Relative strangeness
AN Not betaed, English not my native, so sorry for all mistakes, it doesn't help that this was written on a sleepless night. I hope you will enjoy it I had the idea for this for ages.
Chapter One: Who seeks, finds. Or tale of Two foxes and Luna.Sometimes Special Agent Dana Scully hated herself. And it wasn't because of her slightly loopy partner as many would say, quite the opposite. She hated it because of her own hypocrisy. She was supposed to help him to uncover the truth, she was supposed to have his back, he had selflessly saved her life and how did she was hiding the truth from him. Truth to be told, if she told him the truth and it got out, she would face very serious consequences.
She sighed into her morning coffee looking at her partner chair, which was curiously empty. Her life was such a sham. And now this letter she was clutching in her hands Part of herself hoped she was wrong, but for that she needed him in the know. And another part at the same hoped she was right so she wouldn't have to do what she would have to do, if she was wrong and she would hate that.
To explain Dana Scully was a witch, first in her family, well theoretically there was a second after her, her older sister Missy who was a wiccan witch and not some phony but a real deal.
It all began when Dana turned eleven a gentle man knocked at her family's door to announce that little Dana was a witch. She was excited at first and her parents relieved, finally those strange incidents had some explanation. All looked dandy and sweet when she first came to Salem all of the opportunities she would have for life in wizarding society.
Nobody back then told her family that she was going to be second-class citizen, nobody told them that most of the magical would look on her non-magical family as a nothing more than a bunch of clever animals and only after finishing the school she found out that she was practically on the end of her educational career and her dream of being a healer, was just that a dream.
Magical US was in many aspect similar to magical Britain in blood purity issues and in some aspects of them even worser, first generation witches and wizards were just lowly blue collar workers, nothing more and, if you wanted more you would have to somehow marry into old family or go find your luck somewhere else. True there were several independent Indian territories, but their society was not only highly secretive but also very secluded and refused to leet nearly anybody from the outside in.
Luckily for Dana she did keep up with non-magical education during her holidays and after her graduation on top of her class in Salem institute of witchcraft and sorcery and some work with the year after she was able to pass her SATS high enough to get to university after seven years of magical education she was practically leaving magic behind. Everything went great then she got to medical school did a BS thesis in Physics and after finishing her medical training she got recruited into FBI.
At this time she was witch only in the name even though she excelled in school she left it behind with the society and used only the smallest magic's in private of her home. But that went to hell as the day she became full agent.
She was called to A.D. office only to find they were an office of Aurors, who had told her that any case that might have connection to magic she had to report to them and prevent muggles to break the statute of secrecy failure to do so could face her with a several year sentence in Misanktonic prison on an nameless isle near Innsmouth Massachusetts.
The prison was guarded by Dementors and far worser things. The rumour was that British Azkaban was a nice vacation destination compared to this.
And two years later she was partnered with Fox Mulder a man who was determined to find the truth about aliens and supernatural and he was successful considering the number of times he had found out about wizards or discovered mythical magical creature. She was lucky she didn't have to obliviate him so far although it often required some fast-talking from her to convince Mulder that he didn't saw what he saw and pull wool over eyes of Auror Davidson.
She was quite sure, if some had bothered that Mulder had at least magical aptitude of a squib. And on top of that two month ago Mulder had somehow found and befriended Hippogriff in Shenandoah Park, he called her to show her some incredible animal. Her shock of he had found a magical creature and befriended it left her in wonders.
Unfortunately for her Auror Davidson found Mulder first and took his memories making him think he was drunk. Davidson was one of the meanest assholes she ever met and he wanted to pin this as Dana's failure to keep Statute of Secrecy. He truly wanted could send her to prison luckily the panel of the court had found Dana innocent.
She hated that man and not a few times she had envisioned herself of putting bullet into him. Only, if she could find some way to do it without leaving any evidence implicating her. And she wasn't cold-blooded murderer.
Her thoughts returned, from murderous fantasies, to the cold reality and to this god damned letter.
She looked at it before she came to decision the wording was vague enough requiring her to verify his identity via goblin blood test to reveal his magical family tree. And decided on a course of action and lifted the phone, dialled number to A.D. Skinner and asked him for a few days off for both her and Mulder. When he asked her why she decided not to beat around the bush and said that she had found from an independent, but solid source that there is good chance she found Samantha. After a moment of silence, Skinner gave them a week and if they needed longer they should call him.
Dana just finished her call when Mulder walked into the office greeting her. Dana in a pure reflex hid the letter, before she started.
"Mulder, I have a something to discuss with you. But not here, I already cleared it with Skinner."
Mulder looked at her with a raised eyebrow and saw Scully as she picked her coat and gestured to him, to take his things. Scully was behaving oddly and voiced his thoughts. "Scully has this something to do with the yellowed paper you just hid?" She blinked at him like a deer caught in headlights before she nodded.
"Yes partly we need to talk about it in private. I got an lead from a source"
"Will we need Gunman to verify it?"
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes, Mulder."
They walked in silence to the garage. And when they reached Scullys car he asked as he got in the front seat.
"Where we are going."
"To my home."
The ride was quiet when they reached Scully's home, she let him in and to his surprise she pulled two tumblers and bottle of Zacapa rum, she did prefer wine to spirits and the bottle of rum was the only hard spirit she already had.
She opened it and poured them both a generous drink, before handing one to Mulder and taking a gulp from hers.
"Okay, Scully, you are scaring me."
"I am scaring myself,, if I don't play this well, I am in a world of trouble more than you know."
She took a drink.
"Mulder, I know what you think about magic and while I always claimed that it didn't exist., I must confess that I have been leading you."
"What do you mean?" He asked suspicion colouring his voice.
"What I mean is that I know that magic exists." She said heavily and cringed at his look.
She spoke before he could ask for explanation. "it is not that I wanted to hide it from you, but because I have no choice, if I didn't help to hide the repression would be very bad for me, I already had faced trial, because I wasn't according to them fast enough in preventing you from finding about magic."
Mulder scowled. "Who are they?"
"Ministry of Magic."
"We have ministry of Magic?" Scully nodded and could see as the old accusation of her being there to spy on him formed in his head. "Why you?"
"Because I am witch."
"Witch? Like Missy?" Scully shook her head.
"No missy was Wicca, her magic came from her connection to earth and ley lines. Me I am witch of the more classical sense my magic comes from me, I use wand." She pulled her wand from her sleeve and held it, seven inches Rosewood with a Dragon heartstring good for transfiguration. With a casual flick the book on the table changed to marten, it sat on hind legs and begged with front legs and it changed back to the medical text.
Mulder stared at it, before he looked her million questions in his eyes. And Scully started. "Magical world is guarded by a set of international laws that comes from middle ages, because witch hunts. It is one of the most guarded and sacred laws, if I didn't uphold it, I could end up for five years in prison that is guarded by creatures that suck out all of your positive memories and reinforce the bad one and even worser things." Mulder looked horrified and asked.
"Then why are you telling me all this."
"Because," she gulped "I have reason to this but before I get to the letter I have to give some further explanation." Scully then gave a brief explanation of how magical world was separated from mundane and how it worked in terms of social views..
"So as I said in magical world family has high priority, of course magical ancestors are most important. And that's where the letter comes into the play."
He nodded her explanation calmed him a bit and nodded as she held it.
"Sometime two years back I started to look through records of magical orphans of unknown blood status and adopted magical children, in hopes to find your sister, I went through school yearbooks to look for her. I might have found her, although I might be wrong and I hope I am little bit."
"Why?"
"My source says, that your sister might have died two years ago."
He looked shocked and she could see as all five stages of grieving flashed over his face." To be sure, I had requested a method to make sure."
She handed him a thick list of parchment.
He looked at it and back at Scully. "It is empty."
"I know. It is charmed parchment, I got it from British bank of Gringotts, it will show, if you have any magical relatives. You need to place drop of the blood on the circle here." She indicated to the small circle.
He looked at it apprehensively, Scully stood up and came back with a hypodermic needle and offered it to Mulder.
He looked at it thinking before taking it stabbing himself to his finger, the drop fell in the circle and was absorbed into the parchment. Before a writing started to appear. First around the place where his blood soaked.
Fox William Mulder, born 1961
Mulder see as a dotted line came from before it started to write
Celeste Lovegood nee Smith, born Samantha Ann Mulder, born 1965 died 1994, sister
From her name sprouted link that tied to another name.
Xenophilius Ptolemy Lovegood, born 1964, died 1996. Brother-in-Law
And from these two names came a third name.
Luna Lachesis Lovegood, born 1985, niece.
He stared at the paper his face contorted in grief, Dana lift herself and wrapped Mulder in a hug.
He didn't cry, he then said little shaken. "I have a niece."
"Yes, I can see that."
"How? How did you find out."
Scully replied, "When I went to a ministerial library and wanted to see, if I could find yearbooks from European schools. And I found an copy of five days old main British newspaper Daily Prophet."
She reached and pulled a folded list of papers, she unrolled it in the bottom of the page was a small article informing that Xenophillius Lovegood chief editor of Quibbler died on one of his fabled animals discovery expedition. The article speculated that it was in fact suicide as Mr. Lovegood bucked under the stress of being a alone as his daughter was in Hogwarts and would return soon and since it was two year anniversary of the spellcrafting accident that claimed his wife. Under it was photo of late older Lovegoods.
Mulder nodded a bit "Yes that Samantha." as his finger trailed over the photo and twitched when the people waved suddenly.
"She looked happy," he said quietly "and she has beautiful daughter I have to see her." he blinked, at the photo "Do photos in wizarding world move?" then he added as an afterthought "I am her Uncle." He sounded still surprised by just saying that.
Scully nodded. "They do, you will get used to it, anyway, I kind of expected that, I have an transport already secured."
She hesitated, "There is one thing you should know."
"Yes?"
"Traditionally, kids in this situation are placed to the closest relative, from what I understood, Mr. Lovegood doesn't have any relatives so it is highly probable that little Luna will be placed in your custody."
He nodded dumbly. Scully caught his hand and gave it a squeeze, "You know that I will try to help as much as I can. I already spoke with Skinner not with details, we have a week and more."
She looked around and left for a few seconds. She heard something knocking on her window, she opened it up and owl flew in and dropped a rolled up parchment in front of Mulder, before flying from the window out. Scully recognized it as Gringotts owl.
"It is from Gringotts, wizarding network of Banks." She explained he rolled it open. And read, he then showed it to her. In lawyer it spoke that Mulders presence is requested at Gringotts at London branch in accordance of his possible guardianship. Not a few seconds later another owl came, this one was bearing a similar letter from British Ministry of Magic in the same matter. Scully then lifted herself, "Come on let's get packed I have my overnight bag prepared, lets go to your apartment and get you packed.
Scully didn't let Mulder drive and to his surprise they took taxi to his apartment . Scully helped him to pack and once he was packed she pulled her wand again and shrunk his suitcase to a size of matchbox handling it to him telling him it would stay like this up to ten hours.
"So , from where we are flying?" he asked still eyeing the miniature suitcase.
"Nowhere I have a portkey booked for us it is way faster, it is magical way to travel switch off your phone or it will fry it. It leaves from M.o.M. here from DC. Portkey is enchanted object that will takes us to British M.o.M. in a couple of minutes. Not most pleasant, but it is hard to describe the feeling to firstimer." She eyed her watches before saying it would be about seven in London.
"And that sounded comforting and how are we getting there?"
"Got everything? "Scully asked.
After Mulder nodded, "I will apparate us, it is basically teleportation via persons magic. Good for shorter distances up to two, hundred miles. But I have to visit the place before or know exact apparition coordinates. "
"Okay, what I am supposed to do?" He nodded bit warily. Scully walked and locked his door before, she placed his key in his pocket and grabbed his hand looked in his eyes and said. "Just hold tight." And with a loud Crack they disappeared from the flat.
Mulder gasped he felt like was pushed through a tight tube and now he was standing in completely different room, he wasn't sure where he was around them were milling people in long black robes and sometimes some in red.
They didn't stand out much in their long trench coats, Scully who was still holding his hand started to lead him through the hall, and corridors Mulder couldn't take his eyes from the sights, flying paper planes crisscrossing through the hall near the ceiling moving paintings, people exiting from lit fireplaces.
Scully moved smoothly till she stopped abruptly when they were stopped when a man in red robes stood in their way.
"Davidson, you are in the away." Scully hissed her voice full of hostility.
The man's pigs eyes went from Scully to Mulder and his face broke into very malevolent smile. "Miss Scully it sees that you finally showed how stupid you really are, bringing muggle here, it seems that I will have to arrest you. You will not talk your way out of this. Aurors!" He called the last and he seemed happy with himself and three other men in red robes with badges appeared.
But Scully suddenly smiled as she recognised that one of the arrived aurors.
"Ah, Marcus that is where you are wrong, Hello Senior Auror Marston, Mulder could you please show him the notice you have received?"
Mulder seemed bit confused, it was clear that Scully knew this Davidson and, if he guessed she had something against Scully trying to pin something on her, probably one of those blood purists.
He did as he was asked and the man named Marson read it carefully, before asking Scully. "I suppose you told him about Statute and read him in, yes?"
"Yes." Scully nodded. He grumbled and handed the parchment back to Mulder saying "My condolences." He turned to Davidson.
"As it seems Mr. Mulder is here legally and has right to know of the statue. Now junior Auror Davidson you can go." He dismissed Davidson, before giving Scully a nod and he and two of his underlings left. Davidson seemed to protest, but he was silenced by the man's glare and left with a huff. When Mulder was alone with Scully he asked.
"I guess one of the loud blood purists?"
"Yes, Marcus Davidson we were in the same year at Salem," said Scully as she started to lead Mulder.
"He couldn't get over the fact that uppity little mudblood had better marks, than someone with all of his superior breeding, that she could perform more spells in one go, one who managed even the hardest spells requiring considerate magical power and managed to complete one of the hardest magical process as my extracurricular assignment in my last year, there is only two hundred forty seven people in the whole US who can do this.."
He looked interested and asked "Really? What is this process."
Scully smirked "It is easier to show than tell, once we have a room in UK I will show you, trust me you will love it."
They walked to the door with a label international Portkeys, Scully announced her name to the clerk who handed her an old boot and piece of parchment.
She grabbed Mulder and walked him to the designated area quickly explaining. "This boot is enchanted once I speak the password it will take us to London, now, all you have to-do is to be touching the portkey, once I say the password it will start there is strong spinning sensation once it slows start moving your feet as if exiting escalator or we will end in heap. Ready?"
He nodded.
As it turned out despite of Scully's warning they ended up in a heap.
The meeting with the ministerial clerk was brief he only wanted to confirm Mulders blood relation and once confirmed he just signed Luna's guardianship to Mulder without any word or question asked.
After Scully got instructions she apparated them to Diagon Alley British most busiest magical district. They weaved through the crowd. Mulder ogled many of the shops, during the walk Scully coached Mulder about the bankers who were apparently goblins., the meeting with the Lovegood account manager, who explained more thoughtfully that Mr. Lovegood had a simple will he left everything to his daughter, She had her own small trust vault and the tuition to Hogwarts was already paid. The Quibbler would continue being printed but the main responsibility for it would fall to deputy editor in chief, but Luna would still be granted ownership once she will reach 18. They briefly talked, about Lunas family house and the possibilities on how to put it into storage.
As Luna was due to return in two days from her school Hogwarts, it was decided that they will take her. Scully took Mulder out of the Shopping to the mundane world Scully luckily exchanged some of her Dollars to British pounds and asked the taxi to the hotel near Kings Cross.
The hotel had only one double bed room available for today.
Once they settled to the room Mulder started pacing finally having more time to absorb the events of the day. Scully had ordered a lunch to their room and left Mulder to pace.
After lunch Mulder started to bombard Scully with questions, about wizarding world, witches and how in hell he could take care for teenaged girl.
She tried to help him at first telling him that her house was big enough and she could take both Mulder and his niece in for some time before he would find something bigger and that she would help him with all magical stuff. And lets face it Mulder didn't have a bed for himself in his flat.
"You know, you are lucky she is not a lot younger, smaller children have very bad control over their magic when they are emotional these bursts are called accidental magic."
"Did you have any?"
"Course I did, for example when I was seven I accidentally turned Bill's hair neon pink, because he was harassing me." She said with a winning smile.
He laughed "Tell me do you mentioned brooms, do you fly on one?"
"Gods no, I flown one once in the school and that was enough thank you very much." Mulder suddenly remembered that Scully didn't like heights much.
¨You also mentioned some extremely hard process you did in the school and you promised to…" His voice trailed as suddenly a cute small red fox replaced the smirking Scully. Sitting there and waggling her large tail a bit before it changed back to Scully.
She was grinning at his face as she said, "I am what is called animagus, it is witch or wizard who can change into animal at will and keep their sentience in the form. The process to become one is very exhaustive and difficult and requires certain talents and prerequisites." This sprung a new barrage of questions and Scully spent rest of her day explaining and planning.
Far away from the hotel near kings cross, in Scotland I hidden school in highlands. Lone student was sitting alone, she was wondering what will next day bring silently most of the students were returning home to their families, she was supposed to return to her father, but now he was gone, orphanage seemed as her fate. She would cry for her poor father, if she had any tears left. She would cry for her mommy, but she was gone too, she desperately wished that she wouldn't be so alone in the world with the very last fibre of her being. Not knowing that her wish being granted.