Chapter 5
Professor Regan hurried back to her room after dinner, hoping to send her message before everyone overseas was asleep. Suddenly, in the corridor ahead, Albus Dumbledore turned and saw her, and a smile crossed his face. "Ah Professor Regan, just the person I was looking for."
"Good evening, Headmaster. Is there something you needed? And please, Patricia is fine." She tried to keep her voice low, but she was too anxious about the day's events.
"Very good. As for what I need, I would just like your version of events at the Dueling Club. I've already talked to Professor Snape."
"Have you?" Now was the time to feign innocence and hope something was said. "Is he all right?"
"He is fine. However, he was most insistent that one of your students be sent home immediately. It seems Mr. Shields did not make a very good impression."
"Slade rarely does, but he's a good student, Headmaster-"
"Albus will suffice. And I'm well aware of his academic achievements. Which is why I told Severus that no one is being sent home today."
"Thank you. All the children enjoy Hogwarts very much."
"Including your niece?" Professor Regan visibly paled, fixing Dumbledore with a cold stare that was reminiscent of Amber's.
"It isn't listed on any records that she's related to me. How did you find out?"
"Her mother's maiden name was Regan, and she had an older sister, named Patricia. It was my assumption that you were one and the same. Word spreads quickly when Death Eaters kill wizard families, even across the Atlantic."
"It wasn't very sensational in the States. Not like Harry Potter."
"There are times when our young Mr. Potter wishes there was no attention, or that Voldemort had not attacked his parents. However, everything in this world occurs for a reason."
"I suppose there was a reason that my sister and brother-in-law were killed practically in front of my niece?"
"There's a reason for everything, but we don't always know what it is." Now it was time to drop the proverbial bomb.
"So then there's reason why the Potions-master at Hogwarts has a Dark Mark?" She was expecting him to step back, gasp, turn pale, or any number of things that would say that he knew the charade was over. Instead, the Headmaster merely looked at her over the rim of his half-moon spectacles and smiled.
"It seems I owe you an explanation, if for no other reason than to keep the American Ministry calm."
"And I suppose I should explain the real reason we suggested this program."
"If you wish, though I would like to meet your students face-to-face. I wouldn't be a decent Headmaster without knowing all the students," Dumbledore said as he led the way to his office. A few feet away, hiding in one of the alcoves, was a gray cat with slightly darker stripes. It shook its head and began walking down the hall.
'I need to let the others know what's going on,' Lotus thought to himself.
Harry was in the Owlery, spending some time with Hedwig, when he saw Amber and Jason come in. He stayed hidden in the shadows as they continued their conversation: "…had no right to do that. What was he thinking?" Amber shouted, quieting down when a few owls flapped their wings in annoyance.
"Slade rarely thinks, you know that. He's always been impulsive," Jason replied. "Stigma of the House and all."
"Amelia and Lotus aren't like that."
"Maybe not to the extent of being snarky to teachers, but they both have their own impulsive ways. We all carry the stigmas of our Houses. Especially you and your temper, little Miss Fire."
"I've only bitched at two people this year, those being Slade and that Malfoy kid from Slytherin."
"Which was not the brightest thing to do. Amelia's been doing some asking around, and Lucius Malfoy is not someone you want as an enemy. And he defends his son vehemently."
"Hoot!" came a high-pitched owl voice.
"See, F.B. agrees with me."
"Why do you call him that? It isn't his name." Harry inched closer to see the two Americans standing next to an owl that was the size of Pigwidgeon. Jason stroked the bird's head with one finger, smiling at it. Harry found the scene rather amusing, and couldn't help but laugh. Amber heard him and spun around, wand in hand.
"Who's there?"
"It's only me," Harry told her as he walked over with Hedwig on his arm. "Sorry if I startled you."
"She's just been jumpy lately," Jason said as F.B. climbed onto his shoulder. "Beautiful owl, by the way. What's its name?"
"Her name's Hedwig." At the mention of her name, the snowy owl hooted and spread her wings. F.B. hooted back and dipped his head. "And that's F.B.?"
"Well, his actual name is Archimedes Wormwood Einstein Owl. We call him F.B. for short."
"What does that stand for?" Owl and wizard looked at one another, and then Jason shrugged.
"Feather brain." Harry looked a bit puzzled, and then Amber began giggling. A moment later the boys joined in and they all enjoyed a good laugh. After a few minutes Jason said: "Well, I'd love to stay, but Professor Hagrid said I could help him feed the Unicorns today." Taking F.B. with him, Jason left the two Gryffindors.
"Do you have an owl?" Harry asked tentatively, wondering if Amber would remain friendly.
"No, I have a cat. His name's Ronin."
"Hermione's got one too, named Crookshanks. I'm sure you've seen him."
"Yes, he and Ronin don't get along too well. My cat and I tend to keep to ourselves." Harry began walking towards the outside doors, and Amber followed. She still wasn't too keen on divulging her own personal nightmare, but everyone seemed to think that Harry was trustworthy.
"You worry your friends by doing that," the dark-haired boy said once they were outside. Hedwig flapped her wings and sailed off to get some exercise.
"I'm always alone anyway, even with them. Being with Ronin just lets me pretend everything's okay."
"What about your parents? I'm sure it worries them."
"If I could ask them, I would." It took a moment for the words to register, and Harry turned to stare at her, absent-mindedly running a hand over his scar. Now he realized why her eyes looked so lifeless at times, and realized his own had probably once been like that.
"Your parents are dead too?"
"During winter break of my first year, I was shopping for presents. I came home and found our house in flames, so I rushed in to help my parents. But there was a strange man there, and he was standing over my mother's body, holding his wand at my father's throat. Father saw me and yelled for me to run, but another man grabbed me. He held me as I watched the first man cast a spell, and my father dropped to the floor. And then they both pointed their wands at me, and I thought I was going to die. But Ronin had been watching, and he attacked one of the men, and I ran for the door."
"So you got out okay?" Harry asked, eerily fascinated by her story. Amber looked around for a moment, and then pulled down her robe and shirt to expose her right shoulder. A patch of scar tissue the size of a grapefruit marred the light skin, and she quickly covered it back up.
"Like I said, the house was in flames. A beam broke loose and caught me across the shoulder. My aunt Patricia found me and got me and Ronin out of the house before it collapsed. But the men who killed my parents got away."
"Is that why you let your shoulder stay like that?" Amber blinked and stared at him for a moment. "My scar can't be healed by magic, but your burns could have been. Why keep them?"
"Tell me Harry, if your scar could be healed, would you want it to be?" He thought about it for a minute, then looked up at Hedwig as she circled them.
"No, I think I'd keep it." Silence enveloped the two for a few minutes, and then Harry said: "So, you live with your aunt now?"
"No, aunt Patricia is an auror, and she felt I would be in danger if I stayed with her. After all, my father and she worked together."
"So where do you stay?"
"Lotus' family adopted me. His parents and mine were friends since their school days, and they made me one of their own."
"So you're a registered Animagus too?"
"Yes. I kept my last name so no one would automatically trace me to the Tremores. However, I am one of the family, so Lotus and I did the ritual under his family's guidance."
"And your friends?"
"They all became Animagi with Lotus and me watching. Jason knew about my parents' death because he's extremely nosy with regards to the news of the wizarding world. He told Amelia, Slade, and Dawn, and it we decided to always do everything together. That's why we all pledged to become aurors and fight Voldemort's forces." Harry raised his eyebrows at the mention of the dark wizard. "What?"
"Most people here won't say his name. I always thought everyone was afraid of him." Amber cocked her head to one side and grinned, stretching as she did so.
"Just because I say the name doesn't mean I'm not afraid of the actual person. With the exception of you and headmaster Dumbledore, no one who's stood up to Voldemort has survived. Even my aunt says the best thing to do if you see him is run, and she deals with Death Eaters." There was another long pause, and then Harry spoke:
"Did it get easier for you? Accepting your parents' deaths, I mean." It was Amber's turn to watch Hedwig for a moment, and then she sighed.
"I don't think I'll ever accept what happened, but I'm dealing with it better. Lotus' parents are wonderful people, but there will always be some feeling of loss."
"That's how I feel. Hogwarts is my family though, but I love being here."
"It is nice here, so I hope we can stay."
"You mean after the school year is over?" Amber was considering telling Harry about their situation, when a gray, striped cat came running up and pawed at her robe. With a quick nod, she turned to her Housemate.
"Sorry Harry, but I need to go. See you later," she said with an apologetic smile. Before Harry could respond, she had already become a cat, and the two felines ran back towards the castle. Hedwig landed on Harry's arm, turned her head sideways, and hooted. She sounded about as confused as Harry himself felt.
"No Hedwig, I don't understand either."
Professor Regan was once again walking towards her office, but this time it was with a feeling of dread. If what Dumbledore had told her was true, she had put her students in danger by bringing them here. At the door to her office she was greeted by two cats, who sat staring at her. "I figured you two would be here. Come inside," she said, unlocking the door and quickly shutting it behind them. Once in, the cats hopped onto chairs and reformed into Amber and Lotus.
"So what did Dumbledore say?" the young wizard wanted to know. Professor Regan raised an eyebrow at him.
"He says hello, and that he wants to meet with all of you face-to-face. He also said that if Professor McGonagall catches you snooping the halls, she'll assign Professor Snape the duty of your detention."
"He doesn't scare me." Amber's eyes widened slightly.
"He should. That man is like a walking poster-child for the Death Eaters. And now that we know he's working for Vol-" A split second later, Professor Regan had put hand over her mouth, then took it off.
"Do not say that name within this castle. I know it sounds ridiculous, but names and memories can still hold power. And though there are some here who are still loyal to him, Snape is not one of them."
"How can you be so sure?" Lotus demanded, standing up.
"Headmaster Dumbledore assured me that Professor Snape is on our side."
"And you believe him?" The older witch sighed heavily and fixed her student with a hard stare.
"When the most powerful wizard of the century says that he has complete and utter trust in someone, then yes, I believe him."
"What about us?" Amber asked.
"We're staying. Dumbledore knows of the situation, and believes he can use all of you to help the students here."
"How so?"
"As of today, my curriculum is changing, Lotus. We'll now focus on dueling, and I want you two and Slade to help everyone along as tutors. That, and our sullen Mr. Shields will have a way of redeeming himself." The two students exchanged quick glances, and Amber frowned.
"They're going to use him and Dawn. Aunt Patricia, isn't this what we fought against back home?" she asked, looking slightly annoyed now. "Our Ministry was willing to put them in danger to root out Death Eaters. I won't let them be used like that here."
"Amber, don't worry. Dumbledore wants to talk to all of you about this, and won't force anyone into a dangerous situation. Dawn and Slade will just mingle more with crowds, such as at an upcoming Quidditch event."
"Quidditch? That's a House-specific event. We can't leave our sections."
"You're all going to be players."
"Um, Professor, we're not part of the House teams," Lotus reminded her.
"There's going to be a special match with a friendly Hogwarts-Salem rivalry. You six will be facing a combined team of Hogwarts students."
"Which means parents will be coming," the Slytherin realized.
"But we need seven for a proper Quidditch team," Amber brought up. Lotus shrugged, his mind already forming plans to uncover Death Eaters.
"One Chaser won't be hard to find." Professor Regan nodded, and then glanced at her pocket watch.
"Oh, it's nearly curfew! You two better get back to your Houses." Ushering them out the door, the American teacher watched her students jog through the torch-lit halls. She then sat down at her desk, writing a quick letter to her Ministry. "Dear Minister Templeton: It is as we feared. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned, and war will soon come to Europe. Please alert all ministers and aurors, and prepare for the Death Eaters to rise."