Once Upon A Time: Renee's Story
Jeanette's body ached as she lay on Ginny's bunk bed. She could hear Ginny's whispery snoring. She smiled. Fred. She had got him good. Ginny had been teaching her how to fly and Jeanette had proved extremely inadequate, but after half an hour of coaxing she was actually in the air. She could do a wobbly little path two feet off the ground. She was rather proud of herself. She felt like crowing, "Ha! Take that."
She had broken her wrist after falling out of a two-story window into the bush below several years ago. The act had about scared all the naughtiness out of her. Now she conquered her fear of heights, somewhat. She laughed out loud when she learned how to reverse. However, when she glanced at Ginny soaring effortlessly around her, some of the pride slipped. She really sucked, didn't she? She kicked off a little harder, and the broom bucked her off and she landed hard on her rump. Someone laughed at her, but when she looked up all the boys were deeply immersed with their Quidditch game. She clambered back on and started again, her teeth gritted.
Suddenly, something hit her hard square in the back of the head. She turned and she could see the leather quaffle rolling away. Fred was laughing above her, doing loops, teasing. She wanted to kill him. She kicked hard off the ground and it rose straight up shaking, much quicker than she imagined. Nevertheless, she launched herself at Fred and knocked them off of his broom. They fell ten feet into the dewy, thick foot long grass, Fred taking all the impact. Jeanette landed on top, socked him, and called him a "crap head" before rejoining Ginny for another flying lesson.
An hour of so later, Fred apologized for his behavior in the previous week. The sight of a tousled, dirt streaked Fred with a bruised jaw apologizing gave her a fit of giggles. She forgave him of course, but more because of his appearance than his stammering, red faced "sorry."
It had been a good afternoon, she closed her eyes again, but frowned when she heard a slight creak. She got up and crept towards the door. The door swung open suddenly and a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. The other hand muffled her scream.
"Quiet." It was Lupin's voice. "Come." He pulled her out the door and down the stairs. Moody was already there. He tossed her a cloak and pulled a dainty pair of silver sewing scissors from his pocket. She looked at him, oddly.
"Haven't you ever seen a portkey before?" He said incredulously.
"No. We use cars."
"Touch it," he waved the sharp ends toward her. She touched it with her index finger and Lupin touched the screw that held the blades together. After a minute, Moody and Lupin both looked so serious that Jeanette felt like she was missing something. She felt stupid.
"Now what?" She asked finally.
"We wait."
"Oh." She said sheepishly. Then she felt it. It was like the first moment when your cart begins to fall on a roller coaster. Not exactly comfortable. Air was pressing against her at all sides, her ears popped, and general nausea began to settle in. She couldn't see and her hair pressed against her face. She was glad of the cloak, she would have been cold in her pajamas. Finally, they stopped and Jeanette trembled and took deep breaths. She was on her feet, because Lupin was holding her arm tightly but her feet were all wobbly. Never again, she took a shivery breath and her stomach fluttered.
"Come on. We'll fly back if you want?"
"Fly?" She whimpered.
"Remus! Alastor! They've arrived," a giant man from the cottage that Jeanette had not noticed called to them. Instinctively, she moved backward.
"Come along, Jeanette. There's nothing to be frightened of."
"What going on? I don't want to," but already Jeanette was allowing herself to be led toward the cottage. The cottage was fairly large and homey. The hairy black bear of a man grabbed her hand and wrist in one giant paw and pumped her arm up in down in a handshake. Her teeth rattled in her head.
"Name's Hagrid. This here's my home. Welcome. Welcome." Jeanette managed a very weak smile. The cottage was full of people. Dumbledore, the face she'd seen on the newspapers constantly since she got here, a tall, greasy man, a short round man, a tall bald black man, and a woman with neon green hair. Jeanette had a very bad feeling about this and she wanted to run, but Lupin still had a firm grip on her arm. She half wanted to thank him for doing so, because she was still a bit dizzy and her stomach felt awful. What were they going to do to her? Lupin led her to the large formal dining table that looked odd with the other handmade furniture. He sat her down at the head of the table.
"Here, have some butterbeer." Hagrid offered her a cup kindly. She took it, the earthen mug shook in her hands. Hagrid was big and he looked extremely scary despite his gestures. The greasy man was downright terrifying gestures or no gestures. Moody was creepy and anyone with neon green hair was questionable. Jeanette had a deeply instilled reverence for elders, respect that bordered fear. Dumbledore looked wise and old, but his tallness and grave expression added to the tenseness of the atmosphere. Even Lupin with his tired eyes and graying hair, there was something more to him than a middle aged man down on his luck.
She took a sip and spilled some of the warm frothy liquid down her front. The liquid was mellow and creamy, but it had a slight aftertaste. It was alcohol and it was good.
"I'm not supposed to have alcohol."
"It's not very strong and you look like you need it." Moody growled. The people seated themselves at the table, Dumbledore sat at the other end.
"But--"
"Just drink it," the greasy man snapped.
"Severus, the poor thing's frightened enough as it is." The woman snapped. Severus simply rolled his eyes. Alcohol won't hurt me, Jeanette thought to herself, but it might hurt them. With that she took a longer sip and the warmness flooded all over her body. It felt very nice, comfortable. She drained the cup and she felt oddly relaxed. Severus snatched the cup and disappeared to refill it, Jeanette supposed.
"So, you like London?" The woman asked.
"It's different. Much colder." Jeanette said simply. Severus returned and slapped down the mug before returning to his seat some of the liquid spilling on the hardwood.
"Name?" Dumbledore asked.
"Jeanette Davis," the words rolled easily off her tongue now. Dumbledore stared hard at her as if he knew she was lying. He did know she was lying, because Moody knew what she looked like, and well her picture had been in the paper for the last week.
"Girl, take a sip. You look ill." Severus said, rather indifferently. She obeyed and licked her lips nervously. She felt panicky.
"Name?" Dumbledore asked gently again. Jeanette fidgeted. Did they know, if they already knew then it didn't matter, but if they didn't she was in trouble. "That's a lovely necklace. May I see it?" They knew and somehow that made her even more frightened. They knew. She reached up slowly and began to fiddle with clasp. It gave and she felt naked, vulnerable yet heavy.
She had forgotten what it was like to not wear a cool, light illusion. The feel of cloth against her skin, the illusion had covered her skin before and she had puts on clothes over it. How it was like to feel her own hair prick her neck as she moved her head to look at the people around her. They stared and she looked down at her cup. She had forgotten that she was ugly without the illusion. Shame. She was ashamed of how she looked. The necklace was still clenched in her hand and she slid it across the table to Dumbledore. He picked it up, glanced it over before giving it back.
She put the necklace back on, but it was over. The illusion still worked, but not the protected feeling she felt when she wore it. The borrowed confidence of a new image was gone. With a new face, she could act anyway she wanted, but now she was back to being boring, nerdy, useless- -
"My name is Renee Lee." She said needlessly. She was angry at how sad her sounded. There was nothing wrong with who she was, a voice wheedled. Yes, there wasn't, but it was much better to be Jeanette. Firey, smart, exciting, wild Jeanette.
"I know that this is very uncomfortable for you, dear, but you must understand that we are trying to help you." Dumbledore said quietly.
"I understand." She murmured.
"Now can you tell us everything."
"Everything?"
"Everything you think we should know about you and your friends." She was Jeanette and that was all they had to know, she thought grumpily. She closed her eyes and tried to collect her thoughts. She was Jeanette, someone else had been Renee and it would easy to tell someone else's story.
RENEE'S STORY***
My parents loved me very much. Sometimes I thought a little much. They always wanted the best for me and they always fought for me. They wanted me to be successful and to them being successful was making six digit salary and the only way to get a six digit salary was to get a good education and go to a good college.
So when I was nine, we moved in the middle of the school year. My sister and I were both enrolled into the Salem Institute in California. At the time, I hated it and I didn't try very hard to fit in. I didn't get along with the other children and vice versa. They were all pure bloods and my father was a human, a nuclear physicist. He hoped that I would give up my wizard half and go into technology like him when I was older. At Salem, we took both magical classes and normal ones.
I wanted very much to make my parents proud and I worked very hard. I wasn't the best in the class, but I did well and the other children and their parents were upset. I ranked sixth in a class of thirty. The other children wouldn't sit next to me at lunch or play with me at recess. And well, I was as much as a brat as they were. I was proud that I was half human and I wasn't afraid to say so.
They were doing construction of the school in some of the upper story classrooms. It wasn't safe, but I hid there with my books at breaks. And one day, the some children asked me to play with them. I was very happy, because by then books had gotten dreary. We played tag in the half finished building. Luna was it and she quickly got Taylor who got Tayesha. They hadn't put the glass yet in the windows, but I didn't know that. I was running and Tayesha was chasing me. I leaned against the wall and Tayesha was coming after me and Jonathan was too.
There was a balcony and I was stupid. I thought I could get to balcony and use the emergency ladder to get down. Except there was no balcony, there were only windows. Windows with no glass and I fell. One of the windows had been spelled with the image of a balcony. I just broke my wrist, but I was punished for playing in the construction.
I didn't tell them about the other children. They were gone by the time teachers came and I was afraid. They had punished me, because I was too proud, loud, and smart. I was afraid of what else they might do, so I had detention and my profile was marked. Disobedience. For the next two years, I stayed away from them.
As we moved into the upper grades, there more children and I made a few friends. Then there was an academic acceleration program that Salem offered that my parents wanted me to try out for and I did. Only four other people in my grade qualified. Tayesha, Luna, Jonathan, and Taylor, the four people that had been at the head of the class the first year I came.
There were many extra classes to take, so all our parents got together and they jointly hired a tutor. It was I think Tayesha's father's friend's son or something. His name was Tony. Tony Shin, we called him "body parts." Our parents got along very well, so naturally we all acted friendly to each other. There were sleepovers, dinners, and study groups together.
Jonathan's parents heard of an internship of some sort and of course my parents wanted me to join. Tony didn't like at all and he pressured us not to join. He said that it was corrupt. I told my parents and Tony was fired. Our parents began having guests come over and of course the other children and their parents came to. One of the men was Lucius Malfoy.
A few months ago, Tony appeared at the study session and he had a newspaper article with him. Lucius had been arrested because he was a Death Eater. Tony told us that we had to flee, not tell our parents, or take anything that could be tracked with us. He knew what we were and for the last year or so he taught us and kept the secret from our parents. We would leave the next day and we couldn't tell anyone where we were going. Tony gave us each a few hundred dollars to travel.
That night I breached the subject about Malfoy getting arrested because he was a Death Eater. My parents reaction was totally unexpected. They did not support the Dark Lord, but they felt that I must join to survive. It was a gift of love, they told me. Backing out this late would be dangerous. I was very upset that night and I cried a very long time. I felt as if I had been betrayed, because our view points were so apart. But now that I think about it, I think they really did love me. They did.
The next day after school, I boarded a Knight bus and left. I condemned them when I got on the bus.
***
Jeanette was crying. Lupin who was sitting closet to her, wiped a tear away. It formed into a big pink pearl as soon as it touched his hand. Every one looked very uncomfortable. Hagrid handed her a handkerchief.
"You say, Lucius Malfoy came to your home?" Severus asked suddenly.
"Yes."
"Describe him."
"Blond hair, sharp angular features, gray eyes. He was tall and he had a cane. He wasn't very old, maybe in his thirties." She told him, grateful to focus on something else. She noticed the mug that was still full and drank it down, feeling somewhat better.
"Do you know why Voldemort wanted you and your friends?" Severus continued.
"They weren't my friends." Jeanette replied tartly. Hagrid refilled her mug.
"Your classmates," Severus corrected himself irritably.
"We get good grades and you must know what we are. We can do things." She drained the mug and felt happier. She hiccuped.
"Like what things?" Severus prodded.
"Tayesha can do things with water, Taylor with ice and snow, Jonathan can tell when you're lying, do illusions and stuff, and wind, and Luna. She can go into your dreams." Her mug was full again, funny she didn't see anyone put stuff in it. She took a large gulp and smiled. Everything suddenly seemed funny. The black man's head was shiny in fire light like a glossy black egg. Black egg. Ha! She giggled.
"Renee--"
"Jeanette." Jeanette corrected.
"Jeanette, would you tell a lie for me," Dumbledore asked softly.
"Why?"
"Just do what the headmaster says," Severus snapped.
"Sourpuss," Jeanette giggled and the fire crackled. "My skin is purple." She giggled again. She liked this butter beer stuff. The candles began to flicker. They seemed very pretty. Everyone glared at Severus.
"What? I told you Veritaserum might not work." Severus said, but Jeanette wasn't paying attention. She was trying to see how high she could get the flames. A candle flame shot a foot high, but it was as wobbly as she had been right after the portkey. Was she drunk? She giggled again and the flame almost flopped over. The people were so busy talking to each other that they didn't notice that all the candle flames and the fire in the fireplace was moving oddly. Jeanette was having a ball.
"--story is not true?" The short man asked. Why were they so serious? Couldn't they see that everything was so funny? She called the fire to her and it came lazily and haphazardly. It rolled up her arm. Suddenly a stream of water put it out. She pouted. Her mug was gone and all the grownups were staring at her again.
"Can you tells us when you started to be able to manipulate fire?" Moody asked.
"When I was twelve."
"Do you know when the others started?"
"No, but they were much more adept then me. Tony helped us learn how to control it. I was afraid of the fire in the beginning, but now it's my friend." She giggled. "Friend. Jonathan can fly." She informed. "I was learning."
"How does he fly?" The woman asked.
"He turns into a cloudy thing and he floats like air. I can float a little, but Tony says when I get it right I should turn into a wisp of fire. You want me to try?"
"NO," came the collective response. Jeanette pouted, she felt oddly light headed and when she tried to stand up she was wobbly. The sky was turning light outside. Lupin gave her another mug. It was tea. Fruit tea. Fruity. She giggled and sipped it. It made her sleepy and Lupin scooped her up. She closed her eyes, still smiling.
Author's Note: The plot thickens. So where are the other four? Did they escape or were they captured by Voldemort? Just in case, you're wondering why none of the animals are dragons. Well, a dragon is an embodiment of all five elements. He breathes fire and is equally comfortable living in the sea, on land, or in the air. They are also incredibly wise.
So how can Jeanie be a demi-god, she was born human right? Right, but the "demi-god" thing is a consciousness or awareness rather than a new body or a new individual. There are five families which each carry an animal, but a demi-god can also relinquish his or her power to another individual at special times like on a deathbed. Sometimes the "demi-god" simply disappears at times of peace and stays in between the world of the living and the dead. Obviously, each family has folklore about their creature. The legend is thousand of years old, perhaps starting in the cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia and spread via trade, wars, and marriage.
Jeanette regained the awareness when Harry Potter dueled Voldemort/ Quirrel, but it took her awhile to realize it. And as the awareness deepened, her body began to change to suit her destiny's purposes, but more on that later.
Why did all five grow up together? Because it's just easier that way.
Why does Jeanette get drunk so easily? The butterbeer was not magicked besides the truth potion, it's just Jeanette is alcohol intolerant.
Jeanette's body ached as she lay on Ginny's bunk bed. She could hear Ginny's whispery snoring. She smiled. Fred. She had got him good. Ginny had been teaching her how to fly and Jeanette had proved extremely inadequate, but after half an hour of coaxing she was actually in the air. She could do a wobbly little path two feet off the ground. She was rather proud of herself. She felt like crowing, "Ha! Take that."
She had broken her wrist after falling out of a two-story window into the bush below several years ago. The act had about scared all the naughtiness out of her. Now she conquered her fear of heights, somewhat. She laughed out loud when she learned how to reverse. However, when she glanced at Ginny soaring effortlessly around her, some of the pride slipped. She really sucked, didn't she? She kicked off a little harder, and the broom bucked her off and she landed hard on her rump. Someone laughed at her, but when she looked up all the boys were deeply immersed with their Quidditch game. She clambered back on and started again, her teeth gritted.
Suddenly, something hit her hard square in the back of the head. She turned and she could see the leather quaffle rolling away. Fred was laughing above her, doing loops, teasing. She wanted to kill him. She kicked hard off the ground and it rose straight up shaking, much quicker than she imagined. Nevertheless, she launched herself at Fred and knocked them off of his broom. They fell ten feet into the dewy, thick foot long grass, Fred taking all the impact. Jeanette landed on top, socked him, and called him a "crap head" before rejoining Ginny for another flying lesson.
An hour of so later, Fred apologized for his behavior in the previous week. The sight of a tousled, dirt streaked Fred with a bruised jaw apologizing gave her a fit of giggles. She forgave him of course, but more because of his appearance than his stammering, red faced "sorry."
It had been a good afternoon, she closed her eyes again, but frowned when she heard a slight creak. She got up and crept towards the door. The door swung open suddenly and a hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. The other hand muffled her scream.
"Quiet." It was Lupin's voice. "Come." He pulled her out the door and down the stairs. Moody was already there. He tossed her a cloak and pulled a dainty pair of silver sewing scissors from his pocket. She looked at him, oddly.
"Haven't you ever seen a portkey before?" He said incredulously.
"No. We use cars."
"Touch it," he waved the sharp ends toward her. She touched it with her index finger and Lupin touched the screw that held the blades together. After a minute, Moody and Lupin both looked so serious that Jeanette felt like she was missing something. She felt stupid.
"Now what?" She asked finally.
"We wait."
"Oh." She said sheepishly. Then she felt it. It was like the first moment when your cart begins to fall on a roller coaster. Not exactly comfortable. Air was pressing against her at all sides, her ears popped, and general nausea began to settle in. She couldn't see and her hair pressed against her face. She was glad of the cloak, she would have been cold in her pajamas. Finally, they stopped and Jeanette trembled and took deep breaths. She was on her feet, because Lupin was holding her arm tightly but her feet were all wobbly. Never again, she took a shivery breath and her stomach fluttered.
"Come on. We'll fly back if you want?"
"Fly?" She whimpered.
"Remus! Alastor! They've arrived," a giant man from the cottage that Jeanette had not noticed called to them. Instinctively, she moved backward.
"Come along, Jeanette. There's nothing to be frightened of."
"What going on? I don't want to," but already Jeanette was allowing herself to be led toward the cottage. The cottage was fairly large and homey. The hairy black bear of a man grabbed her hand and wrist in one giant paw and pumped her arm up in down in a handshake. Her teeth rattled in her head.
"Name's Hagrid. This here's my home. Welcome. Welcome." Jeanette managed a very weak smile. The cottage was full of people. Dumbledore, the face she'd seen on the newspapers constantly since she got here, a tall, greasy man, a short round man, a tall bald black man, and a woman with neon green hair. Jeanette had a very bad feeling about this and she wanted to run, but Lupin still had a firm grip on her arm. She half wanted to thank him for doing so, because she was still a bit dizzy and her stomach felt awful. What were they going to do to her? Lupin led her to the large formal dining table that looked odd with the other handmade furniture. He sat her down at the head of the table.
"Here, have some butterbeer." Hagrid offered her a cup kindly. She took it, the earthen mug shook in her hands. Hagrid was big and he looked extremely scary despite his gestures. The greasy man was downright terrifying gestures or no gestures. Moody was creepy and anyone with neon green hair was questionable. Jeanette had a deeply instilled reverence for elders, respect that bordered fear. Dumbledore looked wise and old, but his tallness and grave expression added to the tenseness of the atmosphere. Even Lupin with his tired eyes and graying hair, there was something more to him than a middle aged man down on his luck.
She took a sip and spilled some of the warm frothy liquid down her front. The liquid was mellow and creamy, but it had a slight aftertaste. It was alcohol and it was good.
"I'm not supposed to have alcohol."
"It's not very strong and you look like you need it." Moody growled. The people seated themselves at the table, Dumbledore sat at the other end.
"But--"
"Just drink it," the greasy man snapped.
"Severus, the poor thing's frightened enough as it is." The woman snapped. Severus simply rolled his eyes. Alcohol won't hurt me, Jeanette thought to herself, but it might hurt them. With that she took a longer sip and the warmness flooded all over her body. It felt very nice, comfortable. She drained the cup and she felt oddly relaxed. Severus snatched the cup and disappeared to refill it, Jeanette supposed.
"So, you like London?" The woman asked.
"It's different. Much colder." Jeanette said simply. Severus returned and slapped down the mug before returning to his seat some of the liquid spilling on the hardwood.
"Name?" Dumbledore asked.
"Jeanette Davis," the words rolled easily off her tongue now. Dumbledore stared hard at her as if he knew she was lying. He did know she was lying, because Moody knew what she looked like, and well her picture had been in the paper for the last week.
"Girl, take a sip. You look ill." Severus said, rather indifferently. She obeyed and licked her lips nervously. She felt panicky.
"Name?" Dumbledore asked gently again. Jeanette fidgeted. Did they know, if they already knew then it didn't matter, but if they didn't she was in trouble. "That's a lovely necklace. May I see it?" They knew and somehow that made her even more frightened. They knew. She reached up slowly and began to fiddle with clasp. It gave and she felt naked, vulnerable yet heavy.
She had forgotten what it was like to not wear a cool, light illusion. The feel of cloth against her skin, the illusion had covered her skin before and she had puts on clothes over it. How it was like to feel her own hair prick her neck as she moved her head to look at the people around her. They stared and she looked down at her cup. She had forgotten that she was ugly without the illusion. Shame. She was ashamed of how she looked. The necklace was still clenched in her hand and she slid it across the table to Dumbledore. He picked it up, glanced it over before giving it back.
She put the necklace back on, but it was over. The illusion still worked, but not the protected feeling she felt when she wore it. The borrowed confidence of a new image was gone. With a new face, she could act anyway she wanted, but now she was back to being boring, nerdy, useless- -
"My name is Renee Lee." She said needlessly. She was angry at how sad her sounded. There was nothing wrong with who she was, a voice wheedled. Yes, there wasn't, but it was much better to be Jeanette. Firey, smart, exciting, wild Jeanette.
"I know that this is very uncomfortable for you, dear, but you must understand that we are trying to help you." Dumbledore said quietly.
"I understand." She murmured.
"Now can you tell us everything."
"Everything?"
"Everything you think we should know about you and your friends." She was Jeanette and that was all they had to know, she thought grumpily. She closed her eyes and tried to collect her thoughts. She was Jeanette, someone else had been Renee and it would easy to tell someone else's story.
RENEE'S STORY***
My parents loved me very much. Sometimes I thought a little much. They always wanted the best for me and they always fought for me. They wanted me to be successful and to them being successful was making six digit salary and the only way to get a six digit salary was to get a good education and go to a good college.
So when I was nine, we moved in the middle of the school year. My sister and I were both enrolled into the Salem Institute in California. At the time, I hated it and I didn't try very hard to fit in. I didn't get along with the other children and vice versa. They were all pure bloods and my father was a human, a nuclear physicist. He hoped that I would give up my wizard half and go into technology like him when I was older. At Salem, we took both magical classes and normal ones.
I wanted very much to make my parents proud and I worked very hard. I wasn't the best in the class, but I did well and the other children and their parents were upset. I ranked sixth in a class of thirty. The other children wouldn't sit next to me at lunch or play with me at recess. And well, I was as much as a brat as they were. I was proud that I was half human and I wasn't afraid to say so.
They were doing construction of the school in some of the upper story classrooms. It wasn't safe, but I hid there with my books at breaks. And one day, the some children asked me to play with them. I was very happy, because by then books had gotten dreary. We played tag in the half finished building. Luna was it and she quickly got Taylor who got Tayesha. They hadn't put the glass yet in the windows, but I didn't know that. I was running and Tayesha was chasing me. I leaned against the wall and Tayesha was coming after me and Jonathan was too.
There was a balcony and I was stupid. I thought I could get to balcony and use the emergency ladder to get down. Except there was no balcony, there were only windows. Windows with no glass and I fell. One of the windows had been spelled with the image of a balcony. I just broke my wrist, but I was punished for playing in the construction.
I didn't tell them about the other children. They were gone by the time teachers came and I was afraid. They had punished me, because I was too proud, loud, and smart. I was afraid of what else they might do, so I had detention and my profile was marked. Disobedience. For the next two years, I stayed away from them.
As we moved into the upper grades, there more children and I made a few friends. Then there was an academic acceleration program that Salem offered that my parents wanted me to try out for and I did. Only four other people in my grade qualified. Tayesha, Luna, Jonathan, and Taylor, the four people that had been at the head of the class the first year I came.
There were many extra classes to take, so all our parents got together and they jointly hired a tutor. It was I think Tayesha's father's friend's son or something. His name was Tony. Tony Shin, we called him "body parts." Our parents got along very well, so naturally we all acted friendly to each other. There were sleepovers, dinners, and study groups together.
Jonathan's parents heard of an internship of some sort and of course my parents wanted me to join. Tony didn't like at all and he pressured us not to join. He said that it was corrupt. I told my parents and Tony was fired. Our parents began having guests come over and of course the other children and their parents came to. One of the men was Lucius Malfoy.
A few months ago, Tony appeared at the study session and he had a newspaper article with him. Lucius had been arrested because he was a Death Eater. Tony told us that we had to flee, not tell our parents, or take anything that could be tracked with us. He knew what we were and for the last year or so he taught us and kept the secret from our parents. We would leave the next day and we couldn't tell anyone where we were going. Tony gave us each a few hundred dollars to travel.
That night I breached the subject about Malfoy getting arrested because he was a Death Eater. My parents reaction was totally unexpected. They did not support the Dark Lord, but they felt that I must join to survive. It was a gift of love, they told me. Backing out this late would be dangerous. I was very upset that night and I cried a very long time. I felt as if I had been betrayed, because our view points were so apart. But now that I think about it, I think they really did love me. They did.
The next day after school, I boarded a Knight bus and left. I condemned them when I got on the bus.
***
Jeanette was crying. Lupin who was sitting closet to her, wiped a tear away. It formed into a big pink pearl as soon as it touched his hand. Every one looked very uncomfortable. Hagrid handed her a handkerchief.
"You say, Lucius Malfoy came to your home?" Severus asked suddenly.
"Yes."
"Describe him."
"Blond hair, sharp angular features, gray eyes. He was tall and he had a cane. He wasn't very old, maybe in his thirties." She told him, grateful to focus on something else. She noticed the mug that was still full and drank it down, feeling somewhat better.
"Do you know why Voldemort wanted you and your friends?" Severus continued.
"They weren't my friends." Jeanette replied tartly. Hagrid refilled her mug.
"Your classmates," Severus corrected himself irritably.
"We get good grades and you must know what we are. We can do things." She drained the mug and felt happier. She hiccuped.
"Like what things?" Severus prodded.
"Tayesha can do things with water, Taylor with ice and snow, Jonathan can tell when you're lying, do illusions and stuff, and wind, and Luna. She can go into your dreams." Her mug was full again, funny she didn't see anyone put stuff in it. She took a large gulp and smiled. Everything suddenly seemed funny. The black man's head was shiny in fire light like a glossy black egg. Black egg. Ha! She giggled.
"Renee--"
"Jeanette." Jeanette corrected.
"Jeanette, would you tell a lie for me," Dumbledore asked softly.
"Why?"
"Just do what the headmaster says," Severus snapped.
"Sourpuss," Jeanette giggled and the fire crackled. "My skin is purple." She giggled again. She liked this butter beer stuff. The candles began to flicker. They seemed very pretty. Everyone glared at Severus.
"What? I told you Veritaserum might not work." Severus said, but Jeanette wasn't paying attention. She was trying to see how high she could get the flames. A candle flame shot a foot high, but it was as wobbly as she had been right after the portkey. Was she drunk? She giggled again and the flame almost flopped over. The people were so busy talking to each other that they didn't notice that all the candle flames and the fire in the fireplace was moving oddly. Jeanette was having a ball.
"--story is not true?" The short man asked. Why were they so serious? Couldn't they see that everything was so funny? She called the fire to her and it came lazily and haphazardly. It rolled up her arm. Suddenly a stream of water put it out. She pouted. Her mug was gone and all the grownups were staring at her again.
"Can you tells us when you started to be able to manipulate fire?" Moody asked.
"When I was twelve."
"Do you know when the others started?"
"No, but they were much more adept then me. Tony helped us learn how to control it. I was afraid of the fire in the beginning, but now it's my friend." She giggled. "Friend. Jonathan can fly." She informed. "I was learning."
"How does he fly?" The woman asked.
"He turns into a cloudy thing and he floats like air. I can float a little, but Tony says when I get it right I should turn into a wisp of fire. You want me to try?"
"NO," came the collective response. Jeanette pouted, she felt oddly light headed and when she tried to stand up she was wobbly. The sky was turning light outside. Lupin gave her another mug. It was tea. Fruit tea. Fruity. She giggled and sipped it. It made her sleepy and Lupin scooped her up. She closed her eyes, still smiling.
Author's Note: The plot thickens. So where are the other four? Did they escape or were they captured by Voldemort? Just in case, you're wondering why none of the animals are dragons. Well, a dragon is an embodiment of all five elements. He breathes fire and is equally comfortable living in the sea, on land, or in the air. They are also incredibly wise.
So how can Jeanie be a demi-god, she was born human right? Right, but the "demi-god" thing is a consciousness or awareness rather than a new body or a new individual. There are five families which each carry an animal, but a demi-god can also relinquish his or her power to another individual at special times like on a deathbed. Sometimes the "demi-god" simply disappears at times of peace and stays in between the world of the living and the dead. Obviously, each family has folklore about their creature. The legend is thousand of years old, perhaps starting in the cradle of civilization in Mesopotamia and spread via trade, wars, and marriage.
Jeanette regained the awareness when Harry Potter dueled Voldemort/ Quirrel, but it took her awhile to realize it. And as the awareness deepened, her body began to change to suit her destiny's purposes, but more on that later.
Why did all five grow up together? Because it's just easier that way.
Why does Jeanette get drunk so easily? The butterbeer was not magicked besides the truth potion, it's just Jeanette is alcohol intolerant.