"Flynn, what is that bird doing? Aren't owls supposed to be, you know, asleep during the day? Why is it staring at you?"
"It's a post owl. Let it in, Michael," Amanda replied to her curious colleague. "I am honestly quite surprised that it knows where to go, considering that I have not even written to anyone where I reside now,"
As Amanda watched him slowly crank open the heavy sliding window, she couldn't help but sigh. Her new placement in Scotland was both a boon and a curse. For while it was certainly better-equipped than her clandestine laboratory back in Number Three, Privet Drive, it certainly left much to be desired.
Her partner had voiced much dissatisfaction regarding its remoteness, particularly when she learned that all their shopping had to be done through a military commissary. She herself had concerns about its rather utilitarian furnishings. While admittedly her home in Privet Drive was hardly the epitome of luxury, her idea of comfort was certainly not sterile rooms of metal and plastic. Or of
beds and seats of cold metal that were only barely padded with thin layers of stiff matting. And the less mentioned about the total lack of decent, fresh food, the better. One did get tired of eating pre-packaged ration packs after a few weeks, after all.
On the other hand, the resources that she had been provided with had been nothing less than a blessing for their research. The men and women working under her, twenty in all, were highly trained and intelligent. It was certainly refreshing to be able to hold an intellectual discussion without having their eyes glaze over uncomprehendingly after only a few words.
"Parchment? Post owls?" snorted Michael as he watched the owl squeeze through the now-open window. "From our, ah, 'special' friends, I take it?"
"Indeed. Now, let us see what message has come..." murmured Amanda. She nearly choked on her coffee when she read the address line of the letter:
To Miss A. R. Flynn
Laboratory 13-F
Eilean Mòr
Scotland
Dear Miss Flynn,
I regret to inform you that an unpleasant situation has arisen regarding your daughter, Miss Orianna Flynn. A disciplinary hearing shall be held on Friday, December 18, to determine whether or not she will be permitted to continue her education in the magical arts.
As you are not of magical birth, I am sorry to say that you will not be permitted to travel to Hogwarts to speak on her behalf. You will be informed of the results of the hearing upon its conclusion.
Yours truly,
Professor Albus Dumbledore
A disciplinary hearing. Amanda scowled deeply as she pondered how it was even possible that her eldest daughter – her most disciplined and well-behaved girl – could have possibly landed herself in so much trouble that she required a disciplinary hearing. She knew that there were elements in Hogwarts that did not take kindly to her; but at the same time, she believed Orianna was certainly prudent enough to hold her tongue and avoid unnecessary conflicts.
"If it were Zoe, I should not be surprised. Orianna, however...?" she muttered to herself, folding the letter up. She would need to speak to the goblins for advice – and likely inform her daughter as well of said advice. "Michael, has the flight bound for Inverness departed? I am required in London in two days' time,"
Albus Dumbledore sighed and massaged his throbbing head. Things were certainly not looking very pleasant for the coming holiday season. For the past week, he had been deflecting questions from the Hogwarts Board of Governors regarding the petrifying attacks on students. It helped somewhat that those that had been attacked were not as well connected, owing to their status as Muggleborns; for as tragic as it was to have them petrified, as long as their magical guardian did not raise a complaint to the Board of Governors, there would be no investigation. How fortunate it was, then, that their respective Heads of Houses were their guardians in the magical world, and that he had the authority to override them.
However, that level of control did not extend to those of established and well respected magical lineages. And despite what traditions Slytherin House had internally regarding how students behaved towards one another, it was rather difficult to overlook the fact that no less than twenty students of established Wizarding families had been put into the hospital wing with injuries of various degrees in a single morning.
One or two students being injured could be attributed to an accident.
Several? He could understand that to be some form of argument that spiralled out of control.
Twenty, however? He was at a loss as to how that could have come about.
All of them had accused a single student of attacking them first. It certainly did not escape Albus' attention that it was Orianna Flynn who was accused. The second year Slytherin Muggleborn, who he recalled had brutally slain a fully-grown mountain troll in her first year. He held no illusions that the girl could have resisted the infamous Slytherin prejudice against Muggleborns forever; and likely this incident was simply her snapping and attacking everyone that had ever wronged her.
An understandable, if regrettable, decision. Why the girl could not simply forgive and forget about their offences was another matter. Lashing out would simply do more harm for the greater good in the long run, deepening the divide between the dark and light and preventing him from saving those that can be saved.
A burst of green flames in his fireplace alerted him to a person arriving by Floo. The elegant and refined Malfoy patriarch stepped out, his lips curled into the persistent sneer that he was infamous for. "Albus," he drawled, "Where is the brutish girl that has attacked my son?"
Albus let out a well-rehearsed, long-suffering sigh and put on his best impression of a caring grandfather figure. It certainly wasn't helping him at all that of all the children that the child could have lashed out at, it had to be Lucius' son.
"She will be here when the time comes, Lucius. You are simply here five minutes early. Severus is currently fetching her from Madam Pomfrey. Lemon drop?"
"No thank you," he replied disdainfully, turning up his nose at the sweets.
"Very well. I would never say no to more candies. They do make life that much easier to handle, Lucius," said Albus with a smile, popping one into his mouth. As he did so, the door to his office creaked open. "Ah, Severus. Excellent timing. Is Miss Flynn with you?"
"She is behind me," replied the dour potions master.
True to his word, the redheaded girl limped in behind him, propping herself up on a crutch. One leg was still bound in a cast, and half her face was hidden behind a swath of bandages stained by various potions. Three of her fingers on her wand-hand were bound together in bandages held by a splint. And despite the amount of pain that she must have been in, the girl maintained an impassive expression. One that was only punctuated by a flash of white-hot rage the moment that her one uncovered eye fell on Lucius – and vanished behind a mask of neutrality almost as quickly as it had come.
A curious development, Albus thought. Most Muggleborns expressed their expressions rather freely. Had the girl started to learn Occlumency? Had her exposure to Slytherin house hardened her mind so quickly? That was certainly not a good sign.
"Headmaster," she murmured icily, inclining her head ever so subtly in his direction. There was little warmth in those green eyes, which were like chips of emerald ice. "Professor Snape said that I was to come here for a...disciplinary hearing?"
"Indeed. We shall begin once we are all settled in and ready. Would you care for a lemon drop?" offered Albus. He waved his wand once, conjuring a pair of plush armchairs
"No thank you. I would prefer to eat proper food over sugary treats," she replied. Giving Lucius an appraising look, she added, "And can I assume that this man is Draco's father?"
"Yes, he is indeed young Mister Malfoy's father, Miss Flynn. Perhaps we should introduce ourselves before beginning,"
"That would be...acceptable," she hissed out. Inclining her head ever so slightly – just enough to be tolerated as a polite greeting – she muttered out. "I am Orianna Flynn. Of no notable House. Though I am fairly sure that you are all too aware of that already,"
"Watch your tongue, Muggleborn. I am Lucius Malfoy, Head of the Noble House of Malfoy, and the chairman of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. I have been informed that you have assaulted no less than twenty other Slytherin students. One of whom is my son, no less; and from who I have heard of your assault. How do you plead?"
"Assault implies that I have attacked first. Which I have not," she replied calmly.
"Indeed? Even when all twenty students have made written statements regarding the event, all of which describe the event the same way?" drawled Lucius. "Do you take me for a fool? My son is in the hospital wing with numerous broken bones! Only with the aid of his friends could he write-"
"Was,"
"Excuse me?"
"Draco was in the hospital wing with broken bones. I will not deny that. But do not try to make the injuries sound more severe than they were, Mister Malfoy. Madam Pomfrey had discharged him within two hours of the injury with a clean bill of health. As have the other Slytherins that have attacked myself,"
Lucius waved her off with a dismissive sneer. "Piffle. So you do not deny assaulting my son, and the sons and daughters of otther notable members of our society?"
"Again, I will repeat myself. Assault implies that I have attacked first, which I did not. I have merely acted in self-defence,"
"More than twenty eyewitnesses have written otherwise, Miss Flynn. If they were spreading lies, then I would highly doubt that their stories would be exactly the same," countered the Malfoy patriarch irritably. Albus noted that through all this, Severus had remained entirely silent. In fact, his lips remained so drawn and tight that they were almost an invisible line. A fact that did not escape the Albus' notice. "I think that the only punishment fitting the crime in this case would be expulsion, Dumbledore. Have her wand snapped and her memories erased. I will not have my son be in the same House as this menace,"
"Perhaps there is more to this than meets the eye, Lucius. I think we should question Miss Flynn first, before passing any judgement on her," Albus spoke, putting on his best grandfatherly air in an attempt to defuse their tempers. "Miss Flynn, what were you doing on that day?"
"I was accompanying my sister, Aveline to the Quidditch pitch alongside Tracey Davis. She had requested to borrow our shared broom, which was in my care at the time, for the purposes of trying out for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team," she recited quickly. Almost too quickly. "I was returning to the Slytherin quarters afterwards when I was attacked by a fifth year. I believe Adrian Pucey was his name,"
"The Slytherin chaser and the captain of the team? I doubt that boy has anything more on his mind than chasing a ball," scoffed Snape.
"Perhaps we should add 'slander' to the list of problems you are causing, Miss Flynn. Mister Pucey is the son of a well-respected businessman of proper lineage," Lucius said, his voice dangerously low. "Think carefully about what you say, unless you wish to insult your betters,"
"Slander? It's not slander if I'm telling the truth. Headmaster, do you have something to show memories? A...pensieve, perhaps?"
That certainly caused Albus to stiffen in his seat. The girl was muggleborn. And pensieves were rather rare, and not often spoken about outside courthouses and the libraries of ancient families. He was fairly certain that none of the books in the library had any material on it. In fact, the way that the girl was staring straight at his pensieve – one that was sitting on a marble pedestal in front of Fawkes – told him that she knew exactly what it was. More disturbingly, it was as though she knew that he had one.
"That is certainly an option. Though if I must ask, where did you learn about them?" inquired Albus, surreptitiously casting a mild Legilimency probe on the girl. Much to his surprise, he simply encountered a void of pure darkness in his mind's eye, revealing nothing more.
Well, except for the fact that the girl was trained in at least rudimentary Occlumency - or perhaps somehow acquired an artifact shielding her mind. A void was not exactly subtle; it was crude, though effective. Judging by her disapproving glare, however, she had detected his probe. Deciding that it was wiser to not be caught performing Legilimency on unwilling subjects, he ceased his probe. She returned the favour with the slightest of nods, though her still-icy glare showed him that she still deeply distrusted him. A slight wiggle of her left index finger caught his eye. There upon it was a polished silver ring, embossed with the sigil of a fleur-de-lys upon an engraved oak leaf – and a single emerald the size of a quail's egg.
House Greengrass' signet ring. Specifically, one of the family rings. Knowing that those were enchanted to horribly burn any that had taken the ring by force, Albus could only speculate that either of the Misses Greengrass had willingly loaned her own ring to Miss Flynn – or the Flynn children had been taken in as wards of the Ancient House. Whatever the case, he dared not push his luck, just in case Charles or Persephone Greengrass decided to press charges in the Wizengamot for unlawful use of Legilimency. He had enough problems with the Dark-aligned families, after all, without provoking those of a neutral disposition.
"I have...sources," she said curtly. "But I do not see how that is relevant for what I was called here for. You have a pensieve, and I wish to show my memories of the event so that we can show who is truly lying,"
"Very well, Miss Flynn. I will not press the matter, though I do wish that you would be more open to myself," Albus said. Standing up, he picked up the pensieve and placed it gently upon the middle of his desk. "Now, I will extract the memories from your mind. If you would recall the event, it would greatly assist me,"
Orianna walked in front of Tracey on their way back to the Slytherin common room. An undercurrent of dread filled her mind as she did so. Her hand was clenched tightly around her wand; her mind racing at what felt like a million miles an hour in an attempt to recall all the defensive and offensive spells that she had learned.
She knew what she had seen. The blond hair and the silver-and-green robes on one boy, and the two thickset, bulky forms following him.
Draco Malfoy. And his two bookends.
They had seen her give their shared broom to her sister. And her sister was going to try and fit into the Hufflepuff team.
There was no doubt about it; he was going to tell as many Slytherins as he could about her betrayal of the Slytherins. Giving a broom to a member of another House. Never mind that she had no interest in Quidditch. Never mind that the broom wasn't even entirely hers to begin with. They would likely see it as a betrayal; and given the rumours of Pucey targeting herself, Tracey and Daphne, it was highly likely that there would be some sort of attack on them impending.
"Oriiii," Tracey cried out plaintively, "Why are you so tense? Why are you walking so fast back to the castle?"
"I – no, we need to get back to the Slytherin common room and find some prefects," she spoke darkly. The wand in her hand gave off a couple of dark purple sparks.
"But why?"
"You know exactly why, Tracey. You know what that must have looked like. I gave a broomstick to Aveline, and now she is playing for Hufflepuff. And the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff match is due after the holidays,"
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"Everything, Tracey. Remember the second rule of Slytherin house," she said with a grimace, "Slytherins must display outward solidarity. And that means do not assist another house if it would bring down your own,"
"And with how much the boys and some girls like Quidditch..." Tracey finished, turning as pale as a sheet as she trailed off.
"Yes. Exactly. Even if I did not exactly break the rules, as the broomstick is technically shared between myself and both my sisters,"
The moment that Orianna had opened up the Slytherin common room's door, she came face to face with what she dreaded most. Inside were most of the Slytherin boys, from second to fourth years; and at the head of their group was Adrian Pucey, with Draco standing closely beside him. Both looked quite sickeningly pleased with themselves; like cats that had caught the canary, or been fed a whole tub of cream. "So, mudblood," Pucey sneered, cracking his knuckles. "Draco's been telling me some interesting tidbits. About the fact that you betrayed Slytherin,"
"I did no such thing," denied Orianna flatly.
"Then what do you call giving a broomstick to Hufflepuff?" screeched a bucktoothed fourth-year girl that she had not even met. "One that works almost as good as their best brooms! And giving it to a beater that actually hits harder than a wet noodle? You're not helping us!"
"And if you're not helping us, you know what that means, mudblood?" Pucey continued. His unpleasant sneer continued to grow. "You betrayed Slytherin. You broke the second rule of Slytherin by helping another house get ahead of the rest of us,"
"I repeat myself, I did no such thing," Orianna said, her fingers gripping her wand ever more tightly. "The broom is shared between myself and my two sisters. Mother only provided one between the three of us,"
"Pfft. Likely story. If it wasn't yours, then why would it be in your room? Honestly, you can't get more than a few Galleons to rub together, traitor? A broom isn't that expensive. We're not buying that dragon shite,"
"That is the truth, and all of it," Orianna spoke, slowly stepping in front of Tracey. She then whispered, "Tracey. Get behind me. If they do anything – run. Get Professor Snape. Bring him down here. Immediately,"
"What, you going to run now, mudblood? A coward and a piece of filth inside our glorious house? Boys and girls, I think we've heard enough. It's time to teach her a lesson,"
What could only be described as a rainbow of hexes, curses and jinxes flew her way from twenty wands. Tracey shrieked in terror and bolted out of the room as soon as the first one sailed through the air. Orianna hastily threw up a shield spell, which deflected only the lighter jinxes and hexes. A sickly yellow curse struck her leg and she hissed in pain; there was a painful black welt where it had struck.
"Glacius!" she growled, willing an icy wall to materialise in front of her. Spellfire continued to connect against the conjured barrier, chipping and cracking away the makeshift shield.
If only she had Daphne around, she could actually counterattack. On her own, it was difficult enough maintaining the integrity of the barrier. Not that it would remain solid for much longer, as larger pieces started to crumble about the edges.
One of the boys eventually battered through a weakened section of icy wall on the left. "Expelliarmus!" she yelled, striking the boy's wand hand just as he was climbing over. Said wand sailed through the air and clattered harmlessly against the wall behind her. Orianna was already on the move before he could react and grabbed the boy's arm. With a fierce yell, she swung with all her might and threw him bodily across the room, where he struck the wall with enough force to shatter the stonework behind him. The boy slumped down, unconscious.
The distraction was more than enough to give the others free shots. Several more of those painful yellow curses struck her sides with a loud crack each and every time they hit.
"Filth!"
"Mudblood!"
"Traitor!"
Something primal rose up in her. A feeling of overwhelming rage, burning brightly somewhere within. One that the cold logic of her mind insisted on suppressing – but one that demanded release. Pounding on the steel cage of her will. And finally tearing her desire for control asunder.
She had held back long enough. Kept to the shadows because it was required of her. Kept her nose clean to avoid confrontations. Kept her sisters from doing stupid things, because nobody else would. Kept everything in order, because the alternative was unproductive chaos.
She had held back long enough. It was time to show the little grass snakes who was the true alpha snake.
"GELIDUS MALLEO!" Orianna roared, jabbing her wand forward.
A burst of frost from her wand, pooling in front of her.
A handle of dark ice rising from the ground.
A frosty hammer with a head as large as a small child forming before her.
A red haze overtaking her vision as she seized it by the frigid handle.
And a feral, ear-splitting shriek before everything descended into a blur of wild motion.
When the haze cleared, and she could think clearly once more, she found herself on the floor, bound in heavy steel chains. The common room – or what was left of it – was an utter mess. Strewn with remains of shattered tables, overturned couches, toppled cabinets and fallen chandeliers. The green carpet torn and ripped in many places. The students that had attacked her were either groaning in agony or were out cold. Several had limbs that definitely looked as though they had either too many joints, or were bending entirely the wrong way.
She turned her head around to see more. Professor Snape was in the room. His expression was unreadable. And behind him was a very shaken Tracey, looking extremely terrified as she hid behind Professor Snape's robes.
When they all emerged once more from the memories held in the pensieve, not a single one of them spoke a word. Albus felt fortunate for once that he had not eaten his lunch yet. The level of destruction that had followed Orianna's rampage had left Dumbledore reeling. Nothing that he had seen in the past fifty years – save for the one time the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before – would have compared to what he had seen. In fact, given the sheer malevolent fury behind Orianna's mind, he was quite thankful that Severus had arrived just in time to prevent anything worse from happening.
What truly caught his eye, however, was the sheer strength that the girl exhibited. Seizing that student by the arm and hurling him across the room was a feat that Albus thought impossible. And the resistance that the girl showed towards Bone-Breaking Curses. She had taken dozens of them during the entire fight. Yet here she was, in his office. Bound in bandages, yes; leaning on a crutch, yes; but the mere fact that she was not bedridden and virtually mummified with all her bones reduced to powder? That made him think that perhaps the girl was a part-giant without realising it.
"As you can see, I was attacked first," Orianna spoke, breaking the silence. "Draco Malfoy started the fight by telling everyone in Slytherin a lie,"
"Are you accusing my son of being a liar, Miss Flynn?"
"It is not an accusation if it is the truth!" she all but snarled. Albus raised an eyebrow when he noticed a fine sheen of frost start to form about her feet, and cold mist started to form from her breath. Did the child have some sort of affinity for frost-based conjuration? A frost hammer was not exactly the easiest of spells to cast, particularly for a second year. "You saw exactly what had happened immediately before the fight broke out. Pucey said that Draco has been telling him some things-"
"Which could be anything that could trigger a dispute. Mind your tone with me, girl," Lucius sneered. "Falsely accusing the heir of a Noble House of a crime is something that will not go unpunished,"
"Lucius, I think that is quite enough," interrupted Dumbledore. "Whatever the matter is between young Miss Flynn and your son seems to be quite unrelated to what you are here for. Which is, to say, hearing about both sides of the regrettable incident in the Slytherin common room. Of which, I must say, it appears that she cannot be entirely to blame,"
Lucius blinked. "I must have misheard you, Albus. Are you saying that this Muggleborn girl is not to blame for inflicting grievous bodily harm on numerous fine and upstanding girls and boys? That she is not guilty of...this violence?"
"Guilty of inflicting injuries, yes. However regrettable the violence has been, she has not been entirely at fault. Your assumption that she assaulted your son and the sons and daughters of others had been wholly unfounded, as it is clear that she had been attacked first,"
Lucius snorted in disbelief. "So, you will simply let this girl go unpunished?"
"Not at all, Lucius. While she may not have assaulted young Draco, her use of excessive force in defending herself is certainly intolerable. As I understand it, Miss Flynn, you are currently serving detentions with Professor Snape for the remainder of this term?"
The girl gave a stiff nod in response. "For humiliating my son in front of the Slytherins the week before," Lucius added acidly.
"Is that so, Lucius? I have not heard of such an event occurring,"
"Severus has informed me of the condition of my son's...ah...family jewels...after this girl decided to assault him in the Slytherin common room,"
Judging by Severus' raised eyebrow, however, that was clearly not the case. It was certainly more likely that his son complained directly to him. After all, it did not take someone listening through the Hogwarts security wards to know that Draco was rather proud of his father's position as the head of the school governors – and flaunted it whenever he could.
"I see. Then, Miss Flynn, you will continue to do so for the rest of the school year. My dear child, you must learn to forgive. Surely it does nobody any good if you were always to attack those that disagreed with you?"
"...If you say so, Headmaster," she replied tonelessly.
"This is an outrage! My son had his arm broken, and this girl only receives detentions in exchange?"
"It is more than fair, Lucius," Albus said pleasantly, though inwardly he was starting to feel rather weary of the Malfoy patriarch's blind prejudice against the Muggleborn. "Your son's injuries were not lasting, while those on Miss Flynn were inflicted by curses that were borderline Dark. Her injuries will remain for some time yet. I think that detentions would be appropriate enough. Please do remember that as long as no injuries require Auror intervention, I have the final say on what is and what is not an appropriate "
Lucius gritted his teeth, but eventually acquiesced and grudgingly nodded his agreement. At the very least, the man was mindful of what he could and could not do, within the bounds of laws and regulations. And intervening in Hogwarts business without due cause was certainly one of those things that he could not do.
"Excellent. Then I suppose this brings this rather unpleasant business to an end. Do either of you have any further questions?"
"Just one," Orianna spoke calmly. "Mister Malfoy-"
"Lord Malfoy,"
"Mister Malfoy. I would like to know if you were once in Slytherin,"
"Of course I was. Do you take me for some uncultured boor that wallowed in Hufflepuff?" he scoffed.
"Then you would certainly be aware of the house traditions. What would the others think if they knew that you were brought into a dispute between two Slytherins? One of whom is your son?"
Lucius sneered and turned up his nose at the girl. "Is that a threat, Miss Flynn? Because if it is, you should be warned. Do not make threats that you cannot back up,"
A/N:
A fight in the week before Christmas. What an adorable Christmas present by the Slytherins.
Guest: It's fine to dislike something, but when that comes down to the choice of characters rather than merits and failings of the plot, or of how it was delivered, it shows how shallow your mind is. Presuming the quality of work before reading further only indicates your foolishness, and I for one am glad that you will not be reading any further. Please, be my guest and bury your head in My Immortal. Clearly, it is more in line with your level of intelligence.
For everyone else, there is a good reason for the only female babies happening behind the scenes. The human genome requires a Y-chromosome on the 23rd pair for a male person. The procedure that Amanda uses to create the babies were based on a modified genetic cloning procedure based on Dolly the Sheep, where the genetic material of an adult sheep was inserted into an egg cell. In this case, Amanda had done much the same, using Phineas' sperm as a way of injecting genetic material that had been stripped of clean of his genes (for most part; clearly, magic says no to science!) and replaced with the modified somatic cell genes, which were based on Amanda's own. With a total absence of Y-chromosome, it stands to reason that every single child born of this method would be female.
Keep in mind, however, that this is headcanon. It might be possible to do it this way, but real science shows that it normally gets done by direct injection into an egg cell. I'm not a molecular biologist, please do not quote me on whether this can succeed or not.
milpld: You would not be the only one. But if it were 100% about the scientific discoveries, it would be extremely boring and dry. So, let's just space it out.
chaosrin: It's not so much attacking Malfoy in-house that was the problem, it was the part about not causing permanent injuries that was the problem. Clearly, beating someone's balls for half an hour would be a bit excessive.
Special shoutout to Meneldur, who gave me a much needed push to get the previous chapter fixed up. I wasn't entirely happy with how it had turned out originally, but clearly you guys don't see it as up to scratch as well. I've fixed it up somewhat.