The girl had been here before.

A young woman, with long red hair, rocked back and forth in a wooden chair, humming a soft song she couldn't quite make out. The woman carried a soft bundle in her arms, staring down with her bright emerald eyes. She couldn't see the rest of where they were, the chair slowly rocking inside the brightness of the room. She had been here before, she knew she had been.

"My love," A beautiful voice rang out from the woman's throat. Her eyes softened at the bundle in her arms, staring at something the girl couldn't quite see.

"May you find peace," The woman sang. A small hand with five tiny fingers reached out of the bundle of blankets. It reached towards the woman's face, who smiled softly at the tiny hand.

"My love," The voice continued. The girl took a step forward, approaching the scene.

She had been here before.

A loud scream tore throughout the room, rebounding into the girls' eardrums. The girl fell to her knees in pain, attempting to block out the sound. She covered her hands over her ears but she could still hear every part of it. She could feel something warm slide out of her ears onto her hands.

All at once, the room fell to silence.

The girl didn't remember when she had closed her eyes, too focused on the pain but when she opened them, the woman on the rocking chair was gone.

Standing back up, she took a look at her hands, covered in red liquid. Closing her hand, she clutched it to her chest, taking a look at the new surroundings.

It was dark but they were in a nursery. A small crib in the corner with toys and objects surrounding on the floor. There was nothing else.

The girl frowned, she had been here before too. She couldn't remember where though.

"You will never hurt them." A voice rebounded around the room, both angry and determined.

The girl turned behind her but could see no one other than herself.

"Then die!" A darker voice came from nowhere, tainting the room. The girl around, the voices all coming from different areas.

The girl froze as she could see a new woman. A beautiful woman lay on the ground, her eyes closed and her face peaceful. The woman was familiar but she couldn't remember how she knew her.

She had been here before, she knew it. The girl approached the woman's still form, reaching out a hand to touch her face. She knew this woman, she did, she knew her.

As her hand neared to the woman's face, something grabbed a hold of her wrist. The girl jumped, tugging back her wrist but it was caught in an ice cold grip.

The girl felt panic come to her chest. The woman's eyes flashed open. Blood red met her own.

The girl screamed.

/

Mara woke to her heart beating rapidly in her ears. She immediately sat up in bed, her wide eyes searching for the offender. Her hands clutched her chest as she surveyed her surroundings. She felt the bile rise in her throat and a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach as her breathing got harsher. Panic. Mara closed her eyes tightly, willing them away and began to count backward from 50 in her head. 50, 49, 48, 47, 46…

When she reached zero, her breathing had evened out and the tight feeling in her chest had lessened. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly like she had been taught. It was a nightmare, though she couldn't remember anything about it. All she knew was she was scared.

When she felt safe to do so, she opened her eyes and surveyed the area. She was in a small bed with white sheets and white pillows on a metal frame. Looking around, she recognized the hospital wing. She closed her eyes to try to remember what had happened. She went to look for Hermione, someone told her she had been crying. Something came into the bathroom. Mara scrunched her nose as she remembered the foul smell that filtered through the bathroom. A troll. She remembered the troll. Hermione had frozen and Mara kept trying to get her to move. The troll was going to hit them and she pushed Hermione out of the way.

Mara cringed as she remembered the sickening crack when the troll's club hit her leg. It had hurt a lot, it must have broken. Mara didn't remember anything after that, she must have passed out.

She must be in the hospital wing, she remembered as her eyes surveyed her surroundings. The white walls, the plain beds all lined up in a row on either side of the room. She could feel the scratchy feeling of the sheet over her legs and wiggled her right foot. It must have been healed because she couldn't feel any pain.

Looking around, she noticed a tray beside her bed with a plethora of candy and what looked like a bundle of parchment. Notes from Hermione, she guessed. How long was she out?

'Mara!' Mara jumped as the excited voice of Breena came into her head. Breena was strolling towards her, her tail waving upright. Mara spotted something brown and fuzzy in her mouth and blanched as she realized what it was.

'I have brought you food!' Breena jumped onto the bed and quickly dropped the mouse in Mara's lap. Mara struggled to say anything as she tried to keep her emotions in control.

Breena didn't seem to notice anything as she flickered her tail back and forth, happiness flowing from her.

"um..thank you, Breena. I-um, I'm not really hungry right now but I really appreciate it." Mara told her, struggling to keep a smile on her face. Breena flicked her tail. 'If you say so.'

Mara quickly covered the mouse with the sheets so she wouldn't have to look at it and turned to Breena with a smile. "How long was I out, Breena?"

Immediately, Breena's demeanor dropped. The snow tiger's ears fell back on her head and Mara could feel shame and anger rumbling through the bond. "Breena?" She questioned.

"I was too late to protect you. My failure caused your injury." Breena said, sadly.

"Breena, there was no way anyone could have predicted a troll could get in. There was no way you could've known! What happened after I passed out?" Mara asked, trying to soothe her familiar but looking for answers at the same time.

Breena looked up at her, her tail thrashing in agitation. "I was too late to arrive in time but your littermate did. It was he who saved you."

Mara paused in surprise. "Harry? Harry's just a first year, how could he fight off a mountain troll?" Mara asked worriedly. She looked around the room again, trying to spot her brother but upon not spotting him, she wasn't sure whether to be relieved or more worried.

"Do not fret, your littermate is not injured," Breena told her, her eyes staring into Mara's. Mara could feel pride and affection coming from the bond.

Mara frowned. "I don't understand. What exactly happened?"

"I believe I may answer that, Miss Potter."

Mara nearly jumped out of her skin as she spotted a smiling Albus Dumbledore in front of her bed. She furiously smoothed down her bangs, hiding her scar as she flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know you were there."

The headmaster chuckled. "So often do we get lost in our own thoughts that we forget to watch our surroundings."

Mara smiled. "That's true. I'll be more watchful in the future, professor." She frowned. "I'm just concerned about my brother. What happened to the troll? Where's Harry and my friends?"

The Professor frowned thoughtfully. "Perhaps, I can shed some light on the incident." He said, giving her a soft smile as he sat down in a chair across from her. "We were informed of a troll loose in the dungeons during dinner. After Professor Snape heard from two of his students that Mr. Potter, Weasley and Longbottom were seen racing off, the professors and I went after the troll, which coincidentally happened to be where we found the three missing students and two we didn't know were missing." He smiled at her knowingly.

Mara laughed nervously, picking at her nails as she shifted uncomfortably.

"We arrived on the scene soon after you lost consciousness according to Mr. Longbottom. Mr. Potter had taken it upon himself to distract the troll so as to prevent any more injury to you or Miss Granger."

Mara smiled fondly. "That sounds like him."

"Luckily, he was not injured and we managed to sedate the troll before it caused any more harm. Mr. Potter did, however, join you in unconsciousness soon after."

Mara looked at him in alarm. "You said he wasn't harmed!"

"He was not, my dear," Dumbledore smiled reassuringly. "but he did use quite a bit of his magic to keep the troll's attention. He did not require anything more than sleep to remedy this, I assure you."

Mara breathed out in relief.

Dumbledore smiled at her kindly, before looking Breena, who was still on Mara's lap, her eyes staring darkly at Dumbledore.

"Unfortunately, we did have quite a problem attempting to transfer both you and your brother to the wing," He said, giving her an amused smile. "your familiars performed their duties remarkably."

Mara looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? What did Breena do?" She asked.

Dumbledore merely chuckled. "Do not worry, she was simply trying to protect you. She is very attached to you, as all Familiars all."

Mara opened her mouth to push farther but jumped when Breena's claws tore into her pant legs, barely scratching her skin. Breena didn't look at her, but her tail was moving. Recognizing her agitation, Mara let it go.

"So everyone is okay?" Mara asked.

Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Indeed. Now I do need to inform you that your parents are here."

Mara groaned. She didn't even want to know how bad the lecture she was going to get was going to be.

"They will be here soon. They were waiting for you to wake up. But before I leave," He paused, looking her in the eyes. "Is there anything else you would like to tell me about the incident?"

Dumbledore smiled at her and she felt like she was being scrutinized but tried to shake it off. Dumbledore hadn't done anything to make her distrust him despite Breena's feelings coming in through their bond. He was just concerned about her.

She noticed Dumbledore's eyes flicker to her forehead for a fraction of a second and Mara immediately stiffened. That made more sense.

Practice took control as she smiled, placing her hands neatly in her lap. She gave him a calm glance, fixating her eyes on the space between his eyes. "No, Professor. They probably remember much more than I do. The night is still a bit fuzzy."

She saw Dumbledore survey her, his eyes narrowing a tiny fraction before he gave her a smile, nodding his head. "Very well."

She watched his back as he left the room before dropping her smile.

She couldn't help but wonder what her friends had said to the Professors.

She sighed as she rubbed her eyes clear of sleep, brushing her other hand across Breena's pelt for comfort.

Taking a calming breath, she leaned back in the bed and tried to push away her racing thoughts.

She wasn't sure why but there was a sick feeling in the bottom of the stomach. It felt nauseous and empty at the same time.

Cleaning her thoughts, she almost missed her mother's cry of "Mara!"

Her eyes widened upon seeing her distraught mother, tears in her eyes and looking more pale and tired than she had ever seen her. Her mother hurried over, grabbing Mara's head in her hands as if to reassure her she was really okay.

Her mother sighed of relief, probably not noticing any injuries and smiled at her daughter. Mara hesitantly smiled back. She thought her mother would rip her a new one for this but she didn't.

"Amaryllis Lillian Potter!"

Shocked, Mara looked over at her father, not having noticed him coming in.

His nostrils flared as he stared down at her, arms crossed over his chest. He too looked tired but he also looked very angry.

Never having seen her father like this, Mara had no clue what to do.

"What were you thinking? A mountain troll, really? You and your brother could have been killed! Is this payback? Is that was this is?" He ranted, his arms raving up and down as he began to pace.

"Is this because of the animangus? The girls' bathroom incident in the fifth year? The Halloween feast prank in the third year? Oh god, please tell me this is it. This is the only trouble you are going to get into. I swear if you are bad as I was…" he trailed off, stopping in place with a horrified look on his face.

He turned to them, his face paler than she had ever seen. "Oh, Merlin, please no. Is this because of the graduation prank?"

Her mother giggled into her hand looking at Mara. She smiled at her reassuringly before turning back to her husband. "James, calm down. They're both okay. Everyone's okay."

Her father groaned before plopping into the chair next to the hospital bed. Mara, not sure what to do, stroked Breena's fur for reassurance.

Normally it was Mom telling them off and Dad teasing them, this is new.

As her parents argued, Mara noticed no one else had come in.

"Where's Harry?" she asked.

Her parents both froze and turned to look at her. Lily looked hesitant to say anything but replied with a smile

"He's not feeling too well. He's not injured." She said quickly knowing Mara's thoughts immediately went to the worst case scenario. "He's just not feeling well. When he fought the troll after you were hurt, he.." Lily didn't seem to know how to go on.

"He used up too much of his magic. You guys are still young so using the kind of magic he did, it took a toll on him. He'll be okay, but he needs to rest a while longer."

As the two exchanged a look she couldn't quite interpret, she knew they weren't telling the entire truth.

The sickness in her stomach multiplied.

"Okay." She smiled.

Her parents stayed with her as long as they could before Madam Pomfrey came around, a stern look on her face. Of course, her father being James Potter, he tried to charm his way out. Madam Pomfrey had to drag him out by the ear before he finally began to cooperate.

Lily kissed her forehead with a smile, telling her "Don't worry, Madam Pomfrey says you'll be released tomorrow. It'll be okay."

Every time her mother had told her this as a child, she never failed to believe it but this time, Mara just couldn't.

She gave her a smile, nodding as her parents left.

Her Uncle Sirius had snuck in as Padfoot, scaring the shirt off Madam Pomfrey and Breena. He had played exploding snap with her as long as he could before he got kicked out.

Her Uncle Remus had stopped by, dropping off her favorite book, Wables Fables so she wouldn't get so bored.

Madam Pomfrey told her she had to stay in the wing at least until tomorrow to make sure her leg was completely healed.

None of her friends stopped by. Whenever she mentioned them or Harry, they would seemingly avoid the question, changing the subject or reassuring her it was fine.

She knew it wasn't.

"Nasty stuff, putting the bone back in place." Madam Pomfrey had said, handing her a dreamless sleep potion. "Here, dear, you look like you hardly had any sleep."

Mara frowned heavily at the green colored potion in her hands as Madam Pomfrey tucked her in, leaving her in the dark room alone.

Mara looked up, placing the potion back onto the stand beside her bed. She didn't want to sleep. After the nightmare this morning, she wasn't sure she ever wanted to sleep again. She couldn't remember what it was about and that scared her even more.

With a heavy sigh, she laid on her side, looking at the door. Breena had gone out to hunt, luckily she hadn't brought anymore dead mice for Mara to eat.

Closing her eyes, she laid in bed for how long before she heard the slight noise of someone's shoes on the floor. Panic rose in her chest but she refused to acknowledge the sound, in case it was a teacher or Madam Pomfrey.

Pretending to be asleep, she didn't move, trying to keep her breath even.

She waited, her eyes closed as the person moved towards her bed. Everything went quiet and she heard rustling and a small noise as something was placed onto the stand.

Mara kept very still, the person had paused for a while but she knew they were still there. Finally, the person moved away.

She kept very still, only breathing until she heard the door open and shut. She kept silent, breathing evenly for a while after, making sure the person had left before she opened her eyes.

It was still dark but she quickly sat up in bed, looking to see what the person put on her stand.

A smile quirked onto her lips. Looking back at the door, she knew exactly who had been here and how.

Grabbing a hold of the Wonka chocolate bar triple dazzle caramel, she smiled softly. With a new reassurance, she laid in bed, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Mara didn't know what everyone was keeping from her or even what had happened in the bathroom but she knew that everything would be okay.

It'll be okay.

/

Albus Dumbledore sighed heavily at all the paperwork buried on his desk. The incident with the troll had not been taken lightly. He was just lucky it hadn't been leaked to the press or Hogwarts would be under investigation.

They have a tree that causes hundreds of injuries a year which has been deemed perfectly safe, Dumbledore thought, yet a troll gets in and it's the end of the world.

Sometimes he truly forgot how contradictory the wizarding world could be.

Albus perked up as he sensed a magic signature approaching his door. It was muted but he could tell nonetheless who it was.

The door opened and Albus pretends not to notice, signing his name on more paperwork to get the ministry off his back. Silently, he could sense a second signature somewhere outside the office.

After allowing the magic around the boy to settle down, Dumbledore put down his pen, giving a grandfatherly smile to the first year.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore smiled.

Harry Potter sat across from him, perfectly still and silent, his eyes focused n the corner of the desk.

Dumbledore offered him a bowl full of lemon flavored candies. "Lemon drop?"

Harry softly shook his head no. Dumbledore nodded, putting the glass back. He gave a sigh as Harry continued to stay silent.

"I know yesterday's events were.." He paused. "unsettling but I need you to talk to me, Harry. I can't help until I find out what happened to you."

Harry didn't reply, silently stared in the same spot. His magical signature lashed out slightly in anger.

The boy was full of turmoil, that much he could guess.

Dumbledore sighed. "The magic you displayed yesterday, Harry, could be very dangerous. We just want to make sure you are not in danger."

Harry finally looked at him, his emerald eyes glaring at Dumbledore. "You did your tests, I'm fine."

Dumbledore frowned disappointedly at the boy. Despite the numerous tests put onto the boy, everything had come out normal. Without evidence besides their own memories, which are highly corruptible, he had to admit, there was nothing else that could be done.

Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "All right, Harry, please head back to your dorm,"

He kept track of Harry's magical signature as he left, sensing nothing out of the ordinary besides the boys raging emotions but even then, it was so muted it was no cause for concern. His magic was not reacting to his emotions at all.

Dumbledore sighed as the boy got out of his range. He could still sense the second presence outside the office though.

'Fawkes,' he thought. Fawkes looked up from his perch, connecting his eyes onto Dumbledore. 'Did you sense anything unusual from the boy?'

Fawkes let out a small trill and Dumbledore frowned.

"Keep an eye on him, Fawkes, and his familiar." Dumbledore frowned, remembering the white flames that had burst into the bathroom. "We mustn't let them get out of control."

Fawkes lowered it its head in acceptance, giving a small trill. It raised its wings and disappeared in a burst of flames.

The presence he had felt on the edge of his senses vanished as well.

Dumbledore frowned heavily. He wasn't sure but the powerful magic that had come from the boy was not his own. It had come from the boy, he was sure but it also was not the magic harry showed on a regular basis. And yet, the boy's familiar was able to conjure on the same magic.

Albus Dumbledore frowned. Regardless of what had happened, they would move forward with his plans. He just needed to keep a closer eye on Harry Potter.