Be wary. Those with weak stomachs may need to turn back. This chapter contains murder, suicide, and child abuse!!!!!

crownedtiger dearest to quote the munchkins.... DING DONG THE WICKED WITCH IS DEAD! Or in this case.....mummy dearest!

minerva's-kitten


Chapter 26: Calling Her Mother To Her

Margaret had been home with her children for two weeks now. The two never seemed to tire of her and were always hang around her. Not that it really bothered Margaret. After being isolated from her child for years and now having two…she quite enjoyed it.

But even so she missed Stephanie. All three of them did really. She was a tiny little thing that was so adorable you couldn't help but love her. She was even more adorable than Vanessa and Margaret had never thought it possible!

All the same life had to go on and the ranch life was no exception. People roped cattle, branded, bronco busted, barrel raced, herded, and all the other things that went along with ranch life. Harry and Hermione took to it fairly easily and in no time they were perfectly used to getting up and dawn and feeding animals and saddling horses for the ranchers.

Of course Aunt Elizabeth has strict rules about three hours for homework. That was the agenda right now.

I give up! I can't find it!" Harry exclaimed slamming his head on the table by his potions book.

"Can't find what Harry?" Elizabeth asked looking over his shoulder.

"The stewed ingredients for an expanding potion," Harry sighed.

"OH uh…well…um… MARGARET!!!!"

"What!?" Margaret shouted from the open window outside where she had been tending to the flowers.

"Potions problem," Elizabeth stated leaving the dining room to the kitchen. They were at Jackson's home.

"Oh honestly," Margaret sighed rolling her eyes.

Maggie disappeared from the window and the kids heard her grumbling as she trumped up the back door and inside taking off her sun hat and yard gloves. She dropped the items on a nearby table and came over to her children.

"What's wrong?"

"Harry can't find his ingredients," Billy sighed working on his Arithmacy.

Margaret pulled up a chair by her son and helped him with his potions work pointing out certain items and telling him what wasn't in the book. When he was finished Harry had more than enough to satisfy Snape.

"Thanks mum you rock!" Harry grinned.

"I know," Margaret sighed flipping her hair over her shoulder dramatically. He, Hermione, and Billy chuckled at her happily.

"STEPHANIE!!! Stephanie get your arse down here now!" a big burly muscular man named Maxwell Boomer.

Tiny Stephanie came running down the stairs of the spotless home and stood in the living room in front of her mother and her mother's boyfriend.

"You finish the chores?" the woman asked.

Stephanie nodded vigorously.

"Liar I know you didn't clean the kitchen!" she shouted.

"I...b-but I…b-b-b-b…"

"Bu-bu-bu…" Max mocked and slapped her hard across the face making the poor girl fall to the ground.

"But nothing. If your mother said you didn't you didn't!" he snarled.

The girl whimpered as tears started coming down her face.

"Stop that crying!" he snarled and kicked her hard in the stomach.

"Honey, Max baby you go to bed. I'll handle her," the woman smiled kissing his cheek. The man grunted and headed up the stairs walking like a giant gorilla.

As soon as she heard the door shut she grabbed a candlestick with a lighted candle. Taking the candle out of the candlestick she advanced on the child with a truly demonic look in her eyes.

Stephanie whimpered and begged, "P-p-please mummy. Please…" she cried backing up.

The woman, Joann, caught her daughter by the ankle and jerked her roughly across the floor. Stephanie cried out and screamed as Joann ripped the child's shirt and poured hot wax on her stomach and dragging the flame down her chest burning the flesh. Stephanie cried and screamed to the heaves trying desperately to get free. Joann became angry and put her hand over the girl's mouth to silence her.

Stephanie panicked and bit her.

Joann screamed and outrage and took the candlestick beating the child as hard as she could. When the child's screams stopped and her moving ceased Joann stood and drug the girl to the hall to the stairs. She opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs.

Inside the little room that was just barely big enough for the child was a chain with a dog collar, a food bowl, and a water bowl. She chained the girl to the wall with the dog collar making it so tight it very nearly choked the child and slammed the door shut locking it with two padlocks.

Joann then checked her appearance in the mirror and hurried up to bed to her boyfriend.

Stephanie coughed up blood and moaned softly into the darkness. "Maggie. Maggie."

Margaret shot up from bed with a frightened gasp slightly shaking.

"Honey? Baby what's wrong?" Cordell asked sitting up in bed. She was in a little black nightie and he had stayed the night. He was wearing his normal white cotton boxers.

"I…I…Fawkes bring Gran now!" Margaret exclaimed as the necklace she was wearing glowed blue.

"Maggie tell me what's wrong?" Cordell said squeezing her arm.

She shrugged him off and got out of bed grabbing a jacket, tank top, and jeans.

"Stephanie. Something's wrong I need to go to her," Margaret stated.

"I'll keep an eye on the kids. Don't use magic baby that's easier to track," Cordell stated climbing out of bed.

"I won't," she smiled and ran out of the room.

Margaret had just slipped on her boots and grabbed her keys running out the door when she nearly collided with Katherine. Katherine's hair was in a very messy ponytail and she was in black stylish sweats and a red tank top.

"What the bloody hell Maggie Grace?" Katherine snapped.

"Come with me. Stephanie's in trouble," Margaret stated rushing to the car. Katherine hopped into the passenger's seat and Margaret tore out of the drive down the road and out of the ranch.

"Maggie what are you going to do?" Katherine asked as she held onto the dash. Margaret was driving like a maniac.

"I…I don't know. I have to make sure she's all right. Gran I…I hear her. She's crying for me," Margaret stated.

Katherine blinked at her great-grandchild and asked, "Does this thing go faster?"

Margaret grinned as the car did in fact pick up speed.

Margaret parked her SUV about two blocks from where she knew Stephanie's house to be.

"You park on Maggie Creek Road? I thought she lived on Wister Avenue," Katherine frowned.

"She does but we can't let anyone see my car…just in case," Margaret explained.

"Oh right…I've rubbed off on you," Katherine grinned as they pulled two pistols out of the trunk, donned black leather gloves, and hurried down the streets.

When the two women reached the address Stephanie had told them they were shocked to see a very nice and pleasant light blue home. It didn't look at all like anything bad would be going on inside.

Margaret's necklace was steadily humming against her chest as she stepped onto the top step and pounded on the door.

"Mrs. Reynolds!! Mrs. Reynolds open up right now!!" she shouted.

A light upstairs came on and they heard pounding feet as a skinny woman with a long face, wiry blonde hair and blue green eyes opened the door in a white silk gown glaring at them.

"Who the bloody hell are you and what the bloody hell are you doing on my doorstep at this time of the bloody night?" the woman shrilled.

"Where's Stephanie?" Margaret asked.

Joann glared and made to shut the door but Katherine's hand caught it. For being a 134 she had great strength.

"We will be coming in thank you," Katherine snapped forcing her way in; Margaret following and shutting the door behind her.

"I…what are you!" the woman shouted.

"Hon who is it?" Max asked coming half way down the stairs. He was in red boxers.

Maxwell smirked and gave what he thought was a sexy pose as he winked at Margaret. "Who's the cutie?"

"Watch it buster!" Katherine snapped.

"Where's Stephanie!? Stephanie!!??" Margaret called. Margaret was sure she heard a soft cry.

"None of your business! She's my child," Joann shouted.

"My granddaughter asked a question. Answer her!" Katherine snapped grabbing the skinny twig of a woman and slamming her into the wall. Joann cried out as Maxwell jumped over the railing to defend her. He was about to snap Katherine's neck when a swift kick to his head gave him a turn around.

"Don't touch my grandmother!" Margaret hissed slowly.

"Oh frisky little thing ain't ya? All right you want me you got me," the man chuckled coming at her.

Joann watched in horror as the tall Amazonian like woman brutally beat her huge boyfriend into submission and discovered Stephanie was being held under the cupboard.

"Where are the keys?" Margaret asked.

"Go to hell," Joann snapped. She was still being held by Katherine.

"Bitch," Katherine hissed and slapped Joann hard across the face. A 16 karat diamond she always wore cut the woman's cheek.

"Where…are…the…keys!" Margaret shouted as she stepped on Maxwell's more private parts.

He whimpered and his voice squeaked like a girl's. "Phone table!"

Margaret found the keys and unlocked the door and threw it open. She gasped in horror seeing the small child.

"Oh Stephanie," Margaret cried taking the collar off the girl.

Stephanie fell into the woman's arms sobbing.

"Shush, shush now," Margaret cooed softly kissing the girl's head.

"What possible reason will you give me for that!?" Katherine shrieked.

"It's her fault! It's her fault my husband was murdered by those…those magic freaks!" Joann screamed.

"That's it! Gran take her into the living room. Time this bitch get a taste of her own medicine," Margaret snapped standing. Katherine smiled pulling the twig into the room.

"You! Crawl in there!" Margaret snapped kicking the man in the side. He did as she requested.

Inside the living room the blinds were drawn and the lights turned on.

"Now in our family we believe in an eye for an eye. So seeing as you broke several of her bones…we will break yours!" Margaret snapped as she jerked the woman's wrist and it made a sickening snap.

Joann howled but Katherine pulled a handkerchief off the table nearby and stuffed it in her mouth to silence her.

Stephanie watched in a mixture of horror and fascination as Margaret slowly broke several bones in Joann's body till she could no longer move and was on the floor sobbing. Then Katherine pulled a strange clear orb out of her pocket and handed it to Margaret.

"Killing it would be too simple. More torture must make it right," Katherine whispered.

Margaret nodded and softly mumbled an old Gaelic spell that pulled Joann's soul out of her body and into the orb. Margaret pocketed it and turned to Maxwell who had been quiet this whole time.

"What the hell are you?" he asked.

"Your worst nightmare. A mother!" Margaret snarled jerking the man up.

"Where's your gun?" Katherine asked.

"In…in that drawer," he stammered nodding to where Katherine stood.

Katherine pulled a 350 mag. out of the drawer and tossed it too him.

"Shoot her," Katherine commanded.

He eyed the pathetic form of Joann.

"SHOOT her! Shoot her or we shoot you!" Katherine screamed.

He gulped and pulled the trigger shooting Joann right in the chest. Joann gasped and gurgled a few minutes before she ceased moving. Her blood pulled out around her.

"Now take it and put it in your mouth," Margaret whispered softly in his ear.

"No," he cried with tears in his eyes.

"Do it Maxwell. You know you can't get live with the guilt. You've just beat her and shot her. You're a murder," Margaret whispered.

He whimpered as he shakily put the gun in his mouth and shout a whole in his head. His body fell to the ground at Joann's feet.

Stephanie was sobbing hysterically as she limped to Margaret and clawed at her.

"Steph, Steph. Stephanie stop it!" Margaret snapped causing the girl to freeze. Margaret knelt down and held the girl's face gently wiping the flood of on going tears.

"Stephanie honey we have to go," Margaret began.

"No, no you can't! You can't leave me please! I want to stay with you!" Stephanie cried.

"No Stephanie listen. Listen," Margaret said softly but firmly. Stephanie quieted and listened.

"We're going to go. Call the police and tell them Max killed your mum and shot himself. When the police come you tell them to call me. Give them my number. I'll come back all right," Margaret explained.

Stephanie sniffed and nodded.

"Good, I love you. I'll be back I promise," Margaret smiled and kissed Stephanie's head as they disappeared.

Nearly an hour later; Stephanie was being looked at by the paramedics when a dark green SUV screeched to a halt just behind the police barrier.

"Excuse me! Excuse me coming through! Movie it already!" a voice snapped as the people watching the crime scene were jostled out of the way.

Margaret and Katherine pushed their way through wearing dark jeans, sneakers, and plain t-shirts with jackets.

"Excuse me I need to be let in," Margaret huffed.

"I'm sorry I can't," a police woman replied.

"Let me through I was called and told to come! Where's Stephanie!?" Margaret snapped.

"Let her through officer," someone called.

Grudgingly Katherine and Margaret were let in.

"I'm Officer Jones," a man with ginger hair smiled.

Margaret nodded, "Margaret McGonagall and my great-grandmother Katherine."

"Ladies how do you know the family?" he asked leading them away from the spectators.

"Stephanie goes to the school my mother teaches at. She's very close to me," Margaret answered.

"Well as far as we've been able to tell Officer Max Boomer lost it with Mrs. Reynolds. Broke nearly every bone in her body and shot her in the heart then shot himself in the head. We've got reason to believe the girl was abused. Found a dog collar and chain under the stairs and a dog bowl poor kid. We have to send her to the hospital she's been badly injured," the man sighed.

"Can I go with her please?" Margaret asked.

"Definitely. She won't let us take her anywhere till she sees you anyway. We're very glad you could come this late," the officer stated.

Margaret nodded as they reached the ambulance.

"Maggie!" Stephanie cried wrapping herself around the woman as soon as she was close enough.

"Shush love I'm here. You're safe," Margaret said softly climbing into the ambulance while holding the girl.

"Oh your good with her…can you keep her on your lap and still while we work?" a paramedic asked. Margaret nodded.

"I'll follow in the car," Katherine nodded as the doors shut.

Stephanie tiredly fell asleep against Margaret for the first time feeling completely safe.

A/n: Why take pistols if they used his gun? Well it was for precaution but really Katherine and Margaret weren't going to do anything that could link them to bieng there before they were called.