The Astronomy Tower
Apple blossoms and leaves blocked out a view of the garden of Lestrange Manor House. Her thick black hair shone in the pale moonlight from the window. She opened a small Muggle notebook and began writing her journal. The timeline was not in order. She wrote her memories at random.
I knocked on the door to see him again. I longed for seeing him since I had met him in a small Muggle village surrounded by beautiful snow-capped mountains. As he was popular among local maidens with snow white skin which I didn't have, I brewed a potion to seduce him. I cursed my biological parents who didn't have milky skin. My foster parents used to have, but their long spending in a dark dungeon room made their skin pale in an unhealthy way. Mine was not even pale, but reddish-brownish like an ancient English man. I wondered if my biological mother's skin was same as mine.
I fell in love with the Muggle doctor. Actually, it was one-way love. He had already got engaged to a bakery's daughter. The odds were against me. I made a potion to seduce him.
The blond haired man opened the door and the area above his eyes was pushed together to see me. "Guten Morgen, Fräulein Verina." After I told him my condition, he hesitantly let me in.
I followed him and sat on a stool in front of him. Standing, he put a stethoscope around his neck and tried smiling at me. "Merlin, he is so cute." I muttered in my mind. While he was searching my file for diagnosing me, I pulled a vial from my sleeve and hastily poured liquid into his mug on a walnut desk.
He turned his body to me and made a feigned smile. Flipping pages, he took the mug and drank it. I opened my front and waited for the moment. My plot worked as I planned. His blue eyes were glued to mine.
I was going to tell him we would have a child. I could have enchanted him to be my husband. But I didn't do that. Since I had a baby in my belly, the desire that her father should be a powerful wizard, started burning inside my heart. I wondered if blood would tell, my biological mother's temperament, the strong desire to devote herself to someone, ran in my blood. As Morgana suggested me, I was thrilled at the plot that I could lure the Savior of the Wizarding World. He looked so handsome on the magical photo of the Daily Prophet and he must be a powerful, promising wizard. The most unforgettable things were his eyes, the intense green eyes.
I stared at the back of my biological father who was being sent to Azakaban. I couldn't fathom what he was thinking right now after being given life sentence. Morgana took care of all inheritance procedures. A position as an heir of Lestrange was bigger than my imperceptible pity mercy for him. My uncle, Rabastan, who was hiding somewhere, was the only threat for Morgana. I didn't know why my mentor was afraid of him. Suddenly, he glanced back and as soon as his glaring eyes met mine, they got wide in astonishment. I saw the same reddish-brownish color on his face. He muttered,
"Bella?" He might see my mother in my face.
I didn't respond and kept staring at his eyes. Then he was pulled into the prison by Hit Wizards in black robes.
What Morgana taught me first was how to do animagi. It was hard for me with my baby in my belly. Without the old bartender, we couldn't survive.
Aurora Sinistra was staring at the photo on which Alastar Moody was nervously dancing with her at the Yule Ball. She knew he was a false Auror. Actually, he was Crouch under disguise. In spite of the deception, elated feeling was true at that time. So it was her favorite photo. She sighed for the moment lost and stood by the window, from which she could see twinkling stars sending a signal that peace finally visited the castle. Then she found an ominous sign among them in the dark sky. The new star which had just been born, blinked irregularly. She couldn't fathom the true meaning of it. She needed to consult with the centaur, Firenze. Sybill was a trusted diviner only when she was in her particular trance state. Sinistra knew what she should do first. The school owl could deliver her message to the spot where he spent time in his colony with the other centaurs.
She hurried to the owlery. When she reached West Tower after repeating up and down the stairs, she was surprised by a stranger. The woman gave Sinistra mysterious smile which made her shiver.
"Who are you? How did you enter the castle?"
"I can do transforming, obviously." She smirked. "Flight as an owl is fun. The security of this castle is left open to attack. Alas, you cannot go to the headmistress after you know me." Morgana held her left hand in the air high and cast wandless magic upon the poor star gazer.
Hit by ancient powerful magic, Sinistra was stunned and fell down on the cold stone floor. Looking down the victim, Morgana crouched down and pulled the string of Sinistra's dark brown hair. "I'll try polyjuice trick. In my old time, the invention wasn't produced yet. It'll be much fun." She thanked Lestrange's library where she got modern magical information. Once again, she put her left hand over Sinistra's face and whispered, "Wake up, beautiful. I'll alter your memory. You put me up for a teacher here. My Verina will be you later."
Hermione was considering of the meaning of the song the Sorting Hat performed before sorting the students. The lyrics sung by the Sorting Hat was impressive. It sang about the House Unity. It was a plausible explanation after so many precious lives were lost. The importance of the House Unity was proven through rebuilding the castle during summer. She smiled at Gryffindor newbies on the long table. The nearest boys were chatting about 'the boy who defeated the Dark Lord'. She missed her best friend. Her gaze shifted to the wall decorated with silver and green. There were few in number compared with the table with yellow and black clothes. At the Ravenclaw table, Luna wearing a Lion Hat stood out among the students. She must have been telling her housemates how Neville and Harry beat Voldemort. Perhaps, her name and Ron's might be heard in the heroic saga.
On the platform, McGonagall was talking with Professor Sprout. She missed Dumbledore who had been dead for over one year since she saw him last on the funeral. Then she noticed a new teacher and whispered to Ginny at the Gryffindor long table. "Who is sitting next to Professor Sprout?"
Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. She looks like a sort of ice doll to me. It will be interesting if she is a new DADA teacher."
Astonished, she stared at Ginny's face. "You may be right…" She glanced back at the beautiful witch on the platform. Her hair was strawberry blonde. Her eyes were twinkling with mischievous glint. "It will be exciting if we have a female professor for Defence against Dark Arts class."
"It will be. But I don't like her." Ginny took a green apple and bit it. "I wish she will be better than Umbridge at least."
Hermione tried to say more. Then she stopped to listen to the words spoken from the platform.
"Attention!" McGonagall stood up from her chair. Growing old though, there surly rested true intelligence in her eyes. With her affectionate smile, she gazed around the students in the Great Hall. "I'm really glad to see seniors and juniors get together here. Study hard and get good results required for your future career. I'd like to introduce a new DADA teacher. Professor Morgana Evans."
Ginny and Hermione responded together, "What?" They were astonished to hear the last name. Harry's mother's maiden name.
Summer was ending and fall was hastily approaching. Harry shoved open the red telephone box. The reason why he didn't use the underground public toilet to the Ministry entryway was that he hated using it. It reminded him of hardship during hunting for Horcruxes. Thanks to his trainee Auror's identity card, he could pass the reception counter faster than the other people in a queue. He found if he left Grimmauld Place earlier, it wouldn't take much time to pass the counter as using the toilet, where Ministry officers stood in a line. He arrived at his cubicle well ahead of time and picked up the document on the top of the files given by the boss, Robards. His task was gathering information about the key word, "the unidentified hooded wizard spotted" mostly in a deserted manor house or in an inn on the bleak roadside. Some witnesses had been reported on the record about unregistered animagi. His face was contorted with pain remembering Sirius. Shaking off his thought, he continued reading the unrolled parchment. There were three animagi : A coyote, a raven and an owl. The site where they were spotted made him feel uneasy. Highland near Hogwarts. Abruptly, he stood up. He walked to the cubicle where his boss was talking with Williamson and Savage.
Wearing a pair of Muggle sunglasses, Robards ordered Williamson, "Station more Aurors in Muggle main cities. They robbed their properties under the terrorists in disguise." His knowledge about Muggle cases was profound. That's why Kingsley summoned him for building a new scheme of the Ministry.
Williamson retorted, "But sir, we can't send any more of us. We need to train the lads." His ginger red hair was tied low in a ponytail.
"Then send them to the spot as well. They will be more useful than …" Robards noticed Harry behind the senior Aurors. "What, Potter?"
"Excuse me, sir. We need to send a few to Hogwarts and Hogsmeade." Harry passed the parchment.
"What did you find?" Unrolling it, Robards asked.
"Three animagi were witnessed .What annoys me the most is that two of them are birds."
"The owlery of Hogwarts is not immune to attack, do you mean?"
"Yes, that's the thing the curse breaker, William Weasley pointed out."
"Let me see it," Williamson took the record and read it aloud, "The barman's witness. A blonde witch transformed into a barn owl and flew away to Forbidden Forest. The same person saw a fat raven transform back to a human form. She was pregnant."
"John Dawlish reported about her. I remembered it." Having a look at the report from behind, Savage spoke. He stroked his shaved head.
"We need to know about it in detail. I'd like to speak with Mr. Dawlish," Harry asked his boss.
Robards coughed and spoke, "He's been confounded again. His memory is not reliable source. Dedalus has been investigating the case in Hogsmeade."
"Can I join him, sir?" Harry asked.
Robards nodded adding, "Go with your partner, Weasley."
Being called his name, Ron snapped at the command, "Yes, sir." He stood up from a swivel chair in his cubicle and stood beside Harry. He was very thankful his mate became his partner since the Auror training session had begun. Ron could read their body language and follow him anytime he needed.
Robards continued, "Make contact with Dedalus at the Hogsmeade station. If you need to investigate the other places, keep in touch with me. Send your Patronus message. "