Predictions, Misconceptions, and Transfigurations

by mascaret

Complete...ish. The life of Minerva McGonagall told through a series of different perspectives, but never her own. Warning: LONG this segment is merely the preamble. Begins post OOTP from HP's perspective, but soon delves into the past & other perspective

49. Chapter 49 Here There Be Dragons

Chapter 49

A/N Thank you Maria for taking the time to beta this and my other stories.

At the start of the last chapter I stated that there would be four more chapters including this one. In response to the multiple requests to get back to Harry's time, I'm going to truncate this story even further. I have completely eliminated what was to be the last chapter and will be wrapping up this segment in two more chapters.

The narrator 95% of the time is the person whose full name is listed first. There are a few exceptions, but the usual one is the painting formerly of Tom's room. He doesn't have a name so for the segments he narrates it takes a little reading to realize he is the narrator. A good clue is that he seldom if ever refers to Tom as anything other than 'the young man' and he refers to Dumbledore as 'the auburn haired professor.' He is generally the one that narrates the scenes with Tom and Kitten alone. To make it even easier to pick out which ones he narrates, I have italicized the word 'he' the first time the portrait refers to himself.

Also before anyone complains about it, it is my intent for Kitten to come across as inconsistent, particularly in regards to her on again off again relationship with Tom. She is a child, her logic has serious flaws and she often lacks the emotional maturity one would expect even of an eight year old. Also, though we know in the future Tom Riddle is to become Lord Voldemort and he is currently showing some rather unpleasant traits, the reader has to keep in mind that right now he still is quite young. It is not inconsistent for him to not act or react immediately to things happening around him.

Yes, a few of the segments have a line or two lifted wholesale from the books. No, I am not going to tell you which lines or which books.

Oh, and one last thing. The scenes narrated by Hagrid are supposed to come across as poorly written. It's supposed to be a bit of the character's flavor coming across. Hagrid definitely has his charm, but he seldom if ever comes across as eloquent in the books. I'm sure he would be even less so as a youth..

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The more that Rubeus Hagrid thought about it, the more doubts he had. The forest was big, but he didn't think that it was big enough to hide dragons, and he certainly had never seen any in all the time he spent there. But even if there were dragons, how would Kitten know where they were? She didn't go outside all that much cause she claimed her mother didn't like her going out. That right there should have been enough for Hagrid to figure out that Kitten wasn't that good at telling the truth. Kitten's mother had been dead for a real long time now.

The only times Kitten had gone outside, she was with him or Professor Kettleburn. Hagrid hadn't ever brought her into the forest before and he didn't think that the chances of Professor Kettleburn having done it were very good.

Still, Kitten seemed to know exactly where she was taking him. She never hesitated at all. She walked him so far around the outside of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight. And then she led him around a clump of trees and stopped at a bit of a clearing.

Kitten looked around real disappointed like. "The dragons are supposed to be here."

Hagrid was real disappointed too. There were no dragons here and it didn't look like any ever had been there.

"Ah righty, Kitten, yeh've had yer fun. Yeh tricked meh right good. Let's get back tah teh castle before we get intah any more trouble."

Kitten frowned and it looked like her temper was going to flare again. "It is not a trick! There really are dragons here! They…just…must be…out for a walk! We need to keep looking for them!"

Kitten still seemed so sincere. Either there really were supposed to be dragons here or she was a real good liar. Not sure which it was, Hagrid watched as Kitten looked around for tracks or scorch marks or something. She was poking around in a bush when a little critter came scurrying out. It ran to hide deeper into the forest.

"Ooh! A chipmunk!" Kitten went tearing off after it.

"Wait now! Yeh come back here!"

Kitten didn't seem to be in a mood to listen.

"Kitten! Kitten!"

With a sigh, Hagrid went after her.

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Albus Dumbledore shook his head. "I'm done waiting. I'm going in now. You and the others can catch up with me when they get here."

Kettleburn, the one who had summoned him here and the only other staff member outside, disagreed. "Just wait. We all will go in together. Sending separate groups in will just make it more dangerous."

Dumbledore was beside himself. What had Hagrid been thinking, endangering Kitten by taking her into the Forbidden Forest? Besides the true werewolves, Acromantulas, and the numerous other dangerous wild creatures in the forest, there were the Centaurs to contend with. After what either Artemisia or Grindelwald had done to one of the unicorns of their herd, the Centaurs had sworn to kill any human venturing into the forest. Dumbledore wanted to believe that they would not be so unforgiving with a transgression by a child, but he doubted the Centaurs would be anymore understanding if they knew the identity of the child involved.

Kettleburn spoke again. "Shackleton's coming now."

Dumbledore turned to see that he indeed was. He called out to the Deputy Headmaster. "Where are the others?"

Shackleton shrugged. "Dippet is asleep and I couldn't get him to wake. Tofty is already gone for the day. Archie doesn't want to leave the other children unattended and Viinder doesn't want to 'tamper with the fates'. Pomfrey said, and I quote, 'like hell I am going in there'." Seeing Dumbledore's outrage and disappointment, Shackleton added something that he appeared to think was reassuring. "Binns will be along in a few minutes. He just needed to stop and get his cloak."

Dumbledore sighed at the other man's naïveté. "Binns isn't coming. Let's go."

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"Kitten!"

For someone who needed to be carried everywhere, Rubeus Hagrid thought Kitten sure could run fast when she was of a mind to. He only barely managed to catch up with her cause she got caught on some pricker bushes.

"Ouchies!"

"'Ouchies' is right." Hagrid agreed as he tried to untangle her. "Careful now. Na squirmin'."

Paying him no mind, Kitten kept right on squirming. She squirmed herself right into a great big old scratch all the way across her cheek.

"See nah. I told yeh yeh shouldna squirm." Right before his eyes, the wound on her face healed leaving behind just the small line of red blood that had already escaped. "Eh now? That there's a nice trick!"

Kitten didn't seem to care. She was more interested in other things. "Did you see which way my chipmunk went?"

Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me. Hagrid got a good grip on Kitten's hand. "We need tah be getting' back tah teh castle."

The sound of leaves rustling startled Hagrid. He moved Kitten to behind him to keep her safe from whatever was coming.

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Kettleburn was the one who had seen where Hagrid and Miss Grindelwald entered the forest, so Albus Dumbledore and the one other professor were following his lead.

Hearing a twig snap from behind them, Dumbledore whirled around. Why was he not surprised at what he saw scuttling behind them? "Return to the castle at once, Mr. Riddle."

"Professor Binns told me that that oaf, Hagrid, brought Kitten into the forest! I've come to help find her."

"The forest is a dangerous place. Go back to the castle at once, Tom. We don't have time for delays."

Kettleburn agreed with him. Somewhat. "We don't have time for delay. And the forest is a dangerous place. Far too dangerous to be sending Tom back through it alone."

"Kitten!"

The discussion came to an end with the start of Hagrid's shouts. Dumbledore and the others quickly set out in their direction.

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Rubeus Hagrid gave a sigh of relief to see it was just Professor Dumbledore and some of the other professors. Still, he realized as an arrow went by, shouting in the Forbidden Forest probably hadn't been a good idea.

"Your kind does not belong here!"

As two of the forest centaurs, one red haired and the other black haired, came out from behind the trees, the three Professors moved to make a not very solid wall between them and the children.

The black haired one sounded real angry. "Why have you come here? You were warned before."

Professor Dumbledore tried to smooth things over. "We, the professors and I, know we should not be here. But the children wandered in by accident. We came in only to retrieve them. We have them and now we will be leaving."

Hagrid recognized the red haired centaur, he had seen him before. And it seemed that the red haired centaur had seen him too. "The foal that does not look like a foal has been in the forest before. He is the one that brought the Acromantulas here."

Looking at the centaurs, Professor Kettleburn whispered. "Hagrid, Tom, when I tell you to, I want you two to take Kitten and run as fast as you can back to the castle. No matter what happens, don't stop, don't slow down, and don't look back."

Professor Kettleburn's plan wasn't so good. Cause he along with everyone else was looking at the two centaurs talking to them, Kettleburn couldn't see that there were more centaurs coming over from the trees behind them. Hagrid still had Kitten half hidden behind him, but half hidden to the centaurs in front was right in front of the new centaurs.

Before Hagrid or any of the others knew it, a blond haired palomino had grabbed Kitten. "Eh now, give er back!"

Tom tried to grab at her too. "Leave her be! It's Hagrid you want! She hasn't done anything!"

The blue eyed palomino lifted Kitten up by her chin, not at all gently. His nostrils flared angrily and he reared onto his back feet, keeping her out of Tom's reach. "Lies! This one has been drinking unicorn's blood. I can smell it on her still."

"Isna true! We've na even seen any unicorns since we got here! Na a one!"

The centaur didn't seem to be hearing him. "Do you know what we do to those that would disturb the unicorns that we have sworn to protect with our very lives?"

Still being held up by her chin, Kitten couldn't speak or even shake her head in answer. But she did try to kick at the centaur. That just made him squeeze harder. Hagrid looked back to Professor Dumbledore for help, but he was busy changing looks with Professor Kettleburn.

"Ah swear, we dinna touch any o' yer unicorns! Ah swear!"

Professors Dumbledore and Kettleburn still seemed to be trying to come up with a solution when Professor Shackleton started talking. "So where is this unicorn that she slayed?" Everybody, excepting the centaurs, looked at Professor Shackleton startled. "I for one am perfectly willing to believe she did it, but where is it?"

The black haired centaur spoke to the one holding Kitten. "Firenze, the human is right. Our first task must be to look to the unicorn. It may not yet be beyond help. We must look to our unicorn herds. Find the one that has been injured."

The palomino reluctantly lowered Kitten back to the ground. Hagrid was growing hopeful that everything would work out. Until the black haired one spoke again. "We will stand watch over the two legged ones. Everyone else, inventory your herds. See which is missing. After we find the unicorn we can kill them all for daring to enter the forest and disturbing the unicorns within."

More and more centaurs had shown up either because of Hagrid's earlier shouts or because the other centaurs were in some way calling them.

While the centaurs were doing their talking, the professors were trying to come up with a plan. The professors all had wands, but they were outnumbered. While the centaurs didn't have wands, they could run faster and they had crossbows. Saying that things could get bad if fighting broke out with too many of the centaurs around, Professor Shackleton suggested waiting to act until there were only a few centaurs around.

The blond centaur was still there, keeping a real good eye on Kitten, but he turned to say something to Professor Shackleton. "We can hear you." After that the centaurs even took all their wands away.

In something like shifts, the centaurs wandered off to search in the other parts of the forest. Some would wander back and then others would leave. But always Firenze, along with the black haired centaur, and enough of the others stayed to keep them put. Hagrid was worried, but let them look all they wanted to, they weren't going to find any hurt unicorns. He and Kitten hadn't bothered any of the animals in the forest, excepting the chipmunk, but Kitten hadn't even been able to catch that.

Hagrid have never known before that that many centaurs were living in the forest. He wouldn't have thought so many would all fit, but more and more of them kept coming from other parts of the forest. The centaurs took a long time checking, but of course none of them could find any unicorns hurt or missing from their own herds. When a last few centaurs arrived to say all of their unicorns were accounted for, the young palomino shook his head.

"Check again! Can you not smell the scent of blood on this one?"

Kitten wasn't paying them no mind. She was just sitting on the grass making faces as she ate some of it. But some of the other centaurs were agreeing with him. Hagrid started to say again that it wasn't possible, but all the centaurs turned when a much older centaur joined them.

"Where is the one who has caused the disturbance?"

The old centaur looked to be sizing up the professors, but the palomino was real quick to point out Kitten for him.

"She is but a foal! You say she has taken of the blood of one of our herds?"

The palomino admitted awkwardly, "All have looked to their herds. None have been found missing…but can you not smell the scent upon her?"

The old centaur stared at Kitten for a minute. Kitten hissed at him, but at least she didn't try to kick him. "She has not harmed one of the unicorns. She is a darkling."

The palomino who had been all out of sorts with Kitten earlier looked real surprised. "How can that be?" He tried to get closer for another, better look at Kitten, but she stopped eating the grass and started hissing and cat spitting at him.

Some of the other centaurs, the very same ones that had been agreeing with him a few minutes ago were looking real angry at him now for having upset Kitten. The palomino backed up and as he did, he looked sorry for having troubled her.

The word 'darkling', it seemed to mean something to the centaurs, but not to Hagrid or the others. Professor Dumbledore tried to ask about the word, but being as he only had two legs none of the centaurs could be bothered with explaining it for him.

Professor Shackleton came up with an answer easy enough. "'Dark' means evil, 'ling' means thing. It's not that hard to figure out, Albus."

Before Professor Dumbledore could say anything back, the old centaur started talking again. "What once was taken has been returned. Return their wands. The two legged ones are to be allowed to return to their castle unharmed."

Hagrid sighed suddenly feeling much better. He went to pick Kitten up, but the centaur spoke again.

"The darkling is to remain here; she will live in the forest again."

Professor Shackleton asked a question to be sure he understood. "We get to leave, unharmed, and you get to keep the girl."

At the centaur's nod, Professor Shackleton shrugged. "Well that sounds fair to me."

Hagrid had never heard Professor Dumbledore curse before. "Damn it, Shackleton!"

The old centaur set his attention on Kitten again. "You are to return as part of the Herd that we centaurs have sworn to protect. You may pick from any of the centaurs present. The centaur of your choosing will add you to his herd. He will ensure you are kept well fed, and look to your safety and care."

Hagrid watched all the centaurs puff out their chests and swish their tails. He wondered if they knew Kitten was pretty likely to attack their tails if they kept moving them. They kind of reminded him of Veela, the way they kept tossing their manes.

Kitten just wasn't interested. She took Hagrid's hand. "That is what I have my Hagrid for. My Hagrid does all those things."

The old centaur looked at him, sort of sizing him up now. Hagrid turned beet red when he spoke.

"Though he is two-legged, he clearly is not human-" Hagrid would always wonder afterwards if maybe the old centaur was going to say something more or different, maybe say no to Kitten's pick or say something to try to get her to change her mind.

But the black haired centaur interrupted him. "He is human enough!"

"Do not speak against me again, Bane."

"You cannot let him keep her!"

Hagrid was fond of beasts of all kinds and he knew all sorts of things about them and their ways. Most creatures weren't like people. They didn't try to talk things over or decide as a group. He knew about the need of setting up a certain order and keeping it. And he knew the way creatures kept in charge, but the old centaur had seemed so nice and wise, so somehow Hagrid hadn't expected what happened next.

The old centaur started to fight the dark haired centaur. Even after he knocked him to the ground, over and over he kept hitting him with his hooves. Hagrid picked Kitten up and turned her so she couldn't watch it all happening. He couldn't help thinking that if the old centaur hadn't shown up, that might have been what the other centaurs had in mind for Kitten and maybe all of them.

After a while, long after Bane had stopped trying to fight back, maybe a short while after he stopped trying to move at all, when he just laid there bleeding, the other centaur finally quit hitting him. "Does anyone else want to discuss my decision?"

The other centaurs kept quiet and very still. None dared to even look at the old centaur.

Hagrid flinched and held on tight to Kitten when the old centaur turned to him again. "The darkling, like all those we care for in the forest, is free to come and go as she pleases. You may return to the forest at anytime for aid or advice in her keeping."

Hagrid felt Professor Dumbledore's hand on his shoulder. Still carrying Kitten, Hagrid followed as Professor Dumbledore led them all back to the castle. He didn't set her down again until they were in the castle and the door was closed behind them. As soon as he did, Kitten started to head to the Great Hall where dinner was almost finished being served.

Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "Miss Grindelwald, Hagrid, go wait in my office. I will be there in a moment to speak to both of you."

Kitten didn't seem to pick up on the seriousness in Professor Dumbledore's voice. "Dinner is almost over. If we do not go in now, we will miss it."

"Miss Grindelwald, not to worry I will have something sent up for you from the kitchens later."

Hagrid knew there was already going to be trouble enough, he didn't want to have anymore. He tugged on Kitten to move her along. Going up the stairs, Kitten let him in on a little secret. Hagrid wasn't too surprised to discover she had just been trying to cause trouble.

"I am not really hungry. That grass was very filling."

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After everything that had happened, Albus Dumbledore wanted, no needed, a moment to calm himself before following after his two young Gryffindors. Unfortunately, it seemed Tom Riddle was not about to let him have it.

"What are you going to do about Hagrid? Surely you aren't going to let him continue to be around Kitten after the danger he put her in today!"

"Mr. Riddle, their punishment is of no concern to you. As your intentions were noble I will not be requesting to your Head of House that you be disciplined for going into the forest." Not that Dumbledore really thought it would matter even if he did make such a suggestion to Binns. After all if Tom were to be believed, Robert had been the one to inform Tom about the group going into the forest.

"But what about Hagrid?"

"Again Mr. Riddle, that is none of your concern. Now, I suggest you remove yourself to the Great Hall for dinner before I reconsider my decision about seeking out Professor Binns."

Leaving Tom to stew in his resentment, Dumbledore began making his way to his office.

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Rubeus Hagrid stepped into Professor Dumbledore's office to wait reluctantly. He had been in there lots of times before and usually it was a nice place to be, what with all the interesting things of Professor Dumbledore's to look at and all, but this time was different. Today Hagrid was too upset about all of the trouble he was in to be interested in anything else.

He knew he shouldn't have taken Kitten into the forest, but he just didn't think anything bad like that would happen. He could tell Professor Dumbledore was upset with him. Hagrid felt real bad for letting Professor Dumbledore down. Professor Dumbledore had always been real nice to him, like when his dad died and when he was expelled. It was Professor Dumbledore that stuck up for him and talked Headmaster Dippet into letting him stay on at Hogwarts.

Of course now they couldn't possibly let him stay on. Hagrid's eyes teared up as he thought about what was going to happen to him. He didn't have any family left. Well there was his mum, but he didn't really know where she was. Where would he go? What would he do? He tried not to think about it, but try as he might, it was all he could think of.

As his stomach gave a loud rumble he realized maybe it wasn't quite all that he could think about.

Kitten was looking at him with her head kind of tilted. "Why are you crying?"

He didn't want to upset her by telling her that he was frightened about being fired and sent away, so brushing away his tears, Hagrid fibbed. "Oh, I was just thinkin' that Professor Dumbledore, he dinna remember teh send up dinner fer us like he said he was goin' tah."

Looking at him, Kitten seemed real concerned, not about dinner, but about him being so bothered by it. But then as she looked around the room she smiled and pointed past Professor Dumbledore's desk.

"Do not cry, my Hagrid. He did remember. He left us a turkey bird. We just have to catch it."

Looking to where Kitten pointed, Hagrid saw Fawkes perched on one of Professor Dumbledore's bookcases. Fawkes looked indigine…indigna…indigne…not too happy to be called a turkey, but Hagrid couldn't help but smile.

"Eh that's na quite a turkey. That's Fawkes. He's a phoenix."

Kitten shrugged. "Close enough. I can catch him for you."

As Kitten climbed up onto Professor Dumbledore's desk, Hagrid shook his head. "I dinna think this is such a good idea."

Kitten still didn't seem to be of a mind to listen to anyone else's ideas. "Sure it is."

Fawkes let out a few squawks watching Kitten crouch down, getting ready to attack.

"He sounds like a turkey to me."

"I really dinna think we should-"

As Kitten sprang off the desk towards him, Fawkes gave a final shriek and disappeared in a burst of flames. Hagrid reached out and grabbed Kitten in midair by the collar of her robes before she could hit the bookcase.

"Did you know turkeys could do that?"

"Eh well turkeys, na, I dinna, but-" Hagrid started to explain, but went quiet as Professor Dumbledore came back into the room.

"What is going on in here?"

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Albus Dumbledore peered at Hagrid over the tops of his half-moon glasses. He had expected better of him. He was aware of and had in the past tried to discourage Hagrid's forays into the forest, but he never dreamed Hagrid would put young Miss Grindelwald into harms way by taking her with him. With the disappointment clearly discernable in his voice, Dumbledore began to speak. "Hagrid-"

That was as much as he was able to get out before Hagrid burst into tears. Hagrid's loud howls drowned out anything else he might have had to say. "I'm sorry, Professor! I know I shouldna taken her into teh forest! I'll go pack me things and be off!"

Over Hagrid's wails Dumbledore tried to make himself heard, but he wasn't very effective. "Hagrid, settle down." Hagrid just wailed all the louder.

Kitten appeared both alarmed and confused at what was going on. Given the increase in volume after his words, it seemed she thought Dumbledore was the one responsible for Hagrid being upset. "You leave him alone you big meanie! It was my idea. I was the one who wanted to go into the forest. You leave my Hagrid alone!"

"Don't call him that! He isn't your Hagrid!" Tom entered the room right behind him. Was no one planning to listen to him today?

"Everyone settle down! Hagrid, Miss Grindelwald, take a seat."

Hagrid sat down, but Miss Grindelwald remained standing next to Hagrid, guarding him. With a sigh, Dumbledore repeated himself with equally no effect.

This situation was quickly getting out of hand. Kitten's willingness to take responsibility for her actions was commendable, her concern for Hagrid was quite touching, and certainly Dumbledore could understand her being confused by Hagrid's response, but there was no question about it. Were she any other student he would already have issued her a detention. And so…

"Miss Grindelwald, you may return to your rooms now and have dinner there. I will be by in an hour to collect you for what I suspect will be the first of many detentions."

Still angry and very unclear on what was going on, Kitten refused. "No! I will not! I do not have to listen to you! You are not Simon; I do not have to do what you say!"

Kitten's first outburst had helped to either calm Hagrid or at least shock him into stopping his tears and the noise that came with it. He shook his head and whispered loudly. "Yeh need teh listen teh Professor Dumbledore. Simon says yeh should listen teh Professor Dumbledore."

Dumbledore had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but it did seem to mean something to Miss Grindelwald. She frowned and questioned Hagrid. "Are you sure he said that?" After Hagrid's solemn nod, Kitten sighed and headed for the door.

Tom became incensed. "You can't give her a detention! It was Hagrid's fault! You shouldn't punish her! You should fire Hagrid, send him away!"

Whatever tranquility had been regained quickly evaporated with Tom's suggestion. Hagrid's howls again filled the room. Given the clear sounds of Hagrid's remorse, Dumbledore thought it safe to assume Hagrid had learned his lesson. Further punishment would serve no purpose but to torment the boy.

"Hagrid, you may return to your cabin now. There will be no further discussion of this afternoon's events."

Hagrid gratefully departed.

A practically spitting Tom remained. "That's it? Hagrid takes Kitten into the forest where she could have been, practically was, killed or…worse by those despicable…" Momentarily, Tom was too angry for words. "She gets a detention and Hagrid just gets to leave?"

Dumbledore sighed. This really wasn't something he should have to explain and he didn't mean because he was the teacher and Riddle was the student. "Mr. Riddle, the difference is that unlike Miss Grindelwald, Hagrid seemed genuinely remorseful for what he did."

Dumbledore shook his head while watching the still quite furious Mr. Riddle walk away.

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Albus Dumbledore ushered Miss Grindelwald through the door of the trophy room. He took a few of the smaller trophies off of the shelves and opened up a new container of Mrs. Skower's All Purpose Magical Silver Polish.

"For the next hour I would like you to polish these trophies without the use of your wand. I don't expect them to be perfect, but do as best as you can. I will be back in a bit to check on your progress."

Closing the door behind him as he left, Dumbledore felt satisfied. He didn't want to be overly harsh and yet he doubted the writing of lines would convey to Kitten the seriousness of her actions. He had thought about it for a while and in the end decided this would be a suitable punishment. Polishing the trophies by hand certainly wasn't enjoyable, but it was actually a fairly mild punishment. And yet, he felt a small sense of unease.

Turning around, he cast a spell to allow him to see inside the room, but remain himself unobserved. He looked in just in time to see Miss Grindelwald dip her finger into the jar of polish. Dumbledore wasn't terribly alarmed watching her sniff the polish on her finger, but he was alarmed seeing her lick the polish off of her finger.

Rather certain that that was a purpose Mrs. Skower had not envisioned, Dumbledore rushed back into the room. Grabbing both the girl and the jar of polish, he raced to Kettleburn's office.

"Albus, what's going on?"

Setting Kitten down on Kettleburn's desk, Dumbledore explained. "She ate silver polish."

Kitten scowled at him. "Nobody likes a tattletale."

Kettleburn glanced at Kitten. "You ate silver polish?"

Kitten shook her head. Kettleburn looked back at him. "Are you sure she ate it?"

Dumbledore frowned at the girl for lying. "I watched her do it."

When Kettleburn again looked to Kitten she made a suggestion. "Maybe it was somebody who looks like me." Seeing that Kettleburn didn't believe her, Kitten tried again. "He gave it to me."

Dumbledore was beside himself. "But I didn't say to eat it!"

Kitten folded her arms across her chest. "You never said not to!"

Absolutely bewildered, Dumbledore just stared at the child as Kettleburn asked another question. "Is that the polish she ate?"

At Dumbledore's nod, Kettleburn took the jar. Starting to read the label, Kettleburn asked yet another question. "Do you know how much of it she ate?"

"Just a little bit."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain. I watched her eat it."

Finished reading, Kettleburn again spoke. "So let me see if I have this straight, Albus. You gave her a jar of silver polish and let her eat it?"

"What? No! I didn't let her eat it."

"No of course not. You gave her a jar of polish, didn't say she shouldn't eat it and then you just watched her eat it, without doing anything to try to stop her."

"Well, yes but…" This was unbelievable. "I…she…that…it's not the way it happen-"

Kettleburn chuckled. "Calm down, Albus. I was teasing. The polish is made mostly of murtlap, fluxweed, some leaping toadstool, and nettles. The worst that can happen is her ear hair will turn purple."

While Dumbledore gave a relieved, but exasperated sigh, Kettleburn turned his attentions back to Kitten. "Why did you eat the polish? Were you hungry? Didn't you have dinner?"

Dumbledore knew she had chosen not to eat very much of it, but he had had dinner delivered to her rooms. Kitten shrugged. "I liked the smell. I wanted to try it, to see what it tasted like."

Kettleburn frowned. "Why haven't you ever 'just wanted to try' the vegetables at dinner?" That didn't get an answer so Kettleburn's questions moved on. "Did you like how it tasted?"

Kitten shook her head.

"So you aren't going to do it again, are you?"

Kitten stared at Kettleburn, thinking about it for a moment before solemnly answering. "I might. I have not made up my mind yet."

Kettleburn sighed and tousled her hair. "Don't eat silver polish. I think you have a detention to finish."

It had been an exceptionally long day. Bringing Kitten and the polish back to the trophy room, Dumbledore wanted nothing more than to go back to Gryffindor Tower, crawl into bed and pretend this day had never happened. But as much as he would like to do that, letting Miss Grindelwald out of her detention because she had further misbehaved would not leave her with the kind of impression he wanted her to have.

When they arrived he looked around for the smallest plaque he could find. About the size of his hand, not very tarnished to begin with, silver only on one side with wood on the other, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to polish.

"It is getting late and I am sure you are tired so let's simplify this. You are to stay here until this plaque is shiny enough to see your reflection in it. Am I understood?"

"Can I leave to use the bathroom?"

Dumbledore frowned slightly. Was this another stalling tactic? The plaque really didn't need much work. He could already see his reflection in it. There were just a few spots that were beginning to tarnish on one of the edges. It really should not be the kind of project that took long enough to require bathroom breaks. Still, when you have to go, you have to go. He acquiesced.

"Yes, I suppose, but I want you to come back right after. There is a girl's room right down the hall."

He thought it was the answer she wanted yet Kitten looked almost panicked. With her head down she spoke so softly he had to strain to hear what she was saying.

"That is Myrtle's bathroom."

Comprehension came quickly to him for once; Miss Grindelwald was afraid of ghosts.

"Of course, that bathroom isn't very nice. It floods often. There is another one up the stairs and just a bit further down the hall. That one is much nicer." Lest Miss Grindelwald get the wrong impression, he quickly amended his statement. "Well, or so I hear. Perhaps you would prefer to use that one?"

Kitten looked up at him and nodded eagerly.

Dumbledore smiled. "Well with that settled, I will leave you to your work. I will be in my office. Notify me when you are done and I will come inspect your work."

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Half an hour later a weary and wary Albus Dumbledore rubbed the bridge of his nose before putting his half-moon spectacles back on. It was well past the time Miss Grindelwald should have been by to collect him. More than a little apprehensive at what he would find this time, Dumbledore made his way back to the trophy room.

The plaque was exactly where and as he had left it, but Miss Grindelwald was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed and frustrated to have again been disobeyed, Dumbledore turned to leave in search of the girl. Finding her coming round the corner, apparently returning to the trophy room, Dumbledore was pleasantly surprised. At least until he caught sight of the duvet she was dragging on the floor behind her. On the blanket were all the candies, art supplies, and pillows that usually adorned her bedroom.

Momentarily shocked into silence, Dumbledore said nothing as she walked by him and back into the trophy room. Watching her carefully reassemble her confectionary towers up around the room, Dumbledore realized that most of the boxes, well to be more precise all of the boxes he noticed, were as yet unopened. As odd as that struck him, he really didn't have the time or the energy to muse too much on it at the moment.

Finding his voice he asked, "What are you doing?"

"I am going to live here now so I brought all of my things here."

Dumbledore knew he had to be missing something. "But you aren't going to be staying here permanently, just until you polish the plaque."

Kitten scratched her head and seemingly missing his point, searched for the best spot to keep her drawing supplies.

Dumbledore tried again. "You don't need to move all of your possessions here. As soon as that one plaque is polished, you get to return to your room in Gryffindor Tower."

Kitten didn't seem to understand. She just kept unpacking.

Dumbledore held up the plaque in question. "You only need to stay here, in the trophy room, until this one plaque is polished. Why are you still unpacking?"

Kitten paused and looked at him as she calmly explained her reasoning. "You said I need to stay here until the plaque is polished and I do not want to polish the plaque so I am just going to live here now."

"I…I…" He didn't really have a response for that. This day was just getting worse and worse as it went along. "I just want you to polish the plaque. You don't have to live here. It's your detention. I…I just want you to polish the plaque."

Kitten gave a shake of her head. "I do not want to polish. You gave me a choice and I would prefer to just stay here and not polish the plaque."

She was being very pleasant about it. She came across as very calm, there was no yelling or threatening. Dumbledore again tried to reason with her. "It's a very small plaque. It will only take a minute, maybe two to polish. It is your punishment for going into the forest."

"But I do not want to polish. As my punishment I would rather just stay here instead."

"You can't do that. Your punishment is the polishing of the plaque."

Kitten frowned. "You said that I had to stay here until the plaque was polished. I will stay here and just never, ever, ever polish anything."

She seemed sincere. He really didn't get the idea that she was just toying with him. Dumbledore had an idea. "Simon…Simon wants you to polish the plaque and then go back to Gryffindor Tower. He told me."

Kitten paused, scratching and thinking very carefully before responding. "I do not like Simon anymore. He is too bossy, always telling me what to do. Simon never asks what I want to do. I am not going to listen to him anymore."

It was late and he was out of ideas. "Miss Grindelwald, let's head back to your room in Gryffindor Tower and sort this out in the morning."

She shook her head, but Dumbledore reached for her hand anyway. He would lead her back and tomorrow- Dumbledore pulled his hand back sharply.

Frowning, he checked his hand to see if it had actually been burned. Clearly Miss Grindelwald had no intention of returning to Gryffindor Tower this evening. Growing a bit desperate and not knowing what else to do, Dumbledore went for reinforcements. He explained the situation to Kettleburn as best he could on the walk back to the trophy room.

By the time they returned Kitten had moved all the pillows into one corner of the room. Watching her rub her eyes as she spread the blanket in the same corner, Dumbledore couldn't figure out what she was up to. "What is she doing now?" Dumbledore didn't realize he had spoken aloud until Kettleburn answered.

"I could be wrong, but I think she is building a nest."

Dumbledore repeated the word in disbelief. "A nest?"

Listening to the Care of Magical Creatures professor, Dumbledore suppressed a sigh. "Stone floors can get awfully cold and she will need someplace warm to sleep if she is going to live in the trophy room."

Kettleburn moved into the room to get Kitten's attention and a better look. Dumbledore believed his colleague seemed far too amused by this all. "You know I always imagined that Professor Dumbledore's rooms would look exactly like this, candy bars and awards everywhere."

Not getting a laugh from either of them and perhaps realizing he wasn't being as helpful as Dumbledore had hoped, Kettleburn moved the conversation on. "So what's going on Kitten? Why are you moving all of your things into the trophy room?"

"I do not want to polish the silver. If I stay here I do not have to."

"Professor Dumbledore told you to polish the silver for your detention. Why don't you want to do it?"

"I do not like to polish. Maybe some other people do, but I am not a polishing kind of person."

"Have you tried polishing before?"

Kitten gave a small shake of her head.

"So how do you know you wouldn't like it?"

Kitten was apparently too tired to be bothered answering that question.

Watching Kitten lay down on her makeshift bed Dumbledore tried to think of an explanation. Surely this wasn't really about polishing. Was it?

Had something happened to cause Miss Grindelwald to change her mind about being a Gryffindor? He knew many of the students, including his Gryffindors, were a bit uneasy around her. But as far as he had seen it hadn't progressed any further than that. Still, he knew the students' conduct was often very different when none of the professors were around. As much as he didn't like the possibility, he had to acknowledge it.

"Miss Grindelwald, how have the other students been treating you?"

Concentrating on rubbing her eyes, Kitten ignored the question.

Dumbledore tried to rephrase the question. "What I mean to ask is, has anyone been mistreating you?"

The only answer he received from her was a very sleepy yawn, but Kettleburn tried to interrupt him and get his attention. "Albus-" Dumbledore waved him off with his hand.

"Kitten, if someone has been bothering you, I would like you to tell me."

Kettleburn interjected. "Albus, right now you arebothering her. With questions like that, all you are doing is confusing her."

Looking at Kitten, Dumbledore had to agree. Resting her head against one of her pillows and fidgeting with the blanket while her eyes darted back and forth between him and the blanket trim, Kitten looked more than a bit puzzled. He allowed Kettleburn to lead him out of the trophy room.

"Maybe some of the other students have been bothering her, maybe the problem really is that she isn't a 'polishing kind of person'; with Kitten, honestly I'm not sure. But what I am sure of is that it is late and she is tired. Even if she weren't, as strong willed as she is, I doubt you would get anywhere with her, but if you try to press it with her now you won't ever get anywhere on the subject. Let her stay here tonight and in the morning, when she is rested and more reasonable we can work it out."

At the time it sounded like a reasonable course of action. Dumbledore reluctantly nodded his approval and warded the entrance. However the following morning Kitten was well rested, but no more ready to be reasoned with than the night before. In fact, letting her stay the first night served only to cement her resolve.

A rather abashed Kettleburn later admitted that, "In retrospect, allowing Kitten to stay that first night might have set a bad precedent." But beyond that he proved to be of little help in remedying the housing situation.

But of course that first night watching Kettleburn re-enter the room to conjure a second blanket for the already sleeping Miss Grindelwald and place a warming charm on the floor, Dumbledore thought it sounded like a reasonable idea.

#######################################

As he watched the auburn haired professor approach the portal painting, he noticed the professor lacked his customary twinkle.

"The evening report, if you will, Sir Cadogan."

The portal painting's resident drew himself up importantly. "All accounted for but one! The Head Girl is missing!"

The auburn haired professor sighed. "Miss Grindelwald is not the Head Girl." There was a pause, an almost awkward one, before the auburn haired professor continued. "And I don't know that she will be returning. At least not this evening."

Sir Cadogan plunged his lance into the ground and cried out. "Gone back to Slytherin!"

As he shivered at his memories of a particular room of that other house, he could hear Sir Cadogan venting the knight-errant's own frustrations at the girl's decision. "Lousy, no good turncoat!"

"She hasn't returned to Slytherin."

He felt no small measure of relief, but Sir Cadogan's ire was unmitigated. "Gone to Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, just as disloyal and dishonorable-"

"She hasn't gone to one of them either."

The portal painting was not the only one uncertain of what that meant. Sir Cadogan leaned against his lance. "Sorry, not quite following you there."

"She's gone to live in the trophy room."

"The trophy room? Oh right, the trophy room. Would have been my next guess."

The auburn haired professor gave a sigh and began to walk away.

"No, really! It was my next guess!"

Sir Cadogan turned to him. "It was! You believe me, don't you?"

Ignoring the knight-errant, he made his way through various frames to the trophy room.

#####################################

"Nundu."

"Back you foul, festering, filth!" Sir Cadogan pointed his lance at the dark haired boy. "Be gone, you don't belong here!"

Sir Cadogan tried to hide his grin at the Head Boy's scowl. He never let the Headmaster in. He seldom let the Head of Gryffindor in, or any Gryffindor for that matter. Password or not, did Tom Riddle really expect to be let in?

"You must allow me passage. I am a newly knighted…knight."

Sir Cadogan's eyes glistened with pride. "Carry on! Carry on!" He swung partially open, but then paused, curious. "What Order?"

"Order?"

"Yes, Order. What Order of Knights do you belong to?"

Sir Riddle didn't answer right away. He looked all around the hallway, no doubt to be certain there were no spies to overhear. "Walpurgis. I am a Knight of Walpurgis."

Sir Cadogan had never before heard of the Knights of Walpurgis, but no doubt they were a gallant and chivalrous Order. He allowed Sir Riddle entrance, but his fellow Knight didn't remain inside long.

"Why isn't Kitten in her rooms? It's nearly ten. Dumbledore better not still have her in detention!"

Sir Cadogan leaned against his lance. He hadn't had much luck getting it unstuck from the grass. "Oh, she doesn't live here anymore."

Sir Riddle's blue eyes danced with excitement. "She's gone back to Slytherin!"

Hard news was easier to take from a fellow Knight. "Well, no, not exactly. She lives in the trophy room now."

Sir Riddle's eyes flashed angrily. He was not taking the news well at all. "This time Dumbledore has gone too far!"

"It's for the best really. I can't say as I am surprised. Why just the other day I was say-"

As Sir Riddle cantered off towards the trophy room, for the first time Sir Cadogan noticed the calendar on the far wall, at the exact spot Sir Riddle had been looking at when he named the Order to which he belonged. Noticing the date displayed on the calendar, April 30, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. That was the Night of Walpurgis.

Sir Cadogan momentarily began to doubt the word of Sir Riddle, but then he had an epiphany. This was the month of June. Surely no one would accidentally forget to change the pages of the calendar for that long. Clearly the calendar was kept as a secret message for those loyal to the Order of Walpurgis.

#####################################

Not long after he had arrived in the trophy room the young man came looking for the girl. Moving into the room, the young man looked horrified to discover her curled up in a corner of the room.

Brushing back the hair that in her sleep had fallen over her eyes, he tried to wake her. "Kitten, it's past your bedtime. What are you doing in the trophy room? What are all of these things doing here?"

The girl nestled towards him with her eyes still closed. "This is my new room."

"Kitten, you can't live here. This is the trophy room."

Between yawns the girl explained. "Professor Dumbledore said to stay here until I finish polishing, but I am going to live here instead of polishing."

"Dumbledore can't ask you to polish the silver. That's elf work. It's completely beneath you. And he can't make you stay here. Come with me."

Eyes still closed, the girl scratched her head before groggily refusing. "I am tired, my Tom."

"I know, Kitten. It won't take long. We'll just go tell Professor Kettleburn and Headmaster Dippet what's happen-"

"Professor Kettleburn was already here and knows what is happening." The auburn haired professor had arrived unnoticed. At first he found the professor's arrival so soon after the young man's to be odd.

The young man stood to express his dissatisfaction with the professor. "You can't keep her here! She hasn't done anything. It was all Hagrid's fault!"

The auburn haired professor held up a hand to silence the young man. "Miss Grindelwald, do you require anything?"

Having already fallen back to sleep, the girl gave no response. The professor beckoned the young man into the hallway. "Mr. Riddle, Miss Grindelwald has chosen to remain in the trophy room, I hope temporarily. This is a matter between Miss Grindelwald and myself. It is after curfew. Unless you would like a detention as well, I suggest you find your way back to your dormitory."

The professor watched the young man reluctantly slink off. The reasoning behind the timing of his arrival became clear as he took out his wand and recast a ward around the door. Making one last examination of the room and it's sleeping occupant, the auburn professor departed.

Not surprisingly, as soon as the clicking noise of the professor's boots faded out of hearing the young man returned. Sitting with his back against the wall, the young man remained watching the door throughout the night.

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#####################################

Stifling a yawn, Albus Dumbledore pulled his dressing gown tighter around himself in an attempt to keep out the chill night air. Though it was early summer, the castle could still get quite cool during the late night hours.

He was almost to the trophy room, for another check on Miss Grindelwald, when he had to pause to avoid stepping on the slumped form in the hallway. The night was moonless and Dumbledore would never have noticed the sleeping Tom Riddle in time to avoid tripping over him had he not known of Tom's presence in advance. He was aware that since the very first night Tom had remained outside the door of the trophy room as Miss Grindelwald slept inside.

Dumbledore had placed a seal on the door to notify him should Miss Grindelwald leave or anyone else enter the room. Still he feared her waking in the night, disoriented or confused to find herself alone, and so he made the trek to the trophy room several times a night to check on her.

As much as Dumbledore had reservations about Riddle, the girl seemed quite attached to him. Dumbledore knew he should have woken Riddle up and sent him back to the dungeons with a detention for being out of his dormitories well after hours, but despite his better judgment, he allowed him to remain. Dumbledore had a responsibility to his other students still in Gryffindor Tower and not even he had the ability to be in two places at once. At least this way if Kitten had a bad dream or awoke during the night, Tom would be there to comfort her until he could get there.

After quietly refreshing the warming charms on the floor beneath both of the sleeping students, Dumbledore headed back to his own rooms.

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Tired of Binns, Albus Dumbledore departed the Faculty room and headed for the trophy room. Binns' taunting remarks weren't the real reason why after several days he had finally decided enough was enough. Nor were Dippet's sharp words at the breakfast table the cause. Both were just added impetus.

Approaching the trophy room Dumbledore hadn't any new strategies, but he felt the need to again try to reason with her. Kitten glanced at him but said nothing as he entered, so for a time he stood quietly observing as she lay on the floor painting. He hoped she would be the one to break the silence, but at last his curiosity got the better of him.

"Have you changed your mind about being a Gryffindor?"

Still concentrated on her work, Kitten shook her head.

Dumbledore tried again. "You know if you have I won't be angry."

Disappointed? Yes. Relieved? Never would he actually admit it, but perhaps a little. He had never agreed with Binns' decisions before and certainly he still did not, but now it was a little easier to appreciate how effortlessly a situation could spiral out of control when Miss Grindelwald was involved. But as for angry? No.

"If you have decided you wish to return to Slytherin House you can tell me and I will make the arrangements."

"I want to stay in Gryffindor."

Dumbledore nodded, trying to make sense of it. "You want to stay in Gryffindor and I know Tom has been pressuring you to move back to Slytherin. Are you staying in the trophy room because you think it is a compromise that Tom would prefer?"

Kitten frowned. "I do not believe in compromising. I like my way and no other."

That was becoming clearer and clearer each day. "If you want to stay in Gryffindor, then why are you staying here?"

The look Kitten gave him in response was quite reminiscent of the one he had received for throwing stones into the lake. "You said I had to."

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, I said you had to stay here until the plaque was polished."

"I do not want to polish the plaque."

Dumbledore spoke very slowly and clearly so as not to be misunderstood. "That's perfectly understandable. You aren't supposed to want to polish the plaque. But it is something you have to do. It is your punishment for going into the forest."

Alas, Miss Grindelwald disagreed and this was where they came to a parting of the ways. "I do not have to do something if I do not want to and you should not try to make me."

That may well be true if this were something more serious, but they were talking about polishing a plaque. Or at least he was. Was she? For the life of him he couldn't understand the way her mind worked. Was this really about a plaque to her? "Why won't you polish the plaque?"

Kitten vigorously scratched her head while answering. It was a nervous habit he had noticed her doing a lot of lately. "I am never going to do it. You should just stop asking."

Dumbledore wanted to understand. He struggled to understand, but he simply couldn't. "Why don't you want to polish?"

"I just do not."

"But why not?"

"It does not interest me. I am not going to do something if it does not interest me."

"So there is no other reason? You really are refusing simply because you don't want to polish?"

Kitten nodded.

If she were to be believed, this could be progress, of a sort. "All right. What kinds of things do you like to do?"

Kitten lay on her back staring at the ceiling while she contemplated the answer to his question. Dumbledore found most of her responses none too reassuring. "I like to go into the Forbidden Forest. I like to make Headmaster Dippet drink the mandrake potion instead of me. I like to eat mice and play with my Hagrid. I like my Tom. I like to draw and paint."

That last one gave Dumbledore an idea. It was a Binns worthy idea, but at this point he was willing to try most anything. "Polishing silver is quite a lot like painting. You add a few spots of polish and then you mix it, blend it around. You should try it. It might be something you like."

Kitten's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I think you are trying to trick me."

Making the suggestion had been a miscalculation on his part and it brought about an end to any further conversation on the matter.

At this point, Dumbledore wanted to forget about being consistent and give in just to get her moved out of the trophy room. Not wanting to give up his principles quite that easily, with a sigh, he decided that he would wait for at least a small sign of effort on her part. The obvious problem with that plan was that he could already foresee it being a very long time before this rather obstinate child might make any kind of an effort. He was beginning to believe the problem might be that she truly just did not want to polish.

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##################################

In the very short time it had taken for the young man to use the nearby facilities, the Avery boy had already been lurking around. The young man quickly ordered him away.

"Avery, what have I told you about coming here?"

The other's response was not very believable. "I was just passing by on my way to the Astronomy Tower."

"Next time take the short route."

"Come off it Tom. Give up. If it's not going to be me it's going to be someone else. You can't stay here twenty-four hours a day."

Seeing the young man reach for his wand, the boy hurried away. Still, the young man seemed to see the validity of the boy's statement. He opened the door to the trophy room and entered.

"You can't continue to stay here, Kitten. Avery and the others are just upset because you left Slytherin. If you come back, they will leave you alone."

The girl shook her head. "I am a Gryffindor now."

The young man's shoulders drooped and he put his wand back into his pocket. "We will talk about it more later, but it's not safe here. For now let's move you back to Gryffindor Tower." He opened the jar of polish.

"I do not want to polish."

The young man placed a kiss on the girl's cheek before reaching for the nearest trophy. "And you'll never have to Kitten."

The young man made quick work of that trophy and several other silver pieces, railing against the auburn haired professor all the while. Resting her head on her folded hands, the girl just watched and listened.

"I can't believe Dumbledore would even ask you to polish silver. It is completely beneath you. And to force you to stay in the trophy room! What was he thinking? All Dumbledore cares about is his precious Hagrid. Hagrid brings you into the forest, but does he have to polish the trophies with you? No, of course not! Hagrid puts your very life in danger and all Dumbledore does is say 'don't do it again' and sends him on his way. Dumbledore didn't put any thought into your safety or welfare then and he doesn't now. The lock on that door can be disarmed by any first year. There is no portrait guarding it, anyone with half a mind to can just walk in to do all kinds of vile things to…" The young man stopped suddenly as he seemed to realize that the girl was listening. In ending, he tried to soften his words. "Anyone can come in and…bother you."

The young man went silent, seeming to focus on his own thoughts and the plaque in front of him.

The girl appeared confused, either by the young man's words or his sudden silence. Latching on to his last words, she tried to continue the conversation. "Professor Dumbledore bothered me."

The plaque was set aside and quickly forgotten. "What did you say?"

"Professor Dumbledore came in here and he bothered me."

The young man went ashen. "What do you mean?"

The girl looked impossibly more confused at the young man's reaction. Putting her head downward she shrugged.

"Kitten, what did Dumbledore do to you?"

Not getting a response, the young man tried again. "Kitten, this is very important. Tell me what he did to you."

Appearing to not quite know what to say, the girl fidgeted with the sleeve of her robes. "He bothered me, but Professor Kettleburn told him to stop."

"Kitten, how did he bother you?"

The girl looked up quickly to gauge the young man's reaction. "He just…bothered me. I want to talk about something else now."

Having been in the room with her since that first evening, he had seen the auburn haired professor irritate and annoy the girl, but he would be willing to venture that the girl was not implying what the young man was inferring. Rather, he believed her unease and desire to change the topic was caused by her unclearness about what it was they were talking about.

Misreading her reaction, the young man was unwilling to change the topic. "Was he…bothering you when he had you in Gryffindor Tower? Is that why you wanted to stay in the trophy room?"

The girl's confusion was making her very frustrated. "I do not want to polish things and I do not want to talk about it anymore!" She folded her arms across her chest and turned away.

"Kitten-" The young man stopped short as the auburn professor entered the room.

The auburn haired professor's glance quickly took in the sight of the two people already in the room, the open jar of polish, and the few polished silver pieces on the floor between them. That the girl had not been the one to do the polishing should be obvious to anyone who had entered the room and spoken to her in the past few days.

Yet oddly enough, the professor seemed willing to ignore this obvious fact. "Miss Grindelwald, you have completed your detention and may leave now."

The young girl responded solemnly to the auburn haired professor . "No, I did not. My Tom polished them. I am never, ever, ever going to polish anything. Not ever."

The auburn haired professor looked not at all surprised by the declaration. "I see." He looked somewhat awkward as he continued. "However, since you did the right thing by telling me the truth, I think we can compromise and consider the matter settled." The professor looked hopeful as he hesitantly made a suggestion. "Now let's move you back to Gryffindor Tower."

The girl guardedly questioned him. "Will I have to polish anything when we get there?"

The auburn haired professor quickly answered negatively.

The girl began to gather her belongings. She appeared eager to leave and avoid anymore of the young man's questions. The young man tried to get her to pause, but the professor used his wand to miniaturize all of her belongings and quickly gather them for traveling.

"Ready?"

The young man wore an expression of abject horror watching the girl leave with the auburn haired professor.

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#############################

He watched the girl lying before the lit fireplace in the Gryffindor Common room. Regardless of the temperature in the room, she always seemed to have it lit.

It would seem that he was not the only one to notice. Upon entering the Common Room with her friends, the Meadowes girl headed straight for the fireplace. She doused the fire with water from her wand. "It's June. We don't have fires in June."

The girl stood and relit the fire with her wand. Not to be outdone, the older girl again tried to put it out. She became infuriated when the fire refused to again go out. With her wand still in her hand, she shoved the smaller girl. Neither of the other two girls attempted to intercede.

Stumbling, the young girl tried to grab hold of the Meadowes girl to keep from falling completely. Instead, she got a hold on the older girl's wand and took it with her as she fell.

"Give that back!" The Meadowes girl tore the wand from her hand and turned it against her. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Nothing happened.

The Meadowes girl tried to cast again with a similar lack of effect. One of the other girls began to shriek. "She squibified you!"

All shrieking, the older girls departed.

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#############################

Albus Dumbledore found it odd when Miss Meadowes decided to not participate during Transfiguration class. The girl looked sickly pale and her face was tear stained, but she refused to admit to there being anything wrong. Adolescent girls often had concerns that they would prefer not to share with their almost ninety year old professor, so he at first thought nothing of it.

But by lunch, several other students had decided to join in on Miss Meadowes work stoppage. Finally by the end of the day, he had had enough. When he began to insist that Alexia, a girl in his Seventh year N.E.W.T. level class participate, she dissolved into tears before running from the room.

"Would someone please tell me what is going on?"

No one would answer. No one was willing to even look at him. When he finally managed to catch Amelia Bones' gaze, reluctantly she spoke.

"Alexia can't do it."

Dumbledore frowned. "The spell is a bit complex, yes, but not impossible."

Amelia shook her head. "Alexia is a squib."

Dumbledore couldn't help but smile at that one. "A squib? Miss Bones, as easygoing as I am, I assure you, for N.E.W.T. level classes I do have to draw the line somewhere and it usually is a fair bit after squibs."

Amelia looked not at all amused. "It was that girl, sir. She cast a spell on Alexia."

Dumbledore didn't have to ask which girl. "Amelia, there is no spell to turn someone into a squib." Some very complicated potions to drain magic temporarily, perhaps, but no spells per se.

"She has been going around all day casting it, sir."

Dumbledore knew Amelia Bones was not the sort to make up wild allegations. "What is the incantation?"

Amelia was careful to take her hand off of her wand before whispering, "Squibify."

Hoping that this was merely a very well rehearsed senior prank, Dumbledore dismissed his class and went to investigate.

As he was arguing his way past Sir Cadogan, he could hear, but not see, Miss Grindelwald in the very act.

"Squibify!"

Entering the room, he found her scowling up at young Mr. Tillinghouse. Both had their wands out.

"What is going on in here?"

Again no one would answer him. Mr. Tillinghouse tried to leave, but Dumbledore stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Tillinghouse, as it is growing dark out and you have your wand out, would you be so kind as to light the sconces?"

"It isn't dark, sir."

No, it wasn't but Dumbledore insisted. "If you please, Mr. Tillinghouse."

The boy's hand began to tremble as he reluctantly held up his wand. "L-lumos."

Nothing happened.

The boy cleared his throat and tried again, slightly louder. "Lumos!"

As again nothing happened, Dumbledore turned to look at young Miss Grindelwald. She was wearing quite the pleased expression. "Serves you right!"

Dumbledore still did not understand how, but Miss Grindelwald's words suggested another question. "Why does it serve him right? What possible cause did he give for this?"

Miss Grindelwald didn't look so smug as she scratched her head and looked away, refusing to answer.

Dumbledore turned to Mr. Tillinghouse. "Did you do something to instigate this?"

Tillinghouse shook his head. "All I said was that she had chizpurfles in her hair."

Dumbledore sighed. Chizpurfles only dwelled in the feathers or fur of magical creatures, not in the hair of witches and wizards. In saying she had chizpurfles in her hair, Tillinghouse was calling her a beast. "Mr. Tillinghouse, she is only eight, but I would have expected better of you. Such childish insults are beneath my Gryffindors. Apologize."

Still, Mr. Tillinghouse continued to tease the girl. "Professor, I'm serious. My pet kneazle gets them sometimes. That girl has a whole nest of them living-"

Kitten frantically denied the claim. "I do not!"

"But sir, she really does have chizpurfles in her hair!"

"Mr. Tillinghouse! Twenty points from Gryffindor. Return to your dormitory and wait for me there."

Now alone with a still sullen looking Miss Grindelwald, Dumbledore wasn't quite sure what to say. Tillinghouse's remarks had no doubt been cruel and hurtful, but given her parentage, such behavior would likely always be a most unfortunate fact of life for Miss Grindelwald.

"Kitten, I know that the things he said upset you. You have every reason to be upset. However…" However what? He still wasn't sure what exactly it was that she had done. "…turning people into squibs because they say or do something that you don't like, well, it isn't an appropriate response."

Kitten did not appear to be being swayed by his words, but Dumbledore pressed on. "Mr. Tillinghouse will be coming back to apologize. Then I expect you to undo your spell."

Dumbledore waited a moment hoping for a response, but Kitten offered none. When he went to the boy's dormitory, he found Mr. Tillinghouse to be no more ready to reconcile the situation. It was only after being assigned two detentions a day for the rest of the term that the boy stopped insisting that the girl had chizpurfles in her hair.

Dumbledore led Mr. Tillinghouse back to the Common room. "Miss Grindelwald, I believe Mr. Tillinghouse has something to say to you."

The boy frowned and said nothing. Dumbledore nudged him and very grudgingly, the boy spoke. "I'm sorry I said you have chizpurfles in your hair."

"Now, Miss Grindelwald, kindly undo your spell."

"He did not sound like he really meant it."

No, Dumbledore had to admit, though only to himself, he didn't. "Miss Grindelwald, the point is that he did apologize. Now it is your turn to act."

Kitten shook her head. "He should at least sound like he means it. Make him try again. He did not sound like he really meant it that time."

Mr. Tillinghouse had apparently had enough of holding his tongue. "I didn't sound like I meant it, because I didn't mean it! You do have chizpurfles living in your hair. Professor, would you just look!"

"Mr. Tillinghouse! Both of you, to the Headmaster's office now."

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###########################

Armando Dippet didn't understand the situation. Granted, he knew about the girl's foci ability so he was a bit better off than the others in his office, but he still didn't understand it at all.

A foci did take the powers, the magical energies of others to concentrate or amplify them, but the powers were supposed to be given back. The transfer, the magnification, the transfer back, it was all supposed to be instantaneous. But it appeared that the girl had found a way to retain all that power for herself. To in essence drain all the magic from the other children, leaving them nothing more than squibs.

Masters Shackleton and Tofty had examined all the students in the school. More than twenty of them had been found to be suffering from this strange affliction. None had been willing to come forward for fear of the stigma associated with being a squib. It was only by requiring all the students to attempt an elementary levitation charm that they had been picked out.

Though they knew nothing of the girl's unusual abilities, the others had some doubts that the newly invented spell was responsible. To begin with, Master Binns had repeatedly tried to replicate the girl's spell, much to Shackleton's irritation. To Shackleton's immense relief, Binns' attempts had all been unsuccessful.

Also, had the loss of magic been caused by an incantation, one of their multiple castings of 'Finite Incantatum' should have worked to restore the children's abilities. It however did not.

Turning to the girl, Dippet spoke firmly. "End this now."

As was usual, the girl ignored him.

Master Binns took out his wand with an idea. It was Binns, so it went without saying that it was not at all a worthwhile idea. "Starving her into submission didn't work, but perhaps tickle torture will? Rictusempra!"

The light from Binns' wand glanced off the girl and returned to strike Master Binns full force. It would seem that Hogwarts own historian had forgotten the protections that prevented harmful spells from landing upon underage Themises. 'Rictusempra' might not be considered by all to be a harmful spell, but certainly Binns' intent with the spell had been

"Robert, if you want to tickle her into submission, you're going to have to wait nine years or do it manually." Having said that, Master Kettleburn took out his own wand to end the History of Magic Master's suffering. "Finite Incantatum!"

Kettleburn's spell appeared to give Master Dumbledore an idea. They had of course already tried casting 'Finite Incantatum' on the girl's victims, but Dumbledore suggested casting it on the girl herself. The idea had no merit or logic to it, but as no harm could be foreseen, Master Dumbledore attempted it. Casting it on the girl only succeeded in turning her day robes into a rather tattered looking hospital wing nightdress.

With that failing some of the students began snickering, but Mr. Riddle soon silenced them. It wasn't as if there was really anything worse that Miss Grindelwald could do to them - compared to being a squib, for most, death would be preferable. Dippet still thought it best to temporarily dismiss the students back to their Common rooms. After all, what use could a group of squibs be in finding a solution?

Again Dippet attempted to reach out to the girl. "Unsquibify them all now!"

The girl seemed slightly confused as she repeated after him. "Unsquibify?"

Dippet made a horrified realization. "You don't know how to undo it, do you?"

The girl crossed her arms. "Of course I do!" Seeing his uncertainty, she lied some more. "I just am not going to do it!"

If she didn't know how to undo it, she was no more useful to him now than the squibs. "You may return to your rooms now."

She paused at the door to be sure he knew of her position. "I do know how!"

With the girl gone, Dippet began to formulate a plan. "There will be no owls in or out of Hogwarts until further notice. Inform the Ministry that our owls are being quarantined. We need to keep this matter private for as long as we can."

Kettleburn intruded on his thoughts. "That will buy you little more than a week. The Hogwarts express will be leaving the weekend after next."

Dippet considered the matter for a moment. "If we cannot find a resolution before then, we will deal with it in September. Students are not allowed to do magic during the summer."

"That's a good plan!"

When Binns complemented him on his plan, Dippet knew just how hopeless it was. He was almost certain he saw Master Dumbledore roll his eyes before speaking. "And what of those who are graduating?"

Dippet frowned. "If it comes to that, those affected will say nothing. None of them would willingly admit to being a squib. Meanwhile, as we quietly try to find a way to reverse this, classes shall continue as though nothing is wrong."

##########################

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Professor Tofty was delighted to see Miss Grindelwald's hand go up. She had never really taken an interest in his demonstrations before. Oh, she behaved well enough in his classes, unlike during some, well, all of the rest of her classes. It was just that usually she kept herself occupied drawing or painting. She didn't pay any mind to what the rest of the class was doing.

He knew she was already well versed in the 'Accio' spell he was currently demonstrating, but perhaps she had some insight to share with the rest of the class as they struggled to master the somewhat difficult incantation.

"Yes, Miss Grindelwald?"

"My marker stopped marking."

Tofty realized that that had perhaps been a lofty expectation to have for an eight year old.

He could have simply summoned another from his desk for her, but seeing that there was still a bit of ink left in the marker, Tofty had an idea. On a spare bit of parchment, he used the marker to draw a picture of a marker. He spoke the necessary incantation and the marker popped out of the picture.

By Miss Grindelwald's cry of delight, Tofty was certain that he had finally found a spell that her father had not thought to teach her. Handing the marker to her, he was quite pleased with himself. That was, until he saw the work of…art that had caused the first red marker to run dry.

Miss Grindelwald seemed to be harboring a great deal of resentment towards the young groundskeeper.

The picture showed the grass outside Hagrid's hut as mostly red instead of its customary green. A man with an axe was attacking a hippogriff while a sobbing Hagrid looked on but could do nothing. Apparently Miss Grindelwald didn't know that hippogriff blood wasn't red.

"Do you like my picture?"

Tofty smiled weakly in response. "It's…what…a lovely picture."

Miss Grindelwald didn't look all that convinced. She turned to the girl seated to her left and held up the parchment. "Do you like my picture?"

The older girl was so horrified, watching the man hack away at the creature's neck, that she dropped her wand. It rolled across the floor to Miss Grindelwald's feet.

"It's…" Miss Feldspar looked to him for help. "It's…lovely, it really is."

Miss Grindelwald didn't look convinced but she didn't say anything at first. She picked up the fallen wand and offered it back. A relieved Miss Feldspar accepted it.

Her relief was short lived. Miss Grindelwald picked up her own wand. "Squibify!"

Tofty didn't understand. "But, she said she liked it?"

Kitten shrugged. "She did not sound like she really meant it."

"Go sit in the corner!" Miss Grindelwald started to protest, but Tofty would hear none of it. "Go sit in the corner until you are ready to apologize and unsquibify her!"

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########################

Rubeus Hagrid was busy tending his garden when he first saw Kitten making her way over to him. Hagrid put his head down and made as if to look real busy.

It wasn't that he wasn't glad to see her, but he just didn't want to get into anymore trouble. After the day in the forest, Headmaster Dippet and Professor Kettleburn had stopped by to see him. They said he didn't have to take Kitten to classes anymore and not only that, but he wasn't to be round her anymore. Hagrid missed going to classes again, but Headmaster Dippet hadn't thought to take his wand pieces back. So it wasn't that he didn't miss Kitten's company, it was just that he didn't want to do anything to get into trouble again. And lately, Kitten had been causing all kinds of trouble.

Hagrid didn't say anything to her as she got closer. Once she got real close, she just kind of watched him for a few minutes before finally talking.

"You do not come to see me anymore."

Hagrid gave a shrug. "I've been busy that's all." He kept pulling at the weeds in his garden.

Kitten didn't seem to be believing him. "Are you mad at me?"

"Na, I'm na mad really, I'm just- you shouldna have told meh there were dragons in teh forest. Yeh shouldna have lied, that's all."

Kitten's lips thinned. "I did not lie! There are dragons in the forest!"

Hagrid looked up at her with a frown. "Naw, there yeh go again, tellin' more lies. It's nah a very nice thing tah be doin'."

Kitten got real upset like. "There are dragons in the forest! There really are! Three, maybe even four of them! And they all have egg babies!"

Her voice got really loud. So loud that it got Tom Riddle to come over from wherever he was before.

"What have you done now, Hagrid? I told you before; leave her alone!"

"I dinna do nothin', Tom. I'm na botherin' nobody!"

Tom might have been a lot smaller to look at, but he sure didn't seem it right then. Hagrid kind of wished that Professor Kettleburn would show up again.

"I warned you before, Hagrid, but you just don't listen. This time, I'll have to make the lesson a little more memorable!"

Kitten spoke up to interrupt Tom. "You leave my Hagrid alone!"

But that just seemed to make Tom even more mad. "You will pay for that, Hagrid!"

When Tom took out his wand, Hagrid really wished that Professor Kettleburn would show up again. Tom might have been thinking something of the same thing cause he looked back towards the castle to make sure no professors were watching before starting to cast a spell. Hagrid squeezed his eyes shut, wondering what the spell would be.

"Cru-"

Hagrid opened just one eye, to peak, as Kitten started talking over Tom.

"-Squibilicious!"

Kitten hadn't taken out her own wand. She just snatched Tom's and turned it against him. Tom didn't look like he had been expecting that to happen. His mouth was hanging wide open.

Kitten handed back the wand and tried to start back at their old conversation, but now Tom started talking over her. Well, more shouting really loud over her.

"One dragon is silvery-blue, and another is green-"

"You can't do that! Not to me! I'm your Tom! I'm the one that takes care of you!"

"And the other is red, but sometimes there is another one…."

Eventually Tom's shouting made Professor Kettleburn, his whole class, and some other people come over. Kitten was made to go back to the castle. Everyone was real upset. Well, except for Professor Binns, he was sort of all smiley. But everyone else was upset, especially Headmaster Dippet. He was the most upset of all. Maybe even as upset as Tom. He kept talking, but not to anyone in particular. Just the same few words over and over again until he started to walk back to the castle.

"No, not Mr. Riddle! Not Mr. Riddle! If he isn't there to stop her, who will?"

A little bit after, Professor Binns headed back to the castle too.

#########################################

This could not be happening. It simply could not be happening.

After using the walk back to the castle to regroup his thoughts, Armando Dippet stormed into the Gryffindor Head Girl's room. Using his wand, he banished all the art supplies that Master Tofty had used to placate the girl these past few months. The paint sets, the markers, the crayons, even the finished parchments. He banished them all.

He briefly considered banishing the far too numerous candy boxes as well, but his concern for Mr. Key's safety held him back.

The girl started to object, but he cut her off. "Those are mine!"

"You will return Mr. Riddle's powers to him post haste! I don't care that you don't know how, you will find a way!"

Quite cross with him, the girl merely folded her arms and tried to ignore him.

Dippet refused to let her get away with it any longer. "You will do it. If you don't you will never see another paint set or marker or piece of chalk again!"

As he was turning to leave, Dippet noticed that a subject that should not be there was in the frame on the wall. With his wand still out, he banished that as well. "You! I command you to return to your proper painting at once! And do not leave it again!"

#########################################

Robert Binns never thought to find himself in Gryffindor Tower, and certainly not ever in the girl's dormitory, but here he was. Tentatively, he knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Carrying a list of names and a box of sugar quills, he made his way into the Head Girl's room. Miss Grindelwald was sitting at her desk looking exceedingly curious as to who her visitor was. Her curiosity tuned to exceeding unhappiness seeing who it was.

"What do you want?"

It was dangerous, his being here. He had done little of late to endear himself to Miss McGrindagall and there was a chance that she would turn against him the very power that he sought.

Binns bowed deeply as a sign of respect. "I have come seeking your aid."

Miss McGrindagall wordlessly stared at him, so he bowed again. "What you have been doing, I think it's a great thing! I've tried to do it myself, but I can't get the spell to work. I was hoping, that is, I wanted to ask…there are some people, I have a list with their names, not all mind you but twenty or so to start. I wondered if you might…take care of them for me?"

She scratched her head, but still said nothing. Bowing with each step, Binns moved forward to present the box of sugar quills. As he tried to maneuver his way to the desk, the stacks of candy boxes already in place in the room were so numerous that they made it difficult to advance.

Setting his box down before the girl, Binns realized just how underwhelming his offering was; he didn't need to see the girl's raised eyebrow, nor did he need to follow her gaze to the already existing tower of sugar quills that dwarfed her in size.

Growing desperate, Binns called out. "Well, what do you want?"

The girl thought about it for a minute before listing off her demands.

"I need paints. I need red and black and silvery-blue and green. And paint brushes and more parchments."

Binns nodded eagerly. "I can get all of those. I'll have them by the end of the day. Now you understand what you must do in exchange?"

Miss McGrindel nodded, but Binns had to be sure. "I will go now and get those things for you, but I'm sure you'll understand, before I turn them over to you, I will need a show of good faith on your part. The first name on the list would be sufficient."

The girl perused the list. "Professor Shackleton?"

Binns frowned, displeased at the uncertainty in her voice. "Well do you want the paints or not?"

The girl looked to be having a crisis of conscience so Binns did what he could to help. "You know he called you a liar, but that isn't even the half of it. The things he has said about you, well I can't even bring myself to repeat them!"

"I want markers too."

Binns brightened considerably at her response. Picking up the box of quills, he turned to leave.

"Wait!"

Binns sighed. Damned consciences.

"Leave the sugar quills."

Binns did as he was told. He couldn't help but smile as he left the room.

#############################################

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Albus Dumbledore made his way to Gryffindor Tower to have a little chat with Miss Grindelwald. He found her easily, she was sitting in the Common room watching the door almost expectantly. The Common room, usually a hub of activity, was otherwise deserted. Occasionally someone would enter the room, only to quickly dart to the dormitories or out through the portal.

Dumbledore had heard about the latest way in which Dippet had decided to punish Kitten. Without her usual art supplies to occupy her, Kitten looked rather bored.

"Miss Grindelwald, I think it is time for you and I to have a little chat." Sitting, Dumbledore gestured to the chair next to him. "You cannot turn people into squibs."

Kitten looked at him earnestly. "Sure, I can."

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, you can't."

Kitten frowned. "Maybe you cannot, but I can."

Both turned to look as the portal opened.

"Watch."

Taking out her wand, Kitten rose and intercepted young Miss Weasley as the red haired girl tried to make it to the girl's dormitory. A trembling Miss Weasley held out her wand in an attempt to defend herself. Kitten's fingers brushed against the slightly older girl's wand as she reached for her hand to hold her still. Dumbledore watched aghast as Miss Grindelwald cast her spell.

"Squibify!"

Crying, Miss Weasley ran back out the portal. Kitten returned to her previous seat. "See? I told you I could. It is really easy to do."

"I meant, you shouldn't do it!"

"Oh." Kitten frowned and looked at the fire. "That is not what you said!"

Dumbledore sighed, more at himself than her. After his experience as a beetle, he really should have learned to phrase things more carefully with her.

He was still trying to formulate a new approach when the door again opened. Professor Shackleton walked in. "What happened to Miss Weasley? Don't tell me she did it again?"

As Shackleton spoke, Kitten moved to do it once more. The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor saw her approaching with her wand out. He attempted to cast a protective barrier around himself to hold back her spell, but Kitten was too quick for him. Pushing his wand to face away from her with one hand, she used her other hand to jab him with her own wand.

"Squibilicious!"

Dumbledore found it odd that both times Miss Grindelwald chose to get up close to the subject of her spell. Or actually, spells. She said a different word this time. He was starting to ponder not only that inconsistency, but the fact that no light came from her wand either time she cast. However, before he could comment on it, Shackleton sprang into action.

At first the older professor had been too shocked to do anything, but he quickly regained himself enough to try a few small spells. When they failed, Shackleton lunged at Kitten. "I'm going to wring your neck!"

Very disappointed at his colleague's reaction, Dumbledore moved into his path to block him. "Calm yourself, Shackleton!"

Once Shackleton had calmed enough to be somewhat reasonable, Dumbledore made a request of him. "Let me see your wand."

"Why?"

"I want to try something."

Reluctantly, Shackleton turned his wand over. Dumbledore used it to try to cast a spell. When it failed to work, he turned to regard Miss Grindelwald over the top of his half-moon glasses.

"Miss Grindelwald, is there anything you would like to tell me?"

When she frowned and folded her arms without giving a response, Dumbledore held out his own wand to Shackleton. "Try mine."

Miss Grindelwald tried snatching it. Dumbledore had to hold it over her head to keep her from making contact with it. Her actions confirmed his suspicions even before Shackleton successfully cast a spell.

"Does this mean I will not get the paints?"

At first Dumbledore thought she was referring to the supplies Dippet had taken away from her as an incentive for her to unsquibify all those that she had squibified. However, when Binns entered laid down with several shopping bags, both he and Shackleton came to a different conclusion.

Shackleton was absolutely furious. "You put her up to this, didn't you?"

"What? No! She-she made me do it! She threatened me!"

"I don't believe you!"

"I-I-I…" Binns pointed past them. "Look! Over there!"

Dumbledore knew better, but Shackleton was actually foolish enough to turn in the direction that Binns was pointing. Robert dropped his parcels and ran back out the door. Miss Grindelwald happily retrieved them.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Albus Dumbledore watched the wand shop proprietor polish a wand before handing it to Miss Meadowes. For fear that taking some thirty odd students to Ollivander's shop in Diagon Alley would attract unwanted attention, Ollivander had been invited to the castle. The wand he just offered Miss Meadowes proved not to be the one for her. After scanning the dozens of already opened wand boxes that were scattered about the room, Ollivander slapped Binns' hand away from his carpet bag and again reached in himself.

The bag was charmed to enable Ollivander, and Ollivander alone, to access the entire inventory of his shop. Of course, they had been at this all day and Dumbledore found it unlikely that there was much inventory left in the actual stop.

Ollivander gave a weary sigh. "Just one more after Miss Meadowes?"

With a nod, Dumbledore indicated the still waiting Tom Riddle. "Mr. Riddle is the last one - actually," Dumbledore interrupted himself, "there is one other. If you will excuse me one moment."

Leaving Ollivander to continue trying to find the wand that would choose Dorcas Meadowes, Dumbledore made his way to Gryffindor Tower. Despite having been the cause of all the recent trouble, Dumbledore still thought it time Miss Grindelwald received a wand that was not a hand me down.

"Miss Grindelwald, I should like you to come with me. I think it is time you had a wand of your own."

Returning to the other room with Miss Grindelwald in tow, Dumbledore discovered that Miss Meadowes had since departed. The wand shop proprietor had begun to work on finding a suitable wand for Tom Riddle. However upon taking note of the arrival of the young girl, Ollivander seemed to forget all about Tom. He stared at the girl with an odd expression for what Dumbledore found to be an exceptionally long time.

Looking at Miss Grindelwald, Dumbledore tried to be objective and see her as Ollivander would. Seeing a person everyday, it was hard to notice the gradual day to day changes even as they added up to more pronounced changes. When she had first appeared in the Potions classroom, clawing and biting him, he remembered seeing her hair and thinking it needed a trim. Somehow with all that had happened since, no one had ever gotten around to giving her that trim. She didn't seem to have grown much in height, or put on weight, but again it was hard to judge such things just by looking. She still had very little in the way of coloring. Not that after the business with the centaurs, that was something he was eager to work on. As it was, Miss Grindelwald was under orders not to go outdoors unaccompanied, though like most other rules set for her, she disregarded it when it suited her to do so. She had shoes on now, which was something she had been lacking that first day. He had first seen her in a tattered looking nightdress and while that particular nightdress had long since been discarded, the sometimes robes sometimes nightdress she had now was beginning to show its wear.

All in all, Dumbledore had to admit she could have been made up to produce a better first impression, but he still found Ollivander's staring to be a bit excessive.

Approaching her, Ollivander finally spoke. "Curious. I take it this is the…one responsible for the wand malfunctions? A Themis, you claim?" He reached out to touch her hair, but Kitten wouldn't have it.

A bit too late, Dumbledore awkwardly warned him. "She bites."

"I see." Still with that odd expression, Ollivander picked up the nearest wand box. "Try this one. Elm and unicorn hair. Eleven inches."

The wand lit up spectacularly as soon as the girl flicked it. Dumbledore was surprised to see that the first wand that the girl tried worked, but considering the reason why Mr. Ollivander was here, he realized he really shouldn't be all that surprised. He would have thought that Ollivander would be pleased but frowning, the man took the wand back and handed the girl another.

"Maple and unicorn hair. Seven inches."

Though that one too took an instant liking to her, the wand shop proprietor was not content.

"Oak and phoenix feather. Eleven inches."

"Mahogany and dragon heartstring. Nine and a half inches."

"Elm and unicorn hair. Twelve and three quarters."

The pile of discarded wands around Miss Grindelwald grew. On and on Ollivander listed wand characteristics as he handed each one to the girl. Each one worked as well as the last.

"Curiouser and curiouser."

Once he had had Miss Grindelwald test all the wands already in the room, Ollivander began reaching into his bag to get more. Box after box came out of the bag until the room looked like a wand shop. Each wand worked, yet still Ollivander kept giving the girl more to try.

"My arm is starting to hurt."

Ollivander still pierced her with that odd look. "Just a few more."

He groped around inside the bag again, but his hand came out empty. He frowned. "That was the last one."

"The last one? What about me?"

Ollivander seemed to have forgotten entirely about Tom Riddle. He perused the many boxes scattered about the room, but Miss Grindelwald had handled each and every one of them. His gaze finally settled on the girl herself. "I wonder…"

Dumbledore began to wonder as well. He began to wonder what exactly it was that Ollivander had in mind as he approached the girl. From his agitation, it appeared Tom too was wondering. Despite having been squibified by her, Tom still seemed to be trying to look out for Kitten.

"What are you doing? Get away from her!"

Ollivander's focus remained on the girl even as he accioed a brush from his bag, or the shop beyond it, and responded to Tom. "Well you want a new wand, don't you?"

Though Kitten enjoyed having her hair brushed enough to not try biting Ollivander again, she did seem nervous. Not for the first time since arriving in the room, she began her habit of vigorously scratching her head.

Watching Ollivander brush out the girl's long locks, Dumbledore didn't like where this was going. "You are going to try to make Tom a wand from Miss Grindelwald's hair? I was not aware that Themis hair could be used in wands."

Ollivander wore an odd little smile. "Themis hair is no different than yours or mine. But then, this is not Themis hair."

Dumbledore had always thought the wand shop owner a little odd, but watching him lean in close and begin to sniff the little girl's hair, he found him just as disturbing as Malfoy had been.

"This is most definitely wand quality hair. Do you know how I can tell?"

Dumbledore wasn't really interested in knowing. He beckoned for Kitten to move away from Ollivander, but while simultaneously summoning a pair of tweezers from his bag, the older man put a hand on the girl's shoulder to prevent her from leaving. Ollivander used the tweezers to pluck something from the girl's hair and held it out almost triumphantly.

Dumbledore was deeply chagrined to discover Mr. Tillinghouse had been correct. Dumbledore also realized that Dippet's decision to allow Robert Binns to remain in charge of the girl's baths and feeding had undoubtedly been a misjudgment. "Robert, when was the last time Miss Grindelwald had a bath?"

"Just last night!" Binns insisted.

"Robert!" Dumbledore warned.

Bins sighed. "Well…if you mean an actual bath with water…Cleansing charms are just as good. Watch - Scourgify!"

Seeing Binns' weak casting was insufficient to remove any of the paint stains from Miss Grindelwald's hands, Dumbledore sighed.

Ignoring them, Ollivander spoke. "Chizpurfles feed off of magic. You will only find concentrations this high in wand quality hair or feathers. They are particularly fond of unico-"

Kitten hissed at him. "I do not have chizpurfles!"

Ollivander pulled more of the small magical fleas out of her hair in order to show them to her, but Kitten still pointedly refused to accept them as her own. "They are not mine! I do not have fleas!"

To prove her wrong, Ollivander brought a few of the chizpurfles over to Dumbledore, the only other long haired person in the room. As soon as they were set free in his hair, they could be seen to jump off and make the return journey to Miss Grindelwald. Dumbledore tried to look apologetic, but with an angry huff, Kitten flopped face down onto the nearby sofa. To add injury to insult, Ollivander took advantage of her position to extract a few hairs from her head.

Ollivander rummaged in his bag until he found a coreless wand from the workshop behind his wand shop. It took him only a minute to have a finished wand to offer Tom Riddle. Dumbledore had a horrible feeling watching Tom wave the wand. More than mere sparks came out; a torrent of flames emerged. With his blue eyes twinkling nearly as bright, Tom directed the flames to the fireplace where they took hold.

Binns stood excitedly. "Make me one too! Make me one too!"

At the time, Dumbledore couldn't say what exactly made him do it, but he knew it had to be done. "Expelliarmus!" Before Tom or anyone else had time to react, Dumbledore threw the wand into the fire Mr. Riddle had so conveniently provided.

"That was my wand! You had no right to do that!"

Though he didn't seem at all happy to see his craftsmanship destroyed, Ollivander seemed to understand Dumbledore's motivation. "Yes, perhaps that wand was a bit too powerful…but I have no other to offer."

Dumbledore thought for a moment before holding out his arm to summon his phoenix companion. In a burst of flames, Fawkes apparated to him, expending a single feather in the process.

The wand shop proprietor raised an eyebrow. "Fawkes? Fawkes deems it beneath himself to be a wand ingredient."

Indeed Dumbledore had to admit, Fawkes did not appear to be at all pleased at having been summoned. He was singing a very sorrowful, Dumbledore would almost call it a mourning song. Dumbledore stroked his feathers. "Old friend, I need to ask a favor of you."

Fawkes tilted his head in refusal. Dumbledore could tell he wanted no part of this. To be used in a wand, phoenix feathers had to be plucked from the phoenix with the magic still in them. Feathers cast off in molting or fallen after the magic had already been expended were unsuitable. Phoenixes were a rarity, but so many wands were made with phoenix feathers because phoenixes wanted to have their feathers placed into wands, to have their powers used by others. Fawkes was something of a rarity amongst rarities in that he had never allowed such a thing. He was more than happy to have his fallen and molted feathers turned into quills for use by Dumbledore, or even others, but never wands.

It wasn't vanity, as Ollivander had supposed, that always made Fawkes refuse to give his feathers to be used. What it was, well that Dumbledore did not know, but it wasn't vanity.

"You know I would not ask this of you if it were not so important." And indeed it was. Dumbledore couldn't say how and he didn't know why, but he knew it was.

Fawkes' unease showed in his eyes and his impossibly more sorrowful song as he finally consented. Seeing Ollivander approach and sniff the phoenix's feathers with the same odd happy look that he had worn while sniffing Miss Grindelwald's hair, Dumbledore wasn't sure if that rated him higher or lower than Malfoy.

Once Ollivander had a feather in his possession, it was not long before Tom was again trying a wand. This one merely sparkled.

Seeing Tom with the wand made of his feather, Fawkes ended his song and made to leave. He left in the way that he had come; in a burst of flames. As he was going, he did the oddest thing. The phoenix spread his wings to their full, very intimidating width and with a horrid screeching noise he dove at the girl on the sofa, as if trying to frighten her.

Dumbledore and the others were extremely startled, but not so the girl; she just kept up her little chanting. She had been fairly well behaved during the whole ordeal over getting Tom a wand. It was only in the last few minutes that her boredom and it would seem hunger had begun to get the best of her. She had taken to quietly chanting what it was she apparently wanted to have for dinner. "Turkey, turkey, turkey…"

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Albus Dumbledore waited a moment after knocking before poking his head in the door.

"Miss Grindelwald, would you care to accompany me to the Great Hall for dinner?"

Sitting at her desk absorbed in the art set from Binns, Miss Grindelwald only shook her head.

Dumbledore wore a wry smile. Naturally getting her out of the room couldn't be as easy as that.

"Dinner will be over soon. Are you sure you won't come?"

She again shook her head. Now that she no longer had the threat of 'squibifying' to lord over the other students' heads, Kitten had reverted back to spending most of her time alone in her rooms. She even avoided the Common room. Dumbledore would have liked to do something to get her more involved with the other students, but the situation was looking fairly hopeless. At this point he could only hope that the new first years in September would arrive knowing a little less about Miss Grindelwald than the current students did.

It was an unkind thought perhaps, but Dumbledore was almost glad that Tom Riddle would be gone in little more than a week. Dumbledore had a feeling, well a hope at any rate, that things would start to improve once Tom Riddle was out of the picture.

He was just about to reclose the door when Kitten finally decided to actually speak. "My Hagrid does not come to see me anymore."

Hagrid had been asked to keep his distance from Kitten. It had been suggested that having the two of them together might not be the best of ideas. It wasn't Dumbledore's idea, but after their forest adventures, he really hadn't been able to argue against it.

"He likes dragons. I made a picture of a dragon for him. Will you give it to him?"

"Certainly." Dumbledore moved into the room to take the picture. "May I look at it?"

Kitten nodded.

Looking at the picture, Dumbledore was a little disconcerted. "I take it you are angry at Hagrid?"

After Kitten shook her head, he looked at the picture again. "Well, you drew a dragon eating Hagrid." With its very clearly depicted lizard-like look, its yellow eyes, black scales, bronze horns and the bronze spikes on its tail, it was unmistakably a Hungarian Horntail, the most voracious of man eating dragons. "By the looks of it, a Hungarian Horntail. Would you like to talk about that?"

Kitten looked a bit annoyed as she pointed at the dark haired boy being eaten. "Hagrid does not wear glasses."

Dumbledore was a bit lost. "This boy doesn't have glasses either."

Kitten poked the dragon with her wand. As it opened its mouth wide in an angry roar, Dumbledore could see that a pair of glasses, along with several of the boy's limbs, had already been mostly devoured.

Kitten pointed to the side of the picture. "My Hagrid is over here."

Sure enough there was Hagrid seated with a large crowd of people on what looked to be stadium seats like at a Quidditch game. Dumbledore took another look at what was left of the dark haired boy, but he couldn't figure out who it was supposed to be. Perhaps the boy wasn't actually someone she knew, but a representation of something?

Dumbledore waited for the dragon to finish eating the boy so that he could see the picture reenact from the beginning. The dark haired boy walked out of a tent, caught sight of the dragon, sighed, tousled his hair, and then, head down, walked right up to it to get devoured. A large crowd of people were there watching, but they did nothing to stop it. He knew children often tried to tell adults things with their artwork, but if there was a hidden meaning to this, he wasn't understanding it.

Even after watching it a second time, he still didn't understand what the drawing was supposed to mean. "Did the boy do something wrong? Is he being punished?"

Kitten's only response was a half shrug, so Dumbledore tried again. "Why are all of these people watching him be fed to a dragon?"

"He is not being fed to a dragon, he is being eaten by a dragon."

While there was a difference between the two, that wasn't really what he had been looking for. "Okay, why does the dragon eat him?"

Kitten's voice was laced with disapproval. "He was going to try to take one of her egg babies away."

"Ah." Suddenly things were becoming a bit more clear. "I see, he tried to take her child away from her." This drawing wasn't a threat against Hagrid. "And is that what you think should happen to people who try to take a child away from her mother?" It was a threat, consciously or subconsciously, directed towards him. "Or father?"

Kitten shrugged again. Since Ollivander's discovery of the chizpurfle infestation living in her hair and their subsequent removal by Kettleburn, she didn't scratch anymore. "I just wanted to show Hagrid what the dragons in the forest look like."

There of course were no dragons in the forest. Dumbledore gazed at her over the top of his half-moon glasses for a few minutes before responding. "Well, I think you should come with me to the Great Hall and give the picture to Hagrid yourself."

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Rubeus Hagrid looked up in surprise to see Professor Dumbledore bringing Kitten over to where he was sitting at the Head Table. Kitten looked to him to be a wee bit shy as she held out a parchment. Hagrid wiped his hand on his napkin before taking the parchment with a smile.

"Oh, Kitten! She…she's beautiful!"

The parchment was a painting of a large black dragon. Her wings were spread real wide and her head was held high. Kitten had really taken her time and put a lot of detail into her work. Hagrid could make out each and every one of the dragon's teeth as it gnawed on the bones of something or other. She had to be the most beautiful creature Hagrid had ever seen.

"Did yeh make this fer meh?"

Kitten nodded. "Would you like to come have dinner with me?"

Hagrid looked at Professor Dumbledore to see what he had to say about the idea. Professor Dumbledore gave a nod to say it was alright. Together with Kitten, Hagrid headed off to the Slytherin table where Professor Binns was already waiting.

Professor Binns had already started into and finished off most of the dishes on the table, but Hagrid wasn't too interested in them. He couldn't take his eyes off of the picture.

"Kitten, I dinna know what teh say. That there is a mighty fine dragon. This has got tah be teh most wonderful present that anyone has ever given tah meh."

Kitten beamed. She looked very pleased that he liked her picture.

"Why the only thing that I could even think o' that could ever be better, would be a real live dragon!"

Fingering her wand, Kitten thought about that for a moment. "Is there really nothing that you would like more? Is that your heart's desire?"

Hagrid had a dreamy sort of look as he thought about it for a moment. "Aye. Crickey, I'd like a dragon."

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Robert Binns had to stop himself from snorting as he added more butter to his mashed potatoes. Hagrid and his fascination with dragons! Really! Of all the absolutely, positively foolish things!

And that girl with her, 'Is that your heart's desire?' What was she going to do, start passing out wishes? Marvelous! First she thought she was a cat, now she thinks she is a genie.

That might be interesting - to be a genie. To live in a bottle and grant other people's wishes. Hmm, no that really wouldn't do at all. Better to be the one doing the wishing.

But what would he request? In case he ever he were to find a genie and be asked, he ought to have an answer ready. What exactly was his heart's desire?

Without doubt, he would like to be rid of Deputy Headmaster Shackleton, but he wouldn't waste one of his wishes on that man. And unquestionably it would be exciting to be Elfric the Eager for a while, but he already knew how Elfric ended and that was most definitely not an end he wanted.

Really, what was his heart's desire? The answer was harder to decide than you might think.

Binns sighed as something flew by his head. Looking up, he wondered, would these children never stop with the food throwing?

tbc