Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Besides, I live practically on the other side of the world from England, so it is impossible for my name to be J.K. Rowling.
With one twist of her body the 18-year-old woman found herself standing before a set of gates which led to an ancient castle long used as a school hidden amongst the mountains and lochs of Scotland. It was this very school she had attended, learning the secrets of her kind as a witch. It had been here that she'd first felt as though she belonged somewhere. Here, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that she had found a place of surety in Hufflepuff House.
Treading carefully the woman adjusted what looked to be a bundle of blankets, pulling it closer to her chest as she cooed gently in order to further protect it from the cold and falling snow.
Although she loved her child, she knew that taking herself out of her daughter's life completely was the only way to protect her from the evil which would most certainly chase after her if he knew of her daughter's existence. So it was with this knowledge embedded in her heart that the woman slowly walked up the all too familiar path leading up to the school.
"Her name is Crystal Heart. She will be two months on the 22nd," The woman was sitting in an office, facing the long-bearded Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore.
The professor looked deeply into the eyes of the young woman, seeming to peer into the very center of her soul, searching for something. "This is no easy task you ask of me, Ms. Mauriciana. It is something never before asked of the Headmasters of Hogwarts. To pull a child away from her mother, and raise it, is not normally within the job description.
The woman, Ms. Mauriciana, took the comment as a challenge and met it by repeating her plea. "Please, Professor! With her father's disappearance I have nowhere else to turn! If he… if Voldemort," The woman's voice filled with venom as she spoke the name. "Discovers her existence she will be placed in great danger."
The Headmaster's eyes showed no thoughts as he listened to Ms. Mauriciana. "I understand the situation which you are in…"
Ms. Mauriciana's eyes flashed. "No you DO NOT! Crystal will be a Seer! I have foreseen it! She will have a gift stronger than my own! You do not understand the danger she is already in! Voldemort is already aware of my gift, and he has made attempts at getting me to his side through Regulus! Now would you try to believe in fortune telling long enough to imagine how much harder he would try if he were to discover my daughter?"
Professor Dumbledore remained silent, waiting patiently for Ms. Mauriciana to finish.
"For goodness' sake, Dumbledore! Will you, or will you not, take my daughter to protect her from the Dark Lord?"
Professor Dumbledore looked away from Ms. Mauriciana and down to the small bundle of blankets surrounding the tiny face of an infant.
"Who does she look like?"
Ms. Mauriciana sighed. "She's a mixture. She has Regulus's eyes, and my hair, but she is most similar to my mother."
The professor looked back at Ms. Mauriciana. "Why Regulus?" There was a glint in his eye; as though he already knew the answer.
Ms. Mauriciana looked down at her daughter, not wanting the Headmaster to see her crying.
"Regulus had always been kind to me, despite his reputation as a Slytherin, and his joining the Death Eaters at sixteen. Yet I had never really taken the time to try and get to know him until I ran into him one day during my class break. It was at the beginning of the year, so I hadn't seen him for a while. He had always been somewhat cute, but when I saw him that day he was a completely different person. His face was sunken in as though he hadn't eaten very much in a long time and he was disheveled in appearance. When I first turned that corner I couldn't even recognize him. He clearly needed help. And I gave it freely.
"At first Regulus was an unwilling patient. But after he figured out that I was determined to get him healthy, he gave in and let me do what I wanted. Eventually he began to talk with me about his family and how much he missed his brother, even though they had chosen different paths in life. Everything he said pointed to wanting to be loved.
"And he gained that love. Over time, as his health improved, Regulus began to talk more and more about what he hoped for the future. He wanted a family, friends, and freedom. He often admitted that he sometimes regretted the decision to become a Death Eater, but only when we were alone together. Then one night, around Christmas, we went too far. Wandering around the school halls, we chanced upon a room designed perfectly for a couple in love. Two months later I discovered that I was pregnant, and Regulus fell into a downward spiral. That summer he vanished, and I haven't seen him since."
There was a knock at the door and Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, entered the room.
"Are you finished entertaining Ms. Mauriciana's request that Hogwarts take in her child and raise it?" The Deputy Headmistress asked. "It's late and I have matters to speak with you about privately."
Professor Dumbledore looked at the Transfiguration teacher and nodded. "I am. Ms. Mauriciana, if you are willing, please take Crystal to Madam Pomfrey. I am sure she will know what is needed to care for your little one, including what may work best as a substitute for nursing."
Professor McGonagall was shocked into silence. Ms. Mauriciana, however, simply bowed her head slightly as she stood, and turned to leave the office. "Thank you, Professor. I understand the school will not have much time to care for her, so I have arranged for Madam Rosmerta to take her in when Crystal is old enough to walk on her own. Until then I am certain that the students won't mind helping care for her; especially those with brothers and sisters of their own."
Having now left her daughter in the hands of Hogwart's teachers, Ms. Mauriciana felt exposed and ready to leave the place she had spent seven years of her life at. That chapter was now closed. Her child was safe from the grip of Voldemort. He would no longer pose a threat to Crystal so long as Dumbledore was there.
Looking up at the cloud filled sky, Ms. Mauriciana treaded ever more carefully. With no moon to light her way the path ahead was dark, with her wand piercing only five feet at a time.
Stepping through the gates and off the school's grounds, a slithering voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
"Your child may be sssafe, but you are far from sssuch."
Ms. Mauriciana turned and faced a fairly large, dark green snake with a single red diamond upon its large forehead.
"Hello, Tanis. Interesting to see you this close to Hogwarts. But where is your master? Is he not with you?" She addressed the snake calmly, betraying no emotion.
"He iss busssy for the moment. I am sssertain he sshall come if there be any danger…"
"Crystal is within the confines of the school. Your mission has been a failure."
The snake chuckled eerily. "But you are missstaken, Misss Maurissssiana. Or ssshould I call you Maria? Regulusss told me a lot about you before he sssent hisss elf for the Dark Lord'sss ssservissse."
Ms. Mauriciana, Maria, glared at the snake for a moment before replying. "That no longer matters. Regulus is gone. And it's because of your master. Voldemort is nothing but a coward. He cares about no one but himself. He gloats over everything he does, and never truly praises the work of his followers. And yet they are loyal out of fear. If they were to betray him even once the punishment would be death."
"You are not worthy to ssspeak the name! If the Dark Lord knew of it you wouldn't lassst a sssecond!"
Maria laughed. "You sound like Bellatrix. Too bad she doesn't speak Parseltongue. You two would probably be best friends! And you have only one thing in common! Voldemort himself!"
With Maria's second time saying Voldemort, Tanis hissed angrily.
"You ssshall not live to sssee the light of day ever again!"
The snake shot at Maria, already prepared for the reaction. Quick as lightning she pulled a small knife from her cloak and plunged it deep into the snake's head.
Having successfully evaded certain death, Maria cleaned the blood off the knife and spun on the spot and finding herself directly in front of a house lit brightly by magic, and a woman standing in front of her with red hair and the kindest looking green eyes anyone had ever seen.
"Hello, Lily. Dumbledore just told me the news and I wanted to congratulate you and James."
Lily Potter blinked back her astonishment from the sudden appearance of her friend. Then she smiled and held out her arms.
"I take it he took in Crystal?"
Maria nodded. "McGonagall didn't like the idea, though. But she won't defy Professor Dumbledore's decision."
Lily nodded in understanding. "None of the professors will. Might think it's crazy, but they will never defy his decision."
Maria grinned at her friend and then laughed aloud. "I can only imagine what the Minister will think once he learns the school is housing a 7 week old girl!"
Lily chuckled. "He won't like it, but you gave legal custody to Dumbledore, so there isn't much he can do."
Tears came to the corners of Maria's eyes. "There is nothing he can do about it. My time left here is short. Once Voldemort realizes that Tanis will no longer be returning at her master's call, he will hunt me down."
Lily's face fell in shock. "He sent Tanis after you? What did she want?"
Maria shrugged. "My daughter. However, she is no longer in my custody. Professor Dumbledore is her protector. Until he is gone, she is safe at Hogwarts."
A winter breeze caused the two women to shiver.
"Why don't we go inside? You can have some Hot Cocoa and warm up a little." Lily suggested as she gestured toward her home.
Maria shook her head sadly. "I can't. I only came to congratulate you and James on your pregnancy and to say goodbye."
Lily widened her green eyes in alarm. "You can't go! The Order needs you!"
Maria shook her head once more. "Sirius won't have anything to do with me. My relationship with Regulus makes him hate me. Now imagine his reaction if he knew he has a niece. And I already told you. Voldemort will be after me once he realizes I killed Tanis. I have to leave England tonight and nothing can stop me."
Tears pooled at the corners of Lily Potter's eyes. "But where will you go? Even Europe won't be far enough for you to escape his wrath."
Maria hugged her closest friend. "I'll go to America then. Somewhere no Death Eater would ever think to look."
Lily thought of arguing with Maria some more, but she knew that once her friend had made up her mind there was no changing it.
Turning around, Lily headed to the house where James Potter was standing in the doorway waiting for her. When she reached him she heard a faint crack, and she knew that her friend was gone.
"Goodbye, Maria. Please don't regret your decisions. They have most certainly affected a course of history."
Author's Note: For those interested I have one small section for Maria and Regulus being reunited which can be found as the first chapter of my short stories "Family Forever and Always". You are welcome to read and leave your thoughts. I also plan to write at least one more section on them to show the relationship they had with each other. Yes, this feels like it has the beginnings of an idea for its own story. But that will have to wait for a few years. One thing is for certain, though. The new story will replace my Sirius Black story, which I have discontinued due to it feeling all wrong. Good idea, but not something for me to write. For those curious as to what I am referring to, please feel free to read my Sirius Black story before it is gone forever.
Anyway, this new chapter was written because i felt (and I'm sure many would agree!) that there was almost too much mystery behind Crystal's past and the reasons behind why she was left to be raised by the teachers of Hogwarts and citizens of Hogsmeade. I know this won't answer every question, and has most certainly created more, but i hope it has helped to give a little more insight into Crystal's character and why she is the way she is.
Perhaps if there is high enough demand I will try to add one or two more chapters of Crystal's childhood. But for now I thank those who have reviewed this story and I promise more chapters are to come! :)