Third chapter. Feel my joy. I've kind of been setting off my other stories for this, so anybody who actually reads this, be happy. Sorry, it's late, but I have ideas that need to be set down on... I was going to say paper, but this isn't paper... anyway, I own nothing. Absolutely nothing. Except things/people you've never heard of in your entire life. This disclaimer continues through the entire story, just so I don't have to keep typing it. Enjoy!
Chapter Three: Owl Post and Prophecies
Remus Lupin frowned as he continued to scan the letter. After he finished, he quickly went back up to the top and read it from the beginning once more.
Dear Father,
Hogwarts is wonderful! You said it was, but now I know for myself. I already have friends. You know Rose, but I'm also friends with a girl named Amy Kensington. Her mother is an exile, by her own cause, she wanted to be, and her father is a Muggle, I think. She's really nice, and she likes pranks also. And I think I'm becoming friends with Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley. Officially, I don't know the last two very well, but Harry talks to me, so they're friends by default.
Unfortunately, with friends comes enemies. Marcella Malfoy doesn't seem to like me very much. She made me really angry. She called you a 'dirty, evil werewolf'. But you've never harmed anyone on purpose.
Father, I had a horrible dream last night. I know it's probably nothing to worry about, but all the same, it's good to be sure. Here's what it was about: it began with me waking up, I think. I was chained to the wall with silver shackles. To my left was Harry, unconscious. He had a really bad gash on his forehead. To my right was Sirius. His leg was broken. Then I heard someone laugh. It sounded really evil. Then the bad part came. There was a big, cloaked figure in the middle of the room, and you were in front of him. You were really badly beaten up, and had chains around you. The tall man told you to tell him (he didn't say what) and you refused. Then a small, pudgy man ran forward and added another chain. You cried out, and I accidentally whimpered. The man turned to me and asked me to tell him what you were hiding. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about, and then the hood of his robe fell back. It was Voldemort, father. He turned back and asked you to tell him again, and you refused again. Then he said 'Crucio', and I woke up screaming. Could it have possibly been a prophetic dream? I hope not, that would be really bad. But it's happened twice before, what happens if it does it again?
I'm sorry if I worried you, you don't have to think about it much. I'm sure you and Sirius are laughing right now, and I'm sorry if I bugged you. I miss you so much. I'll see you at Christmas!
Always, Luna
P.S. I love you
Remus frowned again. Luna HAD been known to have prophetic dreams every once in a while. The first had been when Lupita had broke both of her arms. The second...
Never mind the second, Remus thought angrily, brushing the thought aside. He quickly pulled out a quill and a piece of parchment, and wrote in haste.
Dear Luna,
I'm glad you are having a good time at Hogwarts. And your friends seem very nice. Kensington is the last name of one of your friends? I think her mum was a third year when I was a fourth.
As for your dream, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but just in case....
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"... I'm coming down to Hogwarts with Sirius. Besides, I want to be there for-" Luna cut off abruptly. Amy looked at her expectantly.
"He wants to be here for what?" she asked eagerly. Luna shook her head.
"From there on it's private matters. Nothing you need concern yourself about," Luna answered her. Amy rolled her eyes.
"You sound just like a teacher sometimes, you know that?" laughed Amy. Luna smiled weakly, and continued to look at the parchment. After she finished reading it, she stuffed it into her trunk and turned to Rose and Amy, who were sitting on her bed.
"What classes do we have today?" she asked, sitting down on the trunk. Rose pulled out her crinkled schedule and smoothed it so she could read it. Amy yanked it out of her hands and began reading.
"Lets see... Transfiguration first, then another Herbology class. Darn, I HATE plants. Ok, then we have History of Magic. After that we have a nice lunch, and then- oh no," Amy stopped. Luna peered over her shoulder, and felt the breath catch in her throat.
"Potions? With Professor Snape? Uh-uh. No fair. That's with Slytherins also!" Rose cried out loud. Luna plucked the paper from Amy's hand and continued to read down the list.
"After potions, it's DADA. That's good. They really are laying on the classes ever since Voldemort-" Luna was cut off by a gasp from the bed next to her. Michelle poked her head out, her glasses nearly falling off the end of her pointed nose.
"You said his name!" she whispered, quite shocked. Luna looked at her oddly, then nodded slowly.
"Yes... I did. What's wrong with that?"
"No one says his name. They say He-who-must-not-be-named, or You-know-who, or The Dark Lord. No one ever says- well, you know what."
Luna rolled her eyes. "You shouldn't be afraid of a name. It shows he has power over us when he's not around." Michelle sighed, then pulled her head back. Luna rolled her eyes again.
"Worrywart. Let's go, shall we? I'm sure McGonagall will have something interesting for us, hmmm?"
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Harry carefully placed his quill on the parchment. Hermione cleared her throat.
"The letter won't write itself, Harry. Best get on with it," she said. Harry glared at her, and then carefully moved the quill.
"Dear- Remus- I- hope- you - are-all- right. Harry, what are you going to say. 'Hey, why the heck didn't you tell me you had kids'? Or how about 'Hey, jerk face, I met a kid that has your last name. What's up with that'? I think those are all great openings," Ron said sarcastically. Harry glared at him.
"I have no idea what to say. Hermione?" Hermione sighed, and scribbled something down on a sheet of paper.
"Just write what I wrote, all right?"
Harry scanned the paper, and then pressed the quill on the parchment once more.
"I-have-a-question-for-you. Do-you-have-a-daughter? I-met-a-girl-named-Luna-Lupin-at-school, and-she-looks-like-you. If-you-do, why-didn't-you-tell-me?" Ron read out loud. Hermione smiled approvingly.
"Excellent. Everyone enjoys a well thought out letter. And one that DOESN'T insult them," Hermione said, putting an emphasis on 'doesn't', and looking at Ron. He held up his hands.
"It was just a suggestion. I didn't say he had to write it."
Harry smiled at his friends, and continued to write.
"Hermione, go get Hedwig, will you?"
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Sirius stared as Remus threw clothes into his battered briefcase at top speed.
"Hey, Moony. Slow down. She won't die if you aren't there," Sirius said calmly. Remus rolled his eyes and continued to throw things into the briefcase.
"I know that, Sirius. But the full moon is in another week and a half or so, and Luna has a tendency to have prophetic dreams. Besides, I want to talk to Professor McGonagall, and meet the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. And I haven't gotten a letter from Lupita yet, she might be in trouble or something, and-"
"Will you calm down? Lupita is probably fine. I haven't gotten a letter from or about Rose and Harry yet, so I'm going to assume they're fine. The DADA teacher is probably fine, and a good teacher at that. And yes, the full moon is in a week and a half. That gives you plenty of time." Remus looked up from his dresser and stared at his friend.
"You forgot to mention the dreams." Sirius sighed and flopped down onto the battered chair Remus kept in his room.
"What was the last prophetic dream that she had? Before the one at Hogwarts, I mean," Sirius asked. Remus bit his lip and ignored the question.
"Moony, spill."
Remus shook his head, and looked out the window. To his surprise, he saw an owl flying toward it. He leaned out the window, and to his even greater surprise, Hedwig landed there.
"Hedwig? What is it? Sirius, it looks like your letter from Harry is here," Remus told him. He turned back to his briefcase and was latching it shut when Sirius handed the letter to him.
"It's to you, Remus. From Harry." Remus took the letter and groaned as he saw the third sentence.
Do I have a daughter? Yes, I have two Harry. Just don't ask why I didn't tell you.
Remus continued to read it, and groaned again when he saw the fifth sentence. Sirius raised an eyebrow at his friends reaction and stood up when Remus groaned for a third time.
"What is it Remus?" Sirius asked. Remus tossed the letter to him.
"He wants to know if I have a daughter, why I didn't tell him, and he wants to know who I married. Oh, and as a bonus, he wants to know why you didn't tell him," Remus answered. Sirius frowned.
"Just tell him it's confidential. He'll understand," Sirius reassured him. Lupin shook his head.
"He won't owl us again, yes. But he'll take it into his own hands to find out. Don't you remember what Dumbledore told us about Harry's first year? How he went researching the Sorcerers Stone and Nicholas Flamel? And in his second year he took it upon himself to try to figure out who Slytherin's heir was? And-" Sirius cut him off.
"Ok, I get the picture. So... what do you tell him? Lie? Truth? Shaded truth? What?" Sirius pressed. Remus groaned for a final time.
"I have no ideas, Padfoot. I don't- scratch that- can't tell him. I don't think Luna even knows. It's not a very well known prophecy," Remus added. Sirius frowned again.
" 'The coal will burn, it's flames will rise, but the Moon wolf shall douse the flames. Fire from the sky will never feed the fire, and then the Moon wolf will die.' Did- Angelina?" Sirius asked. Remus nodded.
"That was the one given to Luna when she was born. Lupita's was just that she would do well in school, and become relatively famous. Angelina had one for Harry too, I think," Remus said. Sirius blinked.
"What was his?"
"I'm not really sure. Angelina wrote it down. She had prophecies for all of us."
"Didn't you take Ancient Runes? That means you might be able to interpret the prophecies."
"Yes, I did. So did you and Lily. But I wasn't as good as most of the kids in that class. The teacher made us translate our own prophecies, remember?" Remus asked. Sirius scowled.
"Yeah, I remember. The teacher brought in a real Seer. Stupid git. The class thought it was very funny when she said that all she could see was trouble in my future. Snape was laughing the hardest, said that even he could see that," recalled Sirius. Remus smiled.
"The Seer said that she saw a lot of pain, trouble, misfortune, and moon's in my future. What was your prophecy, though?"
"It was simple and short. 'The lightening will be your redemption, the snake will be your enemy. The wolf will be your greatest friend as darkness fills the sky'. Real hard to interpret. Lightening, Harry. Snake, Voldemort or Snape, your choice. Wolf, you. Darkness, now. I remember at the time though, I had a heck of a time trying to figure it out. Yours?"
"Mine wasn't much better. 'The moon will rise, the darkness falls, the Grim is in your future. Beware the heir, and love the wolf, for she will be your guide'. I STILL don't know what it means," Remus winced. Sirius grinned.
"So, we'd better write to Harry then? Tell him?"
"We'll tell him we'll talk to him when we get there, all right?"
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Luna sat down next to Amy in the dungeon, and stared at the wall. It was five minutes before Potions class would begin, and she didn't want to be here.
"What do you think we'll be doing today?" asked Amy quietly. Luna snapped out of her contemplation of the cracks on the wall and turned to Amy.
"Something simple, I hope. I worked with Potions at my house before, but those were just small experiments. Father wasn't much of a teacher when it came to Potions," Luna laughed, remembering the time her father had accidentally exploded a cauldron. It wasn't really his fault, Sirius had added some armadillo bile in it, which wasn't on the recipe.
"What are you laughing at?" came a cool voice from her right. Luna jumped and stared at the Potions teacher, who seemed to have appeared from no where.
"Nothing, sir. Just a memory," she quietly informed him. Professor Snape's lips curled, and he went to the front of the room.
"I see you are here early, then? Eager to start Potions?" he asked just as quietly as before. Luna nodded.
"I've always had an interest in Potions, sir. My father finds it amusing, as he isn't very good at Potions," Luna said. Snape looked down at the attendance book.
"Miss Lupin, correct? I should have known. You bear an... uncanny resemblance to Remus Lupin. In more ways then one," he smiled. Luna's face fell. He knew? How did he know?
Before she could speak up again, the rest of the class came filing in. Rose and Lita took the seats directly behind them, while Malfoy and her gang took the seats in the very back. Snape paced down the aisles, reading the names off his list, and then went back to his desk.
"I will have you know that this is not a class for your wands. Some hardly believe this is magic because of it. I know that you fools have little regard for the beauty of potions, so I will pray that you can do something halfway right in this class. Today we will be making a very simple potion that cures boils. I start off all my first years on this, and usually they can do something right. I will hope it is the same for you. These are the ingredients, pair up and get to work."
Luna stared at the list of potions, and turned to Amy.
"Partner?"
"Partner," she agreed. Luna stood and went to where the rest of the students were getting the ingredients.
"Let's see, dried nettles- check. Snake fangs-check. Horned slugs-check. Porcupine quills-check. Well, that is simple," Luna said to herself. She went back to where Amy was sitting. She put the potions on the table, and flipped open her book.
"Ok, first boil the water in the cauldron. We've got that, good. Next, add two ounce dried nettles. Get the scales out, ok Amy? Good. Allow to boil nettles for a full five minutes. Ok, I'll crush the snake fangs, and you prepare the horned slugs, right," Luna instructed. She had done this potion at home, it was simple enough. She continued to crush the fangs, and turned to Rose and Lita as she did so.
"How goes it?" she asked happily. Rose glared at her.
"The only thing this potions class will be good for is getting potions to hit Malfoy in the face. I hate potions," she snapped. Luna grinned at her and then glanced at the clock on the wall.
"It's been five minutes. I'll add these. According to the book, we allow those to simmer for one minute, and then add the horned slugs. After that we'll take off the cauldron, and then add the porcupine quills," Luna told Amy bit her lip and nodded. After a full minute, they added the horned slugs and took off the cauldron and added the porcupine quills. Luna watched in wonder as the potion turned yellow. She stirred it for a minute and then raised her hand. Snape walked over and glared at her.
"Finished all ready?" he snarled. Luna nodded despite his meanness. Snape took the ladle and pulled some out of the cauldron. To her astonishment, he seemed to find nothing wrong.
"This is... perfect Miss Lupin. Correct in every aspect. I'll be sending this to Madam Pomfrey," he snarled at her. As he bottled the potion, he looked at her.
"Come down here tomorrow during your free period," he told her. Luna frowned in confusion, but nodded anyway. She spent the rest of the hour reading up on some of the more complicated potions. She didn't even hear Professor Snape dismiss the class until he came up to her and cleared his throat.
"Miss Lupin, as eager as you are about Potions, you are not allowed to stay. You must get to your next class," he informed her. Luna smiled at him, but he continued to glare at her. Luna gathered her stuff and forced herself to walk away from the classroom.
Luna ran to DADA, and only once ran into trouble (Peeves threw a water balloon at her, but missed). She skittered into the classroom and took her seat. Professor Micaro raised an eyebrow.
"A bit late, are we Miss Lupin?" she asked, amused. Luna blushed.
"I kind of got caught up in the last class, I'm sorry Professor Micaro," she said meekly. Micaro smiled at her and continued her lecture.
"A vampire can be killed by a stake through the heart or decapitation. The ministry prefers, however, if you report the vampire to them so they may take care of it. Does anyone know of other things vampires dislike?" Micaro asked. Luna raised her hand.
"Miss Lupin?"
"Vampires dislike consecrated ground and holy objects, such as crosses and holy water," she recited. Micaro smiled at her.
"Correct. Vampires are demons, in a loose sense. After a human is bitten and turned into a vampire, their soul is gone. The body is just a shell that a demon enters. And demons generally do not do well around holy objects, as they are pure evil, and Christianity is good. Anything else?" Micaro asked again. Luna watched in dismay as Malfoys hand went up.
"As I said yesterday, werewolves," she said pompously. Micaro frowned.
"Vampires are not necessarily afraid of werewolves. They may feel threatened by them, but they are not scared of them, meaning they do not avoid them at all costs. A vampire can function around a werewolf without being afraid, and can ignore a werewolf. The only time they are afraid of werewolves are when they are in danger of being killed by one.
"The last thing vampires are afraid of is magic. There is a certain spell that will prevent them from coming near you, because it terrifies them. Unfortunately, this is very advanced magic and it will not be taught to you until your seventh year. Today we will begin working on shields that will keep out black magic, or in this case, dark creatures. I will pair you up," Micaro announced. Luna tensed. Officially speaking, she was a dark creature. She hoped she would be paired with Rose, she was the only one who knew.
"Miss Lupin, who shall I pair you with?" Micaro mused. Luna threw her glance toward Rose, and then looked intently at the teacher. Micaro laughed and pointed towards Rose.
"Miss Black and Miss Lupin, you shall make a formidable team. Get to work," she laughed. Luna smiled weakly at her and then dragged Rose to the back of the classroom.
"Rose, you know, right?" she whispered. Rose nodded.
"Ok, so your shield should work no matter what. What do we do about mine? What happens if it won't form because of it? I'll be failed!" Luna hissed urgently. Rose shrugged.
"If that happens, then we'll just have to make it look like it worked. You learned that illusion charm, right? Remus would have taught you," she said. Luna thought quickly, and nodded. Her father had taught it to her in case of emergencies. And to Luna, this was an emergency.
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Micaro watched as the two girls whispered frantically to each other. Miss Lupin wasn't looking very happy, and had turned pale at the mention of the shield. Micaro sighed and studied her nails. They were becoming chipped, and she needed to repaint them. She glanced up again at the girls, and saw that Rose had her shield surrounding her. She smiled thinly. Rose Black was a quick learner. Luna Lupin, however, looked terrified of the shield. But she drew her wand all the same, closed her eyes, muttered the incantation from the book, and a silvery shield appeared around her.
Micaro continued to watch the rest of the students. Amy Kensington had cast a blue shield, while Lita's was green. Marcella Malfoy's was black, and Michelle's was aqua.
Meghan Micaro couldn't help but smile at the amazed looks on everybody's faces. She had known everybody's would turn a different color, the shield was based on personality. The blue from Amy's symbolized warmth, kindness. The green from Lita's was shyness, and a little bit of fear. Michelle's aqua was ease and creativity. The black of Marcella was evil, and the silver from Luna's symbolized a secret, and ultimate sadness. Rose had cast a red shield, meaning impulsiveness and love for a friend. A pink would be love for someone else.
Micaro remembered her first shield, and how afraid she had been of it. It had worked, much to her relief, and it had been white, meaning eternity. It had scared a younger Meghan out of her mind, but she had come to peace with it. She stood up from her desk.
"As you have seen, your shields have turned different colors. I will be happy to interpret them, if you wish. Some colors are more powerful, while others will collapse at the slightest spell. The colors have to do with your personality, so sometimes you can't help it," she told them. Immediately, Amy, Lita, Luna, and Rose came over.
"Professor," Amy said, "tell me about my shield. It was blue."
Micaro thought a moment, remembering how strong a blue shield was.
"Blue means warmth, kindness, and things like that. The blue shield is one of the stronger ones, if I remember correctly. Not as strong as some, though. Love is the strongest shield.
"Which brings me to you, Miss Black. Your shield was red, which means both love for a friend and impulsiveness. As I said, love is the strongest shield, but impulsiveness lowers the strength.
"Yours, Miss Kensington, Lita, was green. Green means a multitude of things, but yours meant shyness, with a tinge of fear. It also represents passiveness. This is one of the weakest shields, sadly enough.
"And finally, Miss Lupin. Yours was silver, unless I'm very much in error. Silver means secrets, and ultimate sadness. This shield can be either powerful or weak. Secrets usually hold you back, but sadness can increase the strength of a shield, depending on the situation."
Miss Lupin nodded, and returned to her seat. Micaro watched as Miss Black leaned over her table and whispered furiously into Luna's ear. Luna shook her head sadly and picked up the very thick DADA book.
"Class, please return to your seats. Are their any questions?" Micaro asked. Miss Malfoy's hand flew into the air.
"Miss Malfoy?"
"What is the weakest shield?" Micaro sighed.
"It really depends. Black, which means evil, is usually the weakest. Sometimes it's yellow, other times it's pink. Yellow means foolishness, while pink can either mean true love or selfish love," Micaro said. Malfoy glared at her, and then went back to her reading.
"Ok, for homework I want an essay on shields, due next week. Class dismissed!" she exclaimed. The class filed out obediently.
Micaro was picking up her papers when she heard someone else enter.
"Oh, hello Severus. Can I help you?" she asked pleasantly. Snape scowled at her.
"I thought this was a Defense Against the Dark Arts class, not Divination. Next thing you'll be teaching them is crystal ball reading!" he snapped at her. Micaro rolled her eyes.
"Severus, I was doing shields against dark creatures. The style of shield they were doing has a tendency to turn colors according to personality, and they wanted to know what it was. May I ask you something Severus?"
"What?"
"What color is your shield?"
Snape frowned at her, then smiled, surprisingly enough.
"Gold."
Micaro gasped. Gold was the second strongest shield there was! But it also meant...
"Pureness of heart? You?" she choked. Snape scowled at her. Then he shrugged.
"You're forgetting it also means swiftness of brain, and powerful magic. Not all qualities match the shield, after all. What color is yours?"
"White. It is white," she answered immediately. This time, Snape choked. But after he thought a minute, he smiled evilly at her.
"Well, that would make sense. Eternity." Snape turned to leave, but then looked back at her. "You'd better watch your step, Meghan. I know your secret, even if few others do." And then, he was gone.
End chapter! Well, what'd think? Huh? Huh huh huh huh huh? Tell me! Please review, I'll love you forever (not literally).