A/N: I'm attempting to do something different, and tonight I had a
revelation. Wow, Lucius plays such a big role now, its almost painful.
Anyways, just read the next chapter to see my new "thing" I'm gonna see how
it goes, because quite honestly, it seems like a good idea to me.
Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts with his friends. But things have changed for him since his God Father's death last year, and he is beginning to feel the repercussions. Slowly Harry fights internal conflicts, and Ron and Hermione begin to worry about him. Then one day when Harry disappears in the middle of the night, is he just following in the footsteps of his aunt, or is there foul play afoot?
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 9, Ying-Yang Black
********************
Michelle walked into her office, her new home. She had never attended the feasts while at school, not if she could help it anyway, and she saw no reason why this would be any different.
"Michelle Potter," a voice said behind her, making her spin around, "what a pleasant surprise, I thought you were dead."
"Malfoy," she whispered, "Lucius Malfoy, what are you doing here?"
"Seeing my boy to his sixth year, actually, and I heard that Dumbledore had appointed this position to an old friend, I thought I'd stop to say hello."
"Well, you've said that, now if you please, I have made a habit of not interfering with the forces of evil, so you can see yourself to the door."
"And I thought you would have forgotten me," he whispered lazily, moving closer to her, splitting his eyes with hers.
"You spent half your years here looking both ways to make sure that James wasn't around, and when he left you spent the rest of them following me, trying to see if you could...bloody, I don't know what you were doing, just get out of here, would you?"
Yes, Michelle remembered him well. He had been a few years under her, and had hated James with an unholy passion; he was the Gryffindor seeker, after all. And once James had left Malfoy had picked up on James's only weakness, and that was his fear of leaving Michelle at Hogwarts completely unguarded.
"Michelle Potter, you be careful, you are dead to the Ministry, and only Dumbledore would really notice if...someone accidentally said an unfriendly incantation which would result in your unfortunate death."
"What do you want Lucius?" She asked coldly. It wasn't that she was threatened by him, it was more the fact that she wanted him gone, and had dealt with him enough to know how that was done.
Completely disregarding her, he continued on the same track as he had been on, "I saw him die. I watched you fiancé fall beneath those curtains, my sweet, sweet Michelle. We made him cry for mercy."
"Liar!" She screamed before she realized what she was doing. "Just leave. Malfoy, the beautiful thing about being dead is that I can't be arrested for murder. And don't think I won't.
There was a small rapping at the door, and Michelle fired another glance at Lucius. "Don't answer that," she whispered, "take a few steps away from the door."
"No need to be paranoid, Miss Potter," he hissed, "if the Dark Lord wanted you dead he would do it himself."
"I'm not being paranoid, you jack ass, it's probably a student, and I'll be God damned if I expose them to a Death Eater willingly."
"Professor?" A meek voice called from behind the other side of the door.
"It's unlocked," Michelle called, moving in front of Lucius.
"Professor Dumbledore wants to know if you'll be coming to the feast," the brunette said quickly, taking intimidated glances over in Lucius's direction.
"Granger," he spat under his breath, "filthy Harry Potter loving Mudblood."
Michelle spun around, "OK, Lucius, you can curse, you can use any racist remark you want, hell, you can use the Lord's name in vein for all I bloody care, but you are in my classroom, and you will NOT use such language, now, leave," she pointed to the door.
"Professor," Hermione said slowly, when Lucius was gone, "what was he doing here?"
"Beats me, sweetheart, said he was dropping his son off, but I doubt it. I've met old Lucius Malfoy, and he doesn't do anything unless it's worthwhile. And I suppose someone needs to tell Dumbledore to tighten things up around here, honestly, I'm going to walk in one day and blow someone's head to smithereens if that happens again. What's your name, kiddo, anyways?"
"Hermione Granger," she said quickly, "sixth year."
"Well, Hermione, I take it you're in Gryffindor, because really, anyone in Ravenclaw would've had the brains to run, and I don't think Dumbledore would have sent Hufflepuff, no, too trusting."
"Yea," she said slowly, "I am Gryffindor."
"Good house...honorable house."
"You didn't go to Hogwarts, did you professor, I mean you can't have, your accent is so..."
"Americanized," Michelle finished for her, "happens after fifteen years of living in North America, been there since right after Voldemorte went down. But no, I grew up in England, for the most part, didn't go to Hogwarts for personal reasons, but I haven't been back since now, one of my few regrets," she said grinning. But on the inside, Michelle wanted to die just a little bit.
Michelle had come to terms with the fact long ago that lying was the best method of protection; magic was a close second. As long no one was under the impression that her past at Hogwarts was at all abnormal, she could avoid harder questions. The thing was that, it was a snowball affect, and once people knew she went to Hogwarts, only hard questions could follow. As soon as anyone knew of her heritage, or her brother, or of her engagement, and it would all start with someone knowing about her going to Hogwarts.
They got into the Great Hall, and memories flooded back to her. She remembered the first year; being scared half to death by the sorting. The hat had thrown her in Ravenclaw, much to her protest. Her second year she dined with her brother and his friends, and the third year she skipped the new-year feast altogether, reading a little bit in her common room. Her fourth and fifth year she ate again with James, and in her sixth year Michelle hadn't even taken the train, in fact she'd missed the first four days of the new semester because she had left the platform after her mom had left, and had taken Shadow. Of course, Sirius knew what she was doing, and had followed her the entire way to Hogwarts on his motorcycle. As far as she knew, he hadn't told James about their adventure though.
Her seventh year, Voldemorte had begun to rise, and both Sirius and James feared for her security at Hogwarts. It was little assurance that it was probably safer to be there than to be at home. Sirius got all the scheduled Hogsmaede trips and met up with her there, and James would send letters to her, Dumbledore and Hagrid, just to make sure.
"I'll be," she whispered, "I haven't been inside this hall in so many years." She turned her attention to the staff.
There was an empty seat beside Professor Snape and the headmaster, and Michelle made her way towards there.
"I never thought I'd see another Potter again," Snape said as she sat down next to him.
"And you're lucky you are, Mr. Snape, because, even the best of us need a little reminder that human decency can go a long way."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He sniped, curling the tip of his tongue, and taking a seductively large bite of an apple.
"Your old buddy appeared in my class, today, Severus, you remember Lucius Malfoy? Of course you do, I mean you loyally served-"
"Enough," he breathed, "you forget my past, and I'll forget yours, Potter."
"Agreed."
Michelle took the apple Severus had been eating and put it on his plate, meeting his murderous eye, she offered a hand, "Shake on it?"
Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts with his friends. But things have changed for him since his God Father's death last year, and he is beginning to feel the repercussions. Slowly Harry fights internal conflicts, and Ron and Hermione begin to worry about him. Then one day when Harry disappears in the middle of the night, is he just following in the footsteps of his aunt, or is there foul play afoot?
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 9, Ying-Yang Black
********************
Michelle walked into her office, her new home. She had never attended the feasts while at school, not if she could help it anyway, and she saw no reason why this would be any different.
"Michelle Potter," a voice said behind her, making her spin around, "what a pleasant surprise, I thought you were dead."
"Malfoy," she whispered, "Lucius Malfoy, what are you doing here?"
"Seeing my boy to his sixth year, actually, and I heard that Dumbledore had appointed this position to an old friend, I thought I'd stop to say hello."
"Well, you've said that, now if you please, I have made a habit of not interfering with the forces of evil, so you can see yourself to the door."
"And I thought you would have forgotten me," he whispered lazily, moving closer to her, splitting his eyes with hers.
"You spent half your years here looking both ways to make sure that James wasn't around, and when he left you spent the rest of them following me, trying to see if you could...bloody, I don't know what you were doing, just get out of here, would you?"
Yes, Michelle remembered him well. He had been a few years under her, and had hated James with an unholy passion; he was the Gryffindor seeker, after all. And once James had left Malfoy had picked up on James's only weakness, and that was his fear of leaving Michelle at Hogwarts completely unguarded.
"Michelle Potter, you be careful, you are dead to the Ministry, and only Dumbledore would really notice if...someone accidentally said an unfriendly incantation which would result in your unfortunate death."
"What do you want Lucius?" She asked coldly. It wasn't that she was threatened by him, it was more the fact that she wanted him gone, and had dealt with him enough to know how that was done.
Completely disregarding her, he continued on the same track as he had been on, "I saw him die. I watched you fiancé fall beneath those curtains, my sweet, sweet Michelle. We made him cry for mercy."
"Liar!" She screamed before she realized what she was doing. "Just leave. Malfoy, the beautiful thing about being dead is that I can't be arrested for murder. And don't think I won't.
There was a small rapping at the door, and Michelle fired another glance at Lucius. "Don't answer that," she whispered, "take a few steps away from the door."
"No need to be paranoid, Miss Potter," he hissed, "if the Dark Lord wanted you dead he would do it himself."
"I'm not being paranoid, you jack ass, it's probably a student, and I'll be God damned if I expose them to a Death Eater willingly."
"Professor?" A meek voice called from behind the other side of the door.
"It's unlocked," Michelle called, moving in front of Lucius.
"Professor Dumbledore wants to know if you'll be coming to the feast," the brunette said quickly, taking intimidated glances over in Lucius's direction.
"Granger," he spat under his breath, "filthy Harry Potter loving Mudblood."
Michelle spun around, "OK, Lucius, you can curse, you can use any racist remark you want, hell, you can use the Lord's name in vein for all I bloody care, but you are in my classroom, and you will NOT use such language, now, leave," she pointed to the door.
"Professor," Hermione said slowly, when Lucius was gone, "what was he doing here?"
"Beats me, sweetheart, said he was dropping his son off, but I doubt it. I've met old Lucius Malfoy, and he doesn't do anything unless it's worthwhile. And I suppose someone needs to tell Dumbledore to tighten things up around here, honestly, I'm going to walk in one day and blow someone's head to smithereens if that happens again. What's your name, kiddo, anyways?"
"Hermione Granger," she said quickly, "sixth year."
"Well, Hermione, I take it you're in Gryffindor, because really, anyone in Ravenclaw would've had the brains to run, and I don't think Dumbledore would have sent Hufflepuff, no, too trusting."
"Yea," she said slowly, "I am Gryffindor."
"Good house...honorable house."
"You didn't go to Hogwarts, did you professor, I mean you can't have, your accent is so..."
"Americanized," Michelle finished for her, "happens after fifteen years of living in North America, been there since right after Voldemorte went down. But no, I grew up in England, for the most part, didn't go to Hogwarts for personal reasons, but I haven't been back since now, one of my few regrets," she said grinning. But on the inside, Michelle wanted to die just a little bit.
Michelle had come to terms with the fact long ago that lying was the best method of protection; magic was a close second. As long no one was under the impression that her past at Hogwarts was at all abnormal, she could avoid harder questions. The thing was that, it was a snowball affect, and once people knew she went to Hogwarts, only hard questions could follow. As soon as anyone knew of her heritage, or her brother, or of her engagement, and it would all start with someone knowing about her going to Hogwarts.
They got into the Great Hall, and memories flooded back to her. She remembered the first year; being scared half to death by the sorting. The hat had thrown her in Ravenclaw, much to her protest. Her second year she dined with her brother and his friends, and the third year she skipped the new-year feast altogether, reading a little bit in her common room. Her fourth and fifth year she ate again with James, and in her sixth year Michelle hadn't even taken the train, in fact she'd missed the first four days of the new semester because she had left the platform after her mom had left, and had taken Shadow. Of course, Sirius knew what she was doing, and had followed her the entire way to Hogwarts on his motorcycle. As far as she knew, he hadn't told James about their adventure though.
Her seventh year, Voldemorte had begun to rise, and both Sirius and James feared for her security at Hogwarts. It was little assurance that it was probably safer to be there than to be at home. Sirius got all the scheduled Hogsmaede trips and met up with her there, and James would send letters to her, Dumbledore and Hagrid, just to make sure.
"I'll be," she whispered, "I haven't been inside this hall in so many years." She turned her attention to the staff.
There was an empty seat beside Professor Snape and the headmaster, and Michelle made her way towards there.
"I never thought I'd see another Potter again," Snape said as she sat down next to him.
"And you're lucky you are, Mr. Snape, because, even the best of us need a little reminder that human decency can go a long way."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He sniped, curling the tip of his tongue, and taking a seductively large bite of an apple.
"Your old buddy appeared in my class, today, Severus, you remember Lucius Malfoy? Of course you do, I mean you loyally served-"
"Enough," he breathed, "you forget my past, and I'll forget yours, Potter."
"Agreed."
Michelle took the apple Severus had been eating and put it on his plate, meeting his murderous eye, she offered a hand, "Shake on it?"