A/N: How the hay do I make the spaces? Somebody let me know because it is
rather difficult to read. AIM: grayscaledream
Shina etsu- what wan't?
Eyes of Emerald- I'm reading your story! I love it!
The Magical Menagerie proved to be even more fun than Flourish and Blotts. It was a store filled with both muggle and magical creatures. There were sleek dancing black rats, beautiful snowy owls, and fluffy cats. There was even a Crumple-Horned Snorkack for sale in the rare breeds room. Harry dissolved into laughter at the sight of this creature, A shaggy goat like thing with a single horn on it forehead, that looked like it was made out of yellow play-doh. It was a comical sight, but not funny enough to induce the kind of glee Harry seemed to be experiencing at the moment.
"Umm, Care to explain?" Ella inquired after about five minutes uncontrollable laughter.
"Wait-" Snort. "till Her-" Guffaw. "Hermione and-" Giggle. "Ron-" Gasp. "See this!" Ella wandered off to the cat section leaving Harry to recover himself. She wandered the room stopping occasionally to pet the cats that wound around her feet. Sitting down on a stool in the middle of the room she began appraising the different cats. All of the animals were realtivley the same, mewling, rolling, sparring with each other or napping. But one animal stood out. A tabby sat in the corner watching her intently. The cat was small and thin. It had odd black markings around its eyes.
Ella stood up and kneeled before the cat holding out her hand for it to sniff. The cat ignored this gesture, and stood up on all four legs, as if evaluating Ella. Ella sat down next to the cat making sure to give her space, and to her surprise the cat rubbed up a against her knee and began to purr.
There was something odd about this cat. Her purr was mournful, yet happy at the same time. Ella picked up the tabby and cuddled her close, scratching her ears.
"Have you found one you like then?" The cat leapt from Ella's arms, and ran in the other direction, but it was too late. Harry had spotted her.
"PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL?" Harry yelled. The cat stopped mid stride, and turned around slowly. She seemed to be glaring at Harry. Suddenly she stretched upwards. Then Ella noticed something. She wasn't just stretching, she was growing. The cat features were slowly changing into people features. Ella's mouth dropped open.
"Hello professor..." Harry said uncertainly. A tall intimidating woman stood before them. Her chestnut hair was tied in a bun, and her green eyes glittered like a cats. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. "You know professor, if you had wanted to see her, you could have stopped by the leaky cauldron." Harry said gently.
"I know that Mr. Potter." McGonagall snapped. She seemed to be regaining her composure now, mopping at her eyes with a tartan handkerchief. "I just, well, do I need to explain myself to you?!" Harry looked sheepish.
"Sorry professor." McGonagall straightened her back and tucked her handkerchief away.
"That's all right. I'll be taking Ella with me, you run back to the leaky cauldron now. Make quite sure that her things make it to the train, if she doesn't come back." Harry and Ella looked surprised.
"Why wouldn't I be coming back?" McGonagall looked at her, surprised. "We're going to Hogwarts, to have a chat with Dumbledore."
"My father?" Ella asked this hesitantly. The professor bit her upper lip.
"Yes. Your father." Ella filled with apprehension at the prospect of meeting this man. She had so many questions to ask him. Mainly, why had he left her to be raised by muggles, when he was alive and apparently, from what she had heard about him, well? This all evaporated from her mind as Professor McGonagall grabbed her shoulder.
"Close your eyes and focus on the words; Hogwarts, and headmaster's office, dear. We're going to apparate." Ella chose not to question this and simply did what she was told. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on the two phrases, and suddenly there was a crack! Ella felt a strange whooshing sensation, and there was a pop. She opened her eyes. She was standing in a circular room. It was grandly furnished in scarlet and gold. Bookcases lined the walls and portraits of sleeping people furnished the spaces between them. Soft gold light filled the room emanating from the candlelit chandeliers and sconces. A ghost floated through the wall.
...A ghost floated through the wall?
Ella screamed, and clutched professor McGonagall's robes. The ghost stopped and spun slowly around to face them. It was a cheery man dressed in the clothes of a 15th century wizard, or at least, what probably had been a sixteenth century wizard.
"Ella! Welcome back! We have missed you darling, why the last time I saw you you were" He paused, thinking " 2 years old! Just a little tot and already levitating things... without so much as a wand!" The ghost seemed to forget they were there. "Yes a powerful child indeed, its no wonder with her parentage-"Professor McGonagall interrupted him.
"Sir Nicholas, is Dumbledore here?" Nicholas looked up from his rambling and nodded his head, which promptly fell off. Ella clutched McGonagall's robes even tighter. The ghost popped his head back on.
"Yes, he's in his room, I'll just fetch him then..." Sir Nicholas trailed off through a door at the top of the circular dais they were facing. Ella let go of McGonagall's robes and sank into a squashy purple chair. Suddenly she was exhausted. And hungry. A tea tray appeared in her lap, with a roast beef sandwiches, fries, and a goblet of some orange substance. Somehow this didn't surprise her. She tasted the liquid in the goblet. Pumpkin juice? Ella felt eyes on her. She looked up to see a stately old man staring at her from the stairs of the dais. Dumbledore, she thought. Ella set the tea tray on the table that had appeared next to her chair and stood up, not quite sure what to say to him. There was a long pause in which the three people did nothing but stare at each other, but, somehow it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
"Minerva..."Ella assumed he was addressing McGonagall, because she wen't to stand beside him. He put his arm around her waist. They both beamed at her.
"She's gorgeous isn't she Albus?" Dumbledore smile at Ella and beckoned her to come forward. She walked towards them hesitantly. Dumbledore pulled away from McGonagall, and went to sit behind his desk. Several silver instruments were spinning busily on the desktop, whirring and clicking quietly. McGonagall joined him in a chair next to the desk. Ella followed suit and sat down in front of them. Dumbledore clasped his hands. His blue eyes were twinkling.
"Ella, we've missed you." She was desperately confused now. "We're your parents Ella. Your real mother and father." Ella stared blankly. The two older people smiled at her. "Well then, Fire away!" Dumbledore accented this with a loud crack from his wand, which emitted a stream of gray smoke. She was quite sure he was insane now.
"What?" Ella was dumbfounded.
"Questions, my dear, questions, I'm sure you have questions!" he stated this as though she should have known. "Let's get the hard ones out of the way first. The reason we gave you up for adoption is because you were I danger. We chose to send you to America because the magical population is significantly low there. We knew the Deatheaters wouldn't find you. The people who have been taking care of you you're whole life are relatives of Minerva, squibs- people born into magical families without an ounce of magic themselves." The twinkle had faded from his eyes, he looked a little sad. McGonagall had clasped her hands in her lap and was staring at Ella as if she couldn't get enough of her.
"Deatheaters?" This Wizard lingo was strange, and after only one day in the magical world Ella had only caught onto a few words.
"Think about it. I do believe Miss. Hermione Granger placed a most useful spell on you earlier." Ella thought about it. And found that she knew what a Deatheater was. A follower of lord Voldemort, one sworn into his inner circle.
"But why were they trying to kill me?" Dumbledore sighed at this. And he looked rather disappointed.
"You see, Ella, Voldemort attempted to murder the Potters when you and Harry were a mere one year old each. He only succeeded in killing Harry's parents, and when he turned on Harry, his mother died to protect him. Voldemort tried to kill the baby and his curse rebounded. He was reduced to a shadow of his former self. Unfortunately there is a prophecy, and prophecies almost always come true. Harry is the only one who can destroy Lord Voldemort." Oh. Ella thought. It was all clear now. Sort of.
"What do I have to do with this." Dumbledore his sad little smile again.
"Although very talented, and one of the most powerful students in Hogwarts, Harry is not nearly powerful enough to defeat the Dark Lord on his own. That's where you come in. The two of you will have to work together this year. You must find away to combine your talents, and defeat Voldemort, together." Ella still wasn't clear on why she had to be the one to do this.
"But why me!?" Dumbledore stood up and began to walk the length of the room. McGonagall seemed to puff up a little with pride.
"You Ella, are the product of three things. Something Voldemort fears, something he lacks, and something he knows nothing about." Dumbledore stopped pacing and turned to face her. "You are my offspring, and I am the only person Voldemort fears." He took one step towards his desk. Ella followed him with her eyes. "You are creature of white magic, Voldemort has only dark." He took a few more steps and stopped next to Professor McGonagall, her mother. "And finally, you are a product of love. Voldemort has never had, or given love. He knows nothing of it. Keep these three things in mind Ella, for they may prove useful in the future." Her mother and father beamed down at her obviously very proud of their "offspring" as Dumbledore had put it. Ella stared back and tried to smile what she hoped was a warm, happy daughter smile. Her mother stood up.
"Ella, along with your regular schooling you and Harry will be receiving extra defense against the dark arts lessons, starting this week. We've sent for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you'll spend the rest of the summer here." Well. This sounded like fun, except for the whole prospect of dying fighting this all-powerful dark wizard. One question was pressing at Ella and she had to ask, even though she knew it would sound silly after the serious conversation.
"Where are we sleeping?" McGonagall looked rather amused by this, and Dumbledore chuckled.
"When the other students arrive you'll be sleeping in the dormitories with your respective houses. Till then, you'll be staying in a guest suite. Harry, Ron and Hermione are all Gryffindors. We have to sort you still." McGonagall's lip began to tremble a bit. "Which reminds me, Dumbledore, the sorting hat?" Just then the door slid open at the bottom of the dais and Harry, Ron and Hermione slipped in quietly.
"Ah, just in time for Ella's sorting! Please sit down, make yourselves comfortable." Dumbledore was beaming again. Harry looked overjoyed and he settled himself in one of squashy purple chairs immediately. Hermione and Ron however, were a bit apprehensive sitting stiffly on a couch.
Ella's mother looked rather distressed, and Dumbledore walked over to her putting his arm around her shoulder. He whispered something in her ear and Ella only caught parts of it. "Whichever house she's in...mumble... right choice...mumble mumble.. just have to accept it." Ella was a little distressed herself now. What did they mean sorting? She remembered what Dumbledore had said earlier and thought about. Ah! The sorting hat! It was going to put her into one of the four houses of Hogwarts. Ella spun around looking for the sorting hat. There it was! On a shelf behind Dumbledore's desk sat a beat up old hat. It was tattered and ancient, and it had a large tear above the rim. Dumbledore reached up and gingerly picked it off the shelf. He brought it over to Ella and sat it gently on her head. To her surprise a growly voice sounded inside her head.
iOh my, what have we here? Dumbledore's daughter? I see you're Minerva McGonagall's too, this is going to be difficult. Let's see... Oh my, not Slytherin! Not with this kind of power! No you're too powerful for Slytherin or Hufflepuff. It'll have to be either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. You're brave, and you have a great destiny, but you're smart too. Very smart. Oh this is difficult. I've never seen so much power! Yes that does it. You're mother will be heart broken, though it's for the best! Wouldn't want her being bias now would we? No I think you'll excel in-i/
Ella felt the great brim of the dusty old hat creak open-
"RAVENCLAW!" Her mother sank into a chair hanging her head in disappointment. Harry's mouth dropped open, while Hermione and Ron stood up shouting protests. Hermione was complaining that Ella would need to be with Harry to practice and study, and Ron was shouting various shortcomings of the Ravenclaws. All through this, Dumbledore smiled, looking rather pleased. He held up his hand. Silence came over the room once again.
"I was a Ravenclaw. As you know, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are on good terms. Due to your circumstances, Ella will be allowed to frequent the Gryffindor common room, and Harry will be allowed in the Ravenclaw." Harry perked up a bit at the prospect of visiting another common room. Ella was still a bit dumbfounded.
"It's late, and you all have things to do tomorrow! Off to bed. Follow me this way. McGonagall swept out of the headmaster's office and Harry, Ron and Hermione followed awkwardly. Ella hesitated a moment before following. She paused at the doorway and turned to wave at her father before it closed. He smiled at her and the door closed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Dumbledore sat down at his desk wearily. Minerva was showing the children to their suite, but she would be back shortly, no doubt. Asking questions he needed to ask himself. Sure enough, the door slid open and Minerva swept in, upset.
"Albus,-"He cut her off.
"Minerva." Dumbledore stood up and went to face the empty portrait of Phineas Nigellus, the man hadn't been back to his painting since the death of his great-great-great-grandson.
"Albus don't avoid this conversation." Minerva was now standing quite close to him, and speaking rather loudly. Dumbledore turned to face her. " Are we doing the right thing?" Her eyes began to tear. "She's our only child Albus! How can we send a child to fight Voldemort? I don't want to see her perish in vain, or Harry either for that matter! Why the children?" Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. Albus reached up and put his hands on either side of his wife's face. "Children are pure, Minerva. These two children especially can create a force together, powerful enough to demolish an army of Deatheaters along with Voldemort. They just have to find it for themselves." Minerva put her hand on top of Dumbledore's. "I know. I just hate to see her go through so much! Harry too, he's been like a son to you, I know how much you care for him!" Albus pulled Minerva close and hugged her tight. He sighed and said slowly, "It's tearing me apart as well darling."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- Well? Do you like it so far? Review! Any suggestions to where this should go from here are welcome, and if anyone knows how to make the spaces between the lines bigger, they're my hero. I'll try to update this weekend.
The Magical Menagerie proved to be even more fun than Flourish and Blotts. It was a store filled with both muggle and magical creatures. There were sleek dancing black rats, beautiful snowy owls, and fluffy cats. There was even a Crumple-Horned Snorkack for sale in the rare breeds room. Harry dissolved into laughter at the sight of this creature, A shaggy goat like thing with a single horn on it forehead, that looked like it was made out of yellow play-doh. It was a comical sight, but not funny enough to induce the kind of glee Harry seemed to be experiencing at the moment.
"Umm, Care to explain?" Ella inquired after about five minutes uncontrollable laughter.
"Wait-" Snort. "till Her-" Guffaw. "Hermione and-" Giggle. "Ron-" Gasp. "See this!" Ella wandered off to the cat section leaving Harry to recover himself. She wandered the room stopping occasionally to pet the cats that wound around her feet. Sitting down on a stool in the middle of the room she began appraising the different cats. All of the animals were realtivley the same, mewling, rolling, sparring with each other or napping. But one animal stood out. A tabby sat in the corner watching her intently. The cat was small and thin. It had odd black markings around its eyes.
Ella stood up and kneeled before the cat holding out her hand for it to sniff. The cat ignored this gesture, and stood up on all four legs, as if evaluating Ella. Ella sat down next to the cat making sure to give her space, and to her surprise the cat rubbed up a against her knee and began to purr.
There was something odd about this cat. Her purr was mournful, yet happy at the same time. Ella picked up the tabby and cuddled her close, scratching her ears.
"Have you found one you like then?" The cat leapt from Ella's arms, and ran in the other direction, but it was too late. Harry had spotted her.
"PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL?" Harry yelled. The cat stopped mid stride, and turned around slowly. She seemed to be glaring at Harry. Suddenly she stretched upwards. Then Ella noticed something. She wasn't just stretching, she was growing. The cat features were slowly changing into people features. Ella's mouth dropped open.
"Hello professor..." Harry said uncertainly. A tall intimidating woman stood before them. Her chestnut hair was tied in a bun, and her green eyes glittered like a cats. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. "You know professor, if you had wanted to see her, you could have stopped by the leaky cauldron." Harry said gently.
"I know that Mr. Potter." McGonagall snapped. She seemed to be regaining her composure now, mopping at her eyes with a tartan handkerchief. "I just, well, do I need to explain myself to you?!" Harry looked sheepish.
"Sorry professor." McGonagall straightened her back and tucked her handkerchief away.
"That's all right. I'll be taking Ella with me, you run back to the leaky cauldron now. Make quite sure that her things make it to the train, if she doesn't come back." Harry and Ella looked surprised.
"Why wouldn't I be coming back?" McGonagall looked at her, surprised. "We're going to Hogwarts, to have a chat with Dumbledore."
"My father?" Ella asked this hesitantly. The professor bit her upper lip.
"Yes. Your father." Ella filled with apprehension at the prospect of meeting this man. She had so many questions to ask him. Mainly, why had he left her to be raised by muggles, when he was alive and apparently, from what she had heard about him, well? This all evaporated from her mind as Professor McGonagall grabbed her shoulder.
"Close your eyes and focus on the words; Hogwarts, and headmaster's office, dear. We're going to apparate." Ella chose not to question this and simply did what she was told. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on the two phrases, and suddenly there was a crack! Ella felt a strange whooshing sensation, and there was a pop. She opened her eyes. She was standing in a circular room. It was grandly furnished in scarlet and gold. Bookcases lined the walls and portraits of sleeping people furnished the spaces between them. Soft gold light filled the room emanating from the candlelit chandeliers and sconces. A ghost floated through the wall.
...A ghost floated through the wall?
Ella screamed, and clutched professor McGonagall's robes. The ghost stopped and spun slowly around to face them. It was a cheery man dressed in the clothes of a 15th century wizard, or at least, what probably had been a sixteenth century wizard.
"Ella! Welcome back! We have missed you darling, why the last time I saw you you were" He paused, thinking " 2 years old! Just a little tot and already levitating things... without so much as a wand!" The ghost seemed to forget they were there. "Yes a powerful child indeed, its no wonder with her parentage-"Professor McGonagall interrupted him.
"Sir Nicholas, is Dumbledore here?" Nicholas looked up from his rambling and nodded his head, which promptly fell off. Ella clutched McGonagall's robes even tighter. The ghost popped his head back on.
"Yes, he's in his room, I'll just fetch him then..." Sir Nicholas trailed off through a door at the top of the circular dais they were facing. Ella let go of McGonagall's robes and sank into a squashy purple chair. Suddenly she was exhausted. And hungry. A tea tray appeared in her lap, with a roast beef sandwiches, fries, and a goblet of some orange substance. Somehow this didn't surprise her. She tasted the liquid in the goblet. Pumpkin juice? Ella felt eyes on her. She looked up to see a stately old man staring at her from the stairs of the dais. Dumbledore, she thought. Ella set the tea tray on the table that had appeared next to her chair and stood up, not quite sure what to say to him. There was a long pause in which the three people did nothing but stare at each other, but, somehow it wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
"Minerva..."Ella assumed he was addressing McGonagall, because she wen't to stand beside him. He put his arm around her waist. They both beamed at her.
"She's gorgeous isn't she Albus?" Dumbledore smile at Ella and beckoned her to come forward. She walked towards them hesitantly. Dumbledore pulled away from McGonagall, and went to sit behind his desk. Several silver instruments were spinning busily on the desktop, whirring and clicking quietly. McGonagall joined him in a chair next to the desk. Ella followed suit and sat down in front of them. Dumbledore clasped his hands. His blue eyes were twinkling.
"Ella, we've missed you." She was desperately confused now. "We're your parents Ella. Your real mother and father." Ella stared blankly. The two older people smiled at her. "Well then, Fire away!" Dumbledore accented this with a loud crack from his wand, which emitted a stream of gray smoke. She was quite sure he was insane now.
"What?" Ella was dumbfounded.
"Questions, my dear, questions, I'm sure you have questions!" he stated this as though she should have known. "Let's get the hard ones out of the way first. The reason we gave you up for adoption is because you were I danger. We chose to send you to America because the magical population is significantly low there. We knew the Deatheaters wouldn't find you. The people who have been taking care of you you're whole life are relatives of Minerva, squibs- people born into magical families without an ounce of magic themselves." The twinkle had faded from his eyes, he looked a little sad. McGonagall had clasped her hands in her lap and was staring at Ella as if she couldn't get enough of her.
"Deatheaters?" This Wizard lingo was strange, and after only one day in the magical world Ella had only caught onto a few words.
"Think about it. I do believe Miss. Hermione Granger placed a most useful spell on you earlier." Ella thought about it. And found that she knew what a Deatheater was. A follower of lord Voldemort, one sworn into his inner circle.
"But why were they trying to kill me?" Dumbledore sighed at this. And he looked rather disappointed.
"You see, Ella, Voldemort attempted to murder the Potters when you and Harry were a mere one year old each. He only succeeded in killing Harry's parents, and when he turned on Harry, his mother died to protect him. Voldemort tried to kill the baby and his curse rebounded. He was reduced to a shadow of his former self. Unfortunately there is a prophecy, and prophecies almost always come true. Harry is the only one who can destroy Lord Voldemort." Oh. Ella thought. It was all clear now. Sort of.
"What do I have to do with this." Dumbledore his sad little smile again.
"Although very talented, and one of the most powerful students in Hogwarts, Harry is not nearly powerful enough to defeat the Dark Lord on his own. That's where you come in. The two of you will have to work together this year. You must find away to combine your talents, and defeat Voldemort, together." Ella still wasn't clear on why she had to be the one to do this.
"But why me!?" Dumbledore stood up and began to walk the length of the room. McGonagall seemed to puff up a little with pride.
"You Ella, are the product of three things. Something Voldemort fears, something he lacks, and something he knows nothing about." Dumbledore stopped pacing and turned to face her. "You are my offspring, and I am the only person Voldemort fears." He took one step towards his desk. Ella followed him with her eyes. "You are creature of white magic, Voldemort has only dark." He took a few more steps and stopped next to Professor McGonagall, her mother. "And finally, you are a product of love. Voldemort has never had, or given love. He knows nothing of it. Keep these three things in mind Ella, for they may prove useful in the future." Her mother and father beamed down at her obviously very proud of their "offspring" as Dumbledore had put it. Ella stared back and tried to smile what she hoped was a warm, happy daughter smile. Her mother stood up.
"Ella, along with your regular schooling you and Harry will be receiving extra defense against the dark arts lessons, starting this week. We've sent for Harry, Ron, and Hermione, you'll spend the rest of the summer here." Well. This sounded like fun, except for the whole prospect of dying fighting this all-powerful dark wizard. One question was pressing at Ella and she had to ask, even though she knew it would sound silly after the serious conversation.
"Where are we sleeping?" McGonagall looked rather amused by this, and Dumbledore chuckled.
"When the other students arrive you'll be sleeping in the dormitories with your respective houses. Till then, you'll be staying in a guest suite. Harry, Ron and Hermione are all Gryffindors. We have to sort you still." McGonagall's lip began to tremble a bit. "Which reminds me, Dumbledore, the sorting hat?" Just then the door slid open at the bottom of the dais and Harry, Ron and Hermione slipped in quietly.
"Ah, just in time for Ella's sorting! Please sit down, make yourselves comfortable." Dumbledore was beaming again. Harry looked overjoyed and he settled himself in one of squashy purple chairs immediately. Hermione and Ron however, were a bit apprehensive sitting stiffly on a couch.
Ella's mother looked rather distressed, and Dumbledore walked over to her putting his arm around her shoulder. He whispered something in her ear and Ella only caught parts of it. "Whichever house she's in...mumble... right choice...mumble mumble.. just have to accept it." Ella was a little distressed herself now. What did they mean sorting? She remembered what Dumbledore had said earlier and thought about. Ah! The sorting hat! It was going to put her into one of the four houses of Hogwarts. Ella spun around looking for the sorting hat. There it was! On a shelf behind Dumbledore's desk sat a beat up old hat. It was tattered and ancient, and it had a large tear above the rim. Dumbledore reached up and gingerly picked it off the shelf. He brought it over to Ella and sat it gently on her head. To her surprise a growly voice sounded inside her head.
iOh my, what have we here? Dumbledore's daughter? I see you're Minerva McGonagall's too, this is going to be difficult. Let's see... Oh my, not Slytherin! Not with this kind of power! No you're too powerful for Slytherin or Hufflepuff. It'll have to be either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. You're brave, and you have a great destiny, but you're smart too. Very smart. Oh this is difficult. I've never seen so much power! Yes that does it. You're mother will be heart broken, though it's for the best! Wouldn't want her being bias now would we? No I think you'll excel in-i/
Ella felt the great brim of the dusty old hat creak open-
"RAVENCLAW!" Her mother sank into a chair hanging her head in disappointment. Harry's mouth dropped open, while Hermione and Ron stood up shouting protests. Hermione was complaining that Ella would need to be with Harry to practice and study, and Ron was shouting various shortcomings of the Ravenclaws. All through this, Dumbledore smiled, looking rather pleased. He held up his hand. Silence came over the room once again.
"I was a Ravenclaw. As you know, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are on good terms. Due to your circumstances, Ella will be allowed to frequent the Gryffindor common room, and Harry will be allowed in the Ravenclaw." Harry perked up a bit at the prospect of visiting another common room. Ella was still a bit dumbfounded.
"It's late, and you all have things to do tomorrow! Off to bed. Follow me this way. McGonagall swept out of the headmaster's office and Harry, Ron and Hermione followed awkwardly. Ella hesitated a moment before following. She paused at the doorway and turned to wave at her father before it closed. He smiled at her and the door closed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Dumbledore sat down at his desk wearily. Minerva was showing the children to their suite, but she would be back shortly, no doubt. Asking questions he needed to ask himself. Sure enough, the door slid open and Minerva swept in, upset.
"Albus,-"He cut her off.
"Minerva." Dumbledore stood up and went to face the empty portrait of Phineas Nigellus, the man hadn't been back to his painting since the death of his great-great-great-grandson.
"Albus don't avoid this conversation." Minerva was now standing quite close to him, and speaking rather loudly. Dumbledore turned to face her. " Are we doing the right thing?" Her eyes began to tear. "She's our only child Albus! How can we send a child to fight Voldemort? I don't want to see her perish in vain, or Harry either for that matter! Why the children?" Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks now. Albus reached up and put his hands on either side of his wife's face. "Children are pure, Minerva. These two children especially can create a force together, powerful enough to demolish an army of Deatheaters along with Voldemort. They just have to find it for themselves." Minerva put her hand on top of Dumbledore's. "I know. I just hate to see her go through so much! Harry too, he's been like a son to you, I know how much you care for him!" Albus pulled Minerva close and hugged her tight. He sighed and said slowly, "It's tearing me apart as well darling."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- Well? Do you like it so far? Review! Any suggestions to where this should go from here are welcome, and if anyone knows how to make the spaces between the lines bigger, they're my hero. I'll try to update this weekend.