Disclaimer: Don't own anything that's not mine.

A/N: Here's chapter 4! I hope you like it.

Chapter 4

Interesting Developments

Harry, Hermione, and Ron paused outside the door to listen. They weren't planning on it but they had recognized the voices immediately. The door was opened slightly. A reddish-orange glow came from the room, revealing that the fire was lit.

"I can't believe this! Why would my father tell them to replace me with you?!" Draco whined.

"Because I'm everything you're not!" Kevin said. "I'm more like your father than you could ever hope to be!"

"I don't believe he did this. I want to talk to him."

"Then talk Draco," Lucius' voice joined the other two, as the firelight turned green. This was signaling that Lucius was contacting them by making his head appear in the fireplace, much as Sirius had done to talk to Harry last year. A hush fell over those assembled. Even outside the room, everything seemed even more silent than before.

"Father, is it true?"

"Is what true Draco? I really don't have time for this. I have a lot of work to do," Lucius sounded very bored with his son.

"Did you really tell Flint to cut me from the team so Kevin could be Seeker?" Draco sounded very distraught.

"Of course I did. You must understand that he has so much more potential than you. Especially since I heard that you fancy a certain very low class Muggle-lover," Lucius seemed discussed by the very thought.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, alarmed.

"Why that Weasley girl. The one who foiled Uncle Lucius's plan three years ago. You know, the head of the Potter fan club?" Kevin chimed in. He sounded like a cat that had just trapped a mouse. " I saw you watching her at the feast today."

"That ferret likes my sister?" Ron whispered angrily. He followed this comment by a string of not so nice words. Hermione and Harry shushed him.

"But-" Draco said.

"Now, Draco, you must understand that I can't have you spoiling all of the well-thought-out plots of the Dark Lord because you fancy one of Potter's little friends. Kevin is much more ready for the job."

"But what about Mara? You don't think him fancying her will ruin anything," Draco said pointedly. Lucius and Kevin let out identical evil laughs.

"Cousin, you thought that I really fancied filth like her? Uncle Lucius asked me to watch her. How was I to know that her father never came to visit her at her house because her parents are divorced? I know that those types of girls are only good for a little while," Kevin said suggestively. Draco didn't say anything.

"Draco, you can still recover yourself if you prove to me that you're worthy of helping me. I'll be here if you decide. Now I must return to my duties. Kevin, you know what you must do," The firelight turned back to normal.

"Come on," Hermione said. "We have to leave before they come out." They hurried to the Gryffindor common room. It was filled with other students, who were laughing and talking. However, Mara was suspiciously absent. Ron said he was tired and headed up to go to sleep.

"Hey Fred," Harry said, coming up to the Weasley twins. "Have you seen Mara?"

"Nope. Wood was looking for her earlier, but she's not here," Fred said. He went back to talking to George and Lee Jordan.

"We'll just have to ask her tomorrow," Hermione said.

"But why wouldn't she be here?" Harry asked. "Maybe she's-" Just then Mara walked in. They had never actually taken the time to look at her. She wasn't very tall, maybe only 163 cm tall (about 5'4"), and she was by no means stunning. She wasn't ugly, but she wouldn't have probably won a beauty contest. Her hair was really a dirty blonde color, with strawberry blonde highlights that looked kind of dried out. However, her personality that made her seem pretty.

"Hey, where were you?" Angelina asked.

"Oh, I had to talk to Professor Dumbledore," Mara said. Harry and Hermione exchanged a glance. They knew that this was only half-true. She had obviously been to talk to Dumbledore, considering they'd seen her leave, but she had left before them.

"Come on, sit with us for a while," Alicia said. Mara yawned.

"Um, I'm really tired. I'd better just go up to bed," she said.

"Well, ok. See you tomorrow then," Katie said. She turned back to talk to Angelina and Alicia. Mara headed towards the stairs leading up to the dorms. Hermione looked at Harry.

"Now's our chance! C'mon!" They hurried to catch up to her.

"Mara wait!" Hermione said. Mara turned.

"We have to ask you something," Harry said.

"Not-"

"Mara, why didn't Sirius tell us about you?" Harry interrupted. Mara seemed taken aback. She kept silent, however.

"Please Mara, tell us," Hermione urged.

"It's too complicated!" she finally said.

"Then where were you before you came here?" Harry asked. "We know you weren't in Dumbledore's office because we were just there."

"I was sending an owl to my father," Mara said. "I had to tell him that Kevin was here. Otherwise he'd throw a fit if he heard it from someone else. Look, he's going to contact me tonight at 3:30 am. You can ask him why he didn't tell you about me yourself then. Now I have to get some rest. I have a severe case of Jet lag." She hurried inside her room.

"Are we going to go?" Hermione asked. Harry nodded.

"I have to talk to Sirius. What time is it anyway?" Harry asked. The clock read 9:27. "I'm going to get some rest first."

"Ok, I know a charm that can make it so you wake up at a certain time. It's silent," Hermione said. "I'll cast it on myself. Then I'll send Crookshanks to wake you and Ron up."

"Alright. See you later," Harry said with a smile. Hermione went to her dorm and Harry went to his.

At 3:26, Harry was woken up by the sound of a motor. Actually, as soon as he opened his eyes and put on his glasses, he saw that it was Crookshanks purring. He got up.

"Hey Ron!" he said quietly. Ron woke up immediately.

"What?"

"Why are you so jumpy?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged. "I think you've been sleeping too much."

"Is that possible?" Ron asked quizzically.

"I don't know. Come on, we have to meet Hermione and Mara down in the common room," Harry said. The two boys quietly hurried to the aforementioned destination. Mara was sitting in front of the fireplace already. Hermione was there with her.

"Took you two long enough," Hermione said. "He's going to be here any minute." Suddenly Sirius's head appeared in the fireplace.

"Mara, I knew something like this would happen!" Sirius asked. "I shouldn't have sent you there. Hello Harry." Sirius had spotted his godson.

"Hi Sirius," Harry answered.

"Dad, you know that it would have only gotten worse if I'd stayed," Mara said. "I couldn't stand all the mean things that his family kept saying about you! Mom didn't even deny any of it either!"

"Mara, I don't think this is the time for that," Sirius said soothingly. "It couldn't have been that bad."

"But daddy! They-" Mara was close to crying now, so she stopped.

"Harry, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I had a daughter," Sirius said, turning to Harry. "At the time it sounded like the best idea. Mara was over in the United States anyway, so I never thought you'd meet her."

"Mara, who were you talking about when you said "his family"?" Hermione asked.

"My step-dad. My mom and dad got divorced right before the whole Peter Pettigrew thing. Mom got remarried shortly after that," Mara said this with resentment. "I can't believe her! She convinced me to deny that Sirius Black was my father. She said that considering everyone thought that he was guilty, they would hate me for being related to him. She even tried to get my step-father to adopt me."

"What?" Sirius asked suddenly. This was obviously news to him. "When?"

"After you escaped from Azkaban. I got out of it, though. That's when I was filming Witches of England. I couldn't take it anymore. That's when I told Kevin all about who I really was. He was just so supportive that I never even considered that he could actually be related to Lucius Malfoy!" Mara was talking so fast it was becoming hard to follow what she was saying.

"I saw that interview with that Annie May," Sirius said. "And the one with Crystal Cosmos. You did very well. What spell did you put on your hair though? I thought I told you never to do change your appearance with magic." Sirius sounded like he was trying to focus attention away from the important issues.

"Daddy, I only changed it so it didn't look like the dirty blonde it normally does. For the highlights, mommy sent me to a Muggle hair salon," Mara said soothingly.

"Wait, I don't understand," Ron said. Everyone looked at him. "What you're saying is that your dad and mom are divorced. Your mom's remarried to some guy who hates Sirius, and you came to Hogwarts because you couldn't take it anymore?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," Mara said. "I wanted to come here to begin with, but I also wanted to be an actress. When the opportunity came for me to act, I was in fifth grade. My mom said to go for it. Well, the Wizard school in the US said that if I attended there during the summer and did correspondence when I was working on movies it would be fine. I guess I thought I was choosing the right choice. However, after Dad escaped from Azkaban, that all changed. Before, I just had to endure my mom's new husband and his kids calling me a murderer's daughter. As soon as they found out he escaped, for a while they stopped. I think that they were afraid that he'd come and kill them or something." Mara rolled her eyes. "Then, however, after the Kevin incident, even my mom began hinting that he might be guilty. It was insane! Before she had always said that my father could never kill anyone. When Dad sent me a letter explaining everything, I informed mom that I needed a break from acting. She wasn't too pleased with the idea to send me here, but finally I convinced her it was the right thing."

"But I still don't understand why you didn't tell us that you had a daughter!" Harry declared to Sirius.

"I was trying to protect her. Think about it: Voldemort loves hurting people by hurting their friends and family. I knew that under the watchful eyes of Dumbledore, you were safe. However, Mara was in America. She was an easy target for anyone," Sirius Black looked very angry. "As was obvious by the Kevin Incident-"

"Dad, what's the Order of the Phoenix?" Mara asked suddenly.

"An organization of people who were against Voldemort. When rumors started that he was returning, a few of us at Hogwarts thought that it would be a great idea to start an anti-Voldemort group."

"Do you have to say his name?!" Ron interrupted.

"Sorry. Of course, the Marauders were the ones that lead it. Then a bunch of other people wanted in. Your mother, Harry, Arabella Figg, and many more. A lot of them went on to become Aurors."

"So that's why Dumbledore wanted you to get together 'the old gang'!" Hermione declared.

"Yes. Now, I have to go. Good bye, and try to stay out of trouble," he seemed to almost disappear. However at the last second, his voice returned. "Mara, remember: I'm watching you, so no more dating! We've seen how that works out for you!" With that he was gone. Mara rolled her eyes.

"Typical. He's so overprotective! Well, I'd better get some rest.. Classes start tomorrow," she said as she hurried away.

"She's right, you know. And you two have Divination first thing. I'm so glad I'm out of that class!"

The next morning, the students hurried down to the hall for breakfast. However, before they could eat, Dumbledore stood up.

"I have a few of announcements to make. First of all, Marcus Flint has asked me to announce that he has made a substitution in the Slytherin Quidditch team. Kevin Edwards will now be playing Seeker instead of Draco Malfoy." The Hall buzzed at this news. Draco looked ready to kill.

"Now, I have a very important announcement. More important than any before." The Hall quieted once more.

"A tragedy has occurred at the American Academy for Gifted Students, which, we all should remember is actually the American school of witchcraft and wizardry." Mara was looking at Dumbledore with a mixture of fear and interest. "My friend Charles Xavier is Headmaster at this school and he has just owled me that yesterday Voldemort sent his Deatheaters to attack the school. The students and Professors escaped through a series of passages leading into the nearby woods. However, the school was destroyed. It is believed that an American Deatheater by the name of William Stryker organized this attack. Anyway, I have informed Professor Xavier that his students are welcome to come here and learn until their school can be rebuilt. I have just received the reply. He says that he will come. He is also bringing his entire staff, which is wonderful considering our lack thereof. However, this brings me to my next announcement."

"The American students will be arriving on Friday. In honor of their presence, I am going to be organizing some festivities lasting for the full week before the first Quidditch match. I have talked with people from the school and they suggest what they call a "Spirit Week." Usually, they have informed me, these occur before a dance, so on Saturday, after the Quidditch Match, there will be a costume ball. What happens on the other days shall be announced prior to the event. Now, enjoy your breakfast." Of course, this seemed like a lot for the students to take in at once. However, the students had to hurry to get ready for their first classes of the day. Which, for Harry and Ron, was Divination. They hurried up to the classroom.

"So you have arrived," Professor Trelawny drawled as they entered the classroom. "I am glad to see so many of you are still here despite the events that have occurred." She looked at Harry as she spoke.

"Today, I have been told by my Inner Eye to review with you all of the concepts we have learned thus far." They spent most of the class reviewing. Finally, it was time to head to Defense Against the Dark Arts. The classroom locked when they arrived.

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione said as Harry and Ron approached. "Guess what, due to the lack of teachers they're combining classes. For today, at least, we have this class with the fifth years and fourth years from Slytherin and Gryffindor."

"What?!" Ron said.

"Professor McGonagall told me. She's covering Arithmancy, you know, since Professor Vector left."

"Sorry I'm late," a voice said coming through the crowd. He pointed his staff at the door. "Please, go in." The students filed in. Amazingly, there was enough room for all of them in the classroom.

"I am Gandalf, your new teacher. For today, you can sit where you wish. However, for the next class I would like to mix things up a little. I have put all of your names into this hat which Professor Dumbledore has so kindly let me borrow." He held up the Sorting Hat. "When I call your name, you will come forward and reach into the hat. The name you pick is whom you will be sitting by for the next two weeks." The students looked around, slightly nervous. "I will be saying these names at random. Vincent Crabbe." Crabbe came forward and reached into the hat. He smirked.

"Well, well. You'll be sitting by Gregory Goyle. Right up front please. First table."

"Now, Colin Creevey." Colin came forward and drew a name. "You will be sitting by Tawny Claza." Tawny was a short glaring Slytherin the same year as Colin. This went on for a while. Pansy Parkinson was going to be sitting by Parvati Patil, Neville was going to be sitting by Millicent Bulstrode, and Dean was going to be sitting by Seamus. A lot of other names were called until only Harry, Hermione, Ron, Lavender, Ginny, Draco, and a few other Slytherin fourth years were left. Gandalf said, "Ronald Weasley." Ron came forward very slowly. He reached into the hat. As he read the name on the piece of parchment, he was trying to hide his grin.

"Ah, Miss Brown. If you and Mr. Weasley would kindly sit in that table there please." Lavender smiled at Ron as he returned to his seat. "Harry Potter." As Harry came towards the hat, he kept thinking to himself, Please be Hermione, Please be Hermione. Now, he tried to tell himself that he only was thinking this because she was his best friend, and if Cho had been there. However, his brain didn't seem to believe him.

"Hermione Granger," Harry read on the paper.

"Well then, the table next to Mr. Weasley, please." Harry sat back down. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Virginia Weasley." Ginny came forward as all the others had done. She felt as though she was being sorted all over again. She reached into the hat and paled considerably as she read the name. She handed the paper to Gandalf.

"Draco Malfoy, if you and Miss Weasley would sit behind Miss Strebor and Miss Nitsirk." Draco rolled his eyes as though irritated with the choice. Ron glared daggers at Malfoy as Ginny returned to her seat. The last few students went through this process. Then Gandalf sat in his chair.

"For the next few lessons I have some speakers coming in who have fought many Dark creatures. They have had many interesting journeys and will be glad to share them with you. That is the end on class."

TBC…

A/N: Ok, so I know that this chapter is less than adequate but there was a lot that I wanted to get across and I wanted to do it as soon as possible. Thank you HexWa and Peppermintpatty for reviewing my last chapter. Also thank you Theta Sigma for Britpicking my story. Please continue to read and feel free to ask me to explain something if you're confused.

Oh, I'd better explain about the whole X-Men thing. See, I really like the second movie so I decided to put them in here. They are witches and wizards in this, however, not mutants. Some characters will be out of character if they're from the movie. And they are the X-Men from X-Men Evolution, not the comics, or the old cartoon any other way they have appeared, except for Stryker who's from the movie. Also, there will be cameos by other people from other fan bases I'm fond of. They won't be as important as the Harry Potter characters, obviously.