It has taken me a while to wrap this portion of the story up but here it is.

Lola wondered if someone or something was sending her these visions. They always answered her questions. Had he loved them, had he wanted them? Of course he had; his son was to be his sole inheritor. To his son Voldemort would have given the world. He would have taught him everything he had learned from the dark arts. He would have been his most trusted advisor and Jane Harlow… she would be his muggle queen. What a true fool he had been, dreaming so big. She would have never allowed it. Lola knew, she knew Jane herself would have joined or aided the order of the phoenix to stop Voldemort. She would have stopped at nothing to save her son from his father. Lola just knew this to be true. But she could not help but feel a sliver of pity for her grandfather. Maybe they could have saved him from his own evil. Instead they had been scarred by it. Jane Harlow was dead and her son, Lola's father, was more afraid of the world than ever before. And then there was Lola herself who had to hide everything she was and felt. Still, the sliver persisted.

Flying lessons were a painfully slow process. Madame Diamondback was a traditionalist, and like most traditionalist, she was achingly by the book. Al was a natural on the broom, of course. He flung around the air trying Madame Diamondback's patience as he attempted to impress and entertain his fellow classmates. Flying lessons were a multi-house class and as much as Lola enjoyed spending time with everyone she found herself most of the time lost in her own thoughts. Of course, it did not help that Lola was the worst in the class.

"Harlow, you are quite a disgrace to witches everywhere," Al teased.

"Why don't you go jump through some hoops or something," Lola spat.

"Ooh, touchy, touchy, today are we not? No need to get all American and rude, darling," Al joked.

"Can't help it, it's my natural defense to British douchebaggery," Lola murmured as she tried to get back on her shifty broom. The thing wiggled away. Lola cursed it.

"Just relax and let it come to you," Al said as he lay on his broom five feet off the ground.

"Here is a better idea, why don't I just grab it and beat you with it?" Lola said sarcastically hopeful and giddy.

"I'm only trying to help you know," Al said giggling.

"Well why don't you lower the attitude tenfold, that would be very helpful, Potter."

Al smiled and reached for her broom to steady it when Lola heard a scream. She gripped Al's hand and signaled him to listen. Someone screamed again.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"Don't you hear that?"

Al took a moment to listen, the screaming worsened, "I do not hear a thing, Lola,"

"Al, come on," Lola began but Madame Diamondback was already ushering them all inside, "you didn't hear that screaming?"

"Screaming?" Madame Diamondback and Al asked in unison. Lola looked them both in the eyes trying to decipher them but they were genuinely concerned and confused. She heard it again; it was so loud and clear to her, why couldn't they hear it? Lola had no time to convince them; she looped her way out of Madame Diamondback's arms and ran toward the horrid sounds.

"Miss Harlow!" she heard the Madame say but Lola was determined to reach the screams, she could hear a pair of feet running behind her. The screams were getting clearer and louder and Lola ran faster towards them. There was something terribly wrong about it all, but Lola's mind had no time to think, her entire being was focused on getting to the scream. Near the Black Lake Lola found her answer. There was a red headed girl on the floor clutching her left hand close to her as her other hand steadily pointed her wand towards a dark, small shape eclipsed by some long grass.

"Molly," Madame Diamondback called the girl as she dragged her away from the unmoving shape, "are you alright?"

"Oh yes I am fine, Madame Diamondback, I just got on the wrong side of the poor beast, is all," said the red headed girl as Madame Diamondback helped her to her feet. Her voice was soft and calm…not at all like the voice Lola had heard screaming.

"What happened, dear girl?" Madame Diamondback asked.

"Well I saw some second years doing who knows what to the beast and I took it upon myself to try to help the poor thing but when I tried to heal it she bit me," Molly said, "I know I should know better than to try to heal with my miniscule training and all but I just felt so bad for the poor thing."

Lola knew it was not Molly she had heard screaming. That could only mean…Lola knelt down beside the still beast. As she cleared the grass she knew instantly who she had heard screaming. Quivering in the grass was a dark brown garden snake. It did not move to attack her. The snakes silver eyes met her own.

"Hey, be careful!" Lola heard Molly say but Lola was too entranced by the creatures stare to heed the warning.

"How could anyone ever hurt you, you beautiful thing," Lola heard herself say, but she had not said that, no, she had said it another way….

The snake watched her tentatively at first but slowly grew more confident, "I have not met many like you," the snake said. The snake was speaking to Lola.

Lola smiled, "they say I'm a rare creature,"

"Goodness me…" Lola heard Madame Diamondback say. She turned around to see the looks of fear, awe and apprehension from both Molly and Madame Diamondback.

"…they do not like it when you speak to us," the snake said to Lola.

Lola healed the creature to its full health, "no, they do not like it at all, run along now."

"You mean slither," the snake said as it slipped away into the wild around them.

Lola faced Madame Diamondback and Molly once again, who had not moved at all, "we should get her to the infirmary," she said.

She ran from the infirmary. Lola did not know where she was going but she did know that she needed to get away. She needed to run. Before she would just grab her long forgotten surf board and dive into the ocean who always embraced her with clarity but now…now she had nowhere to go. Her father would not talk to her, she could not even say a word to her friends or else they would know what she was.

She found herself in the unlikeliest of places a troubled Slytherin would go, outside the Gryffindor common room. She hesitated there out of breath. She knew why she was there but could not find the courage to reach up and address the fat lady of the portrait. Suddenly, the door lunged open and Lola jumped out of its way.

Nicolas Longbottom Abbott looked down at her with surprised and confused dark eyes. They stared at each other a long while.

"What are you doing standing there?" he asked her as he shifted the group of books he was most likely returning to the library.

Lola struggled but finally spoke, "Can you get James Potter for me?"

Nicolas raised a long dark eyebrow and Lola fought the urge to lose control of her spiraling emotions.

"James," Nicolas called after a moment of trying to figure Lola out, "Lola Harlow is here to see you!"

Many Gryffindor students appeared out of the corners of the opening whispering and watching her curiously. The whole house must have heard him hollering, Lola figured, trying to avoid the stares.

"Sod off, vultures," Lola heard James say before his red head appeared in the doorway. He walked past Nicolas and guided down the stairs into a solitary corridor without giving his housemates a glance. They stood in the dim light silently as Lola fretted with a loose piece of string from her robes. What was she doing? James was patient. He waited, watching her with those inquiring brown eyes and a sliver of a smile on his pink lips.

"And I thought Slytherins were bad company," Lola heard herself say. She was stalling. She could feel the emotions swelling up inside her ready to explode.

"What happened?" James asked. He wasted no time.

"I should have known," Lola began pacing, "I should have realized it. I don't understand how I could be so damn stupid!"

"Lola," James interrupted, grabbing her by the wrists and stopping her in her tracks, "what happened?"

"I am a parselmouth," she heard herself whisper and the words singed her tongue to speak them. There was no way she was going to live in the magical world without her lineage being revealed. There was no way back. James stared at her a long moment without speaking. His face was inscrutable.

"…how did you find this out?" he asked.

She told him everything. She told him of the scream and of Molly and Madame Diamondback's part in the ordeal, she even told him of the small conversation she had with the snake. He listened well and this time his eyes grew with concern and awe.

"James if word gets out that I am a parselmouth people will know that I am descended from Salazar Slytherin and they will try to find out my heritage!" Lola was breathing hard. She felt like crying but wanted to destroy something instead.

"What was it like?" she heard James ask.

"What?"

"What was talking to a snake, talking in parseltongue like?" he asked again.

Lola faltered, "I…I don't know like… like a regular conversation but it was…it felt like we were alone in the world. It was like… like nothing else."

Thinking back now Lola knew she would not have had the strength to turn away from the creature. Staring into its eyes had been like… like looking into her father's. Lola had always known she had inherited this ability. That and much more. She had communicated with other animals but with snakes it had always been a little more than a mental conversation or awareness of each other's presence. With snakes it had been like the world shut off around her and there was only them and she. She could feel there essence, the way the ground felt against their scales, the way the sun energized them. And in return, she knew they felt her humanity. Lola had never spoken to one out loud before today but…she had always understood that connection and what it meant. Only now did she realize how others could implicate her with it.

"Lola…what an incredible gift," James said.

"James," Lola began pacing again, "don't you get it? I cannot go to this school if they know who I am. I cannot even enter this world! I will have to go back to taking those god awful pills and feeling terrible all the time and never understanding and never feeling the free flow of magic. I don't want that!"

"Lola, calm down," James stopped her by her shoulders, "you are getting ahead of yourself. Just because you are a parselmouth does not mean you are going to be burned at the stake. Besides, your lineage is not who you are, it is just part of you. As far as I can tell you weren't raised to take over the world so try to relax. No one is taking you from here."

Lola closed her eyes but she could feel the emotions knotting inside her, ever closer to releasing, "what if you are wrong. What if that is the only reason I am here."

"Lola what does that even mean?"

"James I have visions of him, I have visions of my grandfather and he is calling to me, I swear, he is inside my head and my heart. What if they can get him out of me? What if they can bring him back….through me?" Lola could not stop herself, her deepest fears were escaping.

James did not falter, "No, I won't allow it. You are here to learn to protect yourself just like the rest of us, Lola. You are not some horcrux, all right? No one can take you from here, ok? This is the safest place in the entire world. And even if they do try they won't succeed. It is madness to think that they can use magic to bring someone back from death and a most permanent death thanks to my father. You know this, Lola, and you know it well."

"Allow it? Allow it! James you cannot stop them from trying to get me, no one can! And even if they are wrong and he is not inside me they will stop at nothing to get him or some form of him. They will kill me, James, they will do anything." Lola could not take any more of this. Her head was throbbing with the need to vent out all the pain and frustration she was feeling. She tried to turn away from him but James grip was strong on her lithe shoulders.

"Lola, look at me," he said, forcing her head up to meet him, "you have to believe. If you do not believe that you are your own person and not a means of bringing the dark lord back you will never be able to live a free life. Look at me! "

"James…the things I see… the things I know," as Lola spoke she remembered all her memories as Tom Riddle or Jane Harlow. Even her dreams of Harry Potter's life came to mind. All these other people's lives were taking over her own. Would there ever be enough room for her own memories?

"Are probably very strange," he interrupted, "but his life is not yours, Lola. He had his chance; he actually had a really long one. Now you have to make your choice…you can live in fear of his shadow or step out of it and leave it behind."

Lola felt the hot tears before they blurred her vision of James' strong face. She reached up to wipe them away but James pulled her hands away and took her into a deep embrace. For the first time in a long time, Lola let a stranger hold her.

"You are one freaky chick," she heard James whisper in her ear. Lola could not respond. Finally her emotions had broken through and all she could do was sink into his shoulder and cry. James chuckled, "I suppose my dear cousin looked mortified."

"Cousin?"

"Yeah, Molly Weasley, you can't run into anyone red headed around here without them being related to me."

Dear Lola,

I suppose this letter is long overdue but I have had to rewrite it many times for, you see, I am very nervous to answer your questions. This is an improper topic, Lola, but you are right, I have no one else to confide to. My sister is a baby and with my family it has always been a do not ask and do not mention sort of truce. They still have hope that I will grow out of this and marry a proper witch. But, if it will make you happy, and since your well being is my concern as well as my profession at the moment, I will entertain you.

It started out very proper between Sir Hotspur and I. He was my teacher and I was to be his star student. I never imagined…you see sir Hotspur is a legend for my generation. He has arrested and destroyed so many dark forces and to be his apprentice and only that would have been the greatest honor of my life. It would have been enough for me. I am not what you Americans call a 'home wrecker' or whatever. I had no intentions for any of this to happen and I want that to be clear to you. Anyway, it started slow. He would compliment me or when a handed him some file his hand would linger on mine a moment too long. Then his eyes would catch me staring at him and he would actually smile my way.

Then, a few weeks before you came into our lives, we kissed. Well, it was more like I could not take the tension anymore and I threw myself upon him but… he did kiss me back. He does not speak much of his life to me…or to anyone. All I know is that he was once married but… she died and he did not spend much time with her for obvious reasons. His life has been his work. His life is still his work and he does not seem to regret anything. He is very sweet to me and he never treats me like I am below him. He has taught me so much.

Lola, no one can know about us. It is terribly improper and it could cost us our jobs. It could literally cost me my future as an auror. I trust you but I do ask you burn this letter after you read it. Also, the files should be coming in with this letter so read up and put those in a safe place. I hope your time in Hogwarts is pleasing you. And I hope you are making plenty of good and honest friends. Be careful, but not too careful, or else life will pass you by.

Now I am not going to out all of Hogwarts for your elusive pursuit but I will warm you: sexuality is a subject best left unspoken of in those halls. It is not an issue you want to get involved with, understood? I am supposed to be protecting you, remember? I will not knowingly lead you down a dangerous path.

Take care, darling,

Alexander Sweyn

Lola read the letter over and over before she watched it burn to a grey piles of ashes by her bedside. What a breathtaking love story, she thought, between her protectors. Lately she had been…engulfed in other people's tales of love that the ever pressing female urge to fall in it herself was beginning to show itself in her mind again. Being a girl was hard, Lola wondered if she would ever get her emotions under control again. Before it had been easy being a girl. It was not much different than being a boy. But now that this whole terrible puberty thing was starting, Lola knew she would never be the same. It was strange feeling.

As the twilight began to fade outside and the sun began peaking around the horizon, Lola hopped out of bed and made herself ready for school. Today was a very important day. Today was when operation payback would commence. She and the girls had planned long and hard and she was well rested and quite ready for the encounter. Lola was always ready and willing for a fight, she figured it was all part of her Slytherin ambition and cunning. She had been a good leader being resourceful and bringing out a concrete plan from the girls' wild ideas. Lola was quite proud of herself. They had a couple main targets but the whole second year class was in for one hell of a shock.

She ate her breakfast with her two best mates as plain and innocently as she could. Although she knew Al would approve of their plan she did not want to risk Scorpius feeling extra righteous this morning. And Al lately was being so excruciatingly understanding of Scorpius' feelings that if he did find out he would try to stop them to please him. Boys, Lola thought as she watched them, so strange. She would have to skip her morning charms class but she and the girls had already prepared for that.

"Oh, blast," Lola began, she was surprised by the ease the acting fell upon her structure, "I left my wand back in my room,"

"You don't need a wand for charms today, I think, we have that in-class paper to write," Scorpius mumbled through a full-of-crumpets little mouth.

She froze for only a moment, "yeah but I do for my next classes and I will have no time to eat lunch and get my wand. And I rather be late for charms than for potions with Professor Banks."

"Ah, I see, well you should go now before the crowd in here disperses for class," Scorpius said as he wiped down his chin. He looked oh like his father for a moment there, it made Lola giggle. Although, physically Scorpius was more his father's son than his mother's, the kindness and innocence in his eyes made him and his father look like they were from different worlds.

"Right," she said with a smile and scurried off. Phase one, complete, she thought to herself as she snaked down the halls towards the abandoned tower where her girls were probably already waiting for her. She kept herself from giggling out loud as the mission impossible theme stuck to her mind. If there was one thing she missed more than her father from the non-wizarding world, it would be strange little jokes like that. What wizard would ever understand it? She pushed the growing concerns for her father away and made it up the tower without being questioned by anyone. She knocked on the door five times. May opened it.

With a wry and sleepy smile she said, "Well about time, ring leader, we have all been waiting for you. Anji was convinced you chickened out."

Lola grinned, "Ha isn't se supposed to be in position already?"

"She is," said Jasminder from the chair she was snuggling in, "She just thought she would share her thoughts through a wizard's text."

Lola's eyes grew wide, "a what?"

May and Jasminder looked confused, "you know, a wizard's text message."

"Uh, hello, muggle-born," Lola commented.

"Oh, right, well, it is like the muggle text message except it is expressed through your wand, see?" May said as she showed Lola her wand which glowed with a golden script similar to Anjali's handwriting.

"And you do not, what's that muggle term? Oh yes, you do not type it, you just think it and then think of who you want to receive it," Jasminder finished.

"That's nifty and all but what if you are like sharing a joke about someone and you accidentally send it to the wrong person? Like, I don't know the person you were making fun of?" Lola asked.

"Well it is a little more complicated than that but it has happened, that is why not many wizards have become enamored with it for day-to-day conversations but it makes for a great way to share secrets and keep in touch during missions," Jasminder said as she winked. She looked so like her mother when she did that.

"Anyway, are you ready to begin? We have one minute till our mission is suppose to start," May commented impatiently.

"Wow you girls timed it and everything?" Lola asked, impressed.

Jasminder and May widely grinned, "What kind of meddling witches would we be if we did not put flair of auror into it?"

Lola laughed, although she missed her old world, this one was full of similar adventures. One of which, she thought, was about to begin. They made their way to their assigned posts around the great hall. The magic within her bones stirred her and she could not tell if it was magic or adrenaline causing her to feel so extraordinary. Sweet, sweet, revenge, she thought as she focused all her energy on a glass of orange juice.

Lysander and Lorcan Scamander Lovegood were sitting eating calmly when their good friend James Potter came in. He sat down to eat across from them, as most second years come to eat at this time after the first years had gone to their morning classes, and offered but a silly grin as to ease their worry. Although James had been acting strange the last few days, not having them pound on the first years or practice their magic on garden snakes anymore, he was sitting with them at their table. And who could resist a James Potter grin? They ate happily together until a shadow came over their food behind James.

"So you are back?" Fred Weasley Johnson's voice boomed from behind.

James turned to see his dear cousin; one of the only Weasleys to not have flaming red hair. He was tall and lanky like his father at this age but his skin was dark and his head was shaved down to a crew cut. He did not like his brown thick curls growing long. Although he was orderly like his mother, his physical features were boyish and charming like his father and late uncle had been.

"Back?" James asked coolly.

Fred sighed, "You know what I mean, James. Back to sitting with us, eating with us, all that good stuff. Because if you are not and you rather go spend your time who knows where and with whoever it is you fancy so much you can just sod off, then."

James considered his cousin's words for a moment before speaking, "I am sitting and eating here, aren't I? You all are a bunch of jealous blokes lost without me, aren't you? It is actually rather sad."

James saw a smile creep into his cousin's lips before Fred gave in and sat down with them laughing and pushing James around with Lorcan and Lysander. All was well.

Meanwhile Lucy Weasley rolled her eyes at her cousin's strange and barbaric man rituals and turned back to her friends in the Ravenclaw table. She was just about to tell them her sister's encounter with a parselmouth when her orange juice threw itself at her face! After shock wore off came her logical reasoning, juice did not throw itself, someone was using magic to embarrass her. Before she could look around to see who dared to do such a thing, her biscuit had launched itself toward her head.

James was sure he was still dreaming. There was no way bacon could come off a plate by itself, and like a little four piece army, start launching his eggs at his face, using his toast as shields. But as he tried to make sense of it all, there was his bacon, attacking him. His first reaction was to get the bloody hell out of there but there was no escape, his bacon had him cornered.

The great hall exploded with screams and the sound of utensils and food flying about. It had been a simple spell, really. Like the charms used on wizard's chest, Lola, May, Jasminder and Anjali had come up with a way to charm food into attacking its consumer. All they needed was complete concentration. They each picked a table and focused on the food contents. It was so easy and so satisfying to watch the second years freak out at their own meals. Some were even attacking their food instead of trying a simple counter attack. Lola wondered how they even got to their second year when May gave the signal to disperse with the scared and exiting crowd. They had done it! And, Lola mused as she slipped into the crowd; they had gotten away with it.

Haha Wizard's Food Fight, pretty nifty, huh? :D Review if you please.