It is a particularly warm summer, sixteen years after Voldemort's defeat, in the midst of a Northern California Grand Wizard court trail. Everyone listens to the charges stone faced as they intently take careful notes of everything both lawyers have to say.
"Your honors this is ridiculous!" a pompously dressed man with greased back skunk colored hair chuckles. "Mrs. Weasley can't prove my client had ANYTHING to do with the recent Nomaj attacks." He motions to an overly confident man with a dagger tattoo over his left eye.
The other lawyer, a kind appearanced yet fierce presenced woman, stands firm on her side of the courtroom. "Your honors. Joe Ripsen, A.K.A Ripper, has always made his hatred of Muggles or Nomaj clear. He has even stated he wished all Nomaj were exterminated in front of several witnesses." She points to the cuffed coco skinned man.
The mob dressed man sneers at the light brown haired woman. She shows her disgust over him burning in her brown eyes.
"Your honors! Mrs. Weasley is a Nomaj born herself. Don't you think this could just be conjecture on her part?" the man smirks evilly at Hermione.
"That's preposterous." Hermione huffs as sparks begin to fly between them.
"Then show us proof! Show us something or someone, OTHER than a Nomaj, to prove your case!" the man motions to the judges.
As they all turn to Hermione, she looks through her files trying to find some sort of way to push for a guilty verdict. In that moment an Auror wearing round glasses materializes in the center of the courtroom. Cuffed alongside him is a shaggy werewolf man wriggling in his chains. On seeing the raggedy man, Ripper becomes ghostly pale.
"Your honors, I brought with me Peter Fang." The messy haired man motions to the wriggling man.
"Where did you find this man?" One council member looks at the rabid looking wolf.
"I found him in front of a muggle house hold." He eyes the werewolf. "Tell them why you were there." He yanks on the chain slightly.
"Ripper. Ripper hired me to take them out like five others." The man growls roughly.
"You useless flee bag!" Ripper hollers in his thick Caribbean accent.
The whole court was in an uproar at that, the judge banging her hammer for everyone to fall silent. In a matter of minutes he and his beast lackey are found guilty and sentenced to life in Azkaban.
Later on at a window booth in a little café, Hermione sits with her dear friend. The two chat as rain drizzles on to the city streets.
"You were brilliant Harry. Coming in at just the right moment as usual." Hermione sips some coffee.
"Thanks Hermione." The stunning young man fidgets with his steaming cup, clearly in deep thought.
"What's wrong?" Hermione stares at him with concern. "Don't even try saying it's nothing. I know you too well Harry." She stops him from speaking with a stern expression.
"It's just… he's the FIFTH radical this year alone. And ALL of them have been targeting families with kids. Not to mention… what happens after they're taken in. You don't find that odd?" Harry's forest green eyes swirl with concern.
"I do." Hermione nods in agreement. "That's not all they have in common either." She goes into her briefcase. "Those that 'change,' they all have this tattoo." She flips her sketchpad to a drawing of a black mirror with glowing dark burgundy eyes in the center.
"What about the black glass? Does anyone know why they change?" Harry whispers as he looks over the sketch.
"Best guess?" Hermione makes sure no one is close by. "It's like Voldemort's mark. Only this one releases a curse to anyone that's caught or at least those at risk of talking." She whispers pointing to the odd tattoo.
After realizing this needs to be the Magic Councils top priority, they talk to catch up a bit before parting ways.
Strolling down the rainy streets with Hagrid's old umbrella, Harry sees a pet shop. He walks over not noticing an eight year old girl staring at the hopping puppies not caring how soaked she is getting.
The drenched braided pigtailed girl peels herself away from the window bumping into Harry's leg. Harry catches her arm, stopping the child from falling on to the wet pavement.
"Are you okay, little girl?" Harry bends down to her eye level, noticing a small black star under her right eye.
This mark is rare for the Magic world, let alone a muggle. Harry wondered if he'd see her again at some point in his world. Thinking of the possible young talent in front of him he couldn't help but smile softly.
The gray eyed child nods shyly. Spotting his lightning bolt scar, she curiously reaches out to touch it without thinking.
"S-sorry." The flustered girl pulls her hand away quickly then runs off.
"She was interesting." Harry laughs standing as he touches his scar while the child vanishes into the veil of rain drops.
Running in the warm summer down pour, she stops to lean against a truck. While catching her breath she feels someone grab her shoulder, startling her as she turns to see a firey haired girl.
"Marinette Moon! Where did you run off to?! Do you know how worried we were?!" the freckle faced teenager lectures holding an umbrella over them.
"Alright Samantha, leave your little sister alone." A tall gently tanned man loads plie wood onto the trucks bed. "Besides, we both know she went to the pet shop again. The pup you want still there?" He smiles at the drenched and repentive child with his warm green eyes.
"Sorry daddy, Sammy." Marinette stares into a puddle in front of her.
"Try to say something before leaving, okay Mari?" Mr. Moon gently rustles her moppy hair.
Marinette nods in agreement then they hop in the truck.
Traveling for what seems to be hours, they reach a large farm named 'Moon Ranch and Orchard.' Surrounding the lengthy meadows are thick and lush apple trees circling the ranch, a small house just in view.
At the little white house's porch, stands a slim red haired woman waiting patiently with the roof just keeping her dry. Seeing the approaching drowned rats walking up the drive way she laughs sending them to a warm bath.
Mrs. Moon's sparkling gray eyes twinkle as she hums while cooking. The girls dry each other's hair as they listen to their mother's sweet and happy tune. Little do they all know these happy moments have just about run out.
The summer morning is clear as the girls run around the orchard playing tag. The two of them fall on to the soft grassy ground laughing staring up at the clear blue sky.
The two are confused as what seems to be dark clouds begin to pass over head. Noticing it is smoke, rising from the direction of their home, they rush back almost trip quite a few times. As they reach an opening only to freeze with fear at the sight of the rising flames.
The sisters can hear the horses crying from the barn just above the crackling of fire. Standing in the middle of this heart breaking destruction is a dark cloaked man.
"Help! Did mommy and daddy make it out!?" The girls holler to the hooded man.
Turning to them the girls feel an icy chill amongst all this heat. As he slowly steps towards them the flames seem to part for the faceless figure. Frozen in fear, the girls cling to the others hand unable to even utter a breath.
As the sisters close their eyes, to brace for whatever comes next, their father bursts through the flames tackling the man to the ground. "Run girls! Run!" he shouts to them trying to hold the man down.
"Daddy!" the sisters shout to him as the rising flames cause him to vanish from sight.
"Now!" Mr. Moon hollers with all his might, still out of sight.
Turning on her heels, Samantha starts pulling her little sister through the woods. Rushing through the thick smoke covered forest, with growing flames all around, they fall into a thin river that separates their property with another.
Barely making it onto the other bank, they exhaustfully glance over to their burning home to see the hooded man rising through the flames, like living smoke. Unable to keep their eyes open, let alone run away, they begin to pass out.
Before blacking out, Marinette sees other cloaked people materialize in front of them saying something that causes the man to fall to the ground. As the last flickers of her contuse mind begins to fade, one of the people kneels down to her revealing it's the same man she saw at the pet shop weeks ago.
"I'm sorry little one. But you won't remember this." Harry looks down at the child, pulling out his wand. "Well the magic bit anyway." He becomes blurrier in her fading sight.
'M-magic?' Marinette blacks out.
7