(A/N: As mentioned a few chapters ago in the Author's note, I owe the plot line/idea to Prongs here on ff.nt. Check out his/her story 'A New Beggining' in my fav. stories place.)

JKR owns the people and places, I own Karista, Julia, Amaia, some chick named Vanessa and the dream...
Chapter 10: The appearance of a lifetime

Amaia sat crossly next to the fire, as it was the first day of lessons and this day had been a hard one. The fire glowed mercilessly in front of her, causing her to sit up and rub her hands over the flames. How relaxing, Amaia thought as she pulled away from the fire and began to doze off. But the loudspeaker in the staff room abruptly halted her slumber.

"All staff report to my office immediately!" Dumbledore's voice called. It sounded half excited half exasperated.

Amaia jumped out of her chair and sprinted down the hall and to the stairs into the entrance hall. Once passed the stone gargoyle and into Dumbledore's crowded office, she stopped. Sitting in front of Dumbledore's desk was none other that Cedric Diggory. He was visibly shaking with quite a few good many cuts on him, yet looked as if he was smiling.

"Now that everyone is here," Alastor "Mad-eye" Moody announced in his gravely tone. "We need to perform a search, of the grounds. Cedric here was followed into Hogwarts and the perpetrator might still be around. Sirius, Remus, Julia and Amaia, you know what training did. The rest of you teachers go in pairs and search the inner school. Get to it…now!"

Amaia took out her wand and waltzed out of the room.

"Finally something interesting to do," Amaia chirped as she made her way into the entrance hall. Julia, Sirius and Remus followed with the same eager expressions on their faces.

"Alright…Remus, take the North end. I'll do the Quidditch pitch. Amaia and Julia take the forest. Now let's get out of here," Sirius said, grinning mischievously.
***

"I've been wondering something since last night," Harry said out loud to Ron, Karista and Hermione. They all looked up with puzzled expressions on their faces. "If I am the heir to Gryffindor, what are my special powers?"

Karista and Ron were almost ready to laugh at his statement while Hermione sat deep in thought with Harry for a minute.

"Think Harry. Remember last year when we read in the Hogwarts, a History about the…" she stopped. She knew very well why Harry didn't have his 'special powers', but in saying so, she was admitting that his parents were possibly alive, which might not have been true. "Oh, never mind. Wrong subject."

Harry regarded her sorely for a moment, then turned his attention back to Hermione, who snapped her fingers.

"Maybe you only acquire them at a certain age or something," she murmured. "Ask Dumbledore."

Harry shook his head roughly and went back to his star chart.

Karista, who had been sitting by the fire with her Potions homework, now considered the facts for a moment. If the Heir of Gryffindor was anything like that of the Heir of Slytherin or the Sorceress of Fire myth, then it would have to mean…

"Oh my God! I have to go see Dumbledore!" Karista shrieked, scaring half of the common room. She jumped up from the floor and streaked to the portrait hole. She didn't stop running until she got to the stone gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office and even at that she continued up the stairs to his door.

"Professor Dumbledore, I have an interesting…" Karista stopped short. It was obviously a bad time as Dumbledore and a kid obviously older than her were sitting at his desk. "I am really, really sorry."

"It is no matter Miss Flannigan, after all, you are the one who saved this boy's life," Dumbledore smiled, his voice taking on a tone of amusement.

"I am afraid I have no idea what you mean, professor," Karista said slowly, until she realized exactly what he meant. "Oh…Oh my…I didn't realize…"

The boy looked at her curiously until Dumbledore raised his head again.

"Cedric, meet Karista Flannigan. She is the one who had brought you here today."

It took a moment for the scene to register. The shabby robes and sad eyes. He had many cuts and bruises, yet was still grinning at Karista.

"I think I am going to faint," Karista murmured before falling sharply to the floor.

***

"Little early to be coming here, isn't it?" Voldemort said shortly as he saw his niece approach him.

"Oh, I just came to ask you if the Potters have come back. Have they?"

Voldemort seemed to freeze at mentioning of the Potters, yet it was for only a fraction of a second.

"Not a clue. But you must tell me how you got to be here," He asked, a tinge of amusement on his face as he looked Karista over. It was only then that she realized that she had hit her head on something before reaching the floor. She then proceeded to tell him about entering Dumbledore's office and fainting yet she refrained from and word about Cedric.

"Karista, I must say that I am impressed with your social skills," Voldemort cackled, sending shivers down her spine. She raised her head slowly, the room spinning into better focus. "Very touching to faint at the sight of someone."

Karista sneered at Voldemort before sitting up on a couch by the fire.

"Very curious Karista…very, very curious. Now tell me, who else have they found?"

Karista glanced up at him and noticed he had no trace of sarcasm, let alone anger. He was scared and therefore she had him in her hands.

"I haven't a clue, Voldie," she sniggered, trying to regain her composure gracefully. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Voldie was about to answer; yet before he could Karista let out a sharp yell. The room swirled viciously before her and she awoke to find herself back in Dumbledore's office. The boy Cedric and Dumbledore, as well as Snape and McGonagall were looking at her with looks of suspicion on their faces.

"Karista, can you see me clearly?" Snape asked, his face contorted in one of fear.

"Almost," Karista mumbled before sitting up. She felt her forehead and the large lump gracing it.

"Tell me, did you see the Dark Lord?" Snape pressed on.

Karista froze, staring straight into him before she remembered that he had seen her in her last dream visit.

"Yes I had a rather striking conversation with him. He asked a question of me and I replied with a snide and sarcastic remark and he got angry…the usual," Karista said, giving her most amused smile a try.

"Rather interesting trait, Karista," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes searching her.

She shook her head and began to rise from the couch.

"What I came to tell you earlier is that I believe Harry's parents might be alive. Voldie seemed a bit more fretful than usual. Besides that, Harry doesn't have any of his trademark powers," Karista said smoothly. "And by the way, Cedric, I am glad that I have allowed this miracle to take place."

Cedric smiled at her before she turned and left the room.

***
"Sirius, Remus, we have a slight situation for the two of you," Dumbledore said solemnly. "It is a matter of importance and could mean life or death. Are you willing?"

Sirius and Remus sat motionless in their chairs. Amaia flinched at the last words of Dumbledore's sentence, yet said nothing.

"What will we be doing?" Sirius asked quietly, a slight tremble in his voice.

"You both will go back to Remus' home and wait," Dumbledore said, pulling out a map of the vicinity around Remus' home for them to see.

"Wait for what? Who?" Remus asked quizzically, taking the map from Dumbledore.

"That is what you will have to find out when you get there," Dumbledore said. "Please go now and I will call you back if there is anything else."

Sirius and Remus, although quite subdued and confused, left for the teacher's dorms. Soon Amaia and Julia followed them leaving Snape, McGonagall and Dumbledore alone.

"Let's hope Flannigan is right," McGongall said, her eyes alight with hope.

***

That next Sunday…

"Listen Gryffindors! I have an announcement," Harry called over the heads of the common room. It was packed full of students, which was good. "Quidditch tryouts start this afternoon. We'll be needing three chasers and a beater. Please talk to Ron Weasley, Karista Flannigan or myself about the tryouts. That will be all."

The room looked back at Harry as excited whispers broke out all around them. Harry stepped down from the chair and posted the announcement on the bulletin board.

"Karista, are you sure that you want to change your position?" Hermione asked, a look of shock on her face. "Beaters need to be…well, tough."

Karista couldn't help but laugh at Hermione's expression yet she continued on with her work.

"Hermione, if there is anyone who can handle the position, its her. After all, she was one of the best softball players around New York," Harry said heartily, his voice overflowing with pride. "I can't wait until we get this started."

Karista managed a weak smile and continued on with Transfiguration. She knew that it had been almost two years since swinging her bat, yet she still had an incredible swing. The bell rang for lunch and soon the four left the common room in a daze for what the tryouts would bring.


"Alright…Dean, you want to be a beater while Seamus, you want to be a chaser?" Karista said happily as she made her way across the field, the two boys following her. "Michelle Winters and some Alex Martin, both 5th years, want to be a chaser or beaters. It will be interesting to see what happens."

Finally upon the Quidditch pitch, Harry looked at the lineup of people trying out. Ron and Karista muttered the occasional words of praise towards the people until finally letting them up into the air.

"Chasers go with Ron, Beaters go with Karista," Harry said quietly, tapping his finger against his chin. "See where it goes from there."

Karista rose up in the air with Dean and two 3rd years while Ron took Seamus and the 5th years. The separate practices at different ends of the field were keeping Harry unnerved, even if his Firebolt was more than fast enough to take on the task. Harry never realized just how good Karista was a beating, even if she was a bit rusty at hitting. Finally the players touched down and Harry recited the names of the team members.

"Dean, our new beater," Harry said while shaking Dean's hand. "Seamus, Michelle and Alex our new chasers."

Michelle and Alex looked happier than humanly possible and joined Ron, Karista, Dean and Seamus behind Harry.

"You all will be our reserve players. Thank you for trying out," Harry said somberly, shaking each of the five people's hands in turn. He finally turned around to his newly assembled team.

"Our first match is in about a month and a half, so we had best get cracking!" Harry announced to the cheers of his teammates. The each took off into the air, grinning stupidly at each other.