Disclaimer: I don't own anything save for my own ideas
Bloody Kitsune: Well, I have good news. I am now going to be writing a few stories based on the ideas of Lunarwolf11021. This is a bit long of a chapter, but that's because I wanted to give you a bit more than usual since there's no telling if one of her ideas will end up capturing my attention for awhile. Love you guys.
Reviews:
Jacki: Thank you.
TheMarphasChappers: Glad you liked it and don't worry it isn't Offender. I shudder at the idea of him having a kid around him. Can you make a guess on which Harry Potter character the kid is? You'll get your answer for the meeting in this chapter. Senile would be a word I'd use.
Twister60: Thank you.
guadadominguez4: Yeah. You'll have to wait and see for that one. Who says if Jeff had a kid that it would be a boy? You'll see! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.
god of all: Thanks.
Firehedgehog: I wouldn't go that far, but yeah Dumbledore is a bit...yeah.
YinYangWriter: Thank you for the two reviews which I will reply to here.
Review 1: I definitely agree though Smile can be adorable sometimes if you don't mind the fact he's a homicidal dog that can drive you insane. I didn't actually think of her doing that. That's what I was going for.
Review 2: Agreed. Offender plus child equal vomiting and shudders. Mhmm. I can't stop grinning at the image of them together in my mind. They are adorable.
Magicals
Looking over the ingredients she had on hand, an impish grin tugged at Calla's lips. While they had never really gone in depth about most of her mother's school subjects due to missing the needed natural core and wands required for said magics, they had gathered books on the subjects that they could teach her. One of the primary subjects that they had taught her was potions. She greatly enjoyed learning about them and going through her mother's old potions books. While her heart had belonged to charms, Lily had loved potions and experimented heavily with them. One of the main reasons she loved potions was because of it helped her feel closer to her mother, but the second was due to the effects of certain potions. Just as she was about to light the fire beneath her cauldron, the door to the basement room she usually used for potions opened. She froze with wide eyes as Jason walked into the room. He looked at her with amusement, "Thinking of surprising our guests?"
"Maybe," Calla tapped the edge of the cauldron nervously.
Letting out a laugh, Jason walked over to her and set his hand on her head, "I don't see a problem with it, but I will ask that you wait until we greet them properly."
A plan began forming in her mind, "Papa, I have an idea..."
Dumbledore led Minerva and Severus towards the location where young Calla was currently living with her guardian. The bustling streets of the New Orleans were just as entertaining as they had been the last time he'd been there though it wasn't Mardi Gras which was a shame as the celebration had been very fun. Soon enough, they found themselves in front of a shop making all three of them pause. Minerva frowned softly, "A toy-shop? Albus, did you read the directions Mr. Maker sent?"
"Yes, Minerva," Dumbledore checked the directions, "This seems to be the place,"
Looking at the rather cheerful looking toy-shop which features some older forms of toys, Dumbledore was reminded of the toy-shops that he had seen in his youth. Of course, he could feel something off about the shop. Was it magic or some other worldly force at work? He was shaken from his thoughts when he heard a tinkling sound and looked at the door to the shop. Standing in the doorway, a child with curly shoulder length dark crimson colored and bright forest green eyes stared at him. He thought for a moment that she was a doll due to how she looked though the clothes weren't what he'd imagined a doll would wear. She had lightly tanned porcelain skin, a dainty looking nose, long eye-lashes, high cheek-bones, almond shaped eyes, and short stature. She wore a dark navy blue short sleeved t-shirt, a pair of cargo shorts, and running shoes. On her right wrist, she had a group of three silver bangles. On her neck, she wore a pendant that radiated some sort of energy that while not necessarily malevolent, but darker than he thought any child should come into contact with. She wore a dark blue and red checkered headband. She tilted her head and spoke in a soft voice, "Excuse me, Sirs and Madam, but if you aren't going to come in could you please move along? This is a place of business after all."
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore inwardly shook his head and smiled warmly down at her, "Could you perhaps help us find an address? You see we're attempting to meet with some people, but I seem to have written down the wrong address,"
"May I see the address you're looking for?" She asked with a slight smile.
Dumbledore held out the paper to her, "Here."
She walked over, took it, and looked it over before handing it back, "Are you perhaps looking for Jason Maker?"
"Ah yes," Dumbledore looked down at her in surprise at the question, "Would you perhaps know where we may find him?"
"Of course," She turned and started walking back to the toy-shop, "Please follow me,"
Surprised by the request, none of the three magicals moved. She opened the door before pausing and looking back at them with an expectant look on her face. Severus sneered, "Are we really following a child?"
"She knows the name of the person we're looking for, Severus," Dumbledore smiled lightly, "Besides, I wish to see the inside of the toy-shop. It reminds me of the ones from my youth,"
Severus sneered, but said nothing as Dumbledore began to follow after the girl. Minerva and Severus followed after him quickly. Entering the toy-shop after the child, they found themselves in an area that screamed childish delights. It was a child's paradise with toys seemingly bursting from the shelves and various other containers. There were everything from dolls to stuffed animals, puzzles to board games, and so many more. He saw a few old time jack in the boxes that made him smile as he remembered how much fun they could be. Of course, he noted that the odd energy surrounding the shop filled it to the brim and leaked off the toys. He still couldn't figure out what the energy was, but he knew it wasn't malevolent. If anything, the energy coming from the toys was that of childish curiosity making him wonder if the toys were alive in someway. Pulling himself from his thoughts, he noted that the child was heading towards the counter. She paused and turned to look at them, "Stay out here please, I will be back in a moment."
Without another word, she climbed over the counter and slipped in through the blue door. Dumbledore turned and found Severus gazing at the door with a pale face. Well, a paler face than usual. Minerva gasped out, "Severus, is something wrong?"
"We should leave," Severus looked almost as shaken as the time when Dumbledore had first started to employ him.
"What?" Dumbledore frowned at him, "Why?"
"That door leads to nothing good," Severus' voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper.
Minerva scoffed, "A door? Severus, it's just a door. What could a door do?"
"I do not think the dour man is speaking of the door, Madam," A soft, yet deep and cultured voice spoke from behind them causing Dumbledore to turn around and gaze at the man standing by the door.
The man wore a black waist coat over top of a white dress shirt that had it's sleeves rolled up. He had dark crimson colored hair that was pulled back into a pony tail that looked fairly straight. He had deep golden green eyes that shown slightly in the slightly dim light of the toy-store. Under his right eye, he had what looked like a black tattoo and a mole that sat just underneath it. He seemed to radiate the same energy as the shop and it's toys did leading Dumbledore to believe that he was the one that had made them. Gazing at the man, Dumbledore felt that he was familiar though didn't know why. Inwardly shaking his head, Dumbledore asked, "And why is that?"
"I believe that he still has a healthy fear of me after an incident that occurred during his teenage years," The man smile revealing pearly white teeth that had a slight point to them, "Along with similar incidents during his childhood due to certain tendencies he showed. Am I right, Severus Prince?"
"It's Snape and you know it, Maker," Severus bit out looking paler by the second.
"Is it?" The man chuckled and it sent shivers down Dumbledore's spine at how cold it seemed, "I thought you had gained the Prince Lordship. Didn't you or did you just lie to Lily in the vein attempt to gain some form of affection from her,"
Severus said nothing while glaring at the man. Dumbledore latched onto Lily's name and asked, "You knew Lily?"
"Since she was a child," The man's eyes focused on him, "You must be Headmaster Dumbledore and the woman beside you must be Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,"
"Indeed," Dumbledore wondered who this man was exactly, "And you are?"
"Jason Maker at your service," The man, Jason, introduced with a slight grin.
Soon enough, Jason was leading them through the blue door after closing his shop up and into a work shop that showed many toys in various states of being finished. He led them to a second blue door that opened into a rather spacious foyer done in dark browns and deep creams. They were led into a rather large living room done in dark forest greens and earthy browns. Dumbledore commented, "You have a beautiful home, Mr. Maker."
"Thank you though you can thank Calla for the color scheme in here," Jason waved a hand to them, "Please take a seat while I go get some refreshments and see where she ran off to,"
"Of course," Dumbledore settled down on one of the two large leather sofas while eyeing the room.
It had an additional pair of arm chairs, a large window seat flanked by two book cases, a thick emerald green rug that sat underneath a large coffee table, a fire place, and a rather large entertainment system. Dumbledore sighed softly feeling himself sink comfortably into the leather. Minerva reached out to pick up the book that laid open on the table alongside a piece of paper with a pencil and commented, "This is fairly advanced math from what I can tell."
"Can I have my book back?" The child from before was standing in the doorway they'd just come through.
"Of course," Minerva handed it over as she grabbed the piece of paper and pencil, "That's fairly advanced math,"
"Not really, it's just algebra," She settled down on the floor on a pillow that Dumbledore just now noticed, "I don't like it that much though. I like reading more,"
"And what's your name?" Dumbledore eyed the child, "My name is Albus Dumbledore. The woman is Minerva McGonagall and the man is Severus Snape,"
"Papa says I shouldn't talk to strangers," The child looked at the book before picking up the pencil and beginning to write, "Though you aren't really strangers since Papa brought you in here and I'm apparently going to the school you guys teach at. My name is Calla Evans,"
"Don't you mean Potter?" Dumbledore asked earning a snort from Calla.
"Evans," Calla looked up at him and Dumbledore realized that her eyes had a slight glow to them, "Potter was Uncle James' name,"
"James Potter was the name of your father," Dumbledore protested earning a laugh from the girl.
She shook her head, "You don't know as much as you think you do."
"Calla, what did I say about dangling bits of information in front of people like that?" Jason walked back into the room carrying a tray filled with snacks while a woman with dark almost blue hair followed after him with a tea-tray that held not only a pot of tea, but a few other beverages.
Calla looked up at him, "I'm not allowed to do it to new people unless they're being rude. I should also refrain from doing it around our allies unless it's Toby, Jeff, LJ, or any of the more immature ones. Of course, exceptions can be made so long as I explain myself well enough."
"And that means?" Jason set the tray down alongside the woman.
Letting out a sigh, Calla turned to Dumbledore and said, "I apologize for being impolite. Please forgive me."
"Of course," Dumbledore inwardly chuckled before looking at Jason, "Excuse me, but why is she saying that James Potter wasn't her father?"
"Simple, he isn't her father," Jason told them, "I am,"
Calla didn't bother to pay attention to the math that Masky wanted her to do. It wasn't as entertaining as watching the faces of the magicals. Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Can you explain that, Mr. Maker?"
"It's quite simple really," Jason said as he and Candy Cane settled down on the couch, "Lily and I had begun courting during her sixth year. We married using an old ceremony from my people and eventually, we were blessed with Calla,"
"But what about James?" The female, McGonagall, asked looking distressed.
"James loved Lily, of that you can be sure, but not as a lover," Jason picked up a cup of tea, "He believed it was romantic, but came to understand it was the love of an older brother to a baby sister. Shorty after they graduated from Hogwarts, James and Sirius blood adopted Lily as their younger sister thus making her a part of their families. They did it not only because she was their adoptive little sister, but also to protect her as the wizarding world was dangerous back then,"
"But that doesn't explain why James and Lily would say she was his daughter," Dumbledore protested earning a snort from Calla.
"What better way to protect me than to make everyone believe that I had a pure-blood father?" Calla set down her pencil and reached out to grab the bowl of pineapple cubes earning a giggle from Candy Cane, "Especially one from an ancient and noble house?
"There's also the fact that James was known to be obsessed with Lily," Candy Cane commented.
"And who are you?" Dumbledore asked with a frown.
"I am Candice Crane," Candy Cane answered while smirking as Snape flinched, "I was friends with Lily along with my brother,"
"How come you two or your brother help us in the war?" Dumbledore asked earning snorts from the two Pastas.
Candy Cane picked a glass filled with milk and placed it in front of Calla earning a grimace from the young witch. She didn't really like drinking milk even if it was good for her. A stern look from her father made her sigh and begin drinking the milk. Candy Cane answered, "We did help only using methods that you refused to use. We only got involved due to Lily's wishes. It is a regret that we will always carry since Lily, James, and Sirius died."
"Black didn't die," Snape commented earning looks of shock from the three, "He betrayed Lily and Potter-"
"Sirius would never betray them," Jason snapped making Calla flinch slightly, "If anyone would betray them, it would be Pettigrew,"
Candy Cane patted the couch and Calla got up. Instead of settling on the couch, she settled down in Jason's lap. He hugged her tightly to his chest and burrowed his face in her hair. Candy Cane spoke as the three magicals looked at the duo in surprise, "Out of all Lily and James' friends, the only ones in the group that never knew about us was Pettigrew and that's because we didn't trust him with that information."
"But Black was the secret keeper," Dumbledore said looking confused.
"After everyone that was there left, they decided to switch to Pettigrew until Remus returned from wherever you sent him," Jason said as his hold on Calla relaxed, "While there was talk of using one of us as the secret keeper, we didn't know if the spell would take with one of us nor did we wish to risk the magic failing if it did not work,"
"Why would it not work?" McGonagall asked with a frown, "The Fidelius charm will always work so long as the caster is able to power it,"
"Not unless the magic within whoever the secret keeper isn't the kind you use," Jason sighed softly, "The magic within us is far too diffrent for such spells to be used on us. We do have access to a similar spell and were planning on using it..."
"But you never had the chance," Dumbledore sighed deeply, "I am truly sorry for what happened though hearing this will hopefully allow me to free Sirius or at the very least, get him a new trial,"
"That would be great as Sirius is a dear friend and Calla really needs to meet him as he is her Godfather," Jason said earning a warm smile and a nod from Dumbledore, "Of course, I need to ask one thing. Why was my daughter sent to Petunia of all people? Even with Sirius imprisoned, there were many people that could have taken care of her?"
"With Alice and Frank being tortured into insanity not long after Voldemort died, I did not believe she would be safe in the magical world," Dumbledore explained while giving Jason an odd look, "As a result, I sent her to Petunia in hopes that she would be safer. At the very least, the blood wards I constructed using Lily's sacrifice would have protected her even if her life with the Dursleys wasn't pleasant,"
"You would be wrong," Candy Cane looked at Dumbledore with anger in her eyes and Calla could feel her father shaking slightly, "Petunia was a bitter bitch that abused Calla until we managed to find out she was alive and rescue her. If we hadn't, it's likely she would have died. The blood wards wouldn't have done anything to protect her from those within the house. If anything they would've killed Calla, the wards you're speaking about require at least one fully matured magical adult to be tied to them in order to keep the magic from sucking the child's core almost completely dry. If it weren't for the magic she got from Jason, Calla would've died within the first ten years of being there,"
Dumbledore and McGonagall looked decidedly pale while Snape seemed a little pleased. Calla made a mental note to stay away from him as much as possible. She did not like his energy at all. Dumbledore's voice was hoarse, "I...I didn't know."
"We're aware which is the only reason we didn't kill you the moment you arrived," Candy Pop said from the doorway.
"Who are you?" Dumbledore asked while eyeing Candy Pop with interest.
Candy Pop frowned at Dumbledore, "I am Phelan Crane. I would heavily advise against trying to use mental magic on anyone here. Otherwise, I am highly likely to make your nose even more crooked than it already is."
"Be nice, Poppy," Calla told him earning a raised eyebrow from the incubus, "If I have to be nice, so do you,"
"Very well," Candy Pop settled down on the couch and eyed the math she was supposed to be doing, "Aren't you supposed to be working on that? Tim will be annoyed if you don't get it done,"
"Later," Calla didn't really want to work on her boring math work.
Dumbledore cleared his throat drawing attention back to the three magicals, "If I may ask, what are you?"
"That's a very impolite question to ask someone you just met," Candy Pop shook his head, "I won't answer it,"
"Anyway," Candy Cane coughed to hide her snickers, "Perhaps we should move on?"
"How come you didn't come to find young Calla after that dreadful night?" Dumbledore asked earning a sigh from Jason.
"When I arrived, I saw the damage and went inside to find out what had happened," Jason tightened his hold on Calla and she leaned into her father feeling sad, "I found James' body first and checked to see if Lily was somewhere downstairs before going up. By the time I reached the nursery, the roof over Calla's crib had caved in. By the time I tried moving the rubble, I heard other wizards arriving and left. After that, I withdrew from your part of the magical world and grieved. It was by luck that one of my associates found Calla in England almost two years ago and I learned that she had survived,"
"I am glad that you two have been reunited though I must ask if you know that the Dursley family died in a fire almost two years ago," Dumbledore said earning a snorts from the group.
"Of course we know," Candy Pop grinned, "We celebrated when we heard the news,"
After the wizards calmed down and began enjoying the refreshments, Jason asked, "Was there something else you would like to discuss, Headmaster?"
"Ah, yes about young Calla," Dumbledore put down his cup of tea, "You see due to her survival that terrible night, she is quite famous,"
"Famous?" Calla stared at the old wizard like he was insane, "Why?"
"You survived the killing curse which has never happened before," Dumbledore informed them earning a confused look from Calla and shocked looks from the three adult pastas.
"How is that possible?" Candy Cane asked while looking towards Calla.
Jason was currently checking Calla over with fear in his eyes. The knowledge that Calla had gotten hit with the killing curse shook her to the core. Candy Cane barely managed to refrain from grabbing her and doing the same thing. Dumbledore shrugged lightly, "I do not know. No one has been able to successfully figured out a way to block it other than hiding behind some form of solid barrier."
"It could be one of the things Lily was working on," Candy Pop murmured looking thoughtful, "After she got pregnant with Calla and withdrew from actively participating in the fighting, she spent a lot of time researching and creating various spells. I know that she was researching protective spells, but not much else,"
"Whatever she did, it saved Calla," Jason murmured.
"Why am I famous rather than Mama?" Calla asked with a frown.
Dumbledore sighed deeply, "The magical world is very biased to muggleborns and creatures. They would tolerate a half-blood being famous, but not a muggleborn."
Calla's nose scrunched up, "England is definitely not like other countries."
"No, they are not," Jason shook his head lightly before focusing on Dumbledore, "I suppose that means Calla will be under watch the moment it's revealed that she's still alive?"
"I never informed the wizarding world that I believed Calla had died," Dumbledore informed them, "The only ones that knew were Minerva and Severus. As the war was so recent, I did not believe it would be good for the English magical community's spirits as we were just beginning to truly recover from the damages of the war,"
"I see," Jason glanced down at his daughter, "Do you still wish to go to Hogwarts?"
Calla's eyes went half-lidded for a few moments before she nodded, "Yes, Papa. I want to see the school that Mama, Uncle James, and Uncle Sirius loved so much."
"Very well," Jason looked at the three magicals, "Is there anything else?"
"I was planning on sending someone along to lead you to get your supplies, but I suppose that isn't required anymore," Dumbledore said.
"Actually, it would probably be a good idea," Candy Cane said earning looks from the three beside her, "We haven't been in their side of British magical society in years. While I doubt much has changed, it would probably be best if we had a guide. Of course, we would explore more on our own later, but it would be best to have a guide during out first trip,"
Candy Cane narrowed her eyes at them when it looked like they wouldn't agree earning a trio of nods. She smiled at them before turning back to the three magicals as McGonagall hid a giggle behind her hand. Jason cleared his throat, "I believe Candice is correct."
"I will see about sending-" Dumbledore began only to be cut off by Candy Cane.
"Headmaster, we already have a plan," Candy Cane smiled at the old man, "We will be in England two weeks before September 1st. Before that, we're going on a little trip. We remember where the Leaky Cauldron is, so we will head there a week before September 1st around ten in the morning,"
"I will ensure your guide is prepared," Dumbledore looked a little surprise which made Candy Cane snicker a little.
"I must say," McGonagall said licking her lips a little, "These cookies taste rather interesting,"
"I made them," Calla said with a proud smile, "Candy Cane watched me,"
"You did a good job, Kitten," Candy Cane told her remembering the potion that the kid had put in them.
"It tas-" McGonagall cut herself off by meowing.
Snape picked up a cookie and sniffed it before eyeing Calla with interesting, "It seems that you managed to find one of the animal sound potions."
"I made it," Calla informed the man earning a surprised look, "It was fun,"
"You enjoy making potions?" Snape asked as he put down the cookie.
Calla nodded while leaning against Jason making it clear she didn't like the man, "Mama loved them and it helps me be closer to her."
"Pop, why don't you take Calla upstairs?" Candy Cane suggested knowing that Calla was itching to get away from the man, "Isn't it about time you two started on that reading test you were planning?"
"Right," Candy Pop stood up and held out a hand to Calla, "Come with me, Little One,"
Calla took his hand and they left quickly. Candy Cane noticed the looks on their faces, "Calla doesn't enjoying spending a lot of time with strangers especially if they're adults. The Dursleys made her wary of those older than her."
Not counting the various Pastas that lived or came to the mansion, but Candy Cane wasn't going to say anything about that. She really wanted to get them out of her so that she could ask Calla why she didn't like Snape. Granted, she didn't like Snape for multiple reasons, but Calla was usually neutral to most people though there was a wariness around adults with certain body types. Jason seemed to agree with her, "If there isn't anything else, we have a busy schedule to keep."
"Of course," Dumbledore stood along with McGonagall and Snape, "Thank you for meeting with us,"
"It is no trouble," Jason said while standing up, "Please follow me,"
Candy Cane followed them to the door before heading up to Calla's room. She found Calla hugging Floppy and leaning against Candy Pop. Walking over, Candy Cane sat down beside Calla and asked, "Kitten, what happened down there?"
Calla frowned softly, "Snape's energy. It felt off I suppose."
"What do you mean by off?" Candy Cane asked her with a frown.
Calla's eyes went half-lidded again and her nose began to wrinkle. It was one of the key signs that she was sifting through the information she got from her sensing ability. It reminded her of Jason when the toy-maker was just starting to understand his abilities. At some point, Calla wouldn't even need to think about it as her mind would automatically file the things she sensed into various categories. She was still a long ways off, but her ability seemed to be growing stronger as they worked with her on it. It was diffrent than Jason's own ability, but similar enough that they could actually teach her to use it. Jason soon joined them and asked, "What's going on?"
"Snape's energy felt off to her and she trying to figure out why," Candy Cane answered.
Jason frowned lightly, "I will admit that he did feel off though I can't exactly say why."
Calla's eyes opened fully as she said, "His energy is in disharmony."
"Disharmony?" Candy Pop asked with a raised eyebrow.
Calla bit her bottom lip as she struggled to find a way to explain it, "Parts of his energy doesn't flow correctly and it seems like parts of it are lashing out. The worst of it came from his left arm. It makes me feel sick and my head hurt."
"The dark mark," Candy Cane murmured as she realized what the problem was, "You're sensing his dark mark,"
"The tramp stamp the guy that killed Mama gave his followers to show he owned them?" Calla asked making Candy Pop burst out laughing as Jason stared at his daughter in shock and Candy Cane giggled in amusement.
"Where did you hear that?" Jason finally pulled himself out of his shock to ask.
Calla's head tilted slightly as she said, "I think I heard it from Jeff or Ben. I'm not too sure. Is it a bad word?"
"Not necessarily bad, but it isn't something you normally say," Candy Cane said earning a slow nod from Calla, "And tramp stamps are normally found on the lower back just above your butt,"
"Wouldn't that hurt more than a normal tattoo?" Calla asked earning a shrug from Candy Cane.
"No idea, Kitten. I've never gotten one," Candy Cane looked as Jason stood up and walked out of the room, "And it looks like Jay's going to have a talk with those two,"
"So no saying tramp stamp?" Calla asked earning a nod, "Then would calling it a slave brand be better?"
"A bit," Candy Cane stood up, "I'm going to head to the mansion. Slenderman wanted to know how the talk went. You should be doing your math homework," Calla pouted at her, "I know you think it's boring, but you'll need it for when you take those online exams and get that degree,"
"Still don't know why I need that stuff, you guys don't have them," Calla said earning a laugh from Candy Cane.
"We do have them, Kitten," Candy Cane said earning a surprised look, "All of us have taken classes and the like when we've gotten bored. We want to make sure that if you find some kind of subject that you actually want to learn everything about, you can do it. Not to mention, you'll need documents and stuff,"
"Math is still boring," Calla said earning a snicker.
Candy Cane shook her head and left after hugging Calla lightly.