I know this is a little weird but this chapter worked better when it was in Laura's point of view. So...yeah...tell me what you think!


Chapter Twenty

St. Mungos

Laura stretched, glancing at her clock. It was a little past eleven in the morning. She smiled to herself, rolling over and getting out of bed. She shouldn't have slept this late but she was up late talking with Erica. She glanced at the communication parchment to see if Lenore had written but there was nothing on the parchment. She shuffled off to the shower and took a quick one. She dried her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, a few strands falling down in springy curls. She had several potions that she had to work on today.

She wrapped a brown scarf around her hair and moved to slide into her work clothes when there was a loud beep, telling her someone was trying to communicate via floo. She rolled her eyes and unlocked her fireplace. She always thought it was strange the way the British traveled. Out of the flames came a floating head. She fought a laugh at the old man. He looked beheaded.

"Yes, Headmaster Dumbledore?" she asked crouching down.

"There has been an accident." He said, worry clear on his face. "Lenore's been attacked."

"WHAT!" she exclaimed. "I thought she was staying with her father!"

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "She is…I'll explain everything to you but I was hoping that you could come to England. Lenore is staying at St. Mungos, the hospital here."

"What time is it there?"

"Eight at night."

"I'll be there in ten minutes." She said straightening up and summoning her suitcase.

"Very well." He said before his face disappeared.

Moments later Laura called Erica to her house and the blonde appeared in her room minutes later. "What is it Laura?" Erica asked. She looked exhausted and Laura hated to bother her but she had to let her know. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Lenore's had another accident. She's landed in the hospital." She said as she spelled her things to pack. "I'm going to England. This is the last straw."

Erica sat down with a thump, holding her head. "Wait, what?"

Her anger was boiling as she changed her work clothes into a pair of jeans and a dark brown shirt with long-sleeves that said: Always remember you're unique…just like everyone else. "Something's happened to Lenore. Dumbledore didn't tell me what just that something happened and Leo's been attacked."

The Headprofessor tensed in the chair. "What? Again? How?"

"He didn't say." She shoved her boots on, zipping them up. "But she's been thrown off the stairs, nearly killed because of it, she hates it there, she barely started getting along with Snape when she gets attacked again. I'm not putting up with this." Laura got up and shut her suitcase. "You and Dumbledore promised me she'd be safe there. She's been in more accidents there than she has ever been here."

"Laura, what can you do?" she shook her head at the redhead.

"What I should have done the moment I found out that Serafina had died," Laura hit a brick next to the fireplace and a compartment opened.

"Her father is still alive, Laura. It won't work."

"I don't care. The condition is that she would be safe. She's in more danger there than she has ever been in before. I'm not going to stand by and watch it." She pulled the parchment from its spot. "She signed this to keep Leo safe, and that's what I want to do." She put the brick back.

"Will you keep me appraised?" Erica asked.

"I will. I think that around her birthday her friends are coming to visit her. I think she might enjoy it if you could make it." Laura said pulling her long tan trench coat on. She grabbed her long rainbow-colored scarf that Lenore had made for her last year. "I'll call you when I find out the news."

"All right. I'll get someone else to brew this year's potions." Erica said standing up. "Good luck." She hugged the redhead before Laura slipped a portkey on and activated it. Next to floo traveling, she despised portkeying, Laura would much prefer traveling by Transport but apparently the Brits hadn't gone that route. She landed in the Leady Cauldron, the main-wizard-point in England. She looked at the bar-tender and walked towards him. "May I use the floo; I need to get to St. Mungos,"

"It costs a sickle." She pressed the silver coin into his hand. "Go on."

She grabbed a handful of the powder and promptly proceeded to fall out of the other side, landing much as Lenore did, sprawled on her bottom on the floor of St. Mungos. She cast a cleansing charm on herself before getting up. She was starting to get angry. Grabbing her suitcase, she shrunk it, placing it into her pocket, and moved towards the front desk.

"I need to find a patient here." She said firmly before the woman at the front desk could even open her mouth to speak. Laura tried to calm her temper. "A Lenore Keller, she came in with Dumbledore."

The plump blonde woman searched for the name. "Oh…yes…she's on the forth floor, Spell Damage, room 416."

"Spell Damage!" she exclaimed in shock.

Laura started towards the elevator. "Yes…but only—miss!" She stopped looking back. "Only family is allowed to see her right now."

"Family…" she whispered looking down. "Oh…I am…please, just let me go up."

The woman nodded and motioned towards the elevator. "Go on."

"Thank you." Laura half flew half ran to the elevator and traveled up to the fourth floor. "Spell Damage," she muttered to herself impatiently. The elevator opened and she looked around, stepping out. Down the hall to her right were three figures, all male. One of which she recognized immediately. "Dumbledore!" she growled under her breath, half running to the three men.

"Are you saying that there is nothing you can do to help my daughter?" snarled the man dressed from head to toe in black, a scowl on his face. "I thought you were supposed to be a doctor,"

Dumbledore spoke in his ever so calming voice. "Now Severus, I'm sure that Healer Tanner is doing everything in his power to see that Lenore wakes up but you said yourself that she was in a bad spell when we put her to sleep." The door they were standing in front of was ajar.

"It's been an entire day!" growled Snape.

"Albus Dumbledore, what the hell happened?" she asked, storming up next to them. "Why is she in the Spell Damage Ward?" she demanded. "What happened?"

The man in black glared at her and she recognized that glare immediately. It was Lenore's glare. This must be Snape. She sent a glare right back at him. "Who are you?" he snarled.

"Laura!" a voice from inside the room cried out.

"Get out of my way," she demanded, shoving the two out of her way and she swept into the room. "Leo," the raven haired girl was sitting up in the bed, trying to get untangled from her covers. The moment Lenore saw her, she looked as if she wanted to burst into tears. "I came as soon as I could." She enveloped her in a hug. She rocked the teenager back and forth, rubbing her back. "It's all right, just let it out."

"Who is she?" Snape exclaimed following Dumbledore and the Healer into the room.

"I'm Professor Laura Bent, potions teacher at Leo's old school." She shot a deadly look at the man. "I'm assuming that you're Severus Snape.

"Professor Bent, thank you for coming. I assumed a familiar face would be helpful for Lenore," Dumbledore said as the Healer walked in.

"I have to take her vitals," the Heal, who looked a little affronted, said walking into the room.

"Leo, sweetheart," she pulled away from the girl who looked at her, her cheeks still wet with tears. "She's going to check you over, all right?" She nodded, sniffing as the Healer began running small tests. "Now are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked standing up, anger flashing in her eyes.

"I will explain everything as soon as Healer Tanner finishes with her examination." Albus motioned towards one of the seats in the room.

Laura shook her head. "I'd rather stay near Lenore."

Lenore clutched her old teacher's hand. "Other than a sever case of shock that is still affecting her she seems fine. There was a hairline fracture on her wrists but I've healed that. I'd like her to stay for observation for the rest of the night but then she is free to go back to Hogwarts with you in the morning." Tanner said straightening up.

She began to shake. "Back to Hogwarts…"

"Sshh, sshh," Laura pulled the girl to him. "We won't make you go anywhere you don't want to."

"This is a calming potion mixed with a sleeping draught." Tanner handed a vial to Lenore. "Take it when you are done talking with her. She needs to get some sleep." The Healer said before leaving.

Laura looked at the other two in the room. "What happened to her that landed her in a hospital? Even when she got…" Lenore tensed. "Even when that asshole attacked her she didn't land here. What happened?"

"I'm afraid only Lenore knows the full story," Albus said gently. Lenore looked up sharply, her eyes darkening. She brought her knees to her chest, hugging them. "You know what happened when Lenore was…" he seemed to be looking for a word to put to when Lenore first ran into Wormtail.

"When she was attacked the first time," Laura said with a frown.

"Well…Pettigrew came back."

"Sweet Jesus," Laura looked at Lenore sharply.

"I'm fine…just a little spooked." She whispered softly.

Dumbledore nodded. "If you will, Lenore, we need to know what happened."

"I was reading my mother's journal and…and it was close to when out therapy session would start." She swallowed hard looking down. "The fireplace glowed green and I called for Severus…he didn't hear me. Then he came out. He tried to kill me. I kept calling Severus but he didn't hear me. I don't know why but…Wormtail kept attacking me and Severus wasn't coming. He had me pinned against the wall when Severus came out…" she glanced away. "I'm not sure what happened after that."

"Your magic went haywire." Dumbledore explained quietly. "We had to put you under a spell to put you to sleep so you wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Where am I going to stay? I…I don't want to go back…I can't." she said beginning to shake.

"Sshh, sshh, we won't force you to go anywhere you don't want to." Laura said pulling her into a hug. "Why don't you take the potion and get some sleep. We'll sort this out." Lenore nodded slowly before drinking the vial. She slid under the covers and pulled them to her chest. "Sweet dreams, Leo."

Laura started to straighten up when Lenore grabbed her by the arm. "Please don't make me go back there."

"I won't. I promise. We'll work something out." The redhead said with a gentle smile.

They turned off the light and shut the door gathering in the hall. Laura had barely closed the door when Snap exploded with anger. "She is not your daughter, you have no right to tell her where she will stay!"

She whirled around staring the man straight in the face. "No but her mother left me as one of Lenore's legal guardians! I stood by and let her leave because I thought it might do her some good getting to know you but all that seems to happen to her here is one accident after another!" she half shouted. "I refuse to stand by and watch another accident occur."

"You are not taking by daughter away from me."

"Says the man who deserted Serafina and Lenore before Leo was even born!" the moment she said this, Laura knew she had made a mistake.

"How do you know Stef's real name?" Snape said, his wand out.

"You're going to let him pull a wand on me?" she asked Dumbledore who was now looking at her with mistrust but amusement at the same time. "Men are always such fools." She said shaking her head. She dropped her concealing charms, revealing her gorgeous rich blue hair with light blue skin. "My name is Randilyn Laura, I am an Almost-Human, a genetic defect in the centaur bloodlines. Serafina knew the moment we saw each other what we are." She pulled the concealing charms back on with some concentration. "Leo does not know. But I am the safest person that could help her."

Snape glared at her. "I believe the contrary and seeing as how I am her father—"

"Severus, Laura, please." Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "Both of you have just arguments but neither of you, it seems will be the best guardian for Lenore."

"I beg your pardon." They said at the same time.

"BOTH OF YOU!" Dumbledore half shouted. "Control yourselves." He smiled at each of them. "I have an idea that is favorable to Lenore's protection but in order to present it we must wait for another member,"

"Did you invite everyone in Scotland?" growled Snape.

"No, I only called Laura and—" Dumbledore started but he was cut off by shouting down the hall as the elevator doors opened with a ding.

"Ron! You're standing on my foot!"

"That isn't me!"

"OW!"

"I can't breath!"

"Fred, Merlin, don't you shower!"

"GET OFF OF ME!"

"You didn't," groaned Snape.

"ALL OF YOU OUT OF THE ELEVATOR NOW!" came a loud voice as one by one redhead after redhead piled from the elevator.

"Who are they?" Laura asked as seven people squeezed out of the elevator and into the hall.

Snape shot a glare at Dumbledore who seemed to be holding back a laugh. "The Weasleys,"