This chapter is looooonng. Strangely enough, it took me two hours to write, which is the shortest it ever took me to write a chapter.
Enjoy dearly, dear readers.
Chapter 4 is written, but I'd like at least.. let's say seven reviews before I put it up.
Oh, and while I was reading over the first two chapter's, I saw that the first one had taken a life of it's own and I mentioned something I hadn't planned on mentioning until later… It's not a mistake… just a bit early. Don't worry, I won't remove it.
Responding to reviews:
Duj- I can't answer your questions about the story itself, all will be revealed eventually, and I was hoping people would pick up on that, file that under my pathetic attempts at subtle foreshadowing. I don't have any of my books, I lent them to a friend, and I only have quick periods to get this up between studying for end of the year tests and other stuff to look up crap, so spelling is the LEAST of my worries right now, but thanks for letting me know, I'll change it A.S.A.P. Oh, and the Oil thing… well, I was baking for my mom's b-day and I was laughing about how my sister was mixing the oil and water first, being the little midgetish girl she is (She's my inspiration for Ria's weak moments… where she's an actual five year old, so you will get an idea of what she's like soon), and I realized how perfectly that would fit… so you can thank my Midget (that's become her name… heheh, I'm a bad big sister and no longer let her have her own name).
Lavender Halliwell- I never said it was about Ria. I said it was about 'Someone brilliant' and 'Someone named for a lost loved one'. I don't believe I ever used Ria's name for the prophey. She may seem brilliant, but does her name really reflect a lost loved one? Or does it? Hmmmm, maybe I'm getting better at foreshadowing. I must say, this may have been one of my more brilliant ideas. I don't think Victoria's a name of someone I've dropped off… unless anyone knows a Victoria in the HP books.
Disclaimer:
I don't own anything you see, and any weird names in here of potions or spells are things I made up. They mean nothing in Latin or French to my knowledge.
Mya would have laughed at the situation if it hadn't been so serious. Albus Dumbledore was hunched over her five-year-old daughter, trying to figure out why she was screaming. After screaming about her arm, Ginny owled Dumbledore, but Ria hadn't said anything else, just screamed. They had to put a silencing charm around the room to keep Hermione asleep, and the neighbors from calling the Aurors.
Finally, she screamed it again.
"Arm!" She screeched.
Dumbledore rolled up her sleeve and stepped back with a gasp.
Imprinted lightly on the tiny girl's arm, was a small dark mark.
The lines were gray with an eerie green glow on them. As soon as the air hit them, the glow went away and it faded to a light scar-like mark.
Ginny looked at Remus, concerned. Remus put his arm around Mya and looked to the Headmaster.
"Albus, what is it?" He asked.
"I'd like to run a few more tests… but not tonight. Ms. Epanss, may I have a word?"
Mya nodded dumbly, not taking her eyes off the little girl lying there, still screaming loudly.
"I'll take care of her, My. Talk to him." Ginny promised.
Mya turned to the door and fingered the ring on a chain around her neck.
Once the door was shut, Albus turned to her.
"This is the first time we've met in person, Miss Epanss. It's nice to meet you." He put slight emphases on a few words in the sentence and she took it as her ears hearing things.
"It's nice to meet you too, Professor."
"Please, call me Albus."
Mya nodded.
"Can you tell me what happened before I was owled?'
Mya sighed and sat down in a chair beside the door.
"I fell asleep… And when I woke up, I looked at Ria and she started screaming. She wouldn't stop. When she screamed about her arm, Ginny owled you."
"Are you aware of the fact that exactly five minutes before Ginny owled me, a Dark Revel was called?"
Mya, remembering her dream, shook her head in a negative response, "No, P-Albus."
"Well, how long before I was owled did she start screaming?"
"A minute, tops."
"Mmm. Miss Epanss, what did you dream about while you were asleep?"
How did he know? She thought, but replied, "I didn't."
"Hmmm. Well, if you can remember anything that you think may help, don't hesitate to owl or call at any time."
She nodded, then paused. "You have a Wizell?"
He chuckled and popped a Sherbet Lemon in his mouth. "One must keep up with the times, Miss Epanss."
She nodded in disbelief and turned away, about to go back in with her daughter.
"Miss Epanss?"
She turned to face him once more.
"You may need to contact Young Victoria's father soon. And follow your heart. It's all one has in times like these."
She nodded dumbly, at a loss for words and heard a crack as he disappeared.
"Albus, what was that all about?" Asked a Severus Snape as the headmaster walked in through his doors. He held up a hastily scribbled note, summoning the headmaster.
"It seems that a young girl may be connected to Voldemort as well."
"H-H- Miss Lupin?"
"No, this one is connected through a different type of tie."
"Let me guess, a scar."
"In a way."
"Oh, joy. Another Potter."
"No, she's connected to him more like yourself."
Snape's hand automatically went to his Dark Mark.
"You can't mean-"
"Oh, but I do."
"No- no, that's impossible. He doesn't mark anyone under 18… Fears they're too easy to crack."
"I never said he marked her."
"Oh."
"Now, I believe you came here for a reason?"
"Yes. He seems distant. He's completely emerged in this search for Miss Lupin."
"Voldemort?"
Snape winced at the name. "Yes, but I'd prefer He or The Dark Lord if you don't mind."
Dumbledore didn't give any mind to his cold pleas.
"What else did he say?"
"Malfoy and Baby Bella are being sent to get her."
Dumbledore nodded, "Of course."
"Tomorrow night. Who is the Squib's Daughter?"
Dumbledore looked up sharply. "What?" He said almost as sharp.
"Voldemort cautioned them against a loud squib's daughter. Who is the squib?"
"Mya Epanss and her daughter Victoria. They're staying with the Lupins."
Snape nodded, obviously too preoccupied to put two and two together.
"How old is the child?"
"Five. Her mother just currently brought herself and Victoria out of hiding."
"Hiding?"
A dry laugh came from Albus' mouth, one that Snape had never heard from the Headmaster before.
"She's hiding from the child's father, in fear of a problem neither need right now."
"Who is the father?"
"I believe he's a muggle, but I'm not positive."
Snape nodded and stood up.
"If that's all Albus… Then I'd like to head off to bed."
"Yes, of course. Don't let me keep you up."
Mya stood in front of her still screaming daughter and looked at her arm. She traced the burning mark with her finger and nearly pulled back at the intense heat before she noticed how the cries calmed at her touch.
She placed her whole palm over the scar and she stopped completely.
"Ria! Ria can you hear me?" She pleaded, "Wake up baby. It's time to wake up. Oh, please wake up."
Eyes fluttered at her mother's monologue.
"Honey. Sweetie. It's time to get up. Don't you want to play outside?"
Another flutter.
"Victoria," she called in a sing-song voice, desperate and hopeful at the same time now.
"M-mommy?" a weak, hoarse voice asked.
"Ria!" Mya squealed in delight.
"Where am I?" Ria asked.
"You're at Aunt Ginny's house. How are you feeling?"
"Cold. And my arm hurts. Why does it hurt?"
"I don't know baby. Are you hungry?"
"A little?"
"I'll be right back. Stay here. If you need anything, just call, alright?"
Ria nodded sleepily.
Mya ran out of the room and into Ginny's and Remus's room. They sat on the edge of the bed, looking worried.
"She's awake. I'm going to pour her a bowl of cereal, okay?"
Ginny nodded.
Albus-She's awake. She woke up about 6 this morning, and doesn't remember a thing from last night. Her voice is raspy from screaming from 10 until 6, but besides that, she's fine. Write back,
Mya C. Epanss
P.S. What do you think happened?
Dumbledore sighed at the letter. Miss Epanss seemed so genuinely worried about her daughter. How could he tell her how often this would happen?
Mya excused herself after breakfast and took a walk around the surrounding area. It was really beautiful around here. But she wasn't admiring the view.
What happened last night wasn't an accident. She knew that much. Something was going on. The dream still haunted her.
Had she really been a snake? Had she really been at the Revel?
No, the timing was off.
So she predicted the Revel?
No. She didn't believe in predictions.
Yet, what she heard couldn't be denied. The Lupin girl with a name of a Mudblood had to be protected.
They were after Hermione.
They had to be. How many missing Mudbloods close to Harry Potter were there? So the name Hermione had to be it. How many Hermione Lupin's are there?
One, that's how many.
So how were they going to protect Hermione?
The problem was, she didn't even know the whole story. Just what she had heard last night. That wasn't much.
Was that really a Dark Revel?
Her mind was swimming.
All she knew was that she needed a stiff drink and a place to pass out.
But she couldn't. She had to take care of Ria.
Ria.
Why did she have a Dark Mark? She hadn't been out of her sight in the past five years, so it couldn't have been placed in person.
It had to have been something with the dream.
She felt like screaming.
She should have stayed in hiding.
No, she realized. That would have made things worse. A lot worse. Ria needs to be out in the open. Somewhere where all that social personality could be used to make friends other then the mice that ran around in the cottage.
It was better to be here.
She thoughtlessly fingered the necklace around her neck, feeling the warmth of the gem spread through her whole body.
Of course, now that she was in this world again, a few problems arose again.
He was one of them.
Sure, he wasn't the whole reason she ran. But he was part of it. Not one could argue with that. He was a big part of it. Most of it, in fact.
Of course, the fact there was a Dark Lord out to kill people like her was a part of it too. And the sympathetic looks she would have received would play a part too.
But it was mostly him. Just… everything about him. His dark hair, his confining eyes, his protective attitude, it all added to his beauty. All her time away had told her something.
She loved him. A lot.
She had never been in love before. Especially not one that put her life in such danger. But he had handed that to her and taken it away.
And she was quite sure he had forgotten all about her. Sure, Remus said he hadn't. But she knew. He had. He had much more important things to do then think about her. Like save the wizarding world, for one.
His connection to Voldemort made nights a problem. Many nights and days, she would see him shake in fear, a fear he let no one else see. Only her.
She was one of the two people allowed to be close to him. He had lost too much. His mom, his dad, his godfather. That was just the beginning. He pushed, hard, but up until the final day, she had pushed her self back just as hard. Her wit matched his, her sarcasm the only one with the potency of his.
But he had still gotten rid of her once he got tired of her.
She knew she wasn't pretty.
And besides, any man try to tell her any different and she'd get scared. The last person to tell her how pretty she was, well, it was Him. Not HIM, but a different man. This man had called her a stupid girl, slapped her, the proceeded to do whatever he wanted with her. This man had called her nasty names about her powers, and had called her a know-it-all. He had kept her against her will. His eyes still haunted her. They could go from a calm gray to a dark, hating black in a matter of seconds, depending on his mood. They were hard, unfeeling, much like his heart. They were cold.
She hated him.
She had tried to get along with him, to be respectful, but it only ended in her being tortured. So she gave up and spit on him just as hard as he spit on her.
Then she got smacked even harder.
She hated her heritage. Why couldn't she have just been born a muggle? It would be so much easier for her. But no, she had to be so different from her parents, and leave their world for most of her life.
And then she returned.
She sighed and skipped a rock across the small pond she had come up upon.
The rock landed into the water with a satisfying Splash.
She was sick of this. She wanted to clear her mind.
She would talk to Remus about a pensive later.
Now, she decided, it was time to take a quick swim to calm her nerves.
Ginny opened the door to the knock and let in a large group of people.
Standing before her was Ron, Harry, Albus, Snape, Draco, Neville, and nearly not fitting through the door was Hagrid.
"Hey Gin." Harry greeted warmly with a hug. She hugged back and pointed upstairs to the two unasked questions in his eyes. He rushed up the steps to go see his Goddaughter and friend.
Ron hugged his sister as well and followed Harry up the stairs. The rest of the group stood in an awkward silence before Dumbledore finally asked, "I suspect by the letter that young Victoria finally silenced?"
"Yes, around six. She's out in the yard."
"I'd like to speak with her."
Ginny nodded, then accepted the quick hug from her ex-headmaster as he hurried out to talk to the little five year old, and –knowing him- probably play in the dirt with her.
"Hey Nev." She said quickly, "Do you have any idea why you all are here?"
"Nope, none. Although I think Professor Snape might."
Ginny turned to him, as if seeing him for the first time.
"Well, Professor, any ideas?"
"I believe it has something to do with the prophecy. I'm under the impression your brother filled you in on the details."
"Not so much of the prophecy as of the fact Hermione is in danger and that she's to be led by Harry to defeat the Dark Lord with him?"
"Yes, well, if Potter manages to live that long."
"Can't you ever be optimistic, Professor?" She asked him.
"I believe I was." He said with a twitch to the corners of his mouth.
Ginny's jaw dropped. Did she just hear the Potions Master make a joke?
"Don't look so surprised, Mrs. Lupin. I am capable of having a soul, am I not?"
She nodded quickly, recovering, and led them into the kitchen.
Harry, Ron and Remus came down soon later, engaged in, of course, a conversation about Quitich.
"Of course the Firebolt 6 is better then the new StarBright. How could it NOT be?" Ron asked.
Ginny tuned out to continue cooking the potatoes.
After her swim, Mya felt a lot better. She was calm now, and ready to face anything.
She decided to head back, as she slid her shoes back on over her sopping socks.
She realized it might not have been her best idea ever to keep all her clothes on as she swam.
What she wouldn't have done for a drying spell right then.
She knew soon, she'd have to face him again. Soon, she'd have to face everyone again. But now was not the time nor place for that. Right now, she was going to go back to the house, eat dinner, spend time with Ria and decide all this later.
So she kept walking.
Then she remembered.
She'd have to go the to Ministry soon. She'd have to become a citizen again. She had to give them a strand of hair to analyze and program to her name. They had to create her a past.
She'd need a birth certificate for her and Ria, and people to play her parents. Americans, they could be, and no one would check. The American Wizards and the England ones were currently not on very good terms, as many of the Americans were in Iraq and couldn't come help against Voldemort.
They didn't realize the reason they were in Iraq was because of Voldemort.
"Ginny, where is Mya?" Remus asked.
"She went for a walk… She should be back soon." Ginny said absent mindedly, then her husband's implications hit her.
"Do you want me to go look for her?" Harry asked.
"N-no!" Ginny said too quickly for Harry, or anyone for that matter, to believe her. "I-I mean," she stuttered at Remus's look, "You've never met her… You wouldn't know what she looks like."
Harry seemed to almost accept that and sat down at the table while Ron started setting up the chessboard.
Victoria sat outside, squatted over a worm, poking it with a stick. The worm stuck its tongue out at her and she giggled in childish delight.
"I'm glad to hear you giggling, Ms. Epanss." Ria looked up at the man, squinting in the sun.
"You're tall." She commented.
He laughed a contagious laugh and Ria couldn't help but laugh along, even though she didn't know what he was laughing about.
"Yes, I suppose I am." He told her.
"What's your name?" She asked him.
"Albus. Albus Dumbledore." He said with a smile.
"All Bus?" She asked with a giggle.
He smiled, "How about you just call me Gramps, okay?"
She looked at him weirdly, but nodded.
She looked into his eyes, and he could feel her enter his mind.
"Who's that?" She asked, pausing on one memory.
"A girl from the school I teach at." He said, knowing which memory she saw.
"What's her name?"
"Hermione."
Ria's eyes widened. "I know a Hermione!" She squealed, before returning to her search of his mind.
He was surprised to find he couldn't stop her from searching every single memory she came across.
"Aunt Ginny!" she squeaked, "She's little!"
Albus smiled down at the girl, "Yes, she is little. And so are you. But now she's big, and one day, you will be too."
She shook her head, "I wanna stay little. I like being little. It's fun. I fit under the kitchen table still."
He laughed again, and she felt herself joining once again.
"I guess it would be hard for me to fit under a table anymore."
She smiled, revealing a mouth full of small teeth. Everything about her was so tiny.
"Gramps?"
"Yes?" he asked her.
"What's Hermione like? She's been in some of Mommy's dreams, so I wanted to know about her."
"Well, she was really smart and powerful in her day. But she's gone now."
"Gone where? Can we visit her? I'd be extra good, I promise!" she said, holding up her pinky.
"We can't visit her Ms. Epanss. She died."
He didn't expect the child to have a grasp of death, but she looked down at the ground, suddenly a lot sadder.
"Oh. How'd she die?"
"She was killed by bad men."
"Like the one in my dreams… Like the one with the red eyes?"
Albus found himself unable to lie or sugarcoat the story for the child. She didn't seem fragile, and the words were just spilling out of his mouth.
"Yes, just like him. Tell me about the man with the red eyes."
"I see him a lot. He gets mad real easy. Kinda like Mommy when I ask her about Daddy. She blames Aunt Ginny for mentioning him, but I've seen a dark-haired man in her dreams she thinks of as my 'daddy'. I like his eyes. They're pretty."
Albus nodded for her to go on.
"Anyway, he's mean. He says a 'C' word that hurts people. I don't like him much. He's killed lotsa people. I've seen it. He says a really long word, and green stuff makes them fall and their eyes roll like this," she rolled her eyes as far back as they would go. "He has fun doing it."
Albus sighed. "That's why we're trying to stop him."
"Is that why the Order people are here?"
He looked up sharply. "How do you know about the Order?" He asked her.
"The one that looks like Aunt Ginny, he thinks real loud. I was standing at the back door looking in when you guys came in. He was thinking something about 'Order Business'."
"You have a very good vocabulary for a five year old."
She nodded. "I hear lotsa of things that Mommy says I shouldn't. People think big words that I ask them about. Then I write them down. Sometimes I spell them wrong. But that's okay."
Albus nodded, trying to take in this new information. This was definitely not a regular five year old.
"Gramps, it's time for dinner."
"How did you know?"
She laughed. "The red boy's tummy is as loud as his head."
Albus laughed and held out his hand for her to take.
"Let's eat, Ms. Epanss."
"Don't call me Paness. It's my mommy."
"Okay, what should I call you?"
She smiled, "I'm Ria."
"Hello Ria." He shook her hand with a pretend air of importance.
She giggled again.
Ron and Draco were in a heated debate over Hermione's prophecy when Albus and Ria entered the room.
"I'm just saying! A Mahigana Charm might not be the best choice. Anyone who's skilled in the art of scrambling their thoughts could get in!" Ron insisted, his ears red.
"But a Simanence Hex hasn't been tested by the Ministry." Draco told him hotly.
"Oh, and I'm sure you always follow Ministry regulations Malfoy."
"Stop!" a voice demanded, but it wasn't Albus's regal one, nor Severus's icy one. It wasn't even Ginny's annoyed one. It was a child's voice. Full of innocence. Surprised, everyone turned silent and turned towards the source.
"Okie dokie, can we eat now, Aunt Ginny?"
"W-wait, AUNT Ginny?"
"Oh, honestly Ronald, remember my friend Mya I mentioned a couple times? Well, this is her daughter, Victoria Epanss."
"It's Ria Aunt Ginny, remember?"
Ginny smiled, "Of course. Ria."
"But Myawasn't much olderthen I am. How does she have a child?"
"You could have one too if you weren't so busy with your Quitich all the time." Ginny told him calmly.
"B-but, how old is Victoria?"
"Ria!" Ria told him hotly.
He paid her no mind.
"She's five, Ron, and you can ask Ria for yourself you know. She can talk."
Ron's ears reddened again, and he didn't say a word for a while.
Harry, however, seemed to be attracted toward the girl like a magnet.
"Hi Ria." He said.
She smiled up at him.
"You're tall too. Everyone's so tall."
He smiled and nodded. "I guess we are, compared to you."
She giggled.
"What's your name?" She asked him with a serious look on her face that made it hard for him not to burst out laughing.
"Harry."
She laughed. "I have hair too. Is that why that's your name?"
He shook his head. "I don't know why I was named that."
She nodded her head at him. "You should ask. It's important to ask things like that. Cause other wise, you'll never know. I like to know things. I read a lot of Mommy's books. But SHHHH, she doesn't know that. Don't tell her. They're all about magic."
Harry looked at her, "What about magic?"
"Like about the man with red eyes. His name's really long, so I just call him Voldy. It sounds like Moldy, and that's what I think he is. That's why he's so mean and grumpy. He can't get the mold off of him."
Harry snorted. Facing Voldemort would never be quite the same again.
"He's really bad. He likes to kill and I think that's wrong. I cried once cause I killed a bee. Bees are pretty. Did you know that? I had a pet bee once. Mommy made me set him free. I miss him. His name was Snappy. That kinda sounds like something I've heard in one of Mommy's dreams, but I can't remember the word. It wasn't Snap, but almost. I like the word Snap though, cause its Pans backward. I like things that are cool backwards."
"You talk a lot, did you know that?"
"Mommy tells me that, but I say I talk enough cause she doesn't talk much. She's scared of saying something that will make her cry. I heard her think that once. But if it would make her cry if she said it, why doesn't it make her cry when she thinks it?"
Harry shrugged. He was lost. This didn't sound like a five year old girl.
"You've met the red eyes? What's he like when you meet him in person?"
Harry shrugged again, "I guess it's just like when you meet him in your dreams. He's not nice."
"Well, I knew that. But what I meant is, is his voice really that high? He sounds like a girl." She giggled again.
No, if everyone met this girl, the name Voldemort would definitely hold new meanings.
She looked over at Draco.
"Oh! I like your hair!" She told him. "I don't like mine. It's too dark. It looks like night. I don't wanna look like night."
Draco looked confused at suddenly being addressed.
"Thanks. Your hair is really pretty too."
"It's big. Mommy calls it 'bushy' and 'frizzy' but I don't know why. It's not a bush. Bushes have leaves. My hair doesn't have leaves. I don't know what a friz is, but I don't think it's my hair either."
"It's lively."
She cocked her head to the side. "What's that word mean?"
"Full of life." He told her.
"Oh! Let me go get my notebook! It's got lotsa big words in it."
She then ran upstairs to her room and shut the door loudly.
Once she was gone, Ginny burst out laughing.
"Merlin, she hasn't spoken that much since she was three."
Albus smiled, "I don't think she's used to seeing people. I think that may have a lot to do with it."
"Here it is!" She yelled, running down the steps. She got onto the hardwood finish of the floor and slipped, falling on her butt. She laughed.
"Mommy always tells me not to run!" She giggled.
She opened the notebook and read the first page. "'Daddy- guy that is related to me almost like mommy is.' Aunt Ginny, I still want a better definition for that. 'Symmetrical- the same on both sides of a dividing line.'"
She stopped talking when she saw what Aunt Ginny was carrying in.
"A cake! Is it a birthday cake? For my birthday?"
Ginny nodded.
"Yes! I love cake! Is it strawberry? I love strawberry."
"Of course, snicker doodle. I'm the one who first gave you strawberry cake, remember?"
Ria nodded and jumped up and down, excited.
Then her excitement deflated and her eyes turned to Snape, who she finally saw, or more, well, noticed and she hid behind Albus's legs.
"Ria, what's wrong?" Aunt Ginny asked her.
Albus turned around and picked the girl up, "What happened?"
"H-he was with Voldy last night!" She whispered in his ear. "Gramps, he's one of those bad men."
"No, Ria, he's a good man pretending to be a bad man. He's telling Voldy that he's bad, so he can get information. He's a good man."
Ria buried her head into Albus's shoulder.
"Ria, how do you know he was there last night?"
"His thoughts. The voice he thinks his thoughts in is the same."
Albus looked toward Snape.
'She can read your thoughts' he mouthed.
Snape's eyes widened. But how? He thought.
She turned her head around to face him.
"I can read Mommy's and Gramps' and everyone else in here. I can read Hermione's and Voldy's too. Voldy's is hard to understand though. And Hermione's is just a whole bunch of cooing noises and colors and feelings. It's not fun."
"What do you hear in Voldy's, Ria?" Albus asked her calmly.
"This word. I hear it a lot. It's a mixed up word, and it's kinda like the mud I play with outside, only not. It has another word on it. It begins with a b… Bud… No, Blood. Why would he say someone has mud in their blood? That wouldn't be clean. Besides, your kidneys clean it anyway, so why should he care if someone has mud in their blood?"
"You mean Mudblood?" Albus asked, obvious distain hidden behind the word.
Ria nodded. "He wants to kill them. He's mad a lot."
"Why, Ria?"
"Because of a lightning bolt boy. He stops him. And his Red friend. And the Muddy girl. He doesn't like them. The Muddy girl is gone like that Hermione though. He killed her. I heard him think it. He's happy about that."
Everyone in the room, all of which knew Hermione Granger, lowered their eyes.
"He also doesn't like you, Gramps. He say's 'All Bus is an old fool' and stuff like that. I don't know why though. You're not old. You're hair is a pretty color, like the pony-doll I have."
"Thank you, Ria."
"Don't worry, I like you."
Mya silently opened the door and closed it the same way. She slowly walked to the kitchen, and saw all the people there. Everyone she wanted to avoid. He was in there!
She gestured wildly, trying to catch Ginny's eye. They were all looking at Ria in Dumbledore's arms.
Suddenly, a head turned around to look at her, but it wasn't Ginny's.
Draco's eyes widened, and he almost gasped. Then, seeing her urgency, held back a chuckle, and turned to Ginny.
"Mrs. Lupin? Um, I think Hermione might want you."
Ginny looked confused, obviously listening for crying, before turning to the door and seeing Mya standing there. She hurried out and pulled Mya into a closet. She turned on the light and looked at Mya.
"God, My. You could have been seen."
"I was. Draco knows."
Ginny sighed. "Of course Draco knows."
"Is that so necessarily bad?"
"No, but now you have a lot of explaining to do."
Mya nodded. "Don't I always?"
"Now, for your new look… How about a blond?"
"Sure, just get it over with."
Ginny waved her wand and Mya's hair shortened and lightened, to the point she was a sandy blond with straight, silky hair. She grew about three inches and she lost about ten pounds. All in all, she looked really good.
"Now, come on, before Ria talks anymore."
Mya laughed, she knew how much her daughter could talk.
"Guys, this is my friend Mya Epanss. Mya, this is Harry Potter. Ron Weasley, my brother (unfortunately). Hagrid, he works at Hogwarts, and he is the Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Albus, who you've met. Neville Longbottom, he works for the Ministry. Draco Malfoy, he's to rich to do squat besides order me around as a healer. And Professor Snape, who despite the fact I'm not his student anymore, I am still not worthy to call by his first name, nor even know it, according to him until the day after I die, which, if he has his way, will be soon."
Mya nodded at everyone, eyes skipping over him. "Pleasure, everyone. I'm sorry I'm late. I took a walk."
"And a swim?" Harry had to ask.
"Huh?" Mya asked.
"Well, your clothes are wet, so I thought…" He trailed off.
"Yes, well, while she was checking up on Hermione, Ginny was nice enough to do my hair, but she forgot my clothes."
"Sorry." Ginny said and dried Mya's clothes.
"Can't you do your own clothes?" Colin asked.
"I'm a squib… I can't do magic."
Neville nodded sympathetically at the life everyone thought he was doomed too.
"Well, let's eat!" Ginny said enthusiastically.
After Ginny had passed everything out, Snape decided to talk.
"Miss Weasley-"
"Mrs. Lupin." She corrected sternly.
"Mrs. Lupin," he agreed, "We're here to put a protective charm around Hermione so that the Dark Lord can't get to her tonight as he's planned."
Mya looked up, "What type of charm?"
"Well, we haven't decided yet, so…." He trailed off.
"Have you thought of a Combinus Potion?" She asked him.
His eyes widened and she could tell he hadn't. "Of course that would work. But we'd need four people to volunteer to watch the room and put a drop of blood in the potion to protect her… and only the four with blood in there could protect her… but it's one of the most fool proof potions."
"I'll donate blood for it, Professor." Mya said.
"You can't do magic."
"Just because I can't do magic doesn't mean I'm not pretty damn skilled with a gun. And Remus can't do it because the people have to be pure human. That leaves Hagrid out as well. Dumbledore can't because the potion takes so much life force out of you for an amount of time and he would very well die. Ginny can't because she's directly related to the protectee, and that would leave Remus out already. Draco's out, due to his father's Death Eater status, he'd be allowed in. Ron's related as well. I believe I've just disproved all but three of you… unless you want to go call someone else in… I'm sure that you could find a nice muggle to steal blood from."
Harry looked confused.
"Wait, what?"
"Okay, this potion that we may use. It uses the blood of four to protect someone. Only those who have that blood can get in or out. That's why you can't use the directly related people. The protected one could get out that way. But that's the flaw. People related or people that have the some of the same DNA can get in. But only those four can use magic in the territory or else all their magic is temporarily drained. Ginny and Ron are related, so they can't. Draco's father would be able to get in if we used him. Only full humans can be used, so Remus, and Hagrid can't be used. Albus would die if we used him. All that's left is myself, Professor Snape, Harry and Neville."
She could read the looks at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Ria's right, you guys think too loud. God, I could pick into your heads with a plastic key."
Everyone went back to their food, thinking.
But there was no way to get out of it. Mya had to be used.
There! TWENTY PAGES! I enjoyed writing that chapter, so haha!
I know, Ria talked a lot, but I needed to show her personality, and if you look closely, there may be more then meets the eye to Ria.
Next chapter… Mya and Snape fight, and you hear more about Ria's daddy!
Grins
