"This is kidnapping!" Lucy yelled.
"Now, enough of that. It's not everyday that a unicorn allows a student to ride them. In fact, I can't ever remember such a time," Professor Kettleburn scolded Lucy.
She glared up at him as he lifted the small first year onto the kneeling unicorn, "Yes, because they have bad plans for me. They are lowering your defenses."
"Have ah good time, Lucy. Always wanted tah ride a unicorn myself," Hagrid called from where he was waiting with Blaise and Hermione. At least those two looked nervous while everyone else just looked awed.
Lucy sighed.
She was just trying to enjoy having tea with Hagrid and her two friends now that there was no danger of a baby dragon burning down his hut. It had been about two weeks since the dragon incident and things were about normal.
Harry was a prat, and Ron was even worse. Draco was spoiled rotten and raised to believe a certain ideology only to have everything ripped apart at the tender age of 11 by Lucy becoming a Hufflepuff and having friends in multiple houses. Poor boy had settled on just bothering Harry all year. Maybe Lucy could work on him more in second year.
Carrying on, Dumbledore was super manipulative but also super focused on Harry. Looking back, it was kind of creepy. Did he even know the names of the other students in Harry's year?
Basically, everything was going well. Then she just had to leave the castle.
Right before they reached Hagrid's hut, three unicorns came out of the woods and approached the group of Care of Magical Creatures students.
Hagrid had been beside himself that the reclusive creatures had come out and went over to talk to Professor Kettleburn, dragging the three first years with him.
Then one of the unicorns had approached Lucy and kneeled, clearly inviting her to ride him in the same way that Buckbeak had during her original third year.
Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid had then insisted on lifting her up on the unicorn's back.
"This is a setup!" she yelled back at them. "Blaise, Hermione, get help!"
They nodded then everyone was quiet as the first year and unicorn slipped into the forest. Hormone absently scratched at the unicorn in front of her.
"She must be really pure," some fifth year said, and then the group of boys started churtling.
Hermione watched as Blaise sneakily sent a spell at them that made their voices crack as they were talking.
She smacked him, but Blaise noticed that she didn't seem truly mad.
"Not angry, Gryffindor?" he asked.
She blushed, but pushed her nose into the air, "Well, they certainly deserve some sort of punishment for such uncouth talk."
Professor Kettleburn turned to Hagrid, "I wasn't expecting the unicorn to take her away. How long do you think she'll be gone?"
"Ah'm sure they'll come back when the unicorn is ready," Hagrid replied.
Blaise and Hermione both rolled their eyes and went to get some back up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Break~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you mean Lucy has been kidnapped by a unicorn?" Cedric asked.
The two first years shared exasperated looks.
The Slytherin, a Zabini no less, stepped forward, "Listen, we don't have time to explain this again. Lucy helped out a unicorn in the forest back when she had detention with us and Hagrid, then almost got kidnapped by a centaur. Ever since then, they keep trying to get her by herself. Every time she's out on the grounds, one or more come out of the forest. This time, one wanted her to ride it and Hagrid and the limbless professor made her get on. Then it took her into the forest, and she hasn't come back since."
"But...but...what?" Cedric asked.
Alex just looked intrigued, "Who's ever heard of someone being kidnapped by a unicorn?"
"It's Lucy we're talking about. This stuff just happens around her," Hermione said.
Cedric started nodding, "Yes, that is the truest statement I've heard all term. So what's our game plan?"
Blaise said, "We were hoping you would have a plan. Professor Kettleburn and Hagrid completely don't care, so none of the other professors are going to believe us when we say this is an issue. Students who are too old and serious like a prefect would act just like a professor. We figured you guys had some experience with Lucy and would be the most likely to believe us."
The older boys nodded.
"That's exactly correct. I guess our only choice would be to sneak into the Forbidden Forest and try to find her," Cedric said.
Hermione gulped, "The Forbidden Forest? But, it's not allowed!"
Blaise scowled at her, "Good job discovering what the name means. Do you want to help your friend or not? Aren't you Gryffindors supposed to be brave or something?"
Hermione cowered slightly into the stone wall, "We could get killed or even expelled! This has nothing to do with bravery and everything with stupidity!"
"Lucy could be killed! Is being expelled really that much worse than your friend dying?" Blaise countered as he stepped forward, pinning her against the wall. Her eyes darted to either side looking for an escape, but the three boys had her captured.
Hermione's shoulders sagged, "No, you're right of course."
Alex raised a hand like he was in class, "Guys, I don't think a unicorn could kill Lucy. Wouldn't that kind of defeat the whole being pure thing?"
Hermione and Blaise both frowned at him.
"Yeah sure, they'll take her to a centaur to do it," Blaise said.
"But why would they want to hurt her if she helped it?" Alex asked.
"We think the unicorn must have thought she was hurting it instead of trying to help," Hermione said.
"OK, we need a game plan. It won't be easy to sneak into the Forbidden Forest," Cedric said.
A shadow spread over the four students. They simultaneously gulped as they turned around to Snape's glowering form.
"No, especially not if you broadcast your desire to break rules in front of a professor," Snape's deep voice intoned.
Blaise actually squeaked, "Professor, there's a good explanation-"
"I'm sure there is, Zabini, but I'm afraid that I don't want to hear any such explanations right now," he cut off the quivering first year.
"But professor, Lucy is in danger!" Hermione cut in, resulting in a squeak of terror as the furious black eyes turned on her. All four shivered as the black eyes met each pair in turn.
"Ogden is a Hufflepuff, hardly my concern," the dark professor told them.
"But, professors are supposed to care for all students!" Cedric broke in. Alex kicked him sharply in the ankle.
"If the giant oaf and Professor Kettleburn both feel that the student is not in danger, why should a couple of first years and third years convince me otherwise?" Snape asked them.
Blaise replied even as he visibly cowered, "Because it's Lucy and you understand that more than some professors?"
Snape glared even more fiercely, "Even more reason why I do not want to waste my time looking for the foolish girl."
Blaise shot a despairing look at Hermione, she was the best in rapid thinking. She noticed his eyes on her and squared her shoulders. Though she had just been trying to get out of it, the fact remained that her first friend was potentially in danger.
Even her bushy hair seemed to bush out more to look more intimidating.
"Pro-pro-professor Snape, I read that there are a lot of rare and unique potion ingredients in the f-f-forbidden forest. Wouldn't the trip be worth your while?" She got out, deciding she was getting in trouble either way at this point so she might as well still try and help Lucy.
This time, when the dark eyes swung to her, they were calculating.
The four held their breath as he silently deliberated.
"Detention!" He snapped.
They all jumped, and all opened their mouths to protest but one glare had them snapping their mouths shut with clicks.
"It will be now, in the forest. If we happen to run into the idiot of a first year, we will retrieve her as well," he continued. He pulled a small box from his pocket and waved his wand over it. The box expanded to form a large and bulky box.
"Diggory, carry this," he commanded then turned in a swirl of black robes.
Cedric tried to grab the box but it was just awkward enough that it slipped from his hands and the corner hit the ground with a rattle of glass.
"Clumsy oaf! Be careful with my supplies or I'll put you in detention for a week!" Snape called over his shoulder.
Alex rushed over and each boy grabbed a side. Hermione and Blaise trottered after professor Snape, requiring two and a half steps for each of his long strides. Alex and Cedric followed behind, struggling to follow at the pace Snape set.
On the grounds, the sun was starting to sink low to the horizon.
"She's been gone for over an hour," Blaise told Professor Snape.
"No talking during detention," he snapped back.
In the forest, night had already fallen. Roots looked like gnarled hands reaching to grab. Piles of leaves and dark bushes seemed to hold eyes watching.
Professor Snape offered only a light he cast on the tip of his wand. Blaise found himself wishing for Hagrid's large oil lamps and the heavy breathing of Fang.
The four students moved closer together and to Professor Snape. He might not be exactly nice, but he was familiar. In a forbidden forest at night, that was enough.
"At least he's super intimidating. Any monsters would be too afraid to cross him," Alex whispered softly to the two first years.
Hermione was quivering as they walked, memories of the last time they went through and the scare of finding Lucy slung over a centaurs shoulder. How would they find her this time?
A hand slipping into hers made her jump. She blushed at the reproachful look Blaise gave her.
Still, she gripped his hand tightly.
"Ahh leaves of Lithops. Zabini, grab a knife and a jar. Collect ten," Snape said, his voice a contented whisper as he stopped without warning. The students barely avoided running into him.
Cedric and Alex sat the box down with only a bit of rattling glass. Zabini dug inside and grabbed the requested tools.
Professor Snape started ordering them to grab different instruments and soon all four were busy gathering plants and placing them in vials.
After a few minutes, Hermione couldn't bear it any longer.
"Sir, I think the unicorn took her over that way," she said.
The low light made it hard to see his black eyes, but she could clearly imagine the type of glare he was sending her.
"Is that so? I suppose we can head that way. I believe there is a clearing over there that has a specific kind of root plant I need," he said slowly.
They gathered up their items. Cedric and Alex grunted as they picked up the still heavier box.
Professor Snape seemed reluctant to head over to the area where Blaise and Hermione were certain that the unicorn had gone. He went on a meandering way around the edge, frequently making them stop for plants. Hermione took to tapping her fingers against his thigh.
At one such stop, Blaise was close enough to hear Snape muttering to himself though the man didn't seem to notice in the low light.
"Stupid child. The unicorn will not want me anywhere close to them," the professor was complaining to himself.
Still, though it took longer than any of the four preferred, he did eventually bring them into the area of the unicorns.
It was obvious when they entered the area where the unicorns regularly pastured. The trees grew straighter and many had white bark. The grass was plush. The air smelled sweeter and more pure. Moon flowers with glowing white flowers sprouted along the ground, helping to make walking easier.
Suddenly, a clearing spread out before them filled with flowering plants as tall as the students waists. They all glowed in the moonlight in shades of shimmery white and silver.
"Wow," Hermione breathed.
Snape was the first to spot the figure lying prone in the middle of the clearing, probably because he was quite a good deal taller than the others. At his sharp intake of breath, the others followed his gaze.
As soon as his eyes landed, Blaise took off like he had been set on fire. He dropped to his knees beside the figure and started shaking her shoulder. The others followed behind him slower than Blaise but still in a hurry.
"Lucy, wake up!" he said as he shook her shoulder.
Her eyelashes fluttered and then opened.
Light blue eyes looked too big and silvery in the moonlight.
They were so big, her pupils wide as she looked around. Then they focused on the boy shaking her shoulder.
"Blaise?" She asked as he helped her sit up.
"Lucy, what happened to your hair?" Alex asked.
"My hair?" Lucy sounded even more confused. she reached up and grabbed a piece of her hair, pulling it around to the front. Her eyes widened as she took in the pure white strand. "Uhmm."
"Ogden, you are out after curfew and in the Forbidden forest no less. Detention for a week," Snape said, drawing her attention to him.
She groaned, "S'not even my fault. The unicorns kidnapped me."
"What did they want?" Cedric asked.
"Oh to thank me or something. It's not like they exactly speak English. They just all surrounded me and then the lead one touched a horn to my head. And then it felt like I was being...uhm...I guess maybe cleansed is the right word? Like every scrape or injury I had ever had was being erased. I guess they felt like my hair color was an imperfection too," she muttered the last bit, indignation clear.
"The blessing of a unicorn herd. Something spoken of in stars and legends. The stars foretold your visit," a deep baritone announced.
Snape moved faster than the students could follow, shooting off a bright red light. The centaur calmly moved out of the way.
"What do you want?" Snape asked, moving in front of the students.
"The stars are bright. Mars is growing brighter," the centaur said, looking above them.
"I don't care for fake fortune tellers," Snape hissed.
"The tellers around you are not fake, though little the stars depict is fortunate," the centaur said.
"Who are you? You tried to kidnap Lucy last time," Hermione asked.
"I am called Firenze," the centaur said, still looking at the sky. "Mars is so bright tonight. It is time for you to head home. It is not safe for foals to be out on such a night."
He looked with reproval at Snape who twisted his mouth and rolled his eyes towards the sky.
"Come, brats," Snape said as he led them out of the clearing, still keeping his body between the students and the centaur.
It was a long walk back to the castle, and all of the students tripped at some point or another. The sun had been done for hours, and they had walked a lot in the woods.
Snape led them to the Gryffindor and Slytherin dorms first before taking the last three to the Hufflepuff dorms. He did not allow for any discussions though Blaise and Hermione each held one of Lucy's hands, only letting go when one was sent into a common room. A lot of communication can be sent through a simple hand holding.
"Go to bed you two before I take off points," he commanded Cedric and Alex. The two send reassuring looks to Lucy but stumbled into their dorm.
Professor Snape glanced over Lucy, taking in her white hair and silvery eyes.
She stared straight back at him, meeting his gaze without fear. If he was honest, which the spy made it his mission not to be, he was the first to break the gaze because something in those silvery eyes spoke of knowledge and understanding that he didn't want to see.
"Get in your dorms before I assign more detentions," he gruffed out, his voice rougher than usual and lacking some of its bite.
She saluted him mockingly and headed through the tunnel.
As it swung open, he snapped, "I said to bed. Twenty points from Hufflepuff."
The boys' eyes widened and their mouths twisted angrily, but they marched off to their dorms. Lucy sent a thankful smile at Professor Snape for holding off the questioning until the morning. As she turned and walked into the common room, Snape noticed several long tears in the back of her robes. He wrote it off as the unicorn horns getting caught and went to his living space. Unlike the children, he would spend several hours staring into his fireplace, nursing a strong beverage, and considering what the centaur said about fortune tellers.
Lucy, though she was exhausted, slipped silently through her dorm, Hannah's loud snoring covering any noises, and went into the bathroom. She sent a simple locking charm at the door that was a second year level and unlikely to be broken by her classmates.
Wall sconces lit the room in a flickering dance of light and darkness.
Stepping up to the mirror, Lucy took a closer look at the changes the unicorns had brought to her body.
Bleach could never have rendered her hair as white as it had been turned. All color had seemed to have been leeched from her dirty blonde hair until only soft white hair remained. Her eyes had also changed, turning a mix of silver and blue. Even her skin had changed, going almost translucent in its paleness and emitting a soft glow that had nothing to do with the candlelight on it.
Her face scrunched up as she focused on her back. A gasp escaped her as the skin on her shoulder blades seemed to crawl and split. Silence filled the bathroom as she waited to see if her roommates had woken.
"Like if with that snoring. And I thought Ron had been bad," she muttered to herself before focusing on her back again.
This time, the skin continued to crawl as six inch long slits opened. Pure white feathers peeked out of the slits and continued to grow until a full set of soft white wings spread out across her shoulders.
"Carver," she whispered softly.
Silently, the man appeared behind her. She observed the tightness in his eyes.
"You do not approve of what the unicorns did?" She asked him.
"It is not my place to question," he paused, "But it has never been done before."
Lucy nodded, "Yeah I got that impression from the images. Lying by omission is always the best bet with someone you know. They might they speak English, but you wouldn't believe the shock I got when I realized the unicorn was able to project images into my mind. Didn't think it was something I should tell others."
He nodded, "You did the right thing. The events of this evening are not something that you should tell others. It certainly cannot go around the entire school. Your classmates will have questions though."
She groaned, "Lets just handle my appearance for now."
He nodded and waved his sword. She felt the magic flow over her like a cold spring. When she looked in the mirror, she looked more normal. Her hair was still white, but her eyes were back to a light blue and the glow had stopped emitting from her skin.
Looking closer, it was like her image doubled and she could see her real self beneath.
"You will easily be able to see under angel glamours now, even if the skill had already been growing," Carver told her.
She groaned as she slid down the wall of the showers. Her fingers picked at the grout of the tiles, but Carver's eyes were burning a hole in her.
"I still don't really understand," she said as she thought through the images the unicorns had shown her.
First a garden with a man and woman in it. Then the man and woman outside the walls with many children. A clock, then an image of an angel and a human holding hands. Then the image of a split in a tree.
"So Angel's and humans used to get together back right after Adam and Eve. There were two possibilities. That was how the giants were created. I'm guessing because of the height of the Angel's true form. But nothing else like an angel. The other option was just a completely normal human who could see through the veil of angel magic?"
Carver nodded, "Yes that is correct. Those are the only two things that ever happened. Other angel characteristics are not compatible with the human body. Giants with no magic skills or ability to even see through angel magic or humans who have no ability to do angel magic but could see it."
"Then what happened to me?" Lucy demanded.
Carver frowned and the tightness in his face seemed to pull deeper, "You are the 20th generation of a mix of an angel and a human. It is why there have been Seers in your line. The unicorns purified your body to allow it to awaken the angel characteristics in its genes. It should not have been possible. It certainly has never happened before, a being who is truly part angel and part human. Again, it was just chance that it was possible through the way my magic interacted with your body to heal it back when I implanted your soul. Then you performed angel magic healing the unicorn, also something impossible. It opened a pathway for them to purify you."
"So I'm like half angel now?" She asked him.
He sniffed, his nose turned up slightly, "Hardly, you are 1/20 angel. You didn't even gain any height."
She hit him lightly on the shoulder, "Hey you put me in this body. It's really your fault I'm so short."
They sat in silence for a minute.
"Is that why you were instructed to put me in this body? Was this the game plan all along?" Lucy finally asked him.
He looked at her, "I'm not sure. Little is random in heaven, but something like this, it's never happened in all of recorded history. You are something new, and I do not know if it is by accident or if it is being coordinated."
She sighed.
He nudged her and helped to pull her to her feet, "Go to sleep young one. Troubles look better in the morning."
"Do nooooo-" she was interrupted by a loud yawn. He smiled and pushed her into her dorm.
His whole body started to shimmer, and she realized that he must have disappeared to regular humans.
"I can still see you, but you look all shimmery," she told him.
He nodded.
She went into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. Carver stood at the foot of her bed staring out with a giant sword in his hands. It was strangely comforting to be guarded by a giant angel holding an equally giant sword.
There would be plenty of trouble in the morning. For now, Carver was right. She needed to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~`\~~~~~~~~~~break~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~~~~
Not too many people bother getting to breakfast early on a Thursday morning. Nothing particularly special happened Wednesday nights. There certainly wasn't a mad rush to the six o'clock breakfast.
Marcus Flint, burly fifth year and already captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team had just sat down for his typical breakfast of two sunny side up eggs, a piece of toast, and a generous pile of sausages.
He shared his typical morning glare across the hall with fellow fifth year and Quidditch captain Oliver Wood.
Wood was the reason he was awake and at breakfast at such an awful time. At the beginning of term, when he'd noticed Wood was already at breakfast when he arrived, Flint decided he would get to breakfast earlier. Then Wood went to breakfast earlier, and by this point in the school year they just stood at opposite sides of the doors waiting at six am for the doors to open, neither willing to concede defeat.
Normally, it was a point of contention that he silently spent bemoaning to himself. Plenty of mental complaints about stupid Gryffindors making him get up so earlier.
On this particular morning, though, he ended up being not quite grateful but close to it to his eternal rival because it enabled him to have a front row seat to the latest of Hogwarts gossip.
First, that strange first year who had disappeared with a unicorn had come to breakfast with pure white hair.
How does that even happen? Is it a spell?
Then her two... acquaintances, he was willing to say, went over and sat with her at the Hufflepuff table. She had sat with them, but they had never sat with her! There was only a month and a half left of the school year, what was even happening.
As Flint kept his burly face pointed straight at the trio of friends and most of the other inhabits of the early breakfast watched, the three kept their heads bowed together.
"So what happened?" Blaise asked.
"Like I said, unicorns kidnapped me, blessing from them, then they like put me to sleep," Lucy repeated as she grabbed a pile of bacon and started munching on it.
Hermione leaned closer, "No centaurs other than Firenze?"
Lucy shook her head, "None. I guess they realized I was trying to heal the unicorn, not harm it."
"So you scared us for nothing?!" Blaise cried in a loud whisper.
Lucy and Hermione both shushed him.
"Sorry, I was freaking out. How was I supposed to know what they wanted?" She whispered back to him. "And what's up with you guys sitting with me?"
Hermione and Blaise shared a look over her head. Hermione finally said, "We finally bonded over the annoyance of having to take care of you."
Blaise nodded as Lucy sputtered, "Yep, it's too much work for just me, so I've decided to use Hermione for free labor. She's at least useful for that."
Hermione rolled her eyes.
"So what now? Everyone's going to ask about your hair. The gossip was going crazy yesterday about the pure first year," Blaise sent a leer at Lucy that should look strange on an eleven year old but just made her laugh.
"I'll just use the truth. Watch and see," she told them as though they were her pupils.
It didn't take long.
Around 7:00, more people started to fill the Great Hall.
Justin Finch-Fletchy was the one to finally ask Lucy.
"Hey, Ogden, what happened to your hair? And where did you go with the unicorn yesterday?" He called down the Hufflepuff table to her.
She yelled right back up the table, "An entire herd of unicorns kidnapped me and performed an ancient unicorn blessing on me that removed all imperfections such as color in my hair. Its probably all listed in a book in the library. I can give you directions if you need?"
There was a moment of silence as Justin processed that and the rest of the table listened in.
"Geez, if you didn't want to tell me, you could have just said. You didn't need to be rude," he scowled at her as she smiled back.
Blaise added in, "She used muggle hair dye on her hair."
"Ahhh," several of the muggleborns said as they nodded. The attention was removed from the first year.
Lucy turned to Blaise, "How do you know about muggle hair dye and are you implying this is my dyed hair or the dirty blonde was?"
He shrugged, "Mum went through a phase where she used it, and whichever version you prefer."
They were distracted by a commotion at the Gryffindor table.
"He's really gone! I can't find Scabbers anywhere," Ron was complaining to his oldest brother, Percy, who seemed really annoyed at it all. Lucy wasn't sure if he was annoyed with his brother, his old pet going missing, or the commotion at breakfast.
"How long as he been missing?" Percy asked.
Ron tucked his chin into his chest and mumbled something they couldn't hear at the Gryffindor table. Percy apparently could.
"What do you mean he's been missing all school year? You are never getting another pet!"
"I just figured he'd turn up!" The Weasleys didn't seem to notice the scene they were making.
Ether way, Lucy gave a crooked grin to her pile of bacon. Hermione and Blaise turned back around.
Blaine's nose was crinkled, "That beast needs to learn some manners."
"Well, we have an hour break before classes; I'm off to the library," Lucy announced as she grabbed her bag and swung herself off the bench.
Her two friends watched in bemusement as she wandered off.
A second year Hufflepuff turned to the Slytherin and Gryffindor still sitting at the table.
"So, are you guys gonna like stay here even even though she's gone?" She asked.
Hermione blushed, and they both awkwardly grabbed their stuff and headed to their respective tables to actually eat.
Fifteen minutes before classes, Lucy brushed the dust off of an old tome. As it swirled in the air, it caught her nose and made her sneeze.
She flipped open the book, and read through the pages quickly. It had been a fruitless 45 minutes looking for something to help in the war against Voldemort. Up until that point.
Because, as she read that book, her eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lip.
"Is it possible? Would this work?" She asked herself.
She grabbed the book and clenched it tightly against her chest. Rushing up to Madam Pince as quickly as she could, she requested, "I'd like to check this book out"
"No one has checked out this book in 40 years. It's a NEWT or masters level magic in a highly specific field. What use do you have for it?" Pince asked.
Lucy grinned, "Just some light reading."
She kept the book clenched to her chest as she rushed down the hallway away from the library. It was time for classes, but the book needed a thorough reading later. The magic in the book could be highly useful, if she could do it.
Was this how Hermione felt all the time, discovering the answers she needed in these heavy books? Maybe Lucy would spend more time reading if this worked out.
Author's note:
Well there's the newest chapter. I tried a slightly different style for the point of view of this chapter. Let me know what you think in a review below :)