Jade gaped, wondering if this was a cruel joke. She stared at Dumbledore, Moody, Tonks, Lupin and Snape like she was slapped upside the head by each and every single one of them. Nothing was coming to her mind. Maybe it would have been nice to start off with a hello? No one said anything for a few seconds and before Dumbledore could break the silence, Moody spoke up.
"The forest isn't the safest place for a conversation." Moody said. He walked off, his magical eye rotating madly. Merthin nodded and showed them the way towards the cottage.
"This way please! And watch your step!" he said.
"Tea?" Dumbledore asked as he held out a plate and a cup for Helena who shook her head.
Jenita groaned in protest, her temper starting to rise. Jade took her out of the sling and tried to bounce her in her arms but Jenita twisted herself around, creating a tantrum. She saw Snape watching her awkwardly as Tonks and Lupin spoke to each other in private. Of course it was awkward to watch the student that had been abducted more than a year ago with a child already in her arms. Moody was sitting down in an identical plush red chair that Dumbledore kindly accommodated, but his body was tense and he kept looking around as if he expected something to jump out so he could counter it.
"I'm sorry; my daughter's a little restless today. I really don't know why." Jade said, shifting a skirmish Jenita in her arms.
"Allow me Miss Harper." Dumbledore said. He tapped a wooden bowl that Jade would usually eat out of and it transformed into a small pacifier. He gently handed it to Jade who thanked him and touched it to Jenita's lips. Jenita latched on to the pacifier and blinked, resting in her mother's arms.
"So, how did you find me?" Jade asked Dumbledore. She saw Tonks and Lupin give a brief smile towards Merthin who looked bashful.
"Mr. Flamel had been kind enough to lend his Portkey to find you." Dumbledore said softly. Nicolas Flamel chuckled lightly, his cheeks turning bright red.
"And it hadn't been easy either. Albus spent a year to find me and when he did, he told me that two of his students had gone missing with the first Portkey." Flamel said. Jade furrowed her eyebrows and Nicolas continued. "But by the time he caught up with me, I told him I had buried it! We have spent months trying to recover the Portkey which was located deep inside of a cave for a half of a century!" Flamel said.
"As soon as Dumbledore and the others arrived, I had been informed. You couldn't imagine my shock when I saw a group of strangers arrive in Castile with a different Portkey. Soon enough I came in contact with them before Silvia and the Queen could and discovered that I was speaking to the man who had escaped Castile so many years ago." Merthin said.
"Merthin told us what happened during the time you and Mr. Malfoy arrived on the way here." Dumbledore said. Snape curled his lip into a nasty smirk.
"It's quite fitting for Draco to be a King of a place like this." Snape said. Jade wanted to tell Snape that she agreed but Dumbledore continued on as if he hadn't even been interrupted.
"We are here to take you and your family home and we will not leave until we do. We must retrieve Draco and your-"
"The Queen's crown." Merthin said quickly before Dumbledore mentioned Jade's son. Dumbledore quickly looked up at Merthin, being reminded that he wasn't supposed to talk about Jade's son.
"Draco and my what?" Jade asked curiously.
"You're going to take Jade away? Where are you taking her?" Helena spoke up for the first time.
Everyone turned themselves towards her. She stood in her place, next to Annabelle. Jade could see that she had been completely worn down from everything. She had lost her husband, her son, her son in law and now a group of strangers were discussing taking Jade and Jenita away from her.
"She doesn't belong here, that's why we're taking her back." Tonks explained. Helena couldn't understand and that was natural. Why should she make sense of these people telling her that they would take the person she had accepted as a daughter, away from her? Before Helena could say anything, Dumbledore stood up and waved towards the bedroom.
"I would like to have a few words with you Miss Harper." Dumbledore said. Jade nodded and got up with Jenita still in her arms. She walked towards the bedroom with Dumbledore behind her and set Jenita on the bed who drowsed off to sleep. Jade gave a small smile to Dumbledore and gestured him a seat.
"After you Miss Harper." He said lightly. Jade nodded again and took a seat on the bed. With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore conjured up the same plush red chair that he had been sitting on in the living area. He sat in front of Jade and tucked the wand back into his robes.
"Before I speak of anything regarding to your safe and sound visit home, I must convey my deepest and sincerest apologies. If I had not foolishly brought the Portkey in before its destruction, your lives would not have been put in great risk." Dumbledore said. Jade shook her head, feeling herself start to tear.
"No Professor…you ended up finding us. You knew there was a possibility that we could have ended up dead…but after a year and a half you bothered to come into this…world." Jade shuddered. She looked up at Dumbledore and smiled. "And this might sound bizarre but thank you." she nearly whispered. "I've experienced more than I ever have in my entire life living as a normal human being. I've met so many friends here…honest friends, friends who don't want anything from me in return. Family…that I haven't been able to be fortunate to experience. My daughter." Jade said, touching Jenita's soft bare knee. Robert also came to mind but Jade chose not to tell Dumbledore the entire saga. Dumbledore's features softened as he looked off to a corner.
"Sometimes people find family within strangers and homes within abroad." He said.
Jade and Dumbledore walked into the living area where Nicolas, Merthin, Moody, Lupin, Tonks and Snape were crouching together around Annabelle and Helena.
"What's going on?" Jade asked, immediately walking over towards Annabelle. Tonks looked up, her dark eyes sparkling.
"She's having the baby." She whispered. Jade looked back at Annabelle, seeing that Helena had her braced against a heavy chiseled stone. Her face started to perspire with sweat but it was quickly dabbed by Helena.
"Severus…an anesthetic potion would be of great comfort for Miss Annabelle." Dumbledore said.
"I suppose." Snape muttered, slowly standing up. "Perhaps if I knew where the ingredients were-"
"Merthin would know where the willow bark, arnica, cinnamon and capsaicin seeds are." Jade said to Snape who slowly raised his eyebrows.
"Remind myself to pass you once we go back to Hogwarts Miss Harper." Snape said. Merthin waved his large hand toward Snape and helped him out of the cottage. Jade knelt down towards Annabelle and smoothed her hair out.
"Ready to give birth to my niece or nephew?" Jade asked seeing Annabelle give her a nervous chuckle. Jade smiled at her, seeing her face relax. She rested against the stone, as the contractions faded. "She's getting those damn contractions. They'll come back and tell us how far she is from giving birth." Jade said, stroking Annabelle's hand.
Lupin and Moody walked away with Dumbledore to let Tonks, Jade, and Helena take care of Annabelle. Snape and Merthin came back a half an hour later with a basketful of ingredients and soon enough the cottage was filled with a sweet and sharp scent of the anesthetic potion.
"I've heard a lot about you and Malfoy back in the Wizarding World." Tonks said while holding a very pacified Jenita in her lap. Jade pressed a cool and wet towel against Annabelle's forehead and looked at Tonks seeing her give her a half hearted smile. "I saw you once at the station with Harry…I don't know if you saw me then, but I do remember seeing you. It was shocking to hear about you disappearing into a world like this but here I am, sitting in front of you in that very same world." Tonks said seeing Jade smile.
"I've been told a few times that no one else made it out alive. I guess the most shocking thing is that not only did I barely manage to live, I had a child!" Jade said. The two women giggled and looked towards Annabelle who tensed in pain.
"She's ready." Helena said, walking over to them. Jade watched Snape administer the potion to Annabelle and soon after, there was a calm that settled over her face. Jade wished that it had been the same during her birth. Giving birth without any sort of anesthetic was probably worse than a Hippogriff attack.
Annabelle trembled as Tonks and Jade tightly held her hands. Helena was crouched, placing a few rags for the baby.
"Do you feel anything Belle?" Jade asked Annabelle who shook her head. Helena nodded and patted Annabelle's knee.
"Get ready to push darling." She said. Annabelle shuddered as she drew her breath and pushed, squeezing her eyes tightly. Annabelle gave a few pushes and Jade looked up to see Tonks staring wide eyed as Annabelle pushed. Jade chuckled, holding Annabelle's hand tighter.
"Don't worry, she won't feel a thing." Jade said to Tonks who looked up.
"What?" she squeaked.
"As long as you don't look at the baby coming out, you'll be fine." Jade said. The look on Tonks face never moved. She sat there, still staring wide eyed at Annabelle.
"Oh! I can see the baby's head! Keep pushing Annabelle!" Helena encouraged. Annabelle was shining with sweat as she made the effort to push the baby out. Little by little, the baby was pushed and squirmed out. Helena smiled as the baby choked and cried.
"A beautiful little girl!" Helena said, holding up Annabelle's daughter. She was wriggling and crying, bloodied and naked. Helena quickly wiped the baby with a blanket and handed her to Annabelle. Jade and Annabelle marveled at the baby for a few seconds until they started to sob.
"She looks so beautiful…and small." Jade said, kissing her small hands. Annabelle hiccupped in her own sobs and fell back, feeling exhausted from giving birth. Jade immediately took Annabelle's daughter from Annabelle as Helena and Tonks lied Annabelle down.
"Dumbledore." Nicolas quickly piped up. Jade looked up at Nicolas, seeing him give Dumbledore a nervous look. "I think it is best if we go to the castle as quickly as we can. We are unsure of what the Queen might do with the Portkeys." Nicolas said.
"Wait." Jade said, standing up. "The Queen has both of the Portkeys?" Jade asked seeing Nicolas nod.
"I am afraid so my child." Nicolas said. Jade looked confused and she looked at Merthin who was equally perplexed.
"Why do these Portkeys keep going to the castle?" Jade asked.
"Because the Queen's late father was a wizard himself." Dumbledore answered. "King Castile made two Portkeys, one for his wife and the other for himself. From what we've heard, the King had been very fond of his wife and as a gift, he presented the Portkeys to sit on themselves and whenever they wanted, they could use the Portkey to visit a dear friend." Dumbledore said, nodding at Nicolas who nodded back with a short smile.
"You made the Portkeys?" Jade asked. Nicolas nodded and with a resigned sigh, he took a seat.
"I was more than happy to make the King and Queen's Portkeys. The King was a great man; a fair ruler. His only child had been born a squib…a princess to inherit the throne. However it wasn't soon until Young Castile had gotten married to her suitor, Prince Henry III. She was madly in love with Prince Henry…but sad to say, he never quite reciprocated the love." Nicolas explained.
Jade nodded, feeling a bit awkward to think about Draco getting married to Castile again.
"Prince Henry who soon became King after King Castile's death had a very important hand in the Portkey's disappearance…or at least one of them." Dumbledore said. Jade cocked her head to the side, looking at Dumbledore and Nicolas with a strange curiosity.
"Do you mean to say Prince…or King Henry left with the Portkey away from Castile? He was a wizard too?" Jade asked seeing Nicolas nod.
"King Henry was not only a wizard; he had left after impregnating the Queen…which ended in a tragic miscarriage. After that she completely lost her mind…there was no one by her side…no one of magic blood to retrieve the Portkey-" Merthin went to explain but Jade cut him off.
"What about the other Portkey? Where did the other Portkey go?" Jade asked.
"I shall answer that." Nicolas intervened. Merthin nodded and Nicolas went on. "You see, while Young Castile was growing up, she knew she was different. She couldn't perform magic the way her mother and father would and it frustrated her. Growing up as a child and knowing from very early on that you lacked a gift that your parents were born with…something you should have been born with…that takes a toll on one's mental and emotional being. Therefore Young Castile had started to resent her parents and wanted to acquire the power herself. The two Portkeys that she had seen her mother and father wear…she wanted them for herself…and the only way she could get them was if she would claim the throne." Nicolas said.
"She killed her parents?" Tonks asked.
"Only her mother." Dumbledore answered.
"And her father?" Jade asked.
"King Castile had soon found out that his very daughter killed her mother…his wife, so he disappeared with the Portkey…never to be seen again." Helena said from the corner of the room. Everyone turned towards her, seeing her still wipe Annabelle's face with a wet cloth. She nodded sadly and went back to Annabelle who slept soundly.
"I helped the King escape; otherwise she would have killed him and taken the second Portkey. She stole the first one from her mother and the second; she was waiting to put it on King Henry's head." Nicolas said.
"Exactly what is the Portkey?" Jade asked.
"Think about it Jade. What is waited to be inherited from a royal family? What had King Henry made for him and his wife that Castile couldn't have until she was a Queen herself?" Dumbledore asked. Jade shook her head, shrugging as she thought.
"I don't know…a throne maybe?" Jade asked.
"Oh no...so stupid." Merthin said, shaking his head.
"Thanks Merthin." Jade shot back.
"No, not you; me! How could I have been so foolish? The crowns! I should have known that her crown was the Portkey itself! How could I have been so blind! The answer was facing me the entire time and I hadn't a clue. I could not tell that she had been wearing a different crown since your arrival!" Merthin said, rubbing his face.
"Hang on for just a second! The bloody Portkey didn't look like a bloody crown when I first touched it!" Jade said to Dumbledore.
"The King had requested that these Portkeys look unusual to a foreign world so it would not attract attention to thieves and those of sort." Nicolas explained.
"So you helped King Castile escape Castile after she murdered his wife?" Jade asked Nicolas, seeing him nod.
"And then she inherits the throne with Prince Henry who hates her but impregnates her, finds out about the Portkey, takes it and splits off into our world where in the meantime she suffers a miscarriage and becomes all alone until Merthin and Silvia come in to give her a wonderful position of enchanted forests, talking animals and a castle where she can monitor everything that comes and goes?" Jade asked.
Everyone froze, thinking things over.
"In a nutshell, yes…but you also forget that during a hundred or so years, so many people have stumbled across the Portkey that Prince Henry had abandoned. They were transported here and were killed while the equal number of times, the wizards who knew that Castile's crown was a Portkey itself, stole it and transported back to our world. This ping pong between two worlds where people were slaughtered by Castile's wizards…until Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald were accidentally transported here." Nicolas said, giving a disapproving look towards Dumbledore that a school teacher would do to a naughty school child. Dumbledore only simply smiled at the memory.
"We were curious creatures." Dumbledore said.
"They were so curious, they broke into my cupboard and transported themselves…but they managed to bring themselves back." Nicolas said.
"How in the world did you do that?" Jade asked.
"It's the same question I ask myself every single day. They slipped right through my fingers, the both of them. They were highly intelligent and powerfully trained. They ended up enchanting the forest themselves and for once, the hunted became the hunters." Merthin said. Dumbledore stood up and gestured out the door.
"And now we must recreate history once again. Before anything, we must reach the Portkey-"
Dumbledore stopped suddenly to hear a baby crying frantically from outside of the cottage. Jade's instant reflex was to see if Jenita and Annabelle's daughter was all right. She saw Jenita still sitting in Tonks' arms with the pacifier still in her mouth, kicking her legs around. Annabelle's daughter was snug and warm against Jade's chest, sleeping heavily.
"Step back." Moody whispered to Jade when she went towards the door. Everyone had been frozen in their spots, hearing the cries of the baby coming closer. They heard someone hushing the baby, reaching the door. There was a heavy knock, making Jade jump from her spot. Annabelle whimpered and Helena squeaked from the corner, hearing the knocks persist and get louder.
"Hello? Anyone there? Jade? Merthin? Where did you both go?" Jade felt like her breath was taken away from her, hearing his voice. Dumbledore reached the door and opened it with Moody, Snape, Lupin, Merthin and Nicolas Flamel closely behind.
"A pleasure to see you once again Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore greeted.
Jade poked her head out of the door, seeing Draco stand in tattered clothes, his face with a beard smeared with dirt with a three month baby in his arms. The baby looked well clothed in a white silk cloth with gold jewelry with blue jewels. The baby also had soft platinum blonde hair and in Draco's arms, there wasn't anyone who couldn't deny that the child wasn't his.
"Dumbledore? What the fuck are you doing here?" Draco asked incredulously.
"A strange way to greet your elders." Nicolas muttered, shaking his head.
"I'm sorry, it seems as if being stuck in another dimension for nearly two years made me care less…who are you supposed to be?" Draco asked.
"Nicolas Flamel…pleased to finally meet you." Nicolas said, none too enthusiastically.
"How did you escape from the castle?" Merthin asked, looking deathly pale. Draco's face went stiff as he looked at Merthin.
"Are you joking Merthin? You just helped me escape with Jade." Draco said, pointing to Jade who was carrying Annabelle's daughter.
"What?" Jade and Merthin asked.
"Trust me; I'm not going back in." Draco said, walking towards them.
"Wrong, we are going back." Dumbledore told him. Draco narrowed his eyes at Dumbledore.
"Are you insane? We nearly killed ourselves and risked my son's life by trying to escape that place and you want us to go back?" Draco asked.
"Yes, please." Dumbledore said pleasantly. Draco scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You've got to be nutters old man. There isn't a thing that could change my heart to look back at that castle. You'd have to kill me first." Draco said.
"Then we will find a way to arrange that." A cold and smooth voice said. Behind Draco stood the Queen of Castile, in her pristine robes with a slow grin appearing on her face. Behind her were an army of guards, Silvia and her daughters, smirking.
