AN: Edited 6/5/14.
.
.
.
The Forgotten Daughter.
Chapter 9: The Years Before: Year Three.
Melinda was pretty sure she was dreaming.
She wasn't sure if this was a normal dream, but she was pretty sure when a little boy with black messy hair and sea colored eyes appeared that it wasn't completely a dream as far as dreams went. She'd had demigod dreams before, not many, but enough to realize what this was.
"Who are you?" Perseus asked.
Melinda realized that he could be no older then seven or eight, she wasn't too sure when her little brother's birthday was. She'd have to remember to make up for all those missed birthdays when they finally met.
"I'm Lin," Melinda said.
She looked around, and realized they were at a beach. It was beautiful here, and Perseus looked quite at home.
He must come here often, she realized.
"I'm Percy," he said, smiling a little. "Your a strange dream, do I know you?"
Melinda grinned, sitting down in the sand. She was surprised by how real the waves that lapped at their feet felt. She was also reminded of another Percy she knew, not because of any personality or physical resemblance, but because of their preferred nicknames.
"I know a Percy, he's one of my friends' older brothers," Melinda muttered. "But I don't know you."
Percy nodded and they both turned similar green eyes to the sea. Then her dream shifted.
She was in a dark place, sinking down and then when light filled the area so she could actually see she recognized shimmering figures as spirits of the dead. She was in the underworld; but why...how?
"That's simple, someone wanted to say goodbye."
Melinda spun around, smiling when she saw Hecate. She looked a little different in this new setting. Her skin was paler, and her eyes darker, and her hair was practically black it was such a dark red.
"Grams," Melinda said. "But how? Did you bring me here?"
Hecate nodded. "Yes. As you know my main abode is in the Underworld. I have some sway over spirits with my domains being as they are, and I ran into a odd soul while here. It intrigued me because it wasn't a complete soul, just a large chunk of it."
"I don't understand," Melinda admitted.
Hecate smiled in understanding.
"I didn't think you would, but in the future you will. Anyways, whatever you did at the end of the year, it freed this soul from hate... for lack of a better term. I talked to him and think you probably subconsciously tapped into your magic when your struck the diary, and it purged the soul of its darkness. Allowing it to sort of become a soul all on it's own. The other half will be damned unfortunately."
"Diary," Melinda muttered, coming to a sudden realization. "Tom?"
"Lin," a familiar voice said, stepping from the shadows to stand beside Hecate.
She noticed he also seemed different, other then being dead and a spirit, his dark green eyes were slightly lighter, like a weight had been lifted from them and he didn't look as... cold, crazed.
"Why are you here?" Melinda asked, her tone sort of icy, her eyes weary.
Tom sighed, his head lowered. "I asked Mother Hecate for one last request before I'm judged."
"But its been over a month sense I..." Melinda trailed off.
Tom shrugged. "Yeah, well the line was sort of backed up and I was worried about my sentence. I did a lot of bad things while alive Melinda."
Melinda bit her lip, unsure what to say. She tore her eyes from his, and looked at her great-grandmother who had an almost pitying look in her old eyes.
"That can't be held against you can it? You're sixteen, grams said you were somehow half a soul. If you were sixteen when you placed it in the diary then...you weren't responsible for Voldemort's deeds later in life."
Tom sighed. "I don't think it works like that, and I wasn't a nice person even before the diary."
"Tom's right child," Hecate said sadly. "You saved his soul, well this part of it anyways, but he may still have to face judgment for his life before and after the diary."
Melinda blinked hard. "But that's not fair. Cant you do anything?"
"She can't," Tom said, interrupting anything Hecate could say. "We don't have a lot of time Lin, I just wanted to see you one last time before I was sentenced."
"But why me?" Melinda asked.
"I don't know. Your special Lin, you have this way of getting into peoples heads and hearts. You're a hero, a savior, one day you'll be great," Tom said, smiling.
"You know then?" Mel asked.
"About Poseidon being your dad?" Tom nodded. "Yeah, Hecate explained when I asked. It seems I'm a distant legacy of Hecate's through Salazar Slytherin, and can see the underworld as a demigod would because of it, and being a wizard."
"I'm sorry I had to kill you."
Tom chuckled.
"I was already dead love," he said. "I just couldn't accept it. Tom Riddle died the day I created the diary, you just freed me. You made me realize what the hatred and rejection I'd felt growing up had led me to become."
Melinda walked closer, raising her hand towards Tom but remembered he was a spirit, she couldn't touch him. Tom looked at her sadly.
"Melinda, before I go you need to know that there are other objects like the dairy out there. They're different though, they're not like me so don't try to save them. It won't work." Tom sighed. "There is also the chance that our encounter in the chamber, and the things we talked about before you tossed the diary will be known to my other half if or when he returns."
Melinda frowned. "Voldemort will know... everything?"
She hated that. She and Tom had talked about such personal things. She knew they were technically one person, but it made her feel violated to know Voldemort would know anything about her and Tom.
Tom frowned. "It's a possibility."
Melinda finally let the tears fall. "I know I probably shouldn't, but I'll miss you."
Tom grinned. "It's a shame we were born in such different era's, I think I could have really loved you."
Melinda chuckled bitterly. "Me too, I hope you get a happy ending Tom. You don't belong in punishment, not really."
Tom smiled at her, and she wiped her face as he disappeared, leaving only her and Hecate.
"I'm sorry my dear, I'll try to persuade Hades to be lenient with him," Hecate said, patting her arm comfortingly.
Suddenly Melinda gasped, finding herself sitting up in bed instead of in her dream.
"Tom," Melinda whispered as she sat against the headboard.
::Are you well mistress?:: Sesha asked, slithering from her coiled place at the foot of the bed.
::Yeah, just some strange demigod dreams.::
She stroked Sesha's scales as she said this, and Sesha laid with her head in her mistresses lap. Sesha had grown to a good five feet in the little time Melinda had her, so obviously her head was rather large now.
::Very well.:: Sesha said. ::The house elf came with another letter mistress.::
Melinda blinked, sitting up some.
Last year after she'd gotten out of the chamber there had been a discussion with Dumbledore in his office. He'd told her a bit about her sorting, how it was her choices that showed where she belonged – she had been slightly upset over the whole where she truly belonged scenario that year.
She now accepted she was a Slytherin at heart, who wore a Lion's mask.
There had also been a rather amusing assumption that she'd only used the sword of Gryffindor to kill the Basilisk.
She didn't point out that the sword had burned her something terrible. Thankfully the phoenix tears and pearl had healed more then just the Basilisk venom. Then Lucius Malfoy had come in with Dobby. She hadn't realize she could hate anyone as much as Lucius Malfoy.
She had come to an understanding about Dobby. She didn't forgive as easily as one might believe, and while she for a split second thought about freeing the house elf, she had a better idea. She went to Draco that same day and talked about how they could use Dobby to spy on his dad - seeing as Dobby was a Malfoy elf, Draco was his master as well.
All Draco had to do over the summer was get Lucius to hand over all bonds to him. Melinda wasn't worried about Draco's mother still being able to order around Dobby, just Lucius.
This way they could also send letters to each other. Both knew owls could be intercepted. No one could realize she and Draco were friends. Only her friends knew, and she knew they wouldn't be spreading that around.
Swinging her legs out of bed, Melinda turned on the desk lamp – which brightened the dark room enough to see, but not make her relatives aware she may be up – and took the envelope with Draco's almost femininely neat handwriting on the front.
Melinda,
Happy birthday, you're finally thirteen.
Melinda stopped there for a minute as she grimaced. Yeah, thirteen was big alright. Three years and she'd be sixteen... if she survived that long. She wasn't to sure if she would be the child of prophecy, but she sure hoped not.
But if she wasn't that meant Percy might be, unless Hades broke the oath as well. Shaking her head, Melinda turned her attention back to the note.
I'm sorry I couldn't get you a present, but my dad would have asked questions I couldn't answer. I don't know anyone else with a birthday in July, much less one I would be writing to. I also wanted to update you on our plan, it's done. Dad thought it was a brilliant idea that I get used to the idea of having a house elf bound to me, he even had mom agree to give up bonds over Dobby.
So as of last week, Dobby the house elf is working for me, but as promised I'll try to treat him as fairly as I can while still in the manor.
I've also heard the Weasley's won the lottery, you should check out the prophet, it's all over the front page. I didn't know if you knew that yet, but I figured I'd let you know despite my own... dislike of the family.
Anyway, I'll see you at the start of term.
Draco Achilles Malfoy.
Melinda chuckled as she finished the letter. Being from an old Pureblood family It was customary to sign your full name if the one you were writing too was a close family friend, a close friend, mistress – the kind married men sometimes had – or family.
She supposed she fell into two of those categories. She was his friend and family at the same time. She'd ordered a book on Pureblooded family and their family trees – not the complete trees mind you, those were only on tapestries in the main manor home – and found that James Potter's mother was Dorea Black.
Draco's mother was a Black before birth, if she'd actually been James' biological daughter they'd have been blood cousins, no matter the distance. Draco wasn't aware she was just his adoptive cousin.
::Happy Birthday, mistress.:: Sesha said, and Melinda smiled.
A few minutes later there was a glow over her bed, and she noticed Hedwig flying back with packages and letters as the glow left to find two small packages and a letter each. One was a dark green envelope, the other a sea colored one.
::Oh, bird brain is back,:: Sesha hissed in disdain, and Hedwig's golden colored eyes seem to glare at the serpent as she hooted.
Melinda rolled her eyes and took the packages from Hedwig. There was a letter and present from each of her friends – Hagrid, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Luna, Neville, Daphne and Astoria. As well as a package from Mrs. Weasley, oddly enough.
The letters were pretty straight forward. All wishing her happy birthday and that they couldn't wait to see her in the new term. Ron talked about having gone to Egypt, and that the money from the lottery win had made it possible for him to get a new wand.
Fred and George mentioned their attempt to lock Percy in a tomb. Ginny thanked her again for saving her life last term and asked her to say hello to Sesha for her.
Luna was more dreamy and imaginative. She was hunting for some sort of creature with her father after having come back from Camp Aesir – what she learned the Norse camp for Half-Bloods was called in the world they resided in. Melinda found it refreshing to have a friend who knew who she was, and was a demigod themselves. She had thought over the prospect of telling Percy Weasley this year that she knew.
Daphne and Astoria wrote one letter together, talking of how their parents seemed to approve of their friendship. Melinda had read that the Greengrass family was only about five hundred years old, a younger Pureblooded family, and while it was considered a dark family it was also widely known to be neutral. Even with Grindelwald or any Dark Lord before or after they never got involved directly.
Her presents – the first presents she'd ever gotten besides her weapons from her father – were simple but she preferred it that way.
Hagrid got her a book, the Monster Book of Monsters or something. It was a book that bit, she had to wonder why he'd decided on that besides the fact it seemed to be one of the course books for Care of Magical Creatures, which she would be taking in the coming year. Along with Ancient Runes – she'd though about Divination but she wasn't fond of seers or oracles, or knowing her future. She'd rather just leave that up to chance.
Hermione got her a expensive looking hardback parchment journal which actually had lines. How she managed that Melinda wasn't sure since most parchment paper didn't have lines. A replacement for the one she lost, one that didn't talk back or betray you, Hermione had wrote.
It was kind of sad to receive, but she really did need to get things off her chest and her mother seemed fond of writing down her thoughts, so why not do it as well?
Ron had gotten her one of the first ever birthday cards she'd received – Hermione had included one to though – and a spinning top like device she learned was a Pocket Sneakoscope.
Luna's gift was by far the most...unique, but enjoyable. It was a pendent on a black choker style ribbon necklace. It was silver, or pewter silver, and was slightly heavy with a circular base and a star like pattern in the center. A medium sized blue gem sat in the middle sparkling.
Luna explained in a short note that the star design showed the eight winds and the eight worlds of ancient Norse belief, with our world - Midgard - shining at the center of creation. It was also supposedly good luck for leadership and advancement.
She'd had it made while she was at her camp, so it was made of a certain type of silver that couldn't be found in this realm. Known to the Norse gods, though Luna wasn't vocal on who exactly forged it for her.
It was kind of surprising since it looked like pewter silver to her, but then she realized it was too heavy and to smooth to be any kind of silver she'd ever come across. Melinda would have to ask Hecate or Poseidon – if she ever heard from her father again – about something she could give Luna for such a great gift.
Neville got her a book of hundred of plants that could save her life or endanger it and a box of Honeydukes best chocolate. At the point that she saw the chocolate she could have kissed him.
Aunt Petunia had put the family on a diet, it wasn't exactly working but it was making it so Melinda had to sneak out to make something that wasn't wilted lettuce to eat. There was only so much nutrition you can get from a small plate of lettuce that shouldn't be eaten.
Fred and George gave her some prank items, dungbombs and a few other select objects. Ginny have her a key chain with a charm for Holyhead Harpies. Daphne and Astoria gave her a book on Pureblood etiquette, a sort of gag gift she realized and a small birthday cake with sea green icing and blue words – Happy Birthday Lin!
From Mrs. Weasley was a card, signed by the whole family and a basket of food – sandwiches, cakes, fruits etc. The not explained that the basket had a spell over it to preserve the perishable food for a week. She'd have to remember to thank the family when she saw them again, she wouldn't need to chance taking food – which her uncle and Dudley couldn't eat but could watch like a hawk – from her relatives.
::Mistress, you still have two more gifts.:: Sesha said, jerking her tail at the two packages on the bed.
Melinda nodded and picked up the first one with the sea colored envelope. With shaking hands she opened the envelope and unfolded the paper inside.
Happy 13th birthday, my little Pearl.
Melinda laughed. She didn't know her dad well, but she figured this was a sure sign he wasn't the most comfortable writing letters. The package was opened next and she gasped at the image inside. It was a beautiful sea themed photo frame made from material she had a feeling came from Atlantis.
The picture itself was of her mother and father, standing on a sunset beach, her mother looked beautiful in a purple bikini, her red hair waving gently down her back and in the wind, her eyes couldn't be seen behind dark sunglasses but it only made her mother seem more beautiful, mysterious.
Her father had an arm wrapped around the redheads shoulder, in swim trunks. She could only assume the picture had been taken by another person on the beach at the time, this must have been from the summer before her birth.
She'd have to put a notice-me-not charm on it but it would sit beside the picture she had of her mother and step-father dancing together. She wished she could somehow turn this photo into a magical one but she knew that wasn't possible. It wasn't exactly a spell that made magical photos move, but how they were developed.
The other letter and package was from Hecate.
Mel,
Happy birthday dear. Your father asked me to get these to you since we can't use Hermes to deliver things to you. Both I and your father are aware of your adventure last year, we're very proud of you though we do wish you'd attempt to stay out of trouble.
Brace yourself dear, this year may be more then you expect.
Grams.
Melinda frowned.
Did her great-grandmother know something she didn't. She sighed, opened the package and gasped at the ornate hand held mirror inside. It was silver and had small studded emeralds around the circular frame.
"Thanks dad, grams," she muttered, hoping they might hear it.
She'd have to find a way to sacrifice food to the gods, but it wasn't the easy without a open flame.
"GIRL!" Melinda sighed, looking at the clock and raising an eyebrow.
Six in the morning, that was rather early for her uncle to be up. As she got out of bed and got dressed she had a feeling she wasn't going to like what her uncle had to say.
