Chapter Thirty One
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does and unfortunately I am not her. However, I do own the OCs and the Guardian Program and the other things that being a Guardian entails.
Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.
There are going to be a lot of OCs, but the focus is going to be on Freya.
Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER
A few weeks later
All the Guardians were gathered in the Chamber of Secrets and were having their usual meeting. They were all discussing the upcoming Easter Break that was happening within a few days' time as some charges were going home and others were staying at Hogwarts. James was amongst the people who were staying at Hogwarts over the Easter Break because he wanted to do some studying for his NEWTs. This was unusual for him because James always went home during any breaks, but it just showed how determined he was to study for his NEWTs. That meant that Freya would have to stay behind in the castle and watch over James and Freya was silently thankful for this. Freya hated going back to the Williams manor, especially for long periods of time. However, she still had to travel home every now and again to continue her training – there was no way that she was getting out of that even if she wanted to. Freya wasn't going to be the only Guardian staying behind as Castiel and Riley O'Keefe – Frank Longbottom's temporary Guardian while Katrina was away – was also staying behind. Dominque was staying behind for no particular reason other than she wanted space from her very large family but she would be going home on Easter Day and would then stay with her family. Frank was also staying behind as he was doing some studying for his own NEWT subjects but he too would be going home for Easter and then staying home.
The meeting was coming to a close, so Freya asked, "Has anyone got anything else to add?" She was hoping no one did so she could end this meeting. It was becoming tedious and she was finding that she didn't have the same level of patience as she usually did. However, that was due to her sister's diary entry, the one that made her so confused. Ever since she had read that last diary entry, Freya had found it difficult and had been having internal struggles as of late.
Rebecca nodded her head, "Yes I do. Roman has been quite violent since the third trial. I have seen him be volatile to other students from each school and especially to Ivan." He had begun fighting other students, from Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons – it didn't seem to matter to him who it was. Luckily, he hadn't targeted Albus again yet, but Rebecca had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before Roman would strike.
Freya pursed her lips together, she wasn't surprised by this piece of information. After the third trial, Freya had announced what happened and told everyone that Roman had been the one to kill Alicia and not Ivan. They had been expecting retaliation on Roman's end, but nothing had happened yet. However, due to Ivan not having a Guardian or anyone to protect him, they wouldn't be allowed to step in unless their charge tried to help.
"Do you think he could Voldemort's spawn?" Alexander asked in curiosity.
It took everything in Freya not to react to his words. She was one of the only people that knew that Voldemort didn't have spawn and it confused her. The lie about Voldemort having a child had been fed to them for years – that was one of their main purposes for being formed in the first place and it turned out to be all a lie. Freya believed her sister's words, it was too insane not to be true. Her whole life had been revolved around being a Guardian and now their 'purpose' for existing was a lie. Finding Voldemort's spawn had been a top priority for every Guardian and they had even interrogated innocent people who they believed to be a possible candidate – and it was all a lie. Freya felt a sense of betrayal. Even though she disliked Lance with her entire being, the thought of being lied to by him unsettled her and made her feel uncomfortable. She was also wondering what else Lance had lied about. If he could lie about something like this – and be able to do it this well – it made Freya wonder what else he was hiding from them. She didn't know if she should carry on her sister's mission of bringing down the Guardians because it was just so damn risky. She had been weighing up the pros and cons for the past few weeks and hadn't come any closer to a decision just yet.
Castiel nodded his head, "He could be." He had been thinking the exact same thing but he didn't want to voice it. Ever since he and Freya had last duelled, he had been more careful around the Ice Queen because he didn't want to be blasted onto his arse in front of everyone again. He had been careful to avoid that and had stayed out of Freya's way most of the time.
A few other Guardians nodded their heads and others turned to look at Freya, waiting for her to speak and give her verdict.
Inwardly, she sighed. "Investigate him. I want Rebecca and Castiel on the case." She looked over to the Guardians she picked and they seemed happy with the results. Castiel was looking at Freya with wide eyes as he wasn't expecting to be picked especially after what happened last time. It made Castiel nervous and he silently gulped when Freya glanced at him. Freya had picked Rebecca though because it would help her in protecting Albus – it was always better to know your enemy.
Freya then looked directly at the only Hufflepuff present. "Simon, you're welcome to join the group too."
Simon's eyes widened and his mouth dropped ajar. "W-what?"
Ryan sent her a curious look, "Why Simon? He's only a second year." He found this move unusual because Freya never gave tasks to the younger Guardians. It was one of her silent ways of looking out for the younger Guardians by keeping them away from the front line of being a Guardian.
"He's a Hufflepuff. The Durmstrangs are staying in the Hufflepuff dorm. If Simon is helping then he could watch Roman when he is in the dorm without being seen as suspicious. If Roman is Voldemort's spawn, then we need to be careful." Freya explained to them clearly, even though the last part was a complete lie. She had also seen the way Simon would act during their many meetings. It seemed as though he wanted to do more within the Guardians, she had seen his mouth moving as if he wanted to say something during the meetings but he never had the confidence to join in.
Cordelia nodded her head, agreeing with Freya. "It would be useful to have some eyes and ears in the Hufflepuff dormitory." Simon was the only Hufflepuff amongst them. Katrina wasn't with them anymore due to her being away, and Lucy and Nina were dead. Simon was on his own at the moment.
Simon gulped audibly but nodded his head, "I-I'll do it." He said, his face flushed red.
"Good. You have two weeks to test out your investigating skills before the real test begins. After the Easter Holiday, I expect results. Watch him and report to Rebecca or Castiel with your findings." Freya said, waving her hand in a dismissive motion. She wanted this meeting over because she didn't feel comfortable with it at the moment. Talking about Roman being Voldemort's potential spawn wasn't sitting right with her anymore.
Freya watched as everyone left the Chamber and Secrets with a blank expression. Only when everyone was gone could Freya relax and think in peace. Reaching for her pendant, she checked where James was and found that he was currently in the Gryffindor common room. Freya left the Chamber and Secrets and swiftly arrived at the Gryffindor common room in peace, quickly giving the Fat Lady the password and then being allowed access to the common room. Once inside, Freya found James sitting on one of the couches with his friends, just sitting around the fire and talking to one another. Fred was not amongst them and Freya noticed that she was only Guardian in the common room.
Choosing a spot nearby, Freya easily listened into the conversation. They were all talking about their plans for Easter Break – as nearly all of them were leaving later that day. Freya quickly found herself bored from listening into the conversation so she pulled out Lydia's diary from her rob. Freya had enchanted her robes years ago so that it had unlimited pockets that wouldn't get full and also had the weightless charm too. Freya carried everything in her cloak because she found a bag annoying and she didn't have to worry about it when she had to run after James because she had decided to be spontaneous at that moment. Running with a school bag wasn't fun nor practical. Freya opened Lydia's diary and began flicking through the pages. Freya had also transfigured the cover of the diary to make it look like a school book from the Library. This was to disguise the diary and it wouldn't catch people's interest. If any other Guardian saw Freya reading from a bright yellow book then they would have asked and she definitely didn't want Lance to accidentally see it. Even having this diary on her possession was dangerous and she was going to protect it no matter what. This was why Freya had also enchanted the diary so that it only opened to her magic and it would turn into a normal blank notebook if anyone else managed to find and open the diary.
Freya was going through more of the entries, she had been doing this nearly every day and it was slowly becoming an obsession. Freya wanted to see if Lydia had hidden away more secret entries but she hadn't managed to find anymore but she wasn't giving up anytime soon.
HARRY POTTER
Later that day
James didn't know where he was, but he knew it was somewhere dark. James looked around, his hazel eyes searching for something – or someone to help him get out of the dark. However, as he realised he was alone, James began to feel trapped and that's when the panic began to set it. James could feel his heart beating faster than it should be and his breathing began to get shallower as the time ticked on. The tightening of his chest was unbearable and it felt like he was going to pass out. James felt trapped and all alone and it felt too familiar for his liking. For years, he had been trapped under the shadow of his father. James loved his father dearly, but he hated his reputation and everything that came with being Harry Potter's first child. The moment his name had been called for the sorting ceremony, everyone assumed he would be a Gryffindor and for a moment, James had been tempted to ask to be in another house. His father had told him that the sorting hat did take into consideration what the person wanted. But James knew he wanted to be in Gryffindor because it was the house that suited him most.
Just as he was about to lose all hope, he noticed there was a blue glow emanating at a fair distance away from him.
His body reacted before his mind did and he immediately followed the light. He didn't know why but he felt like he needed to follow it. He ran as fast as he could after the light, his reached out his hand as if he was going to grab the blue light. However, before he could even touch the light, the scene around him changed and now he was standing in the Forbidden Forest.
James looked around, searching for the light but he couldn't see it anymore. His hazel eyes were scanning the area but found nothing. However, his eyes landed on a figure in the forest.
Up in a tree sat an Owl. It was dark blue – nearly black – in colour and was watching James with large icy blue eyes. The eyes were the main thing that scared James, they unsettled him and made him feel uneasy.
James felt like prey under its intense gaze.
The Owl let out a squawk as it jumped from the tree and swooped down at James. Its talons stretched out in a menacing way. James ducked as the Owl swooped over his head, it just barely grazing his hair. The Owl struck again, this time the squawking was louder and sounded more aggressive than a moment ago. James fell to the ground and he tried to reach for his wand. However, when he looked down, he couldn't see his wand anywhere.
"Stay back!" James shouted, holding his hand out to protect himself.
However, before the Owl could strike for the third time, a loud roar echoed in the darkness. James turned his head to the sound and saw a Lioness prowling her way onto the scene. Her stormy grey eyes locked onto the Owl with a vicious expression. Even though James knew he should have been more scared of the Lioness rather than the Owl, he didn't. James felt safe and he felt like the Lioness was familiar, like he had seen it before. He just couldn't place where.
The Owl squawked again, flapping his wings furiously. But the Lioness roared once more and pounced on the Owl, grabbing it in her mouth and shaking it vigorously. The Owl was screeching in pain but the Lioness paid it no mind as she continued her assault. Soon, the Lioness spat out the Owl and watched carefully as it hobbled away, its wings too damaged to even fly away.
James' breath hitched in his throat when the Lioness turned her head and looked at him.
"Thank you." He said lowly.
The Lioness watched him for a moment longer before slowly moving closer to the boy. James didn't move in the slightest, he was sure that if he moved then the Lioness would bolt and he would never see her again. The Lioness stopped when she right in front of him and she began sniffing him, checking to see if he was okay. James chuckled to himself at the sensation of the Lioness' nose as it was tickling him slightly. Once the Lioness was satisfied he was safe, she laid down beside him and curled around him in a protective manner. The Lioness rested her head on his lap and closed her eyes, fully content.
James watched in fascination, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Slowly, he moved his hand and placed it on top of the Lioness' head and he began stroking her head. The Lioness immediately began purring and leaned forward into James' hand, nuzzling her head in his hand.
"Just who are you?" James whispered lowly.
The Lioness stopped purring and looked at him. Her stormy grey eyes piercing his soul with how intense her stare was. James knew he had seen those eyes before – a few times actually. There was something so familiar and comfortable about those eyes but every time he tried to think, his head would hurt.
Their staring match was interrupted when the Lioness' head shot up in the direction behind James. A growl vibrated lowly in the animal's chest. She moved in front of James and crouched down low, her gaze trained intently from where the sound was coming from. When nothing showed and the noise continued, the Lioness pounced on the sound and disappeared from James' line of sight. Vicious sounds echoed from the spot where the Lioness jumped to. James couldn't understand what was making the sounds, but James knew that the Lioness was fighting whoever or whatever it was because he could hear another set of sounds that didn't belong to the Lioness. Just then, a high pitch whine sounded through the forest and it pierced straight through James' heart. It didn't sound good. It sounded as though it came from the Lioness. It sounded pained and it sent shivers down James' spine in worry.
James was about to shout out but he stopped. For a moment, he was about to call out a name and it was on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know what the name was. James tried to force himself to say something, but nothing came out. The more he tried, the worse the pain got in his head. Now his head was throbbing badly, like a bad migraine.
Suddenly, the body of the Lioness was thrown into the air and landed harshly on the ground. The Lioness let out a pained whine before laying limp on the ground. The Lioness was covered in cut marks and blood. Some marks looked deeper than others and the blood seemed to be pouring fast.
James shot up and he ran over to the Lioness. "W-what h-happened to you?" He voice wavered in shock. Seeing the Lioness so cut up and hurt shook him up deeply. He didn't even know the Lioness but seeing her hurt made him feel so many emotions: sad, angry and frightened. Seeing the Lioness in front of him so fragile only made the pain in his head increase as the pulsing pain became too much for him to bare.
Looking up, James saw a pair of icy blue eyes watching him, the Owl was back. The Owl swooped down as if to finish off the Lioness.
Something inside James snapped. "No!" He yelled as his magic pulsed strongly around him. A surge of power ran through him and it made him hunch over and hold himself. The magic became visible and began attacking the Owl before throwing it away into the darkness.
That was the last thing James saw before his vision went black.
James shot up from his bed, drenched in sweat. His hair stuck to his head and his breathing was laboured. His hazel eyes scanned the room as if trying to find the threat but he soon relaxed when he realised he was back in his room, safe and sound. Looking around, he saw he was the only person in the dorm room as everyone else had gone back home for Easter Break. However, he was thankful for this because now didn't have to worry about waking anyone up.
Just as he relaxed, the image of the injured Lioness popped into his head. It was haunting to remember and it unsettled him. Shaking his head, James got up from his bed and walked over to his trunk. He grabbed his broom and a few bits of Quidditch gear before closing it. He needed to calm down and the only thing that could help him was going to for a fly around the Quidditch pitch.
Everything in hand, James left the dorm room and began heading out of the Gryffindor Common room.
HARRY POTTER
Freya's eyes shot open and she sat up. Her hand immediately went to her pendant around her neck and she checked on James. He was no longer asleep and he was making his way over to the Quidditch Pitch. Mentally groaning, she forced herself out of her bed. She had only just managed to fall asleep so she didn't appreciate him waking her up this early. Taking down the protective charms on her bed, Freya peaked out and saw that she was the only girl in her dorm as all the others had gone home for Easter Break. Freya quickly got changed into jeans but kept her baggy t-shirt on. She put on her Dragon hid boots and made her way down to the Quidditch Pitch. The weather had been warmer due to the fact it was spring and no longer winter. However, there was still a slight chill that could easily be ignored through the warmth charm.
Freya jogged to the Quidditch Pitch after James. He had only been on his own for a few seconds and was now mounting the broom so he could begin flying. She watched him closely, finding his behaviour odd. His movements were sharp and rushed and his face was pale. James was acting restless, he seemed to have so much energy but his face looked exhausted.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched with her hand on her wand.
HARRY POTTER
James was in the air but he still felt unsettled. The wind was blowing wildly in his face as rode his broom around the pitch, trying to burn some energy. He had never felt like this before – he had never felt this on edge before. For a moment, he considered it to be the stress of his NEWTs that were coming up but it didn't feel right. Was he worried for Albus and the Triwizard Tournament? He was, he hated seeing his brother being put in a dangerous situation but that still wasn't it. No matter how much James pondered on the situation, he couldn't figure out exactly why he was feeling like this. The memory of the dream was beginning to fade and he couldn't really remember much of it, all he could remember was the stormy grey eyes and the feeling of hopelessness and darkness. He couldn't remember what happened, but James could still remember all the rush of emotions he went through and that scared him.
He had noticed that his memory was sketchy at the best of times. James was forgetting things – important things – but he didn't know what. It felt like there were holes in his memory and he hated it.
It also didn't help that he was being watched all the time.
Deciding to land, James got off his broom and began looking around the dark pitch. The light was on, but it also cast a shadow around the edges of the pitch, allowing people to hide away easily. James wouldn't have even noticed that someone was staring at him, but he felt hyper-aware of everything around him. James could hear the wind, the grass moving beneath his feet and he could hear the noise from the Owlery that was a fair distance away from him.
"Come out, now." James commended loudly, his voice booming in the pitch.
However, nothing moved.
James gritted his teeth in irritation. He had a sense of déjà vu but he didn't know where to place it. James was certain that he had been in a very similar position but every time he tried to recall the event, his head began to hurt.
"Stop hiding and come out now!" James shouted, his patience already thin to begin with. His restlessness was making him impatient and flighty and he didn't like this, he wasn't usually like this. It also didn't help that he had a slight headache.
Movement caught James' attention. His head shot up when he saw a dark figure walk towards him slowly. He immediately noticed that the figure was female and as she got closer, he noticed her eyes. They were stormy grey and were staring directly at him.
James winced in pain, the pain in his head was getting worse. However, he pushed that aside for now. "Who are you?" He demanded. James felt like he knew her, but didn't at the same time. James tried to think back of where he had seen her and he was drawing a blank and this only served to irritate him further.
Freya said nothing and stared at him blankly.
Annoyed, James walked over to the girl and only stopped when they were inches apart from one another. "I said, who are you?" James said forcefully. He was hoping that this response would force an answer out of the girl. He knew he could be intimidating when he wanted to be – apparently when James got angry he was scary. He had a temper that could easily match his mother's if he wasn't so laid back most of the time.
However, Freya didn't even flinch. She arched a brow at him and looked almost amused by his display.
James was about to open his mouth but he stopped when the pain in his head pulsed intensely. He groaned and placed his head in his hands, rubbing his head as if to sooth the pain away. But, it didn't work.
Freya frowned, concern in her eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked, her voice low and soothing.
James winced again, the sound of her voice was making the pain worse. "Get back." He grits out in pain. Everything about her was familiar – even her voice. Her hair, her eyes, her height and her damn scent were all familiar to him and he couldn't place it anywhere. He felt as though he should know this girl but he didn't and it frustrated him more than anything. But every time he tried to remember, the pain in his head only got worse.
Freya ignored him and stayed exactly where she was.
"I said, get back!" James yelled out, his magic pulsing around him in waves. However, Freya didn't flinch in the slightest. As he did this, James found that the pain in his head got worse. His head was screaming at him to stop but he couldn't. He kept trying to remember the girl in front of him and tried to recall all the times his memory went blank. The more he did so, the more he felt like his head was being pushed up against a solid wall.
Seeing the visible magic, Freya watched in fascination. She had never seen James react in such a way and it worried her. She had been slightly concerned earlier by his behaviour but he only seemed to be getting worse. She could visibly see that he was in pain with his head and it was raising alarm bells in her head.
"James, calm down," Freya said, her voice more forceful than before.
James visibly flinched at her voice as he fell to his knees from the pain. It was getting worse, the pain was radiating all over his head and now he couldn't even pinpoint where it was coming from. His vision was going hazy from the pain and the magic around him intensified.
Freya immediately kneeled down beside him. "James!" She exclaimed in concern, her eyes wide in worry. She was beginning to panic herself because this had never happened before. She couldn't understand why he was reacting in such a way. In all the years she had been watching him, James had never been in this much pain in his life.
James groaned loudly in pain, his head now resting on Freya's shoulder. He could smell her and it stuck with him. She smelt like mint, coffee and apple shampoo. This scent triggered a memory deep in his mind, during the Amortentia potion lesson, James had smelt a delicious scent but he couldn't remember where he had smelt the third scent before and it had gone from his brain what it was. But now he was up close to the source of the smell and he felt himself relax through the pain.
Freya frowned, watching James in pain unsettled her. She didn't like seeing his pain and she wanted the pain to stop. Biting her lip, Freya raised her hand and placed it over his head. She knew what she going to do was stupid and could possibly end dangerously but she needed to try something. Freya closed her eyes and focused her magic, making it visible. Slowly, she allowed her magic to be absorbed into James' head.
Using magic in its rawest form was dangerous for many reasons. It's one of the reasons why Wizards and Witches used wands due to the wood and cores acting as a medium so that magic can be used safely. Very few people could use wandless magic and it's only the most self-disciplined of people that could do it. Freya could use wandless magic, but she had to really concentrate and really focus on what she wanted to do with the magic. Freya's magic could be very volatile – her father had a scar on his arm to prove that when he pushed her too far in their training together a few years ago. Freya also knew that this could go horribly wrong if James' magic rejected her magic and it could actually put James in more pain if done incorrectly. There were so many risks to this, but Freya felt as though she had no other option.
Breathing in, Freya slowly allowed her magic to pass into James' head. She made sure to keep her breathing even as she heavily focused on the task. She needed to control her magic and she needed to make sure she didn't push too much magic into his head at once because it could overload James and the results wouldn't be kind.
James flinched when he felt unfamiliar magic press against him. It felt foreign and uncomfortable at first and he didn't know how to feel about it. This had never happened to him before. He could tell the magic wasn't malicious and it felt warm and there was a part of him that was telling him to relax and to accept the magic. If it meant that he wasn't going to be in pain then he would do anything. Slowly, James forced himself to relax through the pain and soon the warmth flooded his head and into his soul.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Freya relaxed slightly and continued to channel her magic into James. He had accepted her magic and wasn't pushing her or her magic away. With her magic, she could feel his mind and it was damaged – so heavily damaged. Freya could feel the holes in his mind and it was concerning. Instantly, Freya realised why James' mind was in such a state and it was because of the memory charm within her pendant. Freya had been watching James for years and that would mean that James has had consistent exposure to a very powerful memory charm on a regular basis. It was inevitable that some damage was going to done but Freya didn't realise until then how much damage would be done. If a memory charm is too powerful then it could cause brain damage.
Determined, Freya focused on the holes in his memory and tried healing them. Freya pulled James closer to her as she focused on the task at hand. She channelled her magic into his head and tried to fill those holes in his head, silently praying that this would work.
When their magic touched, something inside both Freya and James clicked into place. Freya gasped when her magic touched his and her eyes widened. Freya could instantly feel as though something was different inside her, she could feel it in her soul that something had happened. However, she pushed that thought aside and concentrated on what she was doing. She would revisit this thought later when she alone and could think properly.
James could feel the pain fade away slowly and it made him relax even further. His head was now rested on Freya's shoulder, his face hidden away in the crook of her neck. He kept breathing in the soothing scent and it helped him relax further. Within minutes, the excruciating pain he had been feeling was now a distant memory. James felt content, he felt happy and warm and he felt as though everything was right in that world. His mind had felt like it was splitting earlier and he had felt like he was losing his mind but now he felt whole. Something had changed because now he couldn't feel those holes in his brain or in his memory.
Raising his head, James looked directly at Freya.
Freya had stopped transferring her magic the moment James raised his head. She was about to move away from him when James' arms snaked around her waist and held her in place, not letting her move. Freya could feel herself tremble slightly, her nerves had been set alight and she couldn't fight off the fluttering feeling in her chest when she realised how close she and James were. Their faces were practically inches apart and the way James was looking at her didn't help her situation in the slightest. He was looking at her the same way he did at the Yule Ball – something she had only dreamed about seeing again.
"James?" Freya hesitantly said.
James smiled as his hazel eyes softened. "Freya. I remember you."
HARRY POTTER
I have been waiting ages to write this!
Now, James and Freya moments can happen (finally!)