Chapter 15
"You let her stab you?!" exclaimed her sister.
Her father held her more tightly. "We should never have sent you there."
"You went to her room after you discovered the knife?" asked her mother.
"Yes, mum," she responded softly.
"Mrs. Grey, Mr. Grey," said Dumbledore, "Please let her speak. I am sure that Alice has been through something extremely difficult. It would probably be best if she only had to repeat it once."
"Of course. You're right," mumbled her father.
"But working spells with blood-"
"Hush, Cass," whispered her father, putting his hand on Mrs. Grey's where she gripped Alice's fingers. For once, her mother capitulated. Alice finished her story with only a few fearful, angry and shocked interjections from her family.
"So you see, Lyness did all the magic. Why would Hagrid take her to Salem if she was a Muggle?"
"That girl is at the Salem Institute now?" asked her father.
"Yes, it seemed a good match," said Dumbledore.
Mr. Grey agreed, "She should be an asset to the program. My Department is still in the planning process for a similar one here, of course. I'll have to keep a closer watch on the Institute; particularly if this girl has been such a good friend to Alice."
"Dad?" asked Alice, squirming in his tight embrace. "What are you talking about?"
Her father frowned.
"I believe the program will be made public soon, Tom. I'm sure that your family can be trusted until then," offered Dumbledore.
"Certainly," said her father. "Right then, girls. The Department of Muggle Affairs is working on a program to bring sympathetic Muggles into the Wizarding world."
"You're what?" his wife asked.
"The Salem Witches' Institute has already put a program into place which will educate young Muggles with an interest in magic. There are some charms that can be taught, and with You-Know-Who beginning to target more and more Muggle families, we felt that it would be best to enlist them in their own protection. If what Alice had told us is true, then this Muggle child has not only studied further than most third year witches, but she has shown incredible bravery and integrity. She stood up to her own mother at the risk of her life! That is exactly the kind of young person we need on our side," explained Mr. Grey.
"I told you she could do magic," muttered Alice.
"She hasn't yet," said Dumbledore.
"But Dad said-"
"He said that she had studied, and that she showed enviable qualities in her behavior. She has not, however, worked any magic as of yet. That is the purpose of the program. It is somewhat of an experiment to see if magic can be learned, or transferred, to non-magical people if they are receptive to it," said Dumbledore.
"Could it be… transferred… to me?" Alice murmured.
"Excuse me?" asked the headmaster.
"Alice's powers have been rather… slow in making themselves known," her mother supplied.
"I'm a squib," Alice simplified. Mestra gasped, and then looked quickly away.
Dumbledore looked surprised for the first time.
"Don't say that, sweetheart," said her father. "You don't know anything for certain."
"I do," said Dumbledore. "Alice is most certainly not a squib. She is, in fact, an incredibly powerful witch. We would never have been able to locate her so quickly had she not performed a quite significant spell."
"But I didn't-"
"You did. Lyness's talisman only worked because you believed it would. The spell she wrote to protect you all from her mother, the one that made the poor woman disappear, only worked when you repeated the words. I believe your cousin's illness was also caused, unconsciously of course, by your magic."
"Why would I want to hurt Beth?" asked Alice, indignantly.
"You were a bit afraid of her, weren't you? Because of how strongly she felt about Lyness. You were worried that she would find out where you came from and hate you as well," he suggested gently.
Alice lowered her head, considering, then nodded.
"The talisman was meant to keep you safe from all harm, was it not?" he asked.
She nodded again.
"And your cousin only became ill when she was near you after you had attempted some kind of magic, or spent time with Lyness. The talisman acted its part well. It distracted her whenever she might have noticed something strange. It disabled her when she might have become harsh with you."
"She blamed Lyness…"
"Was Lyness nearby when she was ill?"
The first time Beth had gotten sick she'd been in the bathroom. After Alice's first meeting with Lyness, when she'd gone to get the dry clothes, Lyness had stayed in her room. Then Beth had been weak when they sat on the living room couch. Lyness had stayed upstairs. Even when Alice had gotten to Beth in the pentagram, Lyness had fallen outside the kitchen.
"But she made the talisman…"
"With your blood," Dumbledore reminded her.
"Then is it all my fault?" Alice asked.
"It is your fault, Alice, that you are still alive," Dumbledore responded. He smiled. "From what I've heard today, it is also your fault that Beth, Jake and Lyness are still alive. And even Mrs. Rice is still alive because of you." He looked at her parents, "Causing someone else to disparate is strong magic, and difficult to track when used imprecisely. Since Alice is so young, I doubt that she'll have sent her far. Local aurors will certainly locate her soon. Then perhaps we will get some answers. There was no magic in that house before Alice arrived, but I do not doubt what Alice says she saw. If Muggles are attempting magic, I'd like to know why."
"She said she was serving the Dark Lord," Alice offered.
"She what?!" her mother exclaimed.
"Did I leave that out?" Alice asked sheepishly. "She kept talking about him as the Prince of Darkness… I thought maybe she was just…"
"Insane?" supplied Dumbledore. "It's possible, but lately Voldemort's supporters have a rather long reach. I believe I'll have a word with the American aurors. For now we must discuss the arrangements for your stay here."
"She's staying?" asked Mestra.
"Sweetheart, it's the only place where we'll know she's safe," her father said.
"But she's only ten! First years have to be eleven!"
"Mestra!" scolded her mother. Alice suppressed a smile. So Perfect Mestra was flawed after all. Alice couldn't remember her sister ever arguing with an adult. Or putting herself before Alice for that matter. Good for her.
"She is correct, Mrs. Grey. Alice cannot join the school as a first year student."
"Then what are we doing here?" her mother pressed.
Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing. "Alice is not the only child in danger in our world. While I cannot protect them all, I will offer what protection I can give to as many as I can while I am here. I intend to open a Lower School. The castle is large enough to accommodate three more classes. We will send invitations first to the most at-risk children; Muggle-borns, children of mixed heritage, and the children of families most openly fighting Deatheaters. The Lower School will teach the same lessons that the children would learn at their home schools, but offer them more protection. There are already several new families moving to Hogsmeade to be closer to us. The entire faculty is working on new protection spells for the village and the castle. With any luck the war may never interrupt their studies."
"Splendid," mumbled Alice.
"Most of the students in the Lower School will live in Hogsmeade with their families, but a few will board in the castle with the original School, for their protection. We will have to place them in whichever dormitories have space. They will be Sorted, as usual, when they begin their first year as Hogwarts students, after their eleventh birthdays," continued the headmaster.
"Are we moving to Hogsmeade?" Alice asked her father.
"No, sweetheart, you're going to live in the castle. Your mother and I… will be needed at the Ministry," apologized her father.
"I thought you might join your sister in Ravenclaw until the Sorting," said Dumbledore.
A/N: so this was supposed to be 7 chapters… then 10... then 13... 15 feels good to me. This is the end of The Squib. Expect a sequel as soon as I come up with a title that doesn't sound like I ripped off Lewis Carroll. Hope you liked it J