Constructive criticism, such as ilaughatyou gives, actually encourages me to write more, and at a higher quality. You can all thank her for the fact that I'm even updating. Also, follow her example. "Yay, update more" is not going to stimulate my mind in any way, and might just piss me off enough to work more on Vendetta. :hint hint:
A quick note: in this chapter, Rei refers to herself as a scion of Serenity's line. This will be explained later in the story, I promise. I just wanted to warn you before, so you don't think I'm totally insane.
Chapter Seven"I think that's everything."
Rei stood in Usagi's living room, hands on hips, surveying the layout in front of her. She had packed her own things that morning, back at the shrine, and they currently sat in the middle of the floor next to Hotaru's. The dark-haired girl had a trunk full of clothing and more books than could possibly be necessary. They would be staying at the Snape family manor house, which had a huge library, until school. Then, she would have access to the Hogwarts library. Why she needed her own books was beyond Rei, but the older woman didn't argue.
Still, Rei couldn't really blame Hotaru. The girl was leaving her mother and a twin she had never been separated from for more than a couple of days to travel to a new country. Once there, she would pretend to have a different mother, a different age and birthday. She would not be allowed to acknowledge her father as her father. The only advantage she would have was her resemblance to Rei, which most people would not look past.
Hotaru was currently hugging her mother and sister, bidding them farewell. Usagi's eyes were watering. She knew that once Hotaru Flood to England, they could not acknowledge each other as mother and daughter, possibly for years. Hotaru and Chibi-Usa could claim to have grown up together, feeling as close as any sisters would, and no one would question. Chibi-Usa looked enough like Usagi, and Hotaru looked enough like Rei that no one would guess them real sisters.
Hermione sat in a chair, watching the family and feeling out of place. Rei turned to talk to her.
"I'll come back in a couple of days so that we can continue your training. Once you come to England, it'll make things easier. Until then, keep working on the meditation. It makes everything so much easier when you're in touch with the magic inside you."
Hermione nodded, smiling at Rei. The prospect of learning always seemed to cheer the girl up. Once she returned to England, saw her friends, Rei had a feeling she would return, more or less, to her normal, happy self.
"All right, Hotaru, time to go," Rei said.
With a few swishes of her wand, Rei shrank the trunks and tucked them into her robes. Hotaru reluctantly broke away from her mother and sister and moved to the fireplace.
"Bye," she whispered. Then, taking a handful of Floo powder, she called out "Snape Manor" and disappeared with a whoosh. Rei briefly hugged Usagi and then followed Hotaru through the Floo.
Rei was expecting her brother to be waiting at the other end of the Floo, but, much to her surprise, Albus Dumbledore stood there instead. He appeared to have been pacing, a worried expression on his wrinkled face. Still, he put on a smile, holding out his hands to embrace her.
"How very long it has been," he said, holding her at arms' length to scrutinize her. "I only wish we had time for pleasantries. You may leave your things here, and the house elves will see that they are taken care of. For now, I must insist that we go directly to headquarters. There has been a...development since we were last in contact with you. Severus has been forced to go out on business, and I don't want you staying here until he has returned."
"What happened?" Rei asked.
"I will explain everything at headquarters. Here." He thrust a piece of paper into her hands. He gave another to Hotaru, who was staring at him in awe. "Portkeys, set to go in about two minutes. Written on them is the location of headquarters. You will be dropped off in a safe location a block or so away. It is imperative that no one outside see you enter the house."
Rei nodded, and in a moment she and Hotaru disappeared. They turned up in a wood some ways off the road. Casting a quick glance around, Rei took Hotaru by the hand and crept to the edge of the trees. The few houses in sight were completely dark, and no one was present on the street. Deciding all was safe, the two left the shelter of the wood and hurried quickly down the street to number twelve.
As they approached the imposing old house, Rei looked around once more, and then rang the bell. A moment later the door opened, and their ears were assailed by a terrible clamor. Nymphadora Tonks stood in the doorway, scowling.
"Don't ring the bell," she hissed before ushering them inside.
Rei immediately realized that the clamor arose from the portrait in the foyer. Mrs. Black was shouting something about blood-traitors and mudbloods. Rei bristled at the comments.
"You will cease immediately, madam," she said threateningly. "I'll have you know my father was patriarch of the Snape family and my mother a scion of Serenity's line. I can trace my bloodline back to before the founding of Hogwarts, and am very insulted by your comments."
Amazingly, the portrait quieted down almost immediately. She sneered at Hotaru, however. "And her? Bet her father's a Muggle."
"Not at all. He's a Japanese Wizard, Yuuichirou Kumada. Terribly wealthy. Now, madam, I bid you good day."
Rei made a polite curtsy and brushed down the hall, past a stunned Tonks. Hotaru bowed to the portrait, nodded slightly at Tonks and then hurried after her aunt/mother. Rei stopped abruptly halfway down the corridor, poking her head into a room.
"The library," she announced. "Why don't you go read something. I need to find someone responsible to tell me what's going on."
Hotaru nodded and went into the library. It was a bit dark, but then, the whole house seemed dark, so she wasn't surprised. The room was also occupied, which did surprise her. Three teens, about her own age, sat in various places, working on essays or reading. She was about to turn and find a different room to settle in, but one of the boys looked up and saw her.
"Who're you?" he asked. He had bright red hair, and was very tall. She blushed and moved farther into the room.
"My name is Hotaru. Hotaru Hino. My mother worked for the Order in Japan, and we've just moved here...you're Harry Potter!"
The dark-haired boy had looked up at her, and she could just make out his scar in the dim lighting. He scowled briefly, always scorning fame, but then he made a connection.
"Hermione?" he asked. Hotaru beamed.
"She is doing as well as can be expected. She's very nice."
"Do you know when she's coming back?" the red-haired boy asked.
"End of the month, I think. Maybe the first few days of July. May I ask your name? And yours?" she nodded at the red-haired girl who had not yet spoken.
"Oh, sorry." He blushed. "I'm Ron Weasley, and that's my sister Ginny. Is Harry really famous in Japan?"
Hotaru giggled. "Not particularly." She turned to Harry. "My mother went to school with your parents, and got on with your mother as well as a Slytherin could with a Gryffindor. Not so much with your father, though. I'm sorry I blurted out like that. It must be horrible having everyone know you by sight without really knowing you."
She was blushing, and Harry couldn't help but think she was very pretty. He blushed as well.
"It's not that big of a deal. I'm used to it."
The few members of the Order present at twelve Grimmauld Place arranged themselves in the den, staring intently at Albus Dumbledore. Lupin sat in a corner on a hard, wooden chair. Molly and Arthur Weasley sat next to each other on a sofa, and Tonks stood nearby. Rei was also standing, off to the side. Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Late last night, Narcissa Malfoy was found dead in her home. While she did leave a suicide note, we believe foul play to be involved. Severus is currently at Malfoy manor, attempting to learn what he can. Some days ago, Narcissa visited Draco, and we believed she had the potential to become a valuable ally."
Rei snorted. As the daughter of wealthy, pureblood parents, she had of course known Narcissa. She found the woman tedious, air-headed and boring. She certainly did not believe her to be a possible ally.
"I want to stress the importance of staying away from Lucius Malfoy," Dumbledore cautioned. "With his family betraying him, he is most likely very unstable. Especially you, Rei. Once he learns you have returned to England, he may very well try to pursue you, and I have no doubt he'll use questionable methods. When Usagi returns, she will need to beware as well."
As soon as Dumbledore addressed Rei specifically, a plan began forming in her mind. No doubt the others would try to dissuade her from pursuing it, but it might very well gain the Order far more information than anything else they'd done so far.
"While we are on the topic of Miss Tsukino, I would like to inform you all of some plans that are in the works. It appears that Miss Tsukino has a daughter who will be turning sixteen at the end of this month. The girl will be attending Hogwarts next term, but will come to England soon."
Over the course of the next hour or so, Dumbledore laid forth the plans concocted at Rei's home earlier in the month for Chibi-Usa's debut. All the Order members would attend to keep watch. He conveniently left out a few details, especially concerning Chibi-Usa's parentage, but the only one who really noticed was Rei, and she knew the whole story already. She hardly listened to the conversation, instead working out all the small details of her own plan.
"Rei, you are plotting," Dumbledore said, an unmistakable twinkle in his blue eyes. Rei's head snapped up.
"I was just thinking maybe I could string Lucius along. Maybe see if I could pry some evidence out of him, and then turn him over to the Wizengamot. He's too smart to try anything so soon after Narcissa's death, so I doubt he'd do anything drastic. Especially if he felt he had no need to coerce me."
"Your brother will not like the idea," Dumbledore protested. Rei assumed that the response meat he wasn't completely against the idea. Typical Dumbledore.
"I don't care if he likes it. I'm a full-grown woman, and perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
"Aren't you married?" Lupin asked, confused.
"So?" Rei snapped. "Lucius doesn't know that. Just so long as Severus hasn't already told him. I think I'll head over to Malfoy Manor to offer my condolences. I'll leave Hotaru here, just to be safe."
She stood, smoothing the front of her robes, and sending a look around the room that dared anyone to comment. No one said anything, and she left the meeting confidently. Before departing, she decided she ought to tell Hotaru where she was going, so she stopped off at the library. Knocking on the doorframe, she stepped into the dimly lit room and couldn't help but grin at what she saw.
Hotaru sat next to a boy who could only be Harry Potter, both hovering over a book. Hotaru appeared to be explaining something, and he was listening intently. Two redheads sat across from them, also listening to the conversation, but there seemed to be something else entirely between the two dark-haired teens.
"Hotaru," she called, interrupting their conversation. "I'm going out for awhile to visit someone. I shouldn't be gone more than a couple of hours, and you seem to be keeping yourself entertained."
The girl nodded distractedly before returning to the book in front of her and the boy sitting next to her. Rei smiled and stepped back out into the hall. Hotaru hadn't really paid much attention to boys at school in Japan, and she knew Usagi would be thrilled to know her daughter was getting close to Lily's son. The two had been dear friends when they attended Hogwarts together.
Rei had been to Malfoy Manor numerous times during her teen-age years, attending dinners, masques, and all sorts of social events. So, it was easy enough to Apparate to the front gates. It was a little less easy to convince the house elf sent to greet her that she should be allowed access to Lucius. Apparently, due to his wife's "suicide," he was far too upset to be disturbed by anyone other than his closest friends and family.
Finally, she convinced the elf to lead her to the front parlor and to go ask Lucius if he would be too upset to see her. The elf returned almost immediately, apologizing profusely and saying Lucius would see her. Then, she was led to the library, where Lucius and Severus were sitting, conversing quietly and sharing drinks. They both stood when she entered, and her brother approached her.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he whispered in Japanese, bending to kiss her cheek.
"Does he know I'm married?" she asked, also in Japanese. She sent him a look telling him to play along and ask questions later. He snarled, but complied.
"No. I didn't mention you at all." Severus stepped back from her, knowing any prolonged display of affection would make Lucius suspect something.
"Rei Hino, surely you did not return from Japan simply to visit me," Lucius said in mock surprise. He kissed her hand and smiled at her. She turned her nose up.
"Of course not. I came to Snape Manor earlier, only to discover my brother was gone. I did not hear of the tragedy until a few moments ago. Naturally, I felt I must come offer my condolences." She kept hold of his hands after his kiss. "You are holding up?"
He nodded. "I will...survive. Come and sit, and tell me why you've returned to England after so much time. Perhaps you can distract me from the grief." Leading her by the hand, he waited until she had settled on the sofa before sitting next to her. Severus sat in a chair, staring in disbelief at his sister. Rei chuckled, despite herself.
"Now, Lucius. Do you take me for a fool? I don't believe for a moment Narcissa killed herself, and even if she had, I doubt it would cause you much grief."
Lucius stared at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Dear woman, so honest."
"Well, from what I remember, you never really liked her. Only married her because you needed to marry someone, or some such nonsense."
"Something like that. What's done is done though. I really would like to hear why you've returned. If you will indulge me?" He smiled charmingly at her. She returned the smile.
"Well, I'd have to start back when I went to live in Japan for you to really understand. When I returned, I met up with a childhood friend, and we became close. After a year or so, I thought he intended to marry me, and...well, he didn't, anyway. My daughter Hotaru will be attending Hogwarts this year on a new exchange program. She's very smart, a year ahead for her age. In sixth year with your ex-son. Anyway, we'll be staying at Snape Manor for the rest of the summer, so that she can get accustomed to England."
That was apparently not the answer Lucius Malfoy had been expecting. He was stunned into silence for a moment, but finally managed to come up with a comment. "You have raised this girl yourself?" he questioned. Rei nodded.
"You know how my mother's family feels about men and husbands and such. Still, it would have been nice to have a full family."
Rei stared wistfully at the ceiling, pretending to daydream about having a proper husband. Hopefully, Lucius would see it as a sign that she were looking, and act accordingly. He said nothing, though she didn't expect him to pop out a marriage proposal or anything.
"It would also have been nice for you to inform your actual family," Severus sneered, acting bitter. In truth, he understood why the girls were kept from him, but he could easily call up the irrational emotions that sometimes caught him off guard. Rei pouted at him.
"I apologized in the letter I sent, and I will say I'm sorry again. You know I was afraid of what you would say. You are quite...overprotective."
Snape continued to glare, but said nothing.
The conversation digressed into idle chitchat from that point forward. For the next hour and a half, Rei tried to give off signals that she was, perhaps, the slightest bit interested in Lucius. She had to be extremely careful with her plotting, because any Slytherin would recognize Slytherin tactics. If Lucius thought she really wanted him and was playing games to get him, he would be less receptive. The Rei he'd known before he'd married had not been the least bit interested, and there was no reason for her to have changed. She would have to pretend to "develop feelings" for him over time.
Finally, Severus excused them and led her from the manor. Once safely out of the way, he glared at her.
"What the hell are you playing at?" he demanded. Truly, he was concerned about his little sister's well being. The last thing he wanted was his sister becoming involved with Lucius Malfoy.
She informed him briefly of her plan, laying out more details than she had for Dumbledore and the Order. He would be more likely to understand how she hoped things to work, knowing Lucius Malfoy far too well. When she had finished, he was still reluctant, but could do nothing. As Rei had said, she was a free woman, and more than capable of taking care of herself. He only hoped she knew what she was getting into. Lucius Malfoy was a dangerous man, to his friends just as much as to his enemies.
I would like to say that the only reason this chapter was written so fast is because of the review left by ilaughatyou. Such constructive criticism is so much more inspiring and helpful than "yay write more."
Reviews!
Usagi Asia Maxwell-I really think if Voldemort is such a threat, he wouldn't just be confined to England or even just Europe. And, there are so many resources throughout the world for the Order to use that it would be silly to limit themselves. The only downside for me as the author is that I have to learn more about places like Africa, which has so many unique and individual cultures that it's hard to be accurate. It takes a lot of effort, and with the horrible response I get on this fic, discourages me. So, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a good review!
Airlady-Narcissa means that, despite the fact that Draco has been disowned and completely cut off from the Malfoy family, he is still her son and she still loves him as such. Lucius doesn't want Draco to be connected to the family at all. Thanks for the review!
Tenshi no Yupiteru-I'll send you an e-mail explaining my penname and the Kushiel books, and responding to your review in more depth, if you don't mind. Thanks for the compliments!
ilaughatyou-Actually, losing such an honest reviewer would upset me a lot. You have no idea how much I liked your review better than pretty much anything else I got. You are so much more helpful. I hope there's enough going on in this chapter to entice you to keep reading a bit more. I will not be having all the characters come to England at once because it would seem very suspicious. Rei and Hotaru are already there, and Usagi and Chibi-Usa will be going soon. I know you want Jess and Hermione to meet, but it's a long way off, I'm afraid. Jess probably won't show up until right before they go to Hogwarts. Everyone else will show up in a few chapters when we get to Chibi-Usa's debut. It's a big plot event, I promise. As for the whole Hermione thing...I disagree. Rape isn't something you can just have happen and get over with in a couple of chapters. It's only been a few weeks since it's happened to her, and I want to keep things realistic. I'll be focusing more on other characters as things progress, but she can't just magically get better. About the newsletter: the authors I'm working with are Sailor Ronin Usa-Chan, Tenshi no Nozomi and Pokahydee. If they aren't well known, I don't know who is. Though, they were A LOT more well known a few years ago. If you've read their stuff, I'm sure you understand. Anyway, thanks for all your comments. As I've said, you're so much more helpful.
Allieb13-romance doesn't just happen. Things have to develop, first.
Now, on to something that will probably depress you, and will hopefully shame you into reviewing. Now that has hit counters, I know what percentage of you guys review, and it's dismal. I got six reviews last chapter, out of over one hundred sixty hits. I realize that some people hit the page more than once, but if we say about one hundred twenty, that means only one person in every twenty who read this story bothered to leave a review. One in twenty. If you guys don't get your act together, I'm not going to keep writing. This story has so many little facets like the various branches of the Order around the world that need research and time, and I don't have the patience to deal with it. I'm in college, and I have other things I could be doing besides writing this. So...get with it, or I'm done.
Sorry to be so depressing, but...well, the percentages are depressing.