Laurel Greengrass felt rightly concerned. It was a first for her. She would admit. Not once in her thirty-nine years had she ever received a letter by goblin before. Goblin. Who in their right mind would even think about hiring a goblin to deliver mail? Though, muggles did deliver mail by people, so goblin wasn't that strange was it?
Laurel internally shrugged.
However, if that was confusing and a concern; it was made more so when she saw who the letter was from. Rosette Potter. Lily's daughter. She hadn't seen the girl since she was but a baby just a little bit younger than her Daphne. That was before Astoria was born, but a little after Laurel's arsehole husband ran afoul of an 'accident' waiting to happen and passed away.
Laurel's moronic parents had insisted on marrying their daughter off to a 'powerful' pure-blood family. They already hated her choice in friends. Political power wasn't everything. Laurel had been in love with someone else but someone else got in the way. That was always the way, so Laurel married Greengrass anyway, and had two wonderful daughters and became a widower.
Now things had come to this. Laurel was secretly meeting with the Girl-Who-Lived. Rosette Potter. Laurel didn't think Lily would let her daughter see her. So that could explain the goblin, and Laurel was rich and even she would cringe at how much an actual goblin carrier would cost.
Rosette had arranged to meet in the Muggle World. Laurel didn't venture into the Muggle World much so she left the house earlier than needed to find the place. She made sure her daughters had some breakfast waiting and knew she would be back soon, and then apparated to an alley in London. It was an apparition hotspot (which were barely used but kept clean of Muggle surveillance – and Muggles).
Laurel had to wear Muggle clothes for her trip, which she didn't mind. Muggles seemed to have better choices anyway – she looked much more stylish and her daughters had both complimented her choice in clothing.
Laurel was wearing a long white dress that hung halfway down her calves. The dress curved around her slender body and accentuated her large breasts. She wore a large white wide brim hat to keep the sun from burning her pale skin, and slightly raised white sandals showing off her perfect bare feet and red painted nails.
Sighing, Laurel brushed back her long smooth blonde hair as a breeze blew some strands into her face. Laurel's silver eyes scanned the empty, bright alley. She was alone as expected. She readjusted her white purse hanging on her left elbow while double checking it was unclasped and she could gain fast access to her wand – she already had her Muggle money for anything she could need while out.
Laurel didn't believe she was walking into a trap by the Death Eaters as she exited the alley and joined some pedestrian traffic towards the location for her meeting. It was a Muggle place – she doubted many Pure-blooded Wizards or Witches would be able to set something up in the Muggle World. And even more. She doubted they would ever think of sending mail by goblin; let alone have the courage to arrange that.
But that also made Laurel cautious of meeting anyone in the Muggle World who dared send mail like that. Even Rosette Potter. As far as Laurel knew, Rosette wouldn't know the Muggle World either. She had grown up in the Magical World, which made her wonder – could it be that-?
No. She couldn't think on that any further. It's was just hopeful thinking. But what could Rosette Potter want. Dumbledore would never let Rosette know that Laurel Greengrass was her godmother. That would bring up unpleasant questions involving terrible things on Dumbledore's part, and could potentially lose him everything.
It took Laurel around thirty-five minutes to find the coffee shop. It was in a nice quiet area that had a lot more foot traffic rather than vehicles. It was small but had many nice little tables and a weird sense about it. It also had seats outside on the street in the sun and in the shade of a veranda over the windows and door, which had another level to it.
Laurel peaked inside the little coffee shop where she wasn't greeted by Rosette but a nice young waitress.
"Good afternoon, Miss." The young waitress greeted her with a smile. She had a slight accent from somewhere. Italy? Portugal? Somewhere like that. "Please, take a seat," she said leading Laurel back outside as the inside was quite packed and found Laurel a seat in the shade. "Can I get you anything now, or will you need a moment to choose?"
"Umm… a latté, please," Laurel replied as she took her seat and placed her purse on her lap with her back to the wall, watching the street as her waitress left and returned a few minutes later with her drink.
Laurel was about twenty minutes early, and the more time passed the more nervous she felt. She had just finished her coffee when she was startled and almost drew her wand in shock as a stunningly beautiful sixteen-year-old brunette girl sat down in one of the seats at her table.
The brunette was wearing a black dress to mid-thigh with spaghetti straps, and black shoes on her feet. Her hair was loose and pulled out of her eyes with a dark green headband, and a tie at the back.
"R-Rosette?" Laurel stuttered.
Rosette smiled and nodded.
However, Laurel's eyes widened as an identical brunette beauty took a second seat wearing an identical dress to the first, but with black half-boots. Though, she wasn't wearing the headband. She wore a black ribbon holding her hair back and hanging down with her hair with her hair on top curving back seemingly defying all of reality to do so with a few strands tucked behind her ears.
"Oh, my Goddess," Laurel muttered with her silver eyes widening. "I-Ivy…?"
"Ivy?" Shado asked with a frown. "Well I suppose it's better than being called something stupid like Petal or Hyacinth. Well if you're going for a plant theme. But I'm Shado."
"Well as you can see Mrs. Greengrass, this is my sister… umm, Shado," Rosette quickly said while holding back any comment on her sisters given name. "Yesterday she saved my life and we found out about each other. I know you're our godmother – I kind of found out because people have loose lips. I thought. Well maybe you could help us?"
"Let me guess," Laurel said while scowling. "Lily is adamant that Ivy… erm, Shado," she paused at the name before continuing, "here is evil and must be kept away?" Laurel asked. Shado and Rose nodded. "Do you know how hard it would be to convince the light that their great hero Albus Dumbledore is a vile piece of shit?"
"I could just melt his head off and then it would be a very moot point," Shado suggested as she clicked the fingers of her right hand and a spark of blue flame ignited and began to form a blue fireball.
"Shado!" Rose reprimanded as she looked around to make sure no one saw as Shado let her flame die out.
"That would prove him right, to them at least," Laurel said deadpan while hiding how impressed she was with Shado's level of elemental control. "You will most certainly get along very well with my youngest, though. That's the sort of solution Astoria would have come up with. Apparently, if you're too lazy to be tricky, just blow your problems up."
"I love her already," Shado said with a smirk while Rose snorted an adorable laugh.
Laurel smiled slightly. "Yes, well; it will be making her and Daphne fall in love with the pair of you that would be the issue, as they aren't easily swayed."
"Anyway, I'm sure Shado won't really melt the old man's face, right?" Rose interrupted and asked,
Shado pouted with a smirk and shrug. "Just because you want to melt the enemies face doesn't make you evil… or wrong in doing so," Shado retorted coolly. "It sounds like this old bastard needs destroying. He's been brainwashing innocent children for years if even half of what Rose has told me is true. I shall not allow that to continue. The futures he has likely ruined. Mine included. He stole fifteen years from me and my sister because he's afraid of some fortune telling, which likely says I'm going to kill him not the Magical World, and the only reason for that would be because he did this to us."
"Prophecy spoken by normal humans… they're stuck, unchanging, and are almost always self-fulfilling," Laurel said as she nervously reached over and took one of Shado's hands in hers and Rosette's in the other. She was surprised and thankful they both let her hold their hands over the table. "The only reason V-Voldemort was brought down was because he heard a prophecy too."
"So that rumours true, too?" Rosette asked in anger. Laurel nodded. "Is mum under some enchantments?"
Laurel took a deep breath as she squeezed both girls' hands. "Yes," Laurel said while looking to hold in her emotions for the girl's sake and hers. "Your mother was such a different person. We were close. Very close. I loved her like a sister. Imagine how messed up that was to Dumbledore's judgement about the world. The school houses. Everything. If things went like that. How long before Muggle-born first years chose to allow themselves into Slytherin? How long until the status quo collapsed, and everything became more than black and white or good and evil?"
"Oh wow, you were shagging our mum," Shado said as she read into the woman's lost eyes and caused the beautiful older woman to turn beet red. "So, if Dumbledore didn't do this bastard stuff, he has… Rose and I might not have existed?"
"You – and mum?" Rosette asked in a small voice while Laurel was trying to get over her embarrassment at such bluntness from Shado.
"I loved… still love your mother," Laurel said sadly. "But we still had to face facts. I was a pure-blood witch of which my parents already had a contract of marriage set to my now decease husband. Your mother chose to give James a shot. They were both normal until sometime after you were both born, and, Lily just stopped coming round, and no longer brought the pair of you to play with Daphne.
"James wasn't my greatest fan but he grew up a lot and with Lily's lead; he wasn't a dick," Laurel slowed with a small laugh. "But I honestly don't think they would have made it as a couple for too long if not for their altered personalities, as the tended to argue like fire and wood. I think James might have been more interested in Sirius to be honest."
"Who…?" Shado asked.
"Your godfather," Laurel said with a growl while both girls looked lost. "He was accused of betraying your family to Voldemort and sent to Azkaban Prison without trial or conviction… you haven't heard yet?"
"Heard what?" Rose asked while nearly in tears.
"Sirius Black broke out of Azkaban last night," Laurel said. "I think Dumbledore wanted rid of him. He was a Gryffindor. People might have listened to him when he realised James and Lily weren't themselves. But there will be others to have noticed. But they'll be like me. Powerless to do anything to help them."
"But what about me?" Rosette asked. "I can do something, right. I must have some kind of say. I can help Sirius if he's really innocent. People will believe me if I say mum and dad are being controlled by magic."
"Not without a lot more powerful support-," Laurel said but stopped as Shado and Rose moved back as a woman stood behind Laurel and slammed a beautiful platinum and ruby pendant of an angle and devil girl nude, entwined sexually as one as shadows dancing within the ruby – it was on an almost watery silver chain.
"No. But she can."
The woman was cold as she spoke with a head gesture to Shado. She was no nonsense. She wore tight blue jeans and a blue blouse with the top few buttons undone showing a hint of white bra that held her impressive firm breasts. She looked like she was in her late twenties, slight and fit with light brown hair tied back to her waist, and steely blue eyes that held strength and intelligence.
"Professor Strife?" Rosette said in shock.
However, the new woman sat and slid the pendant over to Shado. "I'm sorry Lady Shado but I've been searching for you. And when I saw this cheeky blonde woman in the Muggle World I had to follow. And who should I find. Rosette Potter. And who does Shado turn out to be but Rosette Potter's identical twin sister."
"Maya Strife," Laurel introduced them. "Hogwarts Runes teacher," she said for Shado's benefit. "And member of the Covenant of Witches," Laurel continued for both Shado and Rosette.
"Wow, Professor you're really a Covenant witch?" Rose asked in awe and eagerness.
Maya smirked smugly. "Yep, and now the reason I've been searching for the legendary Shado-."
"Are you seriously going to give her that?" Laurel asked in shock as she gestured the pendant.
"Is it worth something?" Shado asked as she took it from Maya's fingers and admired it as she could feel the soft loving hum of identifying magic slithering from it and through her fingers.
"Whoa, is that what I think it is?" Rose asked as she stared at the beautiful piece of jewellery. Shado gave her a confused look. "The Covenants symbol... the original Heart of the Covenant," she said. "It's like their crown. Given to the Queen of the Covenant – when a worthy successor is found."
"You're coronating me your queen in a coffee shop?" Shado asked the woman sceptically and still a little confused.
"Well the Covenant has shrunk during the past twenty years... since the passing of your predecessor," Maya said coolly. "We can't afford the girl power to do this properly. Just know with that – with accepting your new position as our queen, Dumbledore cannot touch you – or your sister."
"She's just a sixteen-year-old girl," Laurel interrupted in worry. "Why would you think she could-."
Laurel stopped speaking as a tall and busty black woman wearing a woman's business suit in dark grey with white blouse sat at the last free chair at their table. She slammed down a copy of one of that mornings Muggle newspapers.
"Whoa," Laurel said as she looked at the front page of the fuzzy picture of a floating girl with three huge containers floating with her above a harbour at night.
"Good morning, Rosette," the beautiful black woman said with a smile as she brushed her lose, dark hair from her dark eyes. Her hair had twisted plats down the right-side front around and over her ears. "And it is a pleasure Lady Shado…" she said shaking Shado's hand. "I am Aurora Sinatra, the Astronomy teacher at Hogwarts."
"Mrs. Greengrass?" Rose asked while looking at the back of the paper.
Laurel looked at her as she handed it over. "Laurel, or Aunty will be fine – or mommy if you're feeling really babyish. Astoria uses that trick any time she wants something."
"Holy-shits!" Rose said with wide eyes as she looked at the paper before startling and staring at the adults.
"You're not in classes, Rose," Maya said while rolling her eyes. "And it's a perfectly reasonable response."
Shado frowned as she looked over her sisters' shoulder and snorted. "This one bastard shot at me and I still gave him a chance to give me the containers and turn himself in with all his buddies and go to jail. Bloody moron pissed and shit himself and emptied his gun at me. So, I figured they all would rather die than go to jail. So, I took the initiative and tore their ship into piece and sunk it with them. No biggy."
"No biggy?" Rose asked while Shado was finally pulling on her knew pendant and admiring how good it looked on her. "Shado. You split a giant fifty-thousand-ton cargo ship into several pieces."
"Yeah, so?" Shado replied with a shrug. "Those arseholes deserved it."
"She doesn't understand what she did," Maya said coolly as she leaned over to Shado. "You, young lady – you are ridiculously powerful – on a whole other level set far apart from us. What you did was miraculous. That was almost godlike power."
"But what about Rose?" Shado asked. "She's a hero-girl. I can sense her power. She's stronger than the three of you. The Skull-Mask guys I killed yesterday were nothing, but I wasn't really trying to sense their power. Or the weakling Pigeon Orders, though, Lily Potter is hiding quite a bit of mystical power."
"Yes, Lily was always quite gifted," Laurel said sadly.
"Also, Rose may be stronger than us magically," Aurora added with a kind smile for said girl as Rose was looking sheepishly embarrassed. "But with Dumbledore's influence she has been held back. There's not much point in being stupidly strong if you don't know how to access that strength… or like Lily; you choose not to… or you're..."
"Yeah," Shado quickly interrupted as she didn't want to upset her sister further. "Anyway, now my Darling, Rosette can learn all she needs, and more of what she wants," Shado said. "She can grow strong by my side. We can bring this Covenant back to power, better and stronger than before."
"Dumbledore is the reason we've fallen so far," Maya said. "He will make it as difficult as possible to make a comeback. But I and others are willing to teach you… and Rose, so that we can destroy him and his Order, and bring new magic into our fold."
"Sounds fun, right, Rosie?" Shado asked.
Rose scowled. "It sure does, Ivy."
"Oh, you don't like being called Rosie," Shado teased.
"I'm not a baby," Rose replied with a cute pout.
"Anyway, you'll have to school under your given name, Shado," Maya said, startling her. "Yes, you'll have to go to Hogwarts. You can't be a part of the Magical World without this. Dumbledore will make sure of that, using lore's to suit his needs that he'll conveniently ignore until some innocent poor pure-blood family that doesn't bow to him wants their children to go to Hogwarts but can't afford tuition."
"So, Dumbledore is a contradiction within a contradiction," Shado said thoughtfully. "He wants everyone to obey him. To follow him. And therefore, he goes after those who aren't bad but think he's a dick no matter that they're still innocent."
"Maybe you should melt his face," Laurel said with a shrug as they all gave her a look. "Well, at least when he's been squashed."
"Okay, let's say I go to your little stick-waving school," Shado said. "I'm sixteen. I've never had one magic lesson. And every wand I've ever tried to use blows up. And what about Dumbledore and his bull-shit. He's not going to just leave me to keep Rose."
"Dumbledore isn't as clever as he thinks he is," Aurora said smugly. "Not all of his Order are as loyal as he thinks. We just make a play. Get this right and we'll have the gullible old man believing that our ploys are his genius schemes."
"Hey! I was hoping to take them home," Laurel said with a pout.
"We need to be quick," Maya said while shaking her head. "Dumbledore will be more easily controlled if we get this done straight away. 'His way'. He'll want to be fast in appeasing Lily and James or he could start losing leverage and control – they might slip out of his enchantments enough to get help and therefore, lose Rose completely – and everything would crumble down around him after that."
"Bastard can fall into Tartarus for all I care," Rose said while folding her arms over her chest.
"You would have been the honey that pushed him," Shado said while laughing. "… 'hey Professor, look what I found here. A mysterious portal into the Underworld. I swear I didn't bribe or blackmail any cute Goddesses into helping me out with this… whoops… nooooo, Professor Dumble-. Ah well?'," Shado said in such a cutesy way with a terrible mock-Welsh accent that they all had to laugh.
"Shado-," Rose wined while giving her sister a small shove while blushing brightly. "-… wait, do you actually believe is gods?"
"Well yeah," Shado said with a shrug. "I saw Zeus and who I think was Poseidon and some other guys doing battle with some super-freaking huge colossus on TV a couple years ago. Strange. Nobody but me remembers. Destroyed a shit load of New York. Or that could have been a dream…?"
"Those of us not messed up by the… well we tend to pretend we haven't noticed," Maya said coolly. "It makes life easier for us, but there is a lot of crazy shit going on – on Earth that we shouldn't get involved in or we would never get any peace. Sure, help a gal out if she needs it, but if she's not one of ours, don't let her stick around too long or you'll be dealing with the majesty of her annoying people too."
"You mean my adorably strange friend; Luna isn't super-crazy?" Rose asked with wide eyes.
"Of course not," Maya said with a shrug. "Ironically she is saner than anyone who lets the Mist screw with their perception and memories of this crazy crap."
"The Mist?" Shado and Rose asked together.
"It's why none of the Muggles are calling you a mutant or sorcerer," Aurora said pointing to the paper that now lay folded on the table in front of Rose. "They keep reporting you like you're a normal vigilante; even with a picture of you flying."
"I have to admit that I had wondered about that," Shado said. "But back to what we're going to do to get me into school… will I have to start in year seven?"
"No silly," Rose said smiling at her sister and doing as her teachers suggested and putting matters outside of their world from her mind. "You'll have to start first year and I'm sure with your skills you'll make your way up to year six with me in no time."
"Year seven is year one of secondary school in the Muggle World," Aurora helpfully informed Rose to her shy embarrassment. "But essentially you are right. This will take all of five seconds to implement and let Dumbledore half-arse it while fearing for his life and whatever – making appeasement with you to 'keep' Rose in the 'light'."
"Right," Shado said. "So, Rose and I will be going now then. I have to a few errands to run, and I was looking to buy a new flat in a more convenient location, but maybe we can get something closer to Hogwarts?" she suggested while Rose nodded eagerly.
"Actually… well…" Maya interrupted the girls sheepishly regaining their attention. "We'll have to well, let Dumbledore believe he's being such a kind old man and homing you both together to keep some semblance of peace. Especially since Shado is now our queen, but we won't outright mention anything about that and let them figure it out for themselves."
Rose pouted sadly, "I love Ginny but staying at her place with her arsehole brother, Ron," Rose paused to grimace and sigh, "… and her mum can be a total 'Greater Good' fanatic. Because we all know that is his go to place for dumping lost property to keep it safe for the 'Greater Good'."
"Greater Good?" Shado asked.
"Dumbledore's excuse for the crap he pulls," Laurel answered.
"Well, I suppose he will likely send you there," Maya agreed thoughtfully. "The Weasleys are a big time Light family, even though 'light' has lost all meaning with the way the world has changed in recent years. It's a shame that our people haven't changed with it."
"Blah, this light and dark stuff is stupid," Shado said, "but if I get to see Ginny naked at least once, totally worth putting up with a bunch of tossers!"
Rose sulked. "My sisters perving over my best friend, again."
"Don't worry, I'll check you out too," Shado said with a cool smirk while Rose blushed, laughed, and rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me." They were interrupted a moment later by the waitress as she picked up Laurel's empty cup. "Would you care for another cup Miss… and your guests?"
"Oh, yes, I suppose we could do with a quick bite to eat too," Laurel agreed quickly while the waitress started writing down orders.
"Did they mention, Hol-." Maya leant over to speak to Laurel in a whisper.
However, Laurel quickly interrupted. "Not now. They're pissed enough as it is. And no. They don't know yet…-."
"Know what?" Shado interrupted as she had given her order. "Are we triplets or something?"
"No-no," Laurel said slowly as she watched the girls nervously. "We don't know what happened. But there was a rumour that Lily was pregnant again a few years back. You would have been about three. Nobody knows what happened. Some say that the baby died-."
"Dumbledore's prophecy?" Rose said in fear. "It says my sister… not which one."
"Holly?" Shado asked as she guessed the plant. "Ironic as Holly and Ivy can be poisonous."
"But this Rose has thorns," Rose said coldly. "I'm going to kill him, and it's going to be painful-."
"Rosette," Aurora said, grabbing her arm as she went to stand. Rose deflated and returned to her seat. "We do not know for sure if there-."
"You believe there was," Shado said coldly. The three women nodded. "Then we wait. We take things as they come. And we find out what happened to our Holly. And if Dumbledore has hurt her; he dies. No playing games. He dies. Horribly. Very slowly. And confessing his sins before his minions."
"He will die on his knees. Begging like a dog," Rose agreed coldly as little sparks of light lit her emerald eyes.
"Rule number one," Maya said with a cool smirk. "Never piss off the Queen or the Princess of the Covenant."