Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, Harry Potter or anything patent or patent pending.
The clock ticked slowly as Snape carefully put the ingredients for the draught into the cauldron. In the small guest room across from the kitchen, his oldest god daughter slept peacefully. She had fallen asleep as soon as she touched the bed and he wondered if there was still some sleeping powder upon the bed from when that horrid death eater was forced to stay in his home a few weeks ago. Though he quickly brushed away the thought as he remembered he had hired a temporary house elf to rid his home of any sign of the death eater and made sure the house elf cleaned the entire guest room twice.
It would be a matter of moments before Narcissa contacted him, Usagi was supposed to be home a good half hour ago. He wouldn't concoct a lie for the girl, her family was going through more than enough at the moment. The truth was best at the moment, and he was well aware Usagi would receive a lecture by both her parents about not contacting them but it was for the best in his opinion.
A knock at the door forced him to look up from his cauldron. With his wand, he securely closed the guest room door, anyone coming to his home was surely up to no good. His wand still in hand, he walked to his door.
"Who is there?" he asked and a tired sigh came through.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," a cold voice answered. He opened the door to see the black haired woman standing, her wand in her hand twirling about lazily. She strode in looking about the room in search of something.
"Can I help you?" he asked and she smirked.
"I'm just here to see my dear niece," she said with a devilish smile. "Her birthday is coming soon and I would love to see how much she has grown since the Christmas party. Tell me, is she here?"
"No," he answered quickly. "Do you have any other business?"
"Well, my sister seems quite confused," Bellatrix said and Snape closed his front door. "See, she doesn't know where her oldest daughter is and she sent me to that wretched woman's home, the damnable muggle airport, and the Leaky Cauldron in search of her. She hasn't told Lucius yet, says he's been on pins and needles lately. So, I started thinking, where would my dear niece go if she didn't want to go home and didn't want to be found."
"Aunt Bellatrix," a sleepy voice called. The dark haired witch turned to see her niece standing sleepily, rubbing her eyes free of dust. "When did you arrive?"
"I just arrived my dear Usagi," she cooed going toward her. Snape moved back to his cauldron to finish the draught. "How have you been?"
"I've been fine aunt Bellatrix," Usagi stated, her sleepy demeanor disappearing. "My mother sent you to find me?"
"Yes, she was very worried about you, as was I my dear, sweet Usagi. After all, I wanted to pick you up from the airport and take you home, but your other mother refused, thought I wasn't very trustworthy," Bellatrix explained.
"Are you trustworthy aunt Bellatrix?" Usagi asked and Snape smirked.
"Of course I am, how could you ask your aunt such a question?" Bellatrix asked.
"If my mother thinks you are untrustworthy, should that not bring a bit of doubt to my mind? She is my mother after all; she only has the best interest at heart for me. Besides, wouldn't it have looked suspicious to have you pick me up from the airport when I am not supposed to be in any way related to the Black or Malfoy family?" Usagi asked an innocence look upon her face the entire time.
"Of course, you are so smart, my dear, sweet Usagi, this is why you are my favorite niece," Bellatrix stated patting Usagi's head. "Now, let us go to your parent's home."
"I think its better to stick with the plan decided and have me travel with my god father. It draws little to no suspicion, if someone ask, I could answer he is taking me to Hogwarts to view the grounds before hand or that I wanted to go to Diagon alley and my mother's colleague offered to take me, what excuse could I use if I was traveling with my aunt?" Usagi asked and Bellatrix's smile disappeared.
Harry sat in Ron's room, a sullen look upon his face as he glared at the photo of the two unknown daughters' of Lucius Malfoy. They laughed, smiling happily at each other. Ron sat upon his bed, watching his best friend obsess over the picture. He wanted to say something to Harry, to take his mind off it, but couldn't find the right words to say.
"Why were they allowed in Hogwarts?" Harry asked himself.
"My dad says it was Snape and two other teachers who vouched for them," Ron answered and Harry's glare snapped to him.
"What two other teachers?" Harry asked.
"My mum reckons Madam Promfrey was one, she's friends with Ikkiuo Tsukino apparently," Ron said and Harry turned away from him. "But if Promfrey's ok with it, doesn't that show there's something going on that the Malfoy's and Snape are scared of? That was a big risk to get the two girls into Hogwarts, if they didn't manage it, all the papers would've said failed to get into Hogwarts, right?"
"Did you read the article in the Qubbiler?" an eerily calm voice asked making both boys jump slightly. Luna stood in the doorway holding an article of the Qubbiler with Ginny standing a bit behind her.
"Luna has a cousin that went to the same school as Usagi," Ginny stated as the two made their way in the room.
"You do?" Harry asked. "Did she tell you anything?"
"She told me a lot about Usagi and my father wrote an article about it," Luna said sitting next to Ron. "Hello Ronald."
"Hello Luna," Ron said sourly earning a giggle from Ginny and a small smile from Harry. "What did your cousin say?"
"She said Usagi was a very powerful person at the school, she wasn't a bully like Malfoy though. She said Usagi was very nice to a lot of people, including her. The only wizards she wasn't nice to were the ones who either got in her way or messed with other students. She said Usagi would be so mean that the students she didn't like would drop out of school or transfer," Luna explained, her eyes focused on Ron.
"So she was a bully then," Ginny said and Luna shook her head.
"No, she wasn't, my cousin said she only disliked bullies. She didn't have anything against muggle-born or half-bloods, she doesn't think that Usagi was in any way related to the Malfoys though my cousin is somewhat slow-witted, she wouldn't understand it if Draco himself appeared and told her Usagi was his sister," Luna said and laughed gawkily. "Besides, I met Usagi once at her birthday party a few years ago. She was very nice; she showed me her bedroom when I told her I would love to see a muggle television and allowed me to stay after for the close party."
"You know Usagi?" Ginny asked surprised and Luna nodded. "Why didn't you say something?"
"No one ever asked," Luna said and received a glare from Ginny. "She did the same thing once, I was commenting on her dress being frilly and she glared at me. When I began to laugh she gave my head a pat and began to laugh herself, yes Usagi is very kind."
"How did you get to her birthday party?" Ginny asked and Luna looked away from Ron to her.
"I go with my cousin, Lydia of course," Luna responded.
Minako sat upon the divan in the main hall, her eyes fixated upon the front door as she waited for her sister. She always preferred the Asian furniture to the European in her home, if asked why, she wouldn't really have an answer for it.
Her mother was upstairs in a room arranging their things for Hogwarts; she wasn't allowed to go in though. Her father was in his study 'not to be bothered' as a house elf had told while shivering violently. Her brother was in his room finishing the gift for Usagi. It was quite an odd gift, one that requires a lot of attention and magic to complete. She was beginning to have second thoughts on the gift she had gotten Usagi.
It was a black kneazle who lied under her bed after she asked it to hide from its future 'friend'. The white kneazle she had gotten for herself hid under the bed as well, though she didn't ask it to. The two kneazles were quite expensive, supposedly owned by a powerful witch beforehand.
The kneazles were somewhat intelligent, the black one seemed to understand her perfectly, and it nodded and meowed as if to talk at some moments. The white one was slower to grasp what she was saying but eventually got the meaning, it was a little idiotic compared to the black one.
She rested her chin within her palm and glanced at the clock. Usagi was supposed to be home over half an hour ago. Not that she was worried about her sister, she was sure Usagi could handle herself well enough should any need arise.
A sigh was on the verge of escaping her lips when the front door opened with an audible boom. Her aunt strolled in, a proud smile on her face as a cloaked figure walked in behind her with an aura of displeasure.
"Cissy, I brought your oldest daughter," Bellatrix announced.
"Usagi?" Minako called as she rose and walked toward the figure. "Usagi, is that you under that awful robe?"
"Minako," she heard a muffled voice say. "Minako, please take this thing off me."
Minako bit back a giggle as she pulled the cloak off to reveal her sister's form. Her eyes lit with an unknown fire of anger as a frown donned her lips. With a bit of trouble, she closed her eyes and thanked her aunt for bringing her home safely.
Snape walked in, a scowl upon his face directed at Bellatrix who just smirked at him as Narcissa appeared from the room. A smile of delight upon her face seeing Usagi and Minako standing together, she walked down the steps slowly as a way to calm her excitement with each step. Though when she reached the bottom, she enveloped both Usagi and Minako in a large hug and kissed both of their foreheads before she released them.
"Your father wants to have a word with you first," she stated. "After which, we will have dinner then you three will me your father and I in the room upstairs across from the portrait of your great aunt, understood?"
Both girls nodded before going to their father's study. Narcissa waited until she heard the sound of the door closing before turning to her sister with a brooding look on her face.
Minako and Usagi entered their father's study, several papers in front of him titles reading interview with Usagi and Minako, interview with friends, interview with teachers, and even one stated interview with undisclosed source. Their father sat with a sneer on his face, as his two daughters sat in the two chairs in front of him.
"We have much to discuss," Lucius said as he stood.