Disclaimer: the Harry Potter characters, settings and other miscellaneous details do not belong to me nor do any lyrics used within this story unless otherwise stated. Harry Potter and its details do not belong to me but to J. K. Rowling whose characters I will be borrowing with no personal gain, etc. The Angelus family, etc-are my creation, please ask if you want to borrow them. Please do not sue for the use of the HP details.
Chapter Two: The Pond
Looking off into the distance, Aurelia sits on the green grass that grows around her home. There is no glimmer of mischief or happiness in her deep aqua eyes, no hint that it is her birthday today. Hearing her father's voice as he greets their guests she stands, dusting off her red skirt and running inside, a smile gracing her lips as she goes to meet their guests.
"Aurelia, there you are!" Marius says as his daughter joins him in the hall with Narcissa, Lucius and Draco.
"Sorry, father, I was outside." Aurelia answers before turning to greet their guests, "Hello."
"Hello, dear." Narcissa responds as Lucius nods. Draco looks at her, smirks and instead turns towards the door as Severus arrives.
"Hello, godfather." Draco drawls as Severus enters the hall and Severus nods at the young boy.
"Hello, Draco." He responds before reaching over to Marius and shaking his hand, "Marius, how are you?"
"Well, thank you Severus. You?" Slipping into her own mind, Aurelia drifts into a sea of thoughts. She does not listen to the conversation of those around her and moves instinctively when her father, a hand on her back, walks outside with her. "Aurelia?" Marius finally asks when she neglects to respond to Severus' question.
Looking up at her father suddenly her eyes changing from the faded colour they had been only moments before back to their normal depths, Aurelia realises that they had been speaking to her. "I'm sorry?"
"My dear, you were a million miles away. What on earth were you thinking about?" Lucius asks curiously and Aurelia looks at him her eyes fading slightly before coming back into sharp focus.
"I was just daydreaming, Lucius. Nothing important." Aurelia responds quietly before glancing away. The amulet around her neck catches the light, the ruby seeming to pulse as the emeralds and diamonds glitter in the gold setting. Her hand goes to the amulet, fingering the runes carved into the gold as she turns to look at Severus, "I'm sorry, Severus, what was it you asked earlier?"
"I asked you whether you wanted to go to Hogwarts or do home schooling with your father?" Severus repeats and Aurelia glances towards her father,
"I think that depends on how much I've learnt at that time compared to other Hogwarts students… I don't want to be in first year if I'm able to do what the second years do." Looking at her father once more, Aurelia asks, "I though my father had already decided that I'd be home schooled?"
"Nothing is certain, Aurelia. There are, after all, OWLs and NEWTs to think about." Marius looks at his daughter, wondering how she really feels about Hogwarts versus home schooling.
Soon Marius, Lucius, Narcissa and Snape slip into previous conversation and Aurelia quietly murmurs, "Excuse me," before slipping away from the table and inside. Entering her room, Aurelia sits on the gold silk coverlet on her bed and gently strokes the Russian Blue cat that rests on her pillow, "Oh, Satiana, I still see the waterfalls. I don't know where they are but I can tell you everything about them; I can explore them. I can even feel what I'm touching, pain when I fall and the cold of the water…" Satiana leans up into Aurelia's hand and purrs as Aurelia strokes her back.
Standing up, Aurelia walks into her bathroom and pulls the ribbon that had been holding her golden curls away from her face out. Letting the silk curtain fall around her shoulders she sighs, running the brush through her hair before splashing her face with cool water and walking into her bedroom once more.
A knock sounds at the door and Aurelia walks out of her room and downstairs to answer it; Remus stands, framed in the doorway and looking rather anxious. "Hello, Aurelia, how are you?" He asks as Aurelia steps aside to allow him entrance.
"I'm fine, Remus. You?" She responds automatically as she looks over his torn and tattered robes critically. Looking down at Aurelia, Remus can't help but notice that she seems tired and that the answer was automatic rather than honest.
"Fine." Remus responds as Aurelia takes his hand and leads him upstairs and into another bedroom; Satiana, realising that she was alone, has since followed and jumps onto the bed in one of the many guest bedrooms. Chuckling, Remus looks at Satiana, "She's the only cat that likes me."
Aurelia smiles and looks towards Remus, "Of course she likes you, I like you- so she does too." Walking into the closet Aurelia exits the room with a new set of clothes for Remus; she hangs a fresh robe on the hook behind the door and smiles at him gently, "I don't know why you don't stay here over the full moon. Or ever. This is your room, you know, and I'd like it if you stayed more often."
Smiling reluctantly, Remus places a hand on her back as he gently guides her out of the room, "I don't want you to have to see me like that. Plus, I'm dangerous and I'd keep you up all night."
Aurelia allows herself to be led from the room but answers Remus' argument with one of her own before he closes the door, "I'd be able to handle it and we can just put silencing charms on your room or something. At least then you'd have somewhere to go."
Shaking his head, Remus shuts the door and Aurelia returns to her room, leaving the door wide open as she allows her mind to drift. The waterfall becomes clearer in her mind as she concentrates on it and the water feels cool as she steps into it with her bare feet. "Where am I?" She murmurs to herself as she looks around at the tall rocks surrounding her and at the trees, their foliage turning red and gold in the pale moonlight. Concentrating on where she is Aurelia looks around, the words 'Maine, North America' coming to her quickly, soon she knows where she is, Screw Auger Falls in the Northern Appalachian Mountains of Maine.
A touch on her shoulder pulls her from her vision, "Aurelia? Are you okay?" Remus asks concern evident in his voice as he looks down at his goddaughter. She blinks a few times her eyes darkening back to their natural colour instead of the pale colour of only moments ago. "What were you doing?" He asks and she looks up at him, her eyes widening in shock before she looks away from him.
"Day dreaming." Aurelia responds softly and Remus knows she's lying to him. Something was going on.
Gently placing his hand on her face he tilts her chin so that she's looking up at him, "Aurelia, you can tell me anything. Anything at all and I promise I won't judge you, okay?" Aurelia nods and silently leads him outside to where the other adults sit, talking.
"Remus! How are you?" Marius asks as he stands to greet him. With a smile the conversation begins again, Remus included and Aurelia once again wanders off, this time with Satiana hot on her heels. Walking over to the fish pond Aurelia sits on the edge, staring into the water as Satiana attempts to catch the fish.
"Aquatis creatis lilia." Aurelia murmurs as she holds her hand out over the water. Under her hand a small green stem appears and slowly begin to grow upwards, leaves appear curled up and rise to the surface as she pulls back her hand, watching. She has not heard Draco approach her and does not notice as his eyes widen at her use of magick.
Running to the adults Draco looks at Marius, "She's doing magick when she's not s'posed to! She's doing a spell!" The adults all look shocked except for Marius who stands calmly and begins walks towards the pond. The others all follow intrigued.
"Aurelia, honey?" Marius asks as he walks up behind his daughter. The leaves have unfurled on top of the water and a bud is slowly spreading out to become a water lily.
"What, daddy?" She asks as she watches her creation grow. The others watch in amazement and Narcissa takes a seat on the edge of the pond as Lucius looks over at Draco, obviously wishing his son could do the same.
"What have I said about doing magick alone?" Marius asks and Aurelia looks up as the lily blooms and floats on the water in all its glory. Her eyes flitter away from Marius' as she focuses on distant tree.
"Not to." She responds sulkily.
"Exactly. So unless someone else is with you…" Marius trails off, raising his eyebrow at his daughter.
Taking the hint, Aurelia finishes the statement, "… don't do any magick." Her father smiles gently and says,
"Especially not…"
"Wandless." She sighs and looks at her father sadly, "I'm sorry, daddy."
Looking into his daughter's sea-green eyes her father leans down and kisses her forehead comfortingly, "It's okay, honey. I just worry about you." Aurelia nods and looks at the lily floating on the water. Narcissa is still looking at the lily, she has realised that there is no other lilies or lily seeds in the pond.
"Honey, can you show me what you did?" Marius meets his daughter's gaze and nods when she looks to him for permission to show Narcissa what she did. This time Aurelia simply stretches her hand out over the water, willing that a water lily grow. Just as before the green stem forms, the stem reaches the surface faster then before and the leaves unfurl within seconds of surfacing. Narcissa gasps as the lily grows and then rests against the leaf on the surface of the water; smiling, Marius steps up behind his daughter and lays his hands on her shoulders.
"You're getting better." He says and Aurelia smiles happily. Narcissa looks to Lucius who seems just as amazed as she is; Remus, meanwhile, looks at Aurelia as he begins to realise the amount of power this little girl carries.
"Marius, how old were you when you came into your full powers?" Remus asks, curiously.
"About thirteen, why?" Marius responds as he watches his daughter reach her hand out over the lilies once more. Jewel had been able to do the same thing, as had he.
"I was just wondering when Aurelia would come into her full powers…" Remus responds as the flowers begin to perk up and seem to get larger then before.
"Well, most females in both Jewel's and my family don't come into their full powers until they're sixteen. But, as Jewel was a Light Angel and I am a Dark Angel… it's very possible she'll come into her full powers at thirteen or younger. We don't know, she's the first child of a Light Angel and a Dark Angel." Marius and Remus both glance at the flower as it continues to grow. By now the lily itself is larger then a dinner plate and Marius looks at his daughter in confusion.
"Daddy," Aurelia whines as the flower continues to grow.
"What, honey?" Marius asks as the flower suddenly bursts into flame. Narcissa and Lucius both look at Aurelia in amazement while Remus smiles.
"Why can't I make things wilt? They always burst into flame!" Aurelia stands up and turns to face her father as Satiana hisses at the flames slowly drowning in the water and disturbing the fish.
"Honey, most people have the opposite problem. Don't worry about it, give it time." Marius' words are spoken soothingly as Aurelia pouts at the flames; turning away from the scene Marius leads his guests back to the table as Aurelia once again settles next to the pond.
"Stupid flowers." She mutters as Satiana once again begins to play with the fish.
"Show off." Draco sneers from beside her and Aurelia glares up at him.
"Just 'cos you can't do it." She retaliates and Draco glares at her,
"I could but I'm not allowed to. Just 'cos the Ministry let's the Angelus family get away with anything while the rest of us have to wait 'til we've been to school to do anything."
Standing up, Aurelia faces off with Draco. "Well they don't monitor Angelus property so if you did some magick now they'd be none the wiser. Prove it. Show me your magick."
Draco shoves Aurelia back from him as he glares at her. "Fine. I will. I'll show you some magick."
Aurelia smirks, looking at Draco before challenging, "It's got to be something on par with what I did."
Glaring at her, Draco concedes her request, "Fine. I'll grow a giant Venus Fly-Trap, okay?"
"You may just wanna try a normal Venus Fly-Trap the first time, Draco." Aurelia laughs as she looks Draco up and down.
Stroking Satiana her ruby ring catches the light and Draco, noticing it, accuses, "You weren't using your magick! You were using the power of the Angelus stones!"
"No, I wasn't!" Aurelia defends and begins taking off her jewellery, "I'll prove it." After removing her jewellery, Aurelia once more stretches out her hand over the water and grows the lily. To finish it off this time she turns it the palest purple as her father watches the children face off through the trees.
"What on earth are they up to, Marius?" Narcissa asks as Marius once again glances through the trees.
"I dare say that Draco accused her of using the power of the Angelus gems; she just took of her jewellery and grew another lily… this time its coloured." Marius turns back to the group rolling his eyes in exasperation, "I'd be willing to wager that Draco is going to try to grow something next and, if he can't, someone's going to end up in the water."
At this Lucius looks up, "And who do you think would end up in the water?"
Marius laughs as he looks at the children once more, "I'd be willing to put family fortunes on Aurelia ending up in the water." Then as if to answer his prediction, they watch as Draco points to something in the water. Trying to convince Aurelia that he grew something.
Staring into the water for a few moments, Aurelia finally says, "Nothing there. You couldn't do it." Two seconds later Aurelia is sitting in the pond, glaring at Draco. "You shouldn't have done that." She says, seemingly calm.
"You can't do anything to me!" Draco taunts as he moves away from her and towards his parents.
"Please, be more stupid. Of course I can do something. It doesn't matter where you're standing either." Aurelia stands up in the pond and gracefully steps out of the water, with a thought her clothes change to a blue silk shift dress and her hair is pinned up on top of her head. "I can do anything I want to you. And I can make it so no one will even hear." An evil smirk crosses her lips and she taunts Draco as he steps back from her, "Scared yet?"
"N-n-no." Draco responds shakily as he steps back again, Aurelia stalks forwards with a laugh before using some of her magick to move a fallen branch behind him. She steps forward again and Draco once again steps back, falling over the log as he does so.
Falling into laughter, Aurelia looks at Draco and laughs even more when she sees the incredulous look on his face. "Liar! I got you! I had you scared and running!"
"Aurelia!" Marius reprimands, "You and Draco should not have been fighting! I'm very disappointed in you!" At the same time Narcissa and Lucius have reached Draco and they watch in silence as he gets to his feet.
"Draco, I can't believe this! We are guests here! How dare you behave like this? And on Aurelia's birthday!" Narcissa glares at her son angrily before Lucius places a calming hand on her shoulder.
Taking over from Narcissa, Lucius looks down at his son, "I'm disappointed in you, Draco. A gentleman would not have touched a young lady in anger, let alone pushed her into a pond. We will deal with you when we get home."
"I'm sorry for misbehaving and using magick, daddy." Aurelia murmurs to Marius as he grabs her arm at the elbow and pushes her towards the house.
"To your room, young lady. We will talk about this later." Marius turns towards Narcissa and Lucius, "I'm sorry about that. She's been in a strange mood lately."
Nodding, Narcissa responds, "There's nothing to be sorry for, Marius. Draco got what he deserved. If anything, I'm sorry for Draco's actions."
"I think it would be best if we headed home, Marius." Lucius says, holding Draco by the upper arm, "It was good seeing you, thank you for the hospitality." Lucius nods towards Remus, before heading back into the house. As Marius follows he feels a touch on his arm and looks to find Remus next to him.
"I'm gonna go check on Aurelia." Remus informs him, Marius gives him a quick nod before walking with the Malfoy's to the front door.