought again. He could never be lanky enough or rounded enough though, besides he liked looking like his biological father.
Harry grabbed for the last biscuit before Ron could and quickly added it to his plate despite the whine that came from the right. The morning didn't last long. Ron found himself a slice of warm apple pie shortly after and all was forgiven.
After spending so much time eating scraps at the Dursley's, Harry could have sworn that this biscuit tasted like Heaven. He remembered how his stomach had turned with disgusted when he opened the letter from Dumbledore that explained that he would have to stay there for the summer for his own safety. Apparently, Voldemort would not take the risk of attacking the muggle house, and so from there began, what seemed like, the never-ending summer from hell. It amazed him that he would rather attend school with the idea that he would most likely have to face off with Voldemort at any time, then stay with the Dursley's.
"Oi, Mate." He heard from his right before he felt a jabbing in his arm. He looked up from his plate.
"Oh, sorry. Did you say something?" He had been lost in thought.
"I asked if you managed to find everything you needed from Diagon Alley." Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I did. How about you both?" Harry asked a smile spreading wide across his face. It was nice to talk about nothing. Or was it just talking at all. With all his time in solitude at the Dursley's he didn't get many words out and it was nice to talk now, or hear others talk. Company. It was the company that was fascinating. The conversation carried from there, mostly on Hermione's end where she discussed some of the books she bought. It was amazing how after seven years of knowing that this was not a subject of interested to either Harry or Ron she still would stammer on. Harry pretended to listen while he looked over her soft welcoming features. Ron did not. He continued to shovel food into his mouth. Merlin it really was good to be back.
The dinner carried on. There were shouts and giggles across table as other students would tell stories of their time spent over the summer and the Professors could even be caught laughing and whispering in each other's ears every so often.
The familiar tinging sound of McGonagall tapping her drinking glass with a utensil fell over the great hall and as if on queue the Hall fell quiet as Dumbledore stood at his podium and raised his hands.
"Good evening." He said in a raised voice as he eyed the students before him over his half mooned spectacles. "I welcome back my previous years students by reminding them that through a little hard work comes the opening of endless doors." Dumbledore's eyes stopped on Harry and if it were possible his smile widened further. After Harry returned his happy gaze, Dumbledore's eyes ran the length of the table and stopped on a group of first years that were joined by Dean and Seamus, who morally seemed to have taken the place of the twins when they had graduated from school. "I would also like to welcome the first time students by telling them that using your gut instinct when it comes to other students will usually save you from many hours of detention and that despite what others may say, the Forbidden Forest is strictly off limits." Harry could have sworn that if it were possible, Dean and Seamus would have melted into the very bench that they sat on. "A few more announcements from professor McGonagall," Dumbledore carried on, "and you will be permitted to…" His words were cut off by the sound of the doors to the great all, which always remained closed during dinner, slammed open and in the door way stood two figures.
Harry's eyes ran over the one that stood further back. It was a pretty girl with light skin. Her face was rounded and soft, covered in light freckles that ran the length of her nose and cheeks. Others, lighter still player on her forehead and chin. A smile played at her small full lips and her small nose that sat in the middle of her face was crinkled up from the squinting of her light aqua colored eyes that still shown brightly between her thick dark eyes lashes. Her damp light brown hair fell just short of her shoulders. He lowered his gaze. She was soaking wet, wearing black leggings that disappeared into a silver skirt that stared just at her thigh and ran tightly over her curved backside. His gaze falling even further still, he came across a pair of high top converse that were black and silver, surrounded by a small pool of water that was becoming wider by the second.
He followed the pool of water as collided with another where a pair of plain-black Vans were. Dark blue damp jeans were met at the ankle and traveled to a black v-neck shirt under a black hooded sweatshirt that hung loosely off the sides of the full curves of another female. The hood of sweatshirt cast shadows over her face as it sit on the head of its occupant. As if the figure could feel his eyes on her, her head snapped in his direction. A searing pain ran over his scar and he reached up to rub it with his fingers. It felt as if this woman was shooting him daggers with her eyes behind the shadows. As his fingers brushed his forehead, the figure raised a hand to her neck and rubbed it roughly and quickly looked back at Dumbledore. She moved then, with the freckle faced girl in tow.
The hooded girl moved quickly and furiously down the center of the room. The other moved as quickly but there was no angry demeanor about her. He could hear her soft voice as she spoke a few "hi"s and "how do you do"s in a very America accent and gave a small graceful wave of her hand, the smile still playing on her lips. When they reached the front of the podium the squint returned to her face. "I told you she would not be happy." She said in her sweet voice in almost a laugh. The hooded girl snapped her head again to look at the girl who just smiled even bigger, giggling now and she responded with a very innocent "What?"
At that moment in time everything changed for Harry. The hooded figure slipped the hood from her head and turned to face to freckled face girl. Her face came into view as she glared down the other girl. She was tan and her wet hair was dark brown with strips of light brown and blond running through it. It disappeared into her sweatshirt. Her face was also rounded and her lips were full but the lay longer on her face then the other girls and her nose was a bit bigger. Her eyes sat on either side of the bridge of her nose. That is what changed everything. They were brown, but not just brown, they were such a rich brown that they could almost be red. She looked like a tan Tom Riddle. The Tom riddle he fought in the Chamber of Secrets in second year.
The breath caught in his throat. He wasn't the only person that noticed because Ginny, who was sitting in front of him, also gasp slightly.
"You've done enough little one." The girl spoke soft, low, and taunting manner despite the three inch height difference the other girl had on her. The freckle faced girl raised her eye brows and gave a daring look in response. As if knowing it was a lost cause the tan girl turned away to face the headmaster again. "Might I have a word?" She asked in a light sweet voice that dripped with sarcasm. Dumbledore, whose smile never wavered during this epic scene, simply nodded and held an arm in the direction of McGonagall who was also smiling. She quickly walked over to the two girls and placed a hand on a shoulder of each of the girls and walked them up the steps, behind the head table, and through the door of the room that Harry had been in once before when his name got called from the Goblet of Fire during his fourth year. McGonagall appeared a short time later.
"I wish all of you the best of luck during your year here at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said before he was replaced at the podium by McGonagall and he too disappeared into the room.
McGonagall made a few more announcements that were never heard by Harry whose eyes were fixed on the door behind the head table. "All of you are now to report to your common rooms." The noise returned to room as students grabbed what they could carry from the table and continued to exit from the room. With a small nudge from Hermione, Harry fell back into reality and scrabbled to get up from the bench. He noticed that Ginny did the same. He also noticed the color from her face was drained and fear tore into her eyes. He walked the same pace as her on the other side of the table intending to meet her at the end. Maybe he could hug her or show some sort of affection to bring the color back to her face. Maybe he needed comforting too. Just then he ran into a wall. No not as wall Hagrid.
Hagrid stood before him staring down at him. "Oi Harry." He said in a very excited tone.
"Hi." Harry responded with little enthusiasm.
"Dumbledore be wantin' to see ya." Hargid said before placing heavy hairy hand on his shoulder and turning him around with a push. Again Harry's eyes were stuck on the door as he approached it. As the door came closer so did fear that caught in his chest. The discomfort was not helped by the fact that the hand on his shoulder was rushing him to what he felt was his doom. The room grew deadly quiet as the students disappeared. The hand slipped from his shoulder and Harry tuned slightly to catch a glimpse at Hagrid who had stopped at the head table. He waved Harry on. He turned back, dread filling his heart as he touched the door knob and twisted it. With the smallest of pushes the door opened. He entered the waiting room and the closed itself behind.
His ears were ambushed by a loud shouting. "You had no right Dumbledore!" Harry approached the door way beyond the waiting room slowing and cautiously. Should he have his wand out? Instinctively he reached into his robe pocket and with drew it.
"I told you." The soft sweet voice of the freckled faced girl was heard.
"Oh quit." The other shouted again. "You helped! If you hadn't helped we would be at the beach right now surfing."
"You'd be surfing I'd be getting cancer." The freckled faced girl retorted her voice still kind.
The room came into view as he approached. The freckled faced girl was sitting on the arm of one of the couches on the right wall the smile still on her face. The other pacing back and forth in front of her and Dumbledore sat on a over cushioned chair on the furthest wall.
The pacing girl came to a halt and stared the headmaster down. "Look, you… you meddling old man, I said I wanted nothing to do with this!" She bellowed.
"Your running low on good insults Sissy. I'm getting a little bored and I think we should go to bed and get back to this tomorrow when the conversation will be more interesting." The freckled faced girl said. A low moan escaped the other girl.
"Did you really have to bring him in here now." She pointed behind her at Harry. How had she known, her back had been to him this whole time and it seemed the Dumbledore hadn't even notice him approached. The freckled faced girl slipped off of the arm of the couch and bounded toward him.
"Never mind, it just got very interesting." She giggled as she gracefully bounced to a halt in front of him. "Hi, Harry Potter." She said taking his arm and pulling him further into the room. The tan girl had turn to face the direction he stood but didn't make eye contact with him. A look of irritation lay firmly on her face. "I'm Raven." The freckled faced girl announced. "and this oh so lovely and charming person is my sister, Kaia." She strode him across the room and shoved him down onto the coach she was just sitting on.
"Um…," Harry stuttered. He looked over at Dumbledore who was still, very irritatingly so, smiling. Dumbledore sent an encouraging nod in Harry's direction. As if to catch wind of what he was saying he looked back at Kaia. "Hi." He said. She sneered in response and turned back to Dumbledore.
He stood then looking back and forth between Harry and Kaia. "Harry, Kaia here has come to help with the defeat of Voldemort." He finally announced.
"Actually, I… We," She said pointing at her self and Raven. "are leaving." Raven leaned over from her seat near Harry and whispered in his ear.
"She's a little stubborn and thick skulled. She hasn't really figured out that we are not leaving. Well, at least I can't which means that she won't go either." She said that last part louder then necessary and Kaia placed a hand on her face and rubbed her eyes instinctively.
"Dumbledore," She said calmly. "You can't, she is only sixteen years old and this has nothing to do with her. Not one bit. How can you in good conscious put her in this position?"
"Almost had the best grades in school and she still helps me ties my shoes this one." Raven again whispered. "To our benefit I assure you though." She giggled.
"Miss Riddle," Dumbledore spoke. Kaia cringed at the name.
"Riddel! Ri..ddELLLL." She shouted. "Do not call me that sick name!"
"Miss Riddel," He corrected himself. "You are a very bright girl, you know that this task cannot be completed without you. Your charming sister here understood this dilemma and agreed to help."
"Yes I did." Raven jumped up. "and if I had to do it again I would sissy. I can't turn my cheek to this." Her tone turned serious but her voice remained soft as she approached her sister and placed a hand on her arms that were crossed over her chest. "Sissy, if I was not in the picture, if I was not in your life," She caught her gaze. "You wouldn't have walked away when Dumbledore came for you the first time. You would have come." The intensity of red eyes meeting aqua made Harry squirm. "Before you even say it, I know the consequences. I do listen when you talk and I'm prepared. You've done your job."
Kaia broke the stare and looked down at her sister's hand. With a very dramatic sigh she uncrossed her arms and caught Raven's hand and turned to Dumbledore. "I don't care what the stupid hat says." her voice oddly calm and soothing, "I will share a dorm with my sister and we will attend the same classes. Do you understand this?" Dumbledore nodded and hand in hand the girls exited the room.
Harry turned to Dumbledore with a vacant look on his face.
"A bit of a spit fire that one is." He chuckled. "Harry, I'm sure you have questions you must be wanting to ask."
"um… yes sir." Harry responded.
"Go head." Dumbledore encouraged again.
"I didn't know Voldemort had a daughter or well two I guess…" That was all he could manage. It wasn't even really a question or a guess. He knew without a doubt.
"Raven isn't Voldemort daughter. By blood actually they aren't sisters, but they have a closer bond of such then most siblings. That story is for another time. Kaia is indeed Voldemort's flesh and blood but he believes she perished years ago. It is in our best interest not to reveal to others who she really is."
"How do we know we can trust her?" Harry blurted.
"You have a very similar past, Harry, right down to the attempted murder of your lives." Harry's eyes widened. "Both of these girls are risking a great deal to be here. It's not that they are risking their own lives but each others that makes a show of loyalty."
Harry felt the need to respond but when he opened his mouth, no words formed on his lips
"I understand your fear Harry." Dumbledore continued. "And once again I must ask you to put trust in me of which I don't deserve. Get to know her and more difficult still try to understand her. When you do, there is no doubt that you will be able to defeat Voldemort together."
Again Harry's mouth was open and no words came. He closed it once more and only nodded slightly before he turned on the spot and removed himself from the room. His walk to the Gryffindor tower was a blur. He wasn't even sure he had muttered the password to the fat lady before he slumped through the portrait hole and into the common room.
"Harry," He looked up to find Hermione and Ron sitting the couch in front of the fire, oddly close together. "What happened?" Hermione asked as she rose from the couch and walked over to Harry.
"We're to be friends with her." He finally managed to speak but the words seemed to have come from elsewhere.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"It's in our best interest." Harry replied with out even looking. "I'm tired and I'm going to lay down." He made his way up the stars to his dorm, leaving his two friends standing stunned behind. He slipped off his shoes before slipping into bed without changing to pajamas. Shortly there after his thoughts of Kaia turned into dreams