"Merlin's beard! It's her heir, I've found Serena's true heir! Oh, after 2
years of searching we've finally found her true heir!"
The mermaid took them by surprise and jumped in the water, laughing and splashing about. You could see that the six Gryffindors were very, very confused. Who was it? And why did this mermaid just say she was a princess and was looking for what's-her-name's heir?
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Your Highness, but who is this Serena's heir?" Sirius asked, chest covered with his crossed arms.
But it seemed that the mermaid was too happy celebrating to notice them. Finally, Dana, who was a very impatient girl, shouted, "Hello! Who's the heir?"
She stopped dancing and twirling about. "Why, can't you see it?"
James said, "See what?"
"The Edwards family's sign is on her left shoulder," pointed out Vanessa.
The boys swiveled to the girls at once, checking each of their shoulders in turn. They didn't see anything, and so could Lily, Clara and Dana.
"I'm afraid I don't see anything, Your Highness," Remus said carefully, so as not to anger the mermaid.
But it seemed nothing could ruin her mood. "Look at her shoulder!"
"BUT WHOSE SHOULDER SHOULD WE LOOK AT? YOU STILL HAVEN'T TOLD US!" yelled Sirius, having quite enough waiting and anticipation.
"Sirius!" Clara nudged Sirius hard. She held her head up high and thought it over. Her pale cheeks turned a little crimson after a while and the mermaid said, "Forgive me, Mr. Black, I did not tell you." The mermaid who called herself a princess turned to the expectant Lily and bowed her golden crowned head. "Lillian Marie Evans, I am pleased to be in your presence."
Five heads turned to Lily again, who looked stricken. "Excuse us, but Lily's a Muggle born!" Sirius said crossly.
When Vanessa didn't answer, he pointed out slowly, as if explaining to a kindergartner, "That means no relation to a witch, wizard or Squib. Do you use the term MUGGLE in mermaid land or what's it-"
Having had enough, the mermaid said rather fiercely, "Yes we do, Mr. Black, we use that term quite often! I was about to tell you the story, but it seems that you're not interested in it-"
She was cut off, too, by James. "Sorry, Princess Vanessa, can we call you Vanessa?"
The mermaid looked ruffled but said, "I'd prefer you call me Princess, but I suppose it's all right."
"Do go on, then, Vanessa."
Vanessa sighed heavily and said, "It would be best if I could come down there-"
She snapped her fingers and suddenly she was sitting right in front of them, splashing her tail. The three boys stared at the beautiful creature in front of them. From the painting, she had looked plain and regal, but up close she was really beautiful. Vanessa began her tale.
"Well, get comfy in your seats, this is going to be quite long." Lily's mind couldn't register everything at once. She was a Muggle-born and she had Muggle parents. James tugged her down; Lily hadn't realized that she was the only one left standing.
"A long time ago, before Grindelwald was defeated, there lived a very powerful witch. Her name? Serena Edwards. A Magid (witch/wizard capable of doing wandless magic), a Wiccan (a descendant of the Hogwarts Four) and a Seer (witch/wizard capable of making predictions, most of which are not accurate), she had more than the normal magical abilities. Serena grew up in Whittington, now known as Essex.. She was a modest, quiet and gentle child. She attended home school, since her parents were rich and could afford it. While shopping in Diagon Alley one day, she met a man. Serena was sixteen by then and very intelligent, honest, caring, loving. His name was Erich Denstrone, the son of a wealthy man in Germany. He was a wizard too, and they clicked off right away. 3 years later, they married and had a big celebration with their families. Serena was only twenty-one when she got pregnant. It was such a beautiful baby, they all expected, since Erich and Serena were only children and were the heirs of their Pureblood families. Disaster struck, they had a miscarriage. This was just the tip of an iceberg of sadness. Grindelwald was rapidly rising and Erich had joined the Light Side to fight him. Grindelwald had a family necklace. It gave him strength whenever they were in desperate need of it and he was damn near unbeatable. But not anymore, during an attack, Erich had researched the spell to break the necklace and he succeeded. Raged, Grindelwald gave a powerful curse that stunned Erich for three months… When he finally woke up, Serena and everyone were so relieved and overjoyed. Pretty soon when Serena was twenty-three, she got pregnant again. This time, it was a healthy, bouncing baby girl, Nicolette Alexandria Camryn Edwards Denstrone. Camryn, as she was called, was nearing her second birthday when disaster struck yet again. Erich was killed in a mass attack. Serena was wanted by Grindelwald for being Erich's wife and she knew it. What he didn't know was that she had a daughter," Vanessa sighed heavily.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but why did you just come now? We were having a perfectly fine morning, you suddenly appear out of nowhere, cast a spell over us, saying you're looking for this Selena person's heir and now we're listening to you tell us a story that is so unlikely to be connected to Lily, since she has Muggle parents! You could've come earlier or something, I don't know! And you expect us to believe this load of crap?! What d'you take us for, damn babies?" Sirius rose, freaking out.
James sighed and beckoned to Remus. They stood up and shook Sirius by the shoulders as the mermaid smiled on. Turning to Vanessa, Remus smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for his behavior; it's just that this is an unexpected thing to all of us. Please, do continue."
Lily caught the fierce glare James sent to Sirius.
"As I was saying, she knew Grindelwald was after her. As I've said earlier, Serena was a very powerful witch; she could have overthrown Grindelwald with some effort and some help from other wizards and witches with near the same amount of power. She was a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, and yes, Lily, so are you," she smiled at the awestruck faces that surrounded her.
"Serena didn't care if she lived or not, but she cared for Camry's life. And so, with a heavy heart, she pursued a search, a search for a spell to protect Camryn and transfer her powers to the child. So when the time came for Grindelwald to take Serena down, her baby would be protected from the wrath of the evil wizard. Time passed, Camryn grew and steadily, but slowly, half of Serena's power was in her daughter by the time Camryn neared her fourth birthday," a dreamy smile went across Vanessa's face.
"It was a lavish celebration and my father attended. It was held in a mountain in Switzerland," Vanessa said.
Clara asked, puzzled, "But how could your father have gone? He's a merman right?"
The mermaid gave a tinkling laugh. "What you young people don't know……Has anyone heard of a Metamorphmagus? (A/n: is that how u spells it? Hmmm……)"
Lily raised her hand quickly, as she usually did in class, and blushed as her friends started giggling at her. "Um, I did. They can change their appearance with little or no effort at all!"
"Very good!" Vanessa gave another little laugh. "So, my father is one of the few ones and he just transformed himself. So he attended, and he met my mother there. She's a Metamorphmagus, too. During the party, Grindelwald attacked."
Vanessa shook her head sadly, and twiddled her gracefully long fingers. "His followers were the first to arrive; they were called Arethians. They were to kill anyone in sight that wasn't on their side."
Lily looked aghast around the bathroom. Dana and Clara were as pale as the Hogwarts' ghosts and the boys were unusually quiet. She sighed forlornly and stood up, saying, "Excuse me, Vanessa, I'll not be a moment to get a towel, I feel quite cold."
Lily had to escape the absurdity of it all. Walking gingerly over the ledge, she didn't notice the puddle that one of her friends had made while rampaging around earlier that morning. As expected by the reader, Lily slipped. She braced herself for an injury that never came. Lily reopened her tightly shut eyes and let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. A pair of concerned almond eyes stared back at her and she felt his arms support her back.
"Are you all right there, Lily Flower?" James asked. Lily was unaware of the stares she received as she took in his warm breath upon her damp face, his strong muscled arms beneath her and his chocolate brown eyes clouded with concern. She managed a weak nod and James sat down, all the while his arm around her slim shoulders and said, "If it's all right with you, and if you're warm enough, I'll be the one to provide your heat."
Lily was sure that the fire that spread over her face would burn and scar her face for life. Dana can Clara gave her the thumbs-up, their faces now back to their usual color; Sirius and Remus smirked at James' cheeky smile.
"Um, do go on, Vanessa," Lily mumbled, leaning in slightly to James' chest.
"The Arethians worked fast. The Unforgiveables flew around like wild fire, those who were able to Apparate went to alert the Aurors, children cried as the remaining adults who hadn't Apparated or were fighting desperately tried their bests to make Portkeys under extreme pressure. It was a terrible mess, but Serena expected it. She knew they were there for her and her child. Part of the spell that she used to transfer her powers to her child was that if Grindelwald came within a five-mile radius of her daughter, all the Light Sided people would be transported to the Ministry and the Dark Sided people (Grindelwald's followers) would be taken to Siberia, in a zone where Apparition nor magic of any kind, wandless or not, doesn't work. Serena prepared for the final duel between her and the Dark Lord. It was intense, and neither could beat the other easily. Finally, weakening him, Serena cast the final spell. All her remaining powers were fully given to her daughter and she died. Nicolette Alexandria Camryn Edwards Denstrone disappeared from the wizarding world forever."
"And?" Sirius asked impatiently after a moment's pause.
"And what, Sirius Black?" questioned Vanessa.
"What happens next?"
"Nothing!"
"What?!"
The six teenagers were all shocked at the abrupt ending.
"Any questions?" asked Vanessa.
Lily thought, leaning more into James for support as her head buzzed with thought. There were a hundred questions, thousands, millions she was dying to ask. "I- how? Surely- ah- what? This- I-……"
James asked concernedly, "Are you all right, Lily Flower?"
She nodded sheepishly and said, "D'you mind if I think it over first? I think we all need to."
Vanessa looked at the red headed girl sympathetically and said, "Go ahead, Lillian. I know this is a shock for you, I admit, it was shocking for me, too, when my father assigned me leader of the Main Search Team, along with my fiancé, Franzi DeLour."
Remus spoke up. "You said that the spell Serena used defeated Grindelwald, but hang on, wasn't it Dumbledore who beat him?"
Another tinkling giggle was sent his way and Remus blushed madly at the thought of being giggled at by a Veela. (In all boys' minds, once a Veela, full, half, or anything, always a Veela).
"You're a smart one, now, aren't you? But I never said anything about the Dark Lord getting defeated. The spell just weakened him a great deal and took his followers 3 months to get out of Siberia without using magic. Mind you, it was a complicated spell to say the least, and she invented it. And her child was protected until the end of her life. There was a prophecy, though. Her Magid powers and very strong Wiccan abilities combined, Serena was powerful enough to encrypt her own forced prediction into the legendary book of prophecies. "
"I'm ready to ask a question, now" Lily said timidly as all heads swiveled in her direction. "How are you so sure I'm connected to all of this? And what was that prophecy?"
Vanessa smiled. "Lillian, have you forgotten that you have the Edwards' family sign on your left shoulder? Only the most respected and old families have their own family sign and I must say, your family dated back to when Merlin was still alive. You may look if you wish."
Lily glanced at her shoulder but it was covered by James' hand. She, blushing, lifted it off and made to take her hand away from his but he grabbed it and held on. Still blushing madly, she checked her shoulder and sure enough, it was there. Then, a realization dawned upon Lily.
"Vanessa," she said, her voice hoarse, "Do you mean to tell me that my parents aren't my real ones?"
Dana can Clara shot her reassuring looks and Sirius gave a snort of disbelief at what he just realized, too. Remus and James shared sympathetic looks, it wasn't every day you realize the parents you loved were lying to you the whole time.
"Of course they are, Lillian. Ask your father who his mother is," Vanessa said, flipping her tail to moisten it.
Sirius' eyes went glossy as he watched the mermaid with fascination.
"But Vanessa, my father was adopted as a child. He doesn't even know who his own mother was!" Lily wrought her hands while James squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. Lily started; she'd completely forgotten James was there, with his arm around her shoulder (a/n: so had the author!!)
"Oh but Lillian! Now you are found as Rowena Ravenclaw's and Serena Edwards' heir-"
"Hang on a minute. If Serena's a Wiccan, a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, you say, how come it is they've both got different last names?" Sirius asked.
Vanessa said, "Well, wouldn't it be awkward if your last name was that of a Hogwarts founder? Rowena thought so and she changed their name to something else. All Wiccans are told at their seventeenth birthday but I am afraid this couldn't have waited until then. It would've been too late!"
"Too late for what?" pressed Sirius still.
"Oh, do shut up Padfoot, let the woman speak about what she was saying before you troubled us with your stupid inquiries!" Remus admonished.
"IT was far from stupid." Sirius sniffed disdainfully.
"As I was saying before we were 'troubled with Mr. Black's stupid inquiries', to quote Mr. Lupin, since we finally found Serena RAVENCLAW'S heir, I can finally summon the Hogwarts Founders book of records. Now, if I could just-"
"The prophecy, Vanessa?" Clara interrupted.
"Yes, it's in the book. Anything and everything that the founders and descendants of the founders have done that is important to the wizarding world is recorded. Prophecies, discoveries, inventing of spells, and the like are in that book."
"Could you summon it or whatever you do that allows you to get a hold of it now?" James asked, shifting Lily in his arm lightly, who blushed again when her friends caught her eye.
"As a matter of fact, I'm about to. Accio Tolaris de Libro de Hogwarts Fourum!"
A book came hurling out of no where, at top speed that you could hear it whipping the wind behind it and into Vanessa's outstretched palm. To Remus, Sirius, Clara and Dana, not forgetting Vanessa, too, it was just an ordinary book, entitled, 'Cauldron Bottoms: A Guide to How Thickness Matters'.
To Lily and James, it announced proudly, 'Hogwarts Founders: Donations to all of Wizardkind'.
"Delightful! My father mentioned that only a Wiccan could open it, and that is with the use of a password. No one knows that password, of course, if it was a free-for-all book, the secrets of the Hogwarts Founders would be revealed for all to see. And if someone indeed is successful in opening it, only Wiccans eyes are adjustable to the book. Should an ordinary person open it to read, all he'll see is the history of Goblin Rebellions and the like. To find the password, a Wiccan says, 'Fourum Dissendium!' and the password will come to your tongue, and will literally roll out of your mouth. To others' ears, they will only hear a pleasant song."
They all nodded, and Clara, being the silent observer she was, noticed a very, very slight slip-up of Vanessa. "Vanessa, you make it sound as if there are two Wiccans here. We all know Lily is one, but who is the other, if there is another?"
Vanessa smiled a thin smile. "I'll explain after the prophecy has been read Lillian, Miss Bent," turning to the auburn haired girl, "Do you mind reading it for us?"
Lily shook her head no and set the book on her dry lap, in which she placed a towel over. She raised her wand and said, "Fourum Dissendium!"
IN her mind, she could picture a parchment and some words written on it. She felt compelled to read them out loud. "Hendragodo Artolomis Drin Todo!"
She didn't hear the deep male voice that joined her in doing so. The book glowed blue and sprang open.
"What page, Vanessa, for the prophecy?" Lily asked tentatively, flipping some pages.
Vanessa said, "Prophecies section; it's marked Proph, Edwards, Serena."
It took quite a while to locate the page. Finally…… "Aha!" Lily yelled triumphantly. "Here it is!"
Her voice went unusual as she read what Serena Edwards had forced upon the legendary Book of Prophecies and Hogwarts Four: Donations to Wizardkind.
"My Camryn, beloved daughter of mine How saddened I am, for cometh the time For me to go, and you to vanish I cast this one spell to grant this one wish Multiply, shall thee, as you disappear Come back when there rises a new great fear Join a fellow Wiccan, this of Gryffindor Together work to make peace soar Goodbye, my Camryn, here is one last tear To fall on the gap between there and here."
"Whoa……Lils, what happened to your voice?" asked Dana, amazed.
"I don't know!" Lily said, doubtful.
A silence so thick if someone tried to cut it, they would've succeeded fell upon the bathroom.
Remus asked, "Who's the other Wiccan?"
The slightest exchange of looks passed between Vanessa and James, who looked pale. Lily noticed this but dared not speak a word.
"I am," James said, slipping his am off Lily, who looked disappointed and a little sad. "I am the heir of Godric Gryffindor. The Potter name was invented to protect us. There, now I've said it, I'm a Wiccan. Sirius, if you can still remember, earlier this morning you asked me what was bothering me. I said family problems. My dad sent me an owl, informing me that it is time for Ravenclaw's heir to be discovered. It troubled him a lot so naturally, it troubled me too. But he'll be enlightened to know we've found her."
A blowing of a horn could be heard from a distance. Vanessa looked alarmed. "I must leave; my father is calling the Search Teams in. Study this book, Lillian, James. You must help each other. I'll visit you both again. Thank you for everything."
Before anyone could say anything or react, she'd jumped in the painting and was swimming off into the horizon. The old mermaid in the picture came back, giggling.
"Did you miss me boys?"
"I think I'll be going up," Lily said, rising. Clara and Dana followed suit, wrapping their towels around them and the boys looked at their watches.
"Good God, its only 2:30 pm. The Ball doesn't start until 7:30!" Sirius proclaimed.
"Bye, James, Sirius, Remus! See you later!" The girls walked out off the portrait and headed in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
The mermaid took them by surprise and jumped in the water, laughing and splashing about. You could see that the six Gryffindors were very, very confused. Who was it? And why did this mermaid just say she was a princess and was looking for what's-her-name's heir?
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Your Highness, but who is this Serena's heir?" Sirius asked, chest covered with his crossed arms.
But it seemed that the mermaid was too happy celebrating to notice them. Finally, Dana, who was a very impatient girl, shouted, "Hello! Who's the heir?"
She stopped dancing and twirling about. "Why, can't you see it?"
James said, "See what?"
"The Edwards family's sign is on her left shoulder," pointed out Vanessa.
The boys swiveled to the girls at once, checking each of their shoulders in turn. They didn't see anything, and so could Lily, Clara and Dana.
"I'm afraid I don't see anything, Your Highness," Remus said carefully, so as not to anger the mermaid.
But it seemed nothing could ruin her mood. "Look at her shoulder!"
"BUT WHOSE SHOULDER SHOULD WE LOOK AT? YOU STILL HAVEN'T TOLD US!" yelled Sirius, having quite enough waiting and anticipation.
"Sirius!" Clara nudged Sirius hard. She held her head up high and thought it over. Her pale cheeks turned a little crimson after a while and the mermaid said, "Forgive me, Mr. Black, I did not tell you." The mermaid who called herself a princess turned to the expectant Lily and bowed her golden crowned head. "Lillian Marie Evans, I am pleased to be in your presence."
Five heads turned to Lily again, who looked stricken. "Excuse us, but Lily's a Muggle born!" Sirius said crossly.
When Vanessa didn't answer, he pointed out slowly, as if explaining to a kindergartner, "That means no relation to a witch, wizard or Squib. Do you use the term MUGGLE in mermaid land or what's it-"
Having had enough, the mermaid said rather fiercely, "Yes we do, Mr. Black, we use that term quite often! I was about to tell you the story, but it seems that you're not interested in it-"
She was cut off, too, by James. "Sorry, Princess Vanessa, can we call you Vanessa?"
The mermaid looked ruffled but said, "I'd prefer you call me Princess, but I suppose it's all right."
"Do go on, then, Vanessa."
Vanessa sighed heavily and said, "It would be best if I could come down there-"
She snapped her fingers and suddenly she was sitting right in front of them, splashing her tail. The three boys stared at the beautiful creature in front of them. From the painting, she had looked plain and regal, but up close she was really beautiful. Vanessa began her tale.
"Well, get comfy in your seats, this is going to be quite long." Lily's mind couldn't register everything at once. She was a Muggle-born and she had Muggle parents. James tugged her down; Lily hadn't realized that she was the only one left standing.
"A long time ago, before Grindelwald was defeated, there lived a very powerful witch. Her name? Serena Edwards. A Magid (witch/wizard capable of doing wandless magic), a Wiccan (a descendant of the Hogwarts Four) and a Seer (witch/wizard capable of making predictions, most of which are not accurate), she had more than the normal magical abilities. Serena grew up in Whittington, now known as Essex.. She was a modest, quiet and gentle child. She attended home school, since her parents were rich and could afford it. While shopping in Diagon Alley one day, she met a man. Serena was sixteen by then and very intelligent, honest, caring, loving. His name was Erich Denstrone, the son of a wealthy man in Germany. He was a wizard too, and they clicked off right away. 3 years later, they married and had a big celebration with their families. Serena was only twenty-one when she got pregnant. It was such a beautiful baby, they all expected, since Erich and Serena were only children and were the heirs of their Pureblood families. Disaster struck, they had a miscarriage. This was just the tip of an iceberg of sadness. Grindelwald was rapidly rising and Erich had joined the Light Side to fight him. Grindelwald had a family necklace. It gave him strength whenever they were in desperate need of it and he was damn near unbeatable. But not anymore, during an attack, Erich had researched the spell to break the necklace and he succeeded. Raged, Grindelwald gave a powerful curse that stunned Erich for three months… When he finally woke up, Serena and everyone were so relieved and overjoyed. Pretty soon when Serena was twenty-three, she got pregnant again. This time, it was a healthy, bouncing baby girl, Nicolette Alexandria Camryn Edwards Denstrone. Camryn, as she was called, was nearing her second birthday when disaster struck yet again. Erich was killed in a mass attack. Serena was wanted by Grindelwald for being Erich's wife and she knew it. What he didn't know was that she had a daughter," Vanessa sighed heavily.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but why did you just come now? We were having a perfectly fine morning, you suddenly appear out of nowhere, cast a spell over us, saying you're looking for this Selena person's heir and now we're listening to you tell us a story that is so unlikely to be connected to Lily, since she has Muggle parents! You could've come earlier or something, I don't know! And you expect us to believe this load of crap?! What d'you take us for, damn babies?" Sirius rose, freaking out.
James sighed and beckoned to Remus. They stood up and shook Sirius by the shoulders as the mermaid smiled on. Turning to Vanessa, Remus smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for his behavior; it's just that this is an unexpected thing to all of us. Please, do continue."
Lily caught the fierce glare James sent to Sirius.
"As I was saying, she knew Grindelwald was after her. As I've said earlier, Serena was a very powerful witch; she could have overthrown Grindelwald with some effort and some help from other wizards and witches with near the same amount of power. She was a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, and yes, Lily, so are you," she smiled at the awestruck faces that surrounded her.
"Serena didn't care if she lived or not, but she cared for Camry's life. And so, with a heavy heart, she pursued a search, a search for a spell to protect Camryn and transfer her powers to the child. So when the time came for Grindelwald to take Serena down, her baby would be protected from the wrath of the evil wizard. Time passed, Camryn grew and steadily, but slowly, half of Serena's power was in her daughter by the time Camryn neared her fourth birthday," a dreamy smile went across Vanessa's face.
"It was a lavish celebration and my father attended. It was held in a mountain in Switzerland," Vanessa said.
Clara asked, puzzled, "But how could your father have gone? He's a merman right?"
The mermaid gave a tinkling laugh. "What you young people don't know……Has anyone heard of a Metamorphmagus? (A/n: is that how u spells it? Hmmm……)"
Lily raised her hand quickly, as she usually did in class, and blushed as her friends started giggling at her. "Um, I did. They can change their appearance with little or no effort at all!"
"Very good!" Vanessa gave another little laugh. "So, my father is one of the few ones and he just transformed himself. So he attended, and he met my mother there. She's a Metamorphmagus, too. During the party, Grindelwald attacked."
Vanessa shook her head sadly, and twiddled her gracefully long fingers. "His followers were the first to arrive; they were called Arethians. They were to kill anyone in sight that wasn't on their side."
Lily looked aghast around the bathroom. Dana and Clara were as pale as the Hogwarts' ghosts and the boys were unusually quiet. She sighed forlornly and stood up, saying, "Excuse me, Vanessa, I'll not be a moment to get a towel, I feel quite cold."
Lily had to escape the absurdity of it all. Walking gingerly over the ledge, she didn't notice the puddle that one of her friends had made while rampaging around earlier that morning. As expected by the reader, Lily slipped. She braced herself for an injury that never came. Lily reopened her tightly shut eyes and let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. A pair of concerned almond eyes stared back at her and she felt his arms support her back.
"Are you all right there, Lily Flower?" James asked. Lily was unaware of the stares she received as she took in his warm breath upon her damp face, his strong muscled arms beneath her and his chocolate brown eyes clouded with concern. She managed a weak nod and James sat down, all the while his arm around her slim shoulders and said, "If it's all right with you, and if you're warm enough, I'll be the one to provide your heat."
Lily was sure that the fire that spread over her face would burn and scar her face for life. Dana can Clara gave her the thumbs-up, their faces now back to their usual color; Sirius and Remus smirked at James' cheeky smile.
"Um, do go on, Vanessa," Lily mumbled, leaning in slightly to James' chest.
"The Arethians worked fast. The Unforgiveables flew around like wild fire, those who were able to Apparate went to alert the Aurors, children cried as the remaining adults who hadn't Apparated or were fighting desperately tried their bests to make Portkeys under extreme pressure. It was a terrible mess, but Serena expected it. She knew they were there for her and her child. Part of the spell that she used to transfer her powers to her child was that if Grindelwald came within a five-mile radius of her daughter, all the Light Sided people would be transported to the Ministry and the Dark Sided people (Grindelwald's followers) would be taken to Siberia, in a zone where Apparition nor magic of any kind, wandless or not, doesn't work. Serena prepared for the final duel between her and the Dark Lord. It was intense, and neither could beat the other easily. Finally, weakening him, Serena cast the final spell. All her remaining powers were fully given to her daughter and she died. Nicolette Alexandria Camryn Edwards Denstrone disappeared from the wizarding world forever."
"And?" Sirius asked impatiently after a moment's pause.
"And what, Sirius Black?" questioned Vanessa.
"What happens next?"
"Nothing!"
"What?!"
The six teenagers were all shocked at the abrupt ending.
"Any questions?" asked Vanessa.
Lily thought, leaning more into James for support as her head buzzed with thought. There were a hundred questions, thousands, millions she was dying to ask. "I- how? Surely- ah- what? This- I-……"
James asked concernedly, "Are you all right, Lily Flower?"
She nodded sheepishly and said, "D'you mind if I think it over first? I think we all need to."
Vanessa looked at the red headed girl sympathetically and said, "Go ahead, Lillian. I know this is a shock for you, I admit, it was shocking for me, too, when my father assigned me leader of the Main Search Team, along with my fiancé, Franzi DeLour."
Remus spoke up. "You said that the spell Serena used defeated Grindelwald, but hang on, wasn't it Dumbledore who beat him?"
Another tinkling giggle was sent his way and Remus blushed madly at the thought of being giggled at by a Veela. (In all boys' minds, once a Veela, full, half, or anything, always a Veela).
"You're a smart one, now, aren't you? But I never said anything about the Dark Lord getting defeated. The spell just weakened him a great deal and took his followers 3 months to get out of Siberia without using magic. Mind you, it was a complicated spell to say the least, and she invented it. And her child was protected until the end of her life. There was a prophecy, though. Her Magid powers and very strong Wiccan abilities combined, Serena was powerful enough to encrypt her own forced prediction into the legendary book of prophecies. "
"I'm ready to ask a question, now" Lily said timidly as all heads swiveled in her direction. "How are you so sure I'm connected to all of this? And what was that prophecy?"
Vanessa smiled. "Lillian, have you forgotten that you have the Edwards' family sign on your left shoulder? Only the most respected and old families have their own family sign and I must say, your family dated back to when Merlin was still alive. You may look if you wish."
Lily glanced at her shoulder but it was covered by James' hand. She, blushing, lifted it off and made to take her hand away from his but he grabbed it and held on. Still blushing madly, she checked her shoulder and sure enough, it was there. Then, a realization dawned upon Lily.
"Vanessa," she said, her voice hoarse, "Do you mean to tell me that my parents aren't my real ones?"
Dana can Clara shot her reassuring looks and Sirius gave a snort of disbelief at what he just realized, too. Remus and James shared sympathetic looks, it wasn't every day you realize the parents you loved were lying to you the whole time.
"Of course they are, Lillian. Ask your father who his mother is," Vanessa said, flipping her tail to moisten it.
Sirius' eyes went glossy as he watched the mermaid with fascination.
"But Vanessa, my father was adopted as a child. He doesn't even know who his own mother was!" Lily wrought her hands while James squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. Lily started; she'd completely forgotten James was there, with his arm around her shoulder (a/n: so had the author!!)
"Oh but Lillian! Now you are found as Rowena Ravenclaw's and Serena Edwards' heir-"
"Hang on a minute. If Serena's a Wiccan, a descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw, you say, how come it is they've both got different last names?" Sirius asked.
Vanessa said, "Well, wouldn't it be awkward if your last name was that of a Hogwarts founder? Rowena thought so and she changed their name to something else. All Wiccans are told at their seventeenth birthday but I am afraid this couldn't have waited until then. It would've been too late!"
"Too late for what?" pressed Sirius still.
"Oh, do shut up Padfoot, let the woman speak about what she was saying before you troubled us with your stupid inquiries!" Remus admonished.
"IT was far from stupid." Sirius sniffed disdainfully.
"As I was saying before we were 'troubled with Mr. Black's stupid inquiries', to quote Mr. Lupin, since we finally found Serena RAVENCLAW'S heir, I can finally summon the Hogwarts Founders book of records. Now, if I could just-"
"The prophecy, Vanessa?" Clara interrupted.
"Yes, it's in the book. Anything and everything that the founders and descendants of the founders have done that is important to the wizarding world is recorded. Prophecies, discoveries, inventing of spells, and the like are in that book."
"Could you summon it or whatever you do that allows you to get a hold of it now?" James asked, shifting Lily in his arm lightly, who blushed again when her friends caught her eye.
"As a matter of fact, I'm about to. Accio Tolaris de Libro de Hogwarts Fourum!"
A book came hurling out of no where, at top speed that you could hear it whipping the wind behind it and into Vanessa's outstretched palm. To Remus, Sirius, Clara and Dana, not forgetting Vanessa, too, it was just an ordinary book, entitled, 'Cauldron Bottoms: A Guide to How Thickness Matters'.
To Lily and James, it announced proudly, 'Hogwarts Founders: Donations to all of Wizardkind'.
"Delightful! My father mentioned that only a Wiccan could open it, and that is with the use of a password. No one knows that password, of course, if it was a free-for-all book, the secrets of the Hogwarts Founders would be revealed for all to see. And if someone indeed is successful in opening it, only Wiccans eyes are adjustable to the book. Should an ordinary person open it to read, all he'll see is the history of Goblin Rebellions and the like. To find the password, a Wiccan says, 'Fourum Dissendium!' and the password will come to your tongue, and will literally roll out of your mouth. To others' ears, they will only hear a pleasant song."
They all nodded, and Clara, being the silent observer she was, noticed a very, very slight slip-up of Vanessa. "Vanessa, you make it sound as if there are two Wiccans here. We all know Lily is one, but who is the other, if there is another?"
Vanessa smiled a thin smile. "I'll explain after the prophecy has been read Lillian, Miss Bent," turning to the auburn haired girl, "Do you mind reading it for us?"
Lily shook her head no and set the book on her dry lap, in which she placed a towel over. She raised her wand and said, "Fourum Dissendium!"
IN her mind, she could picture a parchment and some words written on it. She felt compelled to read them out loud. "Hendragodo Artolomis Drin Todo!"
She didn't hear the deep male voice that joined her in doing so. The book glowed blue and sprang open.
"What page, Vanessa, for the prophecy?" Lily asked tentatively, flipping some pages.
Vanessa said, "Prophecies section; it's marked Proph, Edwards, Serena."
It took quite a while to locate the page. Finally…… "Aha!" Lily yelled triumphantly. "Here it is!"
Her voice went unusual as she read what Serena Edwards had forced upon the legendary Book of Prophecies and Hogwarts Four: Donations to Wizardkind.
"My Camryn, beloved daughter of mine How saddened I am, for cometh the time For me to go, and you to vanish I cast this one spell to grant this one wish Multiply, shall thee, as you disappear Come back when there rises a new great fear Join a fellow Wiccan, this of Gryffindor Together work to make peace soar Goodbye, my Camryn, here is one last tear To fall on the gap between there and here."
"Whoa……Lils, what happened to your voice?" asked Dana, amazed.
"I don't know!" Lily said, doubtful.
A silence so thick if someone tried to cut it, they would've succeeded fell upon the bathroom.
Remus asked, "Who's the other Wiccan?"
The slightest exchange of looks passed between Vanessa and James, who looked pale. Lily noticed this but dared not speak a word.
"I am," James said, slipping his am off Lily, who looked disappointed and a little sad. "I am the heir of Godric Gryffindor. The Potter name was invented to protect us. There, now I've said it, I'm a Wiccan. Sirius, if you can still remember, earlier this morning you asked me what was bothering me. I said family problems. My dad sent me an owl, informing me that it is time for Ravenclaw's heir to be discovered. It troubled him a lot so naturally, it troubled me too. But he'll be enlightened to know we've found her."
A blowing of a horn could be heard from a distance. Vanessa looked alarmed. "I must leave; my father is calling the Search Teams in. Study this book, Lillian, James. You must help each other. I'll visit you both again. Thank you for everything."
Before anyone could say anything or react, she'd jumped in the painting and was swimming off into the horizon. The old mermaid in the picture came back, giggling.
"Did you miss me boys?"
"I think I'll be going up," Lily said, rising. Clara and Dana followed suit, wrapping their towels around them and the boys looked at their watches.
"Good God, its only 2:30 pm. The Ball doesn't start until 7:30!" Sirius proclaimed.
"Bye, James, Sirius, Remus! See you later!" The girls walked out off the portrait and headed in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
