Unraveled
Chapter Twenty: The Crystal
The trio returned to Hogwarts in silence. Ron and Hermione were wondering what made Harry's good mood suddenly stop. They didn't know that he was struggling with Fiona Black and Draco Malfoy. Harry was wondering how close they really were. "Yes, he's my friend." Harry didn't know why that bothered him so much. He wasn't even sure if Fiona was the girl from his dreams.
"I can't believe she thinks Malfoy is her friend. We'd better set her straight," said Ron.
"Snuffles would have done something by now, if he thought he'd do anything to her," said Hermione. "What do you think, Harry?"
Harry gave no response. He was too angry to give one. Ron took one look at him, then back at Hermione. He knew about Harry's problem. "Look, Harry, just because he's got her, doesn't mean he won't let you live with him as soon as his name is cleared," said Ron bracingly.
Still no response. His emerald eyes glinted under the soft moonlight. He wasn't even thinking about that. "Malfoy," he muttered.
"At least, we know where he was the entire time. He does have a little tan," said Hermione thoughtfully.
"Funny, I thought sunlight would turn him into dust," joked Ron. He was about to laugh, but he took one look at Harry's face and stopped.
"Do you suppose Malfoy is still meeting with Dumbledore? He probably does know about Snuffles and everything else. He knows more about what's going on than any of us. And for once, he hasn't bragged about it, which threw me off completely," said Hermione.
"Dumbledore probably ordered him not to. It's like a storm is coming. A big one," said Ron thoughtfully.
Harry didn't hear a single word they had said. He couldn't understand why he was so angry.
*
"Father, do you still think you can win?" asked Thalia's ghostly figure. She wouldn't leave him alone. He wanted nothing more, but for her to leave him alone. Her spirit had been haunting him since he had killed her. Voldemort swiped his hand, which went right through her. She started to laugh at him. "Did you really think that would work, Father?" she said.
"Leave me alone," he ordered her.
"I never listened to you when I was alive, what makes you think I'll listen to you now?" laughed Thalia.
"I should have never had you," hissed Voldemort.
"Likewise to your father," said Thalia.
"Why won't you leave me alone? What are you waiting for? An apology?" he demanded.
"Father, my dear, I wouldn't hold my breath, even if I could. No, all I want is to be by your side. Isn't that what you've always wanted?" she asked with an innocent tone.
"You left me. Now do it again and stop tormenting me," he shouted.
"Oh, no, Father. I can't do that. That wouldn't be right. You were left behind before. I should stay with you now," she said in a cold, sarcastic tone.
"Tell me where she is, then you can leave me alone," he said.
"I am your flesh and blood, Father. So, to speak. I won't give you my daughter. You were thrown away. Like you threw my mother away. My love wouldn't give her to you. He wouldn't do that. He hates you, but no one can hate you more than my mother. You do remember my mother, don't you?"
Voldemort froze for a moment. His face twisted into a sneer, but he pulled his face back as Thalia's came close to his. She laughed and disappeared. "You may not see me, but I am always with you," her voice echoed through the room.
The sneer disappeared from his face. He looked into the mirror, which was too afraid to make comments on his appearance. He remembered when he was younger and had his original body. The body that was flawed. The body that made Thalia.
Over thirty years ago, he struck a bargain. A young witch, a novice, wanted to gain the highest position of power in her order. She was told that the only way to do so was to give her body in a pact with him. He agreed to the pact on the condition that a child be given in the bargain. Voldemort hoped for a son, but instead a daughter was born. After the birth of Thalia, he sent her mother back to where she came from and kept their daughter.
Voldemort had such high expectations of his daughter. He wanted to recreate the world and leave it to her, but she had too much of her mother in her. Voldemort realized too late that Thalia also had her mother's powers. The only way to prevent her from learning how to use them was to keep her at his side at all times. However, Thalia found a way to access her other powers, despite the lack of training.
Voldemort knew she had. Otherwise, he would have had already found his granddaughter. He saw the pictures of her in the living room, but he left the house before she arrived. He should have stayed, but something in the house made him leave. It was almost the same force that destroyed his original body. The force of Thalia's love for Fiona, but Voldemort couldn't figure out how she did it. How did she manage to build almost the same shield as Lily Potter without Fiona there to directly apply the spell?
He found himself laughing at the irony of the situation. His cold laughter echoed through the large room. It was ironic because whatever Thalia planned, it was like something he would have planned. He had trained her in strategical thinking very well. It could be his undoing.
*
The trio returned to the Gryffindor common room to find Fred, George, and Ginny waiting for them. "Where did you go?" demanded Fred.
"None of your business," snapped Ron. It wasn't even past curfew.
"I'm going to bed," announced Harry as he left them to argue. As soon as he got into his room, he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. He drew the curtains closed, but found he couldn't sleep. He took off his glasses and dropped them on the nightstand. Just then, Ron walked into the room.
"It's still early, Harry. No one else is going to sleep. What happened back there?" asked Ron through the curtains.
"I'm tired," mumbled Harry without opening the curtains.
"Good night, Harry. You should talk to Snuffles later without anyone else there," said Ron. Harry heard his footsteps leave the room.
He looked up at the red canopy over his bed. He'd noticed that Fiona seemed sad, even though she smiled. She never made any eye contact with him, but did with Ron and Hermione. He closed his eyes and waited.
After two hours, he had another dream. He found himself in the place where the stones were carved into the cliffs. Harry walked along the forest filled with the mists. There was someone else waiting for him this time. She wore a long white dress and a veil on her head. It wasn't a wedding dress, and for some inexplicable reason, Harry knew it wasn't.
The woman in white was taller than the girl Harry usually saw. She turned and looked at him. Harry was staring into the face of Thalia Black.
*
Sirius wanted some quiet moments after the trio left. He waited until Fiona and Nell went to bed. He wanted time to think. It was the night his whole life changed. He drank a shot of Ogdens Old Firewhiskey as he stared up at the stars. He put the glass down and didn't bother to pour himself another shot. He couldn't afford to dull his senses, not with his daughter's safety at stake. He also didn't want her to find him drunk.
Nell had admitted after Fiona went to sleep that she had Thalia's wedding band. As expressed in Thalia's will, the rings were to be returned to Sirius. She wanted the engagement ring, which was still in Black Manor untouched for fourteen years, to be passed down to Fiona. Nell felt ashamed of herself for not telling him about them sooner. She thought that it was a good night to return them to him.
Sirius pulled Thalia's wedding band out of his pocket. He slipped it on his left little finger. It was the only finger that the ring could fit on because Thalia had slender and dainty hands. His hands were almost twice as large as hers. He smiled at the memory of their wedding.
A few months after they were married, Sirius found out from Lily that Thalia married him on a fluke. She didn't believe that he was serious about making a commitment. She thought that saying yes would scare him off. When it didn't, she thought that he would stop once the wedding got close. When that didn't work, she thought he would stop at the altar. She was wrong, but pleasantly surprised. Sirius was extremely offended when he found out, and he was further offended when Lily agreed with Thalia. The smile on Sirius' face widened.
It was time to go to bed. He checked on Fiona first and found that she was sleeping soundly. She had cocooned herself in her blankets. Her stuffed dog, Scruffy, sat on the nightstand. Sirius smiled. A thought came to him suddenly, he remembered what happened almost forty-eight hours ago. He was certain that he had heard his wife's voice telling him about the danger their daughter was in. He looked around Fiona's room to see where the strange crystal had gone, but it was no where to be seen, then he realized it was probably around her neck.
Sirius decided to leave her alone and let her sleep. He closed the door behind him and walked off to bed. He climbed into the large four-poster bed, but he felt strange. He wasn't used to such comforts any longer. After twelve years in Azkaban, he was used to sleeping on the cold hard floor. The bed also felt empty. The last time he had slept in a bed as large, he wasn't alone. He had had his wife sleeping by his side. Even now, he only occupied his side of the bed, leaving the left side open. He couldn't bring himself to move to middle.
The nights were always the worst times for Sirius. He missed the way his life was. He closed his eyes and hoped for no dreams to come.
*
Harry's breath was caught in his throat has he came face to face with the stunning Thalia Black. He realized just how much Fiona Black resembled her. That was not the reason why Harry couldn't breath. He couldn't because Thalia didn't look like a ghost. Most of the time, ghost appeared like they normally did in Harry's dreams: almost transparent and floating above the ground. Here stood Thalia Black firmly on the ground, looking very much alive.
"I remembered when you were a baby. You were such a beautiful baby, and you grew up to be such a handsome young man," said Thalia.
Harry felt his cheeks burning from the compliment, at which Thalia gave a short, friendly laugh. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
She gave him a smile that was very maternal. "My Fiona. Our Fiona. Please watch over her. Do not let him take her. I know how you feel. I can see it," she whispered.
Harry found himself looking into her amber colored eyes. They were almost hypnotic. "Have you seen my parents?" he asked.
"I have not. Not yet. I will as soon as this is over. They love you. They always will," said Thalia.
"What about Sirius?" asked Harry.
"I will always love him," she replied as she faded away. Harry stood there looking around him. Where in the world was he? The mists crept up around him. He could see fires burning in the distance, but not much else because of the mists. What he could not see, he could hear. The sound of chanting could be heard from a distance, but in a language that was foreign to his ears.
A single voice rose above the rest. It was the voice of a woman who chanted louder and louder. Harry felt like he was being hurled through space and time, but it was only his vision that traveled, not his being. The woman had her hands clasped together, but pulled them apart. As soon as it happened, the mists cleared instantly, but before Harry could see more of the woman, he awoke.
Harry sat up in bed, panting for air. He climbed out of bed and drew the curtains open. Finding the sky still dark, he still couldn't return to sleep. He could hear Neville's snores and knew that everyone was still asleep. He pulled his invisibility cloak out of this trunk and decided to walk around the castle for a bit clear his head.
Walking down the corridor, he could hear Filch's footsteps along with Mrs. Norris' meowing. Harry stopped for a moment to allow them to pass, but then he saw two other people walking down the hall.
"I don't feel safe here, Sensei," said Draco Malfoy as he walked along with a stranger. Harry immediately assumed that it was Ryu Ran.
"I know, Draco. I have been meaning to ask you what troubles you," said Ryu Ran.
"My problems are my own, Sensei. What happens with Fiona now? We still have to protect her. She's not safe here. He's managed to penetrate the Headmaster's defenses more than once. He'll do it again. The Shrieking Shack isn't safe either. As long as Voldemort is out there, none of us are safe, especially her," said Draco with concern.
"The time will come soon. We must have faith. I am still awaiting my orders from my leader," said Ryu Ran.
"I can't sleep in the dorms. I'd rather not," said Draco. "Everyone is already suspicious of me. My fellow Slytherins have seen me go and meet with the Headmaster. It won't be long before someone disobeys his orders to alert my father of my absence."
Ryu looked at his young pupil with quiet awareness. He noticed that Draco didn't mention his mother, just his father. "There is a war brewing. The Ministry is no use to us. Fudge is a fool, and he has already fallen to the power of Voldemort. The high priestess knows this. She awaits the chance to meet Fiona and Harry Potter."
Harry nearly gasped in surprise at the mention of his name. Who was this high priestess that Ryu Ran was discussing? Did she really have as much power as Voldemort? Did she have the power of real sight?
"What happens for now?" asked Draco.
"Wear this. It is a protective amulet; it will keep you safe from most poisons and curses," said Ryu Ran as he took the amulet from his neck and handed it to Draco.
Draco put the amulet on and looked at the patterns. It was four gems in a diamond shape. An emerald at the top, directly below Draco's chin. A ruby at the side, and a diamond at the other. A blue sapphire at the bottom. "Where does this come from?" he asked because he could feel something coming from it.
"It comes from the isle of my order. The amulet was forged and given to me when I passed the trials to join. I carry the symbol on my person at all times, but no one can see it. The amulet is the physical symbol of the order. You will learn more soon," said Ryu Ran.
"Thank you, Sensei," said Draco as he walked off towards the dungeons to get some sleep. As soon as Draco's footsteps could no longer be heard, Ryu Ran turned and said, "It is strange how people who are invisible fail to see. Please reveal yourself."
Harry was surprised as he took off his hood. "Young Lord Potter. I have been looking forward to meeting you," said Ryu Ran as he smiled.
"What did you just call me?" asked Harry.
"You have your mother's eyes," commented Ryu.
"Who are you? And how do you know I have my mother's eyes?" he demanded.
"My name is Ryu Ran. I have heard of your parents."
"What's going on around here? What's going on with Malfoy? How do you know that Fiona is in immediate danger? Where are you from?" demanded Harry.
"You have already seen her. Your heart tells me so. It's driving you to distraction. She is the only thing you can see," whispered Ryu.
"I don't know what you're talking about," snapped Harry defensively.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," said Ryu patiently.
Harry paled as he started at the man. He could hear Ryu's voice in his mind. "Do not fear her. You and she are already bounded. Do not fear."
"Stop it. Get out of my head!" Harry's voice echoed down the hall. He clutched his skull. "Stop it!"
Ryu reached over Harry and waved his hand in front of his face. "Be still like the waters, child. Be at peace," he whispered as his body transformed into water. Harry felt overwhelmed by the spell and fell forward. Ryu changed back into his flesh and caught him.
*
The high priestess watched as her scout placed a sleeping spell on the boy. She pressed her finger tips to the markings on her forehead. There was another mark on her body.
The mark that Voldemort branded into her flesh over three decades ago. It was the skull and the snake, but unlike the Death Eaters, the mark was on the back of her upper left shoulder. However, it served the same purpose as the other marks. It controlled her. Voldemort cast the spell only on her, for he could only do it once. It bounded her to the isle, so that she could not leave and retrieve what belonged to her.
She refused to give up. For the last sixteen years, she had watched happily as her life, her heart, lived on and prospered. Having the gift of vision was a blessing and a curse.
She could see everything, so that she would never have to leave the isle. However, she could not do anything with what she saw. She was already taking a large risk by offering negations with the foolish Merlians.
Her order had made that mistake before. Merlin was one of their own, but he betrayed the secrets of the order. The high priestess, at the time, handed down the sentence for his crimes. Morgaine La Fey was sent out to carry out those orders. She brought him back to the isle where he stood trial. The high priestess bound him to the shores of the isle by imprisoning him with his own wand.
The order did not require the use of such things. The wands were made to focus magical energy, which Merlin had perfected. He thought himself a god to those people. He ultimately caused their downfall. The kingdom of Camelot was destroyed because of his meddling. The secrets of the order, even its existence was dispersed all over the world.
The high priestess was not called a priestess. Rather she was called by her title: "The Lady of the Lake." The high priestess ruled over her order and over the isle, but her heart was still in the outside world. Her world was there, sleeping safely in her bed.
*
Fiona was sleeping soundly, unaware of anyone else watching her as she slept. The crystal glowed underneath the sheets. She didn't stir as the glowing brightened. No dreams came to her, nor did she feel any distress. Rather, she felt the warmth of the crystal's glow, and it brought her comfort.
The crystal was no ordinary crystal. It looked simple enough. The chain that it hung from was ordinary silver. Thalia made the crystal using a high complex spell, days after Fiona's birth. It was half of the spell she had devised to keep her safe. No one else had ever performed such a spell. No wizard or witch would perform this spell unless truly desperate. Thalia was desperate and loved her daughter beyond what she could imagine.
She wished for Fiona to have a normal existence. She had had hopes after Fiona was born, even though she knew that Voldemort was still out there, she had hoped that Fiona would be able to have her wizarding heritage. Thalia would have allowed the owls to come, or train her herself. However, when Fiona was ten, rumors came out of Hogwarts that Harry Potter had met with the Dark Lord again and survived, keeping the Sorcerer's Stone from him. Thalia feared what would happen if they had exposed themselves, so she had to use the Fidelius Charm with Nell and Laura Lawson's help. Mrs. Lawson acted as the Secret Keeper, despite urging Thalia not to deny Fiona her heritage.
After a year had past, Thalia had taken the spell off and life went on like normal. News traveled from England. Voldemort had managed to get into Hogwarts again during Harry's second year. However, the next year brought Thalia much hope, regardless of the terror that everyone else felt when Sirius Black had escaped. Now, she knew for certain that he had not lost his mind because that was the only way he could escape Azkaban. He'd also avoided capture from the dementors, increasing her hope.
The darkness crept in again the following year when Harry Potter participated in the Triwizard Tournament. Thalia remembered being suddenly jolted when Voldemort rose from the ashes again with his power restored. Fear came to her again, and Nell told her that they should put the Fidelius Charm again to protect her and Fiona. Much to Nell's surprise and horror, Thalia refused to. She said that it wouldn't be enough to keep them alive. To keep her alive. Thalia handed the jewelry box that held the crystal and instructed Nell to give it to Fiona in case anything happened. Or rather when the time came.
Fiona was not openly aware of all these things, but part of her felt it. It made her afraid to make friends, so she made do without any. After her mother died, she felt like she was validated in her decision. However, things weren't the way she expected, her father had come to her. She made a friend with the most unlikely person. She worried about him.
Draco was troubled by something. Fiona wished he trusted her enough to tell her what was wrong. It had started when they were at the Lawsons' in San Francisco. She remembered that Draco was called into the kitchen to help Mrs. Lawson with the tea. The first time Fiona met him, she knew how lonely he must have been.
Nell said that Draco's life was a lot like Thalia's. Fiona's life was more like her father's; she was protected in a bubble until much later. Sirius lost his brother when he was only ten years old, and Alex was much older than he was. His parents were killed on his sixth year, fighting Voldemort. It was no wonder he walked out on his wife after finding out her relation to Voldemort. Thalia accepted it because it was her fault, and no one else's. She spent her time protecting her daughter and attempting to give things to her, even if she could not afford it.
Sirius was attempting to provide for Fiona just the same. Nell had given Fiona the key to her vault, but there was only 5000 galleons. It was all Thalia could save up over the past fourteen years. She was careful never to take money out of Fiona's vault, and Nell was the one who deposited money into it because Thalia never ventured into the wizarding world ever again after she left England. What Thalia didn't know was that Nell added some extra galleons whenever she deposited money. Thalia felt guilt because she had thought that there was only 2500 galleons. The money in Fiona's vault was no where near the amount in Harry's vault. Sirius made sure he knew where her key was, so that he could arrange to have more money transferred to her. He wanted her to have nice things because she had to make do on what her mother could give.
For the most part, Nell was the one who gave extras to Fiona. She was the one who bought toys on a whim and attempted to spoil her goddaughter. Eventually, Thalia was thoroughly annoyed with her. It came down to Nell giving Fiona things with the promise that not a word would be mentioned to Thalia. Nell felt like she had a say in anything that involved her goddaughter. All in all, Thalia chose her life well. She had married a wonderful, loving man and her two best friends were people she could trust.
Fiona had yet to meet her godfathers. Although, she was due to meet Remus Lupin in the morning, but Severus Snape was not there. Before going to bed, Fiona read out of the book of fairy tales that was given to her before she could read the words. Sirius saw her reading it and kept his opinions of Snape to himself.
The sun dawning heralded the next morning soon enough. Fiona pulled of her sheets and went to go get something from her stash of sweets. "No candy before breakfast," said a voice from the doorway. She turned to see her father smiling at her.
"I was just going to count my candy," said Fiona defensively.
"Yeah, right. Get ready. We've got to go to the castle today," Sirius told her as he walked away. "Okay," said Fiona as she peered into her stash to look for a chocolate frog and found one. She set it on the nightstand and went to go get ready.
"Maybe we should have taken that candy from her," said Nell thoughtfully as Sirius walked in.
"Maybe, but do you want to fight her for that bag?" asked Sirius.
"Are you kidding? And get my arm ripped off? No," replied Nell. After twenty minutes, Fiona arrived with her hair loose and in a blouse like a Japanese kimono. She wore a pair of jeans and sporty, red shoes. The crystal hung proudly from her neck. She set the chocolate frog on the table and helped herself to some oatmeal.
"Are we going to meet Professor Dumbledore today?" she asked.
"Yes," said Nell as she cut a banana and added it to Fiona's oatmeal. She wrinkled her nose at it and gave Nell a look of disgust.
"You need the potassium," said Nell. "You eat bananas coated in sugar and fried. You also eat them coated in chocolate and nuts. Just eat it."
"I'll trade your banana-less oatmeal for mine," said Fiona to Sirius who had already began to eat his.
"I'll trade for your chocolate frog," he said.
"That's okay. I'll just eat the oatmeal and keep my frog," said Fiona as she started to eat the oatmeal. Sirius smiled at Nell who was watching them with her mouth opened. He'd managed to negotiate with Fiona much more quickly than anyone Nell had ever seen. "Where's Sensei?" she asked after moment.
"He didn't come back last night," said Sirius as he looked at Nell who shook her head.
"He probably stayed at Hogwarts after the meeting with Professor Dumbledore," said Nell thoughtfully.
"I have a transfiguration test today. I'm supposed to turn a teapot into a turtle. Or was it the other way around? It doesn't matter. I still get can't it right. Could you help me, Aunt Nell?" asked Fiona.
Nell looked at her thoughtfully. "I'm sorry, but transfiguration isn't my forte. I'm better at Potions and Arithmacy. Sorry, for help in transfiguration, you'd better ask someone who's an expert. Someone who's an Animagus," she said as she jerked her thumb at Sirius. Fiona turned to look at him to find that he had a smile on his face.
"I don't want to," said Fiona out loud.
"Would you rather fail your test?" asked Sirius. "I promise I'll be patient."
Fiona gave him a look like she was judging him. "Okay. I don't want to fail," said Fiona.
"Let's get going," said Nell as she flicked her wand. The entire table was cleaned up. Sirius stood up and transformed. He walked up to Fiona and licked her finger tips, making her smile. She still liked dogs. Nell handed her a new cloak and put one on herself. It had occurred to Fiona that Nell was dressed in wizarding robes. It was the first time she had ever seen her like that. Fiona felt she was dressed wrong. However, Sirius pulled at her cloak to get her to follow him.
Fiona had no idea how they were going to get there. Sirius guided them to the hall. The passage opened that lead to Hogwarts. Nell and Fiona followed Sirius through the twisting passageway. They came to a solid wall that Sirius pressed his paw on. The passageway opened to sunlight, and Sirius easily climbed out without any trouble because of his four paws. Fiona was boosted out by Nell; afterwards she helped her out.
Sirius wagged his tail as he looked around the grounds. Fiona thought everything looked old. "So, this is Hogwarts?" asked Nell out loud.
"Yes, it is," said Ryu as he appeared almost of thin air.
"Did you go to school here as well, Sensei?" asked Fiona. Nell and Sirius looked at Ryu Ran and hoped that he would answer.
"No, I did not. I am the only child in my family who chose not to attend this school. Come," said Ryu Ran as he gestured for them to follow him. Fiona slowed them down by looking around. Sirius had to grab her by her cloak again with his teeth to get her to move.
"Where's Draco?" asked Fiona.
"He's gone off to class," replied Ryu.
Harry and Ron were in their Divination class that overlooked where they were coming in. "Harry, look," said Ron as he looked out the window. They were supposed to be reading tarot cards, but gave up as soon as all the decks were dealt out. Harry peered out the window to see the top of Fiona's head. She kept stopping to look around. Nell told her something, which neither Ron nor Harry could understand. When she wouldn't move, her father pulled her forward by her cloak.
"Stop biting my cloak," said Fiona to her father. He barked at her. "Okay, okay, I'm moving."
"You can look around after the meeting with the Headmaster," said Ryu.
The halls were empty because almost everyone was in class. Professor McGonagall had a free period and spotted the small group. "Ryu Ran? What brings you to England?" she asked as she walked up to him.
"Hello Professor McGongall. May I introduce to you my student, Fiona Black," he said as he placed his hand on Fiona's shoulder.
"Ah, you must be Sirius Black's daughter as I can see," she said as she looked at the black dog who was proudly wagging his tail.
"We have business with the Headmaster," said Ryu with a smile.
"I'll show you the way. I must say, Ryu, you're being rather formal these days," said Professor McGonagall.
Ryu gave her a good natured smile, but there was a twinkle in his eye. Fiona followed along, but she kept stopping to look at the moving paintings, and she was surprised when the armor started rattling on their own. Peeves the Poltergeist came swooping over.
"Ah! Lookie, playing hookie!" he declared.
"Go away, Peeves," ordered Professor McGonagall.
"Ah, and who is this lovely?" Peeves asked as he ignored her. He swooped in closer to look at Fiona. She looked at him impassively. "My, she looks like a little doll."
"I suggest you stop," warned Ryu Ran. Peeves looked at him and for a moment it seemed like there was fire swirling in his eyes. "I have to go," said Peeves as he looked away from him.
"Move along," said Professor McGonagall as she lead them to the office of Professor Dumbledore. "Chocolate Frogs." The gargoyle jumped out of the way to let them through.
Professor Dumbledore looked up from his desk. He smiled at Fiona. It brought her some comfort. She was startled at how old he was. He had a long white beard that went down to his waist along with his hair. His eyes were clear blue. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Fiona Black," he said to her gently.
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," said Fiona as the door closed behind them.
"You have better manners than you father," said the Headmaster with a laugh as Sirius turned back into his human form.
"Um…thanks, Professor Dumbledore," she responded slowly. Sirius smiled at his comment as he placed his hands on Fiona's shoulders. She was now looking around the office. She saw the large phoenix sitting on a perch watching her. "What a beautiful bird," she said with a smile.
"Ah, yes. Fawkes. He's a phoenix. He provided the feather for your wand, Fiona," he said. She walked to the perch and reluctantly reached out to touch the bird. He puffed out his down feathers proudly to allow her to touch him. "Thank you, Fawkes," she said. The phoenix gave a short musical chirp.
"You know why you are here, don't you, Fiona?" asked Professor Dumbledore.
"I'm not sure. I know that I'm here for my protection, but I don't know why Voldemort is really after me," admitted Fiona after some thought. Professor McGonagall flinched slightly at the mentioned of Voldemort's name, which she immediately noticed. "I don't understand why people are so afraid at the mention of his name. Why are people calling him "Lord Voldemort?" He's an evil, twisted bastard."
Nell looked at her with surprise. Sirius nodded in agreement, while Ryu Ran and Dumbledore looked at each other. Professor McGonagall opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't. "Everyone's so scared of him. The moment people give in to that fear, he wins a little bit. Every time someone is afraid to utter his name, he wins. I won't let him win. Not ever," continued Fiona as her eyes flashed slightly. Her voice was cold with rage.
"You are right, Fiona. Very few people understand their enemies so well," said Professor Dumbledore. She had taken a look at the four portraits on the wall. The founders of Hogwarts were looking at her, and something that no one had ever seen before: the portrait of Salazar Slytherin was actually smiling kindly, instead of its usually sneer. "Those are the founders of Hogwarts. That's the portrait of your ancestor Salazar Slytherin," Professor Dumbledore said to Fiona.
"What?" she asked as the portrait continued to smile at her. "You mean this is my ancestor? Which side?"
"Your mother's. My family all belonged to the Gryffindor House," said Sirius.
"Oh, you mean Voldemort's side," she said.
"We have some things to discuss. You may leave and have a look around now," said Professor Dumbledore.
"Can I go by myself?" she asked with a hopefully look as she pouted slightly at the only person who would weaken at it. "I promise not to do anything bad. Please, Dad?"
Sirius looked at her and made an appeal to everyone else. He wanted to tell her no. "Ah…you see…well…you're safe enough here. You can go out, if you want. Just come back soon," he said slowly, unable to fight the look her face. She lit up with her dimples showing.
"Bye," she said quickly as she left the room. She was afraid of any further instructions, but as soon as she was gone Professor Dumbledore looked serious. "Ryu, please explain what happens next,"
"The time has come for us to meet with the high priestess. Voldemort is moving quickly and his army is growing. We must go in the next fortnight," announced Ryu.
"Who is this high priestess?" asked Sirius.
"A powerful witch who rules my order. Her powers are unimaginable," replied Ryu Ran.
"If she's so powerful, why doesn't she fight Voldemort?" asked Professor McGonagall.
"She cannot leave the isle. She is bounded there," explained Ryu.
"How will we get there?" asked Nell.
"By raft, you can get to the isle by any body of water as long as you have a guide," he said simply. No one else, save Professor Dumbledore, understood him completely. Everyone was going to have to wait.
*
Fiona walked outside to look around and get some fresh air. She walked outside just as classes let up, while everyone else was running off to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry stopped when he saw her standing there.
"Harry, we've got to go. We can't be late for Professor Lupin's class," said Ron, but he spotted Fiona standing there. "I thought that she was with the others."
"Go ahead, Ron. I'll come soon. Just tell Professor Lupin something," said Harry as he walked off. Ron didn't say anything; he merely shook his head and went off to class.
"Hello again," said Harry softly, carefully so he didn't surprise her. Her hair hung just at her chin, which put him a bit off the moment she turned to face him.
"Hello," whispered Fiona. The sunlight gleamed off the crystal. Harry stared at it and found he couldn't look away.
"Where did you get that?" he whispered.
Fiona wrapped her hand around it. "It's mine. My mother left it to me. Excuse me, I have to go back," she said hurriedly as she tried to get passed him.
Not knowing what came over him, Harry grabbed her wrist as she tried to leave. "Why won't you look me in the eye?" he demanded, feeling the warmth from her wrist.
"Let me go," she whispered as she tried to free herself from his grip. "It's going to bruise. Please let me go," she pleaded.
"Harry, why aren't you in class?" interrupted Professor Lupin's voice, jolting Harry back to his senses. He dropped Fiona's wrist. "What's going on here?"
"Nothing. Nothing's happening," said Fiona quickly. She didn't want Harry to get into trouble because of her. She was the last one who should cause more trouble for him. "Excuse me," she whispered as she walked passed Professor Lupin.
"Wait," said Professor Lupin. Fiona turned around. "You look like your mother. You must be Fiona. My name is Remus Lupin. I'm one of your two godfathers. The one who was left out of the loop," he said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a weakly mustered smile.
"Likewise, now Harry, we've got to go to class. I'll talk to you later," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He had heard everything before he had said anything. He wanted to talk to Harry. Fiona walked back to Professor Dumbledore's office.
"I was just talking to her," said Harry quietly.
"I know you were. Why don't you explain to me what happened? I promise I won't tell her father unless you want me to," said Professor Lupin. "And don't tell me that nothing happened. I heard what you were talking about. What's been bothering you, Harry?"
"I don't want to talk about it. Let's just say I had a strange night," he said with a tone of finality. After his encounter with Ryu Ran, he woke up safe in his own bed. He found his cloak folded in his trunk.
"Harry, I'm not going to force you to say anything. I want you to trust me," said Professor Lupin without another word.
AN: Harry's had a bad time in this chapter. He's not quite sure how he feels about Fiona, even though everyone else is swearing he's in love. This is just a weird chapter. There are lots of clues as to who the high priestess and the order that Ryu Ran comes from. Yes, he literally changed into water. I liked the last part because of the conflict between Fiona and Harry. Is it obvious that he feels something for her? Don't be mean to Fiona here. This is all new to her and she feels guilty about his parents. Hmm…
Sorry for the errors here, but my beta reader's busy. Forgive my mistakes. ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. That's all. ^_^