Lucy returned to the castle the next day, not in a good mood. Oh, she'd had a great time away! Until the news reached her ears of what her brother, Ronald Weasley and surprisingly Miss Granger? had been up to.

Strolling into the crowded common room, she found her targets. Ron was in the middle of retelling the "story" next to Harry who was blushing and trying to keep his head down. Lucy came up behind them,

"What's this I hear about a TROLL in the GIRL'S Bathroom?"

Her brother knew what was coming while Ron remained oblivious until her hand grabbed his ear lobe along with Harry's!

"OW!" That hurts!"

"Yes, I imagine it does" she said, starting to haul them out of the room. Her brother just came along quietly while the redhead complained.

"Stop it Lucy! You're embarrassing us!"

"GOOD! I'd rather have you embarrassed then GONE! Your Popularity is NOT worth your Life! Harry KNOWS this! Which is WHY I am surprised he WAS the ringleader!" The teenager girl had now gotten the entire Gryffindor house's attention. A pair of twins started laughing along with another boy. "Laugh now, you WON'T be when I do the same to you. If and When you TRY following their example of placing yourselves in danger without informing an Adult and having a BACK UP plan. Courage and Bravery will only get you so far. This I promise"

"Yes Mama Lion!" The twins chorused, Not wanting that to happen to them. Everyone else in Gryffindor instantly agreeing, and the nickname stuck. Mama Lion was not someone to be messed with. She would defend and rebuke her cubs.

As Lucy continued to take the boys, Hermione got up from her chair and began following.

"Please don't punish them further!" We've already got detention and after that public humiliation-!" She exclaimed upon entering an empty room. The older girl raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Humiliation? Miss Granger, you don't even know the MEANING of the word. Having your Pride shot is Nothing compared to actually having someone breaking your Bones in front of people and have them laugh at you instead of getting help while you're hunched over in pain."

The bookworm was silent along with the redhead. Lucy had already released the younger ones, including her brother.

"Now, I want to hear the truth, the full TRUTH of what happened last night."

"But you already know it," said Ron. She gave him a look, and he winced. "You're like Professor Snape when you do that?"

"Excuse me?"

"No, no I didn't mean that" he backtracked, "You're actually nice, most of the time."

She rolled her eyes, "How "nice" I am, depends on how long it takes you to get to the truth. The REAL version, not the one you told the Professors. And you are not leaving here until you do," the sixth year finished, casting a sticking charm on the trio, waiting for the first one to crack. Which was Ron when he began to lose feeling in his left toes.

"Alright! Alright! I started it! Hermione was being her usual self in class: bossy and correcting." The girl in question put her head down. "I may have been talking to Harry about it out loud once class was done. She heard me. We didn't see her from then on until the feast when Neville mentioned that she'd been in the girl's bathroom all day crying. Then Professor Quirrell stormed into the hall panicking that there was a troll in the dungeon! Dumbledore ordered everyone back to their dormitories while the teachers went after the beast."

"On our way out I then quick grabbed Ron, remembering Hermione-" said Harry.

Lucy was silent as she listened to the rest of the explanation before replying. "I wish I could say that I didn't know this was coming but that would be a lie."

"What do you mean?"

"Three things," said his sister, "1, Having observed Miss Granger's performance, at least in potions-"

"Hermione," corrected the girl. "My name is Hermione Granger, please use it."

Lucy nodded her head and continued, "I can quite easy say it was only a matter of time before her attitude came back to bite her in a big way."

"My attitude?"

"Mis-Hermione, there is a BIG difference between being Book smart and People smart. You have to learn to read them. It will tell you what kind of situation you are in and may even save your life, if it comes to that. Not all authority figures can be trusted." Harry and Ron found themselves agreeing with her, thinking of Snape, while Hermione's eyes widened.

"Plus, you've started getting the reputation of being a "Show Off". Someone who always has to be first and right. Never giving other people a chance, making them feel stupid about themselves when they get it wrong"

The younger girl gasped, horrified. "That's not me"

"It IS you, people don't like it, and… you don't seem to care" said Ron.

"I understand wanting to prove yourself, that you can do it" said Harry, before grimacing. "But others want that opportunity too, if they want your help, they will ask for it"

Hermione's face was bright red as she looked down, "I'm sorry, I never wanted to humiliate anyone or make them feel bad. I also never fit in at my old school. Then I found out I was a Witch; I was so excited. I wanted it to be a fresh start with people like me. I knew I would have some trouble, being a Muggleborn but I-!"

"If you don't know or acknowledge your bad habits, how are you supposed to change for the better?" Lucy pointed out, "That is…assuming you want to"

"I do! You have my word; I will try to be better!"

"It would also help if you didn't just recite text book answers. Translate the pages into your own words" the older girl offered, hoping that helped.

"Now that we told you the truth, can you please unstick us?" asked Ron, a hint of panic in his voice. Lucy raised her wand and did the counter curse as the redhead slumped to the floor in relief.

"Blimey that was awful, even worse than some of the punishments my Mum made me do. How do you put-up with-it Harry?"

Her brother shrugged, "I'm kind a stuck with her"

"No joking!" "But she's not as bad as some other relatives"

"Aww! Thanks,"

Hermione smiled then, "You said there were three things?"

"Right," said Lucy, "2, I am very aware of my brother's developing "Hero Complex"

"I do not have a "Hero Complex"

"Not yet but it's getting there. You value other people's lives over your own" she frowned to herself. And that is why she could very easily see Harry falling into Albus Dumbledore's trap for him. The old man was probably dying to sink his claws into her brother. He certainly had enough people to back him up with his influence.

"And three?" prompted Ron.

"Number 3, My old teacher Miss Aurora, can see into the future. So, she knew what was happening last night."

The trio was stunned, before Hermione spoke, "You mean she is a "Seer" like Professor Trelawney?" She'd read through all the staff names at Hogwarts but was disappointed that she wouldn't meet the woman or have her class until third year.

The older girl's eyes narrowed, "No, Miss Aurora's gift works differently then hers. She doesn't make prophesies that ruin other people's lives. She simply sees the path people are on and what will happen if it continues. Not the whole future, just a piece of the puzzle. The future can always change and it's never, NEVER what you think it's going to be…"

...

It wasn't long after the group of four returned to the common room (everyone else had just wisely decided to mind their own business. Not wanting Mama Lion's fire directed at them again. Her warning had been enough.) that Professor McGonagall informed Lucy, she'd been summoned to the Headmaster's office.

Wonder what took him this long? she thought as she said the password and rode the spiral staircase to the top. Finding Professor Snape standing over Albus' desk.

"Ahh! Lucy my girl! Come in Come in! Professor Snape and I were just finishing up"

"I think that will be all Headmaster," said the younger man starting to turn around and about to walk away.

"No," said Lucy "Please… stay"

The normally sour teacher looked at her incredulously almost unable to believe the words coming out of the girl's mouth.

"I think it would be best if some else was here too. Incase things get out of hand-"

"Lucy…" said Dumbledore, in his disappointed grandfather tone.

"No Headmaster, let's be honest here: I don't trust you. You have proven yourself to be unworthy of it in the past."

"Forgiveness, Dear child-"

"Which you have, not for your sake but for mine. You can either run from the past, OR… learn from it." She said, letting her double meaning be known. Snape raised a subtle eyebrow; this was getting interesting. He had never witnessed a student react in such a way to Albus Dumbledore.

"Perhaps…I will stay" he said, sitting down in a chair making himself comfortable. Dumbledore paled at that, there were things not even Severus should hear.

"Thank you, Professor" Lucy smiled in gratitude, nearly making the man's heart cleave. She was so much like her mother. "What did you wish to see me about Headmaster? time is a wastin' " said the sixth year looking at the clock for emphasis.

"Lucy…really?" The old man all but implored.

"Is it about the so called "Blood Wards" on Petunia Dursley's property? Because if so, I won't apologize for how I feel. And I told you years ago, that as long as I remember before the tragedy. I will always consider that to be my HOME. It's not a place, it is the people you are with that make it so. They don't even have to be blood or any other kind of related to you. I FOUND my family in a small group of misfits that have been cast aside too. Harry, only THINKS of that place as "home" because he doesn't know better. So, unless your plan is to obliviate my memories of my mom-"

"NO!" shouted Snape.

"Then we are, where we are. You are just going to have to deal with it, Sir"

Albus Dumbledore was stunned.

"Second order of business, you probably summoned me because you found I wasn't at Feast. I had Professor McGonagall's permission to leave the castle grounds and spend the night with some old friends. It was already set up two weeks prior"

"I was rather curious, especially after the troll incident with young Harry" said Dumbledore, getting over his shock.

"I've already confronted him on the matter. After his school punishment you don't need to bother yourself any further"

"I WILL be bother with him, young lady. I am his and your magical guardian."

"Illegally, I might add"

"WHAT?" chorused the two men's voices.

"I was there that day in Gringotts when they made their will remember? I was outside playing in the hallway when the Account manager, Sirius and my parents with baby Harry came out and asked me a serious question about who was going to take care of us if something bad were to happen. Your name wasn't even on that list, you were just the Witness. The paper also said that Harry and I were NOT supposed to go to the Dursleys. If anything, we were supposed to go to Professor McGonagall if there wasn't anyone else available.

But NO! You just had to reset the chessboard! Keep your knight safely tucked away, but you didn't know what to do with me. I wasn't in the plan. I got news for you Headmaster, this is NOT a chess game, it's POKER. And this joker-" Pointing to herself with her thumb, "is wild."

Professor Dumbledore sighed, taking off his glasses and hung his head, while Snape felt like standing up and applauding. Why was this girl not in Slytherin? She would be one of his best snakes.

"Lucy…" said Albus, finally looking up at her. "I did the best I could under urgent the circumstances at the time. And I do care about you and your brother"

"Not ENOUGH apparently, or you would have listened and DONE something to help us when we ran away. Your actions speak louder then your words Headmaster."

"There is no way you can be Potter's brat" breathed Professor Snape.

"You are right" said the girl, turning to face him. "I'm Yours…"

The cat's out of the bag...Hope you enjoyed and will review.