As Strong As We Are United
Chapter 26 – Desires and Secrets
During the first weeks of December a constant state of anxiety gripped the inhabitants of Hogwarts castle. Each morning the Daily Profit featured the story of yet another Death Eater attack. Though none were nearly as large as the attack on Diagon Alley, no one felt safe. Initially there seemed to be no pattern among the families that were targeted. Many were families of muggle-born witches and wizards or families of mixed muggle and wizard marriages. However, a surprising number of pureblood families were also attacked.
On the Saturday morning before exams were scheduled to begin, the nine teens were seated around the Scooby common room, rereading the article about the latest attack.
"I still don't get it," commented Shannon. "I thought these Death Eater guys were all about being pureblood. Why are they targeting so many pureblood families? I mean, I can understand about the families that are in the Order." She gave Ron and Ginny a weak smile. "But I've never even heard of half the pureblood families that have been attacked."
"I've been wondering about that too," admitted Hermione. "It doesn't seem like the Death Eaters would just attack for no reason."
"Unless the reason is that they want to instill terror in everyone," added Ron thoughtfully.
"I have an idea about that," said Harry quietly. All eyes fixed on him. "Well, the aurors have managed to capture or kill some of the Death Eaters, and they weren't a really big group to begin with."
"You think Voldemort's trying to recruit more Death Eaters?" asked Dawn.
Harry nodded. "I remember Mr. Weasley telling us once that many people joined the Death Eaters because of threats to their families. I think he's making people too scared to refuse."
"So then maybe on the nights that no one was attacked, they succeeded in convincing new recruits," added Ron.
"That's what the Order seems to think too," Charlie informed the group, as he, Buffy, Willow, and Oz clamored through the portrait hole.
"I thought we agreed that the Order wouldn't keep information from us anymore," replied Harry angrily.
"Yeah, Dumbledore said we were as good as members now," added Shannon, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder to calm him. Her gesture seemed to have little effect.
"You are," replied Charlie. "Dumbledore only told us this morning after breakfast. We promised to pass the information to you, because it would have been suspicious for him to call all of you to his office." Harry's anger immediately abated.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Ron. "Does the Order have a plan to prevent Vol. . . Voldemort from recruiting more Death Eaters?"
Willow shook her head in reply. "They are still doing what they were doing before – trying to recruit trustworthy people to our side before Voldemort can lure them to his side. Besides that, there isn't much else we can do."
"I don't know how much more of this I can take," commented Hermione. "We should be studying for exams – not worrying about which of our friends is going to lose family next. With everything going on in the wizarding world, studying for exams seems like such a pointless waste of time."
Hermione's friends starred at her. Ron placed a hand on her cheek and looked into her eyes, as if fearful for her sanity. "Mione, Love, are you feeling okay? Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey."
"Hermione," said Harry softly. "You're the one who is always reminding us about how important our NEWTs are to our future."
"Yes, but if Voldemort wins, we won't have a future to worry about, now will we?" questioned Hermione vehemently.
"I agree," stated Dawn, taking a seat beside Hermione. "Right now there are more important things than test scores. "I would rather be training right now, than wasting the day studying."
"Now, guys, you know that it is still important that you pass your exams," argued Willow.
"I'm not worried about passing," replied Hermione. Dawn nodded in agreement. "I agree with Dawn. We should be spending this time training. The world is depending on us to help Harry defeat Voldemort. It isn't going to matter if I get a couple of E's instead of all O's on our exams."
Ron was looking exceptionally worried. Though he did agree with Hermione, she was acting completely out of character. "But what about the rest of us?" he asked. "None of us can afford to fail an exam."
Draco snorted. "It isn't like the Watchers won't take you because you decided training was more important right now. And, it isn't like the Aurors won't take Harry if he defeats Voldemort. Once this is all over, you two can always do some makeup work where necessary."
"Luna and I are only in sixth year," added Ginny. "We have all next year to make up any additional work we need to do well on our NEWTs."
"We have been studying for the past few weeks," added Neville. "It isn't like we would be blowing it off completely."
"Look, does anyone think that they might actually fail an exam if we stop studying now?" asked Dawn.
"Not really," replied Ginny.
"Definitely not," agreed Hermione and Draco.
"No," added Ron.
"I don't think I can absorb much more anyway," noted Shannon.
"Still a little worried about potions," mumbled Harry.
"Give me two hours, and I can get you through that," Draco assured his ex-nemesis.
"I still have to study for Divination," added Luna.
"No, you don't," replied Ron. "Just do what Harry and I used to do. Make it up. The more horrible the prediction the more Trelawny will eat it us."
The students looked toward the four adults for approval. "I guess it's settled," commented Buffy.
She turned to Willow. "Why don't you see if Cat and Genevieve can do that lesson they were planning for after Christmas?" Willow nodded. She and Oz exited the common room.
Buffy turned back to the students. "Draco, why don't you spend the rest of the morning helping Harry with potions. Luna can also study for Divination; so she can pass legitimately." Buffy shot a glare at Ron, who smiled back sheepishly.
"Well, I have some wedding stuff to finish up before we train this afternoon," Buffy explained. "Dawnie, I need you to come to my rooms and try on your maid of honor dress. Shannon, Giles sent me a Bible. I need you to find that 'Love is patient' passage to read at the wedding."
Shannon nodded. She had not picked up a Bible since she and her mother had run from her father. However, she did know exactly to which Psalm Buffy was referring and figured it would only take a minute to find.
"Oh, Draco," Buffy added, as she led Dawn and Shannon up the stairs, "I know that you're busy with Harry, but I was wondering if we could talk when you get a minute. I was hoping that you would sing during the ceremony. We have a really great song picked out, but I'm still not sure who to ask to sing the female part. Maybe Genevieve could do it. I haven't actually heard her sing though."
"You should have Hermione do it," noted Dawn. "She has a great voice." The other Gryffindors nodded emphatically.
Buffy smiled. "Why don't you come with us Hermione? You can listen to the song and decide if you want to sing." Hermione looked embarrassed. "And you can see Dawnie's and my dresses."
"Ooh, can I see them too?" asked Ginny.
"Of course," replied Buffy. "Just don't tell Charlie anything about my dress."
"My lips are sealed," promised Ginny, as she bounded up the stairs after the rest of the girls.
"You getting nervous yet?" Ron asked his older brother, after the women had left the room.
Charlie smiled. "About the wedding? Not at all," he replied calmly.
"And about the twins?" asked Ron.
"I'm scared out of my mind," replied Charlie. "But that's completely normal, right?" The teens all shrugged in reply.
"Yes, Charlie, that is perfectly normal for any first time parent," commented Narcissa as she bustled into the room. "I was a nervous wreck, when I was pregnant with Draco. I had no clue what to do with a baby. I learned quickly, and so will you."
"I hope so," replied Charlie.
Narcissa smiled at him. "You should talk with Robin. I think he's even more nervous than you are. Some days he talks more about things he has read about babies than about the Slayer education program that he's working on."
"Mother," greeted Draco. "I didn't know you were planning to visit."
Narcissa gave her son a brief hug. "I promised to help Buffy with some alteration spells for her dress," Narcissa explained.
Draco looked puzzled. His mother was not the type to ever buy anything off the rack that needed alterations. "I didn't know you could do those kinds of spells," he commented.
"I learned when I was a teenager. It came quite in handy, when my parents thought a certain look was too risqué. A few simple spells and I could easily have the plunging necklines and side-slits that were all the rage back then."
Draco did not want to know any more. In his mind, plunging necklines were not something that should be associated with anyone's mother. He turned his attention back to helping Harry, while his mother climbed the stairs to Buffy's rooms.
After lunch the teens, Buffy, Faith, Willow, Cat, and Genevieve gathered in the Scooby common room. The furniture had been pushed away and a large mirror stood in the middle of the floor. "Is that the Mirror of Erised?" asked Hermione interestedly.
"It is," replied Harry in awe. "I haven't seen it since first year." He was thinking about how wonderful it would be to see his parents' faces again.
Cat addressed the teens. "Genevieve and I planned to do this exercise with you during the Christmas break, but since you are so eager to continue your training, we decided to do it this weekend. For those of you who don't know, this mirror will show you your heart's greatest desire. Now, there have been wizards who have wasted away in front of this mirror. So, when we finish today Dumbledore will return it to its hiding place. He asks that no one go to look for it."
"Is this one of those exercises that's supposed to make us closer?" asked Shannon.
"Yes and no," replied Genevieve. "You will each take a turn stepping in front of the mirror and will share what you see with everyone here. However, there is another reason for this. We are going to begin working on breaking the Imperius curse. I am hoping that a focus on your greatest desire will help accomplish this."
"Like we did with the boggart, we are going to have the adults go first," explained Willow, as she stepped in front of the mirror. A wide smile appeared on her face. "I see myself before all the dark magicks. I'm standing there holding Tara's hands as we perform a spell." Willow stood silently in front of the mirror for several more minutes, before Buffy gently nudged her and she stepped away.
"We may find that quite a few of us see lost loved ones," explained Genevieve solemnly.
"Yeah, I saw my parents in it first year," noted Harry quietly.
Genevieve took her turn. She smiled as a few tears ran down her cheeks. "I see myself with my sisters and Thomas. I'm human. It's strange though. Thomas is on one side of me and William on the other." She stepped away.
Faith took her place. After a minute or two she began to laugh. "How crazy is this? I see myself and Robin, standing outside our house with a couple of kids. Who would've thought I would be the one to get my greatest desire? Kind of makes me feel guilty."
"Don't," replied Buffy. "You fought for everything you have. You deserve to be happy." Faith smiled at her sister Slayer as they switched places.
Buffy looked into the mirror. At first she grimaced, but after a moment smiled. "I see my funeral," she stated.
Her friends looked worried. "I thought you were past the wanting to die again thing?" asked Dawn.
"Buffy, you have so much to live for now – Charlie, the twins. . ." added Willow.
Buffy continued to smile. "You don't understand. I'm old – a little old wrinkled lady. And, my coffin is surrounded by my children and grandchildren. I died of old age – not from some random vamp attack or saving the world from an apocalypse. I got to live a full life and die of old age like a normal person."
"My turn," noted Cat with a sense of dread. She knew what she would see, and she was right. "I'm holding a baby," she stated. "I can't have children. I had to make sure there would never be another heir of Slytherin. I want children some day, but I can't have one of my own."
Cat was so fixated on the image in the mirror that she did not notice the portrait open and Wesley enter with a short, brown-haired woman. "Oh please," said the woman. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself already. I've told you I would donate some of my eggs since I'm not exactly the motherly sort."
Cat spun around, her eyes wide. "Lena?" she asked. The two women crossed the room quickly and hugged. "But how?" asked Cat.
Lena laughed softly. "You have one hell of a good guy in your life. He tracked me down and invited me here to see you."
Cat pulled back and looked at Wesley. "Consider this the first half of your Christmas present," said Wesley.
"First half?" she asked.
"Becca will be here on the twenty-seventh, after celebrating Christmas with the hubby and kid," explained Lena.
Cat was shocked. "But are you sure it's safe?" she asked.
"That reminds me," said Lena, taking a step back and slapping Cat across the face.
"Ouch, what was that for?" Cat asked.
"That was for disappearing and worrying us sick." Cat opened her mouth, but Lena did not let her talk. "And, I don't want to hear about it being for our own safety. I've been reading the news and things aren't much better in the States than they are hear. Your father is actively recruiting everywhere." Lena's voice softened. "Now, why don't you introduce me to your friends, and we can find a place to catch up."
Cat smiled. She introduced everyone to her cousin Lena, who shook each of their hands in turn. "You already know Wes. This is Buffy and Faith, the original Slayers. And, this is Willow."
"Aren't you the one who tried to end the world?" asked Lena. Willow blushed. Lena shrugged. "In the end you didn't do it. That's what's important." Willow smiled.
"And, this is Genevieve."
"Vampire?"
"How could you tell?" asked Cat.
Lena shrugged again. "Cold hands and slightly luminescent skin," Lena replied, looking wearily at Genevieve.
"She has a soul. I'll explain later," Cat informed her cousin. "She's also one of our ancestors. You should talk with her about it before you leave. How long are you here for anyway?"
"I can stay until the second week in January. I have to be back for the start of the spring term at the Salem Witches Institute," replied Lena. "I'm teaching a couple of classes next term."
Cat then introduced the nine teens. Lena acknowledged them all equally and did not so much as blink at being introduced to Harry. "You do know who I am, don't you?" asked Harry, who was not used to people who did not gape at his scar on first meeting him.
"I do," replied Lena. "But it seems to me that nearly everyone in this room has done something to save the world at one time or another. Besides, starring is rude."
"Have you ever saved the world?" asked Draco in his casual Malfoy drawl.
"In my own way," replied Lena.
"And what does that mean?" asked Draco.
"Lena is world-renowned in the field of –"
Lena cut off Cat. "I'd rather not discuss my work," Lena said tersely. Her features softened. "This is supposed to be a holiday. So, let's have some fun."
"Go on," Genevieve said to Cat. "We'll finish working with the kids."
"We can go up to my rooms," Cat told Lena. Before turning to lead her cousin to her quarters, Cat caught Wesley's eye. "Thank you," she whispered. He smiled in reply, and the two women raced up the stairs.
"I don't think I've ever seen Cat so animated," mused Willow.
"You did a good thing there, Wes-Man," commented Faith. "I think she really misses her friends."
"Okay, back to work," added Buffy. "Harry, you're up."
Harry stood before the mirror for several long minutes. "I see my parents. And, Sirius. He's holding a paper that says 'Aquitted.' I wish we could have gotten him aquitted."
"Maybe we still can," mused Genevieve. "Wolfram and Hart defended a lot of Death Eaters years ago. If they could get them off, they should be able to clear an innocent man. I'll talk to Gunn about it, when they come for the wedding."
Not surprisingly, with the exception of Neville who saw his parents in full possession of their own minds, all the other teens saw the parents they had lost.
Genevieve, Buffy, and Faith dismissed the teens, agreeing to begin their Imperius training after dinner that evening.
"I can't believe you're here," Cat said for the tenth time. She and Lena were sitting on the small sofa in Cat's sitting room and drinking glasses of red wine provided by the house-elves.
Lena smiled. "Neither can I. Becca and I figured that we wouldn't see you again until after your father's fall."
"You say that like it's a foregone conclusion," replied Cat.
Lena shrugged. "As far as I'm concerned it is. I just have one of those feelings."
Cat laughed. "Lena, you got a 'D' in Divination. Somehow, your feelings are kind of hard to trust."
"Well, I don't have any feelings that you're going to die," replied Lena. "And we both have always been able to tell, when someone in the family is going to pass." Cat nodded.
"Why didn't you want me telling anyone about your work?" Cat asked, changing the topic. Lena was one of the top potions masters in the world. Everyone in the field knew her name.
"These days almost everything I'm working on is highly classified," explained Lena. "The American Ministry of Magic is gearing up for a war. They don't think it will be long before Voldemort has his eye on the U.S. They also worry that he may have his eye on some of our current work – potions that can shield some very powerful curses. I probably shouldn't have even said that much. Not that it matters since your father can never know anything that I tell you in confidence."
"What do you mean?" asked Cat.
Lena rolled her eyes. "I know you've been living in the Muggle world for ages, but I would've thought that teaching in a magic school would make you remember your own school days, specifically a certain senior project."
Cat dropped her glass. It crashed to the floor, sending shards of glass across the stone and a puddle of red wine seeping into the small area rug. She did not seem to notice the mess. Lena casually raised her wand. "Reparo." The glass was repaired. "Scourgify." The stain was removed.
"I forgot all about the 'See no evil, Hear no evil' spell." Cat thought aloud.
Lena laughed. "You were the one who came up with the theory behind it. How could you have forgotten?"
Cat was deep in thought, trying to remember the details of the spell. All seniors at Victoriana Academy were required to invent their own bit of magic. Most students simply altered an existing spell or potion, but Cat had come up with a very ingenious idea. She thought of a way for herself and her two closest friends to prevent their parents (in Cat's case, her mother) from discovering any of their teenage adventures – specifically, those of which no mother would approve.
Cat had specialized in family or blood magic. Theoretically, it would be possible to link non-family members by blood. She based her theory on ancient wizarding marriage rituals. Using Cat's theories, Lena was able to develop a potion that would link Becca to the two cousins by a blood bond. Becca, who was specializing in charms, then altered the Fidelius charm to hide not people or objects but to hide specific actions and words and only from specific people all of whom had to bound by blood ties. Any action or discussion of actions among at least two of the three women that would not be approved of by all of their parents would be impossible for any of their parents to discover.
For rebellious teens everywhere their senior project was on the level of genius. They had even hoped to publish it someday. First, Cat and Lena were busy with higher education. Then, Becca had a child of her own and decided quickly that she did not want to be kept in the dark like her own mother had been for years. The three women never discussed their senior project again.
"I haven't thought about our project in years," commented Cat. "I wonder if we expanded the bond to the kids, if it would prevent my father from discovering any of our plans."
"Hey, that's an idea," said Lena, her eyes lighting up. "I still remember how to make the potion. It's the first one I ever did to a song." Cat rolled her eyes. Lena had a strange habit of making potions to music in a very Tom Cruise in Cocktail kind of way. It was highly entertaining to watch, but still definitely strange.
"I wonder if Becca saved her notes on the charm," said Cat. "We would need those to make this work."
"We can ask," said Lena. "If she has them, she can bring them with her on the twenty-seventh."
"Yeah, but how do we contact her. Owls aren't exactly safe these days, and we definitely don't want Voldemort finding out about this," replied Cat.
"Oh, I have a way," replied Lena sneakily. Cat raised an eyebrow, and Lena explained. "Do you remember having a dream about Becca asking if you were okay?"
"Yeah," replied Cat. "It was weird. I fainted and had this dream. I never fainted before. Wait. How did you know?"
"Sorry about the fainting. It was late. We figured you would be asleep already." Cat began to drum her fingers on the end table, waiting for the other shoe to drop. "You see I came up with this communications potion. It allows completely confidential communication over great distances. The field aurors have been using it fairly regularly for the past year or so."
Cat did not look overly happy about this news. "So anyway, the potion allows someone to enter the astral plane and pull another with them who has a pre-existing bond. Aurors are technically bonded together by their mission, when they are initiated. A third bonded person is needed to pull the first two back to their own bodies. Because of the blood bond the three of us share from school, Becca was able to take the potion and saying your name, pull you to the astral plane with her. I used a different potion to pull you both back to this reality."
"I am sorry that you passed out. If you had already been asleep you would have just thought it was a dream." Cat did not look happy about this information. "I'm not going to apologize," stated Lena. "Becca and I have been worried about you for more than a year. You left with nothing more than a simple note, saying not to worry. We needed to make sure you were safe."
"Fair enough," mumbled Cat. "So, you think we could use these potions to contact Becca and ask her about the notes."
Lena nodded. "But I'm going to need permission to use the school's potions labs."
"I'm sure Dumbledore will allow it," replied Cat. "The potions master here can be – let's just say, 'obnoxious,' but he'll do whatever the headmaster tells him to. We can talk to Dumbledore at dinner, which is like now."
"Lead the way," said Lena, as they set off to the Great Hall.