Disclaimer: Aside from my dear Taylor, Gabriel, Raylee, and the cook, I don't own anything in the Harry Potter universe. Much to my misfortune.
A/N: I hope you enjoy the chapter, read it and tell me what you think. Much thanks to my reviewer, IsabellaPaige, and I hope you like this chapter as well.
The Chosen Path
Chapter Two: The Reasons
Mistress B
Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming
Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights
She awoke with the lights surrounding her, so many lights. She tried to raise an arm to shield her eyes, but found she couldn't move. 'Where am I?' she tried to ask, but no words came from her lips. Then, a new question arose. 'Who am I? What am I doing here?' she wished she could scream these questions out, but as she attempted to move, a searing pain spread through her.
"Miss, you can't move yet. You will cause yourself too much pain." Came a soft voice to her left. She opened her mouth and found a straw being inserted. She drank greedily, realizing as soon as the first drop of water hit her tongue how thirsty she truly was. "Try again, miss." Said the person to her left. She opened her mouth and let out a moaning sound.
She tried again. "Wh…" She trailed off with a moan. "Where…" She tried to complete the sentence, frustrated that she couldn't. Tears trailed down her cheeks, leaving a burning trail in their wake. A silhouette rose above her, blocking away some of the bright white lights.
"It's alright, Miss. You are in a hospital; you're in good hands. It's all being taken care of." She moaned softly in confusion, and the voice continued. "You've been in and out of consciousness for the past two weeks. You had surgery earlier today, so we have you on some major painkillers along with your antibiotics. You won't have much feeling for a week or so, and then you will inevitably be wishing for more of these painkillers." She moaned again. The person came closer, and she could make out a kind looking young man, his sandy hair falling in front of his grey eyes. "You had some injuries to your legs. That was the need for the surgery." She moaned and tears fell down her cheeks again. "Miss, you need to stop crying. The tears are getting into the cuts, and I'm afraid that might cause you more pain."
She blinked back her tears and looked wearily up at the man. "What?" She forced out.
"What happened?" He asked, and she nodded her head softly, wincing a bit as she did so. "You were in a plane crash, Miss. You were one of the only survivors. You didn't have any identification…" He paused and looked at her warily. "Do you remember anything about it?" She shook her head, the stiffness in her neck receding. He sighed and nodded softly. "The doctors were afraid of that." He said, turning away. "You have a visitor, in any event. He saw your picture in the news, on the list of survivors. He came right afterwards, fearing for your safety." He smiled warmly at her and stepped away from the bed, and once more she found herself blinded.
The man was soon back, though, propping her up so that she was no longer being blinded. What had appeared to her a white room was in truth a cream colour, with green splattered throughout in the many plants that covered the room. She saw a man in the doorway, his black hair shining under the bright lights. He stepped closer and she saw that his eyes were a shocking ice blue colour, and his tan skin had a warm tone to it. He waited until the orderly left, and he sat down on the chair. "Hello, young one." He said, his voice accented and heavy, the Italian tones sliding over her. "I was given instructions to care for you until you are back at school." He said abruptly.
She noticed a piece of yellow paper gripped in his hands and looked up at him wearily. "They say you will be out of the majority of these bandages in the next few days. Then, within the next week, you will return to my home with me. I have already hired a nurse and a physical therapist, to help with your recovery. When it is time for school, you will be taken there on the train, along with the other students, and then you will get your own room in your dorms." Her mind spun.
Oh how I long for the deep sleep dreaming
The Goddess of Imaginary light
"School?" she asked hoarsely. He nodded, gazing around the room. "What school?" she said softly, her voice cracking heavily.
"That is a subject for when you are feeling better. Until now, young one, you must sleep." She wanted to refuse, to yell at him, to order him to answer her, but instead, her eyes fell shut and she dozed.
She was kept at the hospital for what seemed an interminable amount of time, although in truth, it was but ten days. The nurses and orderly called her Miss, never another name given to her, and the black haired man did not return. The bandages were removed, and when she looked in the mirror, it was as if she had never seen herself before. She knew nothing about how she was supposed to look, but the way she did look seemed… wrong. Her cheeks were too slim, her lips too full, and her nose seemed wider than it should have been. She ran a hand through the hair that fell about her, amazed at its thickness and just plain curliness. It seemed right, though, the way it was. Not that she was fond of it.
She found out that her legs were barely able to lift her, and that only therapy would bring it back to the way they once were. The doctors said that, if she couldn't afford therapy, that even without it she would walk, although she would have a limp. She had been brought the clothes she had worn the day of the crash, a pair of dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a nylon jacket, and they were on her bed, waiting for her to pull them on. She would need help with the pants, both to get them on without standing, but also to pull the fabric over the bandages that were still wrapped around the stitches. She would have scarring, they said, and probably bad.
They had admitted, when she had said that her face seemed strange, that they had had to do some miracles to get it to heal as quick as it did, and without visible scarring. They had had to do some major surgery the very day of the crash, to reconstruct her face, and indeed underneath the bandages that had just recently been removed, there had been a myriad of stitches and cuts. The surgery hadn't been major, for all that they had needed to do, and in fact was quick, but none of them had known how she had truly looked, so they had done the best they could.
She couldn't fault them, though. It was a stunning face, if not the one she had expected to see when she had had the bandages removed. The brown hair, yes, the caramel eyes, yes. The lips had been the first thing she had seen, and that was enough to have her eyes widening. She was to be picked up today, and so she was sitting in front of the mirror, examining the red marks that were all that remained of the stitches they had so expertly given to her. She wheeled herself to the bed and pulled off the shirt she had been wearing, reaching for the black t-shirt.
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullaby
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
She pulled it over her head and on, and then reached for the jeans. She had just taken them into her hands when she remembered that she couldn't put them on herself. She sighed heavily and wheeled herself to the door, poking her head outside where the sandy haired orderly was waiting. "You knew?" She asked, blushing. He chuckled.
"Yes, I knew you would need help." He answered, walking around her and taking the handles to the wheelchair, pushing it to the bed. He put his arms around her and sat her onto the mattress, then pushed her back a bit. "Hold yourself up so that I can get these pyjama bottoms off." He said. She sighed and held her hips off of the bed. "Thank you." He said softly.
She was used to this, being assisted by the orderlies and the nurses. In fact, she was more comfortable with this kind haired young man that any of the others in the hospital. "Taylor, I'm not sure I know the man who is taking me to his home." She confided. Taylor looked up from unbuttoning the jeans, an eyebrow raised. "I mean, usually I can at least sort of recognize things, like that jacket." She said, nodding her head to the nylon jacket. "I just don't feel any recognition." She said, sighing.
Taylor laughed, sliding the jeans over her hips and stepping back, allowing her to finish. "You need to lighten up, Miss. It'll all be fine. You said he was sent to take you to his home, so maybe your guardian or some such thing was too busy to come himself, and so sent him." He said, leaning against the wall as she did up the button on her jeans. When she finished, he came to her side and assisted her into the wheelchair. "And anyways, you will do fine no matter where you go." He said offhandedly. She smiled and looked up at him gratefully. "I suppose I should get you to the waiting room." He murmured, gathering up the pyjamas that had been given to her and packing up the few things she had.
She smiled and glanced around the room where she had all of her memories. This room was all she could remember, before was nothing but a blur. Sometimes, she had the faint memory of certain things, a small house with two people, one a brunette woman, the man sandy haired. She wished she could put names, or even faces to the figures. She couldn't though, and so she tended to pay no attention to the fogs of half memories. This room was the centre of all the solid memories she had, and because of it, she felt a sort of fondness for the plain room. She took the bag from Taylor and set it on her lap, then waited for him to wheel her out of the room. The nineteen year old had become her friend in the short time she had been in the hospital, talking to her when she would have been completely lonely. Their conversations had made her time at the hospital bearable.
She looked back at him, and tilted her head softly. "How can I get a hold of you?" She asked, and he looked down and smiled.
"I'll write out my telephone number and my address, and you can get a hold of me either way." He said as they entered the waiting room. The black haired man was there, standing by the door and glancing around. When he noticed her, he pushed himself off of the doorframe and started over. Taylor crouched down next to her and smiled softly, folding her fingers around a piece of paper. "Don't forget about me, Missy." He said lightly, and she smiled softly, tucking the paper into a pocket and patting it lightly.
"I won't if you don't." She said, reaching out and running her fingers through his hair. The black haired man reached them then, and coughed lightly.
I linger in the doorway
Of alarm clock screaming monsters calling my name
"Young one. We must be off." He said. She nodded and Taylor stood, waved, and left. The black haired man took the handles and pushed her out of the hospital, and she couldn't help but send a sad glance backwards. The black haired man chuckled and shook his head. "You won't miss it much when he comes to talk to you." He said softly.
She frowned. "He? Who is he?" She asked, turning back and looking up at him. He looked down and smiled warmly.
"The headmaster of your school. Which, I have to tell you, is starting in less than four weeks." He said, stopping the wheelchair beside an expensive looking green vehicle. "You will not need this?" he asked this, and she shook her head.
"I can walk, just… It hurts, after a while, and I don't have much strength for holding myself up." The black haired man helped her into the car, and then moved around to the back of the vehicle, lifting the trunk. She glanced around and took in the interior of the car, the leather seats and dash, and she smiled. It was a nice car. The black haired man opened the driver side door and slid into the car, and she pulled the seat belt on. "Who are you?" She asked.
"My name is Gabriel Valero. Your headmaster has appointed me your guardian." He said idly, pulling the car out of the parking lot and driving through the city streets, "Now, I never met you before the accident, but I assure you, I intend to take good care of you." He said, smiling over at her. She nodded.
"My Headmaster… Have I met him before?" She asked, fiddling with the nylon jacket. She didn't like not knowing things.
"Ah, yes. Yes you do. Albus Dumbledore has been your headmaster for five years, you will be starting your sixth year." He said, turning the car onto an exit.
"Sixth year… But I don't even know what school I am going to. And I don't know anything that I learned before." She protested. Gabriel chuckled.
"I will save those questions for your headmaster to answer. Until he gets here, though, I cannot continue calling you young one. What would you like for your name, since I do not know yours?" He asked.
She thought, smiling softly as she remembered Taylor's affectionate goodbye. "Missy. Missy is good." She said. Gabriel smiled and nodded.
"Melissa Valero. It has a certain ring to it, no?" He asked. She smiled and nodded.
"So I am now a Valero?" She asked uncertainly.
"Unless you wish for a different name. Remember, this is only until you remember. If you wish to change it when your memory returns, your teachers and I will understand your decision. But until then, we cannot have you running around with no name for us to call you. And Valero is as good a surname as any, no?" he asked. She nodded. "Also, if you have my name, you will not be questioned when we go to the bank and have you added to my account." She stared at him.
"Your account?" She said dumbly.
"Yes, if you are to live with me, you will be as my daughter. In that regard, you will need to have access to my money so that you will be able to, well, do whatever it is that teenage girls do." He said. She laughed lightly and gazed out the window.
Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me
Where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story
"So, I am to become, in name, a Valero, and in idea, your daughter." She muttered. "I suppose that I do need a last name." She nodded. "I think this will be alright." She said, looking over at Gabriel. "What am I to call you, then?" She said. He laughed.
"Gabriel is as good as anything, no?" He said, looking over at her. She smiled and nodded.
"Alright Gabriel. Now that we have been introduced, I think I would like to know where we are going." She said. Gabriel nodded.
"I live in a guest house of one of the more influential members of certain circles while I am in England. I do live, in truth, in Italy, in a beautiful palazzo, with vineyards and gardens that sprawl over a large estate." He said. "But I could never bring myself to buy another estate here, it seems like I am abandoning my family home. So, I live on the grounds of an extremely wealthy family, although I paid for the construction of the house and the upkeep. We will be staying there for three weeks, and then we will go into London and stay there while we get your school things." He said. "But until your headmaster arrives, Missy, you need not worry about school. Enjoy your time here, lounge about, go on horseback rides, do whatever you please. The owner of the grounds has given permission for you to visit, as well, but only on certain days. They have no daughters, but a son your age, and if you find him a bore or something, you can always visit with the lady of the house."
Missy, as she tried to get used to being called, nodded and smiled. "I will go there, someday, and meet them." She said, looking out the window at the field that spread out for as far as she could see.
Gabriel smiled. "Now, you can sleep, young one. It will be some time before we get even to the gates of the estate, and some time before we each our home after that. We will pass the main house before we reach our own, and I will be sure to wake you at the gates so you can see your new home." He said softly. Missy smiled and lay back, closing her eyes.
Gabriel woke her what seemed a short time after, although the sun was already setting. Large wrought iron gates rose in front of the car, and a man was coming towards the car. The guard glanced in before smiling. "Mr. Valero, welcome back. And this is?" He asked, pointing towards Missy.
Gabriel looked over and smiled. "That is my daughter, Melissa." He said, and the guard smiled.
"I did not realize you had any children. As far as I knew, you were unwed." Gabriel shrugged.
"I have many things that no one knows. My daughter was one of those things. But, I felt it was time she joined me here." He said, and the guard chuckled.
"She doesn't look much like you. She is a brunette." The guard pointed out. Missy looked up.
"I dyed it. Black hair didn't seem to suit me, although I have been contemplating putting it to rights." She said idly, a bored expression on her face. "Now, I would like to see my father's home, if you may?" She said, raising an eyebrow and gesturing towards the gate. The guard laughed.
"Now I see the resemblance, Mr. Valero. Miss Valero." He said, nodding to them each and jogging to the guardhouse. The gate opened slowly when he disappeared inside, and Gabriel slowly accelerated the vehicle, entering the grounds.
She looked back and saw script on the top of the gate, but could not make it out from the angle she was on. She turned and looked back at the grounds, then heard Gabriel chuckling. "What's funny?" She asked, looking over at him.
"That was ingenious. The guard believed you were truly my daughter, probably your tone of voice, one that expects everyone to jump at your command. It was truly inspired." She blushed and shrugged.
"I had to give some reason for our different hair colours, since he brought it up. It was the first I thought of." She said, and then paused. "I do want to try my hair black, though." She said, quieter. Gabriel laughed.
"I'll allow it, but not until the Headmaster has visited. Until then, you will focus on resting and working with your therapist so that you will be walking by the time school begins. I spoke to the doctors, and they said it is likely you will be walking by the time we go into town for your school things, although they say you will probably tire quickly, unless you work on walking often during the time you are here. They say you will likely be running about by this time in two months." Gabriel said, and then pointed off to the right. "There it is, the main house." She gasped as she looked at the huge house.
If you need to leave the world you live in
Lay your head down and stay awhile
The house looked to be about five stories, and had two wings off of the main house. The wings swept off to either side, and the whole front yard was filled with gardens. There was a sweeping staircase to the front doors, and the cherry oak of the double doors and the black of the roof complimented the red brick of the walls. Large trees dotted the yard and gardens, and Missy couldn't help but feel awe at the beautiful mansion. "It's beautiful." She said shortly, looking back as they passed the mansion.
"Aye, that's the Manor for you, as the family fondly calls their home. Their forefather, one Tobias Malfoy, built it long ago and the home has been passed through their family since then. There is only one Malfoy heir now, the owner's son, and he stands to inherit everything, as there is no one else with the Malfoy name." He said.
"But there must be someone who is a Malfoy, but does not have the name. Wouldn't they inherit?" Missy asked idly, looking out the window at the trees that passed.
"No. The Malfoy family is all for honour to the Malfoy name, and no other. They do not stand for anyone else to inherit anything from them, unless they too are of the Malfoy name." Gabriel explained. Missy frowned, but nodded all the same. She couldn't say she understood it, but to each their own. She smiled as she glanced outside at the trees that shadowed the lane they drove on, contentment flooding through her.
"It truly is beautiful, all of it." She said idly, glancing over at Gabriel. He smiled and turned the car, following the curve of the lane.
"That it is, Melissa. It has, reportedly, always been quite something to behold, the acres full of pastures where their horses are bred, their own private lake, complete with beach house and dock… Yes, it is quite the house." Gabriel said. "But I cannot wait for you to see my home… That is, if you wish to, by the time next summer has come along. You may find some other place to spend your time…" Missy laughed.
"Of course I'll come visit next summer, Gabriel!" She said, smiling lightly and reaching over to touch his arm. "You've already become my favourite guardian!" She said lightly. Gabriel looked over at her and shook his head.
"I'm your only guardian, young one." He said. Missy laughed and nodded.
"I know. I just wondered if you would catch that as well." She said, shrugging. "Anyways, am I going to have to work on an Italian accent? You know…" She adopted a fake Italian accent, joking around. "So I can pass as your daughter, long hidden away in the fields of Italy?" She said. Gabriel rolled his eyes and laughed.
"That has got to be one of the worst accents I have ever heard." He said, sending Missy into a fit of laughter.
"I know, but it was worth the look on your face." She admitted, giggling lightly. She collapsed into her seat, random giggles still breaking free from her calm demeanour, and again watched the trees pass. Gabriel slowed as they approached a curve and glanced over at her.
"Up ahead is our home." He said softly, and Missy leaned forward, hoping to catch her first glimpse of the house that would become her home, at least during the summer. She wasn't disappointed when they finally rounded the corner, although it wasn't as large or as extravagant as the Malfoy Manor. The house was three stories, and large but not overly so. There were no wings off to the side, and, all in all, it reminded her of an old Victorian home. It was of grey brick, and a wrap around porch surrounded the front and sides. A large window was at the very top, beaming down from a gable, and Gabriel pointed to it. "You will have your choice of that room," He said gesturing to the window from the gable, "Or else one on the other side, that looks down over the orchards." He smiled. "You can have either, or both. They have both been designed for a young woman, and both vacant." He said. Missy sensed a sort of regret at his words, but kept her silence, instead gazing at the house.
Though you may not remember dreaming
Something waits for you to breathe again
"It is beautiful, Gabriel. I can say with utmost confidence, that I will love my time here." She said, smiling and gazing over the grounds around the house. Again, the front yard was spotted with gardens and benches, a fountain and bushes, statues and numerous other lawn ornaments. It was beautiful, and words couldn't express it well enough for her liking. She put her hands in her pockets and waited as Gabriel stepped out of the vehicle, heading around to the back where she knew he had put the wheelchair, despite her saying she didn't need it. As she thought, he wheeled it around to her door, opening it for her and stepping away. She slid herself from the seat to the wheelchair, and then wheeled herself from the doorway so that Gabriel could shut the door.
He took the handles and smiled. "There are a variety of clothes, although whether they are to your liking or not I'm not sure. In any matter, they will suffice until we go into town. Then, along with your school things, we will get you a whole new wardrobe, all to your own specifications." He said, and Missy looked back at him, disbelieving. He was so kind, giving her so much. His name, his home, his money… She was dumbstruck by it all. His generosity was enormous, and Missy couldn't help bet feel she need to give him something in return.
"I… I don't know how I'll ever repay you, Gabriel." She said softly, glancing at the house he led her to. He laughed and shook his head, reaching out with a hand and patting her shoulder.
"Just be the daughter I was never able to love, to be blessed with." He said, manoeuvring the wheelchair up the steps. "Do that, and I will consider all debts repaid in full, with interest," He said lightly, stepping in front of the wheelchair to open the doors. She gasped as she caught her first glimpse of the house that was to be her new home, with a sweeping staircase from the entrance hall, tile floors, and warm wooden panelling on the walls. She eyed the stairs dubiously, and looked up at Gabriel. He laughed and followed her gaze. "Oh, do not worry, young one. The therapist says that you are to sleep on the first floor to begin with, and then, slowly, you will begin using the stairs as a tool, strengthening your legs. She was truthfully very happy to see them, especially the banisters." He quipped, and Missy laughed lightly.
The day had left her dazed, and the rest of the tour was quick. She would have known by a single glance at the interior of the house that Gabriel was wealthy, but when she combined that with the knowledge of his estate in Italy, the depth of his wealth astounded her. She didn't know who he was, but he had to be of some reputation within the higher levels of society.
Dinner that day was a simple affair, with Missy sitting on a barstool at the kitchen counter and Gabriel sitting on the counter across the room, simple pasta on the plates they ate from. Garlic toast was served with the pasta, and Missy had to congratulate Gabriel on the cook he had. He shrugged and explained that she had started cooking in the estate in Italy, and Gabriel couldn't part with her fine cooking, not to mention his home language of Italian. "Unfortunately, she absolutely refuses to learn more than Basic English, but I think that with you around, she will relent and learn some more." He said, finishing his pasta and placing his plate on the counter. The cook bustled in then, speaking quickly in Italian, and Gabriel laughed lightly before turning to Missy. "She says that you are a stunning girl, and that she will soon teach you Italian." He said, chuckling still. Missy laughed and smiled at the woman. Her black hair was similar to Gabriel's, although hers had a blue sheen under the lights. Her hazel eyes were warm and sparkling, and her slim figure belied her position of cook.
Soon after she was shown to the guest room where she would be sleeping until she could manoeuvre the house. "I'm sorry it is so plain, but it is only temporary." Gabriel said after Missy glanced around the crimson and silver room. The four-post bed had a black velvet canopy, and a white lace spilling from under the heavy velvet. The velvet was tied to each of the corners, and the lace left hanging down in the spaces between. There was nothing in or on the armoire, and a full-length mirror was standing in a corner. Missy looked up at him incredulously.
"This? This is anything but plain, Gabriel. This is… This is stunning." She said, sighing lightly. Gabriel shrugged.
"This is nothing compared to your own rooms, Melissa." He said. Missy smiled and Gabriel said a quick goodnight before leaving, telling her that the therapist would soon be entering the room to assist her.
Missy's jacket was already sitting on the bed, and she wheeled the chair over, digging into the pocket. She pulled out the sheet of paper Taylor had wrote his number on and set it on her bedside table, then set the jacket onto a chair next to the armoire. The door opened again and a small woman entered, her light brown hair short and dyed black at the tips. She had a warm smile that appeared when she saw Missy. "Hey there, kiddo. How d'yer legs feel tonight?" She asked idly, crouching down in front of her. Missy shrugged and the woman held out a pair of shorts. "You'll need to wear these whenever we work together," She said, handing them to Missy.
In my field of paper flowers
And candy clouds of lullabies
"Do you want me to put them on now?" Missy asked. The woman nodded, and turned to leave.
"I'll be back in fifteen minutes, you should be changed and seated on the floor by then." The woman said before leaving out the door once more. Missy eyed the shorts, black with a silky feeling, rasping lightly beneath her fingertips. She pushed herself off of the chair and onto the floor, where she lay down on her back. She pulled her jeans off with little difficulty, then, with a short struggle, had the shorts pulled up and over her hips. She pushed herself so that she lay against the bed, leaning against the mattress, and waited.
True to her word, the woman returned at the end of a total of fifteen minutes, a soda in one hand and oils in another, bandages tucked underneath her arm. "My name is Raylee, by the by," She said, setting the soda onto the bedside table, along with the oils and bandages. "I'm your therapist, as I'm sure you've gathered, and also, your nurse. Now, I assure you that by the time three weeks are done, that wheelchair will be a thing of the past." She said, neatly lowering herself into a cross-legged position on the floor.
"I'm Melissa, and I am looking forward to no longer needing the wheelchair, I must admit." Missy said, smiling at the woman briefly. Raylee nodded and gestured for Missy's left leg.
"Enough of the chitchat, give me your leg and we will get to work." She said.
Two weeks passed, and Missy spent the days in a quiet peacefulness. Her mornings she spent in the east garden, underneath a tree, curled up on the grass in the middle of a circle of bushes and flowers. Her afternoons were spent between horseback riding, which Raylee insisted was therapy in itself, and time at the lake. She saw no one from the lake; according to Gabriel, the Malfoy's were off in Bulgaria visiting old friends. She had the lands to herself, and enjoyed every minute of it, riding through the fields in skirts, her shirt partially unbuttoned under the sun. She felt no modesty as she stepped out of the beach house and walked through the beach in only her bathing suit. She felt that she should have some modesty, that it was what she was supposed to feel, but she was met with only a sense of overwhelming freedom.
She had spent that morning as she had done normally, underneath the tree. Unlike most days, however, when she returned, Gabriel was nowhere to be seen. She made her slow way up the stairs, as per Raylee's orders, and made her way to her room. She had spent the week before in the gable, and this week she had decided to stay in the room that overlooked the orchards. She entered the room and made her way to the armoire, pulling it open and gazing inside, leafing though the clothes. She pulled out, finally, a light white skirt that swirled around her ankles and a white button up blouse, a lacy white spaghetti strap underneath. She dressed slowly, sitting on the bed, and pulled on her white sneakers she used every day. They were comfortable, and granted easy, and longer, walking. She dressed and pulled her hair into a half-clip, the top up and the bottom flowing over her shoulders.
She stood and made her way downstairs again, clinging to the banister as she walked unsteadily down the staircase. She moved into the parlour for a quick breakfast, considering what she could do for the rest of the as she walked, her hand out and brushing the wall as she moved through the halls. She had decided on horseback riding halfway through her meal when there was a knock at the front door, and as Gabriel wasn't home, Missy stood, glancing back at her half-eaten breakfast before continuing to the entrance hall. She straightened out her skirt as she stood in front of the door and then, with shaky knees, opened the door.
A white haired man with a beard reaching to his knees, a navy robe on, was standing on the porch, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses. She recognized him, somewhat, and gazed at him. He stuck out his hand and smiled. "I know you may not remember me, but I am your Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore." He said. Missy shook his head and gestured him in.
"We have been expecting you for sometime, Professor. Unfortunately, you have come at a time when my guardian isn't at home." She said, shutting the door behind the Professor as he entered.
"But I didn't come to speak to Gabriel, I came to speak to you." He said lightly, gazing around.
Missy smiled. "Then, shall we move this to the parlour, instead of the entrance hall?" She suggested. The Professor smiled and nodded, and Missy led the way. Her breakfast had been cleared, and she gestured for the Headmaster to take a seat. He did, and Missy sank into the couch opposite him.
Dumbledore smiled and began to speak. "I'm afraid I will have to make this quick, as things at the school still need arranging." He said, and Missy nodded.
"I understand." She said shortly.
"In that case, let me begin. You have been going to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since the age of ten, Ms. Valero." Missy started.
"Excuse me?" She asked, blinking quickly.
"Indeed. You are a witch." He said. That made a strange sort of sense to Missy, and she knew it was true. "You will be re-sorted on entrance, and free to make your own path, without the memory of your previous. You will be introduced as Melissa Valero, pureblood heiress to the Valero family fortune, transferred from a school called "London Witch's Academy", a small school, unheard of unless on acceptance, and only the most elite in foreign children are accepted. Your father, Gabriel, longed for you to get away from the stiff upbringing that was being enforced on you in the school, and arranged for that transfer. You have no mother, as she died when you were very young." He paused. "I think that should do for any questions from the students, and any others I am sure you can fill in." Missy frowned.
I lie inside myself for hours
And watch my purple sky fly over me
"But, why can't you just tell me my real past?" She asked, staring at the man. "I want to know who I am, who I was, what happened, why I was on that plane!" She said loudly, standing up. The man who she was sure would finally tell her the truth, fill her in on her missing past, was holding it all back? She couldn't, wouldn't comprehend his reasoning.
"Ms. Valero, you must understand that this is all for your own good. In the wizarding world, there is a man known by most as You-Know-Who, but who has taken the name Lord Voldemort, who would stop at nothing to destroy the muggle, or non-magical, world. In your past, you were more than completely against his rule. I want you to know only that, were he to know you were alive and, indeed, right under some of his followers noses, your life would be in danger." He paused. "Your accident caused the doctors to change your appearance enough that you will be recognized as who you once were, although some may find something of a resemblance in you. You plan to dye your hair black, and so that will discourage any over thinking on that aspect either." He glanced at her over his glasses. "I have already told you more than I intended to… But remember that once your memory returns, you will be able to return to your old life, if that is what you wish." Missy was gaping, now, and stood shakily along with the Professor. He led the way to the entrance hall this time, his robes swishing.
As soon as he said his farewells and left, Missy turned and made her way outside to the stable that was located not far from the Valero house. She had the groom saddle her horse, a gentle mare that she had claimed over the time she was there, and then climbed onto the brown mare with slight assistance from the groom. She kicked the horse lightly and the horse took off in a run, leaving the stables and heading instinctively to the large empty field behind the Malfoy Manor. She rode there each day, and then through the bushes and into a sleepy little clearing with a spring and a small waterfall that she loved to sit at and dream of her previous life.
She turned the horse into the field and gave her more reins, causing the mare to pick up speed as the pressure on the bit in her mouth was lessened. Her skirts billowed around her legs, the wind picking up the loose fabric to that it swirled around her thighs. Her shirt, unbuttoned at the bottom, was flipping back around her waist, and her hair was falling loose of the clip. Her cheeks became flushed, and she allowed the mare to run freely through the field, turning as she wished, as Missy contemplated everything she had learned. Being a witch, having magic, indeed having gone to a school for magic for the past five years… All things she would have expected to remember. Especially that she was in danger, from someone who seemed to be quite dangerous. That most wouldn't even refer to him by his name was a measure in itself of the fear they held for him. That she was a target showed more than anything Dumbledore had said about her importance.
She picked up the reins once more and turned the mare towards the tree line, where the path to the glade was almost invisible. She stopped at the beginning of the path and shook her head. "We should head home, Jezebel. Maybe he's home." She said shortly, running her hand over the mare's neck. She turned the horse towards the Valero home and kicked her lightly in the sides.
The house was in sight when she saw Gabriel's car pull into the driveway. She hurried Jezebel into a gallop, and then slid off as soon as the groom had hold of the reins. She gave Jezebel an affectionate pat and then turned, heading towards the house she had made her home. She entered through the parlour door and headed towards the entrance hall. Gabriel was peeling his jacket off, standing in front of the closet, and Missy took up a spot near the stairs, her arms crossed and her eyes bearing into his back. "Yes Melissa?" Gabriel asked without turning around.
"Did you know?" She asked, her voice wavering. Gabriel turned around, confusion etched across his face. "Did you know what I was? Was that another thing that was kept from me?" She asked, sinking onto the stairs. Gabriel sighed and came to sit next to her.
"I did. Professor Dumbledore sent me a letter by owl post, which is what wizards use, asking me to care for you. I was to keep you safe, at least until your memory returned on its own accord. We couldn't tell you your past and have you not remember the basics, and then find out that there would be consequences. I didn't want to know your past, so that I couldn't slip up." He paused. "I know only one thing. You were a fifth year, now sixth year at Hogwarts, and you were in danger because of Voldemort. Aside from that, you know as much, or maybe more, than me." Missy sighed.
"I'm just so sick of not knowing anything about myself." Gabriel smiled and stood.
"Did you want to dye your hair now? I have some things already that will make your immersion into the wizarding world easier." Missy stood up, following Gabriel to the kitchen.
Song: Imaginary, Evanescence.
Hope you enjoyed. Review!
Mistress B