AN: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank you all for your kind reviews, follows and favorites. You have no idea how much this means to me, nor how much I wanted to update sooner. I was a bit busy with school stuff and all.

Chapter Two

Doomed in a Literal Sense

By: crushcrucify

Althea was doomed. She was, in the literal sense, doomed. She stared at the moaning and groaning Piers Polkiss with muted horror, remains of the vase laying on the floor, scattered all over. The boy had a nasty gash on his right cheek and somehow, a large shard of crystal had lodged itself in his left leg.

Now, Althea was used to a little bloodshed; she did keep killing Kelli every other day, after all (even though Kelli didn't actually bleed). But she had never actually attacked another person. She had never thought she would attack another person. But when ratty Piers teased her, tried to steal a kiss and ultimately called her a dishonest, lying little girl, she completely lost it. No one called her 'dishonest' and got away with it!

She fought him, got into a brawl and kicked his ass. His pride having been hurt, Piers called her a nasty gothic runt because she slept in 'that stupid cupboard', thinking he'd get away with it. Safe to say, he didn't.

Rage had blinded her and Althea had thrown Petunia's precious crystal vase at the watery eyed boy. He hadn't been expecting such a violent reaction and his reflexes weren't as honed as hers were, so it collided straight into him, sending him sailing at the wall. The expensive vase shattered, injuring Piers and putting a thing like this on Althea's conscience. Not to mention that she couldn't lie to save her life, so she might as well be done for.

Shame and anger overtook her; she knew she couldn't stay at Privet Drive any longer. Turning on her heels, Althea ran upstairs to Dudley's spare bedroom and snatched up a blue backpack that the fat tub of lard had declared to be 'too plain'. She ran back into her cupboard and shoved in two spare changes of clothes, a wad of papers that were sketches she did in her free time and the knife she'd nicked from Kelli. She then rushed into the kitchen, grabbed two chicken sandwiches, a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate, shoving them all into the backpack.

Throwing the pack over her shoulders, Althea rushed to the front door. She paused to look at the groaning Piers.

"I'm so sorry, but this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't provoked me." She whispered and opened the door, running out into the afternoon heat.

Five minutes later, the whole of Privet Drive could hear Petunia Dursley's screaming, reminiscent to the morning she found her niece on her doorstep. But this time, it was for a much worse reason; a much, much worse reason.

Up on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building in an ethereal city, a blue eyed god sat on his throne, looking mildly concerned, but vaguely victorious. Soon, she would be where she was supposed to be; the place her mother should've put her in the moment she was born. Lily had made a mistake, but thank the fates that he actually paid attention to his children and was there to rectify the dearly departed redheaded witch's error. Soon, Althea would be at Camp Half Blood. He would be able to keep an eye on his firstborn daughter, and he would make the people that she had suffered under pay.

"A plague arrow or two should do it." Apollo mused.

At Hogwarts Castle, a certain Deputy Headmistress sat on one of Dumbledore's chairs he reserved for visitors, impatiently waiting for the old Headmaster to return from who knows where.

Minerva McGonagall had stopped believing in the eccentric old wizard the moment he put Althea Potter on her unnaturally normal relatives's doorstep, without a spell to keep her warm in a November night. Thankfully, she had been there after he'd apparated away and she'd had the good sense to put a warming charm on the poor baby. Her only regret was that she had failed Althea; she had failed to keep the young girl away from her magic hating aunt, uncle and cousin.

Minerva tapped her fingers on the ancient wooden oak desk impatiently, when all of a sudden, a few dozen of the silver instruments Dumbledore liked to keep exploded. She jumped up, wand in hand. Heading over to one of the shelves, Minerva poked the sizzling ruins of the instruments tentatively. She ran a diagnostic charm on the remains and the result she got nearly sent her into a rage.

He ... the bastard knew! Dumbledore knew that Althea was being mistreated! He had, in fact, put surveyor and spying spells all over Privet Drive. He'd been keeping check of the girl who lived since the day she was put into that miserable cookie cutter neighborhood, but had done nothing about the poor excuse of a home life Althea had!

Minerva felt her once high respect plummet to a number that would put zero to shame.

"Oh, how low the mighty have fallen." She whispered sadly, before withdrawing her wand and quickly stalking out of the office, no longer wishing to see the silver haired wizard.