Disclaimer: I own nothing except Alana and the plot. Everything else is the amazing JK's. For now... MWAHAHAHA! Ahem... I'm okay...
It seems to me that all stories start the same. Well, the good ones anyway. 'Once upon a time… handsome prince… true loves kiss… happily ever after…' yadda, yadda, yadda.
Well, you get the idea. But all these stories have one thing in common; they're not true.
That's right. Sorry to all those out there who were damn keen on Cinderella and her step-sisters, or even Ariel and her fishy tail. It's all make-believe by some psycho out there who'd had one too many fire whiskey's if you ask me.
I mean, think about it logically. We all know that Fairy Godmother's are so wrapped up in their own lives that they would never take the time off to visit some poor rag girl orphan just so she could go to a stupid ball and lose a shoe. And come on, since when do mice talk?
And the only thing beautiful about a mermaid is their sharpened pitch forks, which no doubt are about to be plunged somewhere which doesn't bear thinking about. And, hello? How can they breathe? They don't even have gills.
So, after that small lesson, we both know that fairy tales are make believe. Which brings me on to my story. This - unlike the other rip offs out there - is true. Well, most of it anyway. A few details may become a tad exaggerated, but, hey, that's life.
So, it all started on the 31st August, 1977. Well, actually, it all started a couple of years before that, but I'll come to that later. I'd just come back from a meeting with His Royal Highness and was attempting to climb through the window that led to my bedroom.
I know, I know. 'Why didn't you just apparate?' I hear you all saying. Well, have you heard the noise it makes? And wouldn't that just take away the whole 'quiet' perspective? Yeah, I thought so.
It was about 3:00am and no doubt my father would be asleep after the amount of alcohol that would be in his system, and the headache that he would have in the morning would result in myself tiptoeing around him for the rest of the day. Honestly, it was like living with an active time-bomb.
So, I climbed through my window that I had - tactfully - left open before I went out and attempted to skirt around the pile of school books that had unfortunately been left beneath my escape route. After the effort that I had gone through to make sure that I wouldn't make any noise to wake up him, it seems that it was all for nothing. The pile of books that I was trying so hard as to not knock over, were subject my shoe as I slipped on the windowsill.
The books collapsed and fell sideways, which knocked over my cauldron, which in turn knocked into my owl's cage. And believe me, Taffy can be heard for miles around. It wasn't like she could have been outside hunting for mice either when this little incident occurred. Oh, no, Merlin forbid. Taffy's afraid of the dark, just one more abnormal thing to add to my list. Who's ever heard of a owl who's afraid of the dark?
So with all the ruckus, my father awoke and decided to barrel into my bedroom, baseball bat in hand and prepare to 'beat up' the 'burglars' that were no doubt stealing his beloved vodka. In my bedroom. Because obviously, that was the place where all burglars decide to steal his alcohol. Please, note the sarcasm.
I'm just grateful that he was still under the influence, because he only grunted when I decided to tell him that I 'fell'. Personally, I think he was still half-asleep. When I went out to make sure he hadn't fallen over the banister in his attempt to navigate back to his bedroom, I saw him laid in the hallway, snoring away without a care in the world.
I quickly changed into my pyjamas and brushed my teeth before snuggling under the covers for a couple of hours kip. I was just dozing off when it hit me. My eyes opened in surprise. For three whole hours it had been September 1st. In exactly eight hours I would be boarding the train to Hogwarts. I couldn't help but smile as I thought of the glorious castle that I had called home for six years. And this would be my last.
My mind became filled with memories of the past few years in the castle. Brenda Musgrove being locked in the Vanishing Door on the fifth floor for two days because no one could find it again to let her out. Lucius Malfoy being subject to humiliation after someone swapped his hair gel with Sally Simpson's Super Strawberry Hair Dye. The time I broke my arm after falling from the school broom in first year. And, of course, the time that changed my life forever.
In my fifth year I was talking with Severus Snape in the Charms corridor after a test that we had both just been subject to.
"It was horrible, wasn't it?" I asked him rhetorically, "I mean, seriously, who cares if someone can make a pineapple dance across a table?"
He chuckled slightly and then suddenly became quiet.
I looked at him sideways.
"What's up, Sev?" I asked and he stopped in the middle of the corridor.
"We're friends, right?" he asked, and I nodded in response. "What if I told you," he continued, "that there's a person out there who could make our dreams come true?"
I laughed out loud.
"I'd say, 'What fairy dust have you been smoking and where can I get some?'," I replied and leant against the wall, "Come on, Sev, this isn't another one of those talks where you try to get me to come with you and join What's-His-Face, is it?"
He shook his head.
"It's too late, Ally," he told me and rolled up his sleeve to reveal the Dark Mark, "I've already done it."
My eyes widened at the sight and suddenly I felt sick to my stomach.
"Why, Sev?" I asked him and rolled down his sleeve once more.
"You know why," he replied, "I'm fed up of not being able to make a difference. There's people out there who have no right to be in our world. There's Mudbloods and blood-traitors everywhere you look, don't you want to get rid of that?"
He walked away before I could answer, and I sank to the floor.
We were friends, alright, but his mind was clouded with obscene thoughts of blood-traitors and muggleborns. If the time came, he would tell his 'master' and sooner or later he would make me join his forces in some way. I felt I had no other choice and so with a deep breath I made my way to the stone gargoyle that marked the entrance to Dumbledore's office.
In all the years that I had been at Hogwarts, not once had I visited him. I hadn't felt the need. But now, I didn't know what else to do, and he was meant to be the greatest wizard of all time, right?
After a few guesses of sweet names, the staircase finally emerged at 'Cockroach Clusters', and I made the frightening way up to Professor Dumbledore's office.
I knocked on the door timidly and he answered immediately.
"Enter," he called, and my shaking hand reached for the doorknob.
My small frame filled the entrance and he looked up from the letter he was writing.
"Ah, Miss Thomas," he said and placed his quill in the holder, "Please, come in. What can I do for you?"
I stood before his desk on shaking legs until he gestured for me to take a seat. I didn't know why I was scared at the time, but it occurs to me now that merely being in the presence of someone so powerful was something that frightened me.
"Well, sir, honestly I didn't know who else to turn to."
His eyes filled with concern and he conjured me a cup of tea, which surprisingly had a sherbet lemon the side, and asked me to tell him my problem.
And I did.
Once I started talking, I couldn't seem to stop. I told him everything, of how Severus had been begging me to go with him to see Voldemort all year, too frightened to go himself. When I refused the last time he asked, it seemed that he had gathered up the courage that was inside of him and finally gone himself. And today, finally, he had shown me the Dark Mark and once again asked me to join him. And now, I didn't know what to do.
Throughout the explanation, Dumbledore's eyes slowly filled with sympathy, which I knew was for Severus. We both knew of the troubles of his home and it seemed that by joining the Dark Lord, he felt that these troubles would disappear.
I knew differently.
"I'm afraid, Miss Thomas, that this a serious incident. Tom Riddle is a very dangerous wizard and it shocks me slightly that he would be recruiting followers at such a young age like yourself." He stopped suddenly and seemed to be an inward battle with himself.
"Miss Thomas, I understand if what I am about to say scares you. Heaven knows, I am slightly frightened myself. And you must understand that you have every right to call me a crazy old coot and refuse the option."
My eyes filled with confusion. What in Merlin's underpants was he talking about?
"Tom Riddle, or as he is known today, Lord Voldemort is a very dangerous wizard. With his current rise in power, myself and a few others have found it custom to do our very best to be prepared for any dangers we may face. However, our forces have become, shall we say, less reliable. We cannot base our plans on hear-say alone.
"Miss Thomas, how would you feel to become a spy?"
After a few minutes thought, I knew what he was asking of me. If I joined forces with both of these sides, I could be the most help to winning a war that no doubt would be upcoming.
"Sir, I'm not going to deny that I'm scared out of my wits. And Merlin knows, I'm not one to get scared. But I'm going to accept your offer. If I can help win over this Grindelwald wanna-be, then I'm going to do everything in my power to do so."
From here I was an immediate member of the Order of the Phoenix and had regular lessons with Dumbledore on how to block my mind from intruders such as Voldemort. When he felt that I was ready to start my mission, I accepted Severus' offer of joining the Death Eaters.
And from there, my life has never been the same.
I was doomed to be a regular Slytherin, to hate everyone and for everyone to hate myself. It was so much different from what I was meant to be and I knew first-hand what would happen if I played anything but the big bad Slytherin.
But in the year and a bit that I had been part of both forces, we had made a great change. People became weary of the crazy man who called himself Lord Voldemort and I became more and more focused on my task. I was part of an inner circle, and though I made my distaste for certain activities - such as Muggle Baiting - were known, the Dark Lord still trusted me with information which could help us have an upper hand.
I shook my head and forced myself to thing of things in the present. I was going back to Hogwarts; my true home.
And with that thought, I closed my eyes and waited for sleep to claim me.
I yawned as I was awoken by Taffy, my owl, screeching like there was no tomorrow. I knew my father had probably gone to work, nursing a headache that he would have for the whole day, so it didn't worry me that he would hear her cries.
She began to peck at the lock that I had attached to her cage and smiled slightly. As she was afraid of the dark, she refused to leave her humble abode at any time of day except morning, and though this made it much more difficult for her to hunt, it was great to have a reliable alarm for the morning.
After unlocking her cage and my regular morning activities, I made sure that I had my school supplies for the bus ride ahead. With a satisfactory nod, I made my way to the window and whistled for Taffy to come back to her cage. We had a long journey ahead of us and I would let her out on the train anyway. In no more than a minute, she balanced herself on my windowsill, a small - but clearly dead - mouse dangling from her beak.
"Oh, you clever girl," I told her whilst gagging inside, "Did you catch that all by yourself?"
She gave a confirmative hoot, and in doing so, the mouse dropped onto my carpet with a dull 'thud'.
Her eyes widened in confusion at the law of gravity, before decided to savage the creature then and there. I left her to her snack and emptied a small box of treats into her cage in case she got hungry during the trip.
Glancing at my watch, I saw it was time to start our journey.
"Come on, girl, into the cage," I told her and opened the door for her to enter. She gave me a look which no doubt would have been a glare if she'd had eyebrows.
"Don't look at me like that," I said, "Come on, into the cage."
She gave a unhappy hoot and nipped my fingers once before hopping into the cage.
Gathering my things and making my way downstairs, I left a small note on the table to tell my father where I was going and that I would - unfortunately - see him at Christmas.
With my trunk and Taffy's cage in tow, I made my way into the street and reached for my wand. After waiting impatiently for an elderly Muggle woman to turn the corner, I held out the wand and prepared myself for the 'bang' that was to follow.
In no time at all, the purple triple-decker bus appeared and a middle aged man with slightly greying auburn hair was stood before me, reading from a card.
"Welcome to the Knight Bus. Emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is-"
"Yeah, yeah, Paul, I've heard it before. Can I get on now? My legs are killing me."
He glanced up from the cards and smiled when he saw my face.
"Alana! It's great to see you, sweetheart. Back to Hogwarts already?"
I nodded my head and handed him the sickles needed for the ride.
He carried my trunk on board and I took a seat at the front of the bus, just next to the entrance.
"We'll be there in a minute," he told me and set my trunk near his feet, "just got to drop Madame Marsh off."
My eyebrows disappeared into my hairline.
"She's here again? She practically lives here now, doesn't she?"
He nodded his head solemnly.
"Personally, I think she fancies the new driver. Ernie Prang, started last week."
He nodded towards the front and I grimaced. Bad taste, Madame Marsh, very bad taste.
In no longer than five minutes, we had picked up three more passengers and I had witnessed a slightly green Madame Marsh being led off of the bus by Paul and I had finally arrived at Kings Cross Station.
I thanked Paul as he handed me my trunk and made my way towards Platforms 9 and 10. With hardly any time to spare, I ran through the barrier and - surprisingly - found an empty compartment.
I relished in the thought of a quiet train ride, when who would enter but Lucius Malfoy and his fellow cronies. I sighed deeply and took to staring out of the window as they made small talk.
It was halfway through the train ride, and Lucius was laid opposite me, his head resting on Narcissa Black's lap.
"Oh, yeah," he said, his lips curled into an arrogant smirk, "the Dark Lord is this close-" he held his thumb and index finger just millimetres apart "-to taking over. I have a… feeling." I resisted temptation to snort. Feeling? He would have a better chance of it sounding plausible if he said he was a hippogriff.
Everyone knew he was a Death Eater, he flashed his Mark about enough to make sure even the little first years knew. And the Dark Lord taking over? He was as close to taking over as Hufflepuff were to winning the House Cup.
I quickly excused myself and made sure I was a good ten metres down the corridor before I burst out in gales of hysteric laughter.
"I'm sure that's a sign of madness," I heard from behind me, "Laughing to yourself in a deserted corridor."
I looked behind me to see Lily Evans walking along the corridor. I knew she meant it in a joking way, Lily wasn't one to be the mean girl. But I was. It was all part of my image to pick on other people; especially Mudblood Gryffindor's.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Mudblood," I sneered at her, "You better watch your back this year, Evans."
Lily looked at me through disappointed eyes.
"I'm Head Girl this year, Thomas, I won't have to."
"If Dumbledore made you Head Girl this year, it seems that he really has lost it."
I turned on my heel and stalked towards the bathroom.
I had just finished my - ahem - business when the train lurched forward suddenly. I fell into the basin, my legs dangling over the side. Rubbing my bottom slowly as I stood, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the lights began to flicker.
It was then that I realised my breath was coming out in short bursts, the air turning cold around me.
Dementors.
Oh, this was sodding brilliant, this was. All I wanted was an uneventful train ride, but no, I get dementors.
I grabbed my wand and began to walk along the now empty - and dark - corridor, listening for any signs of distress that could insinuate a dementor attack.
But halfway along, I found the exact opposite. Inside a compartment, the sound of laughter could be heard through the din.
Laughter?
What in the name of Merlin's underpants?
I pulled open the compartment door and saw - who else - the Marauders.
In the same year as I, but all Gryffindor's, the Marauders were the 'it' people of Hogwarts. All of the boys wanted to be them and all of the girls wanted to be with them.
The only manageable one was Remus Lupin, and that was only on good days.
The laughter ceased as soon as my frame filled the doorway.
Sirius Black stood and folded his arms cockily over his chest. To say we didn't get on would be an understatement.
"Well, well, well…" he said and Peter Pettigrew chuckled stupidly to himself, "If it isn't the Slytherin scum."
James Potter shuffled uncomfortably in the seat beside him and looked down towards his feet.
"Honestly, I knew you weren't the shiniest potion bottle in the chest, but even you could see what's going on?" I asked them all, and smirked when they looked at me in confusion.
I sighed exasperatedly.
"Dementors," I said in a 'duh' tone, and had to suppress a chuckle when the other three jumped up and grabbed their wands in the way of a true, courageous - but stupid - Gryffindor.
I left them to their devices and continued down the hall, feeling rather pleased with myself as I reached the end with no signs of distress reaching my ears.
As I was about to pocket my wand and walk back to my compartment, a sudden sound reached my ears that made me cringe.
The high pitched scream of a little girl.
I ran towards the source of the noise, knowing full well that I would never forgive myself if I didn't make it in time.
I halted towards the front of the train to see an image that still haunts me to this very day.
A young girl, no older that twelve, had passed out under the figure of a dementor.
It is well known that a dementor will not care who it attacks in it's way to get to what it needs.
Without a thought, I whipped out my wand and cast the Patronus charm. All that appeared was a slight mist, but it was enough to direct the figure's attention to myself.
All I knew before darkness claimed me, was a loud 'pop' and a bright light. Afterwards, I knew no more.
AN:
Okay, so I've gone and re-wrote it all. :D
I'm going to do it for every chapter, well, most, so any new readers, tell me what you think!! :D
Hope you enjoy.
xo