AN: Please review!
The Mudblood's Daughter and The Hallows Horcruxes
Scorpius may have been only six years old, but he was smart for his age. It wasn't a surprise, really, considering who his parents were. So as he sat in the top bedroom of the Burrow, with all their other cousins from the age of six to sixteen crammed into it as well, he automatically knew something was wrong. He knew things were wrong the minute Narca-Jane had gone, and he had noticed the changes in the atmosphere, shifting from happy, to slightly forced cheerfulness, and fear.
He looked at his older family, starting with Victoire and working his way through them. They had all changed, in some way. Victoire looked older, her hair pulled into a high ponytail, a soft frown on her face and dark shadows under her eyes, as she looked at everyone, ticking their names of a register like his teacher did at school. She was wearing a jumper dress, with a huge 'V' in silver against the deep blue, and thick white wool tights, under blue Ugg boots.
Dominique was crammed in a corner next to her, her hair tumbling around her in a mess of golden waves, wearing an off the shoulder silver jumper with a large green 'DW' on it, green leggings and white slippers, her blue eyes vaguely staring into space, as Molly II tried to speak to her. Molly II had her red hair pulled into a tight bun, bangs framing her face, and wore a large, over sized purple jumper with a yellow 'M' on it, and black jeans, with pink fluffy slippers. She looked frustrated, as Dominique ignored her.
Roxanne was sitting next to Molly II, her dark brown hair pulled into tight braids under a yellow beanie hat, wearing a red jumper with a bold orange 'R' on it, contrasting heavily with her bright pink leggings, and blue pumps. She was giving Molly II disapproving looks, while also glowering at Dominique, her dark skin glowing with anger towards her. Scorpius had never seen Roxie that mad, and is was slightly unnerving for him. Cassie was next, and she looked completely different.
Her hair was perfectly straight, with honey blond streaks, dyed caramel. She wore a light blue jumper, with the Beauxbatons crest on the breast, with white trousers, and white pumps, a white scarf around her neck. She sat up straight, looking at her perfectly manicured fingernails, Mr Muffles perched on her lap purring as she stroked her with her other hand. Cleo was next to her, her curly dark brown hair tumbling down her back, wearing her baby pink jumper with a compact sewn onto the front, black skinny jeans and black ugg boots.
Louis and James were chatting animatedly, but James kept sneaking looks at Cassie. James looked as normal as ever, his black hair messy, his clothes crumpled but he looked agitated, nervous, his movements quick and sharp. Louis was looking at him weirdly, but shrugging it off, his golden hair combed, his clothes neat, wearing a yellow jumper with a large black 'L' on it. Lucy and Fred sat together, Lucy trying to keep Fred's Afro of brown hair out of her mouth.
Scorpius was distracted when Victoire yelled 'silence!' and all attention turned to her. Scorpius blinked up at her, as she stared to speak, backed against the sloping wall. "Okay, now I'm pretty sure those of us from Hogwarts know about the problems the Wizarding world faces, but I know the adults haven't told you younger kids. So, yes, Lily?" Victoire said tiredly, and Lily, who had been waving her hand energetically in the air, stopped and glared.
"It's Lily Luna, Vicky," she said stroppily, and Victoire sighed, before nodding, and saying 'Yes, Lily Luna' sarcastically. Lily smiled, and started to speak. "What's happening in the Wizarding world? And why ain't they telling us about it?"
"Look, I'm not allowed to tell you about this, so we have to stay quiet. But there is a war on. I'm not telling you lot this to scare you, but we need to protect ourselves, and each other. Because none of us are legal to do magic outside of Hogwarts, we have to protect ourselves without it, which means we travel in groups at all times, at least with some one a few years older then us. We keep together at almost all times, and we all carry these walkie talkies to keep in tough at all times," Victoire explained, and Cassie looked at Victoire.
"But Victoire, I go to France for school, there is no need for me to carry a walkie talkie," she said, her accent hinting french, flicking her hair over her shoulders. From where he sat, James looked at her, swallowing heavily. "I'm perfectly safe," Cassie said, waving a hand of dismissal. It seemed to everyone, that the pompous, oh-so-much-better-than-you attitude of the Beauxbaxtons had rubbed off on Cassie.
"Well, that may be, but the rest of us here aren't, and we have to stick together to keep each other safe. If you don't want to be here, you can just leave," Victoire said snottily, and Cassie looked at her, before lifting Mr Muffles and stepping through the crowd, and out of the room. Victoire looked slightly surprised, as if she had expected Cassie to stay, which she did, and sighed sadly. James looked from Victoire, to the door, before standing and following Cassie. Victoire frowned, before continuing.
"Times are dangerous, guys, and we have to stick together. We can't take the risk of being signalled out. She-who-must-not-be-named wants that. She wants to get our entire family gone, as we are bloodtraitors. Which means we are all in danger. So stick together, and stay sharp. No one gets left behind," Victoire told them, and the room was silent, until Cassali piped up.
"What's dangerous mean?" she asked innocently, and Victoire sighed.
Cassie stalked down the stairs of the Burrow towards the living room, her head held high, and Mr Muffles in her arms. She knew that she was in the wrong for doing this to her family, for just abandonning them, but it was hard enough to leave them to go to Beauxbaxtons, without having to protect them at all times. She was only a girl, and she could only handle so much. Besides she had her own mission to deal with, and she couldn't take on any more. It would get too complicated.
"Cassie! What the hell are you doing?" James snapped from behind her, and Cassie stopped at the bottom of the third floor steps and turned to look at him. He stood at the top of the steps, a scowl etched onto his handsome face. "Why are you just abandoning them? They are your family!"
"Yes, you are my family, but I have something I have to do, and I can't have you lot around to mess it up or get in my way!" Cassie hissed, and James looked at her with narrowed eyes. He crossed his arms, and she glowered at him.
"You've changed. You never would have left your family before you went to that school," James replied, and Mr Muffles hissed, threatening to claw at him with her large paws. Cassie looked at him, and then began to walk away. "There you go again, just walking away from the problem. Just like did before!"
"Before!? Before there was no problem, there was a catastrophe!" she snapped, spinning to look at him. Mr Muffles leaped from her arms and darted down the stairs, towards the kitchen where Molly was preparing dinner, Fleur was helping, Bill and Charlie were talking and Hermione and Draco were speaking to Harry, Ron, Charissa and Pansy. Cassie looked down the stairs sharply, to make sure they hadn't heard, before pulling him into Essie and Lizzie's room.
She closed the door, biting her lip, and then glowered at him, a honey streak falling into her eyes. James looked at her hair, and frowned. "I preferred it dark and curly," he said, and Cassie stalled, looking at him, before tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Yeah... well they didn't at Beauxbaxtons," she said bitterly, and James frowned.
"Why do you still go there, Cass? Why are you still running when you know I feel the same?" he asked, and Cassie said 'I'm not running from anything!' moodily, sitting on Esmeralda's bed. James shook his head, running his hands through his hair. Cassie stared at the floor.
"James, it's wrong that we feel this way. It's sick, and disgusting, and we shouldn't feel these emotions towards each other. It's best if we both just give up and forget they ever existed," Cassie told him, and James quirked an eyebrow at her.
"Really, because my mother always told me I could fall in love with whoever I wanted, and I want you," he said, smirking, and Cassie scoffed.
"I don't think she meant your cousins, James," she joked, brokenly. Tears started to fill her eyes, and she quickly blinked them back, sniffing. James grinned joyfully, and draped an arm around her shoulders. It almost felt like old times, when they were just hanging out, best friends. Cassie smiled sadly, and James picked at her hair.
"I really preferred it when it was dark and curly. This just seems so fake. It's not you, Cass," he said, and Cassie shrugged, looking at her reflection in the floor length mirror opposite her. It did look wrong, but she had been so freaked out by her Professors comment that she had just had to change it. The die was only temporary, and would wash out after a couple of washes, but while she was at school, she felt it was necessary.
"It's just temporary, Jammie, it'll have washed out by Christmas. I just felt like a change," Cassie shrugged, and James looked at her hair fully, wrapping a lock of it around his finger. It felt the same really, still silky and soft. He grinned, and Cassie looked at him seriously. James blinked, and then looked back with an equally serious look. "James, I need your help," she said, and he was immediately at her attention, asking what she needed.
"I think my Professor is working with Cissady."
Ron growled, as he read the prophet, and he slammed it onto the table furiously. "Read what they've written! Read!" he ordered, pointing to it, and Hermione rose an eyebrow, before looking at it. Slowly her expression of amusement at Ron's anger morphed into disbelief, and then fury. She snarled, and tightened her grip on the newspaper until it started to almost rip down the middle.
"What it it, Miona?" Charissa asked, peering over her shoulder, Felicity babbling in her arms. Charlie, from where he leaned against the counter, arms crossed and talking to Bill, looked over at them curiously, and Molly stopped her cooking of bacon to look over and listen as well. Pansy ran a soothing hand up and down Ron's arm, and Draco squeezed Hermione's shoulder, pushing her to read it out.
Loudly, and clearly infuriated, Hermione began speaking, directly from the article. "New Muggleborn and Half-breed Restriction Act. As of December twenty seventh, Muggle-Born's and Half-breeds will be forbidden from Diagon Alley before the acceptable time of seven-thirty at night, to ten o'clock. Half-Breeds are forbidden to work in any establishment which may result in contact with pure witches and wizards. Muggle-Born's must wear a special patch on all clothing when on outings within the Warding Community as a means to recognise them.
All Muggle-borns and half-breeds must be inside, and out of public view from the time of ten fifteen at night. No Muggle-born or Half-breed will be allowed to own a radio, an owl, a cat, or a toad, and any item of value must be handed into Ministry officials. Any failure to do so will result in a fine or imprisonment. Muggle-Born's are not to own any building or establishments, and will not be permitted to receive an income of over ten galleons a month. Any Muggle-born and Half-breed not registered in the Muggle-born and Half-breed Registration Census by December Twenty-eighth will face severe punishment."
Hermione looked at the people around her, who were all staring at her with mixed expressions. Draco looked devastated, falling into a seat next to Hermione in shock. Before, he had been a Pure-blood, and free from the restrictions of the first war, but now, he was a direct target of them all. Charlie looked disbelieving, Claria-Jane at his feet looking at everyone in confusion, while Bill was looking at Fleur, who seemed a little flustered, unsure whether the Act applied to her or not.
Molly was a dangerous red colour, steam practically pouring from her ears and smoke from her nose as she gripped her spatula tightly, her knuckles nearly white. Charissa swallowed heavily, Felicity having gone quiet at the serious atmosphere, and she looked at Charlie in sadness. Ginny, who had been in the scullery trying to find some eggs came out and was immediately tense at the looks on their faces. Lucas pushed his eggs around his plate, staring at it with burning ire in his eyes.
"That... that bloody bitch!" Charissa suddenly snapped, ripping the paper from Hermione with one hand, and glowering at the page. Claria-Jane giggled, and looked up at Charlie, saying 'Mummy said a bad word', but going silent at the same look of rage on his face. Molly, sensing an outburst of cussing from everyone in the room, quickly took Felicity from Charissa and grabbed Claria-Jane's hand, pulling her from the kitchen and into the living room, where Rose was playing with a muggle toy called Barbie.
"This is bloody ridiculous! I can't believe that anyone would let this happen!" Hermione gasped. Pansy nodded in approval of what she was saying, while Harry looked livid, pacing the kitchen.
"We have to call a meeting. We should have done it sooner. Things are progressing far too fast," he mumbled, the former Boy-who-lived talking fast and furious, running his hands through his hair.
"Harry's right... We have to call a meeting," Ron said, standing. "'Mione, have you heard from Narca-Jane, Teddy or that?" he asked, and Hermione shook her head, biting her lip. "Crap. The minute the Twenty-eight comes around, their going to become the most wanted set of teenagers in the country. Teddy's not going to be able to register as a Half-breed, and they are going to assume the others are helping him run and hide."
Hermione paled. "You're right," she said, torn between amazement at the sudden smart words coming from Ron, and worry about Teddy. "You're right..."
