Veronica wanted to groan when she opened her eyes. Her neck was killing her. Now that she thought about it actually, her whole body was aching.

It took her only moments to realize where she was. Shecould have recognized that scent anywhere. And if that hadn't given it away, well, the white walls, white sheets, white everything simply screamed Hospital Wing. She wondered briefly what she was doing there before it all came back to her.

She tried to push herself up. She had to find Kylie, Parker and Daniella. She had to tell her mom that Bellatrix Lestrange was after her and about Professor Miller. She had to...

"Veronica!" came a voice to her right which she recognized immediately.

"Mom, the girls," Veronica said choked out. She tried to turn her head but pain shot through her neck and she decided against it.

"They're fine, honey," Ginny murmured, gently pushing Veronica back into the bed, "Kylie and Daniella are in the other room and Parker is in a private ward in the back."

Private room. That had to mean something bad. Oh no. "Why?"

Ginny smiled and Veronica breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, after she escaped the first time, Madam Pomfrey isn't taking any chances. I hear that Parker is the first to ever escape in all of Madam Pomfrey's years of working here. She's quite furious about it, especially since Parker managed to go out and hurt herself worse. Parker's new room has extra charms on it to keep her from getting out. She's already tried to get out again. Something about the silence driving her mad."

Veronica tried to laugh, but it only made her throat hurt worse. She groaned instead squeezing her eyes shut. When she looked back at her mother, tears were sliding down her cheeks. "You're crying. Don't."

"Can't help it," Ginny said softly, "I've been doing it for the last day and half. I've been so worried."

"Did you get her?" Veronica asked.

"No we didn't."

"She was after me. Bellatrix was."

"I know. Daniella told us everything that happened. How you girls came to save her, how Professor Miller was really Bellatrix, how you told Bellatrix that you were my daughter to save her..."

"I'm sorry," Veronica said softly, "I know I wasn't supposed to tell, but she was going to kill Daniella because she thought she was me. I just, I had to."

Ginny nodded. She started to speak, but was cut off by loud angry voices somewhere just outside the Hospital Wing. "That's my daughter and my granddaughter in there!" a man shouted furiously.

"I realize that Arthur, which is why I informed you," Sirius said calmly, "But I can not allow you to go in."

"Sirius Black," a woman screeched, "You let me in there or Merlin help me I'll..."

"Molly, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to allow you to go in. Ginny has had a rough two days and she's not up to dealing with you two at the moment. She has her daughter to think of."

"We're her parents!" Molly screamed. Parents? Veronica thought. She glanced at her mother, who had gone suddenly pale. That's my grandparents, she thought. They're here to see me and Mom. She smiled. They did care.

"I realize that, Molly, but those are her wishes and I'm sure she'd like you to respect them. Ginny has already made it clear to me that she would like Veronica to be able to meet you, however now is not the time."

"She's going to let us see her?" Molly asked, suddenly excited. "When? Is Ginny coming as well? How are they? Are they both alright? What's she like, my grandbaby?"

"One question at a time, Molly," Sirius said patiently. "Yes, she's going to let you see her. As to when and if Ginny is coming I cannot say, though I assume it will be sometime soon. Both of them are fine. Veronica should be waking up any time now. And she's a very lovely girl."

"Perhaps we should continue this conversation in your office," Arthur said, "I assume the others don't know, or they'd be down here."

"You're correct, Arthur. They don't know, and they won't until after the students leave. Ginny requested it and I agree. As for continuing in my office, I believe that's a good idea," Sirius said, but was interrupted by Molly.

"And I want to know all about my granddaughter," she said, her voice fading slightly as they walked away, "And I definitely want to know why you chose to keep the fact that we had another granddaughter from us!"

Veronica turned back to her mom when she was sure they were gone. "Mom, you should see them."

Ginny sighed. "I know, but not right now. I've got more important things to do right now." She smiled. Veronica smiled back, but something about that conversation bothered her. Then it hit her.

Hadn't her grandmother just said that Sirius hadn't even told them Ginny had a daughter? Then how did Bellatrix know? Not to mention, how did she know Veronica would go to Hogwarts and how did she know it would be that year?

"Mom, how did Bellatrix find out about me?"

Ginny frowned. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that, as it's not really my secret to tell. But I suppose you have the right to know. It doesn't leave this room, alright?"

Veronica nodded. "Of course."

"I'm sure you know what a Seer is," Ginny said. Veronica nodded. "Most people don't know this, but Nina Potter, Kylie and James' mother, was actually one of the greatest Seers ever born. Her powers were much stronger than most Seers."

Veronica nodded. She always had a feeling the rumors were true and that belief was only cemented when Kylie told her about the dreams.

"About ten years ago, she made a prediction of sorts," Ginny said slowly, "It wasn't like a prophecy. Well, I really don't know how to explain it properly. She just had a vision, I suppose. There was only one person she told it to as he was the only one to witness it, or so they thought at the time. Nina Potter knew that you were going to be born and that you would be attending Hogwarts at the same time as her own children."

"Who was the one who heard it?"

"Sirius. That's part of the reason he came in search of me. He didn't want me to be alone."

"But how did Bellatrix find out if only Sirius heard?"

Ginny shrugged. "We aren't completely sure. At the same time Nina made the comment to Sirius, an alarm went off at the Potter home. There was an intruder on the grounds. They never found the intruder and there was no attack. Sirius believes it was Bellatrix and that she overheard the conversation."

Veronica nodded. That was certainly possible. After all, how many times had she ease dropped on her mother's conversations without getting caught? Too many times to count.

"Why does she want you so badly?"

Ginny frowned. "Again, this isn't going to be a question that I can answer completely." Veronica nodded, though in all honesty she really wanted to know the full story. "When I was 18, I found something out about Voldemort. You see, he'd taken certain precautions to avoid death. To destroy him, the objects he created had to be destroyed."

"What kind of object can help you avoid death?"

Ginny shook her head. "I can't tell you that, dear. During the war we decided that the existence of these objects would be kept secret. We didn't want any other Dark wizards getting the same ideas. All I can say is that the person can't be killed as long as their object or objects are intact." Veronica nodded.

"Through Blaise I found the location of one of Voldemort's objects, the last one. Once it was destroyed, Voldemort could be killed. Harry had been searching for it and well, without me, he never would have found it. I suppose Bellatrix attributes Voldemort's downfall partly to me. And also..."

Veronica waited. Ginny looked away. Ashamed? Veronica couldn't really tell. "The war, it's not something you can understand and for that I'm glad. There were times when we had to do things we didn't want to." She looked back at Veronica. "There are things you have to do sometimes to survive. Two weeks after I left Hogwarts, I was attacked. In the attack I killed Bellatrix's husband."

Veronica stared, feeling quite ill. Her mom killed someone. No, her mom had to kill someone. She looked at her mother's pale face and realized she was waiting for a reaction. Veronica sent her a weak smile, which she hoped conveyed understanding. Of course, this surely meant...

"Do you think that..." Veronica started. She paused. Did she really want to know? Well, no, but she definitely needed to know. "Do you think she'll try again?"

Ginny frowned. "I don't know, but you'll be safe if she does. Sirius and I are going to place several protection charms on the house before you get there. She won't be able to find you. You don't have to worry. Try and get some sleep, alright?"

Veronica nodded and snuggled deeper into her bed. She didn't tell her mother, but she had a feeling that Bellatrix wasn't going to stop. Not until one of them was dead.

"And Nicci," Ginny said, "I've convinced Sirius to wait to tell the other professors what actually happened in the forest and why. Daniella, Parker and Kylie have been advised to keep quiet about it as well, though only Daniella knows who you really are. So you don't have to worry about that either."


Veronica gazed out across the Great Hall. It was good to be out of the Hospital Wing, but everyone kept staring. Everybody knew that the girls had battled Bellatrix in the forest, but other than that, they knew nothing. Several rumors were flying about, but none of them even came close to the truth.

The boys had surprisingly not asked a single question, though James and Orion had given them all a good hour long lecture. Kylie solved that problem by promising to give the full story when they returned to her house if they promised to shut their mouths.

Veronica and the girls had kept to their word about being quiet about what happened. They decided, by unspoken agreement to wait until they had some privacy to talk about what had happened.

The owl post had just arrived. Personally, she thought it was silly to send an owl on the last day of term. Her eyes focused on Tristian who was currently feeding a large Eagle owl a bit of toast.

Her eyes widened. No, it couldn't be. And yet it was. That was the same owl that had brought her the letter. Tristian had sent her the warning! But how did he know? How could he possibly of known that Bellatrix was looking for Ginny Weasley's daughter? Nobody had known that until after the incident in the forest, not even the professors!

Tristian got up slowly and leisurely strolled out of the Great Hall. Veronica sat for a moment before getting up and chasing after him. She paid no heed to Parker's call asking where she was going. She followed him down a few corridors which she assumed led towards the Slytherin common room.

"Tristian!" she shouted, when she was sure they were a good deal away from the hall and any other students.

He stopped and turned around with a look of faint surprise. "Do you think it's wise to be shouting my name in so public a place?" he asked with amusement. He shook his head and pulled her into an empty classroom.

"You sent it."

Tristian cocked an eyebrow. "Pardon me?"

"Don't do that," Veronica snapped, "I know you sent me that warning in Hogsmeade." His smile faded, but he said nothing. "Tell me," she demanded.

"Fine," he said softly, turning to face the wall, "I sent it."

Veronica was disappointed. For some reason, she'd hoped he'd deny it. "How did you know who she was looking for?" she whispered.

"Does it matter?" Tristian asked.

"Yes," Veronica insisted.

"I told you being a Malfoy has certain..." He paused. "Benefits. And you forget, Bellatrix is my aunt."

"Why didn't you tell someone?" Veronica asked feeling anger rising in the pit of her stomach.

"Didn't see the point. Until you told me you where Ginny Weasley's daughter, it really didn't matter to me."

Her temper flared. "If you had told the Headmaster, he could have been able to stop it!"

"Could being the operative word," Tristian said lazily.

"How can you be so calm about it? People almost died!" Veronica shouted, "How could you just stand by and do nothing?"

Tristian swirled around to face her. His face was contorted in fury. Veronica unconsciously took a step back. "Not everyone is looking to be a hero, Winters! Not everyone feels the need to save people who don't bloody matter to them. I did what I had to when it did matter and that is all I'm obligated to do."

Veronica stood in shock as Tristian stormed out of the room. She wanted to cry. Instead she followed him out of the classroom.

"Everyone was right!" she shouted at his retreating back, "I should have known better than to trust a Malfoy!"

He paused briefly at the end of the hallway and glanced back. His face was completely expressionless. She was crying now and it only made her more angry. How the hell did he keep his own emotions so controlled?

Veronica turned and ran, carefully locking herself in a stall in the bathroom to calm herself. There was no reason to be crying, she tried to reassure herself. If he wanted to be like that, then fine! Why would she want to be friends with someone who could allow innocent people to get hurt?

She slowly left the stall and headed back to her own common room to wait until it was time to board the train home. Her mind wouldn't stop replaying the argument. Tristian had never yelled at her, even when he had gotten angry. He never lost control. She had a feeling that this time, their friendship might be over for good. And no matter how many times she told herself that it didn't matter, she knew it did.


Veronica sat down gratefully on the soft seat in their compartment. She looked over at her three friends and smiled.

"Can you believe the year's already over?" Kylie asked, sitting down next to her. Daniella and Parker situated themselves on the other seat.

"Hard to believe," Veronica agreed. Daniella pulled out a book.

"Dani! No reading!"

Daniella looked up. "Well, why not?"

"Because reading is boring," Parker said.

"Really?" Kylie asked grinning. "Wasn't it you who was reading extra books on Potions? In fact, I recall you saying it was interesting." Parker scowled.

"Didn't you two know about that?" Daniella asked, glancing up again. "Parker's been bugging me to check books out for her all year."

"Fascinating," Kylie said, a grin spreading across her face. Veronica smiled too.

"Exploding snap?" Parker asked. Kylie laughed at her obvious attempt to change the subject but agreed to a game. Daniella started reading again. Veronica turned to look out the window. Half and hour and three games later, the compartment fell into a comfortable silence.

"Guys," Parker said softly, "I have something serious to ask of you."

Veronica looked up at her, feeling nervous. Parker was rarely serious. "Yeah?"

"About that reading thing, don't tell anyone."

Kylie and Veronica burst out laughing. That was her serious request? Daniella however, looked utterly confused. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with reading."

"Do you want to ruin my reputation?"

Veronica started laughing harder and somehow managed to fall out of her seat. "Knock it off," Parker shouted.

"I just don't see the big deal," Daniella said frowning, as she tried to talk over the laughter, "Reading enhances the mind and expands your knowledge of the world around you. It's a good thing."

"Parker Keowen, the closet reader," Kylie said through fits of laughter. Veronica burst into another round of uncontrollable laughter while Parker sulked.

"Seriously, though," Parker said a few minutes later. "I'd rather you keep that to yourselves. What if Black found out?"

"What if I found out what?"

Parker scowled. "See, just great. Shove off, Black!" Veronica smiled as Parker scowled at Orion who was standing in the doorway. Surprisingly he was alone.

"What if I found out what?" Orion repeated.

"Nothing."

"Come on, Keowen," Orion continued, thoroughly enjoying himself, "I'm going to find out sooner or later. You might as well just tell me."

"I said nothing!"

Veronica turned to look over at Kylie who smiled. "Think they'll ever stop arguing?" she asked.

Veronica snorted. "Not a chance. They'll be fighting on their death beds."

"Let's just hope they don't become ghosts and carry on for the rest of eternity."

Veronica looked back over. Parker was now standing, poking Orion in the chest with every word she said. Her face was bright red. Orion was laughing. Daniella was trying and failing to calm Parker down.

"Maybe we should let Daniella in on our theory," Kylie said. Veronica laughed.

"I think she might need a little back up," Veronica said. Kylie nodded.

"Parker! Black!" Veronica shouted.

They both turned to stare. "Is there something you need?" Kylie asked, raising her eyebrows.

Orion grinned. "Nope. It's just my turn to check up on you four."

"Check up on us?" Parker growled. "We can take care of ourselves thank you very much."

Orion looked at her. "And you've proved that several times over," he said sarcastically. He looked back over at Kylie. "One of us will check on you every half hour. James' orders."

Kylie frowned. "Fine, but get out. You're bugging Parker."

Orion laughed. "See you in two and hours."

"Bloody prat," Parker grumbled as she sat down. "Who does he think he is?"

The mood was suddenly serious. "Do you guys want to talk about it?" Kylie asked.

"I do," Daniella said softly.

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean, you guys know why it happened and all..." She stopped. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Parker said forcefully, "It's not your fault. You didn't ask for her to come after you."

"Why is she after you?" Kylie asked.

"Because she's Ginny Weasley's daughter," Daniella said.

"What?" Kylie asked, looking shocked. "You are? Well that means that your mum is...Why didn't you say anything?"

Veronica shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't know until a few days ago myself."

Kylie nodded. "Wow, I just never thought."

"I don't get it," Parker said, confused, "What's the big deal with you being her daughter? Nobody freaks out about the other Weasleys. What's different about you and your mum?"

Veronica gave Kylie a nod before Kylie went into detail about who Ginny was, with Veronica filling in where Kylie couldn't. "We've been searching for her," Kylie finished, "Well, my Dad has been anyways. Not all the Weasleys were real sure about it. Some still were a bit nervous, but they all wanted the truth."

Parker nodded. "Well, that clears that up. Now on to the really important question. Why does Bellatrix want you and your mum dead?"

Veronica sighed. "Long story short, my mom helped defeat Voldemort and she...well, she killed Bellatrix's husband in a battle when she was 18."

Daniella squeaked. "Oh my." Veronica looked away.

"So she'll be back then," Parker said darkly.

Silence fell over the compartment. Veronica glanced quickly at her friends. Daniella was deathly pale. Kylie was frowning. Parker was staring off into space, her face grim. Would they decide not to be her friend anymore? She wouldn't blame them. It was going to be dangerous to be her friend.

"I guess we'll have to be more careful then," Daniella said finally. She gave Veronica a weak smile which Veronica returned.

Parker nodded. "Yeah, she's right." Kylie placed a hand on her shoulder.

The door opened. It was Rob. "Hi girls," he said, "You okay?"

Veronica nodded. "Yeah, thanks Rob."

Rob nodded and shut the door. Parker stared blankly at the door before turning back to Veronica. "Does he know?"

"About what?" Veronica asked.

"About you being his cousin."

"No," Veronica said, "My mom thought it'd be better if we kept that quiet until school was out. She didn't want me bombarded with questions."

"So other than the Headmaster, us, and Bellatrix," Parker said slowly, "Nobody knows that who you and your mum really are."

"Well, not exactly," Veronica said, "My grandparents know. Sirius thought it was his duty to inform them. They actually showed up at the school. I heard them."

"None of the teachers wanted to know why the students were being taken?" Daniella asked.

Veronica shrugged. "My mom asked Sirius to wait to brief the staff until today."

"So even my dad doesn't know?" Kylie asked. Veronica shook her head. "Guess that kind of puts a damper on our plan to get him and your mum together."

Parker grinned. "We can still make it work," she said, "We'll just have to be a little sneakier..."

"Why do I have a feeling that this is going to involve something that gets me grounded for the rest of my life?" Veronica said so only Kylie could hear.

Kylie smiled. "Because it probably will."


Two Weeks Later

"Mom," Veronica tried again, "I really wish you would come."

Ginny shook her head, as she picked up a small tin can, which had been converted into a portkey specifically for this occasion. "I really am just not ready."

Veronica sighed. She wanted to see her family, but she really didn't want to go alone. Kylie had reassured her that she'd be there later to help smooth the transition, but it wasn't the same as having her mom. But, speaking of Kylie... "Well, what about Professor Potter?"

"What about him?" Ginny asked, glancing away.

"Well, are you going to ignore him now that he knows?" Veronica asked, a smile forming, "I know you like him."

Ginny blushed. "Now, I don't know where you got that idea..."

"Only by the way you two were constantly flirting, especially at Christmas. And after we locked you two in the library, things were going quite well between you two."

Ginny's blush deepened and then she frowned. "Is that why you locked us in there?"

Veronica smirked. "Look at the time. I think we should activate it, don't you?"

Ginny's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "We'll be talking about this when you get back," she said, handing her the can, "Acasero." There was a familiar pulling behind Veronica's navel, and she was gone.

Ginny continued to stare at the spot where her daughter had just been standing, a frown set on her face. She had never seen anyone but a Malfoy smirk like that.

Veronica groaned as she landed on her bottom. Oh how she hated portkeys! Why did she always manage to land on something hard as well? She looked around and found herself on the doorstep of what was no doubt the home of her grandparents.

She stood up and dusted off her skirt. It was new, bought specifically for the occasion. She couldn't believe that she'd be meeting her family for the first time. Well, most of them for the first time anyways. At least for the first time when they actually knew she was related to them. She was finally going to have a normal family!

She bit her lip and reached to push the doorbell, before pulling her hand back. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. What if they didn't like her? So much for that Gryffindor courage, she thought bitterly.

Veronica cursed silently. It wasn't like it was that big of a deal. Besides Kylie would be here in an hour if things didn't go well. But they will go well, she reassured herself. Her eyes landed on a small sign hanging on the door. She smiled when she read it. Home is where my heart lies.

Still smiling she reached up and rang the doorbell. Her mom had a sign almost identical to that on their own door back in the States. There was shuffling coming from inside and several loud voices.

"Is it her?" someone shouted.

"Well who else would it be?" another replied.

The door swung open to reveal a chubby woman with graying red hair. She stared, mouth slightly open. Veronica shifted nervously under her stare. "Hi," she said softly.

The woman burst into tears and pulled Veronica into a bone crushing hug. Veronica froze in shock before hugging her back. Over the woman's shoulder she saw a room full of red heads, far too many to count, sprinkled with the occasional brunette.

"Let her go, Mum," one man said laughing, "She's turning blue."

The woman hugging her blushed slightly and stepped back. She wiped a few stray tears. "Isn't she beautiful?" she asked the crowd, but didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she ushered Veronica into a large living area, while shouting at the rest to move in there as well. It was decorated pleasantly and there were several snack items set out on the table next to her. "I'm sure you'll be wanting introductions. My name is Molly and I'm your grandma."

Veronica nodded and was about to respond when something mushy hit her in the face. She jolted back in shock. Mashed potatoes?

Someone was laughing. "Who did that!" Molly shouted, her face turning beat red. Veronica wiped the potatoes off her face. Her eyes caught sight of Jeff, who was currently holding back his laughter. To his left was a bowl of mashed potatoes, which Veronica knew shouldn't be on the snack table. That prat!

She walked over to him casually, while Molly continued to rage on, shouting furiously. The other adults were trying in vain to calm her down. Jeff didn't notice her approach, as his eyes were glued on Molly. Taking the opportunity, Veronica picked up a bowl of what looked like ranch dip and poured in onto his head.

Jeff let out a cry of outrage. Molly turned to look. Several people started laughing. "Food fight!" someone called. Veronica thought it sounded an awful lot like Carly.

"No!" Molly shouted, but the food was already flying everywhere. Veronica ducked behind the couch laughing as even the adults joined in.

"You're going to scare her away!" Molly shouted, as something that looked much like cake hit her square in the face, at which point she started throwing food as well. "You were supposed to be on your BEST behavior!" she continued shouting, "You were all supposed to act NORMAL!"

Veronica smiled. So it turned out she wouldn't have the normal family she'd always dreamed of. Then again, she could certainly get used to this one.