Daria is the creation of Glen Eichler and is the property of MTV Viacom Harry Potter is the creation of JK Rowling and is the property of JK Rowling and Warner Brothers. . I own neither, and neither expect nor deserve financial compensation for this story. I am writing for my own amusement and ego gratification.
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Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*
It was a weekend conference in Houston. The oil industry bust had hit the regular Texas economy hard, and the savings and loans had been particularly hard-hit, with S&Ls going broke left and right. Mr. Bloodworth had sent her to a conference to see if there were ways for Gringotts of Texas to profit from the financial distress.
Getting to Houston was faster than she thought. Helen Morgendorffer had discovered that while she wasn't a witch, she did have enough magic in her ancestry to qualify as what MACUSA officialdom nick-named as a "wild squib." That simplified travel arrangements. She could get Jake to drop her off at Ruskin's public floo terminal, travel to a public floo terminal near downtown Houston, then use ordinary taxis.
The Goblins made their own travel arrangements. Bloodworth, Speedicutt, and some of the other Goblins at the bank had taught her a lot about Goblin culture and manners, but she and they preferred to live separate lives off-work. And make separate travel arrangements. Helen had gotten a nice room at a higher-end hotel chain.
Helen and the Goblins had already met up after her arrival in Houston and discussed ways for Gringotts to pick up some of the distressed properties that were dragging the savings and loan associations towards bankruptcy. Old Dime Box Savings and Loan had some interesting real estate near Houston's Intercontinental Airport that had possibilities. They'd had dinner while discussing business: the Goblins eating thick steak cooked rare while Helen stuck with a salad. She went back to her hotel and retired shortly after that. She fell asleep shortly afterwards
That was when things started to going off. Helen opened her eyes and looked at the alarm clock. The clock said it was 7:30 AM. Late. She was late. She got out of bed, and hurried over to the bathroom to freshen up and to put on her face. Go. Go. Go.
It was while she was putting on her make-up that things changed from the stressful to the weird. It was like something out of Sleeper, the old Woody Allen movie. She was trying to use the mirror to put on her make-up, but the mirror's image kept changing from her own reflection to someone else's, a younger red-headed woman with long straight hair that Helen thought she remembered seeing somewhere before.
"Would you stop changing the channel?" Helen said irritably. "I'm trying to get ready for today's conference."
"You're not awake yet," said the woman in the mirror. "You're still in your bed.
This mirror had sound, she thought incredulously.
"What do you mean?" said Helen.
"This is a vision," said the girl in the reflection.
"So who are you?" asked Helen.
"I'm Lily," she said. "I'm your grand-niece. I'm Rose's grand-daughter."
Even in the half-dream phase, Helen's dream-mind was close enough to her waking self that she recognized her. This was Lily.
She was so surprised that she felt herself growing weak in the knees. She was glad that the bathroom had a chair and sat down.
"We finally get to meet," said Helen
"So we do," said Lily. "Professor Dumbledore's wards are formidable."
Helen looked at her great-niece's image in the mirror. So young, she thought. Lily had only been twenty two when she was murdered. For Helen, twenty-two had been half a lifetime ago, about the time of her graduation and before she moved to the commune.
"Thank you for taking in Harry," said Lily.
"I'm sorry that we couldn't let him grow up with you" said Helen.
"I'm glad you were there to take him in," said Lily. "Dumbledore originally wanted to place him with my sister."
"Petunia?" said Helen. "We've met. We did not get along. She reminds me of some of my other cousins. They're still fighting the Civil War."
Lily looked blank at Helen's comment. Helen could see that Lily hadn't gotten Helen's reference.
"How is he doing?" Lily asked.
"He's doing well," said Helen. "He's doing well in school, he gets along with my older daughter Daria, and he's crazy about baseball. He and Jake occasionally go out and play macho man together. I'd say he's happy living with us."
"He does miss you and James. I see it sometimes."
"Thank you," said Lily. "Could you tell him that James and I love him?"
"I can," said Helen.
"Speaking of children, Helen, you should pay more attention to your children while you have the chance," said Lily. "They'll be out of the house before you know it."
"I get that lecture from Mother all the time," said Helen. "What do you mean?"
"Well in your case, Harry is going to off to boarding school before you know it," said Lily. "Daria won't be far behind."
"Daria's probably going to go to one of the local schools or take honors track at Ruskin High School," Helen replied. "I'll still have a few years to enjoy her company," she added smugly.
Lily gave her a look that reminded Helen of her aunt Ella, her father's sister. Ella was not one to continue arguing when she'd been verbally out-argued or outflanked but hadn't been convinced. Instead, she gave her opponent her look. It was a look that said "You're wrong, I know it, and you'll find out that I was right all along."
What was Lily trying to say? Was Lily trying to say that Daria was magical? Helen didn't think that was likely. True, there were the occasional conferences with MACUSA's social workers and Mrs. Kettler had to come over to talk about Harry's outbursts of accidental magic, but she couldn't believe that Daria was that much like Harry. Besides, if Daria was a witch, she'd probably tell her.
Maybe Mother was going to help Helen send Daria off to a good boarding school, she thought. Helen still resented the way she played favorites.
"Do you talk to Petunia?" asked Lily.
"Not really," said Helen. "Once Petunia got back to England after we took custody of Harry, she hasn't called or written us. We've sent them Christmas cards, but we haven't heard back from them."
"You're on the other side, aren't you?" said Helen.
It took Lily a moment to understand what Helen was saying. "Yes, I'm dead," she said.
"Could you say Hello to Father and to Rose for me?" said Helen. "Tell Dad that I miss him and tell Rose hello from her younger sister Helen."
"I can do that," said Lily.
Helen got ready to say something else, but Lily held up her hand.
"Aunt Helen, my time is limited," said Lily. "I only have a couple of moments left."
"A word. Horcruxes. Write that word down."
"Got it," said Helen. "Horcrux." She reached out to touch the mirror with her hand and felt something tugging at her arm. Her arm started feeling colder.
The bathroom disappeared and Helen found herself in her hotel room bed.
Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*Harry Potter Morgendorffer*
Author's note: There really is a community called Old Dime Box in Texas. It's an unincorporated area that has a population of around 200 souls. To the best of my knowledge, it never had a savings and loan-type bank.