There is plenty to criticize.
It gets so easy to narrow these eyes.
But these eyes will stay wide.
I will stay young.
Young and dumb inside.
I have just begun to forget my lines.

September 9th 4PM Friday

Draco returned early in the morning with word from Wood that he would have a plane waiting for us at eight but we would need to find our own way back to the airport. At seven we planned to make our escape and until then all we could do was wait.

"Feeling better?" Draco asked and I looked up to see him watching me from the doorway.

"I suppose," I stated simply, "My temper just got the best of me."

Draco walked into the bedroom and shut the door behind him. He hesitated for a few moments before sitting down next to me on the bed. I dug into my backpack and pulled out the small box I'd gotten from Gringotts.

"Still haven't opened it?" Draco asked as he stared at the box curiously.

"Nope," I replied as I held the box in front of me and stared at it.

There was nothing special about the box. It was a plan brown color and roughly the size of a shoebox. The wood felt old and worn in my hands.

"Do you ever plan to?" he asked as he slowly ran a hand over the lid of the box. It pulsed in my hands for a moment, only stopping once he pulled his hand away.

"I was thinking about doing it now," I explained, "but I'm scared. I have no idea what might be inside. What if it's something I don't want to know?"

"Jenny," Draco chuckled, "look at everything you've gone through just to find out about your father's past and now you're frightened to open a simple wooden box?"

"That's not it. It's not just a simple wooden box. Everything I've gone through so far has been my choice," I explained. "This box was left by my father for me to find. It's not some mystery to investigate or story to be told. Whatever my father left in this box is plain and simple fact."

There was a soft tapping at the bedroom door. A moment later the door slowly opened and Khalida's head popped through. She gave me a pleading look and I nodded slightly.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked as she pushed the door open and walked toward me. I could see Dumbledore standing in the hallway along with Officer Wilkes.

"Yes," I replied sheepishly, "I'm sorry I got so upset before. I'm just a little stressed."

"Not a problem," Khalida stated sternly, "We're all under a lot of stress and I think we've all said some things we regret." Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly and walked into the room.

"I'd like to apologize to you Professor," I stated, "I was out of line earlier."

"All is forgiven," he replied as he eyed the box in my hands. I glanced around the room and noticed that everyone, even Officer Wilkes, was staring at the box longingly.

"Everyone's come to see what's in here," I asked as I pointed at the box, "Haven't you?"

They all shook their heads except Khalida who was nodding her head wildly. The rest of the group shot her a warning look and she appeared offended.

"What!" she exclaimed indignantly, "I'm being honest."

"Fine then," I sighed in resignation.

Everyone crowded around me as I pried the lid off the box. A small humming noise filled the room as I placed my hand on the lid but once the lid was removed the sound disappeared.

The first thing I pulled from the box was a folded piece of parchment. I studied it for a moment before carefully unfolding it. It was a letter from my father.

Dear Jenny,

If you are reading this, then I am gone and you are probably pretty upset with me. Upset because I left and upset because of the past I have kept hidden from you for all these years. I'd like to say I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It was my intention to keep you safe and protected, hiding who I was seemed to accomplish those two things fairly well. There were a few problems along the way but I think we managed, for the most part.

I'd also like to say I'm sorry about Lucas. I don't know if you have found out yet that I obliviated him when you were younger. That is why he forgot about you Jenny. I'm so, so sorry. I did it to protect you and to protect our family.

I'm sure you know all about who I used to be. And I do mean "used to be", because I have not been Harry Potter since I left London over nineteen years ago. You are probably wondering why I left a few things for you to find. It may sound strange, but I left them because I knew eventually you would find them. You're a smart girl Jenny, you always have been, and you always will be and I knew that I could not keep my secrets from you forever.

Someday the truth will come out, just as it always does and I fear that you will be in danger. That is one of the reasons I left clues to my past, so that you would be able to find those that will help you along the way. I'm speaking of my former friends.

Perhaps you have met them already or perhaps not, but I urge you to track them down. Severus Snape, Draco Malfoy, Ron and Hermione Weasley, Remus Lupin and Albus Dumbledore, can aide you but do not trust them implicitly. They are friends but they are not family, they are not blood and they may not always have your best interests in mind.

There is another that you can call upon for help but she will be hard to find. Her name is Khalida List and she is a vampire. It may be wiser to wait for her to come to you rather than to run off looking for her. She's a little…unpredictable to say the least.

If the worst should come to pass and dark days come once again I have no doubt that you will be right in the middle of it. Being my daughter pretty much guarantees that. Hopefully you won't be stuck with some prophecy hanging over your head and the whole world on your shoulders, but we cannot choose our destinies.

If you should ever find yourself in a situation where your very life is in danger and there is no way out I have left instructions at the bottom of the box. Use the instructions to call upon my true allies and they will protect you as they always protected me.

The last thing I wish to tell you is this, do not mourn for me and do not blame yourself. I have made a choice and exercised the most important right a person has, the right to choose whether to live or die. I have chosen. A great man once told me that to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. I have lived a long life and finally found happiness with you, now I move on to my next great adventure.

Living is also a great adventure Jenny, so go out into the world and have many great adventures. Don't forget that I love you very much. And be good, I'll be watching.

Your friend and father,

James Rubeus Riddle

My hands were shaking as I finished reading the letter aloud. I slowly folded the parchment back up and laid it aside. No one in the room said a word and all eyes were downcast. I reached into the box and pulled out the next item.

It was a photograph. Not a magical photograph, but a regular muggle photograph. It was a picture of my father and my mother sitting under a tree. My mother was leaning back onto my father's chest and he had his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Is that your mother?" Officer Wilkes asked softly and I nodded my head sadly.

I traced one finger over the photo and smiled down at the image of my parents. They seemed so happy in the photo. Both of them appeared to be so blissfully unaware of the world around them. I had never seen my father smiling so honestly.

"Is there a date on that photo?" Draco asked nervously and I quickly turned the photo over to look.

"Nope, nothing," I replied. "Why?"

"Well," Draco said slowly, "I don't think that photo was taken in America."

"Do you recognize the place?" Khalida broke in and Draco shook his head.

"Do you think they were on vacation someplace or something?" I asked in confusion and Draco shook his head again. I studied the picture once again but couldn't see what Draco was getting at.

"Look at your father's face," he said hesitantly and everyone leaned over to get a closer look.

"His scar!" Khalida gasped and my eyes immediately went to the scar on my father's forehead.

"What about his scar?" I asked angrily. "Its right there," I stated as I pointed at the lightning bolt shaped scar.

"Not that scar," Draco explained and I was puzzled for a moment before realizing that he meant the scar that ran down the side of my father's face. I held the photo up to the light and was surprised when…

"IT'S NOT THERE!" I exclaimed loudly.

The scar was gone. After studying the picture further I noticed other oddities. My father's gray hair was nearly jet black. His eyes were not a pale green but a bright sparkling emerald.

"But that means…" Khalida said nervously.

"It means," Dumbledore replied, "This picture was taken before Voldemort was defeated, which also means that your father knew your mother when he was still here in England."

"But how…what…that doesn't…" my voice rambled off into incoherent babbling as I tried to make sense of the image in my hands.

"I wonder who she was," Draco mumbled to himself.

"Do you think she was a witch?" Khalida asked and Draco shook his head.

"Who knows," he replied.

"I wonder if she lived in England then," I said thoughtfully. "If she did then I might have a better chance of finding out more about her. I wish I knew her maiden name though." Wilkes stepped up to stand in front of me.

"About that," he said as he ran a hand through his short brown hair, "I wasn't able to find any information on your father in any of the public records. I guess it makes sense now though. I mean, if the FBI was involved they probably have all of his information and I doubt they'll be giving it to us anytime soon, even if you are family."

Draco suddenly snatched the photo from me and walked toward the window. I rushed over to him to take it back but he pushed my hand away. He stared at the picture for a few minutes and seemed to be deep in thought.

"There's a house or something in the background," he stated as he pointed to a small black dot in the right hand corner of the picture. "It's too small to see though, we'll have to get it enlarged or something." Dumbledore walked over to take a look.

"We will need to find a skilled photographer to enlarge something so small without distorting it," he stated as he eyed the picture through his half-moon glasses. I grabbed the photo back from Draco and laid it next to the letter from my father.

"We'll deal with it when we get back to London," I explained, "I'm sure we can find plenty of professional photographers there."

Everyone agreed that was the best idea and I reached into the box to pull out the last two items. The first item was a small dagger. It had a black hilt and looked extremely sharp. Underneath it was another folded up piece of parchment. I eyed it warily before unfolding it. I scanned it quickly and looked up at Dumbledore.

"They're directions on how to summon the Brotherhood," I stated.

"It is lucky for us that Harry thought to leave them for you," Dumbledore admitted. I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head in disbelief.

"You don't know how to summon them do you?" I asked and everyone, besides Dumbledore, let out a loud gasp.

"Of course not," Dumbledore said simply. "They are not my group to summon. After the Brotherhood was formed I had Harry obliviate me of any knowledge of the group. I know of them but I do not know the members or even how many there are."

"But if they fought side-by-side with Harry and the Order then how would you not know who they are?" Draco asked in confusion.

"They wore masks," Dumbledore explained, "and cloaks, to hide their identities. It was actually Harry's idea. He felt that it would be too hard for the members to go home after the war if everyone in the wizarding world knew what they had done and what they were capable of. The only people in existence, who know the identities of the members, are the members themselves and Harry of course. The members of the Order were sworn to secrecy which is why Remus could not tell you about the Brotherhood earlier."

"They sound like Death Eaters," Draco spat distastefully and I nodded in agreement.

"They are," Khalida stated.

"Now Khalida," Dumbledore warned, "Let us not have a repeat of our earlier argument or we will only end up back where we started."

A loud buzzing filled the room and everyone was instantly silenced. Dumbledore appeared worried while the rest of looked around in confusion.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Draco asked loudly.

"The wards," Dumbledore stated.

"Does that mean they've found us then?" I asked nervously and Dumbledore shook his head.

"At the moment they are merely attempting to locate us but it will not be long before the protection spells fail," he explained.

"How long do we have?" Wilkes asked nervously.

"An hour at the most," Dumbledore admitted as he pulled out his pocket watch. "And it is only six o'clock which means that if we leave now Wood will not have the plane ready for us when we arrive at the airport."

"And if we leave at seven we'll probably run into a mess of aurors on our way out," Draco added despondently. I glanced around and found that everyone shared the same anxious expression.

"So basically we're screwed," I stated bluntly and everyone nodded.

Draco and Dumbledore began to argue about the best course of action, with Officer Wilkes lending his opinion from time to time. Khalida walked over to the bed and picked up the dagger that I had pulled from the box. She stared at it for a moment before sighing loudly and holding it out toward me.

"Sometimes," she said softly as we stared into each other's eyes, "we have to do things that we do not wish to when we are left with no other options." I took the dagger from her and held it to my heart.

The room fell silent as Dumbledore, Draco and Wilkes noticed what was taking place. Draco walked over and picked up the small piece of folded parchment and handed it to me. I glanced down at it for a moment before looking back up at Khalida.

"Call your allies," Khalida said sternly.

"Are you sure about this?" Draco asked nervously. Dumbledore and Wilkes looked on with mild curiosity.

"If war is what they want," Khalida stated in a low, threatening tone, "then it is war we will give them."

I nodded and walked out of the room, slowly making my way down the stairs to the living room. At the bottom of the staircase I stopped and motioned for everyone to wait on the stairs until I was done. I had no idea how many members there were in the Brotherhood so I had no idea how much room would be needed.

With my head held high, I strode to stand next to the couch where my father rested peacefully. His features were calm and relaxed but I swear that I could see the slightest hint of a smile on his lips. I knelt down next to him and lightly ran a hand over his cheek.

"I'm calling your friends," I whispered into his ear, "I trust you father…I trust Harry Potter." I turned away from my father and stood.

I held my right hand out in front of me and cut a small line down my palm. The blood pooled for a moment before I turned my hand over and let the drops fall to the rough carpet below. I slipped the dagger into my belt and lifted the parchment. The room was deathly silent as I began to read.

"Bound to Blood, Bound to One. I summon the Brotherhood of Eanna, allies of Harry James Potter, Heir of Gryffindor. Remember the promises made, the duty sworn. Hear the call of your leader, mighty net, protector of his people, raging flood-wave who destroys even walls of stone!"

The room began to shake and I could see Draco make a move to run down the stairs. I shook my head fiercely and he reluctantly remained still. The sky grew dark and lightning split the sky. The candles that were attached to the wall lit by themselves and cast shadows across the room.

I wondered for a moment how the members would arrive and how long it would take. Apparition was my first thought but I dismissed it a moment later as the shadows began to move and take shape. It startled me at first and I took a step back, nearly tripping on the couch and landing on my father.

The shadows seemed to drip from the walls, the ceiling and even the floor. Twisting and bending as they moved, until they decided on chosen forms. They were replaced a moment later by figures in dark green cloaks wearing plain black masks which covered their eyes and cheeks. There were at least twenty of them and they were all identical, except for the white lightning bolt painted on their masks, each one a different size.

The Brotherhood glanced around the room for a moment until their eyes landed on me, focusing on the blood dripping from my outstretched hand. They did not kneel down before me; instead they lined up into orderly rows and stood silently.

I looked down at the parchment once more to see what I was expected to do next, but it gave me no hints and the only thing there was the summoning spell. I slipped the parchment into my pocket and waited. Finally one of the masked figures in front stepped forward. I glanced at his mask and noticed that his lightning bolt was the longest and thickest. Instead of stretching down his mask vertically, it lay almost horizontally and stretched from one side of the mask to the other.

"Supreme over other kings, lordly in appearance," he began in a stern yet dignified tone, "he is the hero, born of Uruk, the goring wild bull. He walks out in front, the leader, and walks at the rear, trusted by his companions." He paused for a moment before calling out loudly.

"Who can compare with him in honor and loyalty?" he yelled and the rest of the group answered him back.

"NONE!"

"Who can say like Harry Potter, I am "Savior"? He called out even louder.

"NONE!" the group answered once again.

"Who do we serve?"

"HARRY POTTER!"

"Will we ever serve another?"

"IN BLOOD WE ARE BOUND!"

"What are you orders?"

"TO PROTECT HARRY POTTER AND DESTROY HIS ENEMIES!"

"And who are his enemies?" he called out lastly. There was a moment of silence as the group lifted wands, swords and other assorted weapons.

"ALL WHO DWELL UPON THE SAME SOIL, ALL WHO BREATHE THE SAME AIR, ALL WHO ARE NOT THE BLOOD TO WHICH WE ARE BOUND!"

I gulped audibly as the masked figure stepped back to join the rest of the group. They all seemed to be staring at me expectantly and I shifted from one foot to the other nervously. I slowly walked over to stand in front of the cloaked figure in front.

"I'm guessing you're the leader," I stated and he shook his head wildly. I glanced to the figures behind him and they were all shaking their heads as well.

"Only Harry Potter is our leader," he explained, "and all those who share his blood."

"So are you the second in command then?" I asked hesitantly and he nodded.

"Yes," he replied proudly.

"And is that why you have the longest lightning bolt on your mask?" He tentatively brought one hand up to touch the lightning bolt but drew it back quickly.

"Yes," he stated as he puffed out his chest, "Painted by our leader himself." I could see a few of the other members shooting looks of jealousy at him and a few angry looks followed as well.

"I'd like if you all would take off your masks," I said simply, "I want to meet you all properly." Nervous whispering carried through the group. "Is there a problem?"

"There are outsiders here," the man answered as he glanced back at the staircase, "Harry has never asked us to remove our masks in front of outsiders."

"Neither will I then," I said and I could hear a few members sigh in relief. Suddenly another buzzing noise filled the house, this time louder then before.

"I guess we'll have to skip formal introductions," I called out so the entire Brotherhood could hear me. "I am Harry Potter's daughter Jenny," I explained, purposefully leaving out my last name. Most of the group smiled at me, the others had expressions of awe on their faces.

"You can see my father sleeping behind me," I said as I motioned towards the couch. "We have been attempting to return him to Hogwarts but we've run into a little trouble with the American wizarding government." A few angry grumbles and shouts could be heard.

"In a few…what time do you have Dumbledore?" I called out and Dumbledore quickly pulled out his pocket watch.

"It is six-thirty," he responded, "We only have a half hour to prepare. I would suggest we leave fifteen minutes early to avoid the aurors." I pushed through the Brotherhood and climbed the stairs until I was halfway up and standing next to Draco.

"You heard what he said," I called out, "We have fifteen minutes to plan our escape."

"But why not take the half hour instead," one of the members called out. It was a woman's voice and she sounded awfully familiar.

"If we have to, we will," I stated sternly, "but I would prefer to escape with the least amount of fighting possible."

"But we're ready to fight!" one of the male members called out and the rest of the Brotherhood cheered in agreement.

"You have heard my orders!" I growled loudly and the room fell silent. "Do not disobey me."

I could hear a few of the members grumbling but most of them appeared properly chastised. They began to form groups and move about the house searching for possible escape routes. The second-in-command pulled out a map of London and sat down on the floor with a few other members.

Dumbledore and Wilkes moved around between the small groups, listening in on the conversations and helping where they could. I walked back down the stairs and sat down on the floor next to my father. Khalida and Draco followed behind me and sat down next to me, one on each side.

"They work well on their own," Khalida explained, "but you will need to keep them in line. They will try to push you."

"How is it you know so much about them?" I asked, becoming slightly suspicious.

"The Brotherhood was my idea," she explained, "I even chose the name."

"Then why aren't you a member?" I asked in confusion and she shifted nervously.

"The group was originally formed to simply protect Gilgamesh," she stated, "but the ideals of the group were twisted and reshaped. Once the Brotherhood was fully formed I decided that I didn't agree with their…methods." Her answer didn't satisfy me but I decided to let it go, for now.

Khalida began to run her fingers through my father's hair absentmindedly. She traced his jaw with her other hand and then reached down to hold my hand in hers.

"If you would like," she said softly, "I could recite to you a small portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh."

"I suppose," I replied hesitantly as Draco turned to look at her with mild interest.

She spoke in a quiet tone, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Six days and seven nights I mourned over him
and would not allow him to be buried
until a maggot fell out of his nose.
I was terrified by his appearance,
I began to fear death, and so roam the wilderness.
The issue of my friend oppresses me,
so I have been roaming long trails through the wilderness.
The issue of Enkidu, my friend, oppresses me,
so I have been roaming long roads through the wilderness.
How can I stay silent, how can I be still!
My friend whom I love has turned to clay.
Am I not like him? Will I lie down, never to get up again?"

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER 6:45PM

"Damn, they're early!" I shouted as the buzzing turned into a piercing siren.

"The wards should have held longer," Dumbledore replied worriedly.

"No time to worry about that now," Draco stated as he looked out the window, "We've got at least thirty aurors circling the place."

"Brotherhood!" I called out loudly and all of the masked figures turned toward the door to look at me, "The aurors have found us, which I'm sure you already know. Your orders are as follows; assist us in reaching United Wizard International Airport. That includes my father," I added as I motioned toward my father's prone form.

"Shouldn't you order them not to kill anyone?" Draco asked nervously.

"And what do you think those aurors are going to do to us?" I snapped. "Stun us and send us home?"

"This isn't a bloody war!" he growled. I looked him in the eyes and gave him the coldest glare I could muster.

"If this isn't a war then why in the hell are we running for our lives?"

"Jenny," Dumbledore warned.

"Do you want to get out of here alive?" I interrupted angrily and my question was answered with silence. "Then keep quiet and let the Brotherhood handle things."

"Jenny," the second-in-command called out, "get everyone into the middle of the living room." I nodded and walked to where he had directed, the others reluctantly following behind me.

One of the members lifted my father off the couch and carried him toward us. Draco held out his arms but the cloaked man just shook his head and kept a firm hold on the body.

The next moments were like a scene from a movie. The front door was kicked in, windows were broken, I could hear footsteps upstairs and the house filled with aurors. There had to be at least fifty of them but they were unprepared for what they found. They were expecting to find an old, yet powerful wizard, a vampire, a muggle police offer, a male wizard and a young witch. Instead they were met by a force that worked together liked a well-oiled machine.

Aurors fell to the ground by the handful. Some were killed by curses and hexes, others by muggle weaponry. A few crawled across the floor, blood trailing behind them. None of them made it even close to where we stood with a circle of cloaked figures standing around us.

The Brotherhood cheered as the last auror fell and I stared around the room in horrified disbelief. Blood was everywhere, death filled the room…it was too much death. I sank to the floor and began to retch. A moment later Draco joined me while Khalida knelt down to hold my hair back.

"I don't feel so good," I stated wearily as I sunk into her lap.

"Dumbledore," Khalida whispered sharply and pointed down to the carpet in front of me. I glanced at the spot she was indicating and noticed that it was red. It was red just like the blood that now covered the house.

"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked as Dumbledore knelt down in front of me.

"Jenny," Dumbledore said softly, "can you tell me what you are feeling?" I attempted to answer but the only sound that came out was that same sickening gurgle that I had last heard while lying in the infirmary at Hogwarts.

The second-in-command rushed over and lifted me into his arms. I flinched back for a moment but soon relaxed from sheer exhaustion.

"We need to go," he stated calmly. Everyone nodded and began to head out of the house. I gripped his arm tightly as we neared the door. "Is there something wrong?" he asked in concern. I nodded my head and pointed to his mask.

"You want to know who I am, don't you?" he asked and I nodded my head hesitantly. He looked around for a moment and, after noticing everyone had gone, began to lift his mask.

I didn't recognize him immediately and I was sure I'd never seen him before but at the same time there was something distinctly familiar about him. He had short black hair and deep blue eyes but those features weren't what I found familiar. It was the gauntness in his face, the hollow look in his eyes and the way he stared down at me as if he already knew me.

I began to flail wildly in his arms and he had to fight to keep me still. My eyes searched his and I tried to scream his name. I wanted to scream his name. I wanted to yell and shout but only more blood passed my lips.

"Shhhh…" he whispered softly as he replaced his mask. He stepped out of the house into the darkness and I looked up to see Draco rush over.

"What took so long?" he snapped, "Can't you see she's hurt?"

"Let's get going then," the man bit back.

I reached toward Draco, trying to signal him to let him know just who the man was but he misinterpreted my signal and lifted me away from the man. He began to carry me down the road toward the rest of the group.

I looked over Draco's shoulder and rubbed my eyes. At the same time attempting to convince myself that what I had seen was some kind of cruel trick or perhaps I was delirious. I pulled my hand back and I could see blood on my fingers. My eyes had begun to bleed. Draco looked down at me and I could see tears rolling down his cheeks.

"You'll be okay," he said softly, "We just need to get out of here and then we'll be okay." I nodded my head weakly.

The second-in-command came up to walk next to us. He glanced down at me for a moment before staring straight ahead. I slowly lifted a finger and made one last attempt to name him.

"Pa..." The words were replaced with deep, guttural coughing and all I could see was red.