Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own original characters. Everything else belongs to Mrs. Rowlings, whom I humbly thank for creating and sharing her wonderful stories.
Author's Note: This is my first Harry Potter fanfic, so please be gentle. All reviews are welcome and constructive criticism is most helpful. This story is AU, but is loosely based on the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
Chapter 1:
Lake and Bailey huddled together in the darkest corner of the cellar as they listened to the battle that waged above them. They heard the curses as someone was hit and wounded and the shrill of a woman's vengeful scream. They heard glass shattering and wood splintering overhead. Lake looked up just in time to see a blue bolt light up the cracks in the floorboards over their heads. Grabbing her sister's hand, she half dragged her to safety before the beam over their heads splintered and bowed. Another blast of blue and the beam gave way, sending shattered glass and other debris crashing into the cellar. Along with the debris was a crumpled and bloodied body. The girls recognized their mother and Bailey screamed. Lake immediately clamped a hand over her sister's mouth and pulled her further into the shadows as a hulking shadow loomed over the precipice made by the collapsing floor. There was a shout of rage and anguish and the shadow turned. The cracks above them were lit by red and blue bolts of lightning and they could see a shower of hot sparks falling on the wood floor. There was a hard thud as if a body had hit the floor then all was silent.
As they crouched under the steps, the girls held their breath as they heard the door to the cellar creek open. A heavy foot stepped onto the first step and the girls were showered with a light dusting of dirt. Another step down by the heavy form brought another shower of dirt. The girls were reaching into their jackets when they heard a high pitched voice call to the man coming down the steps.
"Garret, can you see her?"
"Yeah, she ain't moving either. You hit her pretty hard. There's no way she could have survived that. I'm going to search down here."
"Don't bother, they're not here. The bitch must have known we were coming for them. She sent them off to some place called Wisconsin to visit a cousin. I've got the address, let's go." The large man grumbled, but taking one last look into the dark, dank basement, he turned and went back up the steps.
The girls listened as several sets of footsteps left the small farmhouse. Finally sure that they were alone, cautiously Bailey crawled forward, heedless of her sister's hissed warning and placed her fingers on the woman's neck, searching for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she found it, faint and unsteady. Lake moved forward as well when Bailey turned and nodded to her.
The woman opened her eyes and looked up into her daughters' faces. Weakly, she reached out her hands and each girl took one, cupping the cold hands to their cheeks. "My girls, my beautiful girls, I'm sorry we couldn't protect you. I thought that by bringing you here, we would be safe. You have to get out of here. You know what to do?"
Lake nodded, but Bailey seemed unsure.
"No mama," she wailed softly as she clenched the hand that she held to her cheek. "We can get you out of here. We'll all go together. I'm not leaving you here."
The woman shook her head, "Love, there's nothing that can be done for me, the damage is too great. Now, we've gone over the plans a hundred times. You know where to go and who to contact. Now, you know where everything is, so gather your belongings and be on your way. You should be safe before they realize that you aren't in Wisconsin. Always remember, your father and I love you." With the last of her strength, the woman pulled her daughters close and whispered a protective spell over them.
The girls continued to cling to their mother long after the warm, comforting arms fell from their shoulders. When she was sure that she had a modicum of control, Lake pushed herself up and tugged on her sister's shoulder. Bailey nodded and sliding the gold band off her mother's hand, she pushed herself up as well.
Together, they made their way cautiously up the steps, their hands tucked into their jackets. They passed through the kitchen and into the living room. There were four bodies strewn across the floor, but only one held their attention. Lake bent over their father's form as a single, large tear ran down her face. Bailey knelt next to her sister and took her father's hand. Placing a kiss on the knuckles, she laid it on his chest. Lake took his left hand and removing his wedding band as well, she placed the hand on top of the other.
In a dream-like state, the girls moved about the house. They gathered money, passports and other I.D. information from the hidden drawer in the desk. They threw essential clothing into backpacks. Within ten minutes they were ready to escape the battlefield that had claimed their parents. They stood together outside the small farmhouse, their wands raised and aimed at the antique structure.
"Combustabillus!" They shouted together. Flames shot from the tips of their wands and ignited the old, dry wood. They watched for only a moment as the house was engulfed in flames. Silently they walked to the edge of the woods behind the house, only looking back once as the fire trucks, alerted by the security system, arrived to douse the blaze.
They apperated from the edge of the woods to a small clearing, an old rotting stump set in the middle. Drawing a deep breath, the girls nodded to each other and approached the stump. Together, they reached inside, each grabbing the arm of an old, but seemingly well preserved teddy bear. The world around them began to swirl and they soon felt the ground leave their feet. Their surroundings were a blur for only a moment before they were deposited once again in a small clearing. They dropped the bear into another stump and made their way through the surrounding woods.
They emerged from the woods and found themselves along a major highway. They looked up and watched as a plane roared into the air just over their heads. They made their way up to the road and walked the mile or so to the airport proper. They found the terminal that their parents had instructed them to use. The woman that greeted them had a kind smile as she asked. "How can I help you dears?"
"Two to London, please," answered Lake.
"Traveling alone?" The woman commented congenially as she began to type up the ticket information.
"We've been going to school here," Bailey responded automatically as she produced their papers and passports. "We're going home now though."
"I see. I imagine your parents will be happy to see you then."
The girls exchanged glances before nodding to the attendant. They answered together, "It will be nice to be home."
"You're in luck, Knight Flights 118 will begin boarding in about 20 minutes. Here you go," and the friendly attendant handed them their paperwork and tickets. "Have a good flight, girls."
The girls found a secluded corner and sat down to wait for their flight to be called. They didn't have long to wait before they boarded the plane. It seemed like they had just gotten seated and closed their eyes, when they were being shaken awake by an attendant.
"I need you to fasten your seatbelts, girls. We'll be landing in London in just a few minutes." The attendant cleared their water glasses and helped them get their lap trays folded down.
Once they had made it through customs and were outside the airport, they caught a cab and gave him an address to the lower east side. The driver looked them over and scowled.
"Sure you want to go down there? Not a proper place for two fine, upstanding looking girls like you?"
"Yes, we're sure this is where we want to go," answered Lake in a harsh tone. Her voice was loud to mask the spell that her sister was quietly working.
Suddenly, the driver turned back to face the road and in a robotic fashion made his way into traffic. Without another word, he drove them to their destination. A half hour after leaving the airport, he pulled up in front of a dump of a tavern. "Leaky Cauldron, just like you asked," he announced.
As they gathered their things, Bailey tapped the man on the shoulder and handed him their fare plus a generous tip. She flashed him a smile, "Thank you."
The driver accepted the money and returned the smile. He watched as the girls slid out of the cab. They shut the door and he suddenly shook his head. He looked around in bewilderment as he wondered how he had gotten down here, when he had just been at the airport. "Got to stop eatin' those mushrooms!" he declared as he pulled away from the curb.
"Nicely done," said Lake, bumping her sister gently as they approached the shabby-looking establishment.
They walked into the tavern and were met by a bald man with a grizzled beard. His voice was much kinder than his appearance would indicate. "You young ladies lost?"
"No sir," and Lake pulled a paper out of her pack and handed it to him. "Please, we need to contact our uncle as quickly as possible."
The tavern owner read over the inscription on the front of the paper the girl had handed him. "A professor at Hogwarts is he? You can send this by owl, that's probably the best way. Just write down what you want to tell him and I'll get it delivered."
Lake used the paper that the bartender had given back to her to scribble a message to their uncle. She folded it and sealed it then handed it back to him. The man waved a beefy arm and large brown barn owl swooped down from the rafters and snagged the paper from its master's hand. Like a shot, the owl was out the window and quickly disappeared in the glare of the early morning sun. The bartender's smile was rather gap-toothed as he motioned toward the steps. "Now that that is taken care of, why don't we get you two settled in a room?"
The girls followed the heavyset man up the steps and down a hall to the door that he indicated. "Here ya go." He opened a door and ushered them into an impossibly large room. He gave them a wink. "If ya don't like the color, just say another and everything will change. If ya need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'm Tom, by the way."
As soon as he shut the door, Bailey fell heavily onto the bed and laid back. Lake dropped her pack on the floor and joined her sister. Bailey reached over and gripped Lake's hand. They turned to each other and with their free hands wiped at the tears that started to stream down their sister's face. They wrapped their arms around each other and burying their head in the others' shoulder, released the pent-up sorrow they both felt. Exhaustion finally claimed them and they fell asleep in each other's arms.
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Harry was laughing at something Ron had said as they entered their Defense against the Dark Arts class. One look from Professor Snape and Harry immediately quieted. The usually agitated looking professor looked downright irate and Harry somehow knew that he would bear the brunt of the professor's rage.
"Seats and Silence," snapped Snape as he turned from the class. He walked to the blackboard and summoned a piece of chalk. Snape paused for just a second before he drug the chalk down the board with a chilling screech. "I said silence!"
Cringing, the students immediately came to attention and sat quietly in their seats.
"Better! Now, take out your books and turn to the chapter on countering curses." He turned to face the class and released a tired sigh. "Did any of you, besides Miss Granger, read the assignment?"
The professor could tell by the moans and groans that many of them either hadn't read or hadn't understood the chapter. He pressed his fingers to either side of his long, hooked nose. "Maybe a session of practicing will help the lesson sink in." He raised his wand and leveled it at Neville Longbottom. "Wartus Maximus!"
The startled and unprepared Neville gasped. His hands began to tingle and prickle. He watched in horror as warts began to break out all over his hands. He pushed up the sleeves of his robes and found that the warts were creeping up his arms.
"Can anyone help Mr. Longbottom?" Snape rolled his eyes as he saw Hermione's hand shoot up. "Besides Miss Granger, can anyone else help him? Mr. Weasley, what would you do to cure Mr. Longbottom?"
Ron was staring at poor Neville, a sickened look on his face. His head snapped up to look at the professor. "Me? I… would… well…"
Snape shook his head. "Rhinotitus!"
Ron sniffed and squeezed his eyes tightly shut in an attempt to stifle the sneeze that he felt building up. His efforts proved fruitless as he let loose a loud, hard sneeze. He snuffled to no avail as thick, green mucus started oozing from his nose. He wiped at it with his sleeve, but that only seemed to make the malady worse.
The Slytherin students who shared the class with the Gryffindors were practically falling off their stools from laughing so hard. An obscenely loud snort drew the professor's attention. "Mr. Malfoy, perhaps you could help Mr. Longbottom or Mr. Weasley?"
"I probably could, sir. But why would I want to?"
"Good one, Draco," crowed Vincent Crabbe through another fit of laughter.
"Stuporus Idicus!"
Crabbe's mouth went slack and his glee-filled eyes went suddenly blank. Drool dribbled from his open jaw as he slumped in his seat.
"That's a noticeable improvement," said Harry as he snickered at the slobbering Crabbe.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for Potter's outburst." The professor whirled around and brought his wand to bear on Harry. "Gastro Iritatum!"
Suddenly, Harry felt an odd pressure in his gut. He clenched his stomach and tried to swallow down the gaseous bubble that was building up. When he couldn't hold it in any longer, he let loose with a loud belch. The fumes smelled of rotten eggs and everyone around Harry shifted their seats as far from him as they could.
Without warning, Snape turned on Hermione next. He cast a binding spell to pin her arm to her side. She was quick though and accomplished to deflect the spell that ended up hitting Millicent Bullstrode.
Snape fixed Hermione with a scathing glare. "Congratulations," he seethed, "now, would you be so kind as to help Miss Bullstrode?"
There was a sudden knock on the door and the professor called for the person to enter. A very flushed and out of breath second year bustled into the classroom. "I'm sorry to interrupt you sir, but Professor Dumbledore sent me to fetch you. You've an urgent owl, sir."
"Thank you, Simon," Snape gave the boy a dismissive wave. "While I'm gone, I expect you all to fix this mess then spend the rest of the time studying this chapter." He turned and with a flare of his black robes, strolled from the room.
"Serverus," greeted the aging headmaster of Hogwarts as Snape entered his office. "I'm sorry to call you from a class, but this owl showed up in my office and the message is marked urgent."
Snape accepted the slip of paper from Dumbledore. It took him a second to undo the intricate seal that had been placed on the letter before he could unfold it. He looked it over and his brow creased into a deep furrow. He read through it a second time, before he looked up to meet Dumbledore's questioning gaze. "It's my nieces. They are in London at the Leaky Cauldron." He passed the note to Dumbledore.
The headmaster adjusted his glasses so he could read the note.
Dear Severus,
I hope this letter finds you well. I know that we have had our differences in the past, but I hope that you can let that all be water under the bridge.
I am entrusting you with the most treasured things in my life, my twin daughters. They are the most precious of things to Sina and I and you are the only person that we can trust to protect them. Look after them and please take care of them, for you know how special they are.
Your brother,
Derrick
The next bit was penned in a fine scroll.
Dear Uncle Severus,
We are staying at the Leaky Cauldron. Please come as soon as you can. Something terrible has happened.
Love,
Lake & Bailey
Dumbledore handed the letter back to Severus. "I suggest you use the flu-phone and contact them immediately. The poor girls must be very distraught."
Snape agreed as he walked over to the large stone fireplace. "May I?"
"Most certainly," and Albus waved his hand invitingly. "I'll go let Minerva and the others know what is going on. Should I have Madame Pomfrey at the ready?
Snape shrugged his shoulders as he called up the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron. He was met by the heavy set bartender, Tom. "Switch to the office flu sir and I'll get them for you. I showed them to a room and haven't heard a peep from them sense. They looked pretty beat when they came in. Is everything okay?"
"Fine, I'm sure," snapped Snape. "Now, if you will bring them to the office, I'd appreciate it." The bartender nodded and ambled off up the steps.
Bailey rubbed at her eyes as she called out to whoever was pounding on their door, "Yes, hang on. What is it?"
"Girls," answered the bartender from the other side of the door. "You're uncle is on the flu-phone. Come now and I'll take you to him."
The girls scampered out of the bed and didn't even bother to run their fingers through their mussed hair as they made their way to the door. Lake opened the door and met the bartender's gaze. "Please, take us to him."
They followed him down the hall and up another flight of stairs. There was a single door at the top of the steps. The bartender opened the door and stood aside so the girls could enter. "When you're done, come downstairs and I'll get ya some nice hot stew and some pumpkin juice."
The girls thanked the man for his kindness and closed the door to the office. Cautiously, they approached the crackling fireplace. Their parents had told them about flu-phones, but there hadn't been much use for them in the United States. They saw a face in the embers and knelt down close to the flu.
"Hello girls," Snape greeted them.
"Hello, Uncle Severus," they greeted him together.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you two. You're quite grown. So, how are your parents?"
The girls exchanged glances. Lake took a deep breath and chewed on her lower lip. Bailey gave her sister's hand a squeeze as she faced her uncle. "They're dead, sir. There was an attack…"
"Stop right there," and Snape held up his hand. "Are you girls okay? You haven't been harmed in any way?"
The girls shook their heads.
"Okay, give me a day to get something arranged. I'll be at the Leaky Cauldron first thing tomorrow, so be ready to go when I arrive. Don't talk to anyone unless you have to and say as little as possible if you do. Should anyone ask, you're here on a visit, understand?"
The girls nodded and stared into the fire as their uncle's image faded. They rose and slowly made their way down to the meeting room of the tavern, where as promised were two steaming bowls of stew and mugs of ice cold juice. They thanked their host before settling down to eat.
Back at Hogwarts, Snape related to Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall his conversation with his nieces.
"Those poor little girls," sighed McGonagall. "They must be so frightened. What will you do, Severus?"
"Bring them back here," answered Dumbledore before Snape could. "They'll be safest here at Hogwarts."
"Yes," agreed Snape. "But I want them to forego that silly sorting ceremony. They will be placed in Slytherin, under my direct supervision. As far as anyone else knows, they are spending the year as exchange students here."
"Yes, I think that's a fine plan," agreed McGonagall.
"You should get things ready then, Severus. How will you bring them back? May I suggest using flupowder and the fireplace in the rear of the Three Broomsticks."
"If I know my brother and his wife, there won't be a need for that. However, I will keep that in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things to tend to."
The others nodded as Snape took his leave.
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The girls spent a restless evening in their room. The difference in time combined with the complete upheaval of their lives made it hard to relax and rest. Lake stretched out in the bed and tried to sleep while Bailey paced the room.
"Yellow," called out Bailey, trying to amuse herself. "No, I want it paler. Hhhmmm… No, I think I like the reds better, but darker."
"Stop it," demanded Lake. "You're giving me a headache."
"You should try it. It's actually kind of amusing."
Lake threw her arm over her eyes. "If you want amusing, get a deck of cards or something."
"I've already checked the desk and all the drawers, there aren't any. We should go out. See what there is to see."
"Uncle Severus said to stay here and not to talk to anyone. Why don't you go down and check with the bartender? I'm sure he can get you something."
"Fine, I'll go and see what he has." Bailey made her way to the door and as she exited, she called out, "Chartreuse!"
It was late in the evening and Bailey found that the tavern was unwelcomingly crowded. She was jostled and bumped several times as she tried to make her way to the bar. She finally made it however and procured a deck of cards from the bartender. On her way back to the steps, a rather large man bumped her and sent her tumbling into a near-by table. She sprawled across the table, her nose buried in the newspaper that the table's occupant was reading.
"Here now, what the bloody 'ell is going on?"
"I'm sorry, I was bumped…" stammered Bailey as a pair of young, strong hands wrapped about her shoulders and helped her up. A chair slid up behind her, pressing against her knees and causing her to sit down.
"No worries, no harm done," said a jovial voice. "I've not seen you around 'ere. I'm George, by the way."
Bailey returned the young man's cheery smile as she accepted the hand that he extended to her. "Nice to meet you, George, my name is Bailey."
"Well, you ain't from 'round ere, not with that funny accent. States, if I ventured a guess."
"Yes, my sister and I are here to visit our uncle."
"Well, you should make sure that he brings you to Diagon Alley. My brother and I have a little shop there called Weasley's Wizzardly Wheezes. I think you'd really like it."
"I'll be sure to do that. It was a pleasure to meet you, George." Bailey started to push herself up from the table, when something in the paper that George had spread on the table caught her eye. An article under the header "From Across the Pond" sported a picture of a burning farmhouse. "Excuse me, but may have this page?"
George noted the heading and nodded, "anything for the pretty lady. Are you okay?"
Bailey nodded and gave him a wane smile. "It's just seeing news from home. It makes me a little homesick. Thank you, George and I hope to see you again." Bailey pushed her way through the crowd and hurried up the steps.
Safely back in their room, she tossed the cards on the desk and walked over to the bed. She held the news paper page out to her sister as she belly-flopped onto the bed. She buried her head in her folded arms.
Lake started reading out loud the article under the animated picture.
"As reported by our foreign correspondent, Death Eaters are suspected in the attack on a family in South Dakota. Five bodies were found amongst the rubble and ash of this destroyed farmhouse outside of Sturgis, South Dakota. The house was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Derrick Snape, who had lived there for some years. The Snapes were found to have been murdered. Also found dead were Daniel Digleford, Aria Mance and Norton Ziggler, all three of which were known followers of He-who-must-not-be-named..."
She finished reading it in silence then looked up at her sister. "Did you notice anything odd about this article?"
"You mean besides the fact that we weren't mentioned?"
"Don't you find that strange?"
Bailey rolled over on her side. "Yeah, but we're half way across the world. Maybe they needed the space and cut the column short."
"And maybe we were intentionally omitted, so that no one suspects the real reason that the Death Eaters were there."
"I hope Uncle Severus gets here soon," said Bailey with a sigh and Lake nodded in agreement.
Bailey picked at the coverlet on the bed and Lake knew that something else was bothering her sister
"Alright, out with it," she demanded as she tossed the paper aside and stretched out next to her sister.
Bailey grinned. "I met a boy while I was down there." She grinned as she grabbed a pillow and hugged it close to her. "He was sooooo cute. He had longish red-blonde or maybe it was blondish red hair and big brown eyes. He had this big sweet smile and was very friendly."
Lake rolled her eyes as she grabbed the pillow from her sister's grasp and smacked Bailey with it. "I leave you to your own devices for five minutes and you find a boy."
Bailey just grinned. She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her sister. "He said that he had a brother."