Chapter 8

Hagrid had pushed the boy through the crowd quickly, which Alli was thankful for because she started to feel queasy in his presence. Once he was out of the room, Alli turned her attention to Hermione, who was wondering why Diane had started to freak out. Tonks had taken Diane off to the side, because Diane was hysterical that they couldn't get the ring off.

"Why is mom so upset all of a sudden?" Hermione had started referring to Diane as mom years ago, but Alli didn't call Mrs. Granger mom in return; she had enough mothers and didn't feel right adding another.

"Oh, she's just realizing that both of us are off the Hogwarts. You know the whole 'they grow up too fast thing'." Alli forced a smile and tried to sound calm; Hermione only knew the benefits of magic and Alli didn't want to scare her by introducing her to evil magic too soon.

Once Tonks had gotten Diane to relax, she ushered out of the pub and took them home. Alli suggested to Hermione that she go show her mom everything she got and that they'd hang out later; it was Alli turn to show how distressed she was, but in front of Hermione she was determined to seem strong ( as a good big sister should). Thankfully, Hermione was beyond excited to show off her new wand and she hurried home. Alli flopped onto the couch still tugging at the ring; she was irritating her skin so much that it burned and tears started to build in her eyes. Diane went to make tea while Tonks sat down next to Alli; she had contacted Professor Dumbledore and now just wanted to distract Alli until he arrived. Tonks took the family tree she had stored in her pocket back at the Leaky Cauldron.

"So I guess this makes you my cousin." Alli slid closer to Tonks so they could look at the parchment together.

"Um, yeah, but I thought I only had one aunt, my aunt Cissy," Alli put her finger on her aunt's picture. "How come I have never heard about my aunt Andromeda?" Alli sounded the name out carefully.

Tonks thought about how to answer that; she didn't want to put down Alli's mom because she didn't know how close Alli was to her.

"There were just too many differences between my mum and her sisters. Once they all had their own families they just grew apart, I guess." Tonks was surprised to hear Alli let out a quiet, short laugh.

"Thanks for putting it nicely. You could have just said, 'your mum and Aunt Cissy were evil, murderous people and my mum was the good one'."

Tonks just stared at Alli, who had turned her attention back to the family tree. She took this opportunity to really look at her cousin; when they first met, Tonks just thought she was just another girl and didn't take much interest in her, but now this girl was family. Alli's hair was dark and curly, kind of like her mother's, and her skin was pale; but not a sickly, ghostly pale, it was more like paint before it got spread on the wall, creamy and smooth. Her eyes were gray but sometimes it seemed like they sparkled an emerald color. Tonks hadn't notice earlier but Alli was wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt even though it was a rather warm summer day. Alli scratched her arm through the shirt for a second which caused the sleeve to rise a bit; Tonks noticed a black shape embedded on her left arm.

"What's that?" Tonks reached over and held Alli's left arm. Tonks started to push the sleeve up and Alli looked like she wanted to protest but remained silent. She gasped as the Dark Mark slowly became visible on the girl's arm.

"How long have you had this?" Tonks couldn't look away from it.

"Since the day I was born, I think. My father put it on me and Professor Dumbledore doesn't know how to get it off. I've just become accustom to hiding it, but now with this bloody ring that going to be harder." Alli indicated to the ring. Tonks had forgotten about it and she hadn't really thought about the note it had come with; she was just surprised to have found a long lost cousin.

"I…it… why," Tonks couldn't seem to form a full sentence. Alli pulled her arm away and pushed her sleeve back down. The air between them suddenly became uncomfortable. Diane came in with tea and seemed to sense the tension; she tried to start a small conversation about Tonks work as an Aura, but noticed their eyes shifting nervously to each other every so often. Finally, Tonks decided to see where the professor was and excused herself from the room.

"Ok, what is going on between you two? You haven't been able to make eye contact with one another this whole time."

"Turns out, she's my cousin. And she kind of saw my mark."

"What?" Diane started to get concerned, it was Tonks's job to arrest the people with those marks. So what would happen now, Tonks may not be able to ignore this just because it turns out their related.

"Yeah after that is when it got awkward, we just didn't know what to say."

Tonks came back in and said that Professor Dumbledore was on his away along with two other teachers. Diane wanted to get the girls talking again so she made up an excuse to leave the room hoping the privacy would help. The silence continue for another several minutes until Alli couldn't take it anymore.

"Even if you arrest me, the Minister will let me go. He knows who my father is and has since I was two."

"I didn't plan on arresting you. That really wouldn't be the best way to start our relationship now would it. And what does Rudolphus have to do with anything?"

"What? Rudolphus isn't my dad, though now that I think about it I understand why you assumed that since our mothers didn't speak."

"Well if Rudolphus isn't your father than who is?"

"Um, that isn't important" Tonks sensed that Alli didn't want to talk about it. But before she could ask any more questions there were a couple of loud pops and the headmaster and two men were standing in front of them. The other two were Professor Snape and Quirrel, Quirrel remained in the background while Snape went right to Alli's side, which Tonks thought was strange since the teacher always seemed a bit standoffish to her. Diane returned and greetings were share by all except Professor Quirrel who barely whispered a hello before returning his eyes to the ground.

"Now what is the problem here?" the headmaster asked as he took a seat in an armchair.

"Well…" Tonks began but didn't know exactly how to phrase the explanation.

Suddenly Alli took over, "Someone knows I'm alive and that I hide my mark because I received this ring that is now magically fused to my finger. And lucky me, it glows with the Dark Mark for all to see!"

Snape to Alli's hand and examined the ring. He then took out his wand and mumbled a bunch of words; he tried a number of phrases before lowering his wand in defeat.

"Tonks tried some spells also, none of them worked either" Diane mentioned. Tonks was curious about the calmness in the room. When Alli first put on the ring, Diane was near hysterics with worry, but now she acted as if things like this happened all the time. And Alli used a lot of sarcasm and acted as if she should have known better than to put the ring on. Snape and Dumbledore did not appeared shocked by the story nor did they seemed worried.

"Professor Quirrel, do you think you have something you could try?" Dumbledore turned a bit in his chair to look at the teacher who looked like he wanted to crawl out the window.

"I I I thhhinnkk PPProfesssssor SSSSnape aaaallready tttrrried the sssppppells I wwwwould use."

"Very well, then you may go. I know we called on you while you were in the middle of something so now you can get back to it."

"Ttthhhank yyyou Hhheadmassster." And with a flick of his wand and another pop he was gone.

Tonks turned her attention to Alli, who had suddenly turned even paler than usual and was messaging one of her temples. Snape had his arm around her and that seemed to start to make her feel better.

"Right, now Alli how are you feeling?" Professor Dumbledore leaned forward resting his forearms on his knees.

"Alright, I have a slight headache at the moment but other than that no different than usual."

"How bad have your dreams been?"

"The ones I remember, about a five."

"And the mood swings?"

"Better"

"How about…"

"I haven't had an asthma attack since the last time you were here."

"Wait, I'm sorry to interrupt but I am very confused right now. It seems to me that this stuff happens a lot if you visit frequently and Alli knows what questions you'll ask." Tonks was a bit flustered. They all just looked at her for a moment until Dumbledore turned his attention back to Alli.

"Yeah, I've kind of have an eventful life" Alli giggled before turning to make eye contact with the headmaster. "Oh and guess what, Tonks here is apparently my cousin."

Dumbledore just smiled and nodded at Alli; in an instant the smile on her face wiped away.

"Wait you knew!" Alli pushed out of Snape's embrace.

"Yes, I knew about your aunt Andromeda. She's a lovely lady."

Tonks when to make a comment about her mother's kindness but Alli interrupted.

"So you're telling me that all those years of not knowing anything good about my family. Of thinking that the only people in my family that weren't dead or in jail were the ones who despised me. All those visits from the Malfoys who were just here because of who my father was an did not really care about me. And you're telling me that me that you knew I had other relatives this entire time, ones that would have loved me!"

By this time Alli was on her feet and yelling. Her hands were clenched at her sides and she was glaring at the professor who appeared perfectly calm. Tonks could see that Alli was getting angrier by the second and Dumbledore's composed disposition only seemed to make it worse. Snape reached out to take Alli's hand but she whipped around on him.

"Did you know too?"

Snape just looked away and placed his hands on his knees.

"You did, didn't you!" Alli's eyes blazed with furry and suddenly the couch that Tonks and Snape were on began to shake. Looking at Dumbledore, Tonks could see that his chair was also vibrating, as was Diane's. It wasn't long before the trembling became so violent that Tonks had to hold the arm just to keep from being tossed off. The lights began to flicker, pictures fell off the walls, the legs of the chairs and couch broke, and then the lamps flew to the opposite sides of the room, shattering against the walls. The lights finally gave out and, since the sun had begun to set, plunged the room into shadows.

The lights flickered and returned to their original brightness in the next few seconds; and when they did, the adults found that Alli had collapsed in front of Snape. Dumbledore had the same calm look on his and Diane and Snape stared at Alli's motionless body; Tonks didn't know what do until Snape rose, scooped up Alli, and took her up the stairs. Diane left and returned with a broom and dustpan and began to sweep up lamp fragments while Dumbledore summoned a goblet. Tonks was shocked and when Snape returned, the situation only got weirder.

"I put her in her bed, Saharia curled up next to her." Snape said as he retook his seat and reclined back into a relaxed position.

"Good, I'll take a tray of food up to her later." Diane commented.

"Very well. I see that she hasn't improved on controlling her temper much." Dumbledore flicked his wand to repaired the furniture and return the pictures to their hooks.

"She did seem much better but it has been an overwhelming day for her. I guess everything finally got to her." Diane answered.

"I am afraid that I have not witnessed this control, Diane. And I fear that one day she could seriously hurt the people around her if she should lose her temper like this again. I think we should consider moving her into a home with someone who can use magic to counteract hers."

"No" Diane gasped

"Professor…" Snape began to protest, but Dumbledore raised his hand to silence him.

"I know it would be hard for you, Diane, and for Alli as well. But we have to keep in mind who's blood flows through her veins. She was born to darkness and was meant to stand at the side of her father and help him rule the Wizard world. Now her body is fighting against itself and when events like the this one happen, it seems as if her evil half may be winning the fight. We can't risk you or any Muggles getting hurt."

"And you think removing her from the home she has known since she was three is going to make it better. Yes, she is a troubled child but things like this have happened before and was even worse when she was younger and didn't have any control. I was able to handle it then and I can handle it now. I promised that little girl that I would never let anyone take her away from me, and no matter how hard it gets, I will not break that promise. Now headmaster, I know you came to help but everything is under control at the moment so I think it would be best if you left." Diane voice was firm but still a bit shaky. Tonks could tell that Diane had never stood up to the headmaster like this before.

Dumbledore simply nodded, "of course, please inform me if anything changes."

Snape answered for Diane, "As you wish Professor."

Stoically, he flicked his wand and Apparated out.

As soon as he was gone, Diane sunk back into her chair and Snape went and knelt in front of her.

"Don't worry Diane, I know taking Alli out of this loving home would only make matters worse. I'm on your side and ready to fight for what's best for my niece."

Diane chuckled a bit, "That's the first time you've called her your niece. Usually your complaining because you're not really her uncle."

Snape was unable to suppress a smile, "Yes, well that little girl has grown on me over the years."

Tonks had remained quiet this whole time trying to piece everything she had learned together. But there were still a few holes she wanted to fill in.

"Ok, I know you're not my uncle, so how are you Alli's uncle?"She figured that was an easy place to start.

Snape took the chair that Dumbledore previously occupied so the three sat in slight triangle shape. "I have known Alli since she was an infant and when she began to talk she started to refer to me as Uncle Sevy. I'm not sure where she got the idea but no matter how many times I corrected her, Uncle Sevy I remained."

"And do things like what just occurred happen often?"

Diane answered this time, "It used to happen every so often when she was younger, like from the age of three to seven. But lately, since she started learning how to control her magic, they've been very rare events. She has never hurt anyone but herself during the tantrums."

"Professor Dumbledore said something about Alli being born into evil but she told me that Rudolphus wasn't her father. If you don't mind me asking, who is her father?"

Diane's eyes shifted nervously to Snape and he cleared his throat before saying, "Alli's full first name is Allestra. She's the only heir of the Dark Lord, the one the Ministry claimed died about eight years ago. Since then we have been doing everything we could to keep her life a secret."

"She's the daughter of He-Who-Will-Not-Be-Named?" Tonks now understood Alli's wish not to talk about her dad.

"If it is alright with you Diane, I would like to take her to visit my mum and dad one day. To show her that our whole family isn't evil." Tonks wanted to help her cousin now, she wanted her to see that there was good people in their family.

"I think that would be lovely, but she will need to rest for the next few days. Obviously it took quite a bit of energy out of her and she'll most likely be groggy for about a day or two."

Tonks nodded in agreement. The three of them talked a bit more casually for a bit until Professor Snape announced he should head home but that he would be back the next evening. After he departed, Diane and Tonks went to check on Alli and bring a tray of food for her. She was peaceful in her bed, Snape had even pulled the covers over her. Diane asked Tonks to stay for dinner which she gratefully accepted. Diane told Tonks stories about Alli and the trouble she got in and Tonks talked about her family, avoiding the dark members as best she could. Before Tonks left they went to Alli's room again; she was still asleep, but the glass of water on the tray was half empty now which showed that Alli had woken up for a moment. Instead of Apparating to her small apartment, Tonks went right to her parents' house to share everything she had just learned.

Alli spent the next two days lounging around the house. She seemed a bit spacey but would act normal whenever Hermione came over. Professor Snape came over as promised and tried again to get the ring off Alli's finger. After he exhausted every spell he could think of, Snape decided to cloud the stone so the mark was barely distinguishable.

About three days after they met, Tonks came back to take Alli to meet her parents. It was a bit awkward at first, but Alli went back a couple more times and eventually loved spending time with her aunt and uncle. The rest of Alli's summer was spent preparing Hermione for school, visiting her new family members, a few visits to the Burrow, and some nights with her Uncle Severus for more training. To Alli, the vacation flew by but to Diane it seemed to short. It seemed like she had one or two full days with her daughter before she was helping Alli pack her trunk again for another year at school.

"Don't worry, mum. I promise to write more often this year. I have come to the conclusion that if I don't write to you then you'll get hundreds from Uncle Severus that over exaggerate things."

"Good because if I go more than two weeks without hearing from you I swear I'll send you a Howler." Diane laughed.

The night before they left for school, the Grangers had dinner with Diane and Alli so they could learn what they were suppose to do. They seemed excited to learn everything they could about their daughter's new life. When morning came, Alli woke up to Hermione crawling through her window.

"Come on, get up. I don't want to be late for the train!" Hermione ripped the covers off of Alli and threw the jeans and t-shirt, Alli set out the night before, at her.

"Relax, we won't be late, Tonks is our Ministry escort and she would never allow it."

Alli dressed quickly so Hermione would stop pushing her. Hermione's parents came over for breakfast and shortly after the dishes were washed and put away, Tonks was at the door ready to load the girl's trunks into the cars. By 10:30, Hermione and Alli were standing at the pillar that led to Platform 9 ¾ , saying goodbye to their parents. Hermione was afraid to run at the wall at first but Alli decided to speed the process up by pushing her friend through the portal and then maneuvering both luggage carts through herself. When she reached the other side, she found Hermione mesmerized by the red train that would carry them. Alli guided her sister to get their trunks loaded and then went to find a cart to sit in.

Alli found Katie in a cart with another boy, whose name was Neville. Just before the whistle blew, Fred and George barged into their cart. Finally the train lurched forward, and they were on their way back to their beloved school. Alli sat on Fred's lap near the window, Hermione was asking her all kinds of questions, Katie and George helped answer them, and Neville kept looking for his missing toad. Alli felt peaceful even on the chaotic train, Hogwarts was where she was meant to be, where she felt safe and wasn't afraid.