AN: Check the first chapter for disclaimers.

Dumbledore sat in his office contemplating the events of last year.

He had known something was wrong with Quirrell the moment he had returned for his trip from Albania. Despite those suspicions, he had allowed Quirrell to teach DADA, though he had asked Severus to keep an eye on him.

There was also the issue of someone trying to steal the Philosopher's stone from the Flamels. While it wasn't anything new, ambitious wizards who didn't know better were always trying to steal the artifact, but the latest attempt had Nicolas worried as the would-be thief had nearly broken through all his defenses and the magical signature matched to that of Tom Riddle. So, Nicolas had turned to his last apprentice and Dumbledore had agreed to help protect the stone.

What he didn't tell the Flamels was how he was going to do it or the side benefits he was going to get from it. He wasn't going to make elixir of life or gold, what would he do with either? Long life was tiresome and he didn't need any material possessions. No, he wanted to lure Voldemort to Hogwarts in hopes of weakening him further and even possibly destroying him completely. It was a longshot but still worth a try. Albus had theorised that Lily's love protection upon Helen would still be with her, so she was probably still capable of reflecting any attacks Voldemort sent at her. This would also give Albus the unique opportunity to observe the girl and discern her willingness to fight for the light side, after all, Albus had always tried to hit two birds with one stone.

Helen Potter was a bit of a surprise for him when she arrived at Hogwarts. When he had left her at the Dursleys, he had thought he was putting her up for a fate similar to Azkaban. Vernon and Petunia were bigoted, self-centered, egoistic and cruel. But Petunia was her only blood relative and for the girl's safety, he was willing to let her live miserably for ten years. However, he was not completely irresponsible, and had woven in a monitoring charm into the blood wards to constantly notify him of the girl's health. There was only one time when the wards had alerted him about Helen being in danger, but that had been short lived and the girl was healthier than the average for her age. Mrs Figg had also told him how the girl used to go for a swim daily and was quite energetic.

He was pleasantly surprised when Helen's reply of the Hogwarts letter came. It indicated that she already knew of the wizarding world, this meant that Petunia had told her about it. Maybe the woman had gotten over her jealousy or maybe she wanted a girl child? Whatever the reason, the result was far better than what he expected. So he changed his plans accordingly, after getting a detailed rundown about the girl from Mrs Figg.

According to her, the girl was gregarious, kind, hard-working and friendly, but her two most prominent traits were her beauty and her intelligence. She told him that he would have to protect the girl from suitors in future, as her looks and her social status was going to make her one of the most desirable brides in their world. He wasn't much worried about that for now, as it was a problem for the future and the wards at her home and at Hogwarts would take care of most of the issues.

He was slightly concerned when he had learned about her intelligence though, that as well as her academic acumen. She was already in advanced level in her muggle academics, which meant a thirst for knowledge, that and her apparent intelligence, meant Ravenclaw. Unfortunately, he had planned for her being a Gryffindor.

Despite this setback, things had still gone very well for Dumbledore, far better than he could have ever hoped in all honesty. Unlike most Ravenclaws, Helen was very social and had made friends in all the houses, with no prejudice against anyone. He supposed that was an advantage of her not being a Gryffindor. She had also been helpful to her fellow year-mates in their academic pursuits, which was good because it showed her kind and helpful nature. Her reflection in the mirror of Erised had further increased his view of her, and he felt confident in saying that she would fight for the light side when the time came.

That night next to the mirror had also clarified something to him. He had wondered why she didn't have the scar from Voldemort's attack, where he suspected a fragment of his soul had latched onto her. But that night, after being close enough to her for the first time, he had not detected any sort of darkness or a separate presence from her forehead, or from the rest of her for that matter. It seemed that the darkness he had felt that fateful Halloween night was either the last lingering presence of Voldemort or more likely just the aftereffect of the reflected killing curse. It was, after all, an abstract conclusion on his part that she might be carrying a part of Tom Riddle's soul, as no one had survived the killing curse before. He would have to make sure, but it lightened his heart to know that she might not have to be sacrificed to defeat Voldemort.

After Quirrell's unfortunate demise, she had quickly grasped the situation about the Riddle issue and the questions she had asked him indicated that she had perceived far more than he had planned. She had inferred from one random statement from Quirrell that Voldemort had come for her specifically. She understood that he would come for her again and again and from that he presumed she was going to do what any Ravenclaw would do, prepare. He expected her to be much more focused this coming year and wouldn't be surprised if she advanced past her year-mates by the end of the year.

Perhaps he could aid her without direct input, there was a fascinating applicant for the defense position after all.

XXXXX

Severus sat brooding in his home in Spinnet's End, Cokeworth. It was a small town near Stoke-on-Trent in the midlands and there was nothing significant about it, just the way he liked it. He was nursing an american whiskey, Jack Daniel's, for over an hour now. Snape liked to drink very slowly and only one measure at a time, savoring the taste and flavor, not wanting to get drunk. That wasn't his reason for drinking, rather, he drank for peace of mind and to reminisce about the past, both old and new.

As usual, his mind had been on his long lost love, Lily Evans. He had switched sides during the war after learning that she was being targeted by the dark lord himself. He had realized that it was because of him delivering the details of prophecy he had overheard in Hog's Head that the dark lord had started targeting her. He had long wished that he hadn't heard that cursed prophecy because it was for that reason his love had died.

He had begged the dark lord to spare her and the dark lord pacified him with false promises, but he had realized the falsity. So, he had gone to Dumbledore on his knees and begged the man to save Lily. The headmaster had asked him to switch sides and become his spy, before accepting his request. Snape had gladly done so, hoping that she might be saved.

However, it was all for naught, as the dark lord had still killed her. All that was left of her was her child, her child with James Potter, the child who had somehow destroyed the dark lord, the child he had hated since the day she was born.

Last September, when he had first laid his eyes on her, he had wondered whether fate was mocking him. Helen Potter was a near copy of Lily Potter, but somehow even more beautiful than her mother. Her hair was darker, there was a Potter influence in her high cheekbones and jaw, but the rest was all Lily, including the eyes, especially the eyes. When those eyes had looked at him in the first potions class, he had been reminded of the way Lily would look at him whenever she found something interesting or challenging.

Over the course the year, the girl had managed to thaw his cold exterior and dissolve his hatred. She was so similar to Lily that sometimes he forgot where or when he was. She had the same drive, the same genius level intelligence and that mischievous look in her eyes spoke a million words. She was also quite similar in nature, being kind and helpful to all.

But she was different too, enough so that he could distinguish the differences between them. Lily was a bit of an introvert, while Helen was at home among a lot of friends. Lily was a bit brash and quick to anger, while her daughter was calculating and calm. Still, even with all the differences, he had started to like her and even care about her. Something which was an alien idea for him, as he didn't care about anything apart from his revenge for Lily. Unnervingly, he also had had some inappropriate thoughts about the girl too, especially when she would bite her lip while concentrating on something.

Shaking his head, he gulped down his drink and refilled his glass, thinking maybe he should try getting drunk for a change.

XXXXX

This year she would not be as passive as she was the last, Helen thought to herself.

Her reasoning for the passiveness last year was that she had just supposedly come to the wizarding world as a muggle-raised girl. She wasn't expected to know much, if anything, about the world and its intricacies. However, for about nine months, she was an inquisitive Ravenclaw, surrounded by half-blood and pureblood children, with a lot of them from noble houses. She was bound to learn a bit about the workings of governing bodies like the Ministry and the Wizengamot, as well as her status in the wizarding world. For example, her importance as heiress of the noble and ancient house of Potter, her future role in the Wizengamot, etc. She would also learn about political factions, important figures in their society as well as etiquette to be followed by the members of noble houses. Of course, she already knew all these things but now she had a reason to know.

For the same reasons, she couldn't have known much about magic last year but now it was justifiable for her to know things. In addition to that, she now 'officially' knew of Voldemort's continued existence and that he was targeting her. So, if she knew something above her level it could be explained off as her being prepared for the future. She also planned to press Snape to aid the daughter of his long lost love to become a better fighter, as he was a competent duelist and was an expert in dark arts. From that, she could justify knowing dark magic after Snape had introduced her to it.

Right now, she was packing her stuff as she was going to stay at Bones Manor for the last week and a half of the holidays. Susan had invited her and Hannah to stay for ten whole days. Other girls would be joining them as well from time to time. Petunia was going to drop Helen at the Leaky Cauldron, from where she would floo to the manor. Helen had opted for this method of travel because she didn't want Madam Bones to come pick her up and find out about the new residence, she didn't want anyone to know about her change in address. Her Hogwarts letter had arrived earlier at the Surrey address, though Dobby had blocked it at that time.

They got to the pub without a hitch and Helen used the public floo, with the password that Susan had provided in her letter to appear at the Bones' Manor. She dropped into what appeared to be the foyer of the manor and was immediately greeted by Susan formally "Welcome to our home, Heiress Potter,'' followed by an excited squeal and a hug, "Oh! we are going to have so much fun together."

She proceeded to give Helen a home tour and showed her to the room she would be staying for the next ten days, which was right next to Susan's own room. Madam Bones wasn't present yet and would arrive in the evening. Hannah was also going to arrive today and would stay for the better part of the week. After putting her trunk in the room, Helen and Susan went to the living room to catch up and wait for their friend to arrive. Hannah arrived ten minutes later and they enjoyed their time together, gossiping until lunch. After lunch Hannah wanted to rest for a while so she went for a nap and Susan decided to join her, which left Helen time to kill so she decided to read one of the Parselmagic tomes Padma sent to her.

Before the end of the term, Helen had revealed to Padma her Parseltongue ability. Padma was surprised and a bit awed as the ability was extremely rare and unlike the western world, it was also downright revered in India. Helen had then asked Padma to check if her family had any books on the serpent's tongue and the magic associated with it. Padma had come through and had sent her a few tomes on the subject, which she found in their family library.

There wasn't much 'wand-waving' in parselmagic, unless one counted articulating the normal spells in parseltongue, which while made them harder to counter, also made them lose some of their potency. No, the real parselmagic was more in the ways of potions, runes, rituals and alchemy. Parsel potions were mostly, as one would have guessed, poisons and their cures. The rituals weren't as useful for Helen, as she had done the equivalent of most of them from various other cultures. However, there was one she found that interested her and she planned on doing it as soon as she went back to Hogwarts.

Helen read for a couple of hours and then went to wake up her friends. When she reached their rooms, they were already waking up, refreshed from the nap and the group decided to have some sun and fun by the pool. Helen went back to her room and donned a bright yellow bowknot bandeau thong bikini. She put a bathrobe over it and went outside to the pool. The girls were already there wearing very modest one piece swimsuits. As soon as she took off her robe, their attention was on her, or rather her risque bikini. Smirking at their nonplussed reaction she started spreading a towel on a deckchair.

They recovered from their shock and asked together, "What is that?", "Where can I get one?"

She answered Susan first, "This is a bikini, a very fashionable one at that. Bikinis are the modern swimwear of muggle girls and women. This one is a variation of the bandeau type of bikinis which doesn't have straps to support the top but rely on the tightness to stay in place. These look very nice but are not recommended to swim in as the top tends to come off due to excessive movements. Since I was only planning to get some sun, I decided to wear this one."

She started applying some sunblock and answered Hannah's question, "You can find them at any muggle store that sells bikinis. These are not uncommon, I'll take you there when we go shopping in the muggle world."

"But they cover less than underwear! Is that what muggle women really wear in public?" Susan asked, astounded.

"Not everywhere, just on beaches or by pools. There are some beaches around the world where clothing is completely optional and, in fact, frowned upon. By the way, we are also going to do some underwear shopping if you think this covers less than underwear. You should see mine," after dropping that bombshell, Helen laid down to get some Vitamin-D.

The girls eventually recovered and decided to have some fun, but were still curious about bikinis, based on the occasional glances being thrown at her. Helen was lying on her front when Madam Bones arrived from work. She had guessed their location correctly, and had arrived to greet her guests directly. The girls got out of the pool to greet her and Helen also got up from her deck chair.

"Welcome to our home, Heiress Potter," Amelia only raised a single eyebrow at her attire and continued, "and welcome back, Hannah," she barely glanced towards her niece, making Helen wonder if something was wrong in that relationship.

Helen gave her a curtsy and replied, "Thank you Madam Bones for letting me stay at your lovely home. I'm sure I'll enjoy my stay here, please call me Helen."

Amelia smiled and replied, "You may call me Amelia, then."

After chatting for a few minutes Amelia left to change out of her office clothes and returned wearing a robe. After spreading a towel on a deckchair next to Helen's, she took off her robe, causing Susan and Hannah to drop their jaws. Amelia was wearing a cutout black monokini that looked as modern as they come. Ignoring the girls, she started chatting with Helen, inquiring about her past years, who was she living with, her safety and other general matters.

Soon, it was dinner time and they all went inside after a house-elf announced that dinner was ready. They enjoyed a healthy dinner, during which the girls probed Amelia about her outfit, to which she replied that she always had modern clothes but rarely wore them due to her job of responsibility and a public figure. She told them that she did wear bikinis and such whenever Susan was out. The said girl huffed, determined to get some of her own now. Amelia left the girls alone after that and they decided to plan out the muggle outing for the rest of the evening.

XXXXX

The said outing was two days later. Amelia had arranged a car with expanded insides and an auror trainee as chaperone and driver. Hermione was coming with her mom, who drove her own Range Rover and would act as a guide for the all girl group. The boys had all bailed out after hearing the word 'shopping' and had replied to meet them in Diagon Alley a few days later for unavoidable Hogwarts shopping.

They would all meet outside Leaky Cauldron and then would drive around from there. Their Auror chaperone was also a young girl named 'Tonks, just Tonks' and was dressed muggle, in high waist black jeans and a black cropped tank top with laced black boots. She was also a metamorphmagus and currently had short spiked black hair and purple eyes. The girl group consisted of Susan, Hannah, Daphne, Tracey, Padma, Mandy, Lisa, Su, Hermione and Helen.

Helen had asked and helped all girls to pick up outfits to not stand out in the muggle world. Most were in the dresses that Helen had gifted them because they didn't have many options, however, Susan, Hannah, Hermione and Helen were dressed differently to add some variation. Susan was wearing borrowed dark blue skinny jeans and a cream beige wrap jacket with a white top, both belonging to Helen. Hannah was in a collared shirt which was tucked inside a knee length navy blue pleated skirt and black heels, all borrowed from Helen. Helen wore black denim cut off shorts and a white singlet, with blue sneakers. Hermione wore a stylish light blue denim shirt dress, with a brown belt and soft blue slip-on shoes.

The girls had converted their galleons into pounds and were piling up into the two cars while Emma, Tonks, Helen and Hermione planned their day out. They decided to leave Harrods for the end because once they got there, they wouldn't be going anywhere else.

First, they took the girls for some jeans shopping as in Helen's opinion, every girl should have multiple options in jeans to wear. They went to a Levi's outlet and everyone got a few pairs of jeans and denim shorts in various colors. Next, Helen took them to a boutique which catered dresses of all kinds for all occasions. They spent about an hour and half there, as the collection was wonderful and even Emma bought a couple of dresses. After that, they proceeded to Harrods.

Before taking the group to shops though, Emma guided them over to the food court. Here they treated the pureblood and magical raised girls to the delicious fast food, though they did warn them to not eat too much of it because it wasn't very healthy. After they had munched on fatty food including Hamburgers, Tacos and Pizza, they finally entered the clothing section.

They emerged out of it four hours later, with all the girls loaded with multiple packages in their hands and their purses empty. They were all a bit tired but satisfied with their haul. Helen, Hermione and Emma had guided them through the broad spectrum of varieties in every article of clothing, which otherwise would have left the girls mind-boggled and unable to select anything. They had gone through tops of all kinds, skirts ranging from micro-minis to full lengths, hundreds of types of dresses, nightwear, various accessories, make-up and footwear. As promised, Helen had taken them to select swimwear and all had chosen a few. Padma and Daphne were most shy about it but had still picked up a couple of bikinis. The lingerie section had most of them blush, causing Helen, Emma and Tonks to laugh at their expressions. Still, after overcoming their embarrassment, they all had selected something which was a bit more revealing than what they normally had. In the end, Tracey and Hannah actually had to borrow a bit from the others to buy all that they had selected and promised to return the money on the train.

Afterwards, they all relaxed over coffee in a popular coffee shop nearby, excitedly discussing and gushing over varieties and options in muggle fashion. Once done, they all loaded back in the cars and went to the Leaky Cauldron. Daphne and Tracey were going to join them at Bones manor for a couple of days so they joined in the internally expanded car after the rest had flooed to their home and Hermione and Emma had driven back to their home.

XXXXX

Helen had asked for permission to access the Bones' library and Amelia had accepted. Helen had free access across the entire library, except for one section at the back of the library, which she wouldn't be able to touch anyways. That section contained dark arts books, which Amelia didn't want the girls to even touch, let alone read.

Currently, Helen was reading a mind arts book, specifically a book on Occlumency. While she already knew the art, it never hurt to read more about it. Books on mind arts were very rare, and she wanted to see if there was something she could find to improve her understanding of the art.

Her main reason for reading this book, however, was subterfuge. She wanted an attestation for her knowledge of Occlumency. Up until now, she had been very careful of projecting false thoughts over the surface of her mind shields, in case one of the many legilimens in Hogwarts ever gave her mind a glance. Quirrell, Snape and Dumbledore, had all sent a light probe towards her during the previous year at least once. Thought to be fair, Snape had stopped doing so after Halloween.

Presently, she was waiting for Amelia to come from work and find her reading this specific book. That was why she was reading in the living room instead of the library itself. The said woman arrived ten minutes later and greeted Helen as she sat in an armchair in front of her. Helen had greeted her back distractedly and returned to the book, while a house-elf provided refreshments.

Amelia then noticed the text she was reading and commented on it, "That is an interesting book for a young lady to read."

Helen looked up from the book and delivered her planned response, "It is a very interesting topic. I have never heard there was such a thing like mind magic."

Amelia replied, "It is an obscure branch of magic. That book in your hands is one of the very few books available on the subject. Mind magic is generally taught directly, from person to person and not too openly, as the subject matter, while not completely forbidden, is not exactly advertised."

"Oh," Helen replied not knowing what else to say.

"Tell me, how far have you gotten into that book?" Amelia asked, with a calculating expression.

"I've gone through the complete introduction part which briefly explained the different aspects of mind magic. I now know what Occlumency, Legilimency and Obliviation are. I'm currently reading the steps to form mental shields to protect the mind from a Legilimens entering into it. I have to admit, I was a bit scared to know that anyone could read my mind at any time," Helen said, faking a slight hint of fear in her voice.

Amelia replied assuredly, "That is very unlikely to happen," Helen suppressed a scoff in return.

Amelia continued without noticing Helen's expression, "There are very few Legilimens in the world, as it is an even more difficult subject than Occlumency. Additionally, unlike Occlumency, Legilimency and Obliviation are illegal to be taught without prior approval from the ministry."

After pausing for a thought, she continued "Tell you what, I'll let you read the Occlumency part of that book as it is something I feel you should learn, being the 'girl-who-lived' and the only Heiress of an Ancient and Noble house."

Taking the book she waved her wand over it and handed it back, "Now you can safely read the text without venturing into restricted territories. Try to memorize it over the next week because while I'm allowing you access to that book, I will not let that book out of this house or let you copy it or make notes from it."

"Seems reasonable, given the contents of this book." Helen replied, agreeing with her.

Amelia gave her a small smile and said, "Good that you understand. Now, if you have any difficulties, you can ask me about them."

"Alright."

"It usually takes anywhere from 6 months to 2 years to get decent shields up, depending on one's aptitude for this magic and their mental discipline. So, on a later date, if you want me to check upon your progress, I'll be happy to do so."

"Thank you," Helen gratefully replied, thinking to herself that it certainly wouldn't be needed.

XXXXX

Helen stepped out of the floo in Leaky Cauldron and waited with Susan for the rest of their party to arrive, which was Daphne, Tracey, Hannah and Amelia. It was obvious to Helen that Amelia wanted to be anywhere but here, however she had still come to keep up appearances in front of other parents. Susan was visibly delighted to have her aunt with her, unaware of Amelia's real intent. Helen saw that the rest of her friends who were coming today were already here. As Amelia stepped through they went to greet the rest of the group. There was Micheal, Terry, Blaise and Anthony, with Anthony's mother as well as Daphne's and Tracey's mothers, who would be taking their daughters with them after the shopping.

They decided to break into 2 groups, with Mrs Goldstein taking the boys to Apothecary, Eeylops Owl Emporium and Quality Quidditch Supplies, while the girls got their uniforms. Afterwards, they would exchange positions and later all meet at Flourish and Blotts to buy the books. There was also a book signing by a famous celebrity, Gilderoy Lockhart, who incidentally was also the author of all of their DADA books. It was also the reason all the ladies had come to shop with their children, as apparently Lockhart was also a heartthrob. Helen was also interested to meet the man, as according to Hannah and Susan, he had been all over the world fighting various dark creatures and wizards.

The group parted and the girls, with Amelia, Mrs Greengrass and Mrs Davis went to Madam Malkin's. The rest of the girls were very eager to shop here this time, as they planned to follow Helen's example and get some modified and prettier uniforms. They were finished an hour later and started to exit the shop. The boys had already completed the rest of their shopping and had been waiting outside the shop for the last ten minutes.

Knowing the boys wouldn't take as long to get their uniforms, they went through the rest of their shopping hurriedly and finally gathered together outside the bookstore. There was already a crowd forming inside so they pushed through to start the last of their shopping, and to get a glimpse of the famous personality present inside.

They bought all the required books and then Susan dragged Helen into the line for Lockhart's book signing. He slowly came into view and Helen immediately understood why everyone swooned about him. He was a very handsome man, with golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes on a beautiful chiseled face with a tall and attractive body. He certainly looked strong, with his arms and chest trying to tear open his modern looking clothes. He was dressed in a navy blue robe, designed like a long coat and wore a white buttoned shirt under it. His clothes perfectly accentuated the color of his eyes.

Helen finally reached him and presented one of his books 'Year with the Yeti'. He looked at her with bright eyes and asked with a charming smile, "To whom may I address it?"

Helen replied with her own cute smile, "Helen Potter."

He started writing but then did a double take and stared at her. Suddenly, he leapt out of his chair, grabbed her around her waist and pulled her towards the front. The crowd burst into applause and the photographer started taking pictures. Helen pasted a gentle smile on her face as she looked into the camera, while her friends clapped and cheered along the crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said loudly, as his hand remained low on her waist "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!"

"When young and fair Helen stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, she only wanted to buy my autobiography -which I shall be happy to present to her now, free of charge-" The crowd applauded again. "She had no idea," Lockhart continued, as his hand thankfully moved to the middle of her back, "that she would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. She and her schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

Lockhart then took her hand and kissed her knuckles, and after giving her another brilliant smile left her to shake hands with the crowd. Helen went back to her group to find the girls looking very excited about having a real dark wizard hunter teaching them DADA this year. The boys remained composed, though their eyes gave away their excitement.

After collecting the free autobiography, Helen and the rest started moving towards the exit. There was a ruckus near the doors though as two men were separated from each other after trading blows. Helen was still quite far from them, but even at this distance their hair gave them away, Malfoy and Weasley. They threw a final few remarks and Malfoy then left the shop with his son in tow.

Amelia reached the doors then and sternly addressed Weasley, "Seriously Arthur? Muggle fighting? At a public place? In front of your children? Do you want me to arrest you?"

Weasley looked sheepish and responded "Sorry, Amelia. It's just Malfoy rubs me wrong and I lost my temper. It won't happen again."

"See to it that it won't," Amelia responded sterny, before directing her group out.

During that short conversation, Helen tried to figure out how and to which of the Weasley children had Malfoy slipped the diary, because of course that was what the fight was all about. He wanted a distraction to plant the goods. She guessed that it could be any of the four youngest, as they were standing closest to the scuffle. Unfortunately, she would have to find out in Hogwarts.

XXXXX

Over the last week and a half of summer, Helen had made good relations with Amelia. They would have discussions in the evening after Amelia returned from work over many issues and topics. While sitting by the pool, they would discuss the current debates in Wizengamot (currently duties on imported potions and tax on exported ingredients). Amelia would tell her about house Potter and their businesses.

Amelia told her that the Potter family had held patents for Skele-Gro and Pepperup potion for several centuries before releasing them. Her great-grandfather, Fleamont Potter, had created the company which made Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, a very popular beauty product which was a favorite of witches, even Helen had used it on occasion, and had sold it at vast profit. She also spoke about the manor, which she knew was somewhere in the western parts of the country, close to Bristol, but didn't know where exactly. She did describe how it looked, having visited the place in her youth.

Another thing Helen managed to discern was that the relation between Amelia and Susan was one-sided at best and non-existent at worst. Amelia had no interest in raising Susan and thus it was mostly the house-elves who had raised the redhead. Amelia was cold to her niece, barely being cordial with her, while she had shown more warmth to Helen and all the other girls who had stayed over. Helen had guessed that it was due to bitterness over the fact that Susan had been saddled with Amelia during her younger years and that she had lost a lot of her independence because of the added responsibility. On the other hand, Susan still looked up to her aunt, but even her hopes of having a relationship with her aunt were slowly eroding away. Helen planned to take full advantage of that by providing support to the fellow redhead whenever that relationship finally broke. Having another heiress of a noble and ancient house under her thumb would always come in handy.

Despite all that, Helen thought she might have made her first truly powerful ally with Amelia, and was happy that the said ally was already of good repute and influence. That would make it much easier to get access to the prophecy later.

So, I wanted to make a statement here concerning a few characters, but have decided to not do so. All I'll say is that this story isonly somewhatcanon compliant.

All Hail 1saaa for his wonderful work.

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