On the Thursday following Valentine's Day, Bess walked in to her Defence Against the Dark Arts class with Lily as usual, but before she could sit down Jasper beckoned her over to where he stood by the window at the front of the class.
Sharing a quick look with Lily, she walked over to him, but he turned to look out of the window, rather than at her.
"Jasper?" she whispered, unsure if she'd understood his gesture properly, as she stood awkwardly at his side, looking up slightly.
"You're meeting with Dumbledore tomorrow evening?" he asked in a hushed tone, his lips barely moving. She nodded, and he continued, "good. Listen to what he has to say. He won't repeat himself. What he tells you... it'll... it'll change the way you see someone, and I'm so sorry, but you need to know. You won't be safe anymore."
"What? What're you talking about?" she whispered back, a deep frown on her face. "Are you okay?"
"Me? Oh Bess... After what- look. Just promise me you'll listen to what he has to say? I have to keep you safe. And after what you did last week..."
"Last week?" she asked with a gulp. He couldn't know, could he?
Jasper let out a puff of air before he whispered urgently, "Come on! You think you can just apparate out of Hogsmeade and no one will notice?"
Bess' eyes widened as she stared at the side of his face. She could tell that he was trying incredibly hard now to keep his expression blank. Finally, she whispered, "But I don't have the trace anymore."
"There's more than one way of tracking someone, kid," he answered, finally sparing her a look. "And the fact that you don't have the trace anymore makes it even worse." His gaze, which was tense and hard, softened as he looked at her, adding, "for months, the trace protected you. If you'd gone missing, I would have found you. Now, if anyone gets to you, we'd have no idea where you were."
Bess took in a deep breath and nodded. "I'm sorry. I- I won't do it again. I just- I won't do it again," she said quickly.
"Thank you. I just want to keep you safe," he said quickly, before nodding at her and saying in a louder tone, "I'm sorry, but a Troll is just unacceptable at this level. You'll need to do another essay on the Imperius Curse, due next Thursday. I'm so incredibly disappointed. If it really is your dream to become an Auror, you've got to step up."
Bess glared at Jasper, who simply raised an eyebrow, daring her to talk back. She tried not to smile, and she could see the corners of his eyes crease slightly as he fought to keep his expression annoyed. Playing along, she turned and stomped back to her seat, muttering about how she'd spent hours on the essay.
"At least he's giving you another chance..." Mary whispered from behind her. "Last week Selket had a massive go at Smythe because he turned in half an essay. It was so bad, he made him cry. And he's a seventh year."
For the rest of the day, Bess had an anxious feeling. She looked over her shoulder everywhere she went, and jumped at the smallest of things. She only felt safe when she was with the Marauders, and for the first time in a while, she broke her own rules, and spent lunch, dinner, and after school, trailing behind the group, barely hearing what they were saying as she tried to stop the rising panic in her chest.
Sirius, for his part, cottoned on quite quickly to the fact that it might have something to do with Dumbledore and Bess' meeting with him the next evening, and, after whispering something to the boys, they didn't say anything about her presence, but embraced her.
Though, when Peter got caught trying to get in to Professor Binns' office and Bess hadn't been quick enough to jump behind a suit of armour, gaining a detention alongside the rat-faced youth, it did break her anxiety for a moment.
xXx
The next night, Bess found herself standing outside Dumbledore's office, rather hesitant to go in, after Jasper's warning. She'd been trying to work out who she'd see differently after tonight, and wasn't sure if she really wanted to find out more. However, she put on her brave mask, and, after taking a deep breath, shook her head to stop herself from worrying that he'd ask her to have another vision, and knocked.
As she walked in, Professor Dumbledore looked up from his desk and this time, rather than finishing off some work as she looked around, he stood, and beckoned her over to his pensieve.
"Good evening, Bess, how are you doing?"
"Okay... uh- are we... after last..." she stammered.
"No. I will not be asking anything of you tonight, Bess. Instead, I thought that we'd have a look at some memories," he said, indicating a couple of vials of what looked like swirling iridescent silver liquid. "If you would be willing?"
Bess nodded. "About Horcruxes?" She asked quietly, hoping that he'd decided against telling her something about someone she knew and trusted.
"No. About you," Dumbledore replied.
Bess tilted her head to the side and frowned. "Why?"
"Bess, you have been a mystery for over a year. For months I believed what I was told - that you were simply a young witch with a traumatic past. When I first came to visit you in the hospital, Professor Serpen had raved about you, and said that you should study at Hogwarts. As had Healer Fenrose. However, I was warned by two people that if I admitted you to the school, I would be making a mistake. They said that you were undisciplined, held very little magic, and were essentially a Muggle. When you blew up your cake in anger, I took pity on you. I thought that giving you a goal to work towards, even if I thought it unachievable, would occupy you, and would convince you to turn your back on the magical world.
"The second time we met, I began to have my suspicions that I had been lied to. Your magic and abilities were strong, and you seemed much more put together than I had been led to believe. And yet, I was aware that none of Daphne's memories survived the memory charm. I will admit, I was still surprised when you managed to complete your OWLs. You received them later than the other students, yes?" he asked, and Bess nodded, remembering that she'd had to wait another week or two before she'd received them. "Yes. I asked for them to be remarked. I couldn't quite believe it. But, you proved yourself and earned a place to study here, so I had to keep my word, even though I was warned against allowing you to join us.
"When you joined the school, you surprised us all by keeping consistently good grades, and so, when Professor Selket came to me wondering about your knowledge of Dementors, I must admit, I was keen to see if you had retained your seer abilities, as I believed you to be Daphne. That is why I asked you to push past your pain and see..."
"But I'm guessing the whole light thing happened...?" Bess asked, wincing as she remembered the pain of that vision, and the one she'd had at Christmastime. "And the pain..."
"Yes. And I understood that I had been misled, for which I must apologise, Bess. I spent the next few months gathering information when I could find it. On you, and on the Horcruxes that you told me about. I apologise for not meeting with you in January, but after Amarella died, I didn't think it was the right time to have a discussion. However, with the Easter holidays approaching rapidly, we cannot wait any longer, and I have a few memories that I'd like to share with you today," he finished.
"I- thank you for waiting," Bess said, lowering her gaze. "The memories. If they're about me, then whose are they?" she asked as she watched Dumbledore pick up the first vial and slowly pour its contents into the large stone basin.
"Professor Selket's to start, and then Professor Serpen's. After our last meeting, I immediately went to see Professor Selket, as he had been one of the two wizards who had informed me that you had lost your mind. I believed that he knew more about your situation than he had thus far admitted and I was, unfortunately, correct. After reviewing the vials, I approached Professor Serpen to see if he could fill in a few gaps in an effort to alleviate my suspicions, but it only confirmed them," Dumbledore said crypitcally, "there was one memory which stood out for me, which he has agreed to share with you."
"But why do you want to show me these now?" Bess asked in a confused tone.
"Because you've spent over a year in our world, and I think it's time that we explored your history. I also believe that it will help you to understand why I will be asking more of you from now on. I will need you to grow up rather quickly, Bess, and re-evaluate your priorities here. I will be asking you to take more classes with myself and Professor Serpen. I will also be upping your security when you are outside the castle and Hogsmeade, and would like to induct you officially in to the Order of the Phoenix over the Easter break, due to the importance of the information that I have gathered. But we shall discuss why, after I've shared my knowledge with you. Now. Shall we?" he asked, as he indicated the stone basin.
"I- uh- yes. Thank you," Bess replied with a nod, and Dumbledore picked out a vital, before pouring it into the basin.
"You know what to do?" He asked her.
Bess nodded again and leant in, placing her face into the substance. She felt as though she were diving through the air, falling at a rapid pace. As soon as the feeling had begun, it ended, and Bess found her feet planted firmly on the ground.
She realised with a jolt, that she recognised the room she was standing in all too well - it was the living room of her parents' house, and was struck by the similarities.
She had to work hard to calm her breathing as she recognised the colour of the walls, the size of the living room, and the ugly 70s carpet. There were, luckily, stark differences in furniture and lighting, but it was close enough to bring back memories of her abuse though she did appreciate that in this world, the house was happy place, filled with love and laughter. She only hoped that she would not have to see Daphne's parents - she didn't know if she'd be able to handle coming face to face with them, even through a memory.
Her breath stuttering, she felt a presence beside her, and turned to see Dumbledore standing there. She felt comforted immediately. As much as she hadn't trusted him when she'd first met him and had wanted to keep the secrets of her world from him, now she felt as though they shared an understanding, and that if she were in danger, he would come to help her. She felt her heart begin to race a little less, and her breathing evened out.
"Do you know where we are?" he asked, and although Bess knew that the inhabitants of the house wouldn't be able to hear her, she still felt like shushing the older wizard. Instead, she nodded and watched as Selket and Delbert Barracus walked in to the room, and a man who she didn't recognise stood from the sofa.
Selket, she noticed, was noticeably thinner, and more put together than he was now.
"We have to be quick. They'll be back in a few hours," the unknown man said, as he gestured towards the second sofa in the room.
"What's this all about, Luke? Your message was cryptic, even for you," Selket replied.
Bess walked round to get a better view of the group, coming to a stop in front of the two sofas. She felt a little sick, knowing that this was Lucas Grouse, or Luke - the man who had died to save Daphne's life.
He was extremely tall, around six foot four, she imagined, and had an impressive stocky build. Although older - he must have been in his fifties at least - he looked powerful. His dark skin tone matched that of Bess' own mother's, and Bess could see that he had the same eye shape and jawline as her.
As the men sat down, Lucas called, "Come in."
A girl who looked just like a sixteen year old Bess (and Daphne for that matter), walked in to the room slowly. Her gait indicated that she was scared, and Bess wanted to hold out her arms to give the girl a hug.
As she appeared, Selket and Delbert began to panic.
"I thought she'd gone already. If not, why the hell did I lie to Poults for you, Selket? Did you both set me up?" Delbert asked angrily, indicating Daphne as he too, sat down.
"Calm down, Barracus," Lucas ordered, and Delbert fell silent and glared.
"He's right, Luke," Selket said quickly as Delbert reached over to the coffee table and picked up a decanter and glass. He poured himself at least two fingers of whiskey, before he knocked it back in one go. "If she's back... what we did... it's not..."
"Stop. This isn't Daphne. This is Elizabeth," Lucas growled, as the girl sat down next to him on the sofa, as far away as she could get.
Bess gasped. "Wait, but this means... this means that... they... they knew me?" she asked quickly.
"This isn't funny. Why would you do this?" Selket asked angrily as he too reached for the bottle on the table and poured out a large glass, downing it in two gulps.
"I haven't done anything. I've searched her mind, and used veritaserum. This is not my niece. They must have switched places once we completed the ritual. I've checked thoroughly. They may look identical in a few ways, but this is not Daphne," Lucas replied, and Bess saw her past self - Elizabeth - move slightly away from the wizard, and shift uncomfortably in her seat.
"But that means that..." Delbert began, before trailing off as he put his head in his hands.
"Yes. We sent Daphne away, but... but this Muggle has taken her place," Lucas replied. Bess could tell that there was no love lost here - he didn't care for Elizabeth one bit - she was nothing more than a nuisance to him. "I had no idea this would happen, but as they say, magic has its price."
"Does she have the sight?" Delbert asked quietly, looking at Elizabeth with a greedy look on his face. Bess gulped - she'd never seen that look before. As soon as it had appeared on his face, it had gone, replaced with a look of indifference.
"Merlin! No! Do you think she'd still be here if she did?" Lucas cried.
"I'm right here, you know," Elizabeth snapped, glaring at Lucas.
He didn't even spare her a look as he continued, "If we send her back, we can't guarantee that Daphne won't return. We can't let that happen. Daphne must stay in the other world."
"No... I agree. In any case, it would take a lot to send this one back. Unless Daphne wants to return, it would take unimaginable torture to open the void again," Selket replied gravely, and Bess watched as all four people in the room turned a paler shade, and her past self looked ready to throw up.
"So she stays?" Delbert asked.
"Yes. And we protect her. If You-Know-Who ever finds out what we did... if he ever finds out that we took a true seer away from him?" Lucas replied firmly.
"What... what will happen to me?" Elizabeth whispered, staring at the table.
The three men exchanged looks, before Selket said, in a more caring tone, "Like we said. We will protect you. It's what? Two weeks until Christmas?" he asked, looking between the two men in the room, before turning back to Elizabeth, "so I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay here for at least three weeks. Lydia and Michael can't know who you really are. You'll have to pretend to be Daphne. Once the holidays are over, we can move you. We'll tell your parents-"
"They're not my parents," Elizabeth snapped.
"Fine. We'll convince Lydia and Michael that you need to go to Hogwarts for your own protection. It won't be too far fetched, will it, Luke?" Selket asked.
Lucas shook his head. "No. Daphne almost convinced them to let her go last year. Her visions were getting more under control. She could have hidden her sight well enough."
"Good. That's the plan then. We wait until New Year's," Selket said quietly but firmly, as he looked between the two other men, who nodded. "We will keep you safe, Elizabeth."
"It's- it's Bess. My... My name is Bess," Elizabeth replied with a gulp before she reached forwards to pour herself a glass.
Bess felt a pull, and she found herself moving upwards at a great pace, before she fell out of the pensieve and on to the floor.
A moment later, Dumbledore appeared next to her again, and she looked up at the wizard with tears in her eyes. "I don't understand. This... this means that I've been here for longer than I thought? I- I have these scars because... because I was the one they tortured?"
Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "Professor Selket kept this from me. He thought that it would help to keep you safe if he buried his memories of you. For those three weeks before you were attacked, he visited you near daily, befriended you, and when you began to show magical skill, he agreed to teach you. Though he did not realise that you would be attending school here until he started at Hogwarts as a Professor."
"So... what? They sent Daphne to another world... my world?"
Dumbledore nodded again.
"Why?" she asked quietly.
"You can only imagine the devastation that would reign if Voldemort had such a powerful seer at his disposal. Lucas and Professor Selket believed it to be the only option to keep Daphne safe," Dumbledore explained, "although the process for sending someone across worlds is a fickle and horrible one. And ancient. I had never heard of it before. Only a few people have, and most work within the Department of Mysteries. I believe Euphemia Potter believed your story instantly?" he asked, and Bess nodded. Dumbledore pursed his lips before adding, "she was an Unspeakable for over ten years, her primary research was in time and space."
Bess stood up as she replied, "But... But Delbert. That means that he- he's been lying to me as well? He knew the entire time? Why?"
"From what I have found out, Delbert was not included in the original plan to send Daphne across worlds, but stumbled upon the plot mere minutes after it was completed. I was not lying to you when I said that the process of world travel was horrible. By not reporting what Selket had done, Delbert was incriminating himself. For who would believe that he had no part in the crimes of his long-standing partner? Selket and Lucas, best friends since their schooling, trusted each other completely. So, as Selket trusted Delbert to say nothing, Lucas trusted him to take care of you if anything happened."
"I'm sorry, but i just... I still don't understand... why didn't Delbert just tell me that he knew who I was in the hospital? And- and they interviewed Lucas, didn't they? And... I mean, I even mentioned world travel to him and he laughed!" Bess said slowly.
Dumbledore pursed his lips. "Yes. That was my question also. Delbert was the second person who tried to convince me not to allow you to come to study at Hogwarts. He said that he believed that your memory was too far gone. I believe that Lucas' memories were altered just before he spoke to Jasper and Delbert. He was, of course, in a considerable amount of pain. Casting a memory charm on him would not have been a difficult task."
"Okay... then why did Selket obliviate me in the first place?" Bess whispered.
Dumbledore sighed deeply and turned back to the pensieve. "The second memory I have to show you may shed some more light on that particular issue... If you would like to see more?"
"Yes. Please."
Dumbledore nodded and scooped the memory from the basin, before replacing it with another. "Bess?" he asked, gesturing towards the basin once more.
Again, Bess fell head first into Selket's memory.
When she landed, she found herself in a hallway. Seeing vast array of open cubicles lined with pictures, newspaper clippings, and notes, Bess wondered if this was the Auror office. Her suspicions were confirmed as Dumbledore landed next to her, and Selket rounded the corner, ducking in to a booth.
Bess followed Dumbledore as he moved towards Selket, and they watched as he shoved the contents of one of his drawers into his bag, before exiting his cubicle and walking straight through them.
"Where's he going?" Bess asked quietly as they followed him.
"All in good time," Dumbledore replied.
"Alright, God?" Bess turned to see a grinning Jasper sauntering up the aisle behind her. She noticed that the receptionist was watching him as he went past, and smiled to herself. He came to a stop in front of Selket, who sent him a glare. "Oh come on! Got to be an upside to being called Godric..."
"What do you want, Serpen?"
"Whoa! What's got your kneazle in a tizzy? Merlin! I just need you to sign my leave request," he said with a laugh, as he held out a piece of parchment to the older wizard.
Selket sighed and dropped his bag between his feet before he took the parchment and quickly scanned the words before he signed at the bottom. "Big plans for Christmas?"
"Hell yeah! Whole family's gonna be there. First time in a few years!" He said enthusiastically, before leaning in to whisper, "Mum's a Muggle, so she's been feeding the pudding brandy for a couple of months. Can't wait!"
Selket's mood disappeared for a moment as he smiled, clapped Jasper on the arm, and said, "Tell them I said you're doing a fantastic job, eh? And uh- that I'm sorry."
"Sorry?"
"Leave request or no, training or no, you're an Auror now. You're on call no matter what. The sorry's for if I end up interrupting your dinner."
Jasper nodded solemnly. "I understand. I've already warned them. After they found that Muggle..." he trailed off and grimaced before shaking his head and smiling. "All part of the job though, right? We wouldn't do it if it wasn't worth it!"
With that, he turned around, the smile slipping from his face as he did. Bess wished she could stay with him and follow him back to his cubicle, but Dumbledore motioned to her as Selket began to move again, and they hurried after the Auror, who was just disappearing around the corner.
They followed him until they came to the lift, and squeezed in to it with him. They missed his destination, so Bess was surprised as the lift attendant announced, "Level Nine, Department of Mysteries," and he exited the lift, walking nonchalantly down the corridor, until the lift shut again, when he sped up.
Finally, they watched as he ducked in to a small doorway, and they followed, lowering their heads to fit in. The door closed behind them, and Bess looked up to see Selket, Delbert Barracus and Lucas Grouse all stood in a room filled with filing cabinets.
"What do you mean she knows something?" Delbert hissed angrily.
"It could be nothing, but she didn't seem surprised when I explained about Voldemort. She even asked me not to obliviate her," Selket replied in a low tone. "And.. she was able to complete a spell the other day."
"You gave her a wand?" Delbert asked incredulously.
"No. She stole my spare," Selket replied.
"Right. So she's not a fucking Muggle then, is she?" Delbert hissed again. "We need to find out what she knows now. If He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named finds out-"
"He won't. In any case, she doesn't know anything about the future does she?" Lucas responded.
"Well if she's showing magic, could she get the sight?" Delbert asked in a quieter, calculating voice.
"No. I mean... theoretically, like I said, if they opened up the void... but no. I don't think so," Selket responded. "Like I said. It would be... painful."
"Then why are we even here? And why are you telling us this?" hissed Delbert impatiently.
"Because, Barracus, we need to move her earlier now," Lucas replied. "We don't want anyone catching wind of her existence."
"When?" Selket asked, quietly.
"The first. I was planning on the third originally. That's when the students will board the train back to Hogwarts..." Lucas replied. "Did you bring the documents?"
"Yes. It was more difficult than I thought to get them, but here," Selket said, handing over a large envelope with 'Bess' written across the front. Bess' eyes widened - this was the pack of documents that Healer Fenrose had mentioned when he'd first met her! "I've changed it all - her name's now Daphne Elizabeth Coulson. Her birth date's the one Bess told us. At least then she won't give the game away..."
"Good. I've done my job as well. Everyone will remember her as using the name Bess," Lucas replied quickly, as he shoved the documents into his own bag.
"Where're you taking her?" Delbert asked quickly.
"Somewhere safe. And no, I'm not revealing anything to you," Lucas snapped. "Either of you. It's not that I don't trust you, but he has spies all over the place. You heard about that Muggle family just down the road from me, didn't you? Friends of Michael's. They're all in St. Mungo's now, but it's only going to get worse. We've heard reports that he's ramping everything up at Christmastime."
"And how would you know that, Grouse? That's sensitive Auror information only shared with us an hour ago," Delbert snapped.
Bess shivered at his tone, and realised that she'd never heard Delbert speak as much as he had in these two memories she'd been shown.
"What do you think an Unspeakable does? We don't just conduct research. We know everything," Lucas replied, and Bess' eyes widened as she turned to Dumbledore, who nodded, confirming that she heard that correctly - Lucas Grouse was not just a high-ranking Ministry official.
"Delbert, stop. Merlin. Am I the only one who actually cares what happens to this girl?" Selket asked, and Bess felt a warmth pool in her heart as he spoke. "Luke, we've got your back. Let us know if you need help."
Daphne's uncle nodded. "Remember. If anything happens to either of us-"
"Pretend we don't know anything. Of course we're going to do that, you idiot. You think we're stupid? What am I meant to say? 'Oh you know that Muggle Grouse and Selket murdered? Whose body I dumped? Yeah? It was to open this fucking portal, and-'" Delbert replied angrily.
"Shut it," Lucas roared, as Selket blanched and removed a hip-flask from his pocket. "If anything. And I mean anything, happens to me, you obliviate her. Do you understand me?"
"Why?" Delbert asked angrily.
"Because she knows your faces! What do you think?" Lucas asked loudly.
"Does she know how to get back to her own world?" Delbert asked.
"Why do you even care what happens to her?" Lucas asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because. She's the only connection we have to Daphne. If someone could tap in to her, they could-" Delbert's reply was cut off as Bess felt herself rising up into the stratosphere, before she landed on her feet in Dumbledore's office.
"So he was just trying to protect himself? All that time I thought Delbert was protecting me, but he wasn't? He was checking to see if I remembered anything that could incriminate him?" Bess asked angrily.
"Yes. In the beginning, when Jasper and Delbert were sent to see you in St. Mungo's, I do believe he was intending to see what you remembered," Dumbledore replied calmly. "I believe that's why he took Professor Serpen-"
"-Jasper, please-" Bess interjected.
"My apologies. I believe that's why he took Jasper with him - so that you would feel at ease and be more willing to give up information," he supplied. "In the time it took for Jasper and Delbert to speak to Lucas, Selket had obliviated you."
"But... but... but... I- I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?" Bess asked, as she stared at the older wizard.
"Bess, this is final, absolute proof that you are from another world. Infallible proof that these three men conspired to hide you away from us. I don't doubt that they thought what they were doing was right, but I thought you should know how and why you came to be here, and to warn you not to trust someone in particular," Dumbledore replied.
"I just- Delbert... I- he sounds like he- like he doesn't care about me... like he just wants to know what I know... But he spent months with Jasper and me... he could have found out anything he wanted during our weekly chats," Bess said quietly.
"Another important question which needs an answer, I'm sure. I can only speculate for now."
"And Selket. He... he apologised to me and said that he wiped too much of my memory! He- he called me Bess..." she said, as her confused tears beginning to fall.
"Yes. I have since spoken to Professor Selket, and he said that he only meant to wipe himself, Lucas, and Delbert before you were found, from your memory. He assumed, when he met you months ago, that he'd wiped everything - both your non-magical, and magical memories, as you didn't even recognise him as one of the Aurors who'd taken you to the hospital. Though your screams may have also been off-putting enough to make him go too far," Dumbledore replied.
"Why does everyone keep assuming I have no memories at all? Surely that would make me have the mind of a child?" Bess snapped..
"You are very good at hiding things, Bess. It stands to reason that people would assume that you don't know anything connected to what they're talking about," Dumbledore said quietly. "I suspect that your ability to hide your own mind from people is one of the main reasons why you were safe for so long."
"I guess... so... so let me get this straight... Selket thought that he let Lucas down by not protecting me after he died? But... but Lucas didn't seem to care about me at all!" Bess cried.
"Maybe not, but he cared deeply for his own niece. He died protecting the information of where she truly was," Dumbledore replied.
Bess frowned. "That's what the Death Eaters wanted to know? Where she was?"
"Yes," Dumbledore replied as he clasped his hands behind his back.
"Why- why are you protecting Selket? Why is he a teacher here if he killed a Muggle?" Bess asked, feeling nauseous.
"Until last week, I was not aware of what Professor Selket had done. He has since been relieved of his position here effective from the beginning of the Easter break, and will be heading to an Order safe house at that point. Unfortunately it would raise too many red flags if he were to move before that, and we cannot let him out of our sights. And, I'm afraidt that you cannot share this information with anyone. Whether you trust them or not. No one can know what he has done. Not yet. Though please be assured that he will be brought to justice in good time. Now. Would you like to stop here? I'm afraid I don't have any more answers for you - only more questions."
"No. You said... you said there was another one?" Bess replied.
"Yes. From Jasper."
"I'd like to see that one, please," Bess replied, hoping against hope that this one, at least, would show that Jasper was on her side.
Taking a deep breath as Dumbledore switched the silvery liquids, she stepped forwards and fell into another memory.
She appeared in an office.
Jasper stood in front of her, his robes dirty, torn and bloodied, and he was holding a cloth to his face. She watched as he looked around, and gasped slightly as he looked right at her.
No. Through her.
Bess turned to see an short, middle aged witch with light brown hair and a stern expression. She walked past Dumbledore, who had sat down in a seat at the edge of the room. Bess watched as the woman walked around a large desk, before sitting down and gesturing for Jasper to do the same.
He winced as he sat, and placed his other hand on his ribs, gently massaging the area as he grimaced.
"What happened?"
"I don't know. They knew we were coming... They were prepared," he replied. "It wasn't a raid, it was an ambush."
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
"Why hasn't anyone else brought this to me?" The woman asked, and Bess frowned. She felt as though she'd seen her before.
"Poults said no one could know. We're already getting thin on the ground. But... look, when I heard the rumours about you maybe taking over... I thought maybe... Maybe you'd be different?"
"Don't listen to that. Nothing's confirmed," the woman replied, and Bess walked quickly over to her desk, gasping as she saw a little picture frame on the desk - a smiling Amarella waved up at her.
"Florence Bucks. This is... This is Ama's mum?" Bess asked, turning to Dumbledore, who nodded.
She turned back as Jasper winced again and said, "Even so. I think you need to be prepared for the chance that there's a mole on the department. I shouldn't say it, but-"
"No. You shouldn't. Have you told anyone else of your suspicions?"
"No, ma'am. Just you," Jasper replied, looking down.
"Keep it that way," she replied quickly. "There are eyes and ears all over this building."
"I'm sorry, but I can't. I can't just... I can't stand by while-"
"Serpen. Stop. Is this about the Coulson girl again?"
"Look, there's something odd there. She's... she's different to what Delbert's described to you... and the documents? Her birth certificate? Her credentials? They were all fake. All in a little envelope marked with her nickname? It's all too- It's just all too convenient-"
"Enough," commanded Florence, but Jasper ignored her.
"But what if I'm right?" he implored, leaning forwards slightly. "What if we have a mole even closer to home? What if it's-"
"Do not finish that sentence," the woman replied angrily.
Bess felt herself pulled upwards, and landed back in Dumbledore's office.
"So Jasper thinks there's a mole in the Auror office? What does that have to do with me? And Delbert? And Selket?" Bess asked, trying to piece everything together in her head, which felt like it would explode at any moment.
Dumbledore sighed, and walked around to his chair, gesturing for Bess to take the seat opposite.
"I believe, as Jasper does, that there is a mole in his department, and that that person tipped off the Death Eaters to your location. Someone has been undermining Auror raids for over a year and, after viewing these memories, I believe that there were only two people who could have known the information around you. One of them, Selket, retired from office and became a Professor here. The other, Delbert Barracus, placed himself in your inner circle, and encouraged you, all while undermining you to everyone he met. I believe he was attempting to get you to trust only himself and Jasper.
"He could not have known that Jasper would have been so protective of you - going as far as to approach your neighbours and do what I did not see any need to - he opened their memories and removed the false ones, revealing that Daphne's name was never Daphne Elizabeth Coulson, but Daphne Felicity Cartwright. When Jasper brought this information to Florence Bucks as more proof of his suspicions, she finally took him seriously, and began to ask questions. Within weeks she and her family had been murdered.
"Bess, I believe that Delbert tried everything he could to stop your coming to Hogwarts, so that when you became of age and the trace, which Jasper insisted was put on to you when you were in the hospital, was removed, he could take you to Voldemort himself. I believe that Delbert tipped off the Death Eaters that you were being moved on the night of the first of January last year, that he spent months trying to find out everything that you remembered, and that since you managed to escape his clutches and attend Hogwarts, he has been trying to find a way to get to you so that he can find a way to open the void and switch you and Daphne. I do not, luckily, think that he knows about your ability to use Daphne's powers."
"What? That's ridiculous! If he'd wanted to harm me, he had ample opportunity!" Bess cried.
"When?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow.
"When I was in the Leaky Cauldron! Or- or the Three Broomsticks," she reasoned.
"When you were under constant watch from Order members and, as I said, had the trace?" he asked quietly.
"Well... Well when I was at the Potter's' over Christmas! I was overage then!" she asked, waving her hands around in annoyance.
"I believe that he thought you were at Hogwarts for Christmas," Dumbledore replied quietly. "You had signed up to stay, and it was only after the Auror office had been informed that you would not be leaving the castle, that Mr. Black removed your name from the list. If you had announced that you were leaving, I believe that you would not have survived to the New Year, and neither would Mr. Black or the Potter family."
"No. No. But he told me about Bellatrix!" Bess said, jumping up to pace around the room. "He let me use his wand to cast a spell!"
"Yes. Jasper told me about that... but no other Aurors have been partial to that information. I believe that he simply did not want you to be with a Pure-Blooded wizard. The fact that he knew that piece of information aroused my suspicions even more. As for his wand, he gave you his spare, did he not?"
"No. This is utterly ridiculous! It's come out of nowhere! Why are you telling me all of this?!" she cried as she continued to pace.
"Because, Bess, I want you to know that I do, finally, believe you. And that you are not safe outside of this castle as there is someone who knows that if they can send you back to your world, Daphne will return to ours. I believe that the only people who you can trust are myself and Jasper Serpen."
"Not the other Order members?" she asked in a whisper.
"I will allow you to pass judgement on who can be trusted from the Order, as you are the only person who knows what will happen in the second wizarding war," Dumbledore replied.
"And Jasper? Is he- is he safe?"
"For now, yes. As he got to know you, Jasper began to ask more questions. When you joined Hogwarts, he joined the Order in an effort to keep you safe. We publicised a new role of Auror liaison to the school when you told him Selket wouldn't teach you. This gave Delbert a chance to remove Jasper from your case, and Jasper was able to feed me information weekly. As he stopped asking questions, I believe that Delbert no longer saw him as a threat, and assumed, as I'm sure a lot of Aurors have done, that Jasper has had a hard time keeping his personal feelings away from the job. That, and he received an orchestrated and rehearsed but strict telling off from his new partner, Kingsley Shacklebolt, who works with the Order."
"Oh thank god," Bess said, putting a hand to her heart. "Kingsley's brilliant. He'll keep him safe."
"You know him?"
"Uh- I know of him..." Bess replied quietly, and Dumbledore nodded.
"Bess, if you hadn't begun to explain to me your knowledge of Horcruxes, I would never have protected you, and I am incredibly sorry for that. But for now, I need you to promise me something," he said quietly. When Bess nodded, he continued, "I would like you to start private defence lessons with Jasper once a week, on Thursday afternoons. You have free lessons then?" Dumbledore asked. Bess nodded again. "Good. consider them filled. We are a month away from the start of the Easter break, and I would like you to remain at Hogwarts for those two weeks. You will attend your first Order meeting during that time."
Bess nodded. "You asked me to promise something?"
"No more escapades outside of this castle. Do not put yourself in any danger," he said, looking over his half-moon spectacles at her.
Bess pursed her lips, but nodded anyway, "Yes sir, I'll try my best."
Dumbledore didn't look too convinced, but he moved on anyway, saying, "Now... it's getting late. We shall meet again in one week to continue our discussion, but next time I'd like to return to the subject of Horcruxes, and begin our search for the remaining ones."
Bess nodded and stood as she sighed deeply. "Sir?" she asked quietly, "Sirius... Lily, Remus, James... they'll all be of age by the time the meeting comes around. I'd like to invite them. Would that be okay?"
"No, I'm sorry, but I do not- ah," the wizard stopped and smiled at the look on Bess' face. "When would they originally join?"
"Next year. January time I think. Sirius and James will have a fight with a Death Eater this summer. And honestly? The Order needs all the help they can get, don't they? Aren't you outnumbered twenty to one or something?" Bess asked, tilting her head.
Dumbledore grimaced and reached up to rub his forehead. "It never ceased to amaze me what you know. Yes, then. I will allow it."
"Thank you," Bess said quietly, as she walked over to the door, glancing quickly at the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black, who was, as usual, blindfolded and had ear muffs on.
"Goodnight, Miss Coulson. Please get some rest this weekend. Your lessons with Jasper will begin next week," Dumbledore called as Bess reached the door.
xXx
A/N: That took my so long to write! Hope it was okay! Send me your questions, I'm interested to know what you think! And I'll be exploring a lot more of this in the future of this story! It also took me a while because I've gone back and edited some grammar in the first few chapters (not the talking, don't worry).
Edited to make the names clearer - thank you, Ghost Claw 001!
Thank you for the reviews, HorseGirl16, themugglepadme24, CharlotteGryffindor, eccentricess, idreamtosmilealways, and Ghost Claw 001!
And thank you to everyone who's reviewing, favouriting and following!