Chapter 4:

She was trying to burn a hole into his head. She wanted nothing more than for him to implode on the spot. Her fists were clenched so hard her nails were digging into her palm as she glared at him.

"Where have you been!? I've been looking for you ever since you ran out of the hotel room." Ernie stepped forward toward Saffron, who felt her eye twitch as he talked. "It's not safe to go running around on your own and--- What are you doing here!"

"Don't go lecturing me like I'm five. I'm not a baby, and I can to whatever the hell I please. And I wouldn't be throwing around questions when you're the one who needs to explain a few things." Saffron felt her temper rising again.

"This isn't the time to talk about this." Macmillan said, giving her a parental look that she returned with a glare. He then turned to Harry, who stood by Saffron.

"Harry, I'm sorry if she's caused you any problems. I think it would be best if we go now." He said as he took Saffron's arm.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled at him, throwing him a deathly glower as she violently tugged her arm from his grip. "And don't go apologizing for me either! I can take care of my own messes."

Before Macmillan could retort Harry stepped in between them, looking at Macmillan. "Ernie, can I speak with you for a second?" He looked at Harry for a moment, clearly surprised by his intervention.

"Thank you Harry, but I think I can handle my daughter just fine. I'll explain everything--"

"Handle me!?" Saffron interrupted, yelling straight at Ernie. "Don't make me sound like some dog or that little brat of yours! I can take care of myself you--"

Before Saffron could continue however, she felt a hand touch her wrist. She looked over to see Lily now by her side, the look on her face telling her to calm down. She gritted her teeth and looked down at the floor, cursing under her breath slightly. Her anger suddenly felt depleted and her tensed muscles relaxed tiredly, her hands unclenching before Lily slipped her hand down to hold hers. Damn it. How did this girl have so much control over her? Saffron didn't know whether she liked that or not.

Harry patted Saffron on the shoulder before walking towards Ernie. He finally agreed to talk and they headed out into the hall. As soon as they were out of the room Lily looked down at Saffron and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Are you okay?" Saffron didn't look at her immediately. She had lost her temper again, something she had been trying to repress with little luck. She didn't mind that it was her father though. She felt sorrier towards the other occupants of the room: The bushy haired woman, the tall, thin man with bags under his eyes, and, perhaps most of all, Lily and Mr. Potter. She had now exploded three times in front of them, two of those times being at them. And even after that they still didn't hold it against her. She let off a sigh as she ran her free hand through her hair, frustrated. What was she supposed to do now? And what was Mr. Potter talking about with her father? More importantly though… Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, finally realizing the right question that should be asked. Why was her father here in the first place?

Before she could ponder these things the bushy haired woman gave off a little groan.

"I'm sorry Lily, I have to be in a meeting soon about the new legislation trying to be passed." She looked at Lily with a weary smile. "I'll be seeing you later though. Hugo, Ronald and I will be joining you for dinner tonight." The tall, skinny man stepped forward also.

"And I'd better get back to my paperwork. Sadly, we're not aloud to make it finish itself." With a final exchange of farewells the two exited the room right as Macmillan and Harry were entering.

"Would someone like to explain what is going on to me anytime soon, preferably before I die of old age?" She asked impatiently, determined to keep her temper in check. Ernie looked at her, than at Harry, who gave a nod.

"Okay. I'm going to give it to you straight." He said softly, clearly trying his best not to upset her. "I'm a wizard, like Harry. We went to school together. As I was looking for you I saw the ministry entrance and decided to pop in on him. Can I ask you how you got here?"

She really didn't want to cooperate, but she didn't want to start another fight. So she explained the telephone booth, how she got lost, (She didn't admit she was calling him though) how she met Lily and how Harry's wand blew up his office. Ernie looked flabbergasted as she went on, clearly never expecting this in a million years. After she had finished he rubbed his face with his hands as if to try and wake himself up.

"I can't believe this. Saffron, I'm sorry." He said in a gruff voice, looking down at his daughter. "I was planning on explaining all of this to you during the trip, but ever since we got here you've been avoiding me. I never had a proper chance to sit down and explain this." Her eye twitched at his excuse. He was blaming her? As if reading her mind he backtracked as quickly as he could.

"No, I'm not saying it's your fault, it's entirely mine." She stood there for a second and took in his words. A wizard like Mr. Potter? Then…

"Wait a minute." She said, looking at Macmillan questioningly. "When you say a wizard like Mr. Potter, you mean…" Her words trailed off, looking at Mr. Potter's broken wand.

"Yes! Yes, see." Ernie said excitedly, seeing her finally show some interest. He pulled out a wand from his pocket and extended it out to show her.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed, taking a few quick steps back, accidentally pulling Lily with her. "Don't get that thing near me! I'm not interested in one of those things blowing up again!" Harry, Ernie and Lily looked at each other confused.

"Saffron," said Harry, finally speaking after a moment of silence. "The only reason my wand 'blew up' was because it wasn't compatible with you." Saffron's eyebrows furrowed, feeling as if Harry was talking in a foreign language.

"What do you mean compatible? That thing blew up on it's own; I didn't do anything to it." She exclaimed as if she was being accused of something. She watched as Ernie turned to Harry with a sigh.

"I guess she doesn't grasp the whole concept." Harry nodded and Saffron's eyebrow cocked up, a little irritated by this.

"Saffron, wands don't contain magic. They merely assist a wizard or witch in transmitting their magic." Harry explained. He did not know how to drop this lightly, especially to someone who seemed so determined to not accept the happenings around her.

"So what? You're saying I blew up your office?"

"Yes! Well, not exactly. I know you didn't do it on purpose," Harry quickly said, seeing the offended look on her face. "But it's just my wand didn't correspond with your magic. Once you get you own wand however, you'll be able to use magic safely."

Silence fell over the four people who remained in the room, all eyes on Saffron. Before anyone could say anything however, Saffron gave off a snort and started laughing as if someone told a very funny joke. "Haha! You almost had me Mr. Potter! My magic! You were great; you should have seen the look on your face when you were saying it!" She continued to laugh, clutching her sides, but soon died down when she heard no one else join in. She frowned, standing up straight.

"Oh, you were serious?" Harry gave a quick nod and looked over at Ernie for help.

"Well, you see. Since I'm a pure blooded wizard" Ernie started rather proudly. Saffron didn't know what he meant, but decided interrupting would be a waste of time. "That makes you a half blood. Your sister is a witch, and so is your step-mother." Saffron laughed at this.

"I knew she was a witch." No one seemed to get the joke but Ernie, who frowned.

"Anyway, as long as someone has some amount of magical blood, they are able to use magic. Even some muggle borns have the ability." He finished, choosing to ignore Saffron's comment.

Saffron stood there, Lily's hand still enclosed around hers. What was he trying to say? She's a witch? That his entire family were wizards? That made no sense. Her eyebrows furrowed while her thoughts spun around in her head. Well… maybe the latter made some sense. She didn't have the chance to spend much time at his father's house in New York, but she did remember some unusual things.

For one, that devil wife of his always seemed to get the house chores done unusually fast. Saffron also caught sight of her hiding something in her pockets or she would halt mid conversation with someone when she'd see Saffron enter a room. Saffron had always assumed that the old bag just never liked her, and every time she saw her father talking to his wife they would be arguing about something. She never asked what they were fighting about, but she could guess it had something to do with her. She didn't have much time to spend at her father's house though. A week after she had arrived he started planning this trip to England and the next thing she knew they were on a flight bound for London. He had said he wanted to tell her something during the trip. She had to admit, he wasn't that much to blame for not telling her. She hadn't been in the best mood to sit around and chat with him. She still wasn't. But she had to figure this out, on way or another. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind; something that would have changed her entire life if only he had done something.

"If I'm a witch, then why didn't you tell mom?" Saffron said, her voice raising a little. "I'm sure she would have loved know this bit of information. She drove herself crazy when I was a kid; thinking that I was blowing up part of the house and all. Now that doesn't seem that far off!"

"That's normal for a child." Lily said. "Children about seven or eight start showing signs of magical development and, just like you said, weird things start happening." Saffron scuffed this off, still looking at Macmillan.

"Doesn't change that he didn't tell her." Ernie looked down guiltily at her.

"There is a law against telling or showing a muggle that magic exists! Besides, she wouldn't have believed me anyway! She would have thought I was the devil or something." Harry and Lily looked a bit confused by this, but Saffron felt her insides burn with an all too familiar pain.

"Better you then me!" Saffron yelled. He might have well prodded an overly sensitive wound, like an old battle scar of a forgotten fight. She felt a soft snap echo inside her head, feeling her anger getting the better of her once again. She was fed up with his selfishness. His family, his excuses, his guilt, his magic, his everything! Did he ever think about anyone but himself?

"She wouldn't even pick me up when I was a kid! Probably thought I'd set her on fire! She only started liking me when I stopped it! Stopped blowing things up, stopped trying to find out about it, stopped being weird! We lived together in peace for only a few years, and then she died because--!" Saffron's exclaim went unfinished, followed by silence. She felt herself shaking and cursed herself for it. She hated this weakness, this feeling of blame and guilt; of pain and ache. She felt the all too familiar feeling of ice slipping past her shoulders. She couldn't continue; she couldn't say it.

"Saffron?" She heard Lily call for her, but refused to meet her eyes. The soft squeeze on her hand and the gentle tug on her arm were left unanswered. She had worked up her walls for so long; she would not let them fall like this. Not now. She knew what would happen if she looked at Lily. She didn't know what the girl did to her, but she didn't like it. It made her feel…vulnerable? Open? Lack of control? She didn't know.

"Saffron, I know you're upset." If it had been anyone but Mr. Potter, Saffron would have snapped again. "We're having a big dinner tonight," Saffron looked up at Harry, who was smiling down at her "to celebrate an achievement my friend's son has gotten. Why don't you join us?"

Saffron didn't know what to say. Had he been paying attention the past few minutes!? She had just blown up again and he was inviting her to dinner!

"That's a wonderful idea papa!" Lily practically shouted, bouncing up and down, making Saffron feel like a babble head since Lily had decided to clench onto her arm. "Won't you say you'll come?" It was only now that Saffron looked at Lily, and then huffed at the smirk adorning her face.

"And what if I say no?" She said defiantly in a desperate attempt to keep her dignity.

"Then I'll tie you up and hang you from the ceiling." Lily responded, sounding a little too cheerful while saying it. Saffron felt her eye twitch. Somehow Saffron didn't put it past her.

"Hang on a minute." Ernie intervened. But before he could continue Harry once again asked to speak with him alone. They left and closed the door behind them.

"What the hell are they talking about!?" Saffron exclaimed, now irritated by they huddle sessions.

"Don't worry." Lily gave her hand a soft squeeze before letting go and walking towards the rubble. "Well, I guess daddy will want this cleaned up." She said before pulling out her wand. "Reparo." She stated, pointing her wand at the rubble, which instantly reformed itself into Mr. Potter's desk. She went around the room, repeating the spell and a few others until the room was back to normal, probably better then before considering it was now spotless. Saffron gazed around the room, then at Lily in astonishment.

"Wow. Now that's the way to clean up."

Every now and then Saffron would gaze at the door, hoping to see Mr. Potter and her father reenter the room to explain what they were talking about. (like that went well last time.) She was beginning to get impatient. She stared at the door, wanting to put a whole through it so that she could listen in. She felt her foot and her forefinger tap in harmony. How long would this take!?

"What are they talking about?" She said, mostly to herself, biting down on her thumbnail, frustrated.

"Do you want to find out?" She looked over her shoulder to Lily, who was holding up what appeared to be an ear attached to a fleshy string that ended with another ear.

"What in hell is that?" Saffron said disgustingly, a little creeped out by its appearance. "It's called an extendable ear." Lily said, stepping towards the door, Saffron right behind her. "It's an invention of my Uncle's. It lets you eavesdrop on conversations." Lily snuck one of the ears under the door and held the second up to her ear.

"Kinda sounds like two Styrofoam cups with a string, only one way." Saffron said, kneeling down where Lily was. Lily looked at her, obviously confused.

"Nevermind." She said as she leaned in while Lily held the ear in between them.

Saffron was surprised to hear them so clearly through the realistic fake ear.

"--Like I said before Potter, this is none of your business." She heard her father say in a rough manner.

"Ernie, consider what might happen if you drag Saffron away with you on your tour of England. At the rate you're going at she'll just get more and more rebellious and who knows what'll happen or what she'll resort to. She's a nice girl, but she has problem with authority. The harder you hang on the farther away you'll be pushing her. You can't order her around."

"I'm trying Harry! I just…" There was a pause before Macmillan continued. "It's hard for me. I know I messed up and what I did isn't forgivable, but I'm trying to prove myself to a bias party! If I don't push she won't give me a chance."

"Listen to yourself Ernie! It's hard for Me? Trying to prove Myself? This isn't about proving yourself, this is about Saffron. That girl's been through things that most kids her age can't imagine."

"Like I said before, it doesn't concern you. Why are you so persistent in pursuing this?"

Harry didn't respond right away, but said, with a firm voice. "If you remember correctly, I lost my parents too."

"Harry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean--"

"That's alright. As for my reason, I just want to help. I can't honestly say I can relate, but I at least have some idea about what she's going through: the magic and her…" Harry paused in mid sentence and stepped over to the door.

"Hello girls."