here we go again
trying to find a solution
to a recurring problem...i wonder why
we haven't been able to learn from
our mistakes the years go by
and we still destroy ourselves

September 12th 2:30PM

"How do I get out of here?" I asked loudly as I ran through the Chamber of Secrets. Myrtle pointed toward the right of the stone statue at the end of the room.

"There's a hidden door there," she exclaimed shakily, "and there's a tunnel which opens up in the forest." I nodded in understanding and headed toward the door. "The password is in snake language," she stated as she floated behind me.

The door almost blended completely with the stone surrounding it. It had a snake engraved upon its surface and I stared at the snake for a moment before speaking in words that I swore long ago I would never speak again.

"Open," I hissed and immediately the door slid away, revealing a long, dark corridor.

"Be careful," Myrtle called out as I headed into the tunnel, "even during the day the forest can be extremely dark." I waved at her in reply as the door slid shut behind me.

"Lumos," I whispered as I held out my father's wand. I held the wand out in front of me as I continued on.

As I exited the tunnel I understood what Myrtle had told me before I left the chamber. The forest seemed extremely dangerous and foreboding even in the daylight. I extinguished my light but kept the wand out as I cautiously made my way through the woods.

I came to a small clearing and noticed a tall, dark-haired man leaning against a tree, his arms casually crossed over his chest. His skin was extremely pale and his face seemed gaunt and thin. He looked up at me as I stopped a few feet away from him, a small grin playing on his lips.

"Khalida sent me to check up on things," he stated as he studied me closely, "Who knew such a little girl could cause so much trouble."

"Who are you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. The man's smile became wider as he pushed off from the tree and walked toward me. That's when I noticed the long, white fangs resting among the rest of his teeth.

"Seth," he replied as he grasped the end of my wand and shook it slowly, "and you are Jenny Riddle, are you not?" I nodded and pulled my wand away from him roughly. "Nice eyes by the way."

Without thinking I brought a hand up to rub my eyes. Seth watched my actions closely and he chuckled softly to himself. He made a move to come even closer and I instinctively backed away.

"You have nothing to fear from me," he said softly as he held up his hands and displayed his palms. "As I said, Khalida sent me."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" I asked, "This could be some kind of trick."

"No trick," Seth replied in a serious tone, "and at the moment I think it would be in your best interest to trust me since you really have no other choice."

"What else can you do?" he continued, "You cannot return to the castle and if I leave you here you will only get yourself lost."

"So you're going to take me back to Sanctuary?" I asked hopefully and he shook his head.

"No," he stated, "you cannot return there, it is not safe. I will take you someplace safe."

"And Khalida's waiting there?"

"Yes," he said with a nod.

As he talked to me I didn't notice how close he was and he used my inattentiveness to his advantage. In seconds he grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. I struggled for a few moments but relaxed as we disappeared into the darkness.

"Jenny!" Khalida exclaimed as we reappeared in a small, dark room. The relieved vampire pulled me into a hug immediately. I looked over her shoulder and Seth gave me a small wave before disappearing once again.

The room was dark, dusty and very small. An old, brown loveseat sat on one side of the room with a short, wooden coffee table in front of it. I could see no other furniture in the place. More distressing was the fact that I didn't see any doors either.

"Where are we?" I asked as I pulled away from Khalida's tight embrace.

"This," Khalida replied as she made a sweeping motion with one arm, "is Safe Haven."

"It is a place used only by vampires," she explained as she led me to the couch.

"Vampires on the run I'm guessing," I mumbled and she nodded her head in reply. I looked up at Khalida and she gasped as her eyes met mine.

"Your eyes," she stammered.

"Yes, I know," I said sadly, "I can't get them to go back." Khalida studied me for a moment before asking the question that I knew would be coming.

"What happened at Hogwarts?" I stared at her for a moment as I chose my words carefully.

"I went to look for my father and I ended up talking to Hogwarts," I began, trying to control the emotions threatening to boil over at any moment. "Then aurors showed up and there was fighting…and…"

"Just relax and tell me what happened," Khalida said as she rubbed my hand gently.

It was the concern in her voice that caused me to break down completely and break down I did. I rattled off everything that had happened from the moment I arrived at the castle to when I found Seth in the forest. She continued to rub my hand comfortingly as she listened in silence. Once I had finished my tale she pulled me into a strong hug and allowed me to cry into her shoulder.

"Rest now," she whispered softly as she pushed me to lie down on the couch. I didn't have the energy to fight anymore so I simply nodded my head and closed my eyes. Within moments I was asleep.

September 13th 10AM Tuesday

The rustling of papers woke me from my dreamless sleep. I cracked one eye open to see Khalida sitting on the floor across from me with a few newspapers laid out on the table in front of her. She gave me a sad smile as I struggled into a sitting position.

"I'm afraid all I have to offer you is coffee and toast," she said regretfully as she handed me a small plate holding two pieces of toasted, buttered bread and a large cup of black liquid.

I took the items from her gratefully and the toast was gone within seconds. I leaned back into the couch and sipped the coffee slowly as Khalida continued to study the papers in front of her. Her brow furrowed every once in awhile but she remained silent.

"Any good news?" I asked with a grin. She chuckled softly and shook her head.

"Not really," she replied, "but there are a few articles that you may be interested in."

"I'm sure there are," I stated sarcastically before downing the rest of my coffee. "So…"

"Well, the Daily Prophet has an excellent article about the crazed daughter of Harry Potter showing up at Hogwarts and causing some kind of riot," she explained slowly, "Fortunately they do admit that the death of Nymphadora Tonks was a complete accident and there is no mention of her body mysteriously disappearing."

"I wonder how they cover all this stuff up," I said thoughtfully.

"It's Dumbledore," Khalida replied nonchalantly, "He can cover anything up." I studied Khalida for a moment.

"So do you think Myrtle was telling the truth then?" Khalida stopped reading and gave me a sharp look.

"I do not think she was telling the whole truth," she stated warily, "I do not think that Gilgamesh would murder his best friend. Perhaps there was some kind of accident and your father was involved, but I know for a fact that he would never kill someone in cold blood." Her words relieved me somewhat.

"Thank you," I said softly and she shook her head.

"I'm not saying these things to make you feel better. I am merely telling you the truth." I nodded in understanding and she went back to reading.

"So anything else I should be aware of?"

"Well, there is a very puzzling report from America," she stated as she shuffled through the papers until she found the one she was searching for. "Do you want to read it?"

"Give me a summary," I replied absentmindedly. I had a feeling I already knew what the article would say. I assumed it would be something along the lines of Harry Potter's daughter goes on murderous rampage in New York.

"Well basically the AWG…"

"AWG?" I interrupted giving her a confused look.

"American Wizarding Government," she explained. I nodded and urged her to continue. "Basically the AWG is trying to make it look as if Dumbledore was to blame for what happened in New York and you are merely an innocent victim."

"What?!" I exclaimed as I stood and began to pace back and forth in front of the couch.

"That was my first reaction as well," Khalida admitted. "The report states that your father was given refugee status by the AWG and changed his name to James Riddle. It goes on to explain that he had a daughter, one Jenny Riddle and you returned to England to meet some of your father's old friends."

"It gets a little sketchy from there though," she stated as she continued to scan the paper in her hands. "The AWG is saying that Dumbledore convinced you to take him to where your father was buried using the excuse that he wished to pay his respects. When you got there Dumbledore apparently turned on you and tried to steal your father's body."

"What about New York?" I interrupted.

"I'm getting to that," Khalida replied. "It does mention New York but they make it sound as if the aurors were there to rescue you and the body of Harry Potter so that it could be returned to its final resting place." She scanned the paper and sighed heavily as she laid it back down on the table.

"This article makes it sound as if Dumbledore is some kind of evil despot who's holding you captive," she added with a grimace.

"Just perfect," I stated sarcastically, "That's just fucking perfect. The AWG or whatever the hell they call themselves can lie as much as they want to and there's nothing I can do about it because if I do try to come out and tell the truth I'll either be captured by the Ministry or killed by the Americans."

"Or worse," Khalida interrupted and I gave her a questioning look. "The AWG could try to save you," she continued, shivering slightly at the thought, "I'd hate to think of what they could do to you."

We sat in silence as Khalida perused through a few more newspapers. I sat back down on the couch and tried to think of some kind of plan to make the whole, stupid mess just go away. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that all roads would eventually lead to dead ends.

"So what do we do now?" I asked softly and Khalida shrugged absentmindedly.

"As I see it," she stated as she looked up to meet my gaze, "there is only one thing we can do."

"And that is?" I sighed in frustration.

"We find Grindewald's heir and ask her for help," she explained and my eyes widened in surprise. "Hogwarts gave you the advice for a reason," she added.

"But we don't even know where she might be," I replied loudly, "and we have to speak to the Dementors to get to her. And how the hell can it help me to be affiliated with the heir of one of the darkest wizard's in history?"

"It can't hurt and you don't really have anything else to lose. What else can we do?" she asked as she took an angry swipe at the pile in front of her and pushed everything onto the floor. "Would you rather go back and face the Americans?" I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head.

"I'm too afraid to go back to America," I replied and she nodded in understanding. I thought about my comment for a moment and couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Khalida asked in confusion.

"I was just thinking about what I said," I explained, "I'm American and I'm afraid to go to America. For some reason it reminded me of a song."

"What song?"

"It's nothing," I said as I waved dismissively, "It's a song by David Bowie and I doubt you've heard it." Khalida chuckled softly to herself.

"Jenny, Jenny, Jenny," she replied in an amused tone, "How many times do I have to tell you that I've been alive for thousands of years and I know everything." I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"I believe the song you are thinking of is 'I'm Afraid of Americans'," she stated haughtily as she stood to gather up the newspapers she had deposited onto the floor moments ago. I could hear her humming softly to herself as she worked.

"I'm afraid of the world," I whispered softly to myself as I lay back onto the couch and rested my hands behind my head. "I'm afraid I can't help it."