"Oh. Promise that you two will write!"
Ava winced as her neck cracked for the third time. Through Hermione's mane of bushy hair, she could just about see Daphne turning a deep purple.
"Will...do, Mione...If we're...alive!"
Hermione gave a little noise of realization and let go of the two girls, who were now bent over and in desperate need of air. She had already packed her suitcase and today she would be on the Hogwarts Express on her way to see her family for Christmas. Though she had thought about staying many times, she missed her parents very much and the only way to solve that problem was to go back home.
"Well. Have a good Christmas, okay?" Her blonde friend grinned up at her. Yes, up. Daphne was the subject of constant, amicable teasing due to her height. In other words, she was short.
"Oh, I will. And remember, you two-"
"-must look in the library! Look for Flamel." Ava playfully punched her friend. "You've reminded us at least 30 times Hermione."
The three said a final goodbye, before they watched Hermione walk out of the great hall, wrapped up in a warm, brown coat.
"What? You two not going home for Christmas? You're family doesn't want you, Potter?" Ava groaned and turned to Malfoy, who was also holding a Hogwarts trunk.
"No. We're staying here. Ava and I wish to enjoy the school without you for once."
"Yes Malfoy. We might even give the common room a clean. You know, to get all the Malfoy out of it."
Draco scowled at the two smirking girls. "Well at least I'll get something for Christmas!"
Ava suddenly put on a giant smirk.
"What? Still haven't realized that Santa is really Mummy and Daddy, huh?"
Though Daphne was just as confused as Draco, she followed Ava out of the great hall anyway, enjoying his paranoid mutters. As soon as the two girls were out of earshot however-
"Ava! Who the Merlin is 'Santa'?"
"AVA! AVA!"
Ava rolled over groaning. Who the hell had had the great idea try and wake her up at such an ungodly time. Sure. When she was up, she was up for the night, but when she was asleep, she wouldn't leave her bed if hell opened up.
"Go away Daph." Poke. Poke. "Fuck off Daph." Poke. Poke. "I swear to- Oh wait!"
Ava shot up, knocking Daphne down in the process.
"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" It was a good thing that there were only two Slytherin boys that were in the dungeons, or she had a feeling that no one would have staid asleep. Poor Snape
"Duh." Daphne rubbed her poor head. "That's what I've been trying to say for the last half hour. Who knew that you're head was so hard..."
Though Ava had lived on the streets of London for most of her life, that didn't mean that she didn't enjoy the 25th of December. The time of the year where everyone became a little more generous. Many a time had she been gifted with an odd gift or two, not only from friends, but from passersby as well.
Sprinting down to the common room, the two girls found a pile of presents each, though Daphne's was far bigger than Ava's.
She didn't care though. The second her hazel eyes caught sight of the small mountain, her hair lit up to a bubblegum pink and she jumped the last stairs to land right in front of her presents.
Reaching forward, she opened her first present, wrapped in a neat pale blue paper. Inside, was a beautiful braided red bracelet with a small garnet hanging from it. There was no doubt who this was from.
"AVA! GET OFF!" Daphne giggled as her pink haired friend glomped her mercilessly. Around her own wrist was a similar bracelet, only blue and with a pale sapphire. The two thought scarily alike.
Next on the pile, was a slightly pointy package wrapped in cloth rather than paper. With a shrug, Ava pulled away the fabric to reveal a beautiful dagger.
"Whoa! Who is that from?" Daphne stared at the knife wide eyed.
Ava frowned, though a tiny smile graced her lips. "I dunno. Nice though."
Though Daphne shrugged it off, Ava kept a slight frown. She knew who that was from, she'd seen a similar looking dagger many times in the hand of another. The real question was, how did she know that she was here?
At the next gift, Ava blushed. A small locket fell into her hand. It was in the form of a snitch, and as soon as she opened it, the words of The Beatles rang out from it. If it was any other song, she would have wondered who could have sent her such a present, but no-
Well she was just seventeen,
If you know what I mean,
And the way she looked,
Was way beyon-
Ava snapped it shut with a lingering smile. Of course. And before Daphne, who had that highly annoying knowing smile on her face could open her mouth, she slipped the necklace on and reaches for the next package.
"Aaaava..."
"Shut up, Daphne."
Frowning, she ripped open a silver and green package. What was it with the mystery Christmas presents? What was next? A long lost family heirloom?
A giggle escaped her lips as she pulled out a small wolf. No, not a real one, though it was moving and seemed to be alive like the many paintings that hung around the castle. The wolf ran up her arm and seemed to decide that her shoulder was its bed and her hair its curtain. Picking up the note, she called Daphne over.
Hope you like him. His name's Padfoot and I'm sure his namesake would be as proud of you as your parents.
Love,
Moony
"I know!" Ava winced as Daphne screamed in his ear. "It's your long lost brother that loves dogs!"
"No. Just no." With an amused smirk, Ava put Hermione's present-a large box of chocolate frogs-to the side.
The very last gift on her pile, was yet another mystery package. As soon as she pulled the cloak around her shoulders, Daphne let put a gasp of delight and shock.
"That-The-In-OH MY MERLIN!"
The past few days had not been too great for Ava. Daphna had grown rather accustomed to screaming at everything slightly more exciting than normal.
Staring down at herself, Ava immediately noticed that she no longer had a body. A deduction worthy of Sherlock Holmes in her opinion. Pulling the cloak back off, she could once again see her chest, arms and legs. After several times, she came to a conclusion.
"IT'S A FUCKING INVISIBILITY CLOAK!"
Suddenly, Daphne stopped hyperventilating.
"Well, who sent it?" Her pale blue eyes scanned the room for a note or letter, before she let out a yell of triumph.
"Aha! There is a note! I knew I should have been in Ravenclaw. My observation skills are AWSEOME!"
"You've been eating sugar again. Haven't you?"
Smiling at her friend's 'innocent' expression, Ava grabbed the note.
Your father left this in my possession before he died.
Use it well.
"Ooh. Creepy. Someone knew my dad."
"You do know that your Dad was a well know pureblood, right?"
Ava shrugged. "Then why does no one ever right to me about him? Anyways, what is it with all these random mystery letters?"
Daphne giggled. "Yes. Fate seems to think that you enjoy mysteries."
"Oh! That reminds me!" Ava threw a letter at Daphne. "Did Hermione remind you to look for Flamel as well, or is it just that she thinks that I have a shit memory?"
"Well...to be perfectly honest-"
"Shut up."
Christmas lunch was a quiet affair. There weren't many students that had chosen to stay for their holidays. Just a couple of older Slytherin boys, a few Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors and the Weasleys.
Throughout the meal, Daphne and Ava cracked open crackers and ended up with a new chess set, four cookies (which Ava ate instantly, claiming they were good for her health), a new pirate hat and a pretty blue necklace.
Having stuffed themselves with treacle tart and ice cream, the two headed out in the snow, though not before Ava sent a quick smile and a wink in the direction of a laughing red headed twin.
"What do you get up to over with the muggles then?"
Ava glanced down at Daphne from her higher perch in a tall pine tree.
"Just, you know...School and stuff. Why?"
Daphne frowned slightly. "Well, I noticed that they didn't send you anything..."
Ava snorted. "Oh, that. We're not exactly on the best of ter- actually, fuck that. We hate each other."
"Oh. You're okay with that?"
"There ain't really anything I can do about it. Still, it's Christmas, let's go for a slightly livelier topic!" Ava let out a wicked grin. "Do you think it's still too late to send Snape a Christmas present? I saw a rather spectacular sack of dragon dung back in Diagon!"
It was another one of those nights. No, not in that way. Ava had no chance of falling asleep till at least four in the morning. Picking up her new cloak, she changed her hair a dark black to match her eyes and began to lightly run out into Hogwart's endless corridors. Surprisingly, her feet led her to the library. The restricted section, to be precise. There were so many books. So much magic. Running her finger over the many, leather bound books, Ava inhaled the smell of fresh and old pages, till she came to a stop.
Φλόγες, του αίματος και του Σκότους
Without much thought, Ava recognized the language as Ancient Greek. A small smile escaped her lips. Though as a young girl, she was almost illiterate till she met older girls, as soon as she learnt her own language as well as she could, she turned to the three languages she could learn a book. Latin, Norse and Ancient Greek. And the words printed on the blood red, leather book were Flames, Blood and Darkness.
Tucking the book under her cloak, Ava began to wander back out of the library. Skipping lightly in the direction she assumed to be west, she decided to not tell anyone of her newly 'acquired' book. It didn't take her long to find a rather interesting room. It was dusty, and rather run down, though by the looks of the odd looking pins and feathers, she assumed it was a disused transfiguration class room.
What interested her most, however, was the large object covered by a pale sheet. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she tugged the fabric down to reveal a mirror.
A gasp left her lips, and for the first moment in an incredibly long time, her hair lightened to a blood red and her eyes to a bright emerald to match the woman in front of her. For the second time in her life, Ava saw her mother. There she was, smiling straight at her, a hand on her shoulder. With a gasp of joy, Ava spun around, ready to fling her arms around Lily Potter, only to find the space behind her empty.
Eye twitching, she turned back around, and took in as much of the woman as she could. There were her high cheekbones. She could see them, and her freckles. Of course the eyes and the hair...the lips. Turning her head to the right slightly, Ava spotted a man. His hand raked through his hair, as she often did out of habit. And there was her nose. And on them, were a pair of glasses framing light hazel eyes. Her father, James Potter.
Spinning around once more, Ava sighed and slid down the mirror, her head tilted back just enough to see her mother and father sat down beside her. For the first time on years, a tear slipped down her cheek. That was where she slept that night. And the night after.
It was the third night that she noticed another presence in the room.
"It's rude to stare."
She didn't need to turn her head to know that Albus Dumbledore stood near her.
"I was merely coming to advise you not to come back here again, Ava."
"I know.""I don't think you do. People go m-"
"Mad. Yeah." Ava pointed a finger up at the top of the mirror's frame. "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. I show not your face, but your heart's desire."
"Well, it appears that you are informed on the mirror, Ava."
Abruptly, Ava turned to the bearded man. "Yeah. Like retaining family heirlooms, sir?"
Seeing his shocked face, Ava smirked. She had no love for the man. Surely he had been the one to have placed her with that horrible family.
"Yeah, I know you sent it. It's illegal, you know? Daphne's mother works in the DLE at the ministry."
It took a minute for Albus to register the small girl's words. This, he had not expected. She wasn't meant to be so...bitter. Or a Slytherin.
Watching the red head take one last look at the mirror, he stepped back she left the room, her hair lightening to a dirty blond, he noticed. What he didn't notice, was the book under her arm, bound in blood red.
AN. Hi. Sorry I haven't written in a while. It was my birthday recently, so I went to see Avengers Age of Ultron for that. Which was awesome. I'm a huuuuggggeeee MARVEL fan. Can I tell you a secret? My mother named me after the Scarlet Witch, and no, my name is not Wanda.
Anyway, then I was ill, so...yeah.
But here it is! You've probably realised that I hate Dumbledore...I thought that Ava needed a darker twist and I love mythology, so she is going to as well. And I'm going to give her a secret. Try and guess it... Also, Harry didn't seem to upset about seeing his parents for the first time, but I think that Ava would be. Especially about her mother. Children tend to be more attached to their mothers. Not all the time. My own mother wasn't, but I am.
BTW, could people review any ideas for the Draco insults, cos I have a list, but I wanna keep them for later on.
So...keep on reading and comment! Consider it a b-day present!