Summary: Not all mutants found their way to one of the many factions in America. Jean and Scott had a baby...a baby they wanted to grow up apart from the fight they dedicated their lives to. But what happens when their gifted little girl isn't just a mutant...she's also a witch?
Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even the idea, or the main character. That belongs to Shanna.
Author's Notes: This story is written in response to a challenge. It is AU, but takes place after HPB and X Men 3. Everything that happened in X Men happened, but in HPB, Dumbledore didn't die.
---------------------
The One goes to his fate, To kill his foe, as preordained.
With him, he takes Athena's Daughter,
And Ra's son.
To scorch the Snake with his Lightning.
But he left behind his Heart,
And the Golden Moon.
The Light-Bringer has come to battle,
And wields the Mermaid Staff.
The new Golden Trio rises,
And will take to their breast three more.
One Freya, delight of her Mother's Eyes.
And the Prince who is his nemesis.
But the Stumbler,
Who once had a chance to be Chosen,
Will belong to this team,
And will show his Lion's Heart.
Be warned, tutors,
Without these six,
The Circle of Nine cannot be completed,
And the Son of Slytherin will triumph.
For while is it the Chosen One's job to end the war,
He needs the love and support of the Eight.
They each have something to offer,
But will only offer it if barriers fall,
And House Unity is achieved.
---------------------
It was two days before the Christmas Hols, before they were due to go to the Burrow, and still Harry, Hermione and Ron had not returned. They were all getting worried, and Ginny was finding it increasingly hard to concentrate as the holidays drew closer. Letty did all the work in Potions, assigning her partner the easiest of tasks.From her place at the Hufflepuff table Kalli could see Ginny perfectly, and she watched her every night to make sure her cousin was all right. This night was no different, except for one thing. During dessert she reached for a piece of treacle tart, which wasn't uncommon. Kalli had noticed that the more her cousin missed Harry, the more she began to emulate his habits. As she took the first bite, however, the Gryffindor's eyes widened in pleasure, and then filled to the brim with tears. Even through her shields, Kalli could feel Ginny's happiness, attuned to the other girl as she was. Obviously something very good had happened.
Sighing, Kalli went back to her bread and butter pudding. She could get all the information out of her cousin after dinner was over, anyway. The five of them (Neville was now included in their little group, since he and Luna were practically attached at the hip) went to the Come and Go Room every evening to discuss what had happened during the day, and to do their homework.
Through the course of the weeks without the trio the four girls had become much closer, and grown to understand one another even better. Even with her powers dimmed Kalli could tell what her friends were feeling at any given time. It was a constant niggle at the back of her mind, and an annoying one at times. At others, it was a relief. And now Neville had been added to the mix. Kalli had expected to feel threatened by him, and to be jealous of his attentions to Luna.
Instead, she felt nothing but fondness for the shy, clumsy Gryffindor. He was so gawky and tall, and obviously not used to the way his new limbs worked. Ginny had confided that when she first met him, he'd been an awkward, chubby boy. Now, he was still awkward, but every trace of baby fat was gone, and he'd had a significant growth spurt. He was almost as tall as Ron, but very clumsy, since he wasn't used to his new stature yet. It was obvious that he doted on Luna, and also that Luna was the dominant one in the relationship, something Kalli found quite amusing. Still, whatever arrangement they had seemed to work, so it was none of her business how it did.
Although she would have liked to linger over dinner, she couldn't stand the curiosity that was gnawing at her insides. She bolted down the last of her pudding, and took a few gulps of scalding tea, then stood up. "See you all later," she said to her roommates.
Susan looked up from the peaches and ice cream she was enjoying. "Make sure you're back by seven," she said. "We're having a House Meeting for the end of term."
Kalli scowled. That cut into her time a bit. Still, she knew why they had to meet. Hannah had explained it to her a few weeks back.
"We like to check that everyone's had a good term, especially the first one, since the younger ones might have experienced home-sickness, trouble with classes, or bullying," the plump blonde had explained. "This is a nice, informal way of checking up on all the years, and the kids often feel better talking with their peers supporting them, rather than chatting with us one on one."
"I'll be there," she promised, catching her Ginny's eye, and walking out of the Hall.
---------------------
It took fifteen minutes for all five of them to be grouped outside the Room. They had to leave individually, and at different times, so as not to prompt suspicion. Ginny, by right of being Fred and George's sister, and Harry's girlfriend, had the Marauder's Map, so she took secret passages to get to the seventh floor. Luna and Letty often left together, with Luna leading the way in her own unhurried, odd fashion. Generally, they travelled via the Ravenclaw Common Room, which made sense. Neville always found his own way, although he sometimes got lost, and Luna had to go off and find him.
"What's the secret that had you grinning so hard throughout dessert?" Kalli asked without preamble once they were all inside, seated around the table. She didn't even wait for the cups of tea the Room provided.
Ginny giggled, her eyes shining.
"I think I can answer that," an amused voice said. With a slither of fabric, Harry appeared. The colour suddenly bled into two figures behind him, and there were Hermione and Ron, grinning madly.
Letty gave a mad yell, then flung herself at Harry, hugging him tightly. She performed the same action on Hermione and Ron, causing the entire trio to look shocked for a moment. They didn't have time to comment, however, because Luna, Kalli, and Ginny followed soon after. Even Neville gave Hermione a tight hug, and shook the two young men's hands.
"I'm so glad you're back," Kalli admitted after they'd finished greeting one another, partly to distract everyone from Letty's rather surprising welcome. "But..."
"It was very, very naughty of you to surprise us like that," Letty's blue eyes twinkled madly.
"We're naughty people," Hermione retorted, laughing. "Okay, first things first, we didn't find the locket."
"Locket?" Neville asked.
There was a moment of silence, as the three ex-students exchanged a look, obviously trying to decide how to answer that question.
"If we tell you this, you have to promise not to tell anyone," Harry said slowly. "And...you have to get Occlumency training from Dumbledore. All of you, although Luna and Ginny are proficient already. And neither Hermione nor myself have been able to get into your mind, Kalli."
"Mum taught me shields," Kalli shrugged. "It's probably that."
"Quite likely," Hermione nodded. "In any case, Neville and Letty will need to learn."
"No need for me," Letty said, tossing her bright hair. "Mummy made sure I knew Occlumency and Legilimency as a matter of course. It's common practice in those families aligned with Voldemort. It wouldn't do for people to go looking for proof, after all." She bit her lip, looking down at the table.
The quiet stretched uneasily between them, and Harry quickly broke it.
"What about you, Neville?" he asked curiously.
Neville shook his head. "I don't even really know what Occlumency is," he admitted.
"Occlumency is the art of magically shielding the mind against external penetration, sealing it against magical intrusion and influence, such as mind-reading, or the twisting of one's own thoughts. It can also be used to shield against possession. It is the defensive counter to Legilimency. Someone who successfully practices Occlumency is referred to as an Occlumens.
"Occlumency is a necessary requirement to defeat a Legilimens' lie-detector abilities without suspicious behaviour such as evading eye contact, which would otherwise give the person being interrogated away. Basic Occlumency involves clearing the mind of thought and emotion, so that the Legilimens can find no emotional ties to memories that the target wishes to mask, thereby making the Legilimens pass them over as unimportant.
"Simple resistance to attack requires skills akin to those needed to resist the Imperius Curse, which is why Harry is so good at it. In its more complex form, Occlumency allows the user to suppress only feelings and memories that contradict what the user wishes a Legilimens to believe, thus allowing the Occlumens to lie without self-betrayal." Hermione said in her typical know-it-all manner.
"Sure," Neville said slowly. "I'd like to learn that. It'd be useful, since You-Know-Who's back."
Harry nodded. "Especially since Voldemort is a gifted Legilimens."
"Harry, don't say that bloody name!" Ron yelped.
"For heaven's sake it's just a frickin' name!" Kalli exploded. "Voldemort's not Bloody Mary, he ain't gonna come if you say his name three times at midnight in front of a mirror! Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort! He hasn't appeared, so simmer down!"
Harry laughed. "I couldn't have said it better myself, Kalli."
"Thank you," the American witch said, pleased. It made her feel accepted into the group when she was complimented on something. She always felt awkward, as if they were going to kick her out at any moment, and say she wasn't good enough. It was the nerd complex left over from high school. For sure, Hermione was a nerd, but she was accepted because of the Troll Thing. Kalli hadn't saved anyone's life, so she was always on tenterhooks when the Trio were around.
"It's getting late, so if you're going to clue us in, you should do it soon," Letty reminded them.
Reminded of the time, Kalli yelped in an undignified manner, and checked her watch. It was already 7:15! "I have to go, sorry!" she exclaimed, bolting. Crap, she'd promised she wouldn't be late!
---------------------
It wasn't until the next day, the last day of term, that Kalli got a chance to talk to Letty alone.
"So, are you going home for the hols?" she asked as the pair wandered down the halls towards the Come and Go Room. They were going to meet everyone for a quick goodbye, since Kalli, Ginny, and the Dream Team were going to The Burrow for Christmas. Luna was going home, too, whereas Neville was staying at school to look after his Herbology projects. Kalli had paid him five galleons to take care of her Devil's Snare as well; it had been thriving since she walked in on Neville and Luna in the greenhouse. He'd managed to cure it of the brown, flakey leaves and twitches it had been experiencing under Kalli's not-so-tender care, and she was hoping that if he took care of it over Christmas, it wouldn't die before school let out.
"Mummy usually insists on it, but she and Daddy have a mysterious visitor, so I'm not allowed home. Draco is going, though. I thought I'd stay here. Neville can keep me company, and I can irritate the Crows, too."
"Letty, you weren't going to hug Hermione and Ron to begin with, were you," Kalli said quietly as they approached their destination.
Letty's skin turned a light pink. "Damn your mutation," she joked.
"Letty..."
"No, I wasn't, okay?" the blonde girl snapped. "But don't tell anyone, I don't need people finding out!"
"But..."
"NO!" Letty didn't turn her head to look at Kalli, and sped up. "It's better if they don't know, if they don't find out. No one needs to find out, got it? Ginny is right for Harry. I'd be completely wrong. I'm fine with that. Now, if you don't mind, I have to say goodbye to my friends."
End Chapter 25